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I don't want the guys to change their way of playing, says George Bailey
Birmingham, United Kingdom: 
Stand-in captain George Bailey urged Australia to remain true to themselves despite a defeat by England that dented their hopes of retaining the Champions Trophy.
In what could be the first of 26 Anglo-Australian clashes across all formats between now and February 2, England beat their arch-rivals by 48 runs to win Saturday's Group A opener at Edgbaston.
Australia, still without injured captain Michael Clarke due to a recurrence of the star batsman's longstanding back problem, were set 270 to win after England's Ian Bell made 91 on his Warwickshire home ground.
But their batsmen struggled against disciplined bowling led by James Anderson (three for 30), who in the course of the innings became England's outright most successful one-day international bowler, surpassing the record of 234 wickets he'd shared with Darren Gough.
Openers David Warner (nine) and Shane Watson (24) both fell cheaply, to seamers Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan respectively.
And for all that Bailey and James Faulkner made fifties, Australia were rarely in the hunt before finishing on 221 for nine.
Bailey though urged his openers not to curb their attacking instincts.
"The one thing I don't want to see and the one thing we're certainly pushing for is for guys not to change the way they play," Bailey said.
"I want to see David Warner going after balls. I want to see him crashing the ball everywhere. I want to see Watto doing the same thing. And that is the way we've got to keep playing.
"That's why we've picked guys, and that is the challenge, while all that other stuff is going on around you, to make sure that you stick to your own game plan and to find a way to make it work," Bailey, added.
Bailey, Australia's Twenty20 captain, said they knew what was coming from England's seam attack -- they just weren't able to do much about it on Saturday.
"There was nothing that they bowled today that we weren't expecting. They just executed very, very well."
While Australia's seamers rarely got the ball off straight, it didn't take long for England's pacemen to utilise reverse-swing.
"It was good skill that," admitted Bailey. "Once they started reversing, they could hit a good length throughout the entire innings."
Meanwhile there were few crumbs of comfort for Australia fans hoping for Clarke's return in time for Australia's next match against New Zealand, who first play Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Sunday.
"I know he's desperate to get back," said Bailey. "But chatting to him yesterday (Friday) he felt like progress has been pretty slow.
"I know all the talk is 'save yourself for the Ashes', but every time I talk to him he's desperate to get out here, get some training under his belt and then play."
As to whether Ashes-holders England had laid down a 'marker' ahead of next month's first Test in Nottingham, Bailey said it was too soon to tell.
"It's England versus Australia. It's a huge rivalry. Every game means something. But it's not a marker, or it might be, but we can only say that in hindsight, I reckon."
Bell, whose innings was the cornerstone of England's 269 for six, was also keen to limit the context of the result, saying: "The important thing was to win, it doesn't matter who we were playing."
Stand-in captain George Bailey urged Australia to remain true to themselves despite a defeat by England that dented their hopes of retaining the Champions Trophy.In what could be the first of 26 Anglo-Australian clashes across all formats between now and February 2, England beat their arch-rivals by 48 runs to win Saturday's Group A opener at Edgbaston.
Australia, still without injured captain Michael Clarke due to a recurrence of the star batsman's longstanding back problem, were set 270 to win after England's Ian Bell made 91 on his Warwickshire home ground.
But their batsmen struggled against disciplined bowling led by James Anderson (three for 30), who in the course of the innings became England's outright most successful one-day international bowler, surpassing the record of 234 wickets he'd shared with Darren Gough.
Openers David Warner (nine) and Shane Watson (24) both fell cheaply, to seamers Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan respectively.
And for all that Bailey and James Faulkner made fifties, Australia were rarely in the hunt before finishing on 221 for nine.
Bailey though urged his openers not to curb their attacking instincts.
"The one thing I don't want to see and the one thing we're certainly pushing for is for guys not to change the way they play," Bailey said.
"I want to see David Warner going after balls. I want to see him crashing the ball everywhere. I want to see Watto doing the same thing. And that is the way we've got to keep playing.
"That's why we've picked guys, and that is the challenge, while all that other stuff is going on around you, to make sure that you stick to your own game plan and to find a way to make it work," Bailey, added.
Bailey, Australia's Twenty20 captain, said they knew what was coming from England's seam attack -- they just weren't able to do much about it on Saturday.
"There was nothing that they bowled today that we weren't expecting. They just executed very, very well."
While Australia's seamers rarely got the ball off straight, it didn't take long for England's pacemen to utilise reverse-swing.
"It was good skill that," admitted Bailey. "Once they started reversing, they could hit a good length throughout the entire innings."
Meanwhile there were few crumbs of comfort for Australia fans hoping for Clarke's return in time for Australia's next match against New Zealand, who first play Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Sunday.
"I know he's desperate to get back," said Bailey. "But chatting to him yesterday (Friday) he felt like progress has been pretty slow.
"I know all the talk is 'save yourself for the Ashes', but every time I talk to him he's desperate to get out here, get some training under his belt and then play."
As to whether Ashes-holders England had laid down a 'marker' ahead of next month's first Test in Nottingham, Bailey said it was too soon to tell.
"It's England versus Australia. It's a huge rivalry. Every game means something. But it's not a marker, or it might be, but we can only say that in hindsight, I reckon."
Bell, whose innings was the cornerstone of England's 269 for six, was also keen to limit the context of the result, saying: "The important thing was to win, it doesn't matter who we were playing."
Tag :
cricket
Champions Trophy 2013: New Zealand bowl out Sri Lanka for 138
Sri Lanka were shot out for 138 by New Zealand after electing to bat first in a Champions Trophy group A match in Cardiff on Sunday.
Scorecard | Schedule | Stats | Points Table | Teams and Squads
Left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan claimed four wickets. Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for Sri Lanka with 68.
Left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan claimed four wickets. Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for Sri Lanka with 68.
Tag :
cricket
IPL should not be scrapped: Ashanta de Mel
The spot-fixing and betting scandal in Indian Premier League matches is unfortunate but IPL should not be scrapped, former Sri Lanka fast bowler Ashanta De Mel said.De Mel, who played 17 Tests and 57 ODIs besides serving in the Sri Lankan Cricket Board, said IPL has its positives.
"It provided opportunity to the young cricketers to showcase their talent. It also enabled youngsters and promising players to learn and gain experience by playing alongside top players in the game," he said.
De Mel, who is an avid bridge player and represented Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Games in the card game, is here participating at the ongoing Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East (BFAME) Championship.
"IPL should not be stopped. But at the same time, cricket authorities here should find ways and take proper action to eliminate spot fixing and betting," he said.
Asked whether BCCI President N Srinivasan should have resigned following the spot-fixing scandal, de Mel said, "I don't want to make any comment as the inquiry is going on now".
To a question whether Sri Lankan cricket had any incidence of spot-fixing, he said, "In Sri Lanka, we don't have involvement of this kind of money, so chances are very less."
De Mel, who was also a national selector, said young cricketers should first earn experience in the longer version of the game before playing in T20 cricket and IPL.
Regarding his taking up the card game, De Mel said he inherited the passion from his father Robert De Mel who also represented Sri Lanka in international tournaments adding "it stimulates my mind to a great extent".
Tag :
cricket
Sreesanth's arrest painful for fans in Kerala, says Shashi Tharoor
Minister of state for HRD Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said the arrest of Kerala pacer S Sreesanth for alleged spot fixing is "very painful" for cricket fans in the state.Asked if it was fair for Delhi police to have invoked stringent provisions of MCOCA against Sreesanth and 24 others, Tharoor said, "It was for the court to decide on it."
"The enthusiasm of young fans should not wane due to the IPL episode," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Kohli.
Tharoor said 18-year-old Sanju Samson from Kerala, who played for Rajasthan Royals this year had become a star and added that Kerala has become a serious cricketing state. The IPL episode should not be a 'setback' for cricket, he said.
Sreesanth and his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ankit Chavan and Chandila were arrested in Mumbai by Delhi police on May 16 for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing in IPL matches for payments upto Rs 60 lakh for giving away pre-determined number of runs in an over.
Tag :
cricket
ICC Champions Trophy: Dale Steyn set to miss Pakistan clash
South Africa are set to to be without Dale Steyn once again at the Champions Trophy when they face Pakistan at Edgbaston on Monday.Steyn, widely regarded as the best fast bowler currently in world cricket, missed the Proteas' opening 26-run Group B defeat by India in Cardiff on Thursday with a side strain.
And South Africa captain AB de Villiers, speaking to reporters at Edgbaston on Sunday, was pessimistic about Steyn's chances of facing Pakistan.
"The final decision hasn't been made yet, but it's not looking good," de Villiers said. "The chances are he'll only be ready for the last one (South Africa's final group match against the West Indies in Cardiff on June 14).
"We are still hanging on to that last little bit of hope he could wake up tomorrow (Monday) morning and do a bit of a fitness test and look good for the game, but it's not looking good at all."
South Africa's fast bowling resources were further depleted when Morne Morkel, who limped off while bowling his seventh over against India, was ruled out of the tournament with a leg injury.
India capitalised to pile up 331 for seven but South Africa gave them a scare before falling short in a daunting chase.
The Proteas have called up Chris Morris, a 26-year-old seamer who has played two Twenty20 matches for South Africa, but has yet to appear in a one-day international, as Morkel's replacement.
And de Villiers, having seen the way in which England beat Australia by 48 runs in a Group A encounter at Edgbaston on Sunday, reckoned pace was still the way forward.
"It looked a similar kind of wicket to the one we'll be playing on. The one spinner for England, (James) Tredwell bowled really well but it was the seamers, who started reversing the ball, who really restricted the batters and made them look like they can't get it off the square."
The wicketkeeper-batsman added now was the not the time for the Proteas to change tactics.
"We are not going to change too much. I very well remember the 2007 World Cup (in the West Indies) where we played Australia in the semi-finals and tried to change strategy.
"We tried to take it to them and the next minute we were 20 for five.
"We are going to stick to our game plans. We believe if we play to our full potential, we believe we can beat any team here."
Monday's match is effectively a must-win encounter for both sides after Pakistan suffered a two-wicket defeat in a low-scoring clash with the West Indies at The Oval on Friday.
Despite being dismissed for just 170, Pakistan's bowlers nearly guided their side to an improbable win in south London.
"We are well aware of the Pakistani bowling attack, they are a very good bowling attack.
"We are up against a very good team who can beat any team in this tournament. But we are playing some good cricket and we are confident we can beat them tomorrow," insisted de Villiers.
Tag :
cricket
PL spotfixing: Beleaguered BCCI chief N Srinivasan attends Jagmohan Dalmiya's dinner
A dinner hosted by CAB President Jagmohan Dalmiya on Saturday brought BCCI officials and state unit representatives face to face with the beleaguered Cricket Board chief N Srinivasan. (Read: 'If someone want to replace me, let them get selected')BCCI officials, who attended the dinner, did not appear to be too keen to press for a change of leadership at the moment, sources said.
They said a consensus seemed to have emerged at the dinner against seeking Srinivasan's ouster at this juncture. (Also read: Dhoni's skips conference, Fleming says players distressed).
Srinivasan has already made it clear that he has no intentions of stepping down as he has done no wrong. He said he could not be bulldozed or railroaded into resigning.
The Tamil Nadu strongman was among the early arrivals in the dinner party and is learnt to have discussed the issue with IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla and his host Dalmiya.
The BCCI members, many of whom owe allegiance to Srinivasan, have argued that there was no provision to suspend an incumbent president, in a clear attempt to dissuade the detractors from pursuing such a course.
BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley and joint secretary Anurag Thakur were not present in the dinner held at a five star hotel. Both are expected to reach Kolkata tomorrow to watch the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Representatives of some of the other units like Jharkhand (JSCA), Tripura (TCA) and Odisha (OCA) were also not present.
Earlier in the day, Shukla met Dalmiya at his residence for over an hour and discussed the situation. Meanwhile, a group of around 15 cricket fans with Indian flags in their hands raised slogans against Srinivasan outside the hotel.
The fans shouted 'Vande Mataram, go back Srinivasan, go back Srinivasan'.
"A conspiracy is being hatched inside the hotel. We are cricket lovers and we want to save the game," Rakesh Singh, the leader of the group, said.
West Bengal Sports Minister Madan Mitra was seen to be coming out of the hotel but he said he was not at Dalmiya's dinner party.
"I had come here regarding a private invitation. I have no knowledge of Dalmiya's dinner party," he told PTI.
IPL spotfixing: Pakistan Cricket Board mulling 'contractual obligations' for its umpires
With Asad Rauf allegedly under scanner in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to bind its umpires under contractual obligations to make them answerable for their assignments and activities.A reliable source in the PCB told PTI that Chairman Zaka Ashraf had given instructions to make them contractual employees.
"The idea is to have control over their activities and monitor them and their assignments. We plan to bring them under contractual obligations with the board," the source said.
Earlier, Ashraf had made it clear that the board had no role in the appointment of Asad Rauf in the IPL matches nor his going to India.
"The problem is that until now we don't have top umpires in our domain but we plan to introduce new rules to bring umpires from our country in our domain. As per the proposed rules, the Pakistani umpires will have to sign a contract with the Board," the source added.
He admitted that the PCB was concerned because last month its integrity committee had banned test umpire Nadeem Ghouri for four years after he was found discussing spot-fixing details during a sting operation conducted by an Indian news channel.
Fernando Amorebieta, Derek Boateng sign for Fulham
Fulham announced on Wednesday that Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk midfielder Derek Boateng have both joined the club on free transfers.Venezuelan defender Amorebieta spent eight years at Bilbao and has signed a four-year contract with Fulham, while Ghana international Boateng arrives from Ukrainian club Dnipro on an initial one-year deal.
Fulham have now added three players to their squad for next season, having already taken up an option to turn Sascha Riether's loan move from Cologne into a permanent transfer.
The arrival of Amorebieta represents something of a coup, with Fulham having reportedly seen off interest in the 28-year-old from Arsenal, Everton and Russian heavyweights Zenit Saint Petersburg.
"I'm delighted to have signed a four-year deal with Fulham and I'm looking forward to competing in the Premier League next season," Amorebieta told the Fulham website.
"I'm impressed with the talent already at the club and I look forward to meeting the players for pre-season training in July."
Warm welcome with prickly touches? England braced for Mourinho
Jose Mourinho looks set to be welcomed back to Chelsea with open arms, but his reputation has been sullied during his three-year stint at Real Madrid and he will return to Stamford Bridge with several thorny issues to address.Having been released from his contract by Madrid, the charismatic but controversial Portuguese is now widely expected to return to Chelsea, with some British bookmakers offering odds of 20/1 on that he does so.
Chelsea's fans have already made their feelings known about the prospect of his return, having lustily chanted his name on several occasions during the final weeks of the season.
His previous stint at the club, between 2004 and 2007, saw Chelsea emerge as the dominant force in English football and even their recent continental successes carried echoes of his impact.
Seven different managers will have been and gone by the end of the campaign, but the Europa League winners remain very much a Mourinho team -- dogged, compact, and still bossed by Mourinho loyalists such as Petr Cech, Frank Lampard and captain John Terry.
Mourinho left after his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich broke down and, in his subsequent spell at Inter Milan, he confirmed his status as one of the great managers of modern times by leading the club to league, cup and Champions League glory in 2010.
It is nonetheless a chastened Mourinho who will return to London.
He found in Italy that the local media did not lap up his pot-stirring quite as enthusiastically as their English counterparts had, and in Spain things were even worse.
After Madrid went out of the Champions League following a one-sided semi-final loss to Borussia Dortmund, he told reporters: "In Spain, some people hate me; many of you in this room."
It has long been part of Mourinho's strategy to portray himself as a victim, but any sympathy for him is mitigated by the list of misdemeanours he has perpetrated in the Spanish capital.
The image of Mourinho poking then Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye during the Spanish Super Cup in August 2011 left an indelible stain on his reputation, and his long dispute with club icon Iker Casillas this season saw him alienate half the Madrid changing room.
His antics prompted Manchester United director Bobby Charlton to observe that a "United manager wouldn't do that", and Mourinho's off-pitch conduct was one of the factors that pushed the Old Trafford club to look elsewhere for the successor to Alex Ferguson.
Mourinho's desire to succeed Ferguson has long been apparent and the 50-year-old was lampooned in the British media for adopting what was seen as an uncharacteristically obsequious tone after his side's victory over United in the Champions League last 16.
As well as the worry that he may still harbour ambitions to coach United, Chelsea's fans must also hope he is able to reconstruct a successful working partnership with Abramovich.
The Portuguese would also have to submit to the authority of sporting director Michael Emenalo, a close Abramovich ally who oversees first-team affairs.
Despite the potential for fireworks, Chelsea fans believe Mourinho feels compelled to come back.
"The way he left was such a shock -- it almost felt like a bereavement," Chelsea Supporters' Group chair Trizia Fiorellino told Britain's Press Association.
"Both supporters and Jose himself think that there is unfinished business, which is why, I think, he is so keen to return."
Several of Mourinho's successors struggled to dismantle the ageing team that he had created, but interim coach Rafael Benitez has moved the squad forward during his turbulent six-month spell in charge.
The influential Terry is no longer guaranteed a first-team place, while Fernando Torres looks a far more potent force than the spectre-like figure who wore the number nine shirt like a millstone in his first season and a half at the club.
In Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar, Chelsea also possess three of the most gifted creative midfielders in the country, although Mourinho, who has always favoured powerful, counter-attacking football, might be reluctant to fit all three into the same team.
Whatever happens, with Mourinho at the reins, it would be anything but dull.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic not ruling out PSG departure
Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic admitted on Wednesday that a departure from the Ligue 1 champions could not be ruled out if the club continues to lack stability behind the scenes.The celebrations of PSG's first French title in 19 years have been overshadowed by uncertainty surrounding the future of Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who last weekend admitted publicly that he wishes to leave amid speculation that he has been lined up to replace Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.
"We hear talk about the coach and of a heap of players who could be coming or going. I am not used to that," Ibrahimovic told Swedish journalists.
Former Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale and Barcelona striker Ibrahimovic, who signed from AC Milan last summer, has scored 29 goals in PSG's title-winning campaign and was last weekend named Ligue 1's Player of the Year.
"In Barcelona and Milan, there is more stability," he added, in quotes reported by Aftonbladet. "There, the coach stays until he is sacked."
Ibrahimovic, 31, stated clearly that he wanted Ancelotti to stay for a second full season in charge at the Parc des Princes.
"It is clear that everyone wants to keep Ancelotti. He is probably the only coach who has helped me have such a good relationship with the rest of the team. It is not just me, everyone feels the same way," Svenska Dagbladet reported him as saying.
"It is not just Ancelotti who would go, but also the seven or eight people in his entourage. It would leave a huge gap. The players who arrived a year ago want security and stability and to feel wanted."
As to his future, Ibrahimovic said: "We will see. Every time I have changed club, I have done so when I said I would stay put.
"Anything can happen, even if I intend to stay. The way things are just now, a lot of things could happen."
One-third of IPL team show depends on leadership style, says study
Captaincy does make a difference in cricket as leadership style directly impacts nearly one-third of performance of various teams at the Indian Premier League (IPL), a study has revealed.The study by global management consultancy Hay Group has described the leadership of M S Dhoni, the skipper of Chennai Super Kings team, as "visionary and participatory".
The conclusions are based on an analysis of leadership styles of team captains at the IPL to understand the climate they are creating for their respective teams.
"We found that 30 per cent of team performance is a direct impact of the captain's leadership style, hence differentiating the top from the underperformers," Hay Group said.
According to the study, while Dhoni's leadership is seen as "visionary and participative", that of Mumbai Indian captain Rohit Sharma is described as "pacesetting".
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will be clashing for IPL 6's title on Sunday.
The study noted that a captain's leadership style directly affects the way people feel about working for him and the consequent climate created affects the amount of effort that team members put in.
"IPL captains can get more out of their teams by choosing the most appropriate leadership style for different situations," Hay Group noted.
IPL spot-fixing: Arrested cricketer Sreesanth's mother, sister visit him in custody
The mother and sister of Rajasthan Royals cricketer S. Sreesanth, who was arrested on spot fixing charges, met him in police custody on Saturday evening, police sources said.Sreesanth's mother Savitri Devi, and sister Nivedita met the cricketer at the Delhi Police special cell in Lodhi Colony, where the cricketer is being kept, the sources said.
The Rajasthan Royals team was rocked by the spot fixing scandal after Delhi Police arrested their three players Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and a few bookies in a post-midnight operation in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad on May 16. (Read: The curious case of Rajasthan, Chennai)
BCCI chief N. Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappanwas also arrested late on Friday and has since beensuspended from all cricket-related activities by the BCCI.
Lonely the man without heroes
On Saturday morning, while watching my daughter go through her swing-slide-running-helter-skelter routine, I also kept an eye on three young boys playing with a tennis ball. They were using their palms to hit the ball, and each of them was trying to imitate a certain bowler's action. The skinniest was trying to replicate Ravi Rampaul's bustling approach, while the stockier one went into all sorts of contortions in a bid to sling it like Shaun Tait.While an older generation debates spot-fixing and keeps its eyes on the police investigations in Mumbai and Delhi, these kids play on. No bookies have got to them yet, and they worry not so much about the deliberate no-ball as about it disappearing over the compound wall and out of reach.
How do you tell those boys that much of what they've watched over the past six weeks may have been a sham, orchestrated by cheats on the field, in the dug-out and elsewhere? How do you tell them that some of their heroes don't love the game like they do, that they hold it in enough contempt to betray it?
"The truth always sets you free, that's what I believe," said Rahul Dravid after the end of Rajasthan Royals' season, when asked what he thought could be done to win back the faith of fans. "I really hope that we find out the truth and get to the bottom of it, whatever it is and however painful it may be."
His should have been one of many voices trying to make sense of a story that is as demoralising to most of the game's followers as the match-fixing scandal of 2000. Instead, he has been like a lone swallow of summer. Everyone else is silent, or dealing in empty platitudes - "more good men than bad". Instead of those best qualified to comment on the crisis, we're subjected to lectures on morality from politicians, the biggest scamsters in a country that ranks a dismal 94th in the Corruption Perception Index.
If anything, the current fiasco is worse, simply because cricket is so much bigger than it was in 2000. Back then, cricket didn't command 12 hours or more on news channels. In 2000, the chances of India being captained by a Jharkhand player were remote. And if you'd said that a fast bowler from Kerala would bowl India to a first Test win in South Africa, you might have had men in white coats come after you.
What 2000 did was kill our naiveté, and inject a healthy dose of cynicism. That was very much in evidence the other night as Rajasthan prevailed in the Eliminator in Delhi. Dravid opened the bowling with Vikramjeet Malik, who had played one game all season. Brad Hodge, the most prolific run-getter in the format, was kept back at No.7. Had either move backfired, with three Rajasthan players in police custody, you can only imagine how far the whispers would have gone.
After the game, Dravid compared the week that had gone before to bereavement. As for what the sport's other titans thought, your guess is as good as mine. So far, we have yet to hear anything beyond the banal. One of the commentators told me how much his faith had been shaken by the week's events. Another asked if Wisden would consider expunging the records of those implicated. Neither, however, has come out with anything of substance in public.
It's not enough to say that you're an employee bound by a contract who's just doing a job. That's a copout. No one expects anything from SET Max, who are to quality broadcasting what Milli Vanilli were to music. But we do expect something from the more respected names in the game.
At times like this, you can't be thinking of contracts, present or future. Right now, my loyalty cannot be to Bloomsbury, publishers of Wisden, or to FidelisWorld, who brought the brand to India. My duty is to take a stand on behalf of the hundreds of thousands who log in to this site, a number that's grown steadily. We owe them the true picture.
The media itself has been facing a conflict-of-interest situation for a while now. In a sense, we've become like embedded journalists in wartime. The boards or the ICC control our access to events. Without that access, we can't bring you the real story. Often times, if you go too close to the truth, that access is taken away from you. That doesn't mean, however, that you stop trying.
IPL 2013 Preview: Classic confrontation in troubled times
It's a classic confrontation - the most successful team in the history of the competition, against the best team never to have won the title. It ought to have been the major talking point in the lead-up to the final of Pepsi IPL 2013, but events off the field have seized such control of the mind that the title clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday (May 26) has become almost an afterthought.As if the arrest of three players for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing a little under 10 days back wasn't bad enough, unfolded the unedifying drama of sleaze and corruption and betting, leading to the midnight arrest in Mumbai on Friday of Gurunath Meiyappan, the team principal, CEO and/or owner of Chennai Super Kings who isn't, we are now officially told, any of these.
It is impossible for the Chennai team, riding the crest of a wave until a few days back when they sealed their berth in the final in the most emphatic manner possible, not to remain unaffected by these developments. On the face of it, the team is putting on a brave front, but there is no doubting that several key players have been deeply shaken by the events of the last couple of days, and are struggling not to be caught up in a web of disillusionment. Game of numbers
In what state of mind the Chennai outfit steps on the park on Sunday evening will determine what kind of a contest unfolds at the Eden, at its fullest a veritable cauldron that can either lift or sink a team, depending on who the crowd is behind. Friday's Qualifier 2 wasn't too warmly received - it was a Friday night, there was rain in the air, Kolkata Knight Riders had long since been sent packing and the shadow of the last few days hung menacingly overhead - but word is that the final is a sell-out. Should that be the case, with an ululating crowd driving them on, the players will hope to feed off the inevitable adrenaline rush, temporarily forgetting the travails that have dogged the competition in its climactic stages.
Chennai have been the team to beat in the IPL. The two-time champions have won two titles, have made the final three other times - including this season - and their worst result was a semifinal appearance, in the second edition in South Africa in 2009. One of the prime reasons for their continued success has been a settled combination for almost the entire six seasons. They retained four key players at the end of the 2010 tournament, and bought back several others at the auction which followed, ensuring that the core group remained undisturbed. Furthermore, they have made some significant acquisitions since the only time the two teams clashed in the final, at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai in 2010.
Not least of them has been Dwayne Bravo, locked in a battle for the Purple Cap with James Faulkner, both with 28 wickets to date. Bravo has chipped in with handy late-order runs, taken spectacular catches and provided memorable moments with his impromptu dances, but the engine room of the team has been Michael Hussey. Retired from international cricket, Hussey has shown no signs of rust, equally adept in shoring up the innings as he is in shedding the shackles and cutting loose. He and Suresh Raina, at No. 3, have continued to strike up a wonderful tandem, batting with the freedom and the knowledge that in Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Bravo and Albie Morkel, they have batting firepower that is the envy of all other teams in the competition. Dhoni skips press conference
Their bowling hasn't been as awe-inspiring, teams adopting circumspection when it comes to handling R Ashwin and therefore nullifying his wicket-taking threat, but Chennai have found a man for every occasion, Chris Morris providing them with a cutting edge that in earlier seasons came from the likes of Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus and, sporadically, Dirk Nannes, and Mohit Sharma emerging the surprise package with his medium pace with the new ball. Chennai have always been a wonderful fielding outfit, and would have begun overwhelming favourites against most other teams.
Mumbai, though, are cut from almost the same cloth, even if IPL success has proved elusive. Man for man, they can match Chennai for firepower in batting and bowling, and are an equally brilliant fielding side, so there is very little to choose between the teams. Even in motivation stakes, there is very little to separate them; Chennai need the title to act as a balm, Mumbai are desperate to match talent and money spent with silverware. Only a brave man would take a punt - or, maybe, only a foolish one, given the events of the last few days.
Mumbai had the better of the exchanges when the teams squared off in the two league matches, winning both at home and away, but it was Chennai who came out trumps in Qualifier 1, winning by a mile at the Kotla in New Delhi. Sunday is a fresh start, with past records, history and head-to-heads counting for little. If Mumbai sense the slightest hint of vulnerability in the beleaguered opposition's ranks, they will step in and deliver the killer punch, but Chennai have worn resilience, as much as anything else, as their calling card all these years.
IPL 2013 final: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indian interesting factoids
In head-to-head meetings between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai lead 8-6 in 14 matches contested between the two sides. Chennai have played four IPL finals. Following were the results: On June 1, 2008 in Mumbai (DY Patil), CSK lost to Rajasthan Royals by three wickets; on April 25, 2010 in Mumbai (DY Patil), Chennai beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs; on May 28, 2011, Chennai beat RCB by 58 runs at home and on May 27, 2012 at Chepauk, CSK lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by 5 wickets.Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has captured 20 wickets in an Indian Premier League season for the first time - 22 at an average of 20.09 in 18 matches. Harbhajan is the second Mumbai bowler after Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson (22 at an average of 20.00 in 16 matches) to claim 22 wickets in the present IPL competition. Harbhajan (3/23) produced his best bowling performance against Rajasthan Royals on Friday.
Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga's economy rate of 7.27 is his worst in an IPL season (18 wickets at 24.77 in 16 matches), surpassing the 7.02 in 2010. The Sri Lankans' bowling average of 24.77 is the worst by a Mumbai bowler in an IPL competition (minimum 16 wickets).
~CHECK~ Chennai Super Kings have reached the final for the fifth successive time in an IPL competition in India. The 2009 final, played in South Africa, was contested between Bangalore and Deccan Chargers. Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni enjoys winning percentage of 61.70 - 58 wins, 36 losses and one no-result game out of 95 played.
~CHECK~ On May 21, Michael Hussey (86 not out off 58 balls) posted his first fifty against Mumbai Indians in seven innings at the IPL, eclipsing the 49 at Bangalore on May 23, 2012. The veteran Australian's aforesaid innings is the highest individual score by a Chennai player against Mumbai at the IPL, eclipsing Suresh Raina's unbeaten 83 off balls at Brabourne Stadium on March 25, 2010.
~CHECK~ Chennai Super Kings' Murali Vijay is averaging 22.61 at the IPL 2013 - 294 runs in 14 innings, including two fifties. Vijay's overall IPL record is also below average, aggregating 1582 (ave.26.81) in 63 matches.
~CHECK~ On May 21, Mumbai Indians' left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha failed to take a wicket but his tally of 18 wickets at an average of 14.00 in 12 matches is the highest by any bowler against Chennai at the IPL.