arjun1618

Cummins sidelined until mid-January

Fast bowler Pat Cummins might not play another Test this summer after being diagnosed with a bone stress injury in his foot. Cummins, 18, was a revelation during his Test debut in Johannesburg last month, where he took seven wickets, hit the winning runs and was Man of the Match.

However, he is not expected to bowl again until early to mid January due to his injury, which initially ruled him out of the New Zealand series. The lack of Sheffield Shield cricket in January, when the Big Bash League takes centre stage, means Australia would be gambling if they reintroduced Cummins into the Test side for the end of the series against India, which finishes in Adelaide in late January.

"Patrick injured his heel early into the second Test against South Africa," Australia's physio Alex Kountouris said. "By the end of the match he was quite sore and we had scans done after the game that confirmed heel 'fat pad' injury. On return to Australia, he was given some time to recover and was reviewed throughout last week by NSW medical staff and then by myself in Brisbane during the first Test versus New Zealand.

"By the end of last week it was apparent to all of us managing him that he was progressing slower than expected for a soft tissue injury of the heel. As such we arranged for him to see a foot specialist and had further scans that have identified a bone component to his injury, that was not evident on the original scans.

"We now believe that Patrick has a bone stress injury as well as the 'fat pad' injury. This means that his recovery will take longer than first expected. He is not likely to resume bowling until early to mid-January 2012."

Pat Howard, the Cricket Australia general manager of team performance, said alarm bells had rung when Cummins appeared to be recovering slower than expected on his return home.

"The medical staff took a decision that Patrick's recovery versus previous scans did not seem consistent and proactively made the decision that further scans were required," Howard said. "These scans have revealed a bone stress injury which pushes out his recovery by a few weeks.

"This wasn't picked up in the initial scans done in South Africa. Unfortunately this, when combined with Patrick's young age to re-prepare for Test cricket, means that he will miss much of the Indian series."

Australia are already without Mitchell Johnson for the whole Test summer due to a foot injury, while Ryan Harris is confident that he is on track for the Boxing Day Test as he recovers from a hip problem. Australia may need to rely heavily on the young fast bowlers James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, who made their debuts in Brisbane, against India

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I hope there is a day when cancer, is just a zodiac sign..

Niranjan

Kidilan formil ulla bowler ayirunnu

Krishna

India players leave for Australia

Seven India players including Sachin Tendulkar, left for Australia to get acclimatised to the conditions ahead of their tour Down Under.
Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha and Pragyan Ojha boarded a connecting Singapore Airways flight for Melbourne from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai late Wednesday night.

The rest of the team, including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been rested for the ongoing ODI series against the West Indies, will leave for Australia from Chennai on December 12.

India is scheduled to play four test matches, beginning from December 26, at the Melbourne cricket ground, besides two T20s and a triangular ODI series involving Srilanka.

The remaining Test matches are going to be held at Sydney (Jan 3-Jan 7), Perth (Jan 13-Jan 17) and Adelaide (Jan 24 to Jan 28).

Ahead of the Test series, the team is scheduled to play two practise games against CA Chairman's XI to be held between December 15-16 and December 19-21, respectively.


Cricket | India players leave for Australia | ESPNSTAR.com

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arjun1618

Varun Aaron injured..replaced by Vinay Kumar..

Niranjan

Zaheer wants to make a difference in Australia


Zaheer Khan, the India medium-pacer, has said he is fit and wants to make a difference on his third tour of Australia, where he has not managed to complete a Test series because of injury. Zaheer played only three Tests on India's trips to Australia in 2003-04 and 2007-08.
"This tour is very important. I want to be the factor which makes the difference as there are so many expectations on me," Zaheer said after Mumbai's Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra ended in Rajkot. "I think I have done enough to get on that flight [to Australia]. And now the next step is to fulfill all those expectations."

Zaheer completed his second Ranji match in successive weeks for Mumbai after deciding to test his fitness. The national selectors had named him as the 17th member India's Test squad to Australia, subject to Zaheer proving he was fit.

On July 21 at Lord's, the first day of the Pataudi Trophy, Zaheer pulled his right hamstring in the third over of his third spell. Those 13.3 overs were last he bowled in a Test on that tour of England. He bowled three overs in the warm-up game against Northamptonshire but was ruled out of the remainder of the series because of an ankle injury in addition to the hamstring. Zaheer had ankle surgery and returned to competitive cricket only two weeks ago, when Mumbai played Orissa in Cuttack between November 29 and December 1.
Against Orissa, Zaheer bowled 22 overs and took 4 for 52 in the match. Mumbai won by an innings and 210 runs. He said he felt good after that game but needed to work on his "bowling rhythm".
In Rajkot, Zaheer had to toil on a flatter pitch against tougher opposition. His match figures of 21-2-82-3 comprised five short spells across two days and he was in the field for 170 overs.
"This match it was much better," Zaheer said about his rhythm. "The more I bowl the better I am going to get. I have bowled around 40-45 overs in the two games. That was the whole idea; I wanted to build it up. What was important was to spend a lot of time on the field. And not by choice, but we managed to spend 170 overs on the field, which was good in a way for me, in terms of getting that lethargy out and getting the feel of it, as that is what Test match cricket is all about."
When asked what he meant by bowling rhythm, Zaheer said, " [It] all has to come together. Physically I am fine, I am not feeling anything wrong. But I wanted to bowl more to get the co-ordination going in terms of my bowling.

"I have done everything possible in discussion with the physios. We chalked out this plan. So far I have been achieving the milestones about eight to ten days before they were to be delivered. That is what the plan was: when I am boarding that flight [to Australia] there are no doubts in my mind whether I am going be able to bowl 20 overs, whether I am going to be able to come back."

On his previous trips to Australia, Zaheer returned home injured without completing the tours. In 2003-04, he missed the second Test due to a hamstring injury, played the third, though it later emerged that he was not fully fit, and then missed the final Test. Four years later, Zaheer took five wickets during India's 337-run defeat at the MCG. On the eve of the Sydney Test, however, he hurt his left heel during practice and flew home.

On this tour, Zaheer has the responsibility of leading an inexperienced bowling attack. Among the other bowlers, only Ishant Sharma has played internationals in Australia. "The way I see it, it all worked out perfectly fine, because I had a four-month break so I could prepare well for this series. In the past, it used to be at the end of the season that I would go to Australia and breakdown. So I am really looking forward to joining the team and to playing my part, and also to helping the youngsters and guiding them in whatever way I can.
Zaheer was encouraged by the pace of the younger fast bowlers, such as Umesh Yadav, in India's squad. "You have seen them bowl at 140-plus kph, which is a good sign. They must enjoy their bowling because it is the early part of their international career. That should work in our favour because you have an experienced bowler in Ishant, and Umesh who is young and is hostile in his approach right now."

The first Test begins on Boxing Day at the MCG and Zaheer said it was important for the bowlers to get used to the bounce in Australia during the two warm-up games. "As far as pitches are concerned there will be bounce on offer," he said. "That is one thing we would have to deal with. Our bowlers need to get use to the bounce and you need to hit the right lengths as early as possible and make use of the practice matches for that."

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Grand Master - Checkmate

Niranjan

Hughes faces fight to keep opener's slot

The axe may be hanging over Phillip Hughes after another Test failure, but he has been given a chance to save his spot ahead of the Boxing Day Test. Hughes will face the Indians in the second of their tour matches against the Cricket Australia Chairman's XI in Canberra, a week before the Melbourne Test. But he won't be the only top-order batsman aiming to impress.

David Warner will also play in the three-day match starting on December 19, as will Shaun Marsh, who is hoping to prove his fitness after battling a back injury over the past month. If that wasn't a tasty enough prospect, Usman Khawaja is also in the side, meaning the top four batsmen will all be desperate to secure places in a Test side likely to welcome Shane Watson back from injury.

And Ed Cowan, the most in-form opener in the country after scoring three hundreds in his previous three first-class games, will captain a different Chairman's XI side against the Indians on December 15 and 16. It all means immense pressure will be on Hughes, who will have to find a way to handle Ishant Sharma, the fast bowler who will angle the ball across him.
It is a method that Chris Martin has used to great effect in the current series. There was a sense of inevitability about watching Hughes face Martin on the first day in Hobart. Four slips. Two gullies. The leg side was all but vacant. The plan was obvious, and Hughes obliged. His only scoring shot split them all and ran away to the boundary behind point.

The delivery that eventually accounted for Hughes was one he could have, and should have left. He did not flash at it in an attempt to clear the cordon. He poked the bat out tamely and edged to second slip, for the third time in the series walking off with a score of 10 or less and "c Guptill b Martin" next to his name.


After New Zealand struggled to 150 in their first innings, there is no guarantee Hughes will bat again in the match. It makes the three-day encounter against the Indians critical to his chances of playing on Boxing Day. Warner will captain the side for that game, which will also feature the former Test bowlers Trent Copeland, Doug Bollinger and Peter George.

"The two Cricket Australia Chairman's XI games against India provide opportunities for many of our promising young players to display their talents and to gain experience against some legendary Indian players," John Inverarity, the national selector, said. "In the second of these two Cricket Australia Chairman's XI matches a number of players in contention for the Boxing Day Test squad will have the opportunity to press their claims. In the second game, Shaun Marsh will be making his return from injury."

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Grand Master - Checkmate

Niranjan

Complete out ayo ?

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Grand Master - Checkmate

Neelan

One day IND vs Aussies and IND vs Lankans @ brisbane Ticket Eduthu .. jayichittu venam koore peetu lankanmarkittu oro kottu kodukkan alavathikal !

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In certain cultures, it's illegal to look this good

Naaduvazhikal

Aaron out aayo? she, he needs more opportunities - he has talent..

and whats with this Vinay Kumar when Irfan pathan is there.. they should have picked him.. nalla kidilan bowler aayrnnu.. dont know how he lost form since 2009.. Zaheer-Irfan nayikkunna pace attack oru muthalkoottakumarnnu..

Niranjan

Irfanu pace ennu parayunna sadhanam undo ? 120 km okke anennu thonunnu bowl cheythu kondirikkunathu ippo

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Grand Master - Checkmate