Injured Malinga Misses T20's Against Australia

Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankan fast bowler, has not been picked for the national team's two-match Twenty20 series against Australia, starting August 6th in Pallekele, due to an injury. Malinga was named in the list of 20 probables for the home series, but was left out of the Twenty20s to get back to fitness for the five-match ODI series starting on August 10. Sri Lanka have drafted in uncapped allrounder Shaminda Eranga while Angelo Mathews takes over as vice-captain following the axing of Thilina Kandamby.

Also missing from the 16-man squad is batsman Chamara Kapugedera, who was part of Sri Lanka's World Cup squad but wasn't picked for the limited-overs matches on the tour of England. Dhammika Prasad, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera, Mathews and Eranga comprise the pace department . Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv are the frontline spinners, and the hosts also have Jeevan Mendis as a spin option.

Making a return to the national team are offspinning allrounder Dilruwan Perera, who last played an international game in February 2008, and middle-order batsman Chamara Silva, who played in the World Cup. Tillakaratne Dilshan was named captain for the entire tour. The limited-overs series are followed by three Tests.

Sri Lankan squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Jeevan Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Suranga Lakmal, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Chamara Silva, Shaminda Eranga.

Flower unhappy with limited DRS

Andy Flower  the England coach, has said the ICC should have over-ruled India's insistence on using a watered-down Decision Review System (DRS) for the ongoing Test series. He felt the system for the series - which doesn't use ball-tracking technology, and doesn't allow lbw decisions to be reviewed - was "unsatisfactory".

England had several close lbw appeals turned down as they hunted for wickets on the final day of the Lord's Test, including against Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina off Stuart Broad. Though England ultimately completed a straightforward 196-run victory to take a 1-0 series lead, Flower was unhappy.

"It would have been wrong if the outcome of the game was seriously affected by a couple of those decisions. It's unsatisfactory the way it is, no doubt about that," he said. "I think the ICC should be stronger in taking a lead on these issues. They are the world governing body and they should lead."

The DRS for this series uses infra-red technology and stump microphones, which meets the minimum standards stipulated by the ICC. Both the ICC and the England board had made it clear before the start of the series that they would have liked to incorporate ball-tracking in the DRS, but for India's refusal.

"We all know that DRS is not going to be 100%, but we also know you get more right decisions using it, so let's not quibble about millimetres here when we know you get more right than wrong and that's why most Test-playing nations want to use it."

The Indian board has long been averse to the DRS and had announced last month that it didn't want the system to be used in the England series. A compromise on the DRS was thrashed out at the ICC's annual conference later in the month. The series against England is the first time India are using the review system in Tests since 2008.

Anderson leads dominant England to big win

England 474 for 8 dec (Pietersen 202*, Trott 71, Praveen 5-106) and 269 for 6 dec (Prior 103*, Broad 74*, Ishant 4-59) beat India 286 (Dravid 103*, Broad 4-37, Tremlett 3-80) and 261 (Raina 78, Laxman 56, Anderson 5-65, Broad 3-57) by 196 runs 

England's bowlers fought through dogged batting, the absence of DRS for lbws and some sloppy catching to avoid a repeat of Lord's 2007 - when India saved the Test - and completed a comprehensive win 28.3 overs before the scheduled close of a gruelling final-day scrap.

India's four big hopes survived 93, 113, 56 and 68 deliveries, which meant England had to work for wickets and also that they never let those batsmen feel they were in. James Anderson took out Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, although it could be argued that he struck the knockout blows after Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett had softened the batsmen up.

Although there were two dropped catches and two controversial not-out lbw decisions, it all went down in a manner suggesting England had scripted it thus. They wouldn't have budgeted for the strongest resistance to come from Suresh Raina, who proved he belonged with a fighting 78, but by the final session Anderson was in red-hot form. He completed his 11th five-for by breaking through that final piece of Indian fight with a beautiful inswinger from round the stumps. Initially Anderson had fed off the immense pressure created by Tremlett and Broad, and Graeme Swann contributed by accounting for one of the best players of spin today, Gautam Gambhir.

It was just as well that England finished India off and avoided what would have become a major controversy had India hung on with one wicket in hand. The dreaded scenario of disagreement between Hawk-Eye and the umpire occurred twice in potentially crucial circumstances. Broad had comprehensive cases for lbw against Tendulkar and Raina, and would have successfully challenged the original not-out decisions had DRS been available for lbws. Those two decisions cost England a potentially decisive 15.4 overs.

Smart stats England have improved on their excellent record at Lord's in recent Tests. In 23 Tests between 1984 and 1999, they won four and lost 11 out of 23 Tests. In 24 Tests since 2000, they have won 13 and lost just three. India suffered their 11th defeat in 16 Tests at Lord's. The 11 defeats is the most at a particular venue for India. James Anderson dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for the sixth time in five Tests. In 223 balls, Anderson has conceded 114 runs and picked up Tendulkar six times. Anderson's five-wicket haul is his 11th in Tests and 3rd at Lord's. His previous five-wicket haul at Lord's also came against India in 2007. Stuart Broad's match figures of 7 for 94 are his best in Tests surpassing his previous best of 6 for 87 against South Africa in Durban in 2009. Rahul Dravid, in the course of his 36, surpassed Brian Lara to become the highest run-getter in the fourth innings in Tests. Tendulkar's strike-rate of 17.64 is fourth on the list of lowest strike-rates for a score between 10 and 49 in Tests since 2000. Kevin Pietersen's seventh match award puts him joint-third on the list of England players with the most match awards in Tests. Compiled by Madhusudan Ramakrishnan

Broad would have wondered what more he needed to do to get a wicket. He had two catches dropped off him in the first innings, and in today's morning session, after Anderson had drawn Dravid into a rare loose shot outside off, he regularly beat Laxman's bat in a five-over spell, often proving to be too good to take the edge.

While Andrew Strauss's catching at slip and his defensive in-and-out fields in the first session could be argued against, his bowling changes worked like a charm. About 20 minutes before lunch he brought on Anderson, who began with a long hop that Laxman pulled straight to short midwicket.

Laxman's dismissal brought together India's walking wounded, Gambhir and Tendulkar. They hung in bravely, Gambhir for 56 balls with a painful elbow and Tendulkar for 68 with a viral infection. Whatever the debate around DRS be, the umpires had a great match, and it was evident in Gambhir's lbw, in the over after Laxman's dismissal. The Swann arm ball had hit the pad a microsecond before it hit the bat. Asad Rauf sent Gambhir on his way.

From the injured man the burden transferred to the ill man, Tendulkar, who began positively but went into a shell after lunch. That Raina looked more comfortable than Tendulkar during their 17.4-over partnership told a story. While Tendulkar was solid in defence, he let the bowlers bowl to a perfect rhythm, and the odd one was bound to be too good.

After surviving that Broad shout, Tendulkar played 40 balls for one run. Once again Anderson came back and struck immediately. He had Tendulkar dropped by Strauss, but produced an inswinger similar to Broad's two balls later, and Tendulkar was plumb. This was the sixth time in the match that an Englishman had taken a wicket in the first over of a new spell.

In the lead-up to tea, with England easing the pressure as they built up to the new ball, Raina and MS Dhoni gave India hope. Raina showed character in how he avoided bouncers and reached a half-century that will only do him good. With the new ball, though, England were back on course. The ball started jagging around again, and a shaken-up Dhoni finally edged an outswinger from Tremlett.

A cold, ruthless demolition of the tail followed. Harbhajan Singh refused to back away, but England worked him over with precise short deliveries. Praveen Kumar didn't stand much of a chance. Raina got a gem from Anderson, coming in from round the stumps, then leaving him, and taking the edge. Broad deservedly ended the match with a plumb lbw; the last four had fallen for 18 runs.

Scenes of elation followed for the home side and the biggest Monday crowd at Lord's. England will feel relief too at having finished off the job, and not only because they righted what happened in 2007. Had India drawn this, they would have had positives to look at; now they have injured bodies and a series deficit.

Team's job will be stop Sachin from scoring 100th ton: Strauss

London: England captain Andrew Strauss today admitted that his team would be doing everything to stop Sachin Tendulkar from scoring his 100th international century in the Lord's Test, starting on Thursday.

"I'm sure Sachin would like to get it here and it's our job not to let him do so. If it's a distraction for him, it's great for us," said Strauss.

The skipper also said that he considered Tendulkar a key to India's plans. "He's been an outstanding ambassador for the game. The statistics speak for itself. You don't have to rush out with platitudes and superlatives. It's all there - the longevity, the consistency. He is one of the greatest ever and as ambassador of the game there is no one better," said Strauss.

Insisting that his team would adopt a cautious approach against Team India, Strauss said, "They are world's No. 1 team. You don't become number one unless you do well away from home. That's the greatest improvement they have shown over the last 2-3 years. They are now far more consistent away from home."

"We understand it would not be easy. They are going to be a very strong opposition. But we are prepared for the challenge and ready to overcome it."

The 34-year-old left-handed batsman termed his side as a far better unit than the one which lost to India in 2007. "We've improved since 2007. A few players have done very well. (Jonathan) Trott is there, (James) Anderson has become better and (Graeme) Swann has had a dramatic impact," said Strauss.

"We've done better than possibly any other side in the world as we have won seven of the last eight series we played. But we are not finished yet. We could become number one. But for us the ultimate goal is to be acknowledged by everyone as number one. And that's our long-term goal," he added.

India's bowling attack will be spearheaded by Zaheer Khan and Strauss said his side wouldn't make a determined effort to dismantle him.

"With Zaheer or anyone else, it's pretty simple - watch the bad ball and hit it. He's very good but there is no reason to complicate things," said the captain.

Meanwhile, England have Stuart Broad in their ranks, who could be termed as "enforcer" and whose steep bounce is expected to pose a threat to the Indians.

"Broad has a very good bouncer, which can make life very difficult for the batsmen. But he is not the enforcer all the time. There would be spells when he would go short but majority-wise, he is no different to others," Strauss said.

Disappointed that a watered-down version of Decision Review System (DRS) would be used in the series, Strauss explained, "All I can say is that DRS worked very well for us in the last 12-18 months. We've got more decisions right and we are now used to it."

"We can't use it in this series, it's a half-way kind of a situation and not an ideal one. But that's the situation we're now faced with. We can't be overtly concerned with it for it would be unhelpful."

DRS to be used, but not for lbw decisions

A watered-down version of the Decision Review System (DRS) will be used in the England-India series with both sides agreeing to not use the system for lbw decisions. A day before the first Test starts at Lord's, the ICC announced that infra-red technology and stump microphones will be part of the DRS - though not for lbw decisions - but not ball-tracking.

This meets the minimum standards for DRS usage stipulated by the ICC at its annual conference last month but the decision to do away with reviews of lbw decisions could lead to anomalies. For example, if a batsman is given out to a bat-pad catch, he can get the verdict reviewed and if it is overturned because there is no bat involved, the fielding side has no recourse to an lbw appeal.

An ICC statement said the ECB wanted to include ball-tracking technology (such as Hawk-Eye or Virtual Eye) but the Indian board didn't.

"While we are disappointed that the full DRS will not be used to support the umpires, we are pleased that the ECB and BCCI have worked hard to ensure the minimum DRS is used in this much anticipated series," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.

"It is common knowledge that the ICC and ECB would have liked ball tracking to have been included so that LBW decisions could have also been reviewed, but the last Chief Executives Committee and Board meeting in Hong Kong agreed to independently confirm the accuracy of ball-tracking technology. This will now take place as a matter of urgency."

The Indian board has long been averse to the DRS and had announced last month that it didn't want the system to be used in the England series. A compromise on the DRS was thrashed out at the ICC's annual conference later in the month. The series against England will be the first time India will be using the review system in Tests since 2008.

Shahid Afridi’s father passes away

 KARACHI: Former captain Shahid Afridi’s father passed away here on Wednesday following an extended illness, Geo News reported.

The family members of the cricketer told the reporters that Sahabzada Fazul Rehman Afridi succumbed to illness. 

Afridi’s father was not keeping good health for the past many days, that is why, the all-rounder returned home after canceling his foreign tours.

The funeral prayers will be offered after Asr prayers while he will be buried in Scot Colony graveyard in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Afridi's brother Mushtaq Afridi told.

ICC Task Team to visit Pakistan

A visit by the ICC's Pakistan Task Team (PTT) to Pakistan is on the cards, though details of the scope and nature of the trip as well as the timing are yet to be finalised. The development comes after the PTT's report on Pakistan cricket was criticised by the PCB on two counts, among others: the timing of its submission, and the observation that other than the visit of an individual member, the task team had not actually set foot in the country before putting together the report.

That criticism has especially stung the ICC though officials insist that the trip is not a direct consequence of that and had been on the cards for some time. It is unclear yet, however, who will visit and when; theGuardian reports that Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman and head of the PTT, might do so. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, will almost certainly be part of any such delegation and has been a regular visitor to Pakistan; his last trip was just before the World Twenty20 in 2010.

What will be on the agenda is also not yet known. But it is difficult to imagine that some discussion on the broadest recommendations of the report - on the politicised nature of PCB governance and the system of appointment of the board chairman by the patron, the country's president - will not form part of it. Meetings with the highest political offices in the country will not be ruled out. The PCB will be keen to revive discussion on security matters and the return of international cricket, an issue they feel was given little space in the report.

The development has emerged at a time of growing divergence between the PCB and ICC over the 38-page report, which made 63 recommendations for what, in effect, amounts to a re-haul of the game and its governance in Pakistan. That the Pakistan board was not particularly taken in by the report was evident in their long and detailed public response - their own observations - made earlier this week. The board said the report was a "scholarly exercise" and took a dig at the fact that nobody other than Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager and a PTT member, had even come to Pakistan. It also said the report contained factual errors and that a number of recommendations were "superfluous or redundant".

The prospect of ICC officials visiting Pakistan had been discussed earlier in meetings between the two bodies on the issue of the ICC governance-clause amendment, which calls for political interference in cricket boards to end, effectively by 2013. That was an amendment against which the PCB sent the ICC a legal notice in May, ahead of the ICC annual conference; along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the PCB is one of the boards most affected by the change.

In those meetings in Dubai before the annual conference, the two sides agreed to extend the deadline given to boards to implement the changes and the ICC expressed its willingness to visit Pakistan and discuss the changes with president Asif Ali Zardari. The clause was voted in at the annual conference without any objection from any board, though incidentally, the legal notice has not been withdrawn but lies inactive currently.

It has also emerged that the PCB was unhappy at the timing of the release of the report. The PCB had requested the ICC not to make the report public until their response to it had been submitted. The ICC, however, put the entire report online on July 6, leading the Pakistan board to go public with their own observations.

In his defence of the report, Lorgat said that the PCB's chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed had been given the report "more than a week prior to the ICC executive board meeting in Hong Kong [in the last week of June] ... and provided only minor observations which were incorporated into the final report."

The PCB disputes this version. Though officials agreed that the report was given to Ahmed, they claimed it was understood at that stage that any observations would be informal and preliminary; in fact they claimed only Ahmed was allowed to see the report and was given less than 24 hours to comment on it. "This is something the chairman needs to see and give feedback on as well as the board of governors and not just one person," a board official told ESPNcricinfo. The ICC denies this was the case.

In any case, some broad observations were given to the ICC and, by the time officials flew out to Hong Kong, incorporated in the report. The report was officially presented at the annual conference in June. At the time, PCB officials said they would respond to it with their own observations. CricNews understands that the PCB then asked the ICC on return from the meeting "to not put the report up on the website as the board was going to prepare their observations."

That it was published before formal observations were given has upset the PCB. An ICC official said that the report had been released online because "in the interests of transparency we publish all reports." A senior Pakistani official insisted that the issue wasn't the publication of the report. "We feel they should've done it once we had officially submitted our observations. Now they say we have discredited the report with our observations."

As a fall-out of this episode, believes the PCB, the ICC has tried to limit further damage and indicated their willingness to send the PTT to Pakistan in the near future.

Dravid returns to where it all began

Lord's operates on the same characteristics that have defined Rahul Dravid's career: discipline, order, balance, elegance, simplicity and respect

Rahul Dravid may as well confess he feels at home at Lord's. The ground operates on the same characteristics that have defined Dravid's career: discipline, order, balance, elegance, simplicity and respect.

He is an honorary MCC member and part of the MCC's world cricket committee and has been making an annual visit to NW8 since 2008. He intimately knows the walls and the portraits in the pavilion that houses the committee room and the famous Long Room.

So when Dravid says Lord's is a "very special" place for him, believe it. The respect is mutual. Dravid, who will become the first active member of the world cricket committee to play a Test at Lord's on Thursday, was even allowed today to enter the inner sanctum of the pavilion in the Indian team's bright blue tracksuit.

In the past, this would have been an unpardonable act at the 115-year-old MCC, long known for its insular and closed attitude; a place where you cannot enter without wearing a jacket and tie. It was an exceptional allowance granted to Dravid.

"It always brings back some special memories. I think this place is personally very special for me," Dravid said, when asked about his relationship with Lord's, the ground of his debut. The ground where he fell five runs short of a maiden century in his very first innings. He has only got 215 runs in the three matches he has played, but his hunger that was there on June 20, 1996 hasn't diminished one bit. The appetite for runs is still the same.

"To start your Test career, at this venue 15 years ago was indeed very special for me. And coming back here, in some strange way you always feel at home. You feel that this is the place for cricket. This is the place that truly understands cricket, and history and tradition of the game," said Dravid, who along with Tendulkar, is the only member of the current team to play at Lord's in the 1990s.

Our first experience at anything, regardless of the outcome, invariably becomes the inerasable reference point of our lives. For Dravid, the third day of the second Test 15 years ago is that point. "It meant a lot to me. I had played five years of first-class cricket to break into the Indian team. I'd scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket and got an opportunity to come on the tour of England."

"At the start to series I wouldn't have given myself very good odds to even play with the kind of team that we had," he said. "There were a few injuries and I was lucky to get the opportunity and I knew that probably it would be the only one. Otherwise I would have to go back to domestic cricket and start the cycle all over again, scoring runs. But in India everyone scores a lot of runs in domestic cricket and sometimes it is very tough to break in. I had waited five years so I knew the significance and importance of it. So I was lucky. It was great for me, it meant so much. I never expected it to lead to anything. I never expected to be here 15 years later talking about it. Absolutely not."

Usually a reticent gent, and a bit stiff in front of the media, it was interesting to see Dravid open up about his insecurity as a youngster. But it is a nice example for today's youth like Abhinav Mukund and Suresh Raina in this squad and Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay back in India.. Most of them are on the same wobbling platform that Dravid stood on in 1996.

"I remember when I was 50 not out at the end of the day and I was walking back to the hotel with [Javagal] Srinath and I knew somehow that this was probably a very significant innings. I knew I had some more breathing space, I got a few more Test matches at least. It gave me a lot of confidence scoring 95 here and 80 at Trent Bridge. It gave me a lot of confidence for me as a player and as a person, too.