With no Michael Clarke, Australia gears up to take on MS Dhoni and team

Stepping into the shoes of Michael Clarke is not an easy task. Especially when you have not played an ODI against India. George Bailey, who has featured in just 29 one-dayers for Australia six as captain is still coming to terms with his job.

The 31-year-old Tasmanian, however, is no stranger to India or the conditions here. Thanks to the Indian Premier League, Bailey is one of many international cricketers who knows his way around on these shores. He played the last of his four matches for Chennai Super Kings in the 2010 season.
Australia will miss the services of regular skipper Clarke, who pulled out of the tour (one Twenty20 match and seven ODIs) due to a recurring back injury. One of the few Aussies who has had tremendous success in India, Clarke’s presence will be badly missed as Australia hope regain the No. 1 ranking in the 50-over game.

“You take MS Dhoni out (of the Indian team) and that probably answers your question,” Australia coach Steve Rixon said on Monday when asked how much Clarke would be missed.

Bailey’s leadership skills, however, cannot be doubted. His stint as skipper of Tasmania impressed the selectors so much that they named him captain of the national team right away. In fact, he made his Australia debut as skipper, thereby becoming only the second from his country to do so since Dave Gregory in 1877. Bailey has figured in 18 T20 Internationals, all as skipper.

Rixon backed Bailey to come good on this tour. “It (inexperience in captaincy) is one of our learning curves at the moment,” Rixon said. “We have got to pass that. It’s probably a nemesis.

George is relatively new to captaincy. In the time he was captain, he was very competitive with the job. He’s done it with distinction in T20s and gets an opportunity to do it in ODIs. It is probably our weakness. However, it is also our strength as youthful exuberance often can be very good when it comes to final approaches.”

Bailey is not one of those Australian captains or players who talks big before a series. He is aware that there are no superstars in his side and that he has to get all his 13 teammates together if they are to challenge the might of MS Dhoni and his men. “Certain individuals make predictions before a series. I think that was a way they challenged themselves, got themselves fired up for the series. This group doesn’t need to do that. We have got enough challenges. We don’t have superstars like Shane Warne or Glenn McGrath. We don’t rely heavily on any one or two players. If we are going to play good one day cricket, if we are to win this series, we will need all 13 or 14 of us to play really well,” Bailey said.

Bailey can take confidence from the fact that Australia won each of their last three bilateral ODI series in India – 4-3 in 2010-11, 4-2 in 2007-08 and 3-2 in 2000-01. He also has the advantage of having most players who have been part of the IPL and who have played in India before.

Credits: dnaindia

We would prefer that bat and ball do the talking: George Bailey

The Australians quietly checked into the city and got straight down to business without indulging in any banter. Perhaps talking tough and mentally disintegrating opponents was easier when players like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting were around.

Maybe this Australian side, led by George Bailey - in the absence of skipper Michael Clarke, who is nursing a back injury - is taking the safe and sensible route rather than being provocative in the build-up to the series.

Regardless, as India and Australia gear themselves up for a series of seven ODIs and a one-off T20 at Rajkot on October 10, the feeling one gets is of this being a friendly affair rather than two teams competing for number one spot in the ODI rankings.

"We are polite," smiles Bailey. "We have got enough challenges and certainly don't probably have the superstars like Warne or McGrath," the 31-year-old adds, insisting that they would rather prefer that "bat and ball do the talking."

It's a young squad, largely comprising faces so unknown that a couple of curious onlookers watching their practice session from the sidelines concluded that Australia had sent a junior side. Even coach Steve Rixon, who is standing in for Darren Lehmann, goes unnoticed at times. Not that it bothers them, though. "If we are going to play good one-day cricket, if we win this series, we will need all 13 or 14 of us to play really well," Bailey says.

Past perfect

Though not the favourites, Australia will take a lot of inspiration from their record in the subcontinent. Though they lost a rain-affected three-match series 1-0 in 2010 after two games were washed out, they had won the previous two ODI series 4-2 and 4-2, which will serve as a reminder of the reputation they have to protect. Back then, Ponting gloated about his team's 'greatest strength' - their squad depth.

Bailey isn't able to brag about bench strength like his former captain. But he will at least take heart from the fact that his boys do not endure sleepless nights anymore over the prospect of playing in the subcontinent, at least in the shorter formats, thanks to the IPL.

Rixon, who himself is the fielding coach of Chennai Super Kings, says it's an advantage to know, in depth, how the likes of Dhoni, Ashwin and Raina play. "But we have plenty of hard work to do. It's not just about knowing the players but also knowing how to combat those players," Rixon says.

What gives them further confidence is that five other players - Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Glen Maxwell - have been in India for the last fortnight playing in the Champions League T20.

"We have been fortunate to have five of them playing. We are in a reasonable position. In the end, it's the guys about who have not been playing a lot of cricket. We need to get them up and ready leading to the T20 and seven ODIs. Once that happens, we are ready for the contest," says Rixon.

2015 WC focus

Sandwiched between two Ashes series, it's natural to assume that Australia are looking at this series as just an academic exercise before the return leg against England begins, in a little over 40 days in Brisbane. Bailey, however, was quick to rebuff the idea. "I think it's (this series) towards (preparations) the 2015 World Cup. We have got some guys here who have been in the Ashes side and some guys who will be pushing for a spot," he says.

"There's a lot to go through before we start to focus on the Ashes again. There are plenty of guys back in Australia who are already starting to focus on the Ashes. As far as this tournament goes, the focus is more in the preparation for the 2015 World Cup."

'No impact from Chappell comments'

Australia captain George Bailey has insisted that former Australia captain Ian Chappell's comments will have no impact on the team. Chappell said the "badly timed" matches will dent the team's morale by exposing their "glaring" batting frailties on spin-friendly tracks."I don't think his comments have any bearing on the team. I think he has not been involved with the Australian team for a very, very long time. So I am not sure his comments don't have particular relevance to this series," Bailey said on Monday.

Credits: indianexpress

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar: Fairytale journey for one and dream win for the other at CL T20

The crowd roared and cheered as Rahul Dravid led the Rajasthan Royals on the field and the same welcome was given to Sachin Tendulkar as he walked out to open the innings for Mumbai Indians.

The love the fans felt for the two greats of Indian cricket was clear for all to see at the Ferozshah Kotla on Sunday as the legends and their teams faced each other for the Champions League T20 title.

Sachin Tendulkarplayed some of his textbook shots but had to depart for 15 as Rahul Dravid was left with a lot to think as the Mumbai Indians batsmen went on a massive hitting spree.

The Rajasthan Royals who were playing for the first time away from home where they won all their matches started the chase well but the score was too big for them to get to.

Rahul Dravid showed his astute captaincy as he chose to promote Sanju Samson to No3 and held himself back in the batting cause.

Though Dravid's team were second best in the final through the tournament they have been the best team. Amid the spot-fixing and betting scandal that rocked the IPL which saw three Rajasthan players get caught, Dravid showed his great ability to handle the team and lead them to wins on the trot in the CLT20.

Rajasthan Royals' Ajinkya Rahane was awarded the Golden Bat for scoring 288 the most runs in the tournament and his 41-year-old teammate Pravin Tambe bagged the Golden Wicket for the most wickets with 12 scalps.

Mumbai Indians' Dwayne Smith was declared the Man-of-the-Series and Harbhajan Singh the Man-of-the-match.

Sachin Tendulkar was given a fairytale farewell as his team won the CLT20 and added it to their IPL title earlier this year.

As Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid bow out of the T20 arena in cricket both men leave as winners - one with a title and the other with pride at a job well done.

Credits: dnaindia

Fitting T20 farewell for Sachin Tendulkar as Mumbai Indians win CLT20 title

Mumbai Indians Sachin Tendulkar celebrates with teammates after winning final of the CLT20 against Rajasthan Royals

It was a perfect farewell for batting great Sachin Tendulkar, playing in his last Twenty20 match, as the Mumbai Indians won the Champions League Twenty20 title defeating the Rajasthan Royals in the final at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Sunday.

The Mumbai team made it a double by having also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year, only the second team after Chennai Super Kings (2010) having done so. The Indians also became the first team to clinch two CLT20 titles, the first one coming in 2011.

After the win, Tendulkar was seen being carried to the dugout by his team, waving the Mumbai Indians flag.

He was also given the guard of honour twice during the match. Once when he got out and walked back to the pavillion and when the team came out to field.

Credits: dnaindia

Royals skipper Rahul Dravid needs one final act

For a man who always said it was instinctive of him to look ahead than at what had happened, Rahul Dravid will step out onto a cricket field on Sunday with no tomorrows thereafter.

The final of the Champions League T20 at the Ferozeshah Kotla will most probably be the final time we will see the tentative-looking, worry-eyed yet completely in control Karnataka batsman in an international capacity.

Typically, as with most things Dravid, it could be buried in the din that will naturally accompany Sachin Tendulkar's final outing at the Kotla.

With the Kotla in all likelihood out of running to host one of the two Tests against the West Indies in November, there is an inevitability about Tendulkar too, but first Dravid.

The leadership of Rajasthan Royals brought forth a different, hitherto unknown, dimension to the man. It is possible that he learnt at the feet of Shane Warne as his deputy during the fourth season of the IPL in 2001.

But as the Royals stand one win away from a well-deserved CLT20 title, what is more certain is that Dravid himself had to summon more from his reserves as one controversy after another - ones that clawed at integrity, ethics and moral fibre - rocked his team. A lesser man and his team would have jumped ship, or worse hidden till the storm blew over.

So, what makes the Royals tick? It was a mystery in 2008, more than five years later it is still remains one. At least now, there is the calming Dravid factor to explain some of it.

Declared as no-hopers, terminated by the BCCI, branded as cheats by the Enforcement Directorate, almost chased out of their home (Jaipur), put in a fix by some unscrupulous players, asked to change their name... their list of troubles was never-ending. Yet, they bounced back every time.

How do they do it?

As coach Paddy Upton would tell you, the Royals do their things a bit differently from others. "We ensure that every player in the team is treated equally," he says. At the team meetings, a (Sanju) Samson's view is given as much importance as Shane Watson's."

Perhaps that is the difference that Upton talks about. "We have very few stars and so we have to come up with new ideas," Dravid says. One of them would be unleashing a completely unknown Pravin Tambe on unsuspecting opponents.

It's like pulling the rabbit out of the hat. Where were Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan before Warne 'discovered' them? Or, Tambe or Samson before Dravid did the same? Under their skipper, age is just a number.

The calm, composed approach to batting belies Samson's age (18). When Tambe sprints to prevent a boundary, you have to pinch yourself to believe he is 41 years old. "Nobody asked my age when I came for the trials," Tambe says.

Nobody asked Samson's age either. The Sreesanths, Chandelas and Chavans now seem aberrations which could so easily have been avoided. "We have been through an extremely difficult phase and only a good performance could have reduced some of the stigma that has got attached to us," says Raghu Iyer, the Royals CEO, who had to do a lot of fire-fighting after the spot-fixing scandal threaten to take everything down with it. "Our image has taken a beating for no fault of ours," he adds.

What Iyer forgot to add is that their captain had evolved into a leader but he still carried that image of the straightest of bats and men. It came in so handy when it was needed the most.

Credits: timesofindia

CLT20: History of Super Overs

Eagles vs Sussex: Champions League 2009, Delhi
 
Sussex batted first and scored 119 for seven in their 20 overs. Sussex batsmen struggled against the low bounce at the Feroz Shah Kotla track. Joe Gatting, nephew of Mike, top-scored with 25 off 22 deliveries.
 
Eagles were coasting along in their run-chase as the opening partnership of Rilee Rossouw and Adrian McLaren added 72 in 11 overs. Panic struck as Eagles lost wickets in a heap. Piyush Chawla picked up two for 17 in his four overs and Rory Hamilton-Brown bowled three overs and picked up two wickets conceding only 15 runs.
 
Needing 12 from the final over, Ryan McLaren hit two boundaries off Yasir Arafat and the match ended in a tie.
 

 
Super Over
 
Sussex entrusted Arafat the responsibility of bowling the Super Over. He conceded nine runs in the over.
 
Cornelius de Villiers bowled Dwayne Smith off the first delivery and then beat Hamilton-Brown with his pace cleaning him up as well. The Super Over lasted for only eight deliveries  — shortest in the history of CLT20.

 Chennai Super Kings vs Victoria Bushrangers, Champions League 2010, Port Elizabeth
 
Batting first, Chennai scored 162 for six courtesy of a fine 73 from opener Murali Vijay. The Australian outfit looked comfortable chasing down the runs. Victoria needed 24 off the final 18 deliveries. MS Dhoni gave the ball to Suresh Raina and he picked up four wickets in the 18th and the 20th over.
 
In the 19th over, Victoria lost David Hussey for 51 and it was difficult to determine who the winner would be till the last ball. Chennai managed to hold their nerve and prevented Victoria from winning the game in the regulation 20 overs.


 
Super Over
 
Dhoni went for Ravichandran Ashwin for the Super Over instead of Australian recruit Doug Bollinger. David Hussey relished the challenge of facing Ashwin as he carted the second delivery over long-on for a huge six. The fifth ball was a full-toss, which was hit straight for a six and the sixth ball was a length delivery, which sailed over mid-wicket for the third six in the over.
 
Needing 24 runs to win, Chennai could manage only 13 off Clint McKay’s over thus losing out in the Super Over. 
New South Wales vs Trinidad and Tobago, Champions League 2011, Chennai
 
Batting first Trinidad and Tobago scored 139 for six in the 20 overs. Lendl Simmons (41 off 39 deliveries) top-scored for Trinidad.
 
New South Wales struggled against the Trinidad spinners. Sunil Narine (two for 26) and Sherwin Ganga (three for 26) pegged New South Wales back considerably. In the end, Moises Henriques’s cameo in the final over off Ravi Rampaul ensured that the match ended in a tie.
 

 
Super Over
 
New South Wales batted first in the Super Over. Rampaul was entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the over. Bowling round the wicket, Rampaul tried to bowl yorkers. He missed his line on the third delivery, which was a full-toss. The ball was hit for a boundary towards mid-wicket by Henriques. The fourth ball was hit through covers for a boundary. The fifth ball was a length delivery, which was hit over mid-on for another boundary. The final ball was worked away towards square-leg for the fourth consecutive boundary of the over. Eighteen runs were scored in the Super Over.
 
Steve O’Keefe, the left-arm spinner, bowled the Super Over for the New South Wales Blues. He was hit for a six over long-on and a boundary towards square-leg. It all came down to four off one delivery. Simmons failed to connect the final delivery  — a length ball. It was caught at long-off by David Warner.

 Highveld Lions vs Otago Volts, Champions League 2013, Jaipur
 
Quinton de Kock’s 109 powered Highveld Lions to 167 for four against Otago Volts. The New Zealand outfit were struggling with the run-chase until Jimmy Neesham came to the party and smashed an unbeaten 52 off 25 deliveries. Needing 11 to win off the final over, Neesham began the proceedings with a six over long-on off Sohail Tanvir. The Lions’ specialist death bowler then pulled things back and brought the equation down to two off one ball. Neesham sneaked in a bye as Neil Wagner failed to connect the ball.
 

 
Super Over
 
Tanvir bowled the Super Over and he conceded a boundary off the first ball. Neesham smashed a slower ball from Tanvir through the covers for a boundary. Tanvir then conceded only three runs from the next four balls. Brendon McCullum gave Tanvir the charge on the final ball and carted him over long-off for a six.
 
Lions began the run-chase in a positive fashion as De Kock hit Neesham for a four and a six to bring the equation down to four runs off four deliveries. He got a single off the third ball. Jean Symes attempted a needless big hit, which was caught at long-off. The centurion of the match, De Kock got a single off the penultimate ball bringing the equation down to two off the final ball. Neesham bowled a low full-toss to Dwaine Pretorious, which was hit towards long-on. Lions could get only a single off that delivery.
 
This is the only instance where a Super Over finished in a tie. Otago won the game because they had hit one more boundary than Lions.

Credits: cricketcountry