Prince Out Duminy In

South African middle order batsman Ashwell Prince has been dropped for the upcoming return series against Australia. J. P. Duminy who replaced him in the squad in Australia will take his place. Ashwell Prince was in the squad for the Australian tour but was unable to play due to injury. Although he has now recovered completely, he was forced out as Duminy performed creditably. Skipper Graeme Smith also returns to the squad after missing the ODI series due to injury. Opener Neil McKenzie who was off color in Australia also retains his place.

In the Australian squad Phil Hughes will partner Simon Katich at the top of the order. Hughes replaces Matthew Hayden who retired after the home summer. 36 year old spinner Bryce McGain has also been included in the squad. Marcus North fills in the role of a reserve batsman. This series will decide the leader of the ICC test rankings. Currently Australia sit at the top of the table closely followed by South Africa.

Kp and Freddie Top IPL Auction

Former English skippers, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen topped the bids in the second Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Goa today. KP was bought by Bangalore Royal Challengers for a whooping sum of $1.55 million, while all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was snapped up by Chennai Super Kings for the same amount ($1.55 million). Thus KP and Freddie become the highest paid players in the IPL overtaking M.S.Dhoni who was the highest paid player last year. Dhoni earned $1 million.

South African batsman J P Duminy was also a hot favourite. He went to Mumbai Indians for $ 950,000. Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait was purchased by Rajasthan Royals for $375,000. Bangladesh all-rounder Mashrafe Mortaza was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for $ 600,000. England batsman Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood was purchased by Delhi for $ 275,000 each. South African all-rounder Tyron Henerson went to last year champions Rajasthan Royals for $ 650,000. Ravi Bopara of England went to Kings XI Punjab for $450,00. Hard hitting Kiwi Jesse Ryder was sold to Royal Challengers for $ 160,000, while his team mate Kyle Mills was sold to Mumbai Indians for $ 150,000. West Indian pacer Jerome Taylor was purchased by Kings XI for $ 150,000 while his WI teammate Fidel Edwards was purchased by Deccan Chargers for the same amount. Thilan Thusara of SriLanka was bought by Chennai Super Kings for $ 140,000. George Bailey was also purchased by Chennai Super Kings for $ 50,000. Deccan Chargers bought Dwayne Smith for $ 100,000.

The prominent players who did not attract any buyers include Australian keeper Brad Haddin, all-rounder Ashlee Nofkee, Luke Wright, Shakib Al Hassan, Samit Patel, pacer Stuart Clark, Andre Nel, Nuwan Kulasekara, batsman Chamara Kapugedera (He played for Chennai Super Kings in the 1st edition), Phil Jacques, Ashwell Prince and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Symonds Out Of South African Tour

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has been left out of the touring party for South Africa. With fellow all-rounder Shane Watson also sitting out with injury, Andrew MacDonald is expected to retain his spot in the team. With this exclusion, Andrew Symonds has been forced out of second consecutive overseas tour. He was also left out of Australia's tour to India, after he skipped the team meeting and went fishing. He was subsequently brought back for the home summer but his form was patchy and he was injured during the series against South Africa. While recuperating from injury, he was again in hot water for calling Kiwi wicket keeper Brendon McCullum as a lump of s***. He has subsequently returned from injury and has been playing for his state side Queensland Bulls, but his form has not improved. It must be noted that Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has been pressing for Symonds inclusion in the team. With the team already in transition after the retirements of several stalwarts, the exclusion of Symonds has depleted the experience of the squad further.

After the retirement of Matthew Hayden, an opening slot is up for grabs and rookie opener Phil Hughes, Phil Jaques and Chris Rogers are the favourities to seal the spot. In the pace bowling department,with Stuart Clark and Brett Lee still recovering, Doug Bollinger may get another chance to press his claims. It should be noted that Australia has lost the home series against South Africa this summer. If they lose the series in South Africa, they will be officially stripped of their status as No1 test team in the world. They already lost their No1 ranking in ODI's against South Africa.

Aussies Lose No 1 Ranking!

World champions Australia have lost their No 1 ranking in One Day Internationals after South Africa defeated them in the fifth and final one dayer at Perth yesterday. After winning the toss the South African skipper Johan Botha elected to bat first. South Africa rested their front line pacemen Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini for the dead rubber as a part of their "rotation policy". They were replaced by two debutants Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. South African opener Hashim Amla played a fluent knock to lift South Africa to a formidable total of 288 for the loss of 6 wickets in their alloted 50 overs. A B de Villers and J P Duminy also contributed 60 runs each. For the hosts all-rounder James Hopes scalped 3 wickets while Hilfenhaus took 2.

In reply Australia got off to a disastrous start losing 4 wickets with just 51 on board in under 13 overs. Mike Hussey scored 78 and keeper batsman Brad Haddin scored 63 in a lost cause as Australia were bowled out for 249 in 49 overs. For the visitors, debutant Tsotsobe captured 4 wickets. Hashim Amla was declared the "Man Of The Match".

Australia could regain their No1 ranking when they take on the 4th ranked New Zealanders in the upcoming Chappel Hadlee trophy. However to do so Ricky Ponting and his men have to find a way to hit the ground running as the Kiwis are a formidable One Day outfit.

South Africa Clinches Series Win Down Under

South Africa won the 4th ODI against Australia to win the 5 match ODI series 3-1 with one game to spare. After winning the toss, the Australian skipper Ricky Ponting had no hesitation to bat first on a batting paradise in Adelaide. But Australia didnt get off the best of starts with openers David Warner and Shaun Marsh back in the hut with just 17 runs on the board. Skipper Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey led the recovery with Ponting scoring 63 and Hussey contributing 28. Almost all of the Australian middle rder had their starts, but none of them were able to contribute a substantial score as the Aussies folded inside their 50 overs with just 222 on board.

South Africa's chase began on a rampant note with their openers Gibbs and Amla putting on an opening stand of 58. South Africa lost only two wickets before they reached their target with 11.5 overs to spare. A.B. de Villers scored an unbeaten 82 while Amla contributed an unbeaten 80. Earlier de Villers donned the big gloves for South Africa after their regular wicket keeper Mark Boucher was ruled out of the series with injury. A.B de Villers was awarded the man of the match. the 5th and final ODI will be played at Perth on Jan 30.

NSW and Victoria Enter Champions League

New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria are the two domestic teams from Australia which will feature in the Champions league scheduled to be held this year. The last year's league was canceled after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Victoria also qualified for the last year's proposed event. However Western Australia who made it to the finals last time around failed to qualify this year. In the finals of T/20 big bash New South Wales emerged victorious after defeating Victoria by 5 wickets. They scrambled home off the last ball of the last over.

The major highlight of the finals was the appearance of New Zealand wicket keeper Brendon McCullum in the New South Wales colors. Although he made only 10 runs in the finals, he would be available to play for NSW in the Champions league if his IPL team Kolkata Night Riders fail to qualify for the event. The signing of Mc Cullum by NSW stirred up a controversy in Australian cricketing circles with Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds openly questioning his inclusion. It should be noted that runners up Victoria didnt have the services of their 3 senior players for the finals. Cameron White and David Hussey are representing Australia in the ongoing series against South Africa where as Brad Hodge was ruled out due to an hamstring injury. New South Wales were without the new "boy wonder" David Warner and Nathan Bracken, with both of them representing Australia.

Aussies Pip Proteas

After a nail biter last Friday, Australia and South Africa were involved in another riveting contest today in the second match of the 5 match one day international series at Bellerive Oval in Tasmania. But this time though, the results were different. After winning the toss, South African skipper Botha elected to field first. Australia lost the wonder boy David Warner early with just 17 on board. But opener Shaun marsh and skipper Ricky Ponting consolidated the innings. Both scored half centuries to lay down the foundation for a mammoth total. However when both Ponting and Marsh were dismissed, Australia lost steam and the rest of the batsmen could muster only 53 runs in the last 10 overs, which included 4 overs of batting power play. For the visitors Ntini grabbed 3 wickets while Steyn and Kallis captured 2 each.

In reply South Africa were off to a slow start with just 17 runs coming in the first 7 overs and they lost the wicket of Hasim Amla in the bargain. However, Kallis and A B de Villers joined forces in the 15th over and kept the score card ticking along with minimal risks. Kallis was dismissed in the 35th over, at the end of which the South Africans required 103 runs in the remaining 15 overs. Still very much gettable considering the fact that South Africa had 5 overs of batting power play in hand and still had big hitters like Albie Morkel waiting for their turn to bat. But tight bowling at the death by the Australian pacemen, especially Nathan Bracken, put the skids on the scoring rate and resulted in a flurry of wickets. In the end South Africa fell short by 5 runs.

Australian opener Shaun Marsh was declared the "Man Of The Match". The third one day international will be played on January 23rd at the SCG. It will be a day/night affair.

Two Nail Biters In One Day

Of late there has been frequent murmurs about Twenty/20's gaining popularity and it contributing to the demise of one day cricket (the 50 over format). And this theory has been reinforced by many one sided fixtures being played out by teams. But that was not the case today. Two one day matches were played in the Asia Pacific region today, and both turned out to be cliff hangers.

In one encounter Sri Lanka were up against Bangladesh in what was expected to be an one sided affair. but it turned out to be anything but one sided. After winning the toss the Lankan skipper Jayawardena put the hosts into bat, and they crawled along to 152 all out inside the alloted 50 overs. The Lankans were expected to reach the target easily and claim the prize but the B'desh tigers had other plans. When the Lankans came to bat they were losing wickets in a hurry, and inside 8 overs they lost 5 wickets with just 6 runs to show on the board. Of the specialist batsmen only Sanga was still at the crease and there were bright hopes for the hosts. But Sangakkara and Mubarak hung around and raised the team's fifty. When things were getting better for the visitors, Mubarak was run out. All rounder Maharoof and Sangakkara then took Sri Lanka towards safety. Again there was a twist in the plot when Sanga and Kulasekara departed in the same over. With the required run rate climbing steadily tail ender Murali had no option but to swing the bat. And swing he did. He scored 33 of just 16 balls and Lankans won with two wickets and 11 balls to spare.

The other match was pretty evenly contested with top two teams South Africa and Australia locking horns. After winning the toss, Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting had no hesitation to bat first on a good batting surface at the MCG. With opener Mike Hussey departing early, opener Shaun Marsh and Ponting joined forces and put on 94 runs for the second wicket before Ponting was dismissed. With vital contributions from Shaun Marsh, David Hussey and Cameron White, Australia reached a respectable score of 271 for the loss of 8 wickets in their alloted 50 overs. In reply South Africa got off to a shaky start with their openers Gibbs and Amla back in the pavilion with the score card reading just 36. However Jean Paul Duminy, South Africa's crisis man, on this tour, struck a patient half century to put the chase back on track. Neil McKenzie playing in a one day international after a gap of 5 years (he was in the team as A B de Villers was still recovering from Shaun Tait's blow in the T/20's) also scored a fluent 63 and South Africa were cruising towards their target. But when J P Duminy fell in the 41st over, it triggered a mini collapse and suddenly South Africa were looking down the barrel. But South Africa still had big hitting all-rounder Albie Morkel in their ranks, and he wonderfully capitalized on the batting powerplay at his disposal. He stuck an unbeaten 40 of just 18 balls and took South Africa across the finish line with 3 balls to spare. Giving him company at the non-striker's end was skipper Botha. For his efforts Albie Morkel was declared the "Man Of The Match".

Matches like these, which go down the wire are what that makes one day cricket so exciting and enthralling to watch. It was indeed a bumper day for One Day Cricket. Lets hope for much such close showdowns in the coming days.

Hussey And White Seal Series Win

Australia defeated South Africa in the second T/20 international at Gabba to take the two match series 2-0. South African skipper Botha won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors were off to a slow start with just 40 runs on the board by the end of the 7th over and losing two wickets in the process. J.P.Duminy scored an attractive half century and remained unbeaten on 69 of 41 deliveries as the visitors reached 157 for the loss of 5 wickets in their alloted 20 overs. For the hosts, all-rounder James Hopes took 2 wickets.

In reply, Australia were off to a bad start with both the openers Shaun Marsh and the previous match hero David Warner departing early. Skipper Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey consolidated the innings and took the score to 90 when Ponting was run out. David Hussey followed him soon after. But his sibling Mike Hussey rediscovered his touch and joined forces with Craig White to steer Australia to victory. Michael Hussey scored an unbeaten 53 of 33 balls while White was unbeaten on 40 of just 18 balls with 5 fours and a six. For the visitors, debutant Wayne Parnell was most expensive bowler. He conceeded 4 boundaries in the 17th over which sealed the match in the hosts' favour. Mike Hussey was named "The Man Of The Match".

The one day series between the two teams kicks off on Jan 16th at the MCG.

"Matt The Bat" Walks Into Sunset

Australian opener Matthew Lawrence Hayden has announced his retirement from International cricket. The 37 year old opener has been weighed down by the lack of runs in this year's home summer. His announcement follows his axing from the one day and twenty/20 squads. His departure leaves yet another gaping hole in the Aussie ranks.

Known for his brute strength and fearsome stroke play, Hayden dominated the bowling attacks around the world. He currently holds the record for the highest score by an Australia in both tests and one day internationals. He briefly the record for the highest ever individual score in test match cricket when he smashed 380 runs against the Zimbabweans at WACA. This record though was subsequently reclaimed by Brian Lara. His highest score in one day internationals is an unbeaten 181 which he scored against the Kiwis just before the 2007 world cup, thus securing his place for the world cup. His performance in the world cup was also exemplary and was instrumental in Australia winning the third successive world cup.

He was a late bloomer and his test career was patchy at the start but after the test series against India in 2001, his stocks skyrocketed. He was again battling for his place during the 2005 Ashes series, but was ultimately saved by his century in the last test. He was again imposing during the 2007 home summer, and was sorely missed in the Perth test against India which the Aussies lost. He sustained Achilles tendon injury just after the IPL, ( he played for the Chennai Super Kings) and was forced to miss the tour to the Caribbean. His powers waned thereafter and he was never the same force again. He has scored 30 centuries in tests and 10 tons in one day internationals.

He formed one of the best opening acts in test cricket along with Justin Langer, and in one day internationals he was partnered by Adam Gilchrist. Apart from his fearsome batting, Hayden is well known as an outstanding fielder at slip cordon. His departure will result in further depletion of experienced resources in the team. It will be impossible to find an immediate replacement for this battle hardened veteran, but Australia still have a few choices in the opening department with Phil Jacques, Chris Rogers and young Phil Hughes waiting in the wings. Cricket as a whole will be poorer for the departure of "Matt The Bat", one of the true legends of the game. Farewell Matt, you were one of the best. Thanks for the memories.

The video shows highlights of Hayden's 181 not out against Kiwis.

Warner's Dream Debut Crushes South Africa

Debutant opening batsman David Warner struck an whirlwind 89 of just 43 balls to propel Australia to 182 runs in their allotted 20 overs in the first Twenty/20 match against South Africa at the MCG. It was the second fastest half century in the history of Twenty/20's. Warner simply tore into the much vaunted South African attack as all the bowlers including speedster Dale Steyn were battered into submission. South Africa regrouped after Warner's dismissal as they restricted the hosts within 200.

However there were no respite for the visitors when they came into bat as they were reduced to 12/3 in 3 overs as comeback man Shaun Tait and Nathan Bracken bowled fiery spells. Tait's spell was particularly too hot to handle for the visitors as he cranked up pace and had AB de Villers hitwicket. JP Duminy scored an attractive half century but the effort went in vain as there was no support from the remaining batsmen. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 130 runs in 18 overs.

Earlier Warner created history by becoming only the third player to have represented Australia without any first class cricket experience. He was adjudged as the "Man Of The Match". Australia have rested their keeper batsman Brad Haddin and pacer Mitchell Johnson for the match. Vice captain Michael Clarke didnot take the field due to injury. The second Twenty /20 will be played at Brisbane on 13th January.

The Fall Of World Champs

The inevitable has happened. As the old adage goes "All good things will come to an end". The Aussie cricket team which has dominated the cricketing world for more than a decade has been brought down to earth. The team which once boasted of world class performers in all the departments of the game is struggling to stem the rot. Their bowling line up, already crippled by the loss of legends Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath has been rendered leaderless by the injuries to Brett Lee and Stuart Clark. As a result, the team is struggling to dismiss their opponents twice in test matches.

The batting line up which was one of the best in the world is now struggling to put up runs on the board on a consistent basis. The loss of form of opener Matthew Hayden (due to age) and of run machine Mike Hussey has put enormous pressure on skipper Ricky Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke. The loss of talismatic all-rounder Andrew Symonds has not helped the team's cause. The team has been compling moderate totals due to the performance of their lower order batsmen. And this is surely a matter of great concern.

So now that Aussies has been brought down to earth, (They stand to lose their No1 ranking if they lose their ongoing test against SA) what needs to be done to strengthen the team from ground up? To make them the force they once were? The answer lies in inecting youth into the squad and allowing them the time to settle and adjust to the rigours of international cricket. Admittedly the performance level of the team will come down and the team will lose some matches. But this is much better way to build a team for the future other simply chopping and changing the players.

The out of form and ageing opener has to be replaced by young NSW opener Phil Hughes or Shaun Marsh as their have time on their side instead of opting for players who are in their late twenties or early thirties. The spinners Jason Krejza or Nathan Hauritz or Beau Casson should be given an extended run to prove their worth instead of selecting and discarding them at will. And young pacers like Ben Hilfenhaus will get better by having international experience under their belt.

The era of legends has come to an end. Its time to plan for the future and build a world beating team again from the scratch. With the huge talent at their disposal, it is definetly possible. The only question is whether the selectors will be brave enough to do it.

Uphill Climb For Aussies

After the sound drubbing against India in the second test of the ongoing Border Gavaskar trophy, Aussies face an uphill test to even the scores in the third test to be held at Delhi. Indian skipper Anil Kumble who missed the Mohali test because of the sore shoulder is expected to be back for the third test. Delhi has always been a happy hunting ground for Kumble.

The Australian pace attack which underperformed in the previous test has its work cut out as Brett Lee still struggles to find his rhythm and Stuart Clark still has fitness worries. Mitchell Johnson has been the most impressive seamer on view for the Aussies on this tour. Peter Siddle who made his debut at Mohali is expected to sit out if Stuart Clark is declared fit. The Aussies are expected to persist with all-rounder Cameron White as the main spinner inspite of his poor performance with the bat.

The batting department has its own concerns with its talismanic opener Matthew Hayden still to fire in the series. Skipper Ricky Ponting has continued his wretched form in India apart from his inspiring century in the first test. Vice captain Michael Clarke is also yet to contribute substantially.

The series could very well be decided at Delhi. If Aussies are to come back from behind and take the series their frontline batsmen and bowlers need to contribute consistently.

First Test Fizzles Out Into Draw

The opening test match between India and Australia ended in a tame draw after Australia failed to take 10 wickets in just under 3 sessions. After setting India an unlikely target of 299 to win the match, the pacers did a commendable job with the new ball dismissing opener Virender Sehwag and Rahul "The Wall" Dravid before lunch. But after lunch Sachin Tendulkar and co, blunted the Australian attack until both capains decided to settle for a draw.

Sachin Tendulkar failed to surpass Brian Lara's record, falling 14 runs short. He was dismissed off debutant Craig White for a well made 49. At the end, V.V.S. Laxman was unbeaten on 42, and Sourav Ganguly unbeaten on 26. Zaheer Khan was declared as the man of the match for his match haul of 6 wickets and an unbeaten 57.

The second test of the four match test series begins on 17th October at Mohali.

Johnson's Spell Swings Match

India finished day 3 at 313 for the loss of 8 wickets. India trail the Aussies by 117 runs. Aussie speedster Mitchell Johnson scalped 4 wickets to destroy the Indian top order. At one stage India was staring down the barrel at 106/4 before Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly combined to ease the nerves. Dravid made a well compiled half century. After Dravid fell to Shane Watson, India lost Dhoni and Sourav in quick succession and Aussies were looking to secure a potentially match winning first innings lead. However Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan batted freely to take the score to 312, when Harbhajan was finally dismissed by Watson. At the close of play, skipper Anil Kumble joined forces with Zaheer Khan.

Earlier in the day, the first two sessions elonged to Australians and especially Mitchell Johnson. He was the wrecker in chief. The day started well for Aussies with pace ace Brett Lee removing opener Gautam Gambhir in his very first over of the day. Then it was Johnson all the way. He removed the other destructive opener Virender Sehwag, and then followed it up with the prize scalp of Sachin Tedulkar. And for a good measure he also removed V.V.S.Laxman before unch to have India reeling at 106/4 with all the top batters back in the hut.

The bowling department which was considered to be Australia's weak link held up well, even though Stuart Clark was wicketless after bowling 17 overs. All rounders Shane Watson and Craig White bowled well while Michael Clarke accounted for vice captain M S Dhoni.

With only two days remaining in the test, the Aussies will lok to polish off the Indian tail tommorow and set a challenging total for the home side to chase. The fourth day's play may well decide the fate of the test match.

Ponting's ton Props Aussies

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting led from the front and scored a brisk century which enabled the Aussies to finish the day at 254/4 in the first test match played at Bangalore. Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first on a batting paradise. The much awaited clash began on a disastrous note for the Aussies with opener Matthew Hayden being dismissed for naught in the very first over of the day. However Opener Simon Katich and skipper Ponting joined forces to take Austraia to 166 without any furthur loss. Katich scored a gritty half century and finished with 66. Soon after Katich's dismissal Ponting completed his ton, his first one in India.

Ponting eventually fell to Harbhajan Singh after making a sparkling 123 off 243 balls. Michael Clarke was dismissed in the last over of the day by Zaheer Khan. At the close of play Michael Hussy was unbeaten on 46. For the Indians Zaheer Khan picked 2 wickets, while Ishant Sharma and H.Singh scalped 1 each.

Earlier Australians picked all-rounder Cameron While in the playing XI ahead of spinner Jason Krejza. The inclusion of hard hitting C.White has lent depth to the Aussie batting line up which already has all- rounder Shane Watson in its ranks. India went along with two pacers and two spinners.