Kirsten won't renew India contract after World Cup

Sidharth Monga

January 23, 2011

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	Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni have formed a partnership that has seen India rise to No. 1 in the Test rankings © AFP Enlarge
Related Links News : Family may keep Kirsten from renewing contract - Dhoni Talking Cricket : 'If you are not in the team, you are doing something wrong' Talking Cricket : 'It's exciting to see the younger cricketers wanting to play Tests' Players/Officials: MS Dhoni | Gary Kirsten Teams: India

Unless there is a drastic turn of events, Gary Kirstenhas taken part in his last bilateral series as India's coach. A senior BCCI official confirmed that Kirsten has expressed to the board his desire to not extend his coaching contract with India because of family commitments. In all likelihood, the World Cup will now be his last assignment with India.

"It is a topic that has been discussed at length for a long time. I can confirm that he will not continue his coaching assignment with India after the World Cup," the official said. "Everyone was keen that Gary continue for another term, perhaps of three years. The team and the coach have developed an excellent rapport over the last three years. Everyone can see the results, which are obvious. Gary has also put in a lot of effort behind the scenes to bolster team spirit and oneness among the unit. We must respect his decision, especially because it is based on family commitments."

The official said that the task of identifying a successor will be an important one because while "his legacy will benefit the successor", Kirsten's will be big boots to fill for any coach. India rose to their much-cherished No. 1 ranking in Tests under Kirsten's watch, and developed a habit of often coming back from dire situations.

That Kirsten is unlikely to continue after the World Cup doesn't come as a big surprise. He has previously spoken of wanting to spend more time with his family, and India's captain MS Dhoni, had also said that the team would respect Kirsten's choice. The three years that Kirsten has spent with India have been hectic, and have hardly given him time to be with his family - he has a wife and two growing sons. "Of course," Dhoni said before the start of the series, when asked if India were trying to do everything within their powers to make Kirsten stay. "But what you also need to see is he has been part of the Indian cricket team for the last three years. His family - Joshua is a growing kid right now and James is a young kid too [both Kirsten's sons] - which means Gary wants to spend time with his family. That will be the most crucial thing apart from the money aspect.

"He has given [the Indian team] whatever he could, the best he could, and of course it was a pleasure to have him in the side, but then again it is a decision he will have to take. More than the cricketing part, it will be his family that will have a real impact on the decision."

Media reports have - over the series - linked Kirsten with a job closer to home, coaching the South African side, who too will be without a coach after the World Cup. Those speculations gained momentum, especially when CSA extended its deadline for applications for the coaching job from January 7 to February 18. However, Kirsten is not quite likely to go looking for another international job that soon, according to sources.

Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Anderson aims to revive England

Andrew McGlashan in Adelaide

January 24, 2011

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	Fresh from an outstanding Ashes series and return home, James Anderson is ready to lift England again © PA Photos Enlarge
Related Links News : Bresnan ruled out of one-day series Players/Officials: James Anderson Series/Tournaments: England tour of Australia Teams: Australia | England

James Anderson hopes his return to the England team can help turn around their poor one-day form which has left them in a must-win situation heading into the fourth ODI at Adelaide. Anderson arrived back in Australia at the weekend following a post-Ashes break back home that left the visitors with a second-string attack.

Along with Anderson's absence for the first three matches, Stuart Broad is also out injured and Graeme Swann hasn't played the last two games due to a knee problem. Tim Bresnan has now been forced out of the series with a calf strain so Anderson's return will be a timely boost for the squad. However, he still has to show he's over the effects of another long journey before taking his place.

"To be honest we'll just see how the next couple of days go," he said. "I'll practice tomorrow [Tuesday] and if I come through practice I'll certainly be putting my name forward for selection.

"I'd like to think I bring some energy with both my bowling and fielding. I don't think we are that far away having seen the first three games. We aren't far away from a win and turning the momentum around."

Energy has been a buzzword for England in this series. It's one of the reasons Matt Prior was recalled to the World Cup squad because of the part he plays in the fielding unit and it was noticeable on Sunday, at the SCG, how Paul Collingwood, who replaced the injured Kevin Pietersen, tried to get under Australia's skin.

The end result, though, hasn't proved very effective although the depleted bowling attack has done a reasonable job only to be let down by some poor batting in the last two matches. But despite the scoreline, and the prospect of conceding the series very early, Anderson insists the squad are as buoyant as when he departed in the afterglow of the Ashes.

"I know we are 3-0 down but the dressing room seems just as positive as when I left," he said. "They are still in good spirits. We know we are just one game away from turning the momentum around. We are looking to Wednesday to be a good all-round performance with both bat and ball."

Anderson has twice benefited from England's rotation policy, firstly last winter when he missed the tour of Bangladesh and now this latest break. He was the stand-out bowler during the Ashes, sending down 213 overs in the five Tests for 24 wickets, so was grateful of the down time and believes the current injury problems show how important it is to factor in these periods of rest.

"It was nice to get a break. My body certainly needed it after the Test series," he said. "As you've seen we've got a couple of injuries at the minute. It's crucial that we go into the World Cup with a full-strength squad. The management have made good decisions in the past resting players so I'm sure they are going to do exactly the same leading up to the World Cup."

England will again have to consider the balance of their side at Adelaide because, for two matches running, they have not had the ideal attack for conditions. In Hobart they were a quick bowler short then they strengthened that department on a slow pitch at the SCG where James Tredwell could have been useful.

Spin is likely to play a role in this match, but Anderson has fond memories of what a swing bowler can do following his Test performance. His first-morning burst when he removed Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to leave Australia 3 for 2 set England on their way to victory. They are desperate for something similar again from their leading bowler.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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South Africa take series despite Yusuf blitz

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran

January 23, 2011

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South Africa 250 for 9 (Amla 116*, van Wyk 56, Munaf 3-50) beat India (Yusuf 105, Morkel 4-52) by 33 runs by the D/L method
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Yusuf Pathan smashed eight sixes in his 105 © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Hashim Amla | Morne Morkel | Yusuf Pathan Matches: South Africa v India at Centurion Series/Tournaments: India tour of South Africa Teams: India | South Africa

Yusuf Pathan launched the sort of assault that has made him a rich man to ensure it wasn't all one-way traffic in Centurion but it wasn't enough to prevent South Africa from snatching the series with a 33-run victory. After a tough tour over the past month-and-a-half, the last day of the series seemed set to be an anti-climactic non-scrap courtesy yet another Hashim Amla century and a slew of reckless strokes from the Indians.

Yusuf, though, blasted a century of utter violence when all looked lost at 119 for 8, and after an hour of Yusuf, the South African bowling was looking clueless and India were 49 short, dreaming of a miraculous win. Yusuf clubbed a 68-ball century but holed out soon after, much to the relief of the Sunday crowd at Supersport Park.

The tour had begun with South Africa's crushing Test victory in Centurion and ends with another defeat for the visitors at the same venue. One reason India's bowlers will be thrilled to be heading back home will be that there will be less sparring with Amla, who has plundered more than 1100 runs in the past 11 months against India in Tests and one-dayers. He collected another 116 on Sunday to push South Africa to a tall total in a rain-hit match.

MS Dhoni had chosen to bowl on winning the toss, perhaps swayed by Supersport Park's reputation of being a ground where it is easy to chase in day games. No matter what the past record, it is unlikely any team can win when its top order combusts so spectacularly and heedlessly as India's did. Barring Virat Kohli, the rest of the top six were dismissed not by unplayable deliveries but by attempts at extravagant strokes.

Rohit Sharma's horror series ended as he was bowled by Lonwabo Tsotsobe going for a loose drive through the line; Dhoni's imperious cut ended as an edge to first slip; Yuvraj Singh edged two boundaries to third man before giving catching practice to JP Duminy at point; Suresh Raina smashed a couple of fours before an upper cut sailed to third man; Parthiv Patel was the only one in the top order to inspire confidence, middling nearly every ball for the second innings in a row before falling to a debatable diving catch by Faf du Plessis at cover. India were 74 for 6 in the 14th over, and their only hope of saving the series seemed to be if the ominous clouds circling the stadium brought a massive downpour which washed away the match before the 20th over.

Enter Yusuf. He fell over reverse-sweeping Robin Peterson for a six early in his innings, but the wickets kept tumbling at the other end. With Zaheer Khan adopting a blithe step-away-and-swing approach, the end seemed minutes away, but he knuckled down after some initial scares and kept turning the strike over to Yusuf.

Indian fans would have nursed little hopes even when intermittent bursts of hitting took Yusuf to 66 off 58, and India climbed to 175 for 8 in the 33rd over. All that changed as Yusuf pounded four sixes and three fours in the next three overs to reach his century - so quickly that few realised he had reached the milestone till he raised his bat. That frenzy, through which Yusuf remained completely calm, ended with a 21-run over from Tsotsobe that brought the required-rate below five. Yusuf skied another attempted blast down the ground soon after, which du Plessis clasped to settle South African nerves.

Yusuf's ton was in absolute contrast to Amla's in the morning, when the South African chose patience over pyrotechnics to coolly compile his runs - he reached his half-century on the back of 30 consecutive singles. After Graeme Smith's troubles against Zaheer Khan continued, Amla let No. 3 Morne van Wyk be the aggressor. van Wyk grew in confidence as his innings progressed, unleashing a series of powerful cuts whenever he was given width, and even pulled off an audacious lap-shot off Munaf Patel for four.

India went in with only two quick bowlers, and their armada of spinners didn't pose too many questions to the South African batsmen. South Africa glided to 113 for 1 before Yuvraj plucked a spectacular caught-and-bowled to send back van Wyk, and had AB de Villiers stumped with a sharply turning delivery.

Amla and Duminy, the home side's two form batsmen this series, both had lives - Duminy surviving a close lbw shout and Amla dropped at square leg - and revived South Africa with a 102-run stand. The standout shot in Amla's innings was the dab to third man, perfectly timing the ball as he opened the face to pick up several boundaries, one of which brought up his century.

In the four overs that remained after an 80-minute stoppage, South Africa lost their heads and plenty of wickets as panicky running, smart bowling and attempted slogging combined to result in a collapse of 6 for 24. Amla played only two deliveries in those last four overs. India went in to lunch on a high, but there was little joy for them after the break barring Yusuf's heroics, and their dreams of a maiden series win in South Africa were shattered.

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