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Graeme Smith (SA, capt)
Virender Sehwag (Ind)
Mahela Jayawardene (SL)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)
Kevin Pietersen (Eng)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL, wk)
Brett Lee (Aus)
Ryan Sidebottom (Eng)
Dale Steyn (SA)
Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)
12th man: Stuart Clark (Aus)

DHONI BEST IN ODIS
India captain named ODI Player of the Year, Yuvraj’s six sixes the best T20 performance
Source - http://www.mailtoday.in.
MAHENDRA Singh Dhoni was named the ODI Player of the Year, Yuvraj Singh won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award but pacer Ishant Sharma failed to win the Emerging Player honour at the annual ICC awards function in Dubai.

West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul was adjudged Cricketer of the Year after a fine performance in Tests as well as limited over cricket while South African fast bowler Dale Steyn earned the Test Cricketer of the Year Award.

India ODI captain Dhoni beat tough competition from teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Australian fast bowler Nathan Bracken and Pakistan stalwart Mohammad Yousuf to take the prestigious award.

Yuvraj was deservedly honoured for his stupendous six sixes in an over off Englishman Stuart Broad in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa last year.

Ishant lost out to Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis who took the Emerging Player of the Year Award.

During the voting period, Dhoni played 39 ODIs and scored 1,298 runs at an average of 49.92 and at a rate of 82.46 runs per 100 balls faced. In that time, he hit a century and nine fifties making sure he led his team from the front.

Dhoni also effected 62 dismissals ( 46 catches and 16 stumpings) as wicketkeeper, which is almost twice as many as the next best, albeit having played more matches than any other keeper.

He is currently ranked number one in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.

OTHER AWARDS

Test Player of the Year: Dale Steyn ( South Africa)

ODI Player of the Year: Mahendra Singh Dhoni ( India)

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Yuvraj Singh ( India)

Emerging Player of the Year: Ajantha Mendis ( Sri Lanka)

Associate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate ( Netherlands)

Umpire of the Year: Simon Taufel ( Australia)

Spirit of Cricket award: Sri Lanka

Woman Player of the Year: Charlotte Edwards ( England)

ODI Team of the Year: Hershelle Gibbs ( South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar ( India), Ricky Ponting ( Australia, captain) Younus Khan ( Pakistan), Andrew Symonds ( Australia), Mahendra Singh Dhoni ( India, wicketkeeper), Farveez Maharoof ( Sri Lanka), Daniel Vettori ( New Zealand), Brett Lee ( Australia), Mitchell Johnson ( Australia), Nathan Bracken ( Australia). 12th man: Salman Butt ( Pakistan)

World Test Team of the Year: ( in batting order): Graeme Smith ( South Africa, captain), Virender Sehwag ( India), Mahela Jayawardena ( Sri Lanka), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ( West Indies), Kevin Pietersen ( England), Jacques Kallis ( South Africa), Kumar Sangakkara ( Sri Lanka, wicketkeeper), Brett Lee ( Australia), Ryan Sidebottom ( England), Dale Steyn ( South Africa), Muttiah Muralitharan ( Sri Lanka). 12th man: Stuart Clark ( Australia)

Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has finally got a respite. Five months after he was banned for five years from international and domestic cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board, he is all set to join county side Surrey to prove his fitness and find a place in the national side.

The step comes at a time when Surrey are to stave off relegation from Division One of the County Championship. Shoaib will be available for the final two matches against Hampshire and Nottinghamshire.

"My eventual aim is to play for Pakistan and I feel Surrey would offer me the best opportunity to prove my fitness. I am keen to prove myself to the selectors to get into the national side. I want to put in hard work and play the best for the next four years and concentrate on my career," the 32-year-old said.

The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ was in the city to participate in a dance reality show. He slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board and the earlier government in the country for not supporting him, handing him the ban, fine and playing politics with him. "The past two years have been really tough for me. The PCB harassed me, banned me and levied huge fine on me. Also the earlier government lend me their support," said the pacer.

Shoaib also sounded upset with the board for not being able to nurture grass-root level talent, which has resulted in a dearth of pace bowlers in Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar confirmed on Saturday that he was fit and will play the Irani Cup tie for the Rest of India against Delhi at Vadodara later this month.
"I will be participating in the Irani Cup. I feel just fine now," he said during a promotional event, when asked about his physical fitness.
Selection for the Test squad will take place between September 24 and 28 and the master blaster's name is certain to feature.
Tendulkar had to miss the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, after being a part of the Test squad under Anil Kumble that lost the series to the home team 1-2, after sustaining an elbow injury while fielding in the third and final match at Colombo. He returned home and was replaced in the ODI squad by S. Badrinath.
Asked about the debate regarding senior versus junior players in the Indian squad, Tendulkar opted for the diplomatic approach, saying, "We should show maturity regarding the issue and not drag it out."
The Little Master wished the Indian Olympic team the very best for their next endeavour and congratulated the medal winners. Showing concern at the lack of infrastructure that faced the players, he said, "It is a very big thing that we could win three medals and it is a moment of pride for not just the winners but every Indian resident across the globe.
"This is just the beginning. We will surely bring home more medals. So I feel that the concerned associations should take the responsibility to provide infrastructure to the players. After one achieves success, the effort is applauded but there is a long period before the event that the player put in their heart and soul before the final display."
He also felt that winning on the Olympic stage took a lot of effort and hard work from the player's point of view. It was not just practice but the preparation towards it that also played a huge part.
Tendulkar was of the opinion that if the preparation was not solid, the outcome would not be good as well. "Hence if we want our players to bring home more medals then they should be given the necessary backing from the people involved," he added.

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On a day when everything moved at a snail’s pace, Sudeep Tyagi’s late burst injected a degree of artificial excitement. The strapping medium pacer’s four wickets in the final session came a little too late though, allowing Australia A escape with a draw against India A.
The three-day affair, which ended at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, could have been more interesting if five hours of play were not lost on the first two days. For, the Australians after adding just three runs to their overnight first innings score of 113/8 before being dismissed, were struggling at 263/7 following on, when play was called off.
The day began on a bright note, assuring that there would be no loss of play. Mohnish Parmar (3/37) and Piyush Chawla (3/39) were on the job right away, needing just nine balls to dismiss the last two Aussie batsmen.
Trailing by 168, the tourists led by captain Simon Katich, were positive in the second essay. Early wickets and spinners had troubled them in the first innings, but on a sultry day the Australian batsmen played more purposefully.
Openers Simon Katich and Philip Hughes (43 (68b, 8x4, 1x6) took the attack to the Indians and used their feet to good effect to drive the spinners through the off-side. After a quick 88-run opening partnership, Hughes threw away all the good work. The 19-year-old, chased a Parmar doosra and was caught behind by Parthiv Patel. Five over later, Parmar struck again when Adam Voges (9) holed out to Tyagi at deep square-leg.
Marcus North (88, 149b, 10x4), joined Katich (56, 112b, 7x4, 1x6) in the middle and the southpaws allayed any fears of another batting collapse. Katich, with his unorthodox but effective batting style, used his past experience on Indian pitches to handle Parmar and Chawla with ease. For Indians, the breakthrough however refused to materialise. Skipper S. Badrinath thought it was time for some slow off-spin from himself and Katich responded by gifting his wicket.

Australia ended their 39-year-old drought of a series win in India back in 2004 when the McGraths and Gillespies with able support from the legendary Shane Warne rocked the Indian batting order. The Aussies did retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year but with the absence of Glenn McGrath and Warne, their bowlers did have a tough time even while dealing with India’s lower order batsmen. However, John Buchanan, under whose coaching the Aussies triumphed four years ago in India, feels that the performance of the top order batsmen of both teams could well turn out to be the difference in the upcoming series that kicks off on October 9 in Bengaluru.
"No doubt, it’s going to be a tough series. Both India and Australia have a good bowling attack. But I think the result depends more on how the top order batsmen of both sides fare since it’s they who have to take the bulk of the responsibility," Buchanan said at the Eden Gardens on Friday.
Questions relating the controversy surrounding Andrew Symonds were obvious and the former Aussie coach was quick enough to come up with a ‘safe’ reply. "I am some miles away to comment on what’s happening with him (Symonds). All I can say is that within a week or two, we might come to know whether he would be part of the Australian squad."
Currently in the city for a talent-scouting programme, the Kolkata Knight Riders coach is of the view that a proper balance in the team is yet to be attained. "Of course, there’s a good mix in the side, but what we require most at the moment is a quality spinner (preferably a leg-break bowler) for better results in the next IPL," he expressed.
Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, who was expected to lead the Knight Riders’ spin department from the next edition of the IPL, might well be missed as Srilanka are scheduled to tour England in May 2009. "I am not very sure of the fixtures but international matches should always have the first priority," he said.
Nevertheless, he was all praise for Bengal players Laxmiratan Shukla and Ashok Dinda, the young medium pacer who has been called up as a replacement for Shantakumaran Sreesanth (who’s still nursing an injury) in the India A squad for the second Test against Australia A at Hyderabad. Buchanan also informed that all the selected aspirants from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata would be taken to Brisbane for a two-week training in two batches. The first batch leaves on September 21, while the other leaves during Christmas and New Year period

Controversial Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will leave for England on Friday to play for county Surrey after he was earlier sent back home from Heathrow airport due to incomplete visa documents.

"I have obtained the required documents now. I will fly out tomorrow to play for Surrey but it is disappointing to miss the match that started today against Kent," Akhtar said.

"I am just keen to start playing competitive cricket so that I am ready whenever I get a chance to play for Pakistan again," he added.

Akhtar was sent back after immigration authorities found out he had a work permit but not the required work visa to enter the United Kingdom.

"I had a multiple visit visa but they told me I require a work visa to go with the work permit to play in county cricket."

Andrew Symonds will probably heave a sigh of relief. The burly Australian, in the dock for his wayward ways, may just get back into the team based on his past performances. Luckily for him, the latest incident will not be held against him, said Australian selector Jamie Cox on Thursday.

On the eve of the first one-dayer against Bangladesh, Symonds went fishing instead of attending a compulsory team meeting. The Australian team management, reacting swiftly, sent the star all-rounder back home, raising doubts over the Queenslander’s return to the national fold.

However, Cox, accompanying the Australia A team here, had some good news for the allrounder. "The disciplinary action against Symonds has been taken by the players, who are part of the leadership group, with help from Cricket Australia. As for his selection, as and when he is made available, we will not judge him by this incident but by his performance as a player. It is the performance that counts," Cox said.

Cox, hoped Australia’s hunt for a spinner will end with this tour. "Yes the spinners we have here — (Bryce) McGain, Beau Casson and Jason Krejza — have done well in the domestic championship back home. There are a few spots in spin as well as pace, but you don’t find easy replacements for (Shane) Warne and (Glenn) McGrath."

Age has never been criteria for selection Down Under, and Cox stressed on that again.

"Look a 34 or 35-year-old is still in the prime of his life and can do things that a 24-year old does.

"But yes, if we think that the particular player’s ability on the field in terms of his athleticism is being affected by his age, then it does become a factor. But as long as he performs the roles that are expected of him, then it doesn’t matter," Cox noted.

Had the Champions Trophy in Pakistan not been deferred, Sachin Tendulkar would not have been able to participate, according to Dr Amod Harip, who first examined the batsman for his latest elbow injury in Colombo’s Apollo Hospital.

"Sachin was brought here when he was injured while fielding during the 3rd Test between against Sri Lanka. He has hemarthrosis of the right elbow," the Pune-born doctor, now settled in Sri Lanka, said. "Hemarthrosis is a bleeding into joint spaces."

"I wanted to insert a needle and remove the haematoma but team physio (Nitin Patel) didn’t want this treatement to be performed over here,"he said.

According to the other sources, Sachin was also advised to rest further duing the Test match but played the next day.

According to this orthopaedic surgeon, Sachin’s surgery in 2005 was not for tennis elbow as it is widely believed but it ‘golfer’s elbow’. "I saw the scars on Sachin’s elbow and it was not surgery for tennis elbow, but ‘golfer’s elbow’ instead. The primary difference between the two is the location of the pain and the activity that leads to injury."

"Sachin may be able to play the series against Australia," Dr. Harip hoped.

India A took a stranglehold over their three-day game against the visiting Australians here on Thursday as spinners Mohnish Parmar and Piyush Chawla turned the screws on them. At close, Australia A were tottering at 113/8, still 22 runs short of avoiding the follow-on, Parmar having taken 3/37 and Chawla 2/26.

India A squandered a sound overnight position to be bowled out for 284, but hit back as their spinners took control.

Resuming at their overnight 180/4, India A’s hopes rested on Mohammed Kaif and Virat Kohli. The pair had raised 90 on the first day and looked good for more. But Kohli (49) chased a Doug Bollinger delivery and was taken by Simon Katich at first slip. The Delhiite stood his ground after umpire Sadanand Vishwanath had ruled him out and it only showed the youngster in poor light.

Kaif, on the other hand, looked set for a well-deserved century. Along with Uttar Pradesh statemate Chawla (66), who was aggressive from the word go, the duo put the Aussies in their place. Just six short of a ton, Kaif lost his nerve. In a moment of hesitancy, Kaif stepped out to off-spinner Marcus North but only managed to hole out to Bollinger at long-off after a well-made 94 (204b, 15x, 1x6).

With Chawla not willing to hang around and scoring at a fast pace, Bollinger wiped out the tailenders with ease. A tall left-arm fast bowler, whose sharp pace is accentuated by probing line and length, Bollinger was guilty of pitching it too short on day one. The 27-year-old, however, made amends with a three-wicket haul on a humid day to finish with 4/59.

Chawla’s half-century studded with 10 boundaries and a six had given the hosts a moderate score to defend. But on hindsight, it proved to be more than enough.

With new-ball bowlers Dhawal Kulkarni and Sudeep Tyagi sending back opener Phil Hughes and Adam Voges early, the chink in the Aussie batting was visible.

The introduction of Parmar only added to the tourists’ woes. Not long ago, the Gujarat off-spinner had been a clone of Sri Lankan wizard Muttiah Muralitharan with his open chest action. But with his doosra being banned by the ICC for illegal action, Parmar is back with a modified action.

Skipper Simon Katich, even with his unorthodox style of batting, failed to survive against Parmar and was trapped plumb in front. And soon the procession started. A late entry notwithstanding, Chawla soon reduced the visitors to 89/5. The leg-spinner struck in quick succession to send back a dodgy Marcus North 41 (90b, 7x4) and Luke Ronchi. Parmar complemented with the wickets of Ashley Noffke and Beau Casson late in the day to leave the Aussies staring at big first innings deficit.

Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, will deliver a lecture to young Bangladesh cricketers during a conditioning workshop which is being planned by the Bangladesh board's cricket development committee.

"We are planning to arrange a workshop to focus on patience, skill level, and mental toughness and we are trying to provide some international input in this regard," Shakil Kaseem, the chairman of the development committee, told the Daily Star. "The good news is that Ganguly has agreed to present a lecture in this regard. And I think there can be none better than Ganguly to lecture on this issue."

Kaseem said players' physical and mental states were a matter of concern for Bangladesh cricket. "Skill and talent-wise [sic], our cricketers are as good as any other players from the top countries," he said. "But the problem lies in fitness level and lack of mental toughness. That's why we want to emphasise on these areas to prepare our players properly."

Bangladesh announced a 15-man National Cricket Academy squad, which will tour Sri Lanka to play two four-day games, three one-dayers, and a warm-up match. The selectors made six changes to the squad, which toured South Africa last month, with Naeem Islam taking over the captaincy from Suhrawadi Shuvo, who managed only one win in five matches.

Bangladesh academy squad:
Naeem Islam (capt), Marshall Ayub (vice-captain), Suhrawadi Shuvo, Farhad Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Imrul Kayes, Nasir Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Ziaur Rahman, Delwar Hossain, Mahbubul Karim, Arafat Sunny, Sajidul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Ashiqul Islam.

Source - http://www.cricinfo.com.

Williams sisters set up showdown
Serena is unhappy to battle it out with Venus in last eight, calling it the most difficult contest in the event

FEW people can appreciate the joy and dread stirred up by Venus and Serena Williams’ victories on Tuesday at the US Open better than Venus’s boyfriend, Hank Kuehne.

Kuehne, a golfer, grew up with an older brother, Trip, who was also accomplished in the sport. Thank goodness, Kuehne said, he never had to face his brother in match play at a US Amateur.

That would have been the nearest thing he could imagine to what was up next for Venus and Serena: a showdown on Wednesday in the quarter- finals of a tournament they both want desperately to win.

“ I think it’s a very difficult dynamic,” Hank Kuehne, a PGA touring pro, said after watching Venus’s match.

“ My brother and I are so ultracompetitive, we play cards with each other and it turns into a bloodbath.” He added: “ The thing is, Venus and Serena have done this their entire lives. It’s not fun for anyone involved, but they’re professionals.” The 28- year- old Venus secured her spot in the quarter- finals with a 6- 1, 6- 3 win against Agnieszka Radwanska at Arthur Ashe Stadium. After she was through, Serena, 26, took the same court against Severine Bremond and cruised to a 6- 2, 6- 2 win. In the first four rounds, neither sister has dropped a set, and Venus has lost 15 games, one more than Serena.

The Williams’ have played each other 16 times, including three times at the Open: in the final in 2001 and 2002 and in the Round of 16 in 2005.

Venus prevailed in 2001, Serena in 2002, and Venus won in 2005.

They met in the final at Wimbledon in July in a sublime piece of theatre that culminated with Venus winning her fifth Wimbledon title. Everybody wanted to see the sisters meet, but not like this.

Six years ago, when the Williams sisters squared off under the lights at Arthur Ashe, the WTA Tour was essentially the Williams Tennis Alliance. It was the fourth Grand Slam final in the previous five to feature them.

As had been the case at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier that year, Serena prevailed over her sister, securing her second Open title with a 6- 4, 6- 3 win. It seems unfathomable that neither sister has been in the final since.

Venus sat out the Open in 2003 and 2006 because of injuries, and Serena has not advanced past the quarter- finals in four subsequent appearances.

“ Obviously we were playing well then,” said Venus.

“ Things happen,” Venus said.

“ Life happened. You can’t always predict it. The best part is that we’re still here, going stronger than ever in my opinion.” And this time we are seeing a much- improved Venus. For years, everybody from Billie Jean King to the Williamses’s mother and coach, Oracene, has been goading Venus to go to the net more often. Venus has made a conscious effort to do so in her first four matches.

In 1998, when Kuehne won the United States Amateur, Trip was his caddie, not his competition.

He will watch Wednesday’s match, as he did the Wimbledon final. “ It’s a difficult situation,” he said. “ We’ll feel elated on one end, heartbroken on the other.” In a postmatch interview, Serena used stronger language.

She said the draw stunk, except the word she used was more profane. “ Even the semis would have been better than the quarter- finals,” she said.
“ I’ve got the toughest match coming up.”

So one thing is sure that either Serena williams or venus williams can reach into semifinals

Source - http://www.mailtoday.in.

HUNDREDS of glamorous women sprinted in stilettos to break a world record in Sydney on Tuesday. Donning mandatory three- inch high- heels, 265 ladies tore up an 80- metre race track at Sydney’s Circular Quay to break the world record for the most people running in a “ stiletto sprint”. Four hundred metre hurdler Brittney McGlone, 18, was first across the line, pocketing $ 5,000 ( about Rs 2 lakh). She was closely followed by dozens of leggy blondes and brunettes in green shorts, some of whom came off second best with scratches and scrapes from a few spills.
Former Australian sprinter Melinda Gainsford- Taylor inspected the athletes to ensure they were wearing three- inch heels and had the customary smooth legs.
“ All the girls were pumped,” she said. “ I don’t think I’ve experienced such energy since my racing days,” she added. An event spokeswoman said Tuesday’s world record topped the previous world record of 150.
“ It looks like Australia has smashed the current world record and should now hold the title for the most number of people ever to participate in a stiletto sprint,” Australian representative for Guinness World Records Chris Sheedy said.
Source - www.mailtoday.in.

Gary Kirsten, the India coach, has said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is "ready" to captain India in all forms of the game but added that there was no immediate need for change because Anil Kumble was doing "an exceptional job" leading the Test side.
"He [Dhoni] is ready for it [Test captaincy] but there is no need to rush as of now," Kirsten told NDTV. "Anil has done an exceptional job, he is a great leader. He is prepared to do 30 overs in a day but he is on the other side of the physical side of the game."
"MSD is a great thinker. He has got fantastic skills in terms of understanding the situation. He is the best ODI batsman in the world. I think he has worked his heart out, how to win games batting in the middle period. He plays every situation really well and is a very good keeper as well."
Kumble has led the Test team since Rahul Dravid resigned after India's tour of England in 2007 while Dhoni has been in charge of the ODI and Twenty20 sides.
India have just returned from a tour of Sri Lanka where they were beaten 1-2 in the Tests but bounced back to take the ODI series 3-2. Dhoni had opted out of the Test series in order to rest but returned for the one-dayers.
"Their characters [Dhoni's and Kumble's], their strategies are different," Kirsten said. "Their thinking is different but they both are exceptional cricketers and they have proved their worth in different formats of the game. It's always good to have captains that are performing well. It makes a big difference to the morale of the team, to the energy and intensity of the game."
One of the disappointments for India during the ODIs in Sri Lanka was Yuvraj Singh's form. He scored 72 runs in five innings and was tormented by Ajantha Mendis, who has dismissed him four times in six matches. Kirsten hoped that the break from international cricket would help Yuvraj.
"We all want to see Yuvraj hitting the ball hard," Kirsten said. "He is as good as anyone. Sometimes the break does a world of good. I am hoping that this break does him a lot of good and that he can comeback really motivated and determined."
Source - http://www.cricinfo.com.

Greg Chappell's coaching career has followed a familiar path to his playing days after he agreed to join the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane as the head coach. Chappell, who switched states from South Australia to Queensland more than three decades ago, will fill the post that has remained vacant since Tim Nielsen joined the national set-up last year.
Brian McFadyen, the former Tasmania coach, was in charge for 18 months in an interim role, but Cricket Australia delayed making a full-time appointment because it wanted someone with significant international experience. Chappell was mentioned in the initial search, but Cricket Australia originally hoped the New Zealander John Wright would take the position, and then the other preferred candidates, Dav Whatmore and Trevor Bayliss, gained international appointments. Eventually the journey returned to Chappell who, like Wright, has worked with India.
A former director of cricket at South Australia, Chappell landed the India job in 2005 but left two years later when the team was knocked out in the first round of the World Cup. In South Australia, where Chappell played from 1966 to 1973, he was unable to lift the Redbacks to any trophy success in five years in charge and his most memorable decision with India was to drop the then captain Sourav Ganguly.
Chappell's latest appointment was with the Rajasthan Cricket Association's Centre of Excellence, but he is expected to start at the Australian Academy before the end of the year. He will use his varied experience to develop the country's emerging and established young talent at the Centre of Excellence, which is based at Brisbane's Allan Border Field. A member of Australian Cricket's Hall of Fame, Chappell, the most graceful of batsmen, played 87 Tests, scoring 7110 runs at an average of 53.86, and captained the team in 48 matches

Source - www.cricinfo.com.

As concerns are raised over his commitment towards the national team, disillusioned Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds is unsure if he would tour India for a four-Test series next month and mulls retirement from international cricket.

"I have been asked to think about what is important to me and I will take this time to do that," said the 33-year-old Symonds, who is miffed at being sent home by the Cricket Australia for going on a �fishing trip� instead of attending a compulsory team meeting last week.

"I would ask that during this time, people respect my privacy and that of my friends and family," he was quoted as saying by the Courier Mail on Monday.

"I would like to say thanks for the many messages of support I have received over the past day or so," he added.

His manager Matt Fearon said Symonds wanted to resume playing, but was unsure whether he would be available for the Test tour of India, which departs late next month.

"Andrew�s going to take some time to reflect on what�s happened. He�s still committed to playing cricket at the highest level," he said in another media report.

Symonds� decision and its timing would be of a great significance to the Australians as the squad for the tour of India would be picked in next two weeks. Australia�s stand-in skipper Michael Clarke has questioned Symonds� commitment and claimed he needed time away from the game to get his act together.

Batsman Mike Hussey also said Symonds was missed in Saturday�s win over Bangladesh in the opening one-dayer. "He�s had success there and is a very good player of spin, and that is important," Hussey said and added "I hope (he can return). I certainly do. He�s an integral part of the team, a great guy to have around."

� PTI

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Even from someone who, by his own admission, started out with a jerky run-up and hurried delivery stride and still ended with 916 international wickets, Wasim Akram is as much a staunch advocate of grassroot pruning as he is of reverse swing.

"You can only change the wrist action, run-up of a fast bowler at 14-15 years of age. That is the age when he is maturing, his muscles are expanding and his mind is more open to new ideas," Akram says. "At 18, he is already developed and you can only finetune him."

In the capital for the last four days, the master of swing and deception has been helping out pace bowling hopefuls at an ongoing Delhi and District Cricket Association pre-season camp. The time frame, he says, is not the most ideal. "Too short, I wish they had called me earlier... I�m planning to start a fast bowling academy here, that will give me more time to spend with kids."

Akram feels India are better placed than Pakistan when it comes to utilising talent, though he rues that state of affairs back home is because of their own making. "We�re going through a tough phase. Shoaib�s injury has created problems, so has Asif�s stupidity. You know what we need right know � a new PCB chairman!...," he says keeping one eye on pacers toiling on a dry practice pitch at the Kotla.

Sub-continental tracks never kept him from taking a bunch of wickets and he along with Waqar Younis wrecked many line-ups in the 1990s. "The pitches are just a mind game. It�s not that you don�t keep the dryness of the pitch in your mind while bowling. Reverse swing is obviously a key factor, but the whole team has to work for it. You can�t toss the ball to your fast bowler and say �Go Reverse�. All eleven players have to work for it."

Told that Indian team coach Gary Kisten had asked Zaheer and Co. to just maintain line and length, Akram lets out a sigh. "I respect his point of view. But honestly, for a pace bowler the most important criterion is pace. If you can bowl fast, you are one of a kind. This is what Imran Khan told me when I started out. He said, �I want you to bowl fast. If you bowl fast I�ll keep you in my team�.

"That gave me a lot of confidence," he recalls, before airing his views on how English and Australian cricketers likened reversing the ball to tampering.

"They never understood what we did. They said it was illegal and that we used some substances. It�s Marcus Trescothick who�s been doing it now," he laughs.

"In any case, mint will only get you normal swing. You have to keep the ball dry for the ball to reverse," he said.

The legendary left-armer has some strong views about the current crop of fast bowlers and highlights Irfan Pathan as a bowler who needs help. "He�s lost confidence, I don�t why. I met him in Australia and he worked as hard as everyone else."

Star all-rounder Andrew Symonds felt the backlash on Sunday after his latest disciplinary misdemeanour saw him dumped from the Australian squad for the current one-day series against Bangladesh.

Symonds was sent home in disgrace after deciding to go fishing rather than attend a compulsory team meeting on Friday ahead of Saturday’s opening game of the series, which Australia went on to win comfortably. Australian coach Tim Nielsen was left querying Symonds’ state of mind.

"They don’t miss a thing and they are always early and presented as well as they possibly can," Nielsen said of the Australian players.

"When somebody hasn’t got the information that they need or hasn’t turned up on time it’s usually due to the fact they’re away from us and the group a little bit mentally.

"That always raises concerns." Despite a chequered off-field record that had previously threatened to prematurely curtail the career of one of the world’s best limited-overs players, Cricket Australia has so far resisted the temptation to tear up Symonds’ lucrative playing contract.

He was dealt a two-match suspension in 2005 for turning up to a game drunk and had been warned he is on his last chance.

Symonds’ manager, Matt Fearon, said his client was pondering his future and conceded there was some uncertainty over the upcoming tour of India.

"Andrew’s going to take some time to reflect on what’s happened," Fearon said. "He’s still committed to playing cricket at the highest level.

"How he goes about doing that and how it plays out I don’t know. Whether it means India I don’t know."

The response in Australian newspapers to Symonds’ latest dramas was not favourable.

"The Queenslander, who these days carries himself with such an arrogant swagger that even his teammates sometimes shake their heads, has become too big for his boots," the Sunday Telegraph said.

"Symonds treats just about everyone with disdain — rival players, journalists, his employers and even some of his teammates."

If the Australia A team expected to get used to the humid conditions of the subcontinent, they were left disappointed on Sunday. For, Simon Katich’s side practised under overcast conditions at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, before heavy rains meant an early close.
However, the touring party were content with a two-and-a-half hours training, having gone through fielding session followed by a net practice.
While Katich on Saturday said his team was not too concerned, a couple of session under sweltering heat would certainly help their cause.
"It might take a little bit of getting used to but we are lucky that we have got three or four days before the first tour match," Katich said.
Meanwhile, the India A team, barring five players went through their routines under coach Dav Whatmore. Captain S. Badrinath and wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel are expected to join the camp on Monday morning, while Virat Kohli joined the team on Sunday evening.
Mohammed Kaif and Robin Uthappa were exempted from training, as the duo were part of the KSCA all-India Invitation Cup, that concluded in the city on Saturday.
With the complete team in place on Monday, the camp is expected to get in to fast pace before both the team lock horns in the first match starting Wednesday.

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh lambasted Andrew Symonds for putting fishing ahead of a team meeting and questioned the all-rounder’s commitment to the baggy green cap.
Furious after Symonds went on a fishing trip ignoring a compulsory team meeting, Waugh said the team management did the right thing by sending him back.
"They’ve done the right thing by sending him home. There’s got to be consistency in the group and you’ve got to stand for something," Waugh was quoted as saying by the Sunday Telegraph.
"He’s got to have a good look at what he’s doing for sure. He’s got to re-assess where he’s at if he’s doing these things. It’s not the first time," the former captain said.
The all-rounder once invited a $3,000 fine for sleeping and missing the team bus during the West Indies tour. In 2005, he was fined and handed a two ODI ban after turning up drunk.

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