Zaheer, Sreesanth out of West Indies Tests

CHENNAI: Too much cricket is finally seems to be taking its toll. The Indian cricket fans might have thought that West Indies would be easy meat, but the pace attack that they will have during the Test series doesn't really exude confidence.

Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth, the chief architects of India's morale-boosting 1-1 draw against South Africa late last year, have been ruled out due to injuries. Praveen Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun have been selected as back-up for Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel, who are already there. While Praveen hasn't got his Test cap and is always considered as a limited-overs specialist, Mithun looked pretty flat in the couple of chances he has got so far.

Both Zaheer and Sreesanth played for their respective franchises Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kochi Tuskers in the IPL and it can be safely assumed that the injuries were sustained during that time.

Yet, such is the demand of the instant cricket these days, that both had to go through the rigours of T20 cricket and the end-result was a weakened pace attack for the Indian team for the West Indies tour.

"Zaheer and Sreesanth have been ruled out of the forthcoming Test series against the West Indies. Zaheer has a right ankle problem, and Sreesanth has a right elbow problem. Both players will require some time off for rehabilitation," a BCCI media release said.

However, the media release didn't say that the injuries to both these pacemen were known to the selectors when they finalised the squad for the Test series. Just that, they were hoping against hope that the duo will get in time, but "their recuperation has been slow".

With the England series starting from July 21, the BCCI didn't intend to take any more chances with the duo. The selection committee hopes that they will get fit on time for the England series, even though a time-frame for their recuperation wasn't specified in the BCCI media release.

But how will the Indian attack take 20 wickets in West Indies? The selection committee feels that the spinners will have to come to the party in the low and slow tracks of the West Indies. Even Pakistan offie Saeed Ajmal ran through the Caribbean batting line-up just a few days back and the feeling is that Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra, too, will be able to do the same.

India's revised Test squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Venkatsai Laxman (vice-captain), Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel.

Best fielding side I have been part of in 5 years: Raina

Kingston (Jamaica), June 16 (PTI): Fielding has never been Indian cricket's strong point but stand-in skipper Suresh Raina says the side competing against the West Indies right now is the best fielding unit he has been part of in the past five years.

"In my view, it is the best Indian fielding side I have been part of in the last five years."

The team's new fielding coach Trevor Penny said the current side has four-five players who are excellent.

"There are at least four or five boys in the team who are excellent," remarked Penny, who was recommended to the job by coach Duncan Fletcher.

The cricketers, who have given an edge to India in the field clearly have been Manoj Tiwary, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath and skipper Suresh Raina himself.

The Indian practice sessions on the present Caribbean tour are exceptionally sharp and a few catches Rohit Sharma, Raina and Badrinath took in the slips at Sabina Park on Wednesday took the breath away of a smattering of onlookers.

The long flight from Antigua and rather cramped conditions in their present stay in Kingston has done little to dilute the enthusiasm of the young team.

Penny is particularly impressed that despite the long season during which India toured South Africa and played in the World Cup and the IPL without a break, the players are still attacking the ball and are looking to enjoy their fielding stints.

"They have had a long season already but their enthusiasm for fielding is pretty high."

Penny is looking forward to learning from his association with Fletcher who engaged him as a substitute fielder during the 2005 Ashes in England.

Penny, who played for Warwickshire before retiring, was termed by The Guardian as "one of the best fielders to have graced the county game."

After his retirement, Penny joined the Sri Lankan team as assistant coach under Tom Moody.

"I worked for three years under Tom and now there is this opportunity with Duncan."

The association between Penny and Moody extended to IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab where the former worked as a fielding coach for three years.

Penny was serving Queensland Cricket in Australia before the call from BCCI came.

Doting dad Brett Lee's day out with son Preston

London, June 16 (ANI): Looks like Brett Lee, who had vowed that he would not let his cricket commitments come before daddy duties again, has kept his promise.

Doting dad Lee was spotted taking his four-year-old son Preston to the premiere of 'Cars 2' on Wednesday, reports the Daily Telegraph.

He was also seen picking up his son from kindergarten after his ex-wife Liz Kemp had dropped him off.

Lee, who was home for only two days in nine months after the birth of his son, had said last year that it would not happen again. (ANI)

Hayden backs ICC on 10-team World Cup from 2015

Dubai, June 16 (PTI): Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has backed the ICC's proposal to exclude associate nations such as Ireland and Canada and make the World Cup a 10-team tournament from 2015.

"I sympathise with the arguments but these competitions are about the world's finest and even though Ireland produced some outstanding cricket, which shows the support mechanisms for our developing nations are working, I still think the World Cup should be for the premium sides," Hayden said.

In April the ICC voted to exclude associate nations from the World Cup in 2015 but president Sharad Pawar has since agreed to review the decision.

A decision in this regard is expected at the ICC executive board meeting in Hong Kong later this month.

"I would like to see further changes to the World Cup because you do not want to disenfranchise a community. They need to be involved in the system that promotes and relegates."

"If Ireland are sitting in the top eight, there is a system where sides have the chance to miss out. It's not a Test-ranking competition, it's a one-day competition. I support a 10-nation tournament," Hayden said.

Hayden, now a director of Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket, won the World Cup as a player in 2003 and 2007.

Warn India by disposing Sri Lanka, Hussain to England

London, June 16 (PTI): Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels Andrew Strauss' men can intimidate world number one India even before they set foot here by disposing off a "troubled Sri Lanka" in the ongoing Test series here.

India are set to tour England next month and Hussain feels a warning shot can be fired at them by beating Sri Lanka comprehensively in the third and final Test of a three-match series which the hosts lead 1-0.

"This may feel like a low-key series, but it's important England rise above the apathy and dispose of a troubled Sri Lanka side over the next few days."

"A 1-0 series win would feel like a bit of an anti-climax after the last-minute heroics in Cardiff. With India on the horizon, Andrew Strauss will be desperate to make a statement - dodgy weather permitting," Hussain wrote in 'The Daily Mail' ahead of the third Test on Thursday.

Hussain said skipper Andrew Strauss, who has been off-colour for a while, should come up with an inspiring knock to not just motivate his teammates in the ongoing series but also be in the right frame of mind to face top Indian pacer Zaheer Khan next month.

"...Strauss will want some runs - especially because people are starting to look at his record against left-arm seamers."

"He will deny there's an issue because that's what sportsmen do: it's a psychological trick to prevent the intrusion of negative thoughts. But a hundred here will set him up perfectly for India's left-arm quick Zaheer Khan," Hussain explained.

Afridi ready to face PCB disciplinary hearing

Karachi: Pakistan`s former one-day team captain Shahid Afridi has agreed to appear before a Pakistan Cricket Board disciplinary committee to face charges of breaching the board`s code of conduct, the PCB said.

The all-rounder had demanded an independent tribunal should evaluate the charges brought against him.

Afridi was charged earlier this month with breaching the code by abruptly announcing his retirement from international cricket to the media and making disparaging comments about board officials.

He announced his retirement after the PCB removed him as captain for a one-day series against Ireland.

A PCB official told Reuters that lawyers for Afridi had sent them a letter confirming the player was now ready to face the disciplinary committee.

"He will now appear before the disciplinary committee on Thursday afternoon to respond to the charges against him," chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed said.

"We have received the copy of the court order confirming withdrawal of the case by Afridi and also that he is ready to face disciplinary proceedings now."

Afridi on Wednesday withdrew a petition from the Sindh High Court that he had filed against the disciplinary proceedings.

Ahmed said the disciplinary hearing was scheduled at short notice on the request of Afridi`s lawyers as the player was keen to represent Hampshire in the English T20 championship.

Munaf gave up speed at the altar of control

When Munaf Patel came here in 2006, he had some pace, now he is spinning the ball! The statement from legendary Andy Roberts is discouraging but not surprising. Munaf has lost some pace, but to say he's spinning the ball is sheer exaggeration. What concerns me though is a bigger question - what made the bowler, touted to be India's answer to Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar, give up his speed.

Things went into fast-forward mode for Munaf once the word about his pace spread. He soon made his first-class debut and was rubbing shoulders with the best in the country.

But then, the inevitable happened. Munaf's body wasn't prepared for hard toil and hence gave in. He was sent back to domestic cricket to take bagful of wickets and, more importantly, prove he was fit enough. He did it and earned his Test cap in 2006 against England in Mohali.

He lived up to the reputation of being India's fastest bowler and continued in the same vein for sometime before something mysteriously took away his pace.

Change of plans

The rigors of playing on docile wickets made him rethink and reassess his future plans. He could have continued to bowl fast if he wanted to, but it wasn't about pace anymore but about playing for India for a longer duration. It was around this time that he started sacrificing pace for control.

When the team management could have assigned him the role of bowling fast and being aggressive, he was left to his own devices. If only someone could have told him to persist with his skill and not succumb to pressures, Munaf would've still been a fast bowler.

Slow but steady

Instead of working overtime to bowl at high speeds, Munaf spent more time getting the line and length right. Since he doesn't swing the ball much, he worked on cutters to go along with immaculate line and length. By the time he crawled his way back into the Indian team, he had transformed into a line and length bowler.

Would you blame him for sacrificing his knack of bowling quick to secure his position in the Indian side? You'd be unfair if you did so. Fast bowling is a gruelling job in slow Indian conditions.

How do you keep yourself motivated when the ball bounces twice before reaching the wicket-keeper?

These conditions may have taken away pace from our medium-pacers but definitely made them smarter. But if we want the likes of Ishant and Umesh Yadav (people who can still clock 140+) to not go the Munaf way, we must do enough to foster these assets.