'Indian batting is the biggest challenge'
London: England's new bowling sensation Chris Tremlett regards the Indian batting line-up as the biggest challenge in world cricket currently but said his side can do well against the number one Test team.
"You have to say they are the biggest challenge (in world cricket). They generally get runs on the board. But we know if we do the right things, we can bowl them out and get 20 wickets," said Tremlett, who in his short career of nine Tests has claimed 45 wickets at an average of 25.20.
Tremlett described the Indian batting line-up as an attritional sort of players who wear the opposition down.
"They have great players; they play attritional, very patient cricket. You need to be very patient yourself to bowl them out," he said.
Tremlett, who is 6-feet-7-inches tall, made the Indian batsmen hop around a bit at Trent Bridge four years ago but feels he is a far better bowler at this stage of his career.
"I've improved since then. I am now consistently quicker.
I was raw then and still learning but now I feel more confident.
"The teams from the sub-continent are usually more susceptible to short-pitched stuff. But you need pitches and conditions to help," he said.
Tremlett admitted that he likes when batsmen jump around at the crease to his sort of bowling.
"You like when the ball climbs up to the ribs and batsmen are jumping around. You like when the ball has a good carry."
Tremlett realizes how difficult it is to play for England consistently given the strength they presently have.
"You need good performances all the time. Someone like (Steve) Finn has taken 50 Test wickets very quickly but is still out of the team. It means you can't slacken off at all and give 100 percent all the time," he said.
"But fortunately I thrive under pressure and like to perform on the big stage all the time."
Tremlett feels the Lord's pitch could be pretty flat if the conditions are not overcast.
"If it's not overcast and the sun is out, it could be very flat and batsmen friendly. But when there's cloud-cover, it can swing and nip around at the same time," he said.
"Even though it's hard to compare it with the Ashes, there is a lot of hype and great buzz about this series," he added.
Steve Waugh takes lie-detector test
Waugh believes making players submit to examination by lie-detectors, or polygraphs as they are also known, could help drive cheats from the game.
As a member of the world cricket committee of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which owns Lord's, Waugh volunteered to undergo a test to confirm he had never been involved in corruption in cricket.
MCC arranged for him to be tested by Steven van Aperen who, it said in a statement, was one of "Australia's leading polygraph examiners".
"Steve Waugh passed this test convincingly," MCC added.
Waugh, speaking to reporters at Lord's here on Tuesday, said: "As a former captain I know you never ask a player to do something you are not willing to do yourself.
"So on April 7 I went to Melbourne and went through the process of a polygraph test.
"At the end of the process, which took about two hours, I was convinced that anybody with something to hide would be found out by this process."
Australia great Waugh was spurred into action following last year's revelations by Britain's now defunct News of the World tabloid that former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, were all involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls during a Test against England at Lord's as part of a betting scam.
The Pakistan trio were suspended for a minimum of five years' each by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's global governing body, and are now awaiting a criminal trial in England due to start in October.
Polygraph tests cannot be used as evidence in an English criminal court and MCC's statement added: "The (world cricket) committee accepts that the use of polygraph tests is a sensitive subject but their potential use should now be widely debated in the game."
Waugh, who said the committee was merely proposing voluntary, not mandatory tests, added: "There are a lot of rumours about match-fixing and spot-fixing and I don't like that.
"So this is about giving the public some confidence that the game is being played in the right way.
"And for players who have been wrongly accused, I can give them confidence that it is a fair and reasonable process and that you'll get the correct answer," explained Waugh, one of several former and current players on a committee that includes India's Rahul Dravid, due to play against England in the first Test at Lord's starting on Thursday.
Waugh also urged fledgling international players to be standard-bearers by taking lie-detector tests.
"One option might be to get some young players from each team to pledge to do a polygraph to lead the way, it's not so much about dredging up the past," he said.
"We're looking for ambassadors or advocates to put up a hand and say they would undergo a polygraph to be a role model for their team."
Meanwhile MCC also urged the ICC's under-fire anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) to undertake 'sting' operations similar to the one carried out by the News of the World last year.
ACSU chief Ronnie Flanagan, a former senior British policeman, has said his organisation lacks the resources and mandate needed for such work.
But MCC's world cricket committee insisted: "Players must feel there is a genuine risk of being caught.
"And so the ICC ACSU should aim to increase their investigative powers by whatever means, including the use of 'sting' operations."
Although it is more than 40 years since MCC ceased to run English cricket, it retains worldwide responsibility for the sport's rules or laws.
With 100th Test, India enter elite league
England, by virtue of being the inventors of the game, feature in four of the five such rivalries with the top spot going to England vs Australia with 326 Tests. In second place is England vs West Indies with 145 Tests, while England vs South Africa is third with 138 Tests. Australia vs West Indies takes the fourth place with 108 Tests.
This is India's second century mark to be celebrated in the last two years. India's win over Sri Lanka in November 2009 that took them to the No. 1 Test spot in the ICC rankings was also their 100th Test win.
The crowning glory of a hat-trick of century events will be Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international hundred at Lord's, which was also the venue of the first Test between the two sides in 1932.
India have only won one Test at Lord's, and that one came in 1986 and MS Dhoni will be hoping to improve upon that record in the 100th Test. England, despite their superb run, have in fact not beaten India in a Test match in five years. Their last win came at the Wankhede in 2006. At home, England have not beaten India since 2002.
Sachin, Viru, Gavaskar, Kapil in ICC Dream XI
Fans voted on the International Cricket Council's official website, www.icc-cricket.com, to pick the leading 11 as part of the celebrations to commemorate the 2,000th Test match, which will be played between England and India at Lord's from Thursday.
Four Australians, two West Indians and one Pakistani have also been named in the team.
"The huge interest generated during the past month was amazing as media and supporters worldwide speculated and then selected the fan's Greatest Test team of all time. It supports our view of the everlasting popularity of Test match cricket," said Haroon Lorgat, ICC chief executive.
"It would have been quite special to see this team take the field of play given the array of batting and bowling talent contained within the playing eleven.
"Selecting from such greats is no easy job, and not surprisingly, the selection mainly reflects modern players seen by present day supporters. There are many greats from the past who would have easily merited selection in this team, but it is nevertheless interesting to see the fans view on their greatest eleven of all time."
The team
Virender Sehwag, Sunil Gavaskar, Donald Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar Brian Lara, Kapil Dev, Adam Gilchrist (wicketkeeper), Shane Warne, Wasim Akram, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath.
Timeless Test for World Test C'ship
A so-called timeless Test places no duration constraints on players, allowing for an open-ended match until a result is secured. Regular Tests are limited to five days, but often end in a draw if either team can't bowl out the other's batsmen or bad weather intervenes.
Haroon Lorgat, the International Cricket Council's chief executive, made the suggestion on Monday for a competition set to take place in England between the four highest-ranked Test teams in the world.
"It is common knowledge that we hope in 2013 the top four teams will be involved in two semifinals and a final to determine a world Test champion," Lorgat said. "Whether (drawn games) are decided on a first-innings basis or on runs scored in the game, we don't know. But they will come up with a viable formula to determine a winner.
"The final may be a timeless Test. At this stage we don't know, but we are looking into the mechanics."
The last timeless Test was between South Africa and England at Durban in 1939, However, the match was declared a draw when no result was possible after nine days of play across 12 days. The England players had to leave or they would've missed the ship home.
As it was, England's fourth-innings total of 654-5 is still the record for a first-class match by 50 runs. The Test is also the longest.
"Statistics tell us that most test matches now produce a result inside five days, but it may yet be a timeless Test," Lorgat said. "It is a work in progress but I would favor finding a winner because you want a world champion."
Will Lara's 400 stand the test of time?
Three-nil down in a four-match series and with his team in disarray, Brian Charles Lara knew he had to do something special in the final Test of England's 2004 tour of the West Indies. Something that would let the world know there was still some pride left in Caribbean cricket. He had to take back his world record.
Returning to Antigua, the scene of Lara's 375 against England a decade before, the West Indies captain was on a mission: to reclaim the highest individual Test score he had lost when Australia's Matthew Hayden scored 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
It took him just six months to retain his world recored which Australia's dynamic opener Matthew Hayden broke. Lara's phenomenal unbeaten 400 was only the tenth quadruple-century in all first-class cricket.
The Trinidadian left-hander faced 582 deliveries, hitting 43 fours and four sixes, setting a new benchmark which still has to be broken. It has been seven years and no batsman till date has even come close to breaking the phenomenal feat.
Lara's achievement was a feat of amazing endurance every bit as much as one of skill. He was surely not at the peak of his cricketing career, but he had the ability to score big. Lara's inning was proof of the power of the mind - he was at the wicket for 13 hours and surely it's not a joke to be at crease for such a long time. No man cuts the ball with such precision and along such angles and the way he used the wrists was just amazing.
Brian Lara played one of the classiest innings of his already-illustrious career. Lara become only the second player (after the great Don Bradman) to reach the 300 milestone twice in Tests. The sparkling left-hander was the stand out of the day, blazing balls to all areas of the ground and belting the English attack around without the slightest bit of respect.
In the whole history of cricket he is the the only man ever to have scored a century, 200, 300, 400 and 500 runs in first-class cricket.
The record set by Lara is yet to be broken. So the big question is whether any of this modern generation batsman had quality and patince to be at the crease for long and do the impossible?
The only name that comes in everyone's mind is India's opener Virender Sehwag. The swashbuckling opnener definitely has the class and stroke making to reach this feat. Sehwag already has the second fastest double century in Test cricket that came from just 168 balls against Sri Lanka and he has scored his Test runs at a faster pace than anyone in the history of cricket.
Sehwag is one man who is capable of achieving Lara's 400 run feat. But it won't be easy because it took the legend Lara about 10 years to acheive that figure.
The milestone Tests of Indian cricket
New Delhi: It is quite astounding to find a country that played its fist match at Lord's in 1932 had already got to the 400-match mark by 2006. There will be another record that will go to India's name when they play their 100th Test against England at the same venue where they had played their first 79 years ago. We look back at the landmark Tests India has been involved in over those years.
1st Test – vs England at Lord’s in 1932Having lost the toss and asked to field, the visitors gave a shock to the home fans when they sent the likes of Herbert Sutcliffe, Percy Holmes and Frank Woolley back to the pavilion cheaply in both innings. But it was English skipper Douglas Jardine who pulled the side round by scoring (79) and (85 not out) in first and second innings respectively.
India’s opening bowler Mohammad Nissar produced some outstanding deliveries and returned with figures of 5/93, the first ever five-wicket haul by an Indian. The visitors' controlled bowling was well supported by some very quick and clean fielding. After displaying a creditable show on the field, Indians failed to replicate it in batting. Except their captain CK Nayudu and Amar Singh, none of the other Indian batsmen could make any substantial contribution.
Nayudu made 40 in the first innings, while Singh made the only half-century (51) for the visitors. The two Bills - Bill Bowes and Bill Voce - took full advantage of their opponents' inexperience by testing them with pace and swing. Though India lost the match by 158 runs, it was a great beginning for a side that was playing its first international match.
50th Test - vs Australia at Madras (Corp) in 1956
Playing at the Corporation Stadium in Madras, India started their innings on a positive note after deciding to bat first. But despite good starts, none of the big names - Vinoo Mankand (27); Polly Umrigar (31), who was also captaining the side; and Vijay Manjrekar (41) - could go on to make a big score.
The home team's batsmen were completely rattled first by leg-spinner Richie Benaud, who took seven Indian wickets in their first innings, and then by Ray Lindwall, who too enriched his wickets' tally with the same number in their second essay. None of the Aussie batsmen, too, could make a big score despite getting decent starts. But an outstanding 73 by skipper Ian Johnson made sure that the visitors accumulate enough runs so that they didn't have to come out to bat again. And that's what happened.
After making 161 in their first innings, Indians were bowled out for 153 in their second, thus losing the match by an innings and five runs. The win also helped the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
100th Test - vs England at Birmingham in 1967
The extent of India's reliability on spinners in those days can be illustrated by the fact that they played with four genuine tweakers in the seamer-friendly English conditions. Bishan Singh Bedi (slow left-arm orthodox), Erapalli Prasanna (right-arm off-break), Srinivas Venkataraghavan (right-arm offbreak) and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (lebreak) were all playing in the third Test at Edgbaston.
With the help of the combined effort of the four, India were able to restrict the home side to under 300 (298 runs), but their batsmen failed miserably. The visitors' batting in the first innings fell like a pack of cards as they were skittled for mere 92 by John Snow and David Brown.
And though they did better in their second essay with a patient 70 off 214 balls by Ajit Wadekar, the first innings' lead that they conceded proved decisive at the end as they lost the contest by 132 runs. Prasanna was the best among the four Indian spinners, taking seven wickets in the match.
200th Test - vs Pakistan at Lahore in 1982
It was first of the six matches of the series and though the match ended in a draw, it turned out to be a statistician's delight. Pakistan piled up 485 runs in their first innings after Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar asked the home side to bat first. Zaheer Abbas made a magnificent double ton (215), his 100th first-class century and only the twentieth batsman to have achieved the feat.
Mohsin Khan, too, went into record books by completing 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year, the first Pakistani to do so. For India, Mohinder Amarnath made his third ton (109 not out), while Sandeep Patil too racked up a half-century (68 not out). Gavaskar also passed 7,000 runs in Tests, a feat achieved only by Boycott, Cowdrey, Hammond and Sobers.
Dilip Doshi was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking 5 for 90. But the draw was inevitable after persistent rain and bad light affected the major part of the match.
300th Test - vs South Africa at Ahmedabad in 1996
An inspired bowling effort (6-21 in just 11.5 overs) by medium pacer Javagal Srinath helped India secure a series-levelling victory in the second Test of the three-match series. Chasing 211 for victory, South Africa were bowled out for 105, with Srinath being the main destroyer, while Anil Kumble too chipped in with three wickets in visitors' second innings.
India conceded a 21-run lead after being bowled out for 223 in their first innings and restricting the African side to 244. The hosts' batsmen didn't have any answers to the fearsome pace duo of Allan Donald and Fanie de Villiers, and the nagging line and length of Brian McMillan. Only VVS Laxman hit a half-century and top-scored for the home side with his 51.
But Srinath gave the South African a taste of their own medicine by bowling fast and with fury, and thus helped India win the match by 64 runs. The visitors came back into the series by winning the Kolkata Test but India clinched the series by winning the Kanpur Test.
400th Test - vs West Indies at Kingston in 2006
After no results in the first three matches of the four-match series, India produced a clinical performance to win the match in Jamaica. It was a low-scoring game, with only West Indies able to cross the 200-run mark in their second innings. India, after being bowled out for 200 in their first innings, managed only 171 in their second. But the 97-run lead that they got in the first innings by skittling the home side for mere 103, proved decisive at the end.
The spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble shared the honours in the first and second innings respectively. Harbhajan destroyed Windies first innings by taking 5 wickets for 13 runs in just 4.3 overs. Kumble produced a daring effort in the second by clinching six for 78 in his 22.4 overs as India won the contest by 49 runs.
Cricket is very much in the air, with the ICC World Cup getting underway in Bangladesh. And, just as for seemingly everything in life, there is an app—correction, 'are apps'—for the gentleman's game as well, designed to keep you in touch with proceedings, even if you are nowhere near a cricket stadium or even a television set. Yes, there are good old SMS alerts too—which are being offered by a number of service providers—but what makes these apps stand out is the fact that all of them are available for free of cost, and require nothing more than a decent GPRS/EDGE connection.
What's more, if you are really missing the action, there are apps that will let you have a slog of your own or bowl a few wrong 'uns without moving from your seat.
We cherry-pick seven of the best apps that will let you get your cricketing fix, whether in terms of action or information - no TV or cricket ground needed.
Umar Akmal eyes big innings in Zimbabwe
Lahore: Explosive young batsman Umar Akmal believes that he has overcome his weak points in his batting during the fast track camp and is now ready to play longer and more responsible innings for Pakistan in the future.
"The coaching we have got in the camp has helped a lot and I am confident that on our next assignment in Zimbabwe I will play big innings to restore confidence of everyone in my batting," Umar said.The Pakistan cricket Board has invited 12 batsman and 10 fast bowlers for the three weeks camp being supervised by chief selector, Mohsin Khan and former Test players, Ijaz Ahmed and Sarfaraz Nawaz.
Ijaz who has worked with the national team as assistant coach until recently has adopted a unique method to coach the batsman.
The former player told the media he believes that players who don't perform properly need to warm the bench so that they 'realise the importance of building an innings'.
"We have batsmen with great potential but their technique requires attention. We are training them on how to build their innings," Ijaz said.
He said that Pakistan batsman despite having immense potential are often found throwing their wickets away to poor shot selection, making the same mistakes repeatedly.
Ijaz admitted that on several occasions Pakistan failed to capitalise in situations where they could have easily won matches for their team. "When a batsman makes mistakes he should be promptly told by the team management," said Ijaz.
"But if he still repeats the same mistakes he should be forced to sit out for a match or two. We faced similar punishments during our time. We were forced to sit out only because of poor shot selection.
"So it's very important for the batsmen to realise their responsibility and not throw away their wickets in times of dire need," Ijaz added.
Mohsin Khan said that Pakistan had immense talent and just needed guidance in order to become the world's best. "I've played cricket all over the world," Mohsin told reporters.
"I've noticed three countries - Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka - having immense talent. But raw talent and shaping it to use accordingly in different situation are two different things and this is what the ongoing camp is all about."
The board has invited the country's top performers in domestic cricket and those who are fringe selections but has surprisingly ignored many players who have been doing well in recent times including discarded Test players, Faisal Iqbal and Asim Kamal.
The board even ignored Ramiz Raja junior the top scorer in the last domestic season and he was a late inclusion in the fast track camp for the batsman after earlier he was placed in the camp for spinners and all-rounders.
We can surprise India, says Eoin Morgan
The 24-year-old is hoping England can utilise their own conditions in an attempt to catch India off guard.
'It is an advantage, particularly over here in England. There's no conditions like it in the world, especially if we prepare pitches that are conducive to swing, bounce and seam,' Morgan was quoted as saying in ecb.co.uk.
Despite only managing a 1-0 result against Sri Lanka, Morgan insisted that they were in good shape for the battle against India.
'We are well prepared, we have half a season under our belt already and hopefully it will come to them as a surprise.'
'A lot of our preparation so far this summer has been building towards this series.'
'With the momentum we've had over the last year and a half or so, we feel that we are in a good position and we're ready for a good test and there's no bigger test than the number one side in the world.'
Morgan has no doubts England have enough variation and quality in their attack to trouble the star-studded India batting line-up.
'I think we do. We've proved over the winter how we take our wickets, we build pressure and put the batsmen under pressure to score runs,' he said.
'Runs are going to be key. I don't think we can look too far ahead in regards of comparing the two sides because they have a lot of legends of the game playing and guys who are at the back end of their career after having magnificent careers.
'We can't look too far ahead of ourselves; we have got to do our own things and do it the way we do it. If we can pile on the runs and take wickets, we will do exceptionally well.'
With India boasting the likes of Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma, the left-hander knows how important it is to contain the tourists' attack if England are to be successful in this series.
Dravid to address MCC World Cricket Committee
'They have an exceptional bowling attack. Bowlers win Test matches more than anything else and to get to a position that they have done, their bowlers have bowled out a lot of teams,' he said.
The left-hander cemented his place as England's Test number six during the series win over Sri Lanka, notably by scoring seventies at Lord's and the Rose Bowl.
With Paul Collingwood occupying that position last winter during the Ashes, Morgan did not play Australia in Tests, but now faces his biggest challenge against the top- ranked side in the world.
'I've felt in good form now for a while, probably since Australia, so it's nice to get some runs under my belt and keep ticking over until maybe that match-winning performance comes around the corner.'
Morgan said England will have to play there is 'exceptionally well' to beat India.
'We feel that again the momentum we have had and the cricket we have played, if we play to our potential, we will compete to a high standard,' said Morgan who scored 168 runs against Sri Lanka at an average of 56.
ICC RANKINGS Test
Rank Country Points
1 India 126
2 South Africa 116
3 England 117
4 Australia 110
5 Sri Lanka 109
6 Pakistan 88
7 West Indies 85
8 New Zealand 78
9 Bangladesh 7
ICC RANKINGS Test ODIS
Rank Country Points
1 Australia 128
2 India 121
3 Sri Lanka 118
4 South Africa 115
5 England 112
6 Pakistan 100
7 New Zealand 91
8 West Indies 67
9 Bangladesh 66
Test Batsmen
ICC Player Rankings
Rank Name Country Rating
1 J.H. Kallis SA 8832 S.R. Tendulkar IND 857
3 K.C. Sangakkara SL 838
4 I.J.L. Trott ENG 833
5 A.N. Cook ENG 821
6 V.V.S. Laxman IN 781
7 S. Chanderpaul WI 775
8 V. Sehwag IND 767
9 T.T. Samaraweera SL 766
10 A.B. de Villiers SA 760
Top 100
Test bowlers
ICC Player Rankings
ICC Player Rankings
Rank Name Country Rating
1 D.W. Steyn SA 899
2 G.P. Swann ENG 797
3 J.M. Anderson ENG 781
4 M. Morkel SA 751
5 M.G. Johnson AUS 727
6 Zaheer Khan IND 726
7 Harbhajan Sing IND 677
8 I. Sharma IND 671
9 Shakib Al Hasan BAN 648
10 D.L. Vettori NZ 623
Top 100
Test Allrounders
ICC Player Rankings
Rank Name Country Rating
1 J.H. Kallis SA 451
2 D.L. Vettori NZ 364
3 Shakib Al Hasan BAN 338
4 S.R. Watson AUS 315
5 G.P. Swann ENG 263
6 S.C.J. Broad ENG 248
7 M.G. Johnson AUS 243
8 Harbhajan Singh IND 240
9 D.J.J. Bravo WI 228
10 C.H. Gayle WI 208
Top 10
ODI Batsmen
ICC Player RankingsRank Name Country Rating
1 H.M. Amla SA 867
2 A.B. de Villiers SA 804
3 S.R. Watson AUS 758
4 K.C. Sangakkara SL 757
5 M.E.K. Hussey AUS 748
6 V. Kohli IND 738
7 I.J.L. Trott ENG 737
8 M.S. Dhoni IND 711
9 M.J. Clarke AUS 706
9 T.M. Dilshan SL 706
Top 100
ODI Bowlers
ICC Player Rankings
Rank Name Country Rating
1 G.P. Swann ENG 707
2 D.L. Vettori NZ 701
3 R.W. Price ZIM 678
4 Saeed Ajmal PAK 673
5 D.W. Steyn SA 663
6 M. Morkel SA 661
7 M.G. Johnson AUS 654
8 L.L. Tsotsobe SA 652
9 Harbhajan Singh IND 641
10 Abdur Razzak BAN 636
Top 100
ODI All Rounders
ICC Player RankingsRank Name Country Rating
1 S.R. Watson AUS 428
2 Shakib Al Hasan BAN 384
3 Shahid Afridi PAK 342
4 J.H. Kallis SA 339
5 Yuvraj Singh IND 330
6 Mohammad Hafeez PAK 319
7 D.L. Vettori NZ 307
8 R.N. ten Doeschate NET 306
9 J.D.P. Oram NZ 287
9 T.M. Dilshan SL 287
Top 10
No DRS in SL-Aus Test series
Citing financial problems, the Sri Lanka Ccricket (SLC) interim committee chairman Upali Dharmadasa said that the DRS will not be used as the board cannot bear the cost of the technology. DRS will cost $150,000 to SLC for the series comprising three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals.
Dharmadasa was quoted in Times of India as saying, “We have decided not to have it for the Australian series,".
He however added that the board will be in a position to include the DRS once the board fids a sponsor. The SLC is yet to receive $3.975 million for the entire tour from Ten Sports.
SLC has been struggling to find sponsors after the world cup, as most of the sponsors have reduced investing after the recently concluded Indian Premier League and the World Cup.
Disclaimer
Sachin, Sehwag nominated for ICC's all-time greatest Test team
Dubai:
Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and opener Virender Sehwag are among the list of players nominated for an online poll to select the greatest team of all-time on the occasion of Test cricket's 2,000th match.
The historic match will take place between India and England at Lord's from July 21 to 25, and the ICC has called on supporters from across the globe to select the greatest team of all-time.
While Sehwag has found a place in the list of openers, which also has the likes of former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar has been short-listed for the middle-order batsman's slot.
However, no Indian player has found a place in the shortlist for the slot of wicketkeepers and fast bowlers, while the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team captain Kapil Dev is in the reckoning as an all-rounder.
The historic match will take place between India and England at Lord's from July 21 to 25, and the ICC has called on supporters from across the globe to select the greatest team of all-time.
While Sehwag has found a place in the list of openers, which also has the likes of former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar has been short-listed for the middle-order batsman's slot.
However, no Indian player has found a place in the shortlist for the slot of wicketkeepers and fast bowlers, while the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team captain Kapil Dev is in the reckoning as an all-rounder.
Legendary Bishan Singh Bedi and Anil Kumble have been shortlisted for the spinner's role in the dream team.
Sir Donald Bradman and West Indian great Viv Richards are in the fray for the middle-order's slot, while attacking wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist is pitted against South Africa's Mark Boucher for the stumper's position.
Legendary West Indian pacers Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding and Pakistani great Wasim Akram have been shortlisted in the bowler's category along side champion spinner Shane Warne.
The ICC's website is seeking votes from the fans and cricket lovers across the world to pick the dream Test team from a shortlist of 60 players split into five categories.
The fans will be asked to pick two opening batsmen, three middle-order batsmen, a wicketkeeper, three fast bowlers and one spinner.
The public vote on ICC's website closes in two days' time with results set to be announced the week before the 2,000th Test.
"With the 2,000th Test coming up it is appropriate to remember some of the great players through the ages that have thrilled audiences and inspired us all," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.
"With so many legends of the game to choose from, it is a very difficult task and I'm sure one that will lead to plenty of fond recollection and great debate.
"Test cricket is the pinnacle format of our great sport and it is important we continue to protect and promote it so that it grows even stronger over the next 2,000 matches."
The shortlist for Dream Team:
Opening batsmen: Geoffrey Boycott, Sunil Gavaskar, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton, Hanif Mohammad, Virender Sehwag, Herbert Sutcliffe, Victor Trumper.
Middle-order batsmen: Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Wally Hammond, George Headley, Brian Lara, Javed Miandad, Graeme Pollock, Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar.
All-rounder: Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Aubrey Faulkner, Richard Hadlee, Jacques Kallis, Imran Khan, Keith Miller, Wilfred Rhodes, Gary Sobers, Frank Worrell.
Wicketkeepers: Les Ames, Mark Boucher, Jeff Dujon, Godfrey Evans, Andy Flower, Adam Gilchrist, Alan Knott, Rod Marsh, Clyde Walcott, Wasim Bari.
Fast bowlers: Curtley Ambrose, Sydney Barnes, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Malcolm Marshall, Glenn McGrath, Fred Trueman, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram.
Spinners: Bishen Bedi, Richie Benaud, Lance Gibbs, Clarrie Grimmett, Jim Laker, Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralidaran, Bill O'Reilly, Derek Underwood, Shane Warne.
Tags: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, ICC Alltime Test dream team, ICC's alltime greatest Test team
2nd Match: Scotland v Ireland at Edinburgh - Jul 12, 2011
Ireland 320/8 (50 ov)
Scotland 323/5 (48.3 ov)
Scotland won by 5 wickets (with 9 balls remaining)
- Tri-Nation Tournament in Scotland - 2nd match
- ODI no. 3171 | 2011 season
- Played at Grange Cricket Club Ground, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
- 12 July 2011 (50-over match)
| Ireland innings (50 overs maximum) | R | M | B | 4s | 6s | SR | ||
 | WTS Porterfield* | c Coetzer b Davey | 21 | 38 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 61.76 |
| PR Stirling | c Berrington b Haq | 113 | 117 | 95 | 10 | 6 | 118.94 |
| AR Cusack | c Goudie b Sharif | 71 | 126 | 83 | 6 | 0 | 85.54 |
| AD Poynter | lbw b Mommsen | 51 | 41 | 34 | 5 | 2 | 150.00 |
| KJ O'Brien | c Haq b Mommsen | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| GC Wilson† | b Davey | 22 | 29 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 122.22 |
| JF Mooney | b Mommsen | 5 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 41.66 |
| DT Johnston | c MacLeod b Davey | 17 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 106.25 |
| AR White | not out | 4 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 | |
| WB Rankin | not out | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Extras | (lb 9, w 7) | 16 | ||||||
 | ||||||||
| Total | (8 wickets; 50 overs) | 320 | (6.40 runs per over) | |||||
| Did not bat GH Dockrell |
| Fall of wickets1-63 (Porterfield, 10.2 ov), 2-182 (Stirling, 30.4 ov), 3-267 (Poynter, 40.3 ov),4-267 (O'Brien, 40.4 ov),5-271 (Cusack, 41.4 ov), 6-281 (Moo ney, 44.2 ov), 7-309 (Wilson, 47.5 ov),8-319 (Johnston, 49.3 ov) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |||
| GD Drummond | 6 | 1 | 34 | 0 | 5.66 | (1w) | ||
| S Sharif | 7 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 6.28 | ||
| G Goudie | 5 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 6.60 | (1w) | ||
| JH Davey | 7 | 1 | 41 | 3 | 5.85 | (1w) | |
| RD Berrington | 7 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 7.57 | (1w) | ||
| RM Haq | 10 | 0 | 49 | 1 | 4.90 | ||
| KJ Coetzer | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 10.33 | (2w) | ||
| PL Mommsen | 5 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 5.20 | (1w) |
| Scotland innings (target: 321 runs from 50 overs) | R | M | B | 4s | 6s | SR | ||
| DF Watts | lbw b Dockrell | 54 | 78 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 90.00 |
| KJ Coetzer | b Rankin | 89 | 109 | 85 | 10 | 2 | 104.70 |
| CS MacLeod | c †Wilson b Rankin | 29 | 41 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 70.73 |
| JH Davey | not out | 50 | 85 | 58 | 3 | 0 | 86.20 | |
| PL Mommsen | c Johnston b Dockrell | 20 | 32 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 86.95 |
| RD Berrington | c Dockrell b Mooney | 56 | 31 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 243.47 |
| S Sharif | not out | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 | |
| Extras | (b 7, lb 11, w 4, nb 2) | 24 | ||||||
| ||||||||
| Total | (5 wickets; 48.3 overs) | 323 | (6.65 runs per over) | |||||
| Did not bat RM Haq, GD Drummond*, GI Maiden†, G Goudie |
| Fall of wickets1-129 (Watts, 19.3 ov), 2-181 (Coetzer, 29.1 ov), 3-197 (MacLeod, 31.5 ov),4-232 (Mommsen, 39.6 ov),5-313 (Berrington, 46.5 ov) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |||
| WB Rankin | 9 | 0 | 74 | 2 | 8.22 | (2w) | |
| DT Johnston | 9 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 6.66 | (2nb) | ||
| JF Mooney | 4.3 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 8.22 | ||
| PR Stirling | 9 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 4.22 | (1w) | ||
| GH Dockrell | 10 | 0 | 58 | 2 | 5.80 | (1w) | |
| AR Cusack | 5 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 5.20 | |||
| AR White | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 6.00 |
| Match details |
| Toss Scotland, who chose to field Points Scotland 2, Ireland 0 |
| Umpires M Erasmus (South Africa) and IN Ramage Match referee DT Jukes (England) Reserve umpire JB Anderson |
| Match notes |
Strauss gears up to lead from front against India: London: He was out of touch against Sri Lanka but England captain Andrew Strauss is hoping to lead from the front against world number one India in the four-match Test seriesstarting on July 21. rauss retired from limited-overs cricket after the World Cup earlier this year and has had just one LV County Championship outing for Middlesex since England sealed a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka last month. The left-handed opener contributed only 27 runs in four innings against Sri Lanka in the three Tests and was then dismissed for two in Middlesex's rain-ruined draw against Gloucestershire. In an effort to regain form ahead of the much-anticipated showdown with India, Strauss will play as a "guest" for Somerset in their three-day tour game at Taunton from July 15-17. "I'm chomping at the bit to get out there. I've had a bit of time off and have spent a lot more time than I would normally do preparing for this series. In that sense it's been a good thing," Strauss said. "Above all it is an exciting time, an exciting second half of the summer and one where we can take some really big strides forward as well," he said. The series opener takes place at Lord's from July 21-25. Strauss was all praise for new England ODI captain Alastair Cook who led the side to a 3-2 ODI series victory over Sri Lanka."When you start off as captain you are under the spotlight. Can you handle all the demands of captaincy alongside your own batting? And because Alastair had just come into the side, there was even more pressure on him "He responded in the way that we all thought he would because he has done it so many times in the past. He batted outstandingly well, captained outstandingly well and he led us to a series victory. It's a great start for him, I'm delighted for him and I think we are all excited about moving onto the Test series now," said Strauss. Cook scored 298 runs in the ODI series against Sri Lanka to silence the critics who believed his batting style was unsuited to the one-day game. PTI |