Keen contest on the cards

Rural face of Indian cricket; so be it! The Haryanvi cricketer is proud of playing for the State. Three quarterfinal spots in the last three years and the Ranji Trophy semifinal clash with Rajasthan at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium here from Tuesday places Haryana among the elite teams of domestic circuit.

A win here will mean a lot to a bunch of cricketers who hardly get any credit for their wonderful work on the field.

FIGHTING UNIT

With an encouraging show against Karnataka in the last match, Haryana has come a long way from the team that once struggled to qualify for the knockout phase.

A stirring Ranji Trophy win under Kapil Dev in 1990-91 was a landmark moment for Haryana cricket and the subsequent years have continued to enhance Haryana's standing as a team that loves to fight.

The legacy to fight was created by two spin stalwarts, Rajinder Goel (750 first class wickets) and Sarkar Talwar (357), who are respected to this day for their priceless contribution to Haryana cricket.

Rajasthan has acquired a reputation too.

It looks the defending champion team that it is. Robin Bist, boasting of an aggregate of 841 runs with four centuries, stands tall with young Ashok Menaria playing his role well even though he missed the last match against Hyderabad.

Skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar continues to be the force behind Rajasthan's excellent show along with consistent scorer Vineet Saxena.

“We are a team that believes in playing like a team. It helps us to believe in our collective strength.

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Arthur backs underfire Haddin

Australia coach Mickey Arthur on Tuesday lent support to struggling wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who he says will surely come out of his lean patch in the third Test against India, starting on Friday.

Haddin had dropped Indian opener Gautam Gambhir in the Sydney Test and his wicketkeeping has been below par this series apart from poor form with the bat, prompting many critics to demand for his axing.

But Arthur says, Haddin is a good cricketing brain and is an asset for the side. “I still believe in Brad (Haddin). I love his character. I love the way he is around the group. He is our vice-captain and he lives that role really well. I am confident we are going to get the best out of Brad in the Perth Test match,” Arthur said.

“We are just going to keep hammering it home with Brad. He did not have his best Test match by everyone’s admission. I think he will be fine. I had a nice chat to him after the Test. He’s fine. He wants to come to Perth and do well,” he was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

Keywords: India's tour of Australia

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Wickets fall like nine pins; Harshal wrecks havoc

Rajasthan 89. Haryana 82 for eight. Not a T20 contest but just a day-old Ranji Trophy semifinal on a lively pitch that tested the character and discipline of a batsman.

It was just the playing surface that separates good from the ordinary. To call the pitch anything else would be a travesty as bowlers prided in their vocation at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium here on Tuesday.

Haryana won the toss and exploited the conditions,courtesy Harshal Patel. His eight for 34 was better than his own eight for 40 against Karnataka in the preceding match last week.

Rajasthan hit back and the day ended on a delicate note with the home team clearly lamenting the chance missed to build on the brilliant platform that the 19-year-old Harshal had created.

“One has to rely on seam movement here (at Lahli),” said the unassuming Harshal.

He just pitched the ball up, moved it just that bit, accuracy behind his forte. The bounce was true but not one batsman showed the application needed to excel on such a pitch. There was not a dismissal that could be attributed to the vagaries of the pitch.

Edges flew and were held too as Harshal scythed through the Rajasthan top order. The batsman were embarrassed and humiliated by a youngster who knew his strength well. “The Lahli pitch slows down a little but I stuck to the basics,” he said. Only if the batsmen had remembered this lesson! continuereading

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Bangladesh cricket CEO passes away

The Bangladesh Cricket Board said chief executive officer Manzur Ahmed has died of a heart attack while asleep in his Dhaka apartment. He was 57.

Ahmed’s body was recovered from his room on Monday, the board said, adding Ahmed died overnight.

He took over as chief of the BCB in 2010. His funeral prayers were held in a mosque in Dhaka, where several hundred cricket officials and fans gathered.

Bangladesh Junior Sports Minister Ahad Ali Sarkar said, “His sudden death is a huge loss to the country’s sports arena.” International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Logart said Ahmed’s death has shocked everyone in ICC.

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Siddle doesn’t think he has got hold on Sachin

Australia’s pace spearhead Peter Siddle doesn’t think he has got a hold on Sachin Tendulkar, in contrary to the claim made by the home’s team’s wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

“The times I’ve bowled to Sachin, I probably have (been fortunate). I’m probably lucky enough I’ve got him two times in Melbourne. But in Sydney a couple of other blokes got him,” Siddle said on Tuesday.

“We’re building the pressure and whether it’s against Sachin or against Dravid, or any of their batters, if I can build the pressure and it happens from the other end, we’re going to get the breakthrough,” he said.

Haddin had claimed that Siddle, has found a weakness in the armour of Tendulkar. The Victorian fast bowler also doesn’t think that the pressure of scoring his 100th international ton is bogging down Tendulkar.

“He is still averaging about 70 or 80 so he’s still not doing too badly. It’s going to be around the corner and hopefully about in three Tests time when he’s not here.

“If we can keep the pressure going, whether we get his wicket straightaway or we keep getting wickets at the other end, the pressure will build on him,” Siddle said.

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Zaheer says there are good vibes and positive signs

Zaheer Khan has had success in the two Tests thus far on tour. But it was off the field that he put on quite the performance on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media after India's rigorous, three-hour practice session at the WACA, Zaheer exuded calm assurance and spiky feistiness in equal measure.

“This is not the first time we have been in a situation like this,” said the 33-year-old left-armer, referring to the 0-2 deficit. “We have come out of such situations in the past. It's showing in practice; there's a good vibe going in the dressing room and it's a positive sign. We are quietly confident. This Test starts afresh and we are focusing on it.”

Asked about the performance of the bowling unit he leads, Zaheer said, “We were fantastic in Melbourne. Everyone chipped in. In Sydney, the wicket changed after the first day. It's not an excuse, but anybody could see it. The nip and movement off the pitch wasn't the same. But we are looking forward to [this Test] and I am confident as a bowling unit we can take 20 wickets.” continuereading

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