• Recently Written

  • Flintoff: I won’t overdo it
  • Ferdinand ruled out for six weeks
  • Strauss nutty about KP return
  • Hughes: Given is the best!
  • Benitez: We must win in Lyon
  • Pieterson: Injury break a blessing
  • Mascherano: Let’s start again
  • Liverpool chief stands by Benitez
  • Rooney: Ronaldo is irreplaceable
  • England reveal South Africa squads

• Categories

  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Formula One
  • Golf
  • Olympics
  • Others
  • Rugby
  • Tennis
  • Uncategorized
• 
  

  Archives

  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008

Andrew Flintoff has promised not to compromise his England and Lancashire commitments by over-stretching himself.

The 31-year-old all-rounder is currently recovering from knee surgery following his retirement from Test cricket in the summer and when he returns to fitness he will do so with ambitions to be the world’s best limited-overs cricketer.

Part of that plan involves him taking control of his own playing schedule, something which led to him rejecting an incremental ECB contract earlier this year.

Instead, he will be able to pick and choose his own assignments and the indications are that he will attract lucrative offers from almost every major cricketing country.

But, having signed a three-year deal to continue as a one-day player for Lancashire, Flintoff insists he will not compromise his fitness for club or country by taking on too much.

Flintoff told Sky Sports News: “We’ve looked at my injuries over the last few years and that’s why I gave up the longer form of the game.

“I was struggling to get through 20-25 overs day in, day out or week in, week out and it was taking its toll on my body. I’m not going to give up Test cricket and then kill myself playing any other cricket I can find.

“I want to play tournaments and games which excite me. The IPL is obviously one of them, and I’m contracted to Chennai for another year, and there’s Lancashire and England too, if selected.

“Personally, I’d also like to try and play in Australia. I wanted to go at 16 but my Mum wouldn’t let me. I worked at Woolworths instead, but as I said, I won’t be killing myself by playing anything and everything.”

Reflecting on his ongoing recovery, Flintoff appeared to backtrack somewhat from his previous declarations that he would be ready to feature in the one-day leg of England’s trip to Bangladesh in February.

“It’s going slowly, but hopefully everything can go according to plan and I can get back in the nets and get practising again because I’m desperate to get back to it.

“I’ve had 10 weeks on crutches so it feels strange walking again and there are some strange feelings around my knee. There’s a lot of hard work ahead of me to get back on the cricket field and when that’s going to be I can’t say at this stage.

“I did say I’d like to go to Bangladesh in the one-day squad but whether that’s unrealistic I’m not sure.”

As for his Old Trafford future, Flintoff was clear in his aims.

“To sign a new deal is what I wanted to do. I’ve played for the club since I was nine and I don’t want to play anywhere else in county cricket,” he said.

“I’ve got personal ambitions but I’ve got team ambitions as well. I’ve won two trophies at Lancashire. I’ve been at this club a long time and I want to add to that.

“Personally, yes I do want to be the best one-day player in the world, it’s something which I feel I can do. Just playing the two forms of the game I can focus all my attentions on trying to be that player.”

Kevin Pietersen has admitted he was “falling out of love” with cricket before being sidelined by an Achilles injury.

The right-hander has endured a difficult 2009 during which he lost the England captaincy following his public falling out with then coach Peter Moores, before his Ashes campaign was cut short after just two Tests by an Achilles injury.

The right-hander was forced to undergo surgery on the complaint in July, but he believes the time out of the game since has served him well to refresh his mind.

Pietersen will make his return to the national team fold against his country of birth when England head off to South Africa for their winter tour next week, and is confident he will be fully fit to make an impact.

“This year has been one of the toughest of my career, with the captaincy debacle in January plus the injury,” Pietersen told The Times.

“This break has refreshed my head and who knows how I’ll come back as a player. My Achilles won’t hamper me any more and I definitely feel fresh mentally.

“I’ll be starting off really enjoying myself - and this year I haven’t particularly enjoyed playing cricket because I was in pain and because of what happened in January. It’s been a tough thing for me.

“I believe everything happens for a reason and these three months have happened to refresh me and knowing that I was sort of falling out of love with the game, it was a symbol or a sign for me to refresh and recharge my batteries.”

The England selectors today announced 16-man Test and one-day squads under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss for the tour of South Africa, which begins next month.

The Test squad contains three uncapped players; Surrey wicketkeeper Steven Davies, Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid and the Sussex all-rounder Luke Wright. Durham pace bowler Liam Plunkett has also been recalled to the Test squad.

Essex opener Alastair Cook has been named as vice-captain of the Test squad and has also been recalled to the one-day squad, together with Lancashire quick bowler Sajid Mahmood. Jonathan Trott, who made a century on his Test debut in England’s victory over Australia at the Brit Oval this summer, wins a place in both squads.

ECB national selector Geoff Miller said: “Andrew Strauss has made an outstanding impact as England captain over the past nine months and he will again lead the side in both five-day and one-day cricket in South Africa.

“Paul Collingwood led the side in the World Twenty20 this summer and he will continue to captain in this form of the game as we go forward this winter.

“We are delighted to welcome Steven Davies and Luke Wright into the Test squad for the first time. Steven is a player of great potential who has been a consistent performer for his county and he will act as understudy to Matt Prior in South Africa.

“The retirement of Andrew Flintoff has created a vacancy for an all-rounder in the squad and while we do not see Luke Wright as a like-for-like replacement for Andrew, we are excited by the way in which his all-round game continues to develop and believe he can make an impact at Test level.

“Kevin Pietersen is making good progress with his recovery from surgery on his injured Achilles. He will join up with the rest of the squad in South Africa following the first two Twenty20 internationals and his fitness will be reassessed ahead of the one-day series.

“Stephen Harmison has not been included in the Test squad because we feel his form has not been consistent enough over the past 12 months to justify a regular place in the side and we want to give an opportunity to other players to make a case for selection.

“Liam Plunkett has worked hard to improve all aspects of his game since he last played for England and his selection is reward for consistently putting in strong performances for Durham both with bat and ball. He will provide strong competition for a place in our pace attack this winter.

“Sajid Mahmood is another player who has had a taste of international cricket before and will be equally keen to make an impression in the one-day arena after continuing to show good form with Lancashire.

“Alastair Cook has shown great determination to improve his one-day game this summer, made runs at domestic level in both 50-over and Twenty20 cricket and the selectors believe now is the right time to re-introduce him to our one-day side.

“Likewise, Jonathan Trott who has made an immediate impact in our Test side and has also shown through his performances at domestic level that he has the talent and temperament to succeed in the shorter forms of the game.

“Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah will, of course, be disappointed not to be included in either squad but they are both high class players and will remain in the selectors’ thoughts as we go forward.

“Monty Panesar has struggled to find his best form this summer but he will play domestic first-class cricket in South Africa over the winter and we will continue to monitor his progress closely.”

Test squad:

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, captain)
Alastair Cook (Essex, vice-captain)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Paul Collingwood (Durham)
Steven Davies (Surrey)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)
Liam Plunkett (Durham)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)
Luke Wright (Sussex)

One-day squad:

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex, captain)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Paul Collingwood (Durham)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Joe Denly (Kent)
Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
Graham Onions (Durham)
Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)
Matt Prior (Sussex)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)
Luke Wright (Sussex)

Itinerary:

Nov 1: England squad arrives in SA

Nov 6: President’s XI - 50-over tour match, OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein
Nov 8: President’s XI - 50-over tour match, De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley
Nov 10: South Africa A - 20-over tour match, OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein (d/n)
Nov 13: 1st Standard Bank Pro20 International, Wanderers, Johannesburg (d/n)
Nov 15: 2nd Standard Bank Pro20 International, SuperSport Park, Centurion

Nov 17: South Africa A - 50-over tour match, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom (d/n)
Nov 20: 1st MTN one-day international, Wanderers, Johannesburg (d/n)
Nov 22: 2nd MTN one-day international, SuperSport Park, Centurion
Nov 27: 3rd MTN one-day international, Sahara Park, Newlands, Cape Town (d/n)
Nov 29: 4th MTN one-day international, Sahara Oval, St. George’s, Port Elizabeth

Dec 4: 5th MTN one-day international, Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban
Dec 9-10: SA Airways XI, tour match, Buffalo Park, East London
Dec 11-12: SA Airways XI, tour match, Buffalo Park, East London
Dec 16-20: 1st Castle Test, SuperSport Park, Centurion
Dec 26-30: 2nd Castle Test, Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban

Jan 3-7: 3rd Castle Test, Sahara Park, Newlands, Cape Town
Jan 14-18: 4th Castle Test, Wanderers, Johannesburg

Jan 19: England squad departs

England all-rounder Paul Collingwood has withdrawn from the Airtel Champions League due to a torn muscle in one of his buttocks.

Collingwood, 33, was due to play for his Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Daredevils in the two-week club tournament, which starts on Thursday.

However, a scan on Monday revealed a grade two tear in one of his gluteal muscles and he has been pulled out of Delhi’s 15-man squad on medical grounds.

The injury - similar to the one which kept Stuart Broad out of the Champions Trophy semi-final defeat to Australia last Friday - is not expected to affect Collingwood’s participation at the start of the tour to South Africa next month.

“It’s anticipated with rest and rehabilitation, he will be available for the tour of South Africa,” an England and Wales Cricket Board spokesman said.

Collingwood incurred the damage during his innings of 34 against the Australians.

“We have a contract with the IPL about making our players available, however Collingwood has picked up a little niggle in his buttock,” revealed coach Andy Flower, before England departed South Africa at the weekend.

“It is a genuine injury. We don’t know how bad it is but he definitely did something when he played one of his first pull shots on Friday against Australia.

“He actually struggled through the game with that problem. It is not in any way trying to get him rest.”

England coach Andy Flower has backed his side’s attacking intentions as the way forward for their one-day cricket.

Last night’s nine-wicket defeat to Australia in the semi-final at Centurion halted thoughts of a maiden success in a global tournament.

Andrew Strauss‘ team were hamstrung by the loss of so many wickets in the first half of their innings and it took 80 from Tim Bresnan and 48 from Luke Wright to rescue things from a position of 101 for six.

The top order paid dearly for their positive intent and Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson then produced a batting masterclass with unbeaten hundreds for the holders, to chase down their 258-run target.

“It was a very exciting tournament to be part of. It was a great pity we couldn’t get through to the final,” said Flower.

“What I did like was the attacking manner in which we played.

“It was also good seeing a couple of youngsters playing good cricket, which suggested they might be successful in the future.

“It’s the only way to go. There’s always a balance between attack and defence but the positive way is the way to go in international cricket.”

England were missing stars Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen in this tournament while wicketkeeper Matt Prior and all-rounder Stuart Broad were also sidelined for the day-nighter.

Despite being understrength, however, Flower was frank in his assessment of the defeat.

Like Strauss he appears happy with the intent but not necessarily the execution of some of the players.

“We were totally outplayed,” said Flower. “To be six down after 20 overs, it would have taken a miracle to win from there.

“Bresnan and Wright did a brilliant job in resurrecting some sort of total, which gave us a chance but it wasn’t to be.

“It exposed the batting strength again. It was a brilliant fightback but it wasn’t good to see us six down so early.”

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain feels Andrew Strauss did no wrong by denying Graeme Smith a runner during their clash.

“Andrew Strauss was right to deny Graeme Smith a runner at the climax of England’s outstanding win over South Africa.

“It is down to the umpires to decide if someone can have a runner and, as I understand it, they were not happy for the South Africa captain to have one, so why should Strauss step in?” Hussain wrote in his column for ‘The Daily Mail’.

“Smith had cramp, which is a fitness issue rather than an injury, and it is impossible to criticise Strauss for saying ‘no’,” he said.

England went on to win the match and qualify for the semifinals but the decision to deny Smith a runner caused quite a furore in South Africa.

Hussain said Strauss was mindful of the criticism he faced following his decision to recall Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews after a run-out in England’s opening match.

“…in the build-up to Sunday’s game, Strauss had been criticised publicly by his coach, Andy Flower, over his generous decision to recall Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews after a run-out.

“Strauss must have been conscious of that criticism as he weighed up the situation with Smith,” he said.

England’s ultimately comfortable passage to the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy was marred by a moment of controversy towards the end of the night at Centurion, when Andrew Strauss refused Graeme Smith a runner. Smith, who batted 216 minutes in all after having spent a session in the field, was clearly unhappy when AB de Villiers was asked to head back to the pavilion, and Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, was seen swearing in frustration. Smith was dismissed soon after for 141, and South Africa eventually fell 12 runs short of the 313 that would have given them a mathematical chance of survival in the competition.

“I was cramping quite badly and I requested a runner,” said Smith later. “Andrew spoke with the umpires and turned it down. He felt that if you score a hundred, you’re going to be tired. From my perspective, it felt a touch inconsistent. Guys have got runners for cramps in the past, so there needs to be a degree of consistency there. This is the frustration that we have.”

Strauss’s take was obviously very different. “He asked me for a runner because he was cramping,” he said. “The umpires were not particularly keen to give him one. I felt that at the end of a long game, after a long innings, you’re going to be tired. Cramping to a certain extent is a preparation thing. To a certain extent, it’s a conditioning thing. I didn’t feel that he merited having a runner at that stage.”

Smith insinuated that the Strauss decision may have had something to do with the suggestions of softness that resulted in him recalling Angelo Mathews during England’s victory over Sri Lanka on Friday night. “I’m not going to sit here and slag Andrew and say that he should have done this or that,” he said. “The decision rests with the umpires as well. From my perspective, it’s just about putting it behind me now. The thing I’ve learned from this game is that the world’s round. It’s going to come back somewhere in the game, at some period of time in his captaincy. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles it again.”

Strauss was of the view that the refusal of a runner had nothing at all to do with the run out-obstruction incident. “You just go with each situation as it comes,” he said. “I think the umpires were very uncomfortable with it as well. My personal view is that you shouldn’t get a runner for cramps, full stop.”

When it was pointed out that batsmen had been allowed runners in the past while suffering from cramps, he said: “That’s something for the ICC to look at. I didn’t feel he was cramping that badly either. He was still able to run. That was my view.”

Despite the disappointment of defeat, Smith still found time to smile when he was reminded of the fact that Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain, frequently asked for and was given runners. “I don’t know if I want to be likened to Arjuna,” he said. “I think I’ve worked quite hard in the winter [laughs]. From our perspective, it was a crucial period of the game. I was on the field for 95 overs and just felt it was inconsistent, that’s all.”

In the space of 48 hours, England have beaten two of the pre-tournament favourites with an ease that even their most fervent fans could never have imagined. South Africa have been pushed into the abyss, and Sri Lanka cling on by just a fingernail. If New Zealand beat England on Tuesday, the fancied Lankans too can head home. And though England have already sealed their semi-final place, Daniel Vettori and his side will expect no favours from a team that made Graeme Smith’s world leaders look pretty ordinary.

“I hoped, but obviously we were pretty down in confidence after the Australia one-day series,” said Andrew Strauss when asked about clinching the qualification with a game to spare. “I think one of the things we’ve done since coming here is to go out and show people what we can do, and not die wondering. That’s come out in both the games we’ve played.

“That batting performance today was, I think, the best I can ever remember from England. Owais [Shah] took control of the situation, clearing the boundary that many times. It was a gem of an innings, well backed up by Paul Collingwood and then Eoin Morgan impressed again at the end. It was a fantastic batting performance.”

England hit 12 sixes, a record for them in a one-day international. Half of them came from Shah’s bat. “The Australia series wasn’t good for any of our batsmen, really,” Shah said. “Coming out here, we were probably in a dangerous place, with our confidence low. We lost pretty badly [6-1] to Australia, and we needed to go out there, play with freedom and express ourselves. We just backed ourselves to go out and play our shots, as you saw today with Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood in awesome touch. We put some really good partnerships together.”

Strauss reckoned that a change in the mental approach had made all the difference. “We can play the shots,” he said. “We do skills practice. The only thing sometimes is our mindset, whether we loosen the shackles and say: ‘Let’s go out there and take the game to them’. Fair play to Owais. He came in and whacked a six and just went with the flow after that. He really changed the momentum of the game because it looked like we were losing it. He and Colly played the spinners exceptionally well, which was crucial.”

Shah has been the subject of much criticism in recent times, for soft dismissals and shambolic running between the wickets. He insisted though that he had never viewed the trip to South Africa as an entrance into the Last Chance Saloon. “I didn’t think I was playing for my career,” he said. “If you get dropped, you get dropped. That’s life. If that’s the way the selectors want to go, that’s fine. As far as I’m concerned, I try and play every game as if it’s my last.

“Even the other day against Sri Lanka, I felt that the correct thing to do was to bat through and try to see us home. Today, we had different conditions, a flatter wicket and I decided to take the attack to the bowler. And it came off.”

Given his own problems with cramps over the years, it was predictable that Shah would be asked about it, given what had happened with Graeme Smith at the end of the game. “As far as cramp was concerned, it was about preparing well and hydrating,” he said. “I’m really happy with the way I batted today. It was probably one of my best innings for England. I faced a few balls and didn’t feel like the pitch was doing much laterally. I backed myself to play a few shots.”

England had suffered a setback in the build-up to the game, with Matt Prior being taken ill, but Strauss refused to rule his first-choice wicketkeeper out of the competition. “He was pretty sick this morning, but these things can change very quickly,” Strauss said. “Hopefully, he’ll recover pretty quickly and be fit for the New Zealand game.” Steve Davies, the Worcestershire wicketkeeper, has been called up as a replacement.

In Prior’s absence, Morgan kept wicket, with the highlight being a stupendous off-balance throw to run out the dangerous Albie Morkel. “I think the fact that none of us really noticed him [Morgan] today speaks volumes for how good a job he did,” Strauss said. “It was an exceptional performance from him behind the sticks.”

In front of the wicket though, Morgan did far more than just catch the eye, clattering a stroke-filled and innovative 34-ball 67. “I’ve always felt that he’s had the attributes to do well at this level,” said Strauss who plays alongside him at Middlesex. “He’s got a huge array of shots. He’s a very calm individual and he seems to be in control of his game.

“It always takes a bit of time for guys to get used to playing international cricket. He’s shown glimpses before and out here, these last two games, he’s been as impressive as any 23-year-old I’ve seen. We’re not going to put a lot of pressure on him. He’s still learning but it’s great to see him coming through.”

There were suggestions that Sunday’s victory was a warning shot across the bows with England scheduled to start a tour of South Africa in November. Strauss though was hesitant to look that far ahead. “It was a big match for us today, against the best one-day side in the world,” he said. “So to win it and play in the manner that we did is clearly going to help our confidence, come that one-day series in a few weeks’ time.”

Next Page →

• Search

  
  

• Admin

  • Log in
  • Wordpress
  • XHTML

• Browse

  all-rounder Andrew Flintoff Andrew Strauss Andy Murray Arsenal Arsene Wenger Ashes Ashes Series Aston Villa Australia Barcelona Beijing Olympics 2008 captain Champions League Chelsea Cricket Cristiano Ronaldo ECB England England and Wales Cricket Board England tour of india Football Frank Lampard ICC World Twenty20 India IPL Kevin Pietersen Lewis Hamilton Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Man United Mclaren Paul Collingwood Premier League Rafael Benitez Ravi Bopara Real Madrid Ricky Ponting Sir Alex Ferguson South Africa Steven Gerrard Stuart Broad Wayne Rooney West Indies

• Blogroll

  • India Search
  • Indian Employee
  • Indian Leads Network
  • Indian Manufacturers
  • Indian Team
  • Live Scorecards
  • Rakhi Gifts India