ICC announces U-19 World Cup schedule

DUBAI: International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the schedule of ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup on Saturday, Pakistan are in the same group along with their arch rivals India in Group A, Our Sources reported.

The event will be staged across seven venues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 14 to March 1.

There are total 16 countries including Afghanistan, Canada, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Scotland and the UAE will participate in the tournament. These 16 teams are divided in four groups.

In the 16-day tournament, 48 matches will be played across seven venues – Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi Oval 1; Abu Dhabi Oval 2; Sharjah Cricket Stadium; Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City; ICC Academy Oval 1, Dubai, and ICC Academy Oval 2, Dubai.

The format of the competition is such that the 16 teams have been divided into four groups, with the top two teams progressing to the Super League quarter-finals, while the two bottom teams from each group qualify for the Plate Championship quarter-finals.

Tough challenge for India in South Africa Test

JOHANNESBURG: The odds seem stacked against India as they prepare to take on South Africa in their first Test series since the retirement of batting icon Sachin Tendulkar.

The first of two Test matches starts at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on Wednesday, a ground which should suit South Africa's formidable fast bowling attack.

India have had minimal opportunity to adjust to South Africa's fast, bouncy pitches. On a tour controversially shortened to the minimum three one-day internationals and two Tests, they were bowled out for 217 and 146 in the first two one-day games and did not bat in the final match because of rain.

A planned two-day match against a South African Invitation XI was abandoned without a ball bowled. Under the original itinerary announced by South Africa, but rejected by India, the tourists would have played in two Twenty20 internationals, seven one-day internationals and two two-day games before playing the first Test. India have won their most recent six Test matches but all were played at home. They have not played a Test outside India since January 2012 when they were beaten 4-0 in Australia to extend to eight their losing streak away from home. Before that they lost by the same margin in England.

South Africa have gone unbeaten in 13 series in their ascent to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings but their most recent two series against second-ranked India, away in 2009/10 and at home the following season, have ended tied at 1-1. South Africa boast a stable batting order and a formidable pace attack.

AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are first and second in the Test batting rankings, with Graeme Smith and veteran Jacques Kallis also in the top 12. India's highest-ranked batsman is Cheteshwar Pujara, at six, while Virat Kohli and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni are 20th and 21st. Kohli is the favourite to fill the number four batting slot held for the better part of two decades by Tendulkar.

It is a similar situation in the bowling rankings, where South Africa's Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander fill the top two spots with Morne Morkel, the third member of a feared fast bowling trio, at number 12.

The only Indian bowlers in the top 20 are spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (fifth) and Pragyan Ojha (ninth).

Spin bowlers are unlikely to play a major role at the Wanderers and Ashwin was ineffectual in the one-day games, with his solitary wicket coming at a cost of 169 runs, while he conceded 6.03 runs an over. One of India's selection dilemmas will be whether to play the recalled left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan.

The 35-year-old Khan has not played an international match since the third Test against England in Kolkata in December last year but he has an excellent record against South African captain Smith, who he has dismissed six times in Tests and six times in one-day internationals. Smith has a patchy record against left-arm pace bowlers but in his most recent Test innings he scored 234 in Dubai against a Pakistan attack spearheaded by left-armers M Irfan and Junaid Khan. In an unusually wet South African summer, the weather could play a role. Thundershowers are predicted for all five days of the first Test.

SQUADS:

SOUTH AFRICA: Graeme Smith (captain), AB de Villiers (vice-captain, wkt), Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Thami Tsolekile (wkt).

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wkt), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, M Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha (wkt), Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha.

Courtesy: The Nation

India vs South Africa 2013-14: MS Dhoni blames bowlers for defeat in 1st ODI

Johannesburg: Dec 6, 2013
A livid Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni squarely blamed his bowlers for the crushing loss in the opening One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa, saying that their bad performance left the batsmen under pressure.

The Indian bowlers were hammered by South Africa, who posted 358 for 4 before dismissing the visitors for 217 in 41 overs on Friday.
“Overall I think it was a bad performance. But it started with the bowling initially. This was not a 300-plus wicket. We didn’t start well, and we were supposed to bowl slightly up,” said Dhoni.
“Watch Free Live Streaming of India vs South Africa Series 2013”
“Experience of these conditions is crucial. South African bowlers know what lengths to bowl and that is why I want my bowlers to step up. You can’t give away 300 or 300-plus runs, because that also puts pressure on the batsmen.
“Right from the start then, they have to go after opposition bowlers, which in these conditions is slightly difficult. At the same time, we needed the batting to back the bowlers up,” he added.
South Africa’s opening pair of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock added 152 runs for the first wicket, with the latter going on to score 135.
And then in the end, there was the cruel barrage from AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, garnering 48 runs in the last three overs. It meant the Proteas reached a mammoth 358 for 4 in 50 overs.
“If you see death bowling for different teams across the world, bowlers are going for runs. With the extra fielder inside the circle and the lack of reverse swing, even the best bowlers will go for runs,” Dhoni said.
“So, the new ball bowling becomes important, especially in conditions like these. More often than not, the last ten overs will go for runs and so it is important to take wickets in the first ten overs, so we can put pressure in the middle overs and so that they do not have many wickets in the end,” he opined.
On paper, it looked a good plan, but it wasn’t executed properly on the field. All frontline bowlers went for more than 50 runs each, with only Mohammad Shami showing any wherewithal to take wickets (3-68).
As per Dhoni’s reasoning then, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma were the most to blame, but he did not single out anyone in particular for criticism.
“Mohit is the one with the inexperience and it will be a good learning for him. Bhuvi has played a fair bit outside the subcontinent, which means that he should quickly adapt to the conditions.
“But at the same time let’s not be unfair on him. It’s one of many games where he has not done really well. So let us think that it was an off day for him and move on,” he said.
Ultimately, even the Indian batting, growing in stature and fame over the past 11 months, failed to perform the rescue act. And it could possibly get tougher in the next game, since the Men in Blue will be fighting to save the series. The conditions, meanwhile, aren’t expected to be a whole lot different.
“International calendar doesn’t allow for too many practice sessions and practice games nowadays. You have to adapt with what you have, we have to follow the schedule.
South Africa have some really good fast bowlers, especially Dale Steyn.
“He was swinging the ball and consistently hitting the good lengths. Morne Morkel gets a lot more bounce than other bowlers because of his height. Rohit Sharma gave him respect, but when you are chasing 350 runs, you have to play shots.
Shikhar Dhawan didn’t really get out to a short ball,” Dhoni said.
“He is good with the cut and the pull, and he went with his instincts. So, you have to play the big shots and try to rattle the bowlers. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.
“We scored 220 odd runs, and we gave away 350. If I weigh that, then maybe the bowling was slightly worse than batting.
We have to step up overall. Bowlers have to learn from this game and batsmen have to mentally prepare themselves for the next one,” Dhoni signed off.

SA tour: Experts feel India's young batters should do well

MS Dhoni's men came a cropper in challenging conditions on India's last two tours. A combined scoreline of 0-8 in England and Australia was testimony to that. Now comes a double challenge. The tour of South Africa, plus handling the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman from the middle order. If you add an out-of-form and hence excluded Virender Sehwag from the 'missing' list, you can safely say that the Indian batting has undergone a 'heart...

India vs South Africa 2013-14: Playing in foreign conditions a big challenge, says MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni says playing in alien conditions and that too without Sachin Tendulkar is a big challenge for his side but the Indian skipper is hopeful that playing One—Day Internationals (ODI) first will allow his batsmen settle well ahead of the Test series against South Africa. India will play three—match ODI series ahead of two—Test series in South Africa.
“If you see there is always a new start,” Dhoni said about absence of Tendulkar, who retired recently last month.
Dhoni said his batsmen have plenty of experience in the shorter format of the game and playing ODIs first will give them confidence for the Tests.
“Many of them have had good exposure if not in Tests, but in ODIs. It is a new challenge for all of them and a new learning curve. It is always a challenge when you go outside.
Which length to bowl and to adjust to the bounce of the wickets. It is good to start with ODIs. As the batsmen can play their shots and express themselves and carry it into the Tests,” he said ahead of team departure.
Asked who will perform the duties of the third opener in Tests, which has only two regulars in Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, Dhoni surprised everyone by naming Gautam Gambhir, who is not part of the 17—member squad.
“If you see, Gautam is definitely our third opener that we are considering. As of now, Vijay and Shikhar they have done really well for us. So third opener as of now is Gautam.”
Later he clarified, “I know (Gambhir not being in team) but he is the third opener. But he never asked if he is part of the team.”
Nevertheless, the statement by Dhoni makes it clear that Gambhir is still in the scheme of things for at least Test side. Asked who was likely to replace Tendulkar at number four in the Test squad, Dhoni they are to yet to decide on that.
“We are not decided on number 4. No one is going to replace anyone else,” he said before adding in lighter vein, “If possible we will omit the number 4. And try to bat 1,2,3, 5,6… and 12.”
Bowling in slog overs has been a worry for India but Dhoni was hopeful of a better performance in South Africa.
“In different conditions the statistics would be different. There will be pace and bounce on offer for the fast bowlers. Along with the yorkers, they can use bouncers and a little bit pace. So we will see how it goes,” he said.
“In the last few matches it has improved a lot but we are trying to see how to improve (more), so that we don’t give lot of runs in the last 10 overs. If you see our Champions Trophy performance and if you compare our death bowling you will see that it is a completely different scenario.
“The ideal would be to compare how the Indian bowlers performed in the last 10 overs and how Australian bowlers performed in the death overs in the same game. Then it becomes more realistic.”
Dhoni said fans will see good cricket in the series as top two sides in the world will be up against each other.
“If you see both the teams are well positioned in the rankings. In ODIs it is us and in Tests it is they. It is going to be exciting and interesting series. The key is getting adjusted to conditions as early as possible,” Dhoni said.
“They have a very good team, well balanced team, with genuine all—rounders,” he said.
Dhoni said pressure was nothing new to India. “Pressure goes hand in hand whether in India or away.”
Asked if the team would use a fifth frontline bowler, Dhoni said it would be decided later. “Well it’s something that we have to go there and decide.
We have to see the strength of our batting line up. At the same time whether four bowlers are good enough to get the opposition out. It’s something that we have weigh out,” he said.
“In the last Test match also we played with four bowlers and Rohit Sharma was the one who batted at number six. If you see at times five batsmen are not enough, even six are not enough. And if you see the last two Test matches, the number six batsman has had a lot of impact on the game. We will weigh how it is and then decide.”
Asked about Ravichandran Ashwin‘s limited exposure of playing Tests overseas, Dhoni expressed hope that the off-spinner will replicate his home success abroad.
“Everybody starts from scratch, even the greatest of cricketers—spinner or fast bowler. They always start from scratch. We have to see, may be he turns out to be brilliant outside India. He may become better than what he already has been in India. Unless you go out there and fight it out, you don’t really get to know how good he is,” said Dhoni.
Ashwin has played only three Tests overseas —all in Australia —with limited success in his short career of 18 Tests from which he has grabbed 104 wickets. Asked what would be the role of pacer Ishant Sharma, Dhoni said “let it remain a secret recipe”.

India retain 2nd spot in ICC Test rankings

The Indian cricket team continued to be second in the ICC Test rankings with R Ashwin topping the all-rounders' chart in the latest list issued.

India are placed behind South Africa with 119 points, which is just 12 less than the Proteas' tally. The teams are set to clash in a two-Test and thee ODI series starting December 5 in South Africa.

Cheteshwar Pujara is the best-placed Indian batsman at sixth with Virat Kohli following him at a distant 20th spot.

In the bowlers' list, R Ashwin is fifth, followed by Pragyan Ojha at ninth.

Meanwhile, New Zealand and the West Indies will begin their contest in a three-Test series from December 3 in Dunedin with an aim to improve their ratings points in the team standings, the ICC said in a statement.

West Indies enter the series in sixth position on 95 ratings points, while New Zealand start off in eighth place with 75 ratings points.

If New Zealand was to win the series by a margin of 2-0, they can rise up to 82 ratings points, while a 3-0 series sweep will hand the home team a rise of eight ratings points to thereby finish at 83.

In both scenarios (New Zealand winning 2-0 and 3-0), West Indies will move down to seventh place behind Sri Lanka.

If New Zealand win the series by either 1-0 or 2-1, or even if the series is drawn 0-0 or 1-1, there will be no change in West Indies' final position on the table.

For the West Indies, the series offers an opportunity to reduce the gap with fifth-ranked Australia. But this can only happen if they win the series by either a 2-0 or 3-0 margin.

If West Indies win the series by a 2-0 margin, they will gain two ratings points to end at 97, to thereby reduce the gap with fifth-ranked Australia to four ratings points.

A 3-0 series win, will give West Indies a gain of four ratings points, thereby reducing the gap with Australia to just two.

India in South Africa - the ODI Story- Photos

India's best ODI run in South Africa came during the 2003 World Cup when they reached the final.

The closest India came to winning a bilateral ODI series in South Africa was in 2010/11 under MS Dhoni, but lost that five-match series 2-3 in the end.

The three-match series is the shortest India will be playing in South Africa. Before this, the least ODIs they played in a bilateral series was four (lost 0-4) in 2006-07.

 India have never scored 300 in an ODI in South Africa, with their highest being 279 (2001/02) and lowest 91 (2006/07).

After South Africa's re-introduction to international cricket, India first toured there in 1992-93 when SA were captained by Kepler Wessels. However, the visitors got hammered 2-5 in the seven-match series.