Australian Phil Hughes wants batting lessons from Master Blaster Sachin

Saturday, August 29, 2009


Melbourne: Admiring Sachin Tendulkar's consistency over close to two decades, dumped Australian opener Phil Hughes plans to seek batting tips from the Indian great to get back into the national team.

The 20-year-old Hughes, who was dropped after the first two Ashes Tests in England, is in Nagpur to work on his technique with his coach Neil D'Costa and plans a special Mumbai visit to catch up with Tendulkar.

"I'll chew his ear off. I've got questions about a lot of things that I want to ask him. I like getting around and talking to the guys who have been around for a long time," Hughes said.

"Sachin has been around and I've been watching him since I was a youngster. He hardly ever seemed to miss out, he always seems to be scoring runs and not just on one or two parks, he gets them everywhere. His consistency is so great and I still love watching him now," he was quoted as saying by The Australian.

Hughes disclosed he would play in the Champions League for the New South Wales and then at Shield level, so that he can force his way back into the Test side.

Hughes is also working on his batting technique with D'Costa, who is helping out at the newly built academy there.

"The goal is to always get better. I had always planned to catch up with Neil no matter what happened. I wanted to get in the nets with him and keep working on my game," said Hughes said.

Indian Cricket Team In Net Practice @ NCA Bangalore

Friday, August 28, 2009


BANGALORE: After a nearly two-month break, Indian players on Friday hit the ground with net practice on second day of the preparatory camp ahead of Tri-series in Srilanka and Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The opening day of the camp at the National Cricket Academy was marked by fitness tests.

However, Friday's practice session was all outdoor with the 15-member squad engaging themselves in stretching exercises, batting and fielding drills besides playing football for a while at the Karnataka State Cricket Association ground adjacent to the NCA.

Coach Gary Kirsten, who expressed happiness over the fitness of players, guided the proceedings. He was assisted by newly appointed trainer Ramji Srinivasan, mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton, bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh.

The camp will conclude on Sunday after which most of the players will leave to play for their employers in the season-opener Sahara BCCI Corporate tournament starting from September 1 at Mohali, Dharamsala, Vishakhapatnam and Bangalore.

Kirsten believes the Sri Lanka and South Africa-bound cricketers
' participation in the Corporate trophy would be a good practice outing for the players.

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 | Schedule

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Shane Warne's ball of the century

FUNNIEST SIX EVER BY BORDER

Flintoff to retire fromODIs after 2015 World Cup

Tuesday, August 25, 2009


London Victory in the Ashes series in his swansong Test was a perfect way to bid adieu to Test cricket and now Andrew Flintoff longs to end his one-day career on a similar high: by winning the 2015 World Cup.

Flintoff, who underwent a knee surgery on Monday night, said he is keen to return to cricket field.

"Obviously there are no guarantees but, having spoken to the surgeon, I'm confident I'll be able to get back on the field. However long the rehab takes I'm prepared to do it to give myself the best chance of playing international cricket again.

"I want to play at the World Cup in 2011 and the one after that too. I've finished my Test career with an Ashes victory and I want to finish my one-day career with a World

Cup win in 2015. That would be perfect," Flintoff was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

The burly all rounder also revealed how emotions overpowered him after playing the final Test of his career at The Oval on Sunday.

"I admit I was tearful. And then I saw one of the Sky Sports cameras hovering and thought 'Nobody's seeing my crying', so I nipped into the toilets, gave myself a minute, got myself together and got on with the job of celebrating."

Flintoff admitted that it would not be easy to get to full fitness but said he was determined to help England play well in short version of the game.

"The harsh reality is that I need my knee sorting out. It's a long road back to fitness but I've done it before. And seeing the scenes at The Oval, it's made me more determined to get back fit and play in front of the full houses in England or abroad and try to make a difference with the one-day side," he said.

Flintoff said he was eyeing Bangladesh tour for his comeback to competitive cricket.

"The surgeon's got a good idea what he's going to find. We'll see how I wake up after the anaesthetic but, realistically, I'm going to struggle to get back playing before Christmas.

"I've retired from Test cricket but there's a tour to Bangladesh [early next year] which I desperately want to be involved in. That could be my first cricket back," he said.

Meanwhile, the retired Test all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has asked his teammates to follow in the footsteps of arch-rival Australia and back their Ashes success with more wins if they desire to dominate world cricket.

"If lessons can be learned from the past, it's that now is the time to try and dominate the world of cricket as a Test team," Flintoff was quoted as saying.

"Enjoy this week, celebrate, get it out of your system and then move on, almost be Australia-like in the way that they've gone about it.

"They've won series in the past and they've continued to beat people," he added.

At six feet and four inches, the 31-year-old may not come across as an emotional person but Flintoff said he had his teary moments after the Oval Test.

"I didn't think I'd get emotional but I did a little bit," said Flintoff, who quit Test cricket to concentrate his on one-day career.

"I sat in my corner in the place where I always sit at The Oval, on the left in the corner with all my kit everywhere.

 
 
 

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