Rain delays India-New Zealand T20 tie

Visakhapatnam: Bad weather delayed the start of the first Twenty20 international between India and New Zealand in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

The covers were still in place at the scheduled toss time of 6:30 pm (1300 GMT), with heavy rain lashing the southern coastal town since late afternoon.

The two-match series, a build-up for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka later this month, marks Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh's return to big-time cricket after being treated for germ-cell cancer between his lungs in March-April.

The second match is due to be played in Chennai on Tuesday.

Aussie captain Bailey bemused by Twenty20 ranking

Australia captain George Bailey was left scratching his head as to how his side was now ranked below Ireland in the Twenty20 rankings after their super over defeat in the second Twenty20 international against Pakistan on Friday.

Australia and Pakistan were locked at 151 after 40 overs before the Pakistanis took the match in a super over finish at Dubai Stadium, to clinch the three-match series 2-0. The third match will be played here on Monday.

Bailey, however, questioned the rankings system in which minnows Ireland are a place above them.

"That does not look good but I am still not sure how the rankings work," said Bailey of the Twenty20 rankings introduced last year and currently topped by South Africa.

"So Ireland goes past us when we haven't played Ireland in a T20. If Ireland is a better side than us then I guess it will show in a couple of weeks in Sri Lanka," said Bailey of the World Twenty20 championship starting on September 18.

'Pakistan responding well under pressure'

Pakistan beat Australia in Super over to take series

Australia are in Group B of the 12-team competition and open their campaign against Ireland in Colombo on September 19.

Australia have won only four of their last 13 matches but faced strong opponents in South Africa, Pakistan, England, India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Ireland, associate members of the International Cricket Council, have won eight of their last 11 but all of them against minor nations.
Despite the defeat and the descent in the rankings, Bailey said he took several positives from it.

"I am really pleased that we performed much closer to what I think we are capable of. The guys will take a lot of confidence out of this individually and as a team. But to be so close and to lose raises a lot of questions in the head," said Bailey.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez, whose team jumped to fourth from sixth in the Twenty20 rankings, said victory will give his team more confidence.

"It's a great sign as captain. I am happy in the way players are responding to me as captain. Everyone is confident and this is a great sign for the team ahead of the World Twenty20," said Hafeez.

"As captain I feel very proud of my team and I hope from here on they will continue also in the mega event," said Hafeez of the World Twenty20 in which Pakistan are in Group D along with New Zealand and Bangladesh.

Hafeez said allrounder Shahid Afridi was doubtful for the third and final match after injuring his left hand during Pakistan's 2-1 defeat in the preceding one-day series.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal also hurt his shoulder on Friday but will be fit for Monday's final match, said Hafeez.

Pietersen left off England contract list

London: There was no place for Kevin Pietersen among the 10 England players awarded central contracts on Friday by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the 2013 season. Pietersen has been in England exile since being dropped following the second Test against his native South Africa in Leeds last month.

But the ECB did not completely close the door on Pietersen being added to the list for what will be an Ashes year, saying in a statement Friday: "In respect to Kevin Pietersen discussions are on-going and they remain private."

Officials, already frustrated by availability rows, were furious when it emerged Pietersen had sent "provocative" texts to South African players -- some allegedly critical of then England captain Andrew Strauss.

That meant the 32-year-old batsman missed the final Test against the Proteas at Lord's and the subsequent one-day series, which ended in a 2-2 draw with one no-result after the tourists' seven-wicket win at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Pietersen, who last month reversed his retirement from limited overs internationals, will also miss England's defence of their World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka later this month, despite being man of the tournament when they won the 2010 edition in the Caribbean.

Strauss announced his retirement last week, although he insisted it had nothing to do with the latest row involving Pietersen, his predecessor as England skipper. Alastair Cook, already leading the one-day side, was named as the new Test captain.

He now has a role in deciding Pietersen's future, although there appears to be little time for the ECB and the player to reach agreement if, as anticipated, the squad for the tour of India starting in November is announced next week.

"Over the next couple of weeks, it's certainly an issue which we as the ECB will have to get resolved," Cook said Wednesday. "There is stuff which needs to be talked about behind closed doors. That will happen."

Pietersen has been contracted to the ECB since 2006 and is in the top bracket of the pay scale, with a deal reportedly worth £250,000 ($400,050) a year in basic salary but rising substantially with win bonuses and appearance fees.

The contract ties the player to the board and he can only play in tournaments such as the Indian Premier League with a release agreement from the ECB.

Pietersen's desire to play more often in the lucrative Twenty20 IPL has been central to his recent dispute with the ECB and, in an interview with the latest edition of the Cricketer magazine, he said of the IPL: "Every board has accepted it apart from the ECB. Some part of international cricket may have to give as the IPL is not going away.

"No one in their right mind would turn down the contracts I've been offered."

Cook, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan, the former Ireland international who has yet to nail down a Test place, were the four batsmen awarded central contracts Friday. Pacemen James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan were also included, as were off-spinner Graeme Swann and wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

Four other players - batsman Jonathan Bairstow, all-rounder Ravi Bopara, one-day wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter and seamer Graham Onions -- were awarded lesser, incremental contracts.

National selector Geoff Miller said: "Contracts are on-going recognition for those players who have regularly been selected for England and have performed consistently, as well as players who we feel could play an important role for England over the next 12 months."

Hafeez hails Pak team for coming out on top in 'pressure cooker' T20 tie against Oz

Dubai: Pakistan T20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez has said that all his team's players are responding well under pressure.

Australia went below Ireland to the 10th spot on the ICC Twenty20 rankings following their defeat at the hands of Pakistan in a one-over eliminator on the last ball of their second T20 tie.

After both teams were tied on 151 after 20 overs, Australia batted first and scored 11 in six balls.

Pakistan were 0-10 with one ball left. However Cummins bowled a wide, then Pakistan claimed a quick single from the next delivery to notch an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

"It's a great sign for me that everyone is responding so well, especially under pressure, and it's very pleasing for me as captain. Everyone's getting confidence and I'm very proud," Hafeez said

"I was always very confident and all the time I had belief in the boys that we would win," The Nation quoted him, as saying.

Meanwhile, Australian skipper Geroge Bailey said he was not disheartened by the series loss.

"Whenever it's so close you run things through your mind and there are a lot of what-ifs. We can take a lot of positives from the match and in terms of a spectacle it was a terrific match," he said.

BCCI rule change could brighten Jaitley’s chances says Dalmiya

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Friday said in clear terms for the first time that Arun Jaitley’s path would be cleared to become the next BCCI president if the concerned constitution amendment is passed on September 15.

It is well known that Dalmiya and Jaitley are extremely close, and the latter played a prominent role in the CAB chief and the N Srinivasan- Shashank Manohar group patching up some time ago.

According to the present rules, the BCCI president shall be elected on the principle of zonal rotation amongst its five zones. It will be the east zone’s turn to nominate a person in 2013 — a year before the three- year term of the incumbent, Srinivasan, expires — to be chosen president- elect for one year.

According to this proposed amendment, to be taken up at a special general body meeting in Chennai, if two full member associations of the zone whose turn it is to nominate the presidential candidate approve a person from any other zone, he can become BCCI president. One of the conditions is that the candidate should have attended two AGMs, and here Jaitley qualifies easily.

A three-fourth majority of the members present and entitled to vote is required to amend rules.

“What they are going to do is to revert to the earlier system. It would be no more zonal rotation. It would make Jaitley’s chances much better,” Dalmiya told Mail Today. “The last time it [constitution] was changed was in 1986.” Interestingly, Dalmiya, 72, also said that now the president could remain in the seat for more than the current stipulation of three years. “After the amendment, the person can remain president for three or five or ten years,” he said. Asked specially if that was going to be so, he said: “Why not? It all depends what your approach is.” When pointed out that it would be the east zone’s turn to have the presidential candidate, Dalmiya said: “ East zone mein kya hai (what is there in east zone)?” BCCI’s Rule and Regulations 15 ( iii) for ‘ election of office- bearers and vice- presidents’ says that the president shall be elected on the principle of zonal rotation.

“The zonal term will be for a period of three years. The zonal rotation would be: (1) West Zone; (2) Central Zone; (3) South Zone; (4) East Zone; and (5) North Zone,” it says.

A senior BCCI official justified the need to amend the constitution. “Times have changed and things have become complex.

The government is hostile towards the BCCI regarding the IPL and other issues,” he said. “The BCCI has been put in so many legal tangles, and Jaitley is one of the best legal minds to tackle them.”

Martin Guptill has a mission

Calcutta: Martin Guptill has been one of the more consistent players for New Zealand in the Tests in recent times. In the last four Test matches, he scored 355 runs, including four half-centuries.

Now, he wants to carry the form into the two-match Twenty20 International series against India, the first of which will be played at Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Guptill says scoring runs in the series will also help in boosting his confidence ahead of the World T20, which is scheduled to be held at Sri Lanka from September 18.

“Though I have failed to score the hundreds, the fifties go in a long way to prove that I’m in good shape. I have got the starts but I have failed to convert them."

“Now, I want to translate this form in the T20 format… Scoring some runs in the series will also help in boosting my confidence ahead of the World T20. In all probability, I will be opening the batting or come at first down… If I can score some runs at a brisk pace, it will also help the team in getting off to a good start,” Guptill said.

New Zealand had last played a T20 match in July. The right-handed batsman said that the side will not have any problem in adjusting to the T20 format.

“It’s true that T20 is more about aggression. You have to go in there and hit the ball right from the outset. I think we have a really strong batting line-up that can do well on the Indian pitches… We have prepared well for the series. The boys had their own ways of preparing for the series… But they are all raring to go out there and perform to the best of their abilities,” he said.

The 25-year-old Guptill said that the India tour has been a good learning experience for them.

“We had lost the Hyderabad Test in a very bad way. We failed to adjust to the conditions. But we put up a good fight in the second Test where the conditions were to our liking…"

“Despite losing the Test series, the guys are in high spirits. The tour has been a good learning experience for us… Most of the guys didn’t know much about the Indian conditions. So, this experience will help them in the future,” Guptill concluded.

Pollard shrugs off favourites tag

Bridgetown (Barbados):- Kieron Pollard has shrugged off the favourites tag being heaped on the West Indies side preparing for the ICC Twenty 20 World Cup in Sir Lanka later this month.

The big hitting all-rounder says being labelled as favourites would only put the West Indies players under a certain amount of pressure going into the tournament, reports CMC.

Pollard, a T20 specialist and one of the world's most valuable cricketers, said it's only performance on the field of play that counts.

"We have a very good team and a lot of people are saying we are favourites. But you know when you are favourites it comes with a pressure tag as well," said Pollard, part of a 15-man squad involved in final preparations at the High Performance Centre at UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados.

"But you know hopefully names on paper comes for nothing. It is performance in the field. So it's a matter of putting all what you have practiced into play."

Pollard's comments follow similar statements from the West Indies captain Darren Sammy earlier this week playing down the favourites tag.

Windies are currently fifth in the ICC T20 rankings, below South Africa, England, Sri Lanka and India.

The likes of New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor, Australia all-rounder Shane Watson and former India captain Sourav Ganguly have publicly lauded Darren Sammy's men as one of the favourites to win the World Twenty20.

"Twenty 20 is about who does the basics right. You have a situation to play to the best of your ability and try to execute as properly as possible and hopefully it comes off for you on that day," said Pollard, the joint highest paid player in the 2010 Indian Premier League, representing Mumbai Indians.

"It's another day of cricket. Another tournament and once we relax and play our cricket we are going to do well."

The West Indies defeated New Zealand in series involving all formats of the game earlier this year, and are currently involved in a week-long training camp ahead of the limited-overs showpiece.

Pollard said he is anxious to show his worth in bowling after recovering from a shoulder injury that affected his bowling last year.

The West Indians have been pooled with Australia and Ireland in Group B in the 12-team tournament.

Their campaign gets underway against the Aussies in Colombo Sep 22.