James Faulkner eyes redemption in India series after Champions Trophy snub

Agencies
September 12, 2017

Chennai, Sept 12: Being dropped from Australia’s Champions Trophy squad then missing out on a national contract days later may have felt a bit like losing a match after being smashed for consecutive sixes on the final two balls for seasoned ‘death bowler’ James Faulkner.

Faulkner’s double-blow in April was a stunning reversal for the all-rounder who was feted as man-of-the-match in the 2015 World Cup final when the hosts crushed New Zealand in front of a joyous crowd of 100,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Some excited local media went as far to declare it the death-knell for Faulkner’s international career after 67 ODIs, only weeks before his 27th birthday.

The fast-bowling all-rounder knew better, however, and his spell in the freezer is set to end in India this month where Australia play the hosts in five ODIs.

“It was pretty tough,” Faulkner said of his axing in comments published by Cricket Australia’s website (cricket.com.au) on Tuesday.

“I think if you ask any player when you get left out, it’s not great fun. So you have to rely on your friends and family and your team mates as well. I didn’t get too much feedback (from selectors), to be honest. They said the pace has dropped down a little bit, maybe. But I bowl a lot of variations, so it’s a tough one.”

From being surplus to requirements for Australia’s winless Champions Trophy campaign in England, Faulkner is suddenly indispensable in India following injuries to pacemen Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson.

The left-armer joins Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson in a pace attack against India’s formidable batting lineup.

Faulkner used his time off wisely, putting in a ‘pre-season’ to nurse a troublesome knee back to health.

“I have been battling, to be honest, for probably the last 18 months, so it’s been nice to be home in Tassie (Tasmania) with my team mates there and hit the gym hard,” he said.

“My training definitely changed. I’ve spent a lot of time on the bike, I haven’t spent any time running other than fielding and net sessions when I’m bowling.”

Faulkner is no stranger to conditions on the subcontinent, having played for four different teams in the Indian Premier League and in the 2013 limited overs tour of India when he announced himself with 230 runs and seven wickets.

“At the end of the day it is up to you to bounce back and I am excited to be back in the group,” said the Tasmanian. “I want to do as well as I can and play my part in these conditions, which are obviously different from back in Australia.”

Australia meet a Board President’s XI in a warm-up match later on Tuesday ahead of the first ODI in Chennai on Sunday.

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News Network
June 25,2020

New Delhi, Jun 25: India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday called the 1983 World Cup win as the 'landscape' changing moment for the game of cricket in the country.

Today, India is celebrating the completion of the 37 years of the maiden World Cup triumph under the leadership of Kapil Dev.

"Today 37 years ago, changed the cricketing landscape in India. Thank you @therealkapildev and team for making the game a career for many of us today. Deeply indebted," Ashwin tweeted.

In 1983, in the finals between India and West Indies, the latter won the toss and opted to bowl first.

The Kapil Dev-led side managed to score just 183 runs as Andy Roberts took three wickets while Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, and Larry Gomes picked up two wickets each.

Defending 183, India did a good job of keeping a check on the Windies run flow, reducing the side to 57/3.

Soon after, the team from the Caribbean was reduced to 76/6 and India was the favourites from there on to win the title.

Mohinder Amarnath took the final wicket of Michael Holding to give India their first-ever World Cup title win.

In the finals, West Indies was bowled out for 140, and as a result, India won the match by 43 runs.

Kapil Dev lifting the trophy at the balcony of Lord's Cricket Ground still remains an image to savour for all the Indian fans.

In the finals, Mohinder Amarnath was chosen as the Man of the Match as he scored 26 runs with the bat and also picked up three wickets with the ball.

India has been the regular participant in the World Cup from its beginning to the latest edition. The first edition was held in 1975 and from there on, it has taken place after a span of every four years.

West Indies won the first two World Cup titles (1975, 1979) and was the runner-up in 1983. India has won the title two times, in 1983 and in 2011.

MS Dhoni captained the 2011 team to win their second title after 28 years. Australia has won the tournament five times (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015).

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Agencies
May 31,2020

London, May 31: "Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli," replied umpire Ian Gould when he was asked to name the three best batsmen he loved watching when he was officiating as an umpire.

The former ICC elite umpire said that he was unlucky to not watch Ponting bat as much as he would have liked to.

"Jacques Kallis. I loved watching Jacques. He was a very, very fine player. Sachin. And probably Virat. I was unlucky in some respects. I didn't see the best of Ricky Ponting. He was an outstanding character, outstanding captain, such a proud Australian," ESPNCricinfo quoted Gould as saying.

"But his career was just starting to wane as I came on the scene. But he was incredibly helpful, so I'm disappointed I have to leave him out. Jacques Kallis, I could sit and watch all day, Virat, the same. And Sachin, if you want someone to bat for your life, he was the man," he added.

Gould had retired from the ICC's panel of elite umpires in 2019, after standing in more than 250 international matches over a 13-year career.

Over the years, comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have been growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar called time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli has 70 centuries across all formats.

While, Kallis played 166 Tests, 328 ODIs and 25 T20Is for South Africa and he is often viewed as the greatest all-rounder the game has seen.

Many pundits of the game find it hard to pick between him and Sir Garfield Sobers.

Across his career, Kallis scored 25,534 runs in his career and he also managed to take 577 wickets.

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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: India is not at risk of losing hosting rights for next year's Twenty20 World Cup despite its cricket board's failure to secure a tax exemption for the event, a key BCCI official has told Reuters.

Tax exemptions for International Cricket Council (ICC) events are listed as a requirement in host agreements and the BCCI was supposed to confirm they had secured one by May 18.

ESPNcricinfo, citing correspondence between the two bodies, has reported that the ICC has threatened to shift the tournament away from India over the issue.

However, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters that would not happen and that negotiations were continuing.

"There is no risk to the tournament," he said by telephone.

"That is a work in progress. We are discussing it with the ICC and we'll resolve it."

The BCCI encountered a similar problem when it hosted the event in 2016 when the government refused to provide a tax exemption, and there has been no change in New Delhi's stance despite the board's appeals.

Failure to secure that exemption in 2016 saw the ICC withhold an equivalent sum from India's share of revenue from the governing body's grants and it appears to be taking an even harder line this time around.

"There are certain timelines within the agreements that we collectively work towards to ensure we can deliver successful world class events and continue to invest in the sport of cricket," an ICC spokesperson told Reuters.

"In addition to this the ICC Board agreed clear timelines for the resolution of the tax issues which we are guided by."

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