England Outclass Bangladesh at Dhaka

England cruised to a six-wicket victory in the first one-day international against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

It was a fiercely professional performance from England, who bided their time to counter fleeting spells of inspiration from the hosts and clinched the win with four overs to spare as Jamie Siddons's side were unable to sustain their challenge.

Alastair Cook won the toss and put Bangladesh into bat on a slow wicket, and the hosts were bowled out for 228 after Tamim Iqbal compiled a majestic 125.

England got off to a solid start as Cook scored 64 to get his tour up and running, but the tourists slumped from 73 without loss to 96 for three as the Tigers roared back.

Vice-captain Paul Collingwood came to the crease and steadied his side with typical composure and his 75, in conjunction with Eoin Morgan (33) and Matt Prior (30), steered England to victory.

Iqbal's imperious century came off just 120 balls and earned the Bangladesh opener the man-of-the-match award as his side were bowled out inside 46 overs.

Tamim's knock included 13 fours and three sixes, two of them in a frenetic bout of boundary hitting in the first 10 overs but, having been put down by Eoin Morgan at cover on only 10, Tamim also impressed with his restraint in the middle overs.

Graeme Swann was the star with the ball for England, as he completed his 10 overs with figures of three for 32, while Stuart Broad pitched in with two wickets for the cost of 46 runs.

Craig Kieswetter (19) was beginning to settle at the crease after an uncharacteristically subdued start, but he was stumped for a rash charge down the wicket.

Kevin Pietersen felt aggrieved as he was adjudged to have got an inside edge with Junaid Siddique taking the catch off Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan to dismiss the number three for just one.

Cook and Collingwood looked ready to dig in until the former was seen off by a poor leg before verdict that gave Naeem Islam a second success and left the tourists on 96 for three.

But Morgan and Prior ably assisted the unflappable Collingwood, after Cook's breezy opening stint set England off on the right footing.

After a promising start, Bangladesh faded out of the match in disappointing fashion, as the tourists establish a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

By Gagandeep

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar Biography

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar Biography

Date of Birth: April 24, 1973
Place of Birth: Mumbai
Major Teams: India, Mumbai
Batting Style:Right -Hand Batsman
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium, Leg Break, Right Arm Off Break
ODI Debut : India v Pakistan at Gujranwala, 2nd ODI, 1989/90
Test Debut : India v Pakistan at Karachi, 1st Test, 1989/90
Height : 5'5

The first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket, making the record in the third game of a five-match series against Australia on the 31st of March 2001. He reached the landmark when he scored 34 runs in his 266th match and 259th innings. Tendulkar, 27, in his amazing 12-year career, has scored a world record 28 hundreds and 50 half-centuries in his 10,000 runs.

A genius without a doubt, this little master made his International debut in ODI’s and Tests at the age of 16 against Pakistan against the fiery pace of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He then went to England as a part of the national side, and has not looked back ever since. The name itself strikes terror in the hearts of bowlers all around the world. Hailed as the next master-blaster following the legacy of the great West Indian Vivian Richards, this man has every shot in the book, and can kill any attack in the world when in full swing. There is nothing this man cannot do

In batting, he has reached a stage that others can only dream of. He has destroyed practically every bowling attack in the world. Tendulkar's 'specialties' include the straight drive (seemingly nobody plays the shot better than him), the cover drive, the square cut, the pullshot over midwicket/square leg, the delicate leg glance, the late cut, the lofted shots over mid-on and mid-off and not to mention the improvisations he keeps coming up with, time and again. He has tremendous power in his forearms and can hit the ball out of almost every ground in the World. He plays each of his shots amazingly and has even employed the reverse sweep to good effect. Some of his shots are hit with so much power that the ball simply rockets to the fence as if he was trying to dismiss the ball from his presence. On the other hand, some of his shots are neatly timed and placed well. His timing can be quite exquisite and it is this blend of timing and raw power which makes him the world's best/greatest batsman. Mentally very strong, Tendulkar is best when confronted by a challenge

By Gagandeep

Cook Sets Sights on Tigers

Alastair Cook insists he can cope with the added pressure of leading England ahead of the start of the one-day series against Bangladesh.

The opening batsman will be in charge of the tourists throughout the tour following Andrew Strauss' decision to take a break.

The Essex left-hander has led his country in international cricket just once before, a Twenty20game against South Africa that ended in a heavy defeat.

On that occasion he was a late stand-in for the injured Paul Collingwood, but this time around Cook is very much the man at the helm for the entire trip.

By Gagandeep

How does Sachin Tendulkar do it ?

How does Sachin Tendulkar do it? How does a 36-year-old cricketer stay at the top of the game for 20 years? How does he retain this insatiable hunger for achievement after scoring more than 30,000 runs in the long (Test) and shorter (50 over) versions of the game?

Cricket fans are asking these questions again after Tendulkar created history by firing the first double century in one-day internationals.

It was an unbelievable innings of brutal finesse - he smacked 25 fours and three sixes and batted just 147 balls to score 200. He simply toyed with South Africa's formidable bowlers.

"Take a bow master!", "You little champion!", gasped the commentators as Tendulkar walked back to the pavilion and the crowds went delirious.

"If anybody is deserving of this feat, it is Tendulkar and nobody else," gushed another commentator, and then ran out of words.

You are indeed lost for words trying to explain the genius, elegance and sheer power of one of the greatest cricketers ever born, but more so after his breathtaking display at Gwalior on Wednesday.

I think the best tribute to Tendulkar's genius came from former cricketer and present day guru of cricket writing Peter Roebuck.

"Viv Richards could terrorise an attack with pitiless brutality, Lara could dissect bowlers with surgical and magical strokes, Tendulkar can take an attack apart with towering simplicity. From the start he had an uncanny way of executing his strokes perfectly. Tendulkar was born to bat," he once wrote.

Tendulkar is India's biggest icon and proudest possession - I remember the rising crescendo of noise when he walked up to receive an award in a stadium filled to the brim in Mumbai two years ago. There were other cricket and Bollywood stars being feted that evening. Nobody could match the reception that Tendulkar got.

If you want to know how difficult it has been for Tendulkar to become the greatest cricketer India has ever had, listen to Roebuck again:

"The runs, the majesty, the thrills, do not capture his achievement. Reflect upon his circumstances and then marvel at his feat. Here is a man obliged to put on disguises so that he can move around the streets, a fellow able to drive his cars only in the dead of night for fear of creating a commotion, a father forced to take his family to Iceland on holiday, a person whose entire adult life has been lived in the eye of a storm."

It has been an incredible journey for this magician of cricket. And he is still pulling off new tricks and hitting fresh milestones. How does he do it?

By Gagandeep

South Africans Salvage Pride

Centuries from Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers ensured South Africa retrieved some pride in the third and final one-day international against India.

Having already lost the first two matches in the series, the Proteas had a point to prove in Ahmedabad and skipper Kallis led the way as his side clinched a 90-run win.

After the recalled Loots Bosman (68) and Hashim Amla (87) had put on a breezy 113 for the opening stand after Kallis had won the toss, the captain added 79 with Amla and 173 with de Villiers as his side racked up 365 for two.

In reply, several Indian batsmen got starts including Virat Kohli (57), Rohit Sharma (48) and Suresh Raina (49), but they were reined in by the South African bowlers and were all out for 275

By Gagandeep

Opportunity Knocks For England's New Recruits

England's cricket tour of Bangladesh may not set the pulses racing like an Ashes series or a contest against big hitters like India or South Africa but for four men the next couple of months represent a massive opportunity.

While the likes of Andrew Strauss and James Anderson are keeping their sofas warm during their controversial rest periods, the door is open for wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter, all-rounder Ajmal Shahzad, batsman Michael Carberry and spinner James Tredwell to stake their claims for a place in the side.

While Shahzad made his debut in a Twenty20 international against Pakistan on Saturday, the other three are uncapped in all forms of the game and will be hoping to be given a chance in Bangladesh, as England take on the hosts in three one-day internationals and a two-Test series.

And with a World Twenty20 tournament, a full English summer and an Ashes tour down under all scheduled for 2010, all four are desperate to make an instant impact. BBC Sport caught up with the new faces of English cricket.

By Gagandeep

Sachin Tendulkar Vs Ricky Ponting : Most Career Century & Runs : Test + ODI

Two of the greatest modern cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar of India and Ricky Ponting of Australia, now have come to a stage in their career that they are miles ahead of remaining players of various countries, but mighty close to each other.

With not much cricket left in both of them, the thing to watch out for is which one of these two cricketers quit with record of most century and runs in both test and one day international form of cricket.

Note that Sachin Tendulkar made his test debut back in November 1989 against Pakistan at Karachi while Ricky Ponting came onto world stage first in one day internationals, on 15 February 1995, against South Africa at Wellington = almost 5 years gap.

Update : Following career statistic are accurate as of 24 February 2010, the day Sachin Tendulkar scored his 46th ODI century, just a week after raising his 47th test century.. Ricky Ponting's latest century, his 29th in ODIs, came against West Indies on 14th feb. Sachin doesn't have a test match upcoming in next 6 months but participates in IPL for next two months. On other hand, Ricky Ponting plays non-stop cricket with tour of New Zealand in March 2010. This is Aussie's time to make up for lost ground to his Indian rival..

Test Career Statistics

Player	Tests	Inns	Notouts	Runs	Hundreds	Highest	Average	50s
Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)	166	271	29	13447	47	248*	55.56	54
Ricky Ponting (Aus)	142	240	27	11859	39	257	55.67	51

ODI Career Statistics

Player	ODIs.	Inns	Notouts	Runs	Hundreds	Highest	Average	50s
Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)	442	431	40	17530	46	186*	44.70	93
Ricky Ponting (Aus)	340	331	37	12731	29	164	43.30	76

Fact : Ricky Ponting made his International debut 6 years after Sachin Tendulkar who had made 8 century in tests and 2 in one dayers!

By Gagandeep

Ricky Ponting : List of All Century/Hundreds in One Day Internationals (ODI)

By Gagandeep

Who's best number 3 batsman to have played the game? true Don Bradman batted at the same position too, but he didn't display his skills against TV replays and other footages available today to help device your dismissal.

And neither Sir Don played one day cricket..

The greatest one day batsman at position one down is Ricky Ponting. undisputed champion batsmen has so far scored 28 century in his 323 one day career as of today = 2 October 2009.. 27 of those hundreds have come at no.3.

164 = Highest ODI Score :- for Ricky Ponting. he made it against South Africans at their permier ground ~ Johannesburg. sadly, his team lost it. Australians scored 434 in that match, first time above 400 score in ODIs, yet South Africa toppled it with 438 marathan chase. more of that 438 ODI.

Needless to say, Ricky doesn't remember too much of his best one day international innings. The one Ricky will remember, is his 140 not out against Indians, at the same Johannesburg venue but on a bigger occasion = World Cup 2003 final. Ricky hit 8 sixes and only 4 fours that day.. Propelling Australia to 364. After that, victory was just a formality.

Ricky Ponting is second to Sachin Tendulkar in record for most century in ODI & tests, but recent Ashes loss and successive T20 world cup faliures has put termendos pressure of this right handed batsman. It will be interesting to see how far Ricky goes, and will he ever touch Indian run machine?

Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Pos	Versus	Venue	Date
164	105	13	9	3	South Africa	Johannesburg	12 March 2006
145	158	18	1	3	Zimbabwe	Delhi	11 April 1998
141*	127	10	5	3	New Zealand	Napier	5 March 2005
140*	121	4	8	3	India	Johannesburg	23 March 2003
134*	133	10	2	3	New Zealand	Hobart	20 December 2007
129	126	15	1	3	South Africa	Bloemfontein	30 March 2002
126	109	14	3	3	England	Trentbridge	15 November 2009
124*	129	10	0	3	Pakistan	Lahore	10 November 1998
124	127	9	3	3	Sri Lanka	Sydney	12 February 2006
124	133	7	1	3	India	Sydney	24 February 2006
123	138	7	1	4	Sri Lanka	Melbourne	9 January 1996
119	123	9	3	3	England	Melbourne	25 December 2002
115	121	9	1	3	India	Melbourne	12 January 2000
115	102	8	3	3	Asia XI	Melbourne	10 January 2005
114	109	8	4	3	Sri Lanka	Centurion	7 March 2003
113	93	9	5	3	Scotland	Basseterre	7 March 2003
111*	115	12	1	3	England	Centurion	2 October 2009
111	115	14	1	3	England	Lords	10 July 2005
111	122	8	1	3	New Zealand	Perth	28 January 2007
108*	103	1	7	3	India	Bangalore	12 November 2003
107*	108	13	0	3	New Zealand	Adelaide	14 December 2007
106*	97	11	1	3	Sri Lanka	Melbourne	21 January 2003
106	112	6	2	3	West Indies	Brisbane	14 February 2010
104	113	6	1	3	New Zealand	Melbourne	4 February 2007
102	112	5	1	3	West Indies	Jaipur	4 March 1996
102	116	9	2	3	England	Bristol	10 June 2001
101	109	13	0	3	India	Vizag	3 April 2001
101	118	2	4	3	Bangladesh	Darwin	6 August 2003
100	114	6	0	3	New Zealand	Melbourne	21 January 1998

Sachin Tendulkar : Total One Day International (ODI) Century list.

By Gagandeep:

Sachin Tendulkar, easily the biggest cricketer/sportsperson India has ever produced and if we consider statistics, this Mumbai born is above any batsman who has ever played the game at highest level.

Sachin Tendulkar, as of today = 24 February 2010, has 46 century in one day international cricket and following is the list of all hundreds made by him in his career of 50 over cricket.

Highest ODI score = 200* : versus South Africa at captain Roop Singh stadium in Gwalior.. Sachin's previous best was 186 against New Zealand and leads the list of highest ODI score by a batsman.

Century against each country : Sachin Tendulkar has scored a one day century against each country, except Bangladesh. Sachin has most ODI century versus Australia = 8, followed by 7 against Srilanka and 5 each against Srilanka, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

Most century at a venue = Sharjah in UAE where Sachin has scored 7 century. Followed by RPS ground in Colombo and Relaince stadium in Baroda where Tendulkar has 3 century in ODI each.

ODI Career Summary = Matches = 442, Innings = 431, Not out = 41, Runs = 17598, Highest = 200*, Hundreds = 46, Fifties = 93.

List of all century made by Sachin Tendulkar in ODI cricket

Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Pos	Versus	Venue	Date
200*	147	25	3	2	South Africa	Gwalior	24 February 2010
186*	150	20	3	2	New Zealand	Hyderabad	8 November 1999
175	141	19	6	2	Australia	Hyderabad	5 November 2009
163*	133	16	5	2	New Zealand	Christchurch	8 March 2009
152	151	18	0	2	Namibia	Pietersburg	23 February 2003
146	153	15	2	2	Zimbabwe	Jodhpur	8 December 2000
146	153	15	2	2	Kenya	Paarl	24 October 2001
143	131	9	5	2	Australia	Sharjah	22 April 1998
141*	148	13	5	2	West Indies	Kuala Lumpur	14 September 2006
141	128	13	3	2	Australia	Dhaka	28 October 1998
141	135	17	1	2	Pakistan	Rawalpindi	16 March 2004
140*	101	16	3	4	Kenya	Bristol	23 May 1999
139	125	19	0	2	Australia	Indore	31 March 2001
138	133	19	0	2	Srilanka	Colombo	14 September 2009
137	137	8	5	2	Sri Lanka	Delhi	2 March 1996
134	131	12	3	4	Australia	Sharjah	24 April 1998
128	131	12	3	2	Sri Lanka	Colombo	7 July 1998
127*	138	15	1	2	Kenya	Cuttack	18 February 1996
127*	130	13	1	1	Zimbabwe	Bulawayo	26 September 1998
124*	92	12	6	2	Zimbabwe	Sharjah	13 November 1998
123	130	12	2	2	Pakistan	Ahmedabad	12 April 2005
122*	131	12	1	2	West Indies	Harare	4 July 2001
122	138	12	0	2	South Africa	Vadodra	17 March 2000
120	141	11	2	1	Sri Lanka	Colombo	29 August 1999
118*	112	14	2	2	Zimbabwe	Sharjah	8 November 1998
118	140	8	2	2	Pakistan	Sharjah	15 April 1996
117*	120	10	0	2	Australia	Sydney	2 March 2008
117	137	13	2	2	New Zealand	Bangalore	14 May 1997
115	136	19	3	2	New Zealand	Vadodra	28 October 1994
114	126	14	0	1	South Africa	Mumbai	14 December 1996
113	102	12	1	4	Sri Lanka	Bristol	11 July 2002
112*	107	15	1	2	Sri Lanka	Sharjah	9 April 1995
110	130	8	2	2	Australia	Colombo	9 September 1994
110	138	5	1	2	Sri Lanka	Colombo	28 August 1996
105*	108	8	1	4	England	Chester-le-Street	4 July 2002
105	134	10	0	2	West Indies	Jaipur	11 November 1994
104	97	8	1	2	Zimbabwe	Benoni	9 February 1997
102	91	12	1	2	New Zealand	Hyderabad	15 November 2003
101	140	3	1	2	Sri Lanka	Sharjah	20 October 2000
101	129	9	0	2	South Africa	Johannesburg	5 October 2001
100*	103	13	0	2	Kenya	Kolkata	31 May 1998
100*	76	10	1	4	West Indies	Vadodra	31 January 2007
100	111	9	1	2	Pakistan	Singapore	5 April 1996
100	89	5	7	2	Australia	Kanpur	7 April 1998
100	119	9	1	2	Australia	Gwalior	26 October 2003
100	113	10	1	2	Pakistan	Peshawar	6 February 2006

BCCI Invites Bids For Two New Franchises

Invitation to Tender documents available at the BCCI-IPL office starting tomorrow

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has today announced the availability of the Invitation to Tender document for two new franchises. The documents will be available at the BCCI – IPL office at Cricket Centre, Mumbai starting February 22, 2010, 10 a.m. onwards. The Invitation to Tender document will be provided on payment of a Rs. 5 lakh demand draft drawn in favour of ‘The Board of Control for Cricket in India.’ This will mark the start of the global tendering process for the two new official franchises in the IPL. All bidding parties will need to fulfill the eligibility criteria and other requirements specified in the Invitation to Tender.

The winning bids for the two new IPL franchises will be announced in Mumbai at 12:00 noon on March 7, 2010. The two new IPL franchises and their management teams will be given full access to IPL 2010 to better prepare them for IPL Season 2011. The two new IPL franchises will also enjoy the same opportunity (if applicable and subject to qualification) to compete in each and any Champions League Twenty20 tournament that is staged from 2011 onwards.

The IPL has also announced the names of 12 cities with cricketing infrastructure and stadia that will be eligible to invite bids for the two new franchises. The cities eligible for inviting bids to be host cities of the IPL franchises are Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kanpur, Dharamsala, Indore, Cuttack, Gwalior and Vishakhapatnam. In addition to these cities, Rajkot and Pune, with stadia already under construction, and Baroda and Kochi, which will have new stadia going under construction, will also be eligible.

A base price of US $ 225 million per franchise has been set for the two new franchises.

By Gagandeep

PCB Chief: Match-Fixing Evidence Against 2 Players

The head of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ijaz Butt, says he has strong evidence of match fixing by two former Pakistan cricketers but not against members of the current team. Butt said on Friday the evidence was provided by the International Cricket Council to previous officials of the cricket board. Butt took over as PCB chairman in October 2008. Without revealing the names of the cricketers, Butt told The Associated Press that the two players are not on the cricket board's current list of available players or the national team. Life bans were imposed in 2000 on former Pakistani test captain Salim Malik and paceman Ata-ur-Rehman for match fixing, though the bans were overturned on appeal.

By Gagandeep

Sachin Tendulkar - The First Man On Planet Who Made History

Sachin Tendulkar - The First Man On Planet Who Made History.

Moment of greatness: Sachin Tendulkar thanks the heavens for his record Photo

Record breakers: Tendulkar finished unbeaten on double century Photo: AFP

Tendulkar was exactly 200 not out against South Africa in Gwailor breaking the previous highest score of 194 held jointly by Zimbabwean Charles Coventry and Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar.

By Gagandeep

Tendulkar Jumps To Third

India's iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar has jumped to third position in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after belting a record-breaking double-century in the second ODI against South Africa in Gwalior on Wednesday.

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Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar, who returned undefeated on 200 in his 442nd appearance, has lifted three places and now trails second-placed Mike Hussey of Australia by 43 points with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni strengthening his position at the top of the rankings after hitting a 35-ball 68 not out.

It is Tendulkar's highest ranking in two years after he had reached second position following an unbeaten 117 against Australia in Sydney.

While Tendulkar has vaulted into third position, his fellow opener Virender Sehwag has dropped one place to 10th position

By Gagandeep

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