NATWEST CRICKET SERIES .

The NatWest Series is the name used for One Day International cricket tournaments held in England since 2000. The tournaments are sponsored by the National Westminster Bank.NatWest Series is an annual one day international cricket tournament held in England involving the home side and two of the season's touring teams.

A series of usually nine matches are played across England at the seven test match grounds; Lord's, London, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Headingley, Leeds, Old Trafford, Manchester, The Oval, London, Riverside, Durham and Trent Bridge, Nottingham plus other county grounds such at Canterbury, Cardiff and Bristol, with a final at Lord's.

NatWest Series Competition

The NatWest Series has brought the most exciting cricket competition in its premier format for over twenty years now, but since 2000, the NatWest Series is even more challenging for both teams, as well as cricket fans! Ever since England and Australia played out a stunning final at Lord’s in 2005, the NatWest Series competition has become world-famous for explosive matches which are won in the last second.

NatWest Challenge

For three seasons, from 2003 to 2005, three extra one day internationals were arranged for the England team in addition to the NatWest Series.

In 2003, Pakistan came to England for the three match series. In 2004, India played the NatWest Challenge as a prelude to the ICC Champions Trophy held in England that year.

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CRICKET MANIA IN INDIA .

Cricket is the de facto national sport of India, and its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as caste, religion and nationality. Though cricket is indubitably the most popular sport in India, it is not the nation's official national sport (a distinction held by field hockey).Although cricket is not the official national sport in India .

A short history
The British brought the game of cricket to India. Initially only the Parsi community of western India, who were rather close to the British Officials, started playing the game. In course of time the game found favor with the Indian royalty. Some of the Indian Maharajahs even gained favor with the British for their cricketing merits. After India gained Independence in 1947, the British left, but the legacy remained. It did not take long for Indians to make it to the international arena.

Organization of Cricket in Modern India

International Cricket:-

International cricket in India generally does not follow a fixed pattern. For example, the English schedule under which the nation tours other countries during winter and plays at home during the summer. Generally, there has recently been a tendency to play more one-day matches than Test matches. Cricket in India is managed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket board in the cricket world. Indian International Cricketing Squad has also provided some of the greatest players to the world. Indian cricket has a rich history.

Ranji Trophy - Founded as 'The Cricket Championship of India' at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in the 1934-35 season. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament. The Trophy was donated by H.H. Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Baha-dur, Maharajah of Patiala in memory of His late Highness Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji of Nawanagar.

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SHAHID AFRIDI " BOOM BOOM STYLE ".

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (Pashto: صاحبزاده محمد شاهد خان افریدی, Urdu: (born 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency), popularly known as Shahid Afridi (Pashto: شاهد ‏افریدی) is a Pakistani cricketer currently playing for the Pakistani national team in the international circuit. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya in Nairobi and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia at Karachi.He is known for his aggressive batting style, and currently holds the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket. In a recent survey, Afridi was named as the most popular cricketer in Pakistan.

Profile

In cricket, Shahid Afridi is the maddest of mad maxes. A flamboyant allrounder introduced to international cricket as a 16-year-old legspinner, he surprised everyone but himself by pinch-hitting the fastest one-day hundred in his maiden innings. Afridi is a compulsive shot-maker and although until 2004 it was too often his undoing, causing him to float in and out of the team, a combination of maturity on and off the field and a sympathetic coach in Bob Woolmer, saw Afridi blossom into one of modern-day cricket's most dangerous players and a vital cog in Pakistan's revival in 2005.

Style

His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname "Boom Boom Afridi" for his fastest One Day International century just in 37 balls. As of 22 May 2007, he has an ODI strike rate of 109.38 runs per 100 balls, the highest in the game's history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.13 in Tests.

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ICL Makes Cricket History In India .

The Indian Cricket League (ICL), is a private cricket league that runs parallel to the Indian Premier League (IPL) managed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The biggest tournaments with international players follow the Twenty20 format, while there is also a domestic 50-over tournament Matches were initially held at Tau Devi Lal stadium in Panchkula, near Chandigarh, Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad, and at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon, near New Delhi. However, since 2008 games are played at more venues across India.The Indian Cricket League (ICL), brain child of Subhash Chandra of Zee Television .

History

Zee Telefilms, part of the Essel group promoted by Subhash Chandra, had bid for the telecast rights to the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Although the highest bid, it was unsuccessful. In 2004, Subhash Chandra again bid for telecast rights and ended up in an inconclusive court battle. He made another bid for the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy rights and once again lost. He responded by creating the ICL. “They denied us the cricket content,” said Himanshu Mody, business head of ICL and Zee’s sports, “so, we had to create our own content.”

The Future of the ICL

The ICL is an obvious rival to the BCCI. In a poll conducted by a leading online cricket website, 68.9% of those voted said the ICL will do better than BCCI in the coming years, 14.9% said they will work together with ICL having a supportive role, while 16.2% said that ICL will be a failure.

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YUVRAJ SINGH " A MATCH FINESH PLAYER ".

Yuvraj Singh pronunciation (help·info) (Punjabi: ਯੁਵਰਾਜ ਸਿੰਘ, born 12 December 1981 in Chandigarh, India) is a cricketer from India, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh.^[1] He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 (ODIs) and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008. At the 2007 World Twenty20 he hit six sixes in an over against England's Stuart Broad - a feat only performed three times previously in any form of senior cricket, and never previously in an international match between two Test cricket nations.

PROFILE:- At 19 ,yuvraj is already all-rounder who has proven himself. one need look no than his performance in the domestice youth compitition and in the under 19 world cup in sri lanka . in the final of the cooch behar trophy in the 1999 , 2000 season , yuvraj made 358 aganist bihar .He was named player of the series for scoring heavily through the world cup , including a tremendous half century that came off just 20 ball in the semi final match against Australia rofile:

Early career

Yuvraj first came to attention when he captained the U-19 Punjab cricket team in the final of the Cooch-Behar Trophy against Bihar U-19s, in which he scored 358.^[2] He then gained selection for the U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in January 2000, where he was part of a team lead by Mohammed Kaif which won the tournament .

PLAYING STYLE :- Yuvraj is primarily a left-handed batsman but can bowl part-time left-arm orthodox spin. He is regarded as being better at batting against fast bowling than spin bowling, and cites the Indian Oil Cup 2005 as a turning point in his career.^[23] He is one of the better fielders in the Indian team, fielding primarily at point, with a good aim at the stumps. A Cricinfo report published in late 2005 showed that since 1999, he was the fourth most prolific fielder in effecting ODI run outs, and of those on the list of prolific fielders, he had the second highest rate of effecting a run out.


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SHARJAH CRICKET TOURNAMENT

The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is in the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It was originally constructed in the early 1980s and has been much improved over the years.Sharjah Cricket Council, one of the constituents of its parent body Emirates Cricket Board is engaged in various activities related to the conduct and promotion of the game of Cricket in the Emirate of Sharjah .

LOCATION

The Council operates from its offices based at the famous Sharjah Cricket Stadium that is also the main hub of the international cricket activities.

HISTORY

The Sharjah Cricket Council was formerly known as the Sharjah Cricket Association and came into the existence after the organisational changes resulted in the creation of the Emirates Cricket Board in the year 1989.

The induction of the game of Cricket in UAE can trace its origin to the mid-sixties when the Royal British Armed Forces stationed in Sharjah were actively involved with the game.

Cricket patrons of the likes of Abdulrahman Bukhatir, Galadari Brothers, Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, Mohammad Redha Abbas and others, who picked up their game in the sub-continent during their stay for studies, promoted and developed the game here.

Match fixing

Sharjah was at the centre of Sir Paul Condon’s investigations into corruption in cricket. Although the report did not conclusively single out the venue much controversy raged. BBC Cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said in 2001 : “Sharjah has been pinpointed as being the centre of this activity [match fixing] and, again, this is entirely plausible. I would swear under oath that two of the dozen or so matches I have witnessed on that desert ground over the years were fixed”. On the other hand Sharjah tournament organiser, and former Pakistan cricketer, Asif Iqbal:”To my mind, all the matches in Sharjah were fair and honest cricketing encounters”.

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ASIA CUP ' A CRICKET TOURNAMENT".

The Asia Cup is an international cricket tournament. It was conceived in 1983 when the Asian Cricket Council was created as a measure to promote goodwill between Asian countries. It was originally scheduled to be held every two years. The first edition was held in 1984 in Sharjah, UAE where the council's offices were based (until 1995). The International Cricket Council has ruled that all games played for the Asia Cup have official One Day International status. India along with Sri Lanka has lifted the Asia cup the most times (4). India appeared in every final apart from the 1986 (India pulled out due to strained cricketing relations with Sri Lanka), 1993 (when it was cancelled due to strained political relations between India and Pakistan) and 2000 cups. Sri Lanka, however, have appeared in every final since the cup's inception.

History

The first edition of the Asia Cup was held in 1984 in Sharjah, UAE, the location of the headquarters of the newly formed Asian Cricket Council. The first match was Pakistan vs the new ICC member Sri Lanka. The tournament was a round-robin tournament between India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. India won this tournament with two victories.

A look back at the Asia Cup:

1983 - Asia comes together
The Asia Cup was conceived in 1983 with the creation of the Asian Cricket Council. It was housed in Sharjah and that's where the first tournament was held. Called the Rothmans Asia Cup, the tournament featured India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a round-robin format.

1990-91 - India's third title
The Asia Cup traveled to India for the first time. This time Pakistan pulled out of the tournament and Bangladesh yet again proved no match for the sub-continental seniors. India again beat Sri Lanka in the final to lift the trophy for the third time.

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RICKEY PONTING " A GOOD CAPTAIN AND BATSMAN ".

Ricky Ponting (born 19 December 1974 in Tasmania) is the current captain of the Australian cricket team in One Day International, Twenty20 International and Test cricket. Ponting also represents the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian Domestic cricket, a side he plays for intermittently due to international commitments. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very occasional right-arm medium pace bowler.

Ponting is a good captain. I don’t know if he’s a great captain. Great is an often over used adjective. He will always face the contention that a one legged blind zoo keeper (no one mention monkeys) could have managed the talent that Australia have had at its disposal during his captaincy reign. The same accusation that can be made of Clive Lloyd and other leaders of great teams sprinkled with more talent than at a bikini contest.

Key achievements

Ricky Ponting is considered one of the finest batsmen in the history of the game, and is currently ranked 18th in ODI's and 6th in Test Cricket. He is the only cricketer to have twice scored more than 1500 runs in Test matches in a calendar year (2003 and 2005) and on 3 December 2006 overtook Steve Waugh as the leading Australian century maker with 33 Test centuries.

ODI CAPTAINCY:- Although the Test team had continued to perform well, sweeping South Africa 3-0 in the home series in 2001-02, the One-Day International (ODI) team suffered a slump, failing to qualify for the finals of the triangular tournament, leading to the dropping of Steve Waugh from the one-day team in February 2002. Ponting was elevated to the captaincy, ahead of then vice-captain Adam Gilchrist.

Test captaincy

After Steve Waugh's retirement at the beginning of 2004, Ponting assumed the Test captaincy. Since 1997 the Australian team has not always had the same captain for Tests and for ODIs, with Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh being dropped from the ODI team whilst still the Test captain. Ponting is expected to hold his place in both teams for several years to come.

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ANDREW FLINTOFF " A AGGRESSIVE PLAYER".

Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff, MBE, (born 6 December 1977 in Preston, Lancashire) is an English cricketer who plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and Indian Premier League team, Chennai Super Kings. A tall (6' 4") fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top international allrounders in both ODI and Test cricket. His nickname "Freddie" or "Fred" comes from the similarity between his surname and that of Fred Flintstone, and was first used in the press as a quip because of the issues he had with his weight when he first emerged onto the scene.

Profile

In the summer of 2005, Andrew Flintoff established himself as England's greatest allround cricketer since the days of Ian Botham, producing a succession of wholehearted and inspirational performances to reap 402 runs and 24 wickets in five Tests, and carry his team to glory in arguably the greatest Ashes series of all time. It was a performance that reverberated around the globe, and propelled Flintoff to the sort of superstar status that his many admirers had always believed was within his grasp, but had often despaired of him ever achieving.

Professional career

Early years: Criticism, injury and fitness troubles

Flintoff was captain of the England Under-19 team for their "Test" match tour to Pakistan in 1996/7 and at home against Zimbabwe in 1997. He made his Test match debut for England in 1998 against South Africa at Trent Bridge, in a match remembered for its second-innings duel between Michael Atherton and Allan Donald; in a precursor to their subsequent all-round rivalry, Flintoff and Jacques Kallis exchanged wickets.

ENGLAND CAPTAINCY:- In February 2006, following England captain Michael Vaughan and vice-captain Marcus Trescothick becoming unavailable for the first Test match against India, Flintoff was named captain of the England team and subsequently announced that he would be staying in India for the entire Test series, although he and his wife were expecting their second child.

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THE ASHES HISTORY

The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of international cricket's most celebrated rivalries and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Since cricket is a summer game, the venues being in opposite hemispheres means the break between series alternates between 18 and 30 months. A series of "The Ashes" comprises five Test matches, two innings per match, under the regular rules for international Test-match cricket. If a series is drawn then the country already holding the Ashes retains them."In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29th August, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia."

Australia's first victory on English soil over the full strength of England, on August 29, 1882, inspired a young London journalist, Reginald Shirley Brooks, to write this mock "obituary''. It appeared in the Sporting Times.

Legend of The Ashes

The first Test match between England and Australia was played in 1877, though the Ashes legend started later, after the ninth Test, played in 1882.

On their tour that year the Australians played just one Test, at The Oval in London. It was a low-scoring affair on a difficult wicket.

It was long believed that the real Ashes - a small urn thought to contain the ashes of a bail used in the third match - were presented to Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. In 1998, Lord Darnley's 82-year-old daughter-in-law said they were the remains of her mother-in-law's veil, not a bail. Other evidence suggests a ball. The certain origin of the Ashes, therefore, is the subject of some dispute.

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BOLLYWOOD STAR CRAZE IN" IPL ".

Most big Bollywood stars are heading to South Africa and not different cities of India like last year, for the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

So top names like Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan would be gracing the front benches there rather than taking the heat and pollution in India for the sake of work.

Preity, Shah Rukh and Shilpa are there to support and cheer for their respective teams.
In the 2008 bidding wars, Shah Rukh had bagged the Kolkata team for a huge amount of $75.9 million (approx Rs.296 crores), along with Juhi Chawla and her husband Jai Mehta.

Preity Zinta along with her man Ness Wadia became proud owners of the Mohali team, and Shilpa Shetty owns the winning team of 2008, Rajasthan Royals along with hr beau Raj Kundra.
Akshay is in South Africa for work – he's shooting for his program 'Fear Factor II'. Hrithik was recently in the country for a TV commercial shoot is mixing business with pleasure.

Ever since the actor became interested in cricket and bought the rights of the Kolkata club from the BCCI, every move of Shah Rukh has been shrouded in mystery and especially when it came to naming his premiere league club.

The same story was with Sajid Khan too. On Thursday, the 12th of March, SRK will be announcing his team’s name in Mumbai and Sajid will be hosting that event. A remorseful Sajid disclosed, “I will be killed. I cannot say anything.”


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INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE " A NEW FORMAT CRICKET ".

The Board of Control for CRICKET in India (BCCI) launched the Indian Premier League (IPL) on September 14, 2007. Based on the lines of the English Premier League (EPL) and the National Basketball League (NBA), the IPL is said to be the brainchild of BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi. The idea was first floated in 1996 but was shot down as the board felt it would go against the zonal system of domestic cricket. The project moved into TOP GEARwhen the Zee group launched a rival Indian Cricket League on similar lines in April 2007.

The ICL was set up by Zee Telefilms who have been denied the Indian TV rights for a number of cricketing events despite being the highest bidder. After failing to gain TV rights for the 20-20 2007 World Cup they decided to create their own league to broadcast.

How is it different from the football and hockey leagues in India?

The IPL, in a way, is not very different in its format vis-a-vis the PHL or the I-League in football. It is, however, totally different in its concept as the teams have been offered to franchisees (individuals or corporates) through a bidding process that culminated on Thursday. The BCCI has already signed up 80 international players who will also be put for auction soon.

Sony Entertainment, a division of Japan’s Sony Corp, and the Asia-based World Sports Group (WSG) won the broadcast rights for ten years, worth more than a whopping US $1 billion. TV rights are worth $918 million, with $100 million set aside for promotion.

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Pakistan is T20 world cup champion 2009.

Pakistan cricket team is a new champion of T20 world cup event. Pakistan beat Srilanka in the final played at lords. Srilanka won the toss and elected to bat first, they posted 138 runs in a stipulated 20 overs. pakistan achieved this target in 19th over losing only 2 wickets and clinch the title.

Pakistan bowling showed no mercy to England batting. The disciplined Abdurrazaq got three early wickets to put Srilanka under pressure. However Srilanka manage to score a decent total of 138 due to capatin Sangakara sensible innings. Green shirts left no stone unturned to win this final and all the team members played in a united way to give a memorable gift to the nation.

Pakistan won the T20 world cup ,after sri lanka won the toss,Sangakkara choose to bat.sri Lanka got off a bad with X-factor Dilshan goes for a duck. wickets fell periodically and there was no big partnership.Sangakkara played the captain’s knock and made 64 from 52 balls ,Pakistani bowlers out smarted the sri lankan batsmen and restricted the total to 138/6 in 20 overs ,Abdul razzaq picked up 3 crucial wicket’s for Pakistan
Pakistan started off with a first wicket 50 runs partnership.

Inreplying Srilanka total Pakistan got a solid start from Akmal and shahzaib and gave a platform to next comming batsmen. After the departure of openers Shoaib Malik and Afridi played a sensible knock and achieve the target in a fashionable way. In the last overs the run rate was going high due to excellent bowling of Malinga but later Shahid Afridi few boundries change the match and Pakistan easily won by 8 wickets.

The whole nation is proud of Pakistan team. There is entertainment going on in the streets of Pakistan. people are happy and dancing on the roads with traditional drum beats. This is the second time Pakistan won world cup event. last time the legend Imran khan captaincy in 1992 managed to did this.

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INDIA WINS T20 WORLD CUP.

India clinched the inaugural Twenty20 cricket World Cup after a thrilling five-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the final in Johannesburg on Monday.

In a match that saw fortunes fluctuate till the dying moments, the young Indian team scored 157 for five and then held its nerve to dismiss Pakistan for 152 with just three balls to spare.

It was India's first major triumph since winning the 60 overs-a-side World Cup in 1983..

Irfan Pathan was named the Man of the Match.

India beat Pakistan in the final of the Twenty 20 World Cup in the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. India after winning the toss elected to bat and posed a moderate score of 157 runs at the loss of five wickets.

India mounted pressure on Pakistan with Irfan Pathan’s bowling taking the toll of Pakistani batsman in the power packed performance being cheered by thousands of supporters by both the sides included super star of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan.

India innings:

Gautam Gambhir slammed a rollicking 75 as none of the other batsman got going to prop the Indian innings. The left-hander struck his third half century of the tournament but India could not capitalise on a reasonably good start, leaving their arch-rivals to score at a comfortable asking rate of 7.9 to clinch the title in its inaugural edition.

Young Rohit Sharma (30 not out) was the other notable contributor as the Indians found the going tough in the face of some disciplined bowling by their bitter foes, who took control of the game from the midway stage.

Pakistan innings

R P Singh made early inroads for India and took 3 for 26 while Irfan Pathan's magical spell in the middle overs rocked Pakistan enabling him to finish with 3 for 16. Even Joginder Sharma did well, finishing with 2 for 20.

R P Singh gave India the perfect start, dismissing Mohammad Hafeez (1) and Kamran Akmal (0) in successive overs, the first and third of the innings.

And when Irfan Pathan bowled Yaseer Arafat in the 16th over, Pakistan needed 53 runs from 4 overs with just three wickets to go.

That was when all the drama began. Misbah-ul Haq hit three towering sixes off Harbhajan to engineer a heart-stopping finish.

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T 20 WORLD CUP HISTORY " A NEW STYLE CRICKET ".

The ICC World Twenty20 is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament consists of 12 all-male teams and is contested by all Test-playing nations plus qualifiers.

The inaugural event, the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, was staged in South Africa from 11-24 September 2007. The tournament was won by India, who become the first World T20 Champions after defeating Pakistan by 5 runs in the final at Johannesburg.

And the second event, the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 took place in England from 5-21 June 2009. This tournament was won by the last time runners-up Pakistan who won the title after defeating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in the finals at Lord's, London. Before this match Sri Lanka was undefeated in the tournament. The shortened version of cricket, Twenty20 or T20 is the perfect dose for all cricket enthusiasts. The game has come a long way right from the days when only test matches were being played.

The England and Wales cricket board decided on an innovation. The board started coining the idea of shortening the length of the game even further – to 20 overs-a-side. The idea was to go with the modern times and give the game some boost.

Hosts

The International Cricket Council's executive committee voted for the hosts of the tournament after examining bids from the nations which expressed an interest in holding a Twenty20 World Championship. After South Africa in 2007, England hosted the tournament in 2009 and will be followed by the West Indies in 2010, Sri Lanka in 2012 and Bangladesh in 2014. The ICC decided that South Africa and England should host the first two tournaments as they were the earliest adopters of the format.

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SACHIN TENDULKAR "A GREAT PLAYER".

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar pronunciation (help·info) (Marathi: सचिन रमेश तेंडुलकर) (born April 24, 1973 in Mumbai) is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. In 2002, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time, next to Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one day international (ODI) batsman of all time, next to Viv Richards. In September 2007, the Australian leg spinner Shane Warne rated Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with or against. Tendulkar was the only player of the current generation to be included in Bradman's Eleven. He is sometimes referred to as Little Master or Master Blaster.

Profile:-

Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon as well. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses, anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient in each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will.

Early years and personal life:-

Tendulkar was born in Bombay (now Mumbai). His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, a Marathi novelist, named Tendulkar after his favourite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar's elder brother Ajit encouraged him to play cricket. Tendulkar has two other siblings: a brother Nitin, and sister Savitai.

Domestic career:-

On December 11, 1988, aged just 15 years and 232 days, Tendulkar scored 100 not-out in his debut first-class match for Mumbai against Gujarat, making him the youngest cricketer to score a century on his first-class debut. His first double century was for Mumbai while playing against the visiting Australian team at the Brabourne Stadium in 1998.

Style of play:-

Tendulkar is ambidextrous: He bats, bowls and throws with his right hand, but writes with his left hand. He also practices left-handed throws at the nets on a regular basis. Cricinfo columnist Sambit Bal has described him as the "most wholesome batsman of his time". His batting is based on complete balance and poise while limiting unnecessary movements and flourishes.

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AUSTRALIA " A CHAMPION TEAM ".

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia, at international, domestic and local levels. Despite football codes such as Australian rules, rugby league and rugby union generating far greater public interest, they suffer a massive discrepancy in popularity among different states. In 2007, a survey by Sweeney Sports found that 59% of the Australian public have an interest in cricket, second to none.^{[dead link]} The peak administrative body for both professional and amateur cricket in Australia is Cricket Australia . Cricket is often known as Australia's national sport due to its equal popularity in all parts of the country.They are one of the most balanced teams, strong in all sections --- like batting, bowling and fielding. They have players, who have own several laurels but unite to make a strong team. Like five fingers make a fist which can make a devastating punch, so is Aussies as a team. They believe and operate as a unit; so most of the times some members of the team always chip in, when team needs batting or bowling support. They are wonderful fielders, who believe, each run saved is each run earned. Each member of the team is physically fit and mentally tough. Above all, they have a captain, who steers them through his personal skill, commitment and full trust on the capabilities of his team members.

Australia has a very strong and competitive domestic competition which provides a great base for the national team... also we have relatively loyal selectors and you may notice that the numbers on the shirts depicting the players number to represent australia (glenn mcgraph for example was 358 and brad haddin 400th).... theres been a relatively small number of cricketers to represent australia, in comparison to other countries for example where numbers of representatives of the national team are higher..

i have mentioned this in order to perhaps explain the age of the team... for which i agree is probably too old.. i would prefer to see more younger players involved (for we know there are soo many talented guys in domestic comp!)... but the australian test side have experience and are winning so as long as domestic cricket stays strong there will always be good guys to replace the ones who retire.


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India's 1983 Cricket World Cup Victory

The 1983 Cricket World Cup (aka Prudential Cup, 1983) was the third edition of the tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each country played the others in its group twice. The top two teams in each group qualified for the semi-finals.

The matches consisted of 60 overs per team and were played in traditional white clothing and with red balls. They were all played during the day.India's 1983 cricket World Cup victory over the mighty West Indies is widely acknowledged as the defining moment in the history of Indian cricket. Under the spirited leadership of Kapil Dev, a determined Indian team exploited the English conditions to clinch the coveted title.

India made their intentions pretty clear by shocking the favorites West Indies in their campaign opener. In their next match, India thrashed the minnows Zimbabwe with Madan Lal playing a pivotal role. However the euphoria over the successive wins was short lived as India was dealt out a 162 run thrashing from Australia just two days later.

India's second Group match against Zimbabwe unfolded high drama. Batting first, India was looking down the barrel with five wickets down for just 17 runs on board. But skipper Kapil Dev chose the occasion to lead by example and his whirlwind knock of 175 set the stage for a memorable Indian victory.

The final raised the specter of an Indian humiliation in the hands of the Goliaths of world cricket, the West Indies. Even though India had beaten West Indies in the group stage, the wise and knowledgeable of the game predicted a comprehensive win for the Indies.
Batting first, India were bundled out for 183 in the face of the hostile West Indian pace attack. However, when it came to their turn, the West Indian batsmen collapsed and ultimately fell short of the target by 43 runs.

Final match:-
In the final, India lost the toss and were asked to bat first against a West Indies team that arguably boasted the world's best bowling attack. Only Mohinder Amarnath (26 from 80 balls) and Kris Srikkanth (38 from 57 balls) put up any significant resistance as Roberts, Marshall, Joel Garner and Michael Holding ripped through the Indian batsmen, ably supported by Gomes. Surprising resistance by the tail allowed India to compile 183 (all out, 54.4 overs).

Amarnath was the most economical bowler, conceding just 12 runs from his seven overs while taking 3 wickets, and was once again awarded the Man of the Match award for his all-round performance. There was no 'Man of the Series' awarded in 1983.

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BRAD MAN "THE PRINCE OF CRICKET".

Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), often referred to as The Don, was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time.Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport.^[2]

The story that the young Bradman practised alone with a cricket stump and a golf ball is part of Australian folklore.Bradman's meteoric rise from bush cricket to the Australian Test team took just over two years. Before his 22nd birthday, he had set many records for high scoring, some of which still stand, and became Australia's sporting idol at the height of the Great Depression.As a teenager Bradman played Saturday afternoon cricket in the country and quickly proceeded to amass huge scores. In 1926 the New South WalesCricket Association, which was incidentally looking for bowlers, asked Bradman to play in trial games. While making modest scores, he nonetheless attracted the eye of the selectors as a player of the future.

Bradman's average in first class cricket was 95.14, and in test cricket it was 99.94, being only four runs short of a 100 average. He scored 117 centuries in first class cricket (29 in tests), a century every third time he batted. His centuries included 31 double (ten in tests), five triple (two in tests), and one quadruple century--his famous 452 got out against Queensland in 1930.

Youth and early career:-Donald Bradman was the youngest son of George and Emily (née Whatman) Bradman, and was born on 27 August 1908 at Cootamundra, New South Wales (NSW). He had a brother, Victor, and three sisters—Islet, Lilian and Elizabeth May.

FIRST CLASS DEBUT :-The next season continued the rapid rise of the "Boy from Bowral". Selected to replace the unfit Archie Jackson in the NSW team, Bradman made his first-class debut at the Adelaide Oval, aged 19. He secured the achievement of a hundred on debut, with an innings of 118 featuring what soon became his trademarks—fast footwork, calm confidence and rapid scoring.
^{Bradman is a graet} player is ever time ,his achivement so high , no doubts it is not wrong said that if says that he is father of cricket history. when bradman is alive then one time is said that i thinks sachin is playing my style , it is a big compliment to the Indian cricket such as a sachin tendulkar .

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HISTORY OF CRICKET

The game of cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of international Test cricket began in 1877. During this time, the game developed from its origins in England into a game which is now played professionally in most of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The origins of cricket are very vague, and many theories have been put forward suggesting its origins. Extensive studies and research have been conducted to trace its history and they have come out with different versions. However it is commonly accepted that the game originated from a very old leisure activity indulged by shepherds. The shepherds used crook and other farm equipments to hit a ball like deceive which used to be made up of wool or stone. The 18th century also witnessed the emergence of two types of cricket players. They were known as the retained player and the individual player. Generally the retained player was the servant of the lord and a cricketer as well. On the other hand the individual player was free to play anywhere with his skills. Basically it was something like the player could play anywhere with the amount of skill he possesses.

Origin

No one knows when or where cricket began but there is a body of evidence, much of it circumstantial, that strongly suggests the game was devised during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England that lies across Kent and Sussex. In medieval times, the Weald was populated by small farming and metal-working communities. It is generally believed that cricket survived as a children's game for many centuries before it was increasingly taken up by adults around the beginning of the 17th century .

Derivation of the name of "cricket"

A number of words are thought to be possible sources for the term "cricket". In the earliest known reference to the sport in 1598 (see below), it is called creckett. The name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch krick(-e), meaning a stick; or the Old English cricc or cryce meaning a crutch or staff . Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word krickstoel, meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church and which resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket.

Cricket moves out of England

Cricket was introduced to North America via the English colonies in the 17th century , probably before it had even reached the north of England. In the 18th century it arrived in other parts of the globe. It was introduced to the West Indies by colonists and to India by British East India Company mariners in the first half of the century .

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ANDRE AGASSI "A MATCH WINNER PLAYER".

Andre Kirk Agassi (born April 29, 1970) is a former World No. 1 professional American tennis player. He won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-round players in the history of the game. Agassi is married to fellow retired professional tennis player and Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf.

Agassi is, with Rod Laver, Don Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, and Roger Federer, one of only six men to have achieved a Career Grand Slam, one of only three (with Laver and Federer) since the beginning of the Open Era, and the first male player to have achieved a Career Golden Slam (the other being Roger Federer).

Andre Agassi is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is one of only five male players to have won all four Grand Slam singles events during his career. He is the only player in the open era to have won every Grand Slam singles title, to have won the Tennis Masters Cup, to have been part of a winning Davis Cup team, and to have won an Olympic gold medal. He won 17 ATP Masters Series tournaments, more than any other player. TENNIS Magazine has named him the 7th greatest male player from 1965 through 2005.
Because of sciatica caused by two bulging discs in his back, a spondylolisthesis (vertebral displacement), and a bone spur that interferes with the nerve, Agassi retired from professional tennis on September 3, 2006, after losing in the third round of the U.S. Open. Agassi is married to Steffi Graf and has two children.

1986–1993: Image is everything

Agassi turned professional in 1986 and won his first top-level singles title in 1987 at the Sul American Open in Itaparica.He ended the year ranked World No. 25.^[10] He won six further tournaments in 1988, and, by December of that year, he had surpassed US$2 million in career prize money after playing in just 43 tournaments – the fastest anyone in history had reached that level. His year-end ranking was World No. 3, behind second-ranked Ivan Lendl and top-ranked Mats Wilander. Both the ATP and Tennis magazine named Agassi the Most Improved Player of the Year for 1988.

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Leander Paes and Cara Black defeated Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza in wimbledon 2009.

India’s Leander Paes and Zimbabwe’s Cara Black beat the Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza in their mixed doubles match of Wimbledon.

The Indo-Zimbabwean pair won 6-2, 6-7 (2) 6-3 to move into the quarter-finals. Top seeded Paes and Black with a double break pocketed the first set for a 1-0 lead. The second set went for a tie-breaker where Bhupathi and Sania prevailed to draw level.

Paes and Black, who won the US Open mixed doubles title last year, were clearly the better pair in a rare match and also took advantage of the unforced errors committed by their opponents.

Thirteenth seeds Bhupathi and Sania committed nine double faults as compared to just one by their opponents though the all-Indian pair sent down more number of aces (6 to 3).

Paes and Black got as many as eight break points in the first set out of which they converted two to win it in 35 minutes.
The US Open mixed doubles champions broke Bhupathi and Mirza twice in the third set to close the match in just over two hours. The loss meant the end of Sania's challenge in Wimbledon this year. The 22-year-old Hyderabadi girl had bowed out of the second round of both singles and doubles event.


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