Afghanistan join Asia's big boys

February 26, 2014

Afghanistan_join_Asias_big_boysFeb 26: Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi stood alongside Virat Kohli, Misbah-ul-Haq, Angelo Mathews and Mushfiqur Rahim at the Asia Cup's trophy unveiling ceremony. Such events are now part of any series or tournament, but it would have been a special occasion for Nabi, as this is Afghanistan's first participation in a major one-day tournament.

The added prestige comes from taking part in a regional competition which boasts three former world champions. For someone like Nabi, this is the perfect opportunity to learn the nitty-gritty of captaincy. He has led in only four ODIs, and the Asia Cup will be Nabi's greatest opportunity to collect as much information as he can ahead of the World Twenty20s and looking ahead to the 2015 World Cup. They will all live in the same hotel too, so there will be more opportunities to learn on and off the field.

He will take lessons from how the Sri Lankan captain finds himself among several other former captains in the line-up and the Bangladeshi captain who has found himself in the middle of controversies galore. He will learn from India's most feted young batsman and a Pakistan captain who knows how to handle pressure with a straight face.

Kohli will have to deal with the usual expectations on an India captain, in addition to those brought on by his stellar ODI record. In Bangladesh, Kohli averages 122, having scored 732 runs with four hundreds and three fifties. As captain in eight ODIs, he averages 66.40 with a couple of centuries.

He may have found ODIs easy so far, but he understands that demands of the job in hand, as anything less than a title win will likely be seen as a disappointment. The potential of the young batting line-up - which is without the experience of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina - excites him, but his big test will be handling a bowling attack that has misfired badly in the recent past.

Misbah is a captain who is at the other end of the spectrum to Kohli. Though fans' opinions on Misbah are well and truly split, there is no denying that Misbah has brought Pakistan success in the last 12 months. In one-day cricket, Pakistan have won four out of their last five ODI series, and having usually played well in Dhaka, they will probably enter the tournament as slight favourites.

Age is not on Misbah's side but his experience has been a huge factor in keeping Pakistan on an even keel during his reign. Perhaps what helps him the most is the amount of runs he has scored in this format recently. He is Pakistan's leading scorer in the past 12 months, and his career record in wins is even more impressive - he averages 53.63, and 22 of his 35 half-centuries have helped Pakistan to victory.

Both Kohli and Misbah have excelled in ODIs, but the battle between India and Pakistan this time will have the added spice of two contrasting captains at work.

Mathews is a year older than Kohli and he has the opposite of what Kohli has. Mathews has experience in his line-up, the knowledge of several former captains and a current Twenty20 captain. In Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, Mathews has the reliability most captains crave for. The presence of these consistent senior players means the likes of Kusal Perera and Dinesh Chandimal can play freely.

He has been known to respect the senior players' suggestions and it has been seen in on-field discussions, particularly in crunch situations, that both Jayawardene and Sangakkara have been in his ear. Dilshan and Lasith Malinga chip in from time to time, so Mathews has to carve out his own corner in the field.

If Mushfiqur had at least one player of such vast experience, he would have far fewer problems than he is facing right now. On the field, Bangladesh did not win a single match in the series against Sri Lanka recently. They drew a Test match earlier this month but that seems like a distant memory.

Right from the end of the Chittagong Test, there have been problems, from minor issues like Tamim Iqbal resigning as vice-captain to an incident when Shakib Al Hasan gestured inappropriately on live TV. Tamim's neck strain has added to injury woes which include Mushfiqur's finger and Mashrafe Mortaza's swollen knee.

Mushfiqur's own frustration boiled over when he criticised the chief selector for not consulting him ahead of the tournament's squad selection. The last month has not been a happy time for the Bangladesh captain, and without Shakib in the first two matches and Tamim for the entire tournament, the team's batting resources are considerably thinner. The absence of Shakib severely hurts the bowling department as well.

Given the myriad challenges facing the other four captains, Nabi will get a lot of first-hand knowledge from the Asia Cup. What he takes away from the Asia Cup will last a lifetime for Nabi. With two major tournaments coming up in the next 12 months, where cricket in the sub-continent stands will also be brought out through these five captains and their fortunes.

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March 7,2020

Melbourne, Mar 7: He will be supporting Australia for sure but former pacer Brett Lee feels an Indian victory in Sunday's T20 Word Cup final could be a "start of a major breakthrough" for the women's game in the cricket-mad country.

India and Australia will lock horns in what is expected to be a blockbuster title clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"As an Australian, I'd love nothing more than for (Meg) Lanning's team to do the job. But if India were to win the World Cup for the first time, victory would do so much for women's cricket in a country that already adores the sport," Lee wrote in an ICC column.

"This could be the start of a major breakthrough, particularly with the amount of talent that is coming through."

The former speedster said Australia will have to look for ways to counter the in-form 16-year-old Shafali Verma.

"In Shafali Verma, India boast one of the most talented players in the world and you feel that for Australia to win the game, dismissing her will likely be their first job.

"I've been so impressed with the opener - it's staggering to believe she's only 16 with the confidence she has in her own ability and the way she strikes the ball so cleanly.

"She's such good fun to watch and I'm not sure the women's game has seen anyone like her for such a long time."

Shafali has been the star of the tournament, having amassed 161 runs at a strike rate of 161, consistently providing India solid starts, and that was not lost on Lee.

"To be the world's best T20 batter already shows just how far she has progressed in such a short space of time and the experience in this tournament will hold her in good stead for years to come.

"Even with the way she's played in Australia and her fearless brand of cricket, you still get the feeling she has more to come as well."

He reckoned Shafali may have another big score awaiting her.

"She's got a big score in her locker and there's probably no better place to do that than the MCG. Shafali is already a record breaker but if she can steer her side to their first Women's T20 World Cup title at just 16, then the sky really is the limit for her career."

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News Network
June 5,2020

Jun 5: The Asian Football Confederation has awarded the hosting rights of the 2022 Women's Asian Cup to India for the first time since 1979.

The decision was taken at the AFC Women's Football Committee meeting. In February, the AFC Women's Football Committee had recommended India to be hosts.

In a letter to the All India Football Federation, Dato Windsor John, General Secretary, AFC wrote: "The Committee awarded the hosting rights of the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 Finals to the All India Football Federation."

The tournament will likely be held in the second half of the year. In the 1979 edition, India had finished as runners-up.

"I need to thank the Asian Football Confederation for finding us suitable to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022," AIFF President, Praful Patel said.

"The tournament will galvanise the aspiring women players and bring in a holistic social revolution as far as women's football in the country is concerned," he added.

The tournament will feature 12 teams, expanded from the previous slot of eight teams.

India qualifies directly as hosts. The event will also serve as the final qualification tournament for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The tournament comes as the latest boost to AIFF as India is slated to host the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup next year.

India had also hosted the AFC U-16 Championships in 2016 and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017.

"The tournament will play a huge role in further popularising women's football in India. The Women’s Asian Cup 2022 comes on the back of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2020, and will help us sustain, and build on the momentum gained," AIFF General Secretary, Kushal Das said.

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News Network
June 18,2020

New Delhi, Jun 18: Premier Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has described Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a "massive influence" on his career, revealing that at the beginning of his IPL stint, he was driven by an intense desire to get the former captain's attention.

Ashwin got his contract with CSK, one of the most successful IPL sides, in 2008 and said the stint with CSK shaped his career.

"IPL and CSK is a stage that everyone wants. For me it was more about recognition. MSD did not know who Ashwin is, (Matthew) Hayden and (Muttiah) Muralithan did not know who Ashwin is. The first thing that came to my mind was that 'I will show these people that Ashwin is here'," Ashwin told Harsha Bhogle on 'Cricbuzz in Conversation'.

"I don't know it was being foolish or arrogance but that was how I was made. Nobody was giving me a chance that Ashwin will play alongside Muralitharan or ahead of Muralitharan. I thought, I will get there ahead of him one day," he added.

Ashwin said Dhoni, who led CSK, had "massive influence" on him and the only way to impress him was by troubling him in the nets.

"I got the eye of Hayden, Jacob Oram, and Stephen Fleming while bowling to them at the nets. They were finding it difficult to face me in the first year (2008) but I had not caught the eye of MSD," he said.

"I never had massive interactions with him. It was going to the nets and getting MSD...he was hitting Muralitharan out of the park and I thought, if I bowl better than him, I met get to play ahead of Murali.

" I got his attention when I got him during a Challenger trophy and celebrated like a crazy kid," he recalled.

After that, Ashwin said during CSK's match against Victoria Bushrangers in the now defunct Champions League, he volunteered to bowl the Super Over and Dhoni gave him the ball without hesitation.

Ashwin did not fare well and ended up conceding 23 runs. The off-spinner said when Dhoni walked past him after the match, he only said that, "you should have bowled the carrom ball."

"MS always maintained that you are exceptionally skilful and you should keep doing what you do."

Ashwin has been very successful against the left-handers as 189 of his 365 wickets are of southpaws. Ashwin credited his engineering background and advice from Duncan Fletcher for the success.

"He made a statement that changed cricket. He said it's all about geometry and left it at that. Understanding angles (engineering background) has given me edge over others," he said.

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