Pakistan attack too much for England

ScorecardPakistan Under-19s took a 2-0 lead in the series against England Under-19s with a 36-run win at Northampton. The varied Pakistan attack, led by Mohammad Aamer’s four wickets, proved too much for the home side as they chased 236 to stay in with a chance of winning the series. Umar Amin and Usman Salahuddin added 123 to form the base of Pakistan’s innings before Rory Hamilton-Brown’s offspin caused a dramatic late collapse.However, the England top order also disappeared in a hurry, undone by the pace and swing of Pakistan’s new-ball attack. It’s been a summer for left-arm fast bowlers and the damage was started by the rapid Aamer as Karl Brown feathered an attempted upper-cut through to the keeper.Billy Godleman played some classy shots in his positive innings, but was comprehensively bowled by Mohammad Rameez with one stump left standing. Aamer then struck his second blow when Adam Lyth was trapped lbw by a delivery which swung back into the right-hander. England’s problems mounted further when Alex Wakely was run out by a direct hit.Hamilton-Brown and Tom Westley tried to rescue the innings but couldn’t afford to take too many risks. With boundaries drying up, the required rate climbed towards a run-a-ball with Pakistan’s spinners continuing the good work of the quick bowlers. The pressure brought Hamilton-Brown’s downfall as he tried to steal a quick single, but was beaten by a strong throw from the in field. Hamilton-Brown knew the importance of his wicket and he slammed the bat into the ground in frustration.England’s last main chance of staying in the game went when Westley edged the left-arm spin of Ahmed Iqbal. Pakistan were impressive in the field and Liam Dawson fell to a fine running catch by Salahuddin at deep square-leg.Their innings was well-placed for a more demanding total after Amin and Salahuddin added 123 for the third wicket. They began circumspectly, but soon opened their shoulders as England turned to spin. Amin, a compact player on both sides of the wicket, picked the gaps impressively against the spinners. Salahuddin – who offered a tough chance to midwicket on 41 – cleared the boundary three times, including two in two balls off Hamilton-Brown before another attempt found deep midwicket.Pakistan then lost their way with the last eight wickets falling for 50 balls as Hamilton-Brown collected six wickets. Ali Asad was early on a ball and popped a return catch while Amin charged and missed as he looked for the boundary route. Some of the late shot selection was poor, but England deserve credit for keeping their heads when the innings appeared to be running away from them. However, once again the batting let them down and now, with two matches left, they are left with just a series draw to play for.

TP Singh's all-round show hands Lions win

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TP Singh made 38 and took two wickets as the Lions won by 34 runs (file photo) © Cricinfo Ltd
 

Chandigarh Lions posted an easy 34-run win on the back of Tejinder Pal Singh’s brisk 38 and two wickets in an over which snuffed out Delhi Giants’ challenge in Panchkula.After opting to bat, the Lions made a competitive 153 with solid contributions from their top order. Lou Vincent and Matthew Elliot gave them a breezy start, scoring 44 before Vincent was bowled by former South African batsman Dale Benkenstein. TP Singh and Elliot then shared another 44-run stand to keep the run-rate up but the Giants hit back with three quick wickets.Sixteen runs came off one Benkenstein over as Chetan Sharma lashed a 9-ball 21 to boost the Lions’ total. For the Giants, Shane Bond bowled a tidy spell, keeping it tight in the beginning and getting TP Singh bowled in his second spell.The chase began in earnest, as 12 runs came off the first over, sent down by Lions’ captain Andrew Hall who had a poor day – going wicketless and conceding nearly 10 an over. Daryl Tuffey, though, was spot on and accounted for both openers as only eight runs were scored in the next three overs.Giants couldn’t recover from the poor start and the only batsmen to make significant contributions were Marvan Atapattu (29) and Abhinav Bali (31). With the required rate already at a challenging 13 an over, TP Singh came on and removed Benkenstein and JP Yadav in the space of four balls to end Giants’ hopes.The result means both teams now have one win and one loss after their first two encounters.

Selectors take notice of Katich for Pakistan

Doug Bollinger has 44 Pura Cup wickets this season, eight more than his nearest rival Ashley Noffke © Getty Images
 

Two New South Wales players who are enjoying amazing domestic seasons have won more support for promotions to the national teams. Glenn McGrath believes Doug Bollinger, the left-arm fast bowler, is “in the mix” while Simon Katich, who has 1067 runs in seven Pura Cup games, has won the notice of Australia’s selection panel.David Gilbert, the New South Wales chief executive, could not believe Chris Rogers replaced Matthew Hayden for the third Test in Perth instead of Katich and complained. He has since talked to Jamie Cox, one of the four selectors, and learned Katich is a serious contender for the spare batting place on the March tour to Pakistan, which is currently in doubt due to political instability.”It’s fair to say [Jamie] was disappointed that I had spoken publicly about my concerns about Simon getting what I believed was a raw deal,” Gilbert told the Sun-Herald. “My point was that his performances this year had been Bradmanesque, but he seemed no closer to getting a look-in for the Test team.”After talking to ‘Coxy’, my mind is more at ease. Coxy assured me he’s being noticed by the selectors and that he’s in line for the spare batting spot in Pakistan.”Bollinger is the leading wicket-taker in the Pura Cup with 44 – eight more than Queensland’s Ashley Noffke – and McGrath is impressed with his “tremendous potential”. “He’s a left-armer, he swings the ball and has good control,” McGrath told the paper.”He’s unplayable on a wicket that offers a lot, but if he can fine-tune his game on wickets that aren’t bowler-friendly, he’ll improve. But he has done enough for an [Australia] opportunity.”

Di Venuto to retire from Tasmania

Michael Di Venuto will play out the season for Tasmania, but it will be his last for state © Getty Images
 

Michael Di Venuto’s three-year deal with Durham has spelt the end of his time with Tasmania. Di Venuto, 34, had previously insisted that he only wanted to play six months of the year from now on, and his decision to join the English county means the end of his time with the state he has represented for 17 years.His decision to cut down the amount of cricket he plays was based on wanting to spend more time with his family, as well as business interests and he will quit the state at the end of the season. He has also recently undergone surgery for a double hernia and battling niggling injuries over recent seasons.”I first played cricket for Tasmania when I was 18 years old and playing cricket for Tasmania has been my life since then,” Di Venuto said. “I love playing cricket for Tasmania and I am certainly going to miss it, however the opportunity to finish my career at Durham is an exciting one and something my family and I are really looking forward to. It also allows us to spend summers in Hobart and continue to prepare for our life after cricket.”Di Venuto is currently Tasmania’s leading one-day run scorer and is second only to Jamie Cox on their lists of Pura Cup appearances and runs. He was a member of the Tigers’ successful ING Cup team in 2004-05 but he rates his career highlight as being part of Tasmania’s historic Pura Cup-winning team last season.It was the state’s first triumph and Di Venuto was the only player in the side to have also been part of the three Tasmania teams that lost Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield finals, in 1993-94, 1997-98 and 2001-02. Di Venuto said he had thoughts of quitting after the final success against New South Wales at Bellerive Oval last March.”It was undoubtedly the greatest feeling I’ve experienced on a cricket field,” Di Venuto told the . “This retiring could have potentially happened at the end of that game but I wanted to continue on and squeeze out another season because I thought we were a very good chance to do it again.”Although last summer was Di Venuto’s most successful domestic season in Australia – he made 961 Pura Cup runs at 53.38 – he conceded he had not got the best out of himself consistently during his home seasons. “Not in Australia, no, which has been a frustrating thing for me,” Di Venuto said.”I can go year in, year out overseas and put in some pretty good performances but never been able to nail a season back here. Not to say I’ve had poor seasons back here, I think I’ve been quite consistent but for what I can do, I probably don’t get the best out of myself in Australian summers.”Di Venuto’s former Tasmania team-mate David Boon said the state would be losing one of its most dangerous weapons. “I think he has been a great player,” Boon said. “When he is on song, there is none better.”I look at him as one of the best ball strikers that we’ve produced for a long time and not only in Tasmanian cricket but Australian cricket. He is one of those guys that every other state has had on their list as a must get out. He has shown that many a times. One that I most refer to with him is his big hundred in the Sheffield Shield final we lost in ’98. It was a magnificent innings.”To date Di Venuto has played 141 first-class matches for Tasmania scoring 9687 runs at an average of 40.36 including 18 centuries with a highest score of 189. He also has taken 150 catches, the most by a Tasmanian in first-class cricket and in 103 domestic one-day matches he scored 2891 runs with a highest score of 129 at an average of 30.76. He also represented Australia in nine one-day internationals in 1997 scoring 241 runs at an average of 26.77 with a highest score of 89.Overall, combining his Tasmanian, Australia A and English first-class careers for Sussex, Derbyshire and Durham, he has played 261 matches, totalling 19,952 runs with 44 centuries at an average of 44.63. Di Venuto has indicated his desire to continue having an involvement in Tasmanian cricket, which the board is keen to secure in some capacity.

Fleming to retire after England series

Stephen Fleming will leave the game as New Zealand’s leading Test run-scorer, most capped player, and most prolific captain © Getty Images
 

Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s most-capped player, has announced he will retire from Test cricket at the end of the upcoming home series against England. Fleming said it was better for his family if he quit the game ahead of the return tour of England in May and June.”I always indicated that I was likely to retire from international cricket at some point in the near future and the time is right for me and my family to do that now,” Fleming said. “Retiring before the tour to England will allow me to be with [my wife] Kelly for the birth of our second child.”Fleming, 34, will take part in the Indian Premier League, however, and said it was a good way to stay involved in the sport. “It is an exciting opportunity and one that I will be pursuing with the full support of New Zealand Cricket,” he said. “The IPL only takes a short amount of my time each year, and allows me to continue pursuing my new endeavours outside of the game.”One of those aims is to start his own marketing, media and sports management business but NZC’s chief executive Justin Vaughan hopes Fleming will play a part in the country’s cricketing future. “Stephen’s presence and leadership qualities had a tremendous impact on the team and he will be missed by New Zealand Cricket and the Black Caps,” Vaughan said.”He has made a huge contribution to cricket in New Zealand and I sincerely wish him all the best. I’m sure we have not seen the last of him and we are working to ensure that he has a role within cricket in New Zealand in the future.”Fleming departs with a sackful of New Zealand Test records. No New Zealander has played as many Tests (108), scored as many runs (6875), taken as many catches (166), captained as many games (80), or led as many wins (28) as Fleming.Appointed at 23, he was the country’s youngest Test skipper and only Allan Border, who led Australia through 93 Tests, guided his team in more games. When Fleming retired from one-day international cricket last September he left with a similar bunch of records. At the same time as Fleming quit ODIs New Zealand handed the Test captaincy to Daniel Vettori, which disappointed Fleming, who wanted to see if separate captains could help New Zealand’s consistency.”I felt in New Zealand cricket whenever our one-day cricket was going well our Test cricket suffered and vice-versa,” he said. “One of the ways to combat that was to step aside as one-day captain. I would have liked the opportunity to be working away at our Test game, to be exploring how we could beat England in the Tests.”After the powers that be decided against splitting the captaincy, Fleming admitted he had contemplated his future and seriously considered a substantial offer from the Indian Cricket League. It became clear his time at the top level was drawing to a close.The only question was when in 2008 he would end his career. Would it be before the home series against England, after it, or following the return tour of England in New Zealand’s winter? Fleming, a man who avoids fanfare where possible, has opted for three final Tests at home with his last set to start in Napier on March 22.That will give local fans an opportunity to farewell a man who has defined New Zealand cricket for more than a decade. When he made his Test debut in 1993-94 it was immediately apparent the selectors had found an important player for the future success of the side. In a team led by Ken Rutherford against India in Hamilton, Fleming made 92 in his opening Test, and he followed it just days later with 90 in his ODI debut in Napier.

Stephen Fleming will continue to be involved in the game and will play in the Indian Premier League © Getty Images
 

But triple-figures never quite agreed with Fleming, who ended up with nine centuries and 43 half-centuries in accumulating a Test average of 39.73. It took him 23 Tests to make his first hundred and a month later he was thrust into the captaincy when Lee Germon was unavailable for against England due to a groin injury. Germon did not return and Fleming began a ten-year reign during which he eventually became regarded as arguably the most astute leader in the game.Through it all runs kept coming for Fleming, though not in the proportions he or his country would have liked. He was sometimes accused of lacking concentration as he tried to build big scores and that trend looked set to continue in Colombo in 1998 when he absent-mindedly strolled to the crease without his box and had to rush back to retrieve it.A lazy shot brought his dismissal for 78, but in his second innings he displayed a rarely-seen resolve, batting for nearly eight hours to finish unbeaten on 174 and setting up a 167-run victory. It was his second Test century and New Zealand hoped it would be his turning point. He didn’t reach triple-figures again in a Test for nearly four years.A highlight eventually came in the same city five years later when he batted for nearly 11 hours to register an unbeaten 274 – it remains his highest score – and then made an unselfish declaration that left the door open for a result. He finished the match having been on the field in searing heat for all but the first 44 minutes of the draw and any suggestions that he lacked application were finally put to rest.As if to prove that his double-century was no fluke, he rattled off several more mammoth efforts in Tests: 192 against Pakistan, 202 in Bangladesh and 262 against South Africa. There were outstanding one-day innings along the way as well, and an unbeaten 134 against South Africa in a must-win World Cup match in 2003 was particularly important.But more than individual performances, Fleming was proud of the times he led his small country to big successes. Guiding them to a 2-1 Test win in England in 1999 was particularly special, although Fleming was also pleased with the 0-0 drawn series in Australia in 2001-02. Another highlight came in 2000 when he led New Zealand to their first triumph in a major tournament – the Champions Trophy in Nairobi.The one-day arena was also where Fleming experienced some of his biggest disappointments, and failing to get his team into a World Cup final was a regret. Following last year’s semi-final knockout at the hands of Sri Lanka, Fleming quit the ODI captaincy, which precipitated a chain of events that gradually led to his removal from the Test leadership. Fittingly, though, he has been afforded the right to end his playing career on his own terms.

Bazid and Mohammad Wasim lift KRL

A fourth-wicket partnership of 192 between Bazid Khan and Mohammad Wasim propelled Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) to 253 for 5 on the opening day of their first-round Group B Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi.From 12 for 3 KRL were resurrected by Bazid’s unbeaten 120 and 92 from Wasim, the former Pakistan batsman. Bazid, in his KRL debut, batted for a little over five-and-a-quarter hours, facing 233 balls with 15 fours and two sixes. It was the 26-year-old’s ninth first-class hundred.Wasim, the KRL captain, fell eight runs short of what would have been his 18th first-class century. He faced 186 balls and hit ten boundaries. Shoaib Akhtar, currently serving a 13-match international cricket ban, was included in the KRL line-up.A lower-order rally, after Pakistan fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed picked up three wickets, helped Lahore Ravi to 251 against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) on the first day at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.Shabbir’s decision to field was backed up as WAPDA restricted Lahore Ravi to 124 for 6, despite opener Kashif Siddiq’s 53 from 104 balls. Shabbir grabbed 3 for 60 and offspinner Aqeel Ahmed finished with 4 for 80. Junaid Zia, the Lahore Ravi captain, hit 50 off 76 balls and Waqas Ahmed a brisk 42-ball 45 in a seventh-wicket stand of 82 to get the side to a decent total.In reply, WAPDA closed on 33 for 1.Fast bowler Saad Altaf and wicketkeeper Naeem Anjum combined to dismiss Abbottabad for 212 before a 77-run opening stand capped a good first day for hosts Islamabad at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground.Altaf’s career-best 6 for 73, and 20-year-old Naeem’s six catches behind the stumps, restricted Abbottabad to a small total and it was only thanks to a 77-run seventh-wicket stand between Khalid Usman (50) and Iftikhar Mahmood (36) that the visitors progressed from 79 for 6.Pace bowler Rauf Akbar and offspinner Atif Maqbool finished with 2 for 35 and 2 for 26 respectively. By the close of play, the Islamabad openers, Raheel Majeed and Umair Khan, had taken Islamabad to within 13 runs of Abbottabad’s first-innings total.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) bowled out Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) for 152 and were at 46 for no loss at stumps on the first day of their Group B match at Rawalpindi.An unbeaten 39 off 83 balls from Imran Khalid, from No. 8, was the only resistance of note as PIA’s bowlers Fazl-e-Akbar, Najaf Shah and Tahir Khan shared the spoils.An 87-run eighth-wicket partnership between captain Ali Raza and Mohammad Saeed boosted Lahore Shalimar to 230 for 8 on day one of their Group B encounter against hosts Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.Lahore Shalimar opted to bat first but were reduced to 138 for 7, with right-arm fast bowler Nauman Habib picking up three wickets. However, Saeed top-scored with 55 and Raza made an unbeaten 44 to ensure the visitors weren’t bowled out for a low total.An unbeaten 89 from Asif Hussain helped Faisalabad reach 205 for 4 in 83 overs on the first day of their Group A match against Multan in Sargodha.Hussain added 71 runs for the second wicket along with opener Abdul Mannan, who scored 51. Imranullah Aslam, the leg-break bowler, was the pick of the bowlers for Multan, finishing with figures of 3 for 55 from his 22 overs.Only 30 overs were possible on the first day of Sialkot’s match against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Jinnah Stadium due to inclement weather. NBP put hosts Sialkot in and they finished the day on 106 for 5, with Bilal Hussain’s 48 the highest score. Wasim Khan, the right-arm fast-medium bowler, had the best figures of 2 for 23.

Ahmed leads Bangladeshis to warm-up win

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Mushfiqur Rahim played his part in the victory with a calm 25 © AFP

Aftab Ahmed warmed up for Bangladesh’s one-day series against Sri Lanka with a match-winning 92 in a three-wicket win against a Sri Lankan XI in Colombo. Ahmed led a recovery from 96 for 5 as the Bangladeshis chased down 242 with four balls remaining.After the Test series where the top order struggled a similar pattern was forming in coloured clothes. Shahriar Nafees, who was added to the one-day squad at the last minute, was caught behind first ball then Tushar Imran and captain Mohammad Ashraful failed to reach double figures.Tamim Iqbal held the early stages of the chase together with 45, but when he was stumped off Lasith Fernando the Bangladeshis were staring down the barrel. However, Ahmed began the fightback in a sixth-wicket stand of 81 with Mushfiqur Rahim (25) before adding 56 with Farhad Reza to bring the target within sight. Reza clubbed two sixes in a 25-ball 26 while Ahmed paced his innings perfectly as the winning runs came two balls into the final over.As usual it was the Bangladeshi spinners who played a key role with the ball in restricting the home side. Ian Daniel (57) laid a solid platform, but Shakib-al-Hasan and Abdur Razzaq kept the run-rate down with their left-arm spin. The middle order couldn’t accelerate, although Tharanga Paranavitana’s unbeaten 63 lifted the total towards something competitive.

Pollock saved for greener pastures

Shaun Pollock may no longer be required to flog his 34-year-old body on flat, unforgiving tracks © AFP

Administrators and selectors detest senior players who attempt topick and choose their matches and tours and many careers have come to amessy end as a result of them attempting to do so. However, if it is the same selectors and administrators who make that decision, then all is well, it would appear.So while Shaun Pollock may have been surprised and even upset by hisomission from South Africa’s first Test starting line-up, 24 hours ofquiet reflection have probably helped him realise that he will no longerbe required to flog his 34-year-old body on flat, unforgiving trackslike this one in Karachi. He is being saved for the juicy pitches onwhich his now modest pace can still be effective.While South African captain Graeme Smith and coach Mickey Arthur have bothbeen careful to speak with the respect that Pollock deserves, neither was mincing his words, either.”He certainly isn’t being rested. It is a tactical decision that wehave taken and Shaun has been incredibly mature in responding to what wehave asked him to do,” Smith said on the eve of the first Test. “It is vital that we find time to blood one or two youngsters. We really don’t want to find ourselves reaching the point where Shaun retires and we haven’t given a couple of people the chance to playinternational cricket.”We have a couple of young and very exciting fast bowlers comingthrough and a two-Test series seems to be the perfect chance to exposethem to unfamiliar conditions while Shaun, with all his experience, isstill on hand to guide them and advice them from the sidelines.”Of course, Pollock may yet play. Having endured the unfamiliarexperience of being an international 12th man just once – for the World XI against Australia a couple of years ago – he might avoid the role again if Morne Morkel fails to recover from anankle injury.”He certainly isn’t out of the running for the first Test now thatMorne is injured and he most certainly will be considered for the secondTest,” Smith said. “When we get back to South Africa he comes right back intocontention. We have a good nucleus of bowlers now and selection is aboutchoosing who might be best suited for the conditions as well as about who is fitand in-form.”Arthur felt that the South Africans should be excited rather thandisappointed that Pollock was no longer regarded as a must for everygame.”I felt it was slightly misreported although I can understand whythe emphasis was on Shaun’s omission,” Arthur said. “We have lacked a bit of variety inthe past and that’s what we’re looking to achieve now. Makhaya [Ntini] bowls well to left-handers, Morne bowls a good line and gets steep bounce, Dale Steyn bowls a fuller length with genuine pace and swings it away, Andre Nel is all thunder and in-your-face and then we have Jacques Kallis to complete the pace attack while Paul Harris isdeveloping nicely as a spinner.”So where does that leave Pollock? “He is very much in the mix but we are trying to operate a horses-for-courses policy now,” Arthur said. “There are some pitches and overhead conditions in which he’ll still probably be our first choice. But in conditions that favour the batsmen, we can probably do without the second allrounder and play an extra strike bowler to try and take the 20 wickets needed to win.”

Galle faces race against time

Then and now. Galle was devastated by the tsunami in 2004 and, three years later, is still not quite ready © Getty Images

The newly reconstructed stadium at Galle is facing a race against timeto be fit for the third Test between Sri Lanka and England on Tuesday,after heavy unseasonal rain hindered the attempts of groundstaff andconstruction workers to put the finishing touches to theirpreparations.With just three days to go until the final Test of the series, much ofthe playing area was underwater, while workmen were still layingpaving and building ticket-booths on the concourse in front of the newpavilion. By Saturday afternoon there was no electricity or runningwater inside the ground’s buildings, and most of the grassy bankswhere England’s spectators sat during the ground’s last internationalfixture in 2003 are currently deep pools of mud.And yet, there is no question in anyone’s minds that the show must goon regardless. Of all the symbols of the terrible tsunami thatdevastated Sri Lanka in December 2004, perhaps none was more poignantthan the obliteration of Galle’s stadium. International sport is,after all, meant to be escapism on a vast scale, but the rubble andruins of one of the most glorious venues in the world meant that nosports fan could fail to appreciate the stark realities of thedisaster.The message is that, if international cricket can return to Galle,then so too can a normal life for the thousands who were dispossessedthat day. “It will be ready come what may,” said the stadium’s headgroundsman, Jayananda Warnaweera, who has been working round the clockwith an army of labourers, in a bid to overcome the atrocious workingconditions. “It has been a long haul but for the people of Galle thisis a celebration and we will make it happen.”For England’s cricketers, the desire to fight back from their 1-0series deficit has been subsumed by an appreciation of the biggerpicture. “We’re pretty much going to have to take the stance thatwhatever we have to play on, we’ll go out there and play on it,” saidPaul Collingwood, who made his Test debut at Galle in 2003. “It’s assimple as that.”It’s obviously not finished at the moment but they are working veryhard and progressing day by day, so hopefully it’ll be playable,” saidCollingwood. “Driving down in the bus from Colombo, the further we gotdown, there was a real sickening feeling, seeing the destruction thatwas caused. That’s why it’s vital to put the smiles back on people’sfaces and get on with it.”

Some Indians misinterpreting aggression – Ponting

Ricky Ponting: “When the Australian team speaks about playing aggressively I think a lot of people get the wrong idea” © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting feels some of India’s cricketers have “misinterpreted what aggressive cricket means” during the ongoing one-day series. His comments come in the wake of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s revelations about Australia’s cricketers using “harsh words” in the third one-dayer in Hyderabad.”Both teams can still play aggressively, but when the Australian team speaks about playing aggressively I think a lot of people get the wrong idea,” Ponting wrote in his column for the newspaper.”I don’t mean talking aggressively or showing aggressive body language. That’s exactly the opposite of what aggressive or positive cricket is all about. A few of the Indians have reacted very much with aggressive body language and trying to force themselves upon us, and I think the way some of them are playing their cricket that they have also misinterpreted what aggressive cricket means.”I suppose if some of the players don’t understand it, a lot of people watching the game in the stands or at home don’t understand it either. It’s not jumping up and down, sledging, giving people send-offs and that sort of stuff. When the Australian team talks about playing aggressively, we are committing ourselves to playing hard: there’s nothing given and there’s nothing asked to be given.”Though the Hyderabad game was hardly as hot tempered as the match at Kochi, Dhoni, had enough to complain about. “We discussed with the referee about not using harsh words, but Ponting did, and a couple of their players did,” Dhoni said after the game. He didn’t reveal what exactly was said by the players, though.Ponting felt his team had stayed within the confines of the spirit of cricket. “Some years back the Australian team committed itself to uphold the spirit of cricket,” he said. “A lot of the current players weren’t involved, but every player who comes into the team is clearly briefed on the idea and given direction on what’s acceptable and what’s not. We treat it very seriously and nobody comes in without understanding what we expect. I think it’s been a very positive thing if you look back at our recent history. It’s something I’m proud of. I think we have been one of the least reported teams in the world.”Ponting felt his side didn’t indulge in sledging, a term he said was associated with “swearing” or “making a personal attack” on the opponents. “If you look at any sport, Australian football, soccer, anything, there is always some sort of dialogue between players, and I think that’s part of sport at the highest level. But it’s very important that every Australian cricketer understands what he can and cannot do. It is why we have the spirit of cricket concept. It was brought in so we would not have our blokes reported. We have our own set of rules that we can act on to keep things from getting out of hand.”

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