IPL to be played outside India

Cricket/India,

England and South Africa have emerged as the front-runners to host the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the BCCI decided, following days of inconclusive negotiations with the Indian home ministry and various state governments, to shift the tournament out of India. The venue and new schedule will be announced on Monday. Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said the tournament had been relocated "because of the extraordinary situation existing this year." The 45-day tournament clashes with the forthcoming general elections in India and there had been concerns over security.
Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa's chief executive, said South Africa was ready to host the tournament if needed. He expected to have "positive discussions" with Indian officials in this regard over phone on Monday. The ECB said it had received a request from the Indian board and the IPL and was examining the possibility of hosting the tournament. ECB chairman Giles Clarke told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme he was willing to help his Indian counterparts. "We normally talk to them a great deal and we would be delighted to help again," he said.

India end drought with thumping win

Cricket/New Zealand,

It had been 33 years since India won a Test match in New Zealand but the statistic was rendered obsolete after a six-wicket haul from Harbhajan Singh inspired a comprehensive 10-wicket victory at Seddon Park. Daniel Flynn led the defiance with 67 and Brendon McCullum hustled 84 as India eased off after tea. But though the innings defeat was avoided after a 76-run partnership with Iain O'Brien, India needed just 32 balls to knock off the 39 runs needed.
McCullum was decidedly fortunate to survive a leg-before shout from Munaf Patel when he was on three, and Simon Taufel missed a bat-pad catch when he had 67. But those apart, he played his strokes freely, with MS Dhoni not employing too many close-in fielders and more than content to give him singles. With the field spread, he cut the ball with immense power and played a couple of pulls too as the innings defeat was avoided.
O'Brien defended stoutly and hit a couple of boundaries himself as the partnership assumed frustrating proportions. Almost inevitably, it was Harbhajan that provided succour, though there was more than an element of doubt about the bat-pad decision that ended O'Brien's resistance. He could have few complaints though after the third umpire had given him the benefit of a run-out call.

Tendulkar keeps India on top

Cricket/New Zealand,

The expected run barrage never came, with Virender Sehwag run out early in the day, but half-centuries from Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid and an unbeaten 70 from Sachin Tendulkar allowed India to establish a measure of control at Seddon Park. New Zealand were disciplined with the ball and sprightly in the field, but despite a lot of moisture in the air after overnight rain, there was no real menace from the bowlers. By the time the players went off for bad light, India were just a run behind, though there would have been some disappointment at the fact that well-set batsmen didn't go on to make bigger scores.

There was still Tendulkar though. Having taken 11 balls to get off the mark, he eased himself into rhythm slowly, but there were some sparkling strokes in the final session. There were cover-drives off front and back foot, precise cuts and deft nudges off the pads. His best shot though was a gorgeous on-drive off Chris Martin, a stroke he followed up with an impudent ramp over slips off Iain O'Brien. New Zealand were left to reflect on a missed chance when Tendulkar had made just 13 and miscued a pull off Daniel Vettori just beyond Daniel Flynn at midwicket.

Seamers shine on hard-fought day

Cricket/New Zealand,

Superb hundreds from Daniel Vettori and Jesse Ryder dragged New Zealand from the depths of 60 for 6 to a relatively respectable 279 on a well-grassed but true pitch at Seddon Park. By stumps, India had knocked off 29 with Virender Sehwag looking in ominously good touch. India dominated the first session and the final hour, but the defiant 186-run stand, a record for the seventh wicket for New Zealand against India, could still be pivotal to the outcome of the match. The rest of the batsmen contributed next to nothing, while India's three seamers took all but one of the wickets to fall.
What was especially eye-catching was the positivity with which New Zealand scripted the revival. Ryder was fortunate to survive a leg-before shout from Zaheer Khan when he had made 37 while Dravid put down a difficult chance at slip when Vettori had 77, but those apart, India struggled to create wicket-taking opportunities. Far too many edges went through gaps in the slip cordon, and a couple of run-out chances were fluffed as Vettori and Ryder ran the visitors ragged.

All-round Ryder scripts resounding consolation win for New Zealand

Cricket/New Zealand,

A team in the doldrums after three comprehensive defeats sprung back to life thanks to the all-round efforts of their most exciting and marketable young cricketer, Jesse Ryder. His miserly spell of 3 for 29 sunk India to a paltry 149, but it was his delightful exhibition of lusty hitting which caught the imagination of the capacity crowd at the Eden Park stadium. Supported by an equally stylish Martin Guptill - who slammed an unbeaten 57 - Ryder put New Zealand on the path to a consolation win. His only blemish was that he could not stay till the end.

It was as if New Zealand were playing on a different surface. The kind of swing which their bowlers managed in India's innings was seemingly absent under lights and the ease with which Ryder went about bludgeoning the bowlers over the on side with exquisite pulls showed how the Indians were outplayed in the batting department.
India's only chance of mounting a fightback was to pick up early wickets but after Brendon McCullum's dismissal in the third over, they had to wait more than 12 overs for their next breakthrough, by which time Ryder and Guptill had already added 84.
Guptill and Ryder are New Zealand's most exciting batting talents and the cheers from the packed Eden Park stadium for their rising stars never died down. Perhaps the busiest people at the venue were the workers at the construction site on one side of the ground who had to fish the ball out of the rubble and unfinished stands.

Blazing Sehwag sets up series win

Sehwag blasted India's fastest ODI hundred as the visitors swept to a comprehensive win that secured their maiden one-day series triumph in New Zealand. Sehwag reached three-figures off 60 balls with a signature six and his awe-inspiring hitting overshadowed Gautam Gambhir's near run-a-ball half-century. Daniel Vettori and the rest of the New Zealand bowlers were powerless in the face of the onslaught and what had seemed a challenging target was chased down with ridiculous ease. Even the two stoppages due to rain couldn't stem the run-deluge with

Sehwag completing his century as early as the 18th over.
Astonishingly, only five runs came behind square on the off side, generally Sehwag's favourite hitting area. But the batsman still displayed his range of strokes in one Iain O'Brien over, hitting four fours off five balls: a powerful pull to midwicket, a drive that nearly took the bowler's head off, a whip off his pads and a pull-drive over mid-on to a short delivery.
In an innings filled with scintillating strokeplay, Sehwag was at his most murderous when play resumed following a rain break at the 10-over mark. With intermittent showers holding up play at regular intervals, Sehwag decided to make sure there was an early finish - in a five-over period, starting from the 12th over, he moved from 52 to 92. The high backlift showed his intentions as he set about dismantling O'Brien, Ewen Thompson and Jacob Oram. Only Daniel Vettori's intelligent variations of pace managed to draw a measure of respect from Sehwag.
Spare a thought for the debutant Thompson, who sends down gentle medium-pacers of the sort New Zealand so favoured in the 90s. After more than eight years of toil on the domestic scene, he was rewarded with a place on the national team, only to come up against a rampaging Sehwag on a small ground and a benign track with field restrictions in place. His four overs were taken for 42 runs, Sehwag's mighty hit into the scoreboard behind midwicket being the pick of the strokes against him.
Smart Stats
Virender Sehwag's unbeaten 125 is his third ODI hundred in New Zealand, where he averages more than in any country in which he has played more than one match. In 11 games there he has hit three hundreds, for an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 100.90. He is the only Indian to score more than one ODI century in New Zealand.
In his last 21 ODIs, Sehwag has scored 1240 runs at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 131.49.
In 24 innings, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have added 1380 runs at an average of 60 and run-rate of 6.61 per over. Among Indian opening pairs, who have scored at least 750 runs, this pair has the highest average and strike rate.
Sehwag and Gambhir added 201 at a rate of 8.55 runs per over, which is the second-fastest double-century partnership in ODIs. Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga added 286 against England in 2006 at a rate of 8.98 runs per over.
Ewen Thompson's economy rate of 10.50 is among the most expensive by a debutant. Among those who bowled at least four overs on debut, only four have a worse economy rate.
It's only the third instance of a team scoring 200 or more while batting second in an ODI and winning without losing a wicket.

India eye maiden series win in New Zealand

Cricket/New Zealand,

Two-nil down with two to play, New Zealand are in a position where nothing less than a win will do. The fourth game offers them a good opportunity to mount a comeback - the Seddon Park in Hamilton is their favourite home venue, Daniel Vettori is back to lead the team and they'll be up against an Indian line-up without Sachin Tendulkar.
To register their first win, though, they will need to do more than just bank on past record. The bowling attack - apart from Vettori - has been a shambles so far, and the short boundaries in Hamilton won't ease their task. What will encourage the home team is the courage they showed when up against a daunting target in Christchurch, where they scored 334 and clearly rattled the Indians despite a middle-order collapse.
India have already ensured they'll get at least a share of the series, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni will want more than that: a win in either of the next two games will give India their first ODI series win in New Zealand. Tendulkar is absent, but the manner in which the entire batting line-up has fired suggests they'll still feel confident of sealing the series in Hamilton.

Team newsThe return of Vettori will be a huge relief for New Zealand, whose bowlers were battered all over the park on Sunday. Tim Southee was a victim of that bowling debacle, and has been dropped from the squad. Ian Butler, who is out with a thigh strain, will be missed, though - at an economy rate of 5.85, he has been one of the more stingy bowlers in the series so far. The changes mean New Zealand will try out debutant Ewen Thompson, whose left-arm fast-medium will offer more variety to the beleaguered bowling attack.
New Zealand (likely) 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Peter McGlashan (wk), 7 Grant Elliott, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Ewen Thompson, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Iain O'Brien.
The abdomen injury to Tendulkar has forced India to change their winning combination. Rohit Sharma is the likely replacement, though Irfan Pathan is an option as well. The other change could be the inclusion of Ishant Sharma, who missed the first three games due to injury but bowled in the nets in Hamilton. If fit, he will come in place of Munaf Patel.
India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Zaheer Khan.

Pitch & conditionsExpect another run-fest. The pitch is likely to be a belter, and with the short boundaries, bowlers will probably feel the heat again. Some rain is forecast in the morning, but that should clear by the time the match begins in the afternoon.

Tendulkar ruled out of fourth ODI

Cricket/New Zealand,

Sachin Tendulkar was ruled out of the fourth One-Day International against New Zealand to be played in Hamilton on Wednesday after failing to recover from his abdomen injury suffered during the third match. Tendulkar, who retired hurt after belting a stunning 163 in the third ODI, underwent an MRI scan at a local hospital in Christchurch on Monday.
India have taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the five-match series in which the second ODI was abandoned due to rain.
The 36-year-old batsman had been among the runs in all the three ODIs played so far, bettering his 20 at Napier with a 61 in the rained-out match at Wellington. Interestingly, while Tendulkar and team doctor Nitin Patel were at the hospital, the rest of the team had a day out in the hills adjoining Christchurch. They went for a mountain drive, rollicking up an down the bumpy slopes in six-wheeled vehicles. Later, they had a swell time, speed jetting at the Waima waters. Having earned a good outing for outstanding shows on the field, the team moves to Hamilton on Tuesday.

India prevail in battle of batsmen

Cricket/New Zealand,

India survived a scare from New Zealand to win a boundary-filled match and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. A serene Sachin played a perfectly-paced innings to score his first ODI century in New Zealand while Yuvraj Singh demolished the attack in a violent knock to power India to 392 for 4. The mammoth score allowed India the room to overcome a tremendous assault led by Jesse Ryder, who hit a sparkling maiden ton, and his 166-run opening partnership with Brendon McCullum, and later soak up the pressure exerted by a frenetic 83-run stand between Kyle Mills and Tim Southee in seven overs.

The tiny AMI Stadium in Christchurch turned into a bowling slaughterhouse as the batsmen plundered 726 runs, the second highest aggregate in ODI history, but India prevailed in the end by winning in vital moments of the game. When they batted, Tendulkar and Yuvraj ransacked 69 runs from their batting Powerplay, a period that changed the course of the game emphatically. The Indian fielding was sloppy initially - both Ryder and McCullum were dropped - but they hit back with two run-outs when the opening partnership was assuming threatening proportions. Suresh Raina caught McCullum short of the crease and Yuvraj Singh ran out Ross Taylor to peg New Zealand back.
Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan had begun their spells poorly but bounced back for a strong finish. Ryder, who shredded both bowlers, fell in the 27th over, chipping Harbhajan straight to long-off and that was the pivotal moment of the chase. Later, when Mills and Southee attempted to pull of a minor miracle, India were rattled initially but they held their nerve to close the game. New Zealand started and ended their chase well but couldn't sustain the momentum during the middle overs.
In contrast, India never allowed the pace to drop during their innings. The tempo lifted significantly when they took the batting Powerplay in the 23rd over. Yuvraj looted 44, Tendulkar accumulated 24 during the fielding restrictions and India doubled their score during a nine-over period, leaping from 90 after 18 overs to 190 after 27. New Zealand desperately missed the restrictive lines of Daniel Vettori, who missed the game to be with his wife who was expecting their child.
The sparse Christchurch crowd was treated to Yuvraj's full repertoire; swings over midwicket, fiercely-timed cover drives and booming off-drives smashed into the concrete stands. The shot of his innings was a breathtaking six over cow-corner: Yuvraj checked a drive, like putting for a birdie, and the full toss from Tim Southee disappeared into the crowd.
While Yuvraj dazzled with glamourous shots, Tendulkar inspired awe with his innovations. He played numerous paddle sweeps, scooped Southee over fine leg for a stunning six, lofted drives inside out over cover and opened the bat-face to deftly steer the ball to the boundary. Unlike Sehwag, who was bowled while trying to pull a delivery that was not short enough, Tendulkar did not let the temptation of the short square boundaries influence his batting early in his stay. He remained busy throughout his innings, using his wristy flick to turn short-of-length deliveries cutting into middle and off stump to the leg side for many singles.
Saaed Anwar's record score was under threat but Tendulkar retired hurt in the 45th over after pulling a stomach muscle. India's middle-order rose to the occasion; Dhoni punctuated his seven boundaries with 31 singles to rotate the strike to Tendulkar and Suresh Raina increased the six count with five clean hits, the last bringing up India's 18th and equaling the world record.
If India thought they could relax after their batting effort, they were in for a surprise. New Zealand started like a runaway train in pursuit of 393, reaching 166 in 22 overs before they began to implode.
Ryder and McCullum played plenty of big shots but there was no desperation in their method. Ryder stayed adjacent to the line, did not commit himself early to either back or front foot, and swung through the line. When the ball was full, he drove, and when the ball was short, he cut or pulled. It was almost that simple. His balance was perfect. When Praveen Kumar bowled one slightly short of a length, he worked his wrists over time to swat it over long-leg for an audacious six. When Munaf Patel bowled with a packed off-side field, Ryder expertly found gaps where none seemed to exist.
You felt the real contest would be when Harbhajan Singh came on to bowl but Ryder made it a mis-match initially. Harbhajan did not help himself by trying to bowl too fast and ended up bowling either too short or too full. Ryder pulled him for two sixes and lofted one over covers in the first over. In Harbhajan's second over, the ball disappeared over extra cover twice. Ryder brought up his hundred with a delicate dab through backward point. It was not all Ryder, though, as McCullum played the perfect supporting act.
McCullum turned the heat on Praveen, who until then had kept the batsmen on a tight leash with his clever mix of slower ones and nagging short-of-length cutters which suited his packed off-side field. However, McCullum adapted quickly to play several drives. He used his feet well, coming down the track and punching on the up and inside-out to find the gaps. He used the charges down the wicket sparingly but effectively, forcing the bowler into a guessing game and thus, spoiling the length.
It was all going very well for the hosts before they were stunned by the run outs and India came roaring back into the game.