Performance of India in World Cup 2011 and AD Revenue for TV Channels

Indian national cricket team is a hot-cake when it comes to advertising revenue for television channels during a major cricket tournament like Cricket World Cup. Advertisers and television channels are now busy with another 50-over World Cup coming nearer. This time the tournament will take place in South Asia and India is one of the three hosts. So, the craze for cricket is very high in India at the moment.

However, television channels did have a bitter experience in the 2007 World Cup that took place in West Indies. Indian cricket team was knocked out of the tournament at the group stage and their failure to reach the Super Eight round was a crucial blow for the television channels like Set Max, SAB TV and DD as well as for the advertisers. India lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and experienced an early exit from the tournament. Set Max suffered a loss of around Rs 70 to 80 crore as India’s World Cup mission ended just after 3 games.

This time ESPN and Start Sports hold the TV rights of the World Cup and they would try to avoid the fate Set Max suffered 4 years back. However, a lot would depend on the performance of Indian cricket team in the tournament.

Indian Squad against Australia Test Series 2010

The much anticipated two-match Test series between India and Australia will start from October 1, 2010 at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2010, Indian Cricket Board announced a 15-man squad with one new face in it. The squad is given below-

Indian team for Test series: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara.

According to the selection committee Chairman, Krish Srikkanth, players have been selected based on their performances and fitness.

Cheteshwar Pujara is the only uncapped player who is likely to make his test debut against Australia. Showing his brilliant form in the domestic circuit, he has impressed the selectors. He has been scoring runs for last two domestic seasons and his performance in List A cricket is also good. It may force the selectors to give him a chance to make debut for Indian cricket team. Playing an important innings, he can cement his place in the national squad. On the other hand, his bad form will make him wait to get another call in the national squad.

The exclusion of Yuvraj Singh was one of the most surprising decisions. Selectors had to face more questions for his axing. The main reason of his exclusion is perhaps his bad form. He has been out of form. The most interesting thing is that he has been named captain of the ‘Rest of India’ team, which will take place on Ranji champions Mumbai for the Irani Cup that will start from October 1, 2010.

It has not been confirmed if Harbhajan Singh would play in the opening test match or not. He may not play in the first test match because of injury. Due to fitness issues, he missed the third test against Sri Lanka.

The good news for Indian cricket team is that both Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth have returned to the squad from injury. Zaheer Khan did not attend the Sri Lanka tour in July due to a shoulder injury.

Both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are expected to play important roles in the opening stand. It is going to be the first test match for Gautam Gambhir since he suffered a knee injury after the first Test in Sri Lanka.

The inclusion of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman will make the team much stronger.

This time, Indian cricket team looks very balanced and strong. Let’s see if Australia can face them.

Schedule of India vs Australia Test and ODI series 2010

Australian cricket team is now in India to play a two-match Test series and three One Day Interneationals against the host team which is scheduled to be held between 1 and 24 October 2010.

According to the previous schedule, the touring team was supposed to play seven-match ODI series, but the schedule was changed after BCCI made request to CA. BCCI was forced by Indian players to make the changes so that they can maintain the top position in ICC Test ranking after India became the number one test ranking team.

May be Indian cricket team is much worried about their top position in ICC Test ranking. They are afraid of losing their position to Australia or any other test playing cricket team. That is why, they made more changes to tour schedule to play more test matches. It was not the only schedule that Indian board requested to change. They also requested South Africa cricket board to change the five match ODI series schedule to two tests and three ODI’s.

The match between India and Australia is always something special to cricket fans all over the world. It seems that cricket fans love to see the conflict between these two strong cricket teams. There is no doubt that match between India and Australia has been popular throughout the decade. Perhaps, the main reason of India vs Australia match popularity is that both teams have equal chances to win.

Date	Teams	Venue	Time
October 1-5, 2010	India vs Australia -1st Test	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh	GMT 04:00 local 09:30 IST 09:30
October 9-13, 2010	India vs Australia -2nd Test	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore	GMT 04:00 local 09:30 IST 09:30
October 17, 2010	India vs Australia -1st ODI	Nehru Stadium, Kochi	GMT 03:30 local 09:00 IST 09:00
October 20, 2010 (D/N)	India vs Australia -2nd ODI	Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam	GMT 09:00 local 14:30 IST 14:30
October 24, 2010	India vs Australia -3rd ODI	Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Margao	GMT 03:30 local 09:00 IST 09:00

Australia last toured India in 2009-10 to play a 7-match ODI series and defeated the home team by 4-2 with one match abandon due to rain. India may seek revenge for their last defeat.

The upcoming Test series has given the Indian cricket team a golden opportunity to defend their top rank as long as possible. Indian cricket team is leading the ICC Test ranking with 127 ratings from 31 matches where Australia has been dropped to number four.

Now, Indian cricket team is ranked second spot in ICC ODI ranking following Australia ahead of them. Cricket fans are expecting to see a closely contested game between them because of their top rank. Indian cricket team will try hard to win all the ODI matches against Australia and take their ranking points closer to No. 1 spot.

Ahead of the test series, Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is under immense pressure. It will be an acid test for him because beating the revamped Australian cricket team would not be so easy.

India has always been a hurting ground for Australian cricket team. They always had to struggle hard to play in the spin friendly pitches. This time, pitch condition may not be a big factor for Australian cricket team. Though the warm-up match ended in a draw, Australian batsmen could successfully beat Indian bowlers and it is thought that they would do it once again when the test series will begin at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali.

Australian cricket team will get some relief after hearing the injury news of Indian off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan Singh may not play the opening test match because of his injury worry. He was seen sporting bandage on his shin during the morning session practice at PCA Stadium on Monday. However, Michael Clarke, the Australia vice-captain, thinks that Harbhajan Singh will play in the opening game. Keeping him in his mind, he is taking hard preparation.

Harbhajan Singh has good record against Australia and he loves to play against them. So, his absence in the main squad will be a big shock for Indian cricket team.

Let’s see who will replace him for the first test match against Australia.

Darrell Hair feels Vindicated over the Match Fixing Allegations Against Pakistani Cricketers

In 2006, Darrell Hair was at the receiving end because his action against Pakistani cricketers seemed to be harsh at that time. In fact, this controversy destroyed his umpiring career and now, after four years, he feels vindicated when he sees the whole Pakistan cricket is in its lowest point after strong allegation of match fixing against some of its players.

Darrell Hair feels that he took the right decision that time but did not get support from others. Mr. Hair recently talked to Observer Sport and there he strongly criticized Pakistani cricket.

He said, "The fans, viewers and crowds have been watching cheats and liars. How long will they continue to part with their money to watch manipulated matches and players cheating? The ICC should be ashamed to allow these matches to take place.

Unfortunately the Pakistan cricketers show no respect for the game and continually attempt to cheat. The game as currently being played by Pakistan is a hoax and a fraud to the public."

Thus, Darrel Hair is equally critical of ICC officials and stated that they were not strong enough to fight against wrong doings in cricket. Unfortunately, Mr. Hair is right as we have not seen any strong measures from ICC in the ongoing match fixing allegations. It is a very serious matter and ICC needs to strong more decisively or else, the future of cricket will be at stake.  

Shahriar Nafees replaces injured Tamim Iqbal in the Bangladesh squad

Bangladesh cricket team will have to play the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand without their opening batsman Tamim Iqbal and former captain Mohammad Ashraful.

Twenty-one-year-old Tamim Iqbal was left out after undergoing wrist surgery.

This left-handed young batsman has been replaced by another left-handed opener, Shahriar Nafees. Shahriar Nafees made his return to the ODI squad after two years to play for the five-match series.

It could not be possible for him to make his place in the national squad if Tamim Iqbal didn’t go under surgery.

The absence of Tamim Iqbal made big void in the national squad. He was the permanent member for opening position. So, it will be a hard task for Shahriar Nafees to replace him successfully.

No doubt, Shahriar Nafees will be under immense pressure. Tamim Iqbal’s injury also has given him a chance to cement his place once again in the national squad.

He sustained his injury in Melbourne on September 13. The good news is that he underwent successful surgery to remove bone from the base of the third metacarpal of his left hand.

Former Bangladesh captain, Mohammad Ashraful, was left out from the squad. It seems that Bangladesh cricket team will be rejuvenated with some fresh faces.

The five-match ODI series is scheduled to start from October 5. All the matches will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

Robin Singh: Mumbai Indians is looking ahead to win the Champions League T20

Mumbai Indians Robin Singh is confident that he has a strong team and his team might go all the way and win the title of Champions League T20 2010. The tournament is going to start from 10 September 2010 in South Africa.

Robin Singh said, "We have the team to win the tournament. We are going with a positive intent. Everyone is excited. We played exceedingly well in IPL-III and are looking ahead now to win the Champions League."

The coach has a lot of hope on Sachin Tendulkar. Last year, Mumbai Indians failed to qualify in Champions League T20 because of poor performance in IPL 2009. Thus, the fans of Mumbai Indians have a lot of expectations from the team.

Three teams from India are taking part in CL T20 2010 event. South Africa and Australia have two teams each while there will be one team each from West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. 

Chris Moller elected new chairman of New Zealand Cricket

Chris Moller is the new chairman of New Zealand Cricket. Alan Isaac will be replaced by him as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board chairman.

Chris Moller is the former CEO of New Zealand Rugby Union.

He will take over the position after Alan Isaac stepped down to being a two-year term as the ICC chairman and 20 years on the board to take up the position of ICC vice-president.

A hard competition was held between Moller and former New Zealand spin bowler, Stephen Boock. These two were considered the most likely replacement for Isaac.

The 56-year-old Moller has been a member of NZ board since September 2008. Previously he was held roles CEO of Zealand Rugby Union and Co-operative deputy chief executive of Fonterra.

Being elected as chairman, he will be NZC’s delegate to the ICC board. He said,

"I thank the NZC board for having chosen me to represent them as chairman."

It seems that New Zealand cricket will start a new chapter holding his hand. In his speech, he said that we will work closely with every group to take the game forward in New Zealand.

"I am determined to work closely with our players, administrators, volunteers and commercial partners to drive the game forward in New Zealand."

It will be interesting to see if he can lead New Zealand Cricket successfully.

Jacob Oram will not be available in the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa

New Zealand all rounder, Jacob Oram, cannot take part in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament after falling into knee injury. This injury-prone player will undergo surgery next week.

After an MRI scan, Jacob Oram’s damage to patella tendon has been revealed. It means that he will not be available in the upcoming Champions League in South Africa. However, he is hoping to make his return for Pakistan’s visit in December.

This experienced all rounder has been replaced young all rounder, Ben Wheeler. Eighteen-year-old Ben Wheeler is yet to make his make international debut. He has played in the Under-19 World Cup this year.

After sustaining his patella tendon during the practice before the 6^th ODI match of the tri-series against India, Jacob Oram was sent home. However, New Zealand lost the match by 105 runs.

Previously, he was seen many times suffering with the same knee. He suffered a torn patella before the start of the Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean in April. Though he made his back in the World Twenty20 shortly but he continued to feel pain and worsened the problem again during a squad camp in Australia in July. He also lost his IPL fee following the same injury that he picked during the ODI series with Australia in March.

New Zealand’s team management was hopeful about him that he would be able to continue his job in the ODI tournament in Sri Lanka, but it became worst and he was sent home this week.

It is not sure how long it will take him to get better. What is sure is that he cannot play for the Central Districts in the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 campaign in South Africa next month.

His progress will be followed for four to six weeks by a medical staff who will evaluate his availability for New Zealand selection.

India will face Sri Lanka in the Tri-Series final defeating New Zealand by 105-runs

Defeating New Zealand by 105-run in the sixth ODI match at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, India has made their place into the final of the on-going Tri-Series Cricket Tournament in Sri Lanka.

They came into the match with a must-needed victory to book their place in the final round. Now, they will encounter the host team, Sri Lanka, to snatch the trophy. The final ODI match will take place on 28^th August 2010 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

India has got 10 points from their four matches. On the other hand, their opponent team is one point ahead than them with playing equal number of games.

Winning the toss, Indian skipper decided to bat first and scored 223 after losing all wickets in 46.3 overs. It was India’s opening batsman, Virender Sehwag, who led his team playing a match saving 93-ball 110 innings, including 16 boundaries and 1 six. Thanks to his 13^th ODI century, India could make a challenging score ahead of New Zealand despite their early precarious 66 for four.

Indian pace bowlers bundled out the New Zealand cricket team for 118 runs in 30.1 overs. Kyle Mills was the highest run scorer for his team with scoring 52 runs. It would have been a worst defeat if he did not score his second ODI fifty. New Zealand were struggling hard falling four wickets for 22 in the ninth over to 53 for eight in the 23^rd over.

Indian bowlers Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel made the victory easier and quicker picking three wickets apiece. Ashish Nehra also helped them taking two wickets while the rest of two wickets were shared between Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.

The final ODI match against Sri Lanka is going to be a revenge game for Indian cricket team as they lost to them by eight wickets with 209 balls remaining at hand.

Greg Chappell will manage Ricky Ponting to take retirement?

It is said that Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, will be marked as the first victim by Greg Chappell who is ready to make his tough calls after being appointed as the first full-time selector by Cricket Australia.

It is also thought that Australia’s top three batsmen will be affected by this tough call that Greg Chappell is poised to make sooner rather than later in his new role.

It is expected that his big call can end the cricketing career of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Simon Katich who are approaching 36. Ricky Ponting is not in good form. He scored only one century in his last 18 innings at the spot, bringing down his career-high average from 60 to 54.66.

Greg Chappell turned himself into villain after involving himself in a clash with Sourav Ganguly and ended his captaincy stint during his time as Teat India coach.

Chappell will become the most powerful selector in choosing the Australian cricket team in his new role. May be, he wants to rejuvenate the Australian cricket team selecting some new players in the places of old players.

During his job as the full-time selector, he will be responsible for managing the retirement of Ricky Ponting. He will also be the face of selections decisions according to the job description of Cricket Australia's national talent manager and first fulltime selector.

However, Andrew Hilditch is still the chairman of selection panel and he will continue his job until the end of 2011 World Cup. After his retirement, the decision will be taken that who will replace him.

Greg Chappell has been appointed CA’s first full-time selector

Former Test captain, Greg Chappell, has been appointed as Cricket Australia’s first full-time selector. He will join as one of its four members until the chairman, Andrew Hilditch, will take retirement from the selection panel.

He said that he is ready to take the tough calls after being appointed as the first full-time selector by Cricket Australia (CA).

CA selection panel consists of three members- David Boon, Jamie Cox and Andrew Hilditch. Andrew Hilditch is still the chairman of this reputed cricket board. He will continue his job as as chairman of the national selection panel until the end of the World Cup in 2011. After his retirement, Greg Chappell will replace one of the three members. It is yet to be decided whom Greg Chappell will replace. This decision will be taken in October.

Greg Chappell trains the youngsters in Australia being the head coach at the Center of Excellence in Brisbane in 2008. Leaving his current position, he will move to Melbourne for his new position as he was appointed national talent manager by Cricket Australia on Monday.

He has come at the centre of attraction after announcing that he will take the tough calls. May be, he will change Australia’s top three batsmen who are approaching 36. Perhaps, he will be eyeing on bringing new players into the side. The 62-year-old Greg Chappell put him under criticism after India’s early elimination from the 2007 World Cup under his coach. During his time as Team India coach, he was involved in a clash with Sourav Ganguly. It brought the result of ending Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy period.

It will be interesting to see if he can do his job successfully or not.

Steven Finn wants his team to seal the Test series against Pakistan

England bowler, Steven Finn, wants his team to overcome the Oval jinx and seal the four-match Test series against Pakistan with a victory in the decider at Lord’s.

England cricket team is now leading the 4-match test series 2-1 following their 4-wicket defeat that stopped their six straight Test wins. Now, the fourth and final test match has become a crucial one for both England and Pakistan team. England will be looking for a victory or at least a draw to win the series. On the other hand, Pakistan need a must victory to level the series to 2-2.

However, Steven Finn is confident about his team’s performance in the match decider. He does not feel there are any major areas of concern in the squad.

Though England set an easy chasing target of 148 against Pakistan at the Oval, it finished in tense conditions as James Anderson and Graeme Swann were likely to turnaround the match result with taking some quick wickets.

Thanks to young star, Umar Akmal, Pakistan could successfully reach the landmark despite losing three wickets in four overs to put the match back in the balance.

Steven Finn said that his team is confident going into the last game. This young bowler, who made his debut against Bangladesh in March, has so far taken 28 wickets in seven matches.

The fourth and final test match will be held on August 26 at Lord’s. It is going to be the last test match before they start Ashes series in Brisbane on November 25.

English cricketers cannot use Twitter and Facebook while on national duty

According to the Daily Mail report on Sunday, England cricket players cannot post message on their social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook during their matches. They have been put this ban by the team management. England captain, Andrew Strauss, has shown his strong agreement with team management to write a clause in the new central contracts for 2010-11 banning players from tweeting while on England duty.

Four England players- Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Kevin Pietersen and Steven Finn are very popular on their Twitter sites as have nearly almost 150,000 followers between them. Players said that their social network activities are a "harmless diversion". It seems that team management has taken this decision so that cricketers can concentrate more on practice and performances while they are on international duty.

However, team management is worried thinking about that dressing room secrets will be exposed to the rest of the world through social networking sites. Former England U-19 captain, Azeem Rafiq, put himself under immense criticism because of his insulting message that he sent on his site against the coach, John Abrahams, following his drop from the Sri Lanka tour. He was fined 500 pounds and banned from cricket for one month.

The Professional Cricketers' Association has talked in favor of Twitter arguing that existing regulations are enough.

Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are becoming the most popular way for branding for international cricketers. With the use of social networking site, they can attract sponsors. However, it can be used to express something that is needed to keep secret.

Kumar Sangakkara looks to continue the thrashing victory

Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, is now inspiring his team to continue the winning streak following their biggest win over India.

After defeating India with a huge margin and more balls spare at hand, Sri Lanka has reached to the finals of the tri-series ODI tournament. Now, they are waiting for the final match that will be held on 28^th August 2010. With one more victory, they can hold the tri-series trophy.

Team India was bundled out for 103 runs in 33.4. It was one of the humiliating and shameful defeats in the recent history of Indian cricket. It was also the largest defeat in India’s history in terms of balls remaining. However, Sri Lankan team took 15.1 overs only to reach the target. They won the match by 8-wicket and 209 balls remaining at hand. Ahead of the final match that will take place six days later, Sri Lanka is taking hard preparation for their consistent win.

Despite the retirement of some veteran players like Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka could stop India in a low scoring game. However, the best win against India was in Sharjah in the finals of the Coca Cola Champions Trophy in 2000 where Sri Lanka bet India by 245 runs. According to Kumar Sangakkara, it was the best victory against their favorite opponent India.

Winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bat first and scored 299 for the loss of 5 wickets. In reply, India were all out for 54. There is no doubt that it should be remembered as one of the greatest victories against India. From this victory, Sri Lanka will get confidence that they can still do things like this.

The improvement of Mahela Jayawardene from middle order to top order impressed the viewers. His promotion saw the down of specialist opener, Upul Tharanga, to No. 3.

It is not sure that Mahela Jayawardene will make open for Sri Lanka in the final match. Sri Lanka has five days to make a plan for the final. May be some changes will be brought in the batting line up.

Let’s see if any change can help the host team to get consistently.

Pakistan clinches 4-wicket victory over England in the third Test match

Pakistan cricket team keeps their hope alive to level the series after securing a 4-wicket victory with a stressed finish over England in the third test match at Kennington Oval in London. With this victory, the touring side could reduce their defeat margin 2-1 in the four-match test series showing both brilliance and fragility. They can level the series 2-2 if they can win the fourth and final test match.

In the second innings, Pakistan was set 148 runs to win the match after they bundled out England for 222 runs. Pakistan made good start after coming to chase down the target. They needed 24 runs to win with six wickets remaining and more than a day to spare.

The least predictable team in the world was put under immense pressure after losing 3 wickets for 8 runs. Azhar Ali was run out for five while James Anderson bowled out Mohammad Yousuf for 33. Kamran Akmal was trapped lbw by Graeme Swann. These early loss indicated that Pakistan is unable to chase this low scoring target.

However, two young players, Umar Akmal and Mohammad Amir led the team to reach the milestone. These two players successfully chased down the winning score before tea. Umar Akmal scored unbeaten 16 while Mohammad Aamer was not out on 4. Mohammad Aamer was named man of the match with taking 6 wickets for 101.

Skipper, Salman Butt was the highest run scorer with 48. Mohammad Yousuf played well in his come- back match as he scored 56 and 33 in two innings of the match.

England won the toss and decided to bat first. They scored 233 runs in the first innings. In reply, Pakistan scored 308 runs and gave 75 runs lead ahead of England. Losing all wickets, England scored 222 runs and made 148 runs to let Pakistan bat in their second innings. Pakistan overcame this target with four wickets and more than one day remaining at hand.

Fourth and final Test match will start from 26 August 2010. It will take place at Lord’s in London.

Sri Lanka reaches Tri-series final after 8-wicket victory over India

The 8-wicket victory over India has helped Sri Lankan cricket team to make their place in the tri-series final. They could manage to get bonus point after clinching the victory with 209 balls remaining at hand.

No doubt, it was one of the most shameful and humiliating defeat that comes under the leading of Mahendra Singh. Perhaps is the most the disgraceful defeat for team India in the recent history.

Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh, won the toss and decided to bat first that was later proved to be a wrong decision. Coming to bat first, India scored 103 runs in 33.4 overs. Star studded Indian batting line up was dismissed cheaply by Sri Lankan seamers.

Thissara Perera led Sri Lankan bowling attack with his maiden five-wicket haul in the ODI format of cricket game. Because of his heroic contribution, Thisara Perera was awarded man of the match. Strong bowling line up did not let Indian batsmen to play big innings or make big partnership. It also can be said that Indian batsmen failed to read the mind of Sri Lankan bowlers.

India’s batting line up looked much fragile and weak. Their trouble started after their best batsman Virender Sehwag was trapped lbw by Kulasekara. Except Yuvraj Singh, neither of the batsmen could stay long. Yuvraj Singh scored 38 runs from .

Both Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara took two wickets each. The rest of one wicket was taken by Angela Mathews.

Sri Lanka was looking for a much-needed victory to stay alive in the tournament. In reply, Sri Lanka reached the chasing target losing two openers. They scored 104 runs in 15.1 overs. Jayawardene (33) and Dilshan (35) made the task easier after making 76-run partnership in the opening stand. Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara remained not out on 12 and 13.

Ashes series would be a difficult testing condition for Eoin Morgan?

The upcoming Ashes series is perhaps going to be a tough challenge for unorthodox England batsman, Eoin Morgan. It also seems that Australian bowlers especially Doug Bollinger has taken Eoin Morgan’s emergence in Test cricket seriously. He has pointed out Eoin Morgan as the most dangerous batsman for the Australians. It also prompted Doug Bollinger to continue his pre-Ashes mind games.

Eoin Morgan has made an average of 46.80 after playing four Test matches. It makes him the most dangerous players for his opponent team. This unknown condition would be a testing condition for him. It will be interesting to see if he can continue his dominant form in this different venue.

Twenty-three-year-old Eoin Morgan is known for his dashing strokeplay and reverse sweeps. His 85-ball 103 in the first ODI has made him immensely successful against the Australian cricket team. For his best contribution, he was awarded man of the series in the last series against the same opponent, Australia.

He was one of the members of the England squad that played against Australia in the final match of the Twenty20 World Cup 2010 and defeated get to ensure their maiden World Cup trophy.

England skipper Andrew Strauss must include him in the Ashes series.

Five-test Ashes series will start from 25 November at The Gabba in Brisbane. Other four tests will take place in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney respectively.

Beside five-match test series, there will be two twenty20 matches and seven-match one-day series between these two teams.

Younis Khan will make his return to Pakistan cricket to play in fourth Test

Former Pakistan captain, Younis Khan, is likely to join the national squad for the fourth and final Test match against England at Lord's in London. PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has given his nod to consider Younis Khan in the Pakistan squad. Now, this veteran batsman is waiting for an official announcement from board and selectors in next few days.

The decision of selecting Younis Khan in the tour series against England has come after Mohammad Yousuf, who has included in the third test match.

The involvement of Younis Khan is now heavily depending on the tour selection committee and selectors in Pakistan. If they agree then Younis would fly to England to join the team for the fourth and final test.

Despite having huge pressure from various quarters of not allowing selectors to pick Younis Khan for the England, Butt has cleared the way for his inclusion in the national squad.

Younis Khan was punished a heavy fine and banned for an indefinite period by the PCB following his poor record in the Australia tour early this year. PCB removed his punishment after Younis appealed against the ban in the PCB's appellate tribunal.

To show protest against the punishment, Mohammad Yousuf took retirement from international cricket. PCB allowed Mohammad Yousuf to be selected in the national squad despite his retirement and not to apologize the cricket board.

Younis Khan has good record in England. His inclusion in the nation squad would boost Pakistan team to perform well.

Bharti Airtel gets sponsorship rights of Indian cricket team’s home series

Telecom giant, Bharti Airtel, is the new sponsor of Indian cricket team. They have clinched the sponsorship rights of Indian cricket team’s home series that comes after an intensive bidding.

Bharti Airtel has bagged this prestigious sponsorship rights for next three years, with an enormous amount of 33 million rupees ($700,000) per game including ODI, Test and Twenty20. Their sponsorship rights will start from 1 September 2010 to 31 March 2010. With this bidding, they have taken over the rights from agency World Sports Group (WSG).

Bharti Airtel was awarded team India’s home series sponsorship rights on Friday. BCCI secretary N Srinivasan confirmed it in a statement.

Bharti Airtel had to face tough competition from other big companies like Idea, Aircel, Future Group, Hero Honda, Micromax and Karbonn Mobiles, who were likely to give huge money to hold sponsorship rights.

Though BCCI set a minimum amount of around $500,000 per game for rights, it was likely that the price of amount would go more than that because of a stiff competition among big companies in India.

Cricket is the most popular game in India. Its popularity attracts the company to be a sponsor. It looks like that being a sponsor of Indian cricket team is a matter of status.

Graeme Swann is in the competition for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award

Despite his initial exclusion, the name of English off spinner, Graeme Swann, has been included in the list of nomination announced for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award. This prestigious awards ceremony will take place in Bengalooru on October 6, 2010.

Cricket governing body said that Swann’s early omission from the list was a genuine mistake. His exclusion from the list of 16 candidates surprised both England players and supporters. Former and current players along with media have criticized Swann’s omission from the list.

Becoming the top three of the Test bowling ranking, he ended the international cricketing year with taking 49 test wickets at an average of 27.55 and 28 one-day wickets at 23.

Besides Graeme Swann, there is another English bowler, James Anderson, who has been shortlisted for the Test player of the year award.

On the other hand, Tim Bresnan and Eoin Morgan have been shortlisted as Emerging Player of the year.

Chaired by the former West Indian captain and current chairman, Clive Lloyd, five men were chosen for the ICC selection panel. It also sees the inclusion of Angus Fraser, Matthew Hayden, Ravi Shastri and the former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, in the selection panel.

This year-long nomination list start voting from August 24, 2009 to August 10, 2010.