Strauss announces retirement

England Test captain Andrew Strauss has announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect.

The 35-year-old Middlesex and England opening batsman - who led England to two Ashes victories and to the top of the Test rankings - is retiring after 14 years in the professional game.
Strauss will be replaced as Test captain by Alastair Cook who will also continue to lead the one day side.
Strauss made his England debut in a one day international against Sri Lanka in 2003 and was awarded his Test cap a year later in 2004 against New Zealand scoring a century on debut. The England opener has gone on to win 100 Test caps captaining the side in 50 of those Tests, 124 ODI caps and four T20 caps in an international career that has spanned eleven years. He has scored 21 Test centuries and six ODI centuries.
Andrew Strauss said: "After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England Test Captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket. It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.
"There are too many people who have helped me on this incredible journey to mention them all by name, but I would like to thank all the Middlesex and England players I have played alongside, as well as the phenomenal coaches and support staff with whom I have been fortunate enough to work. Particular mention has to go to Andy Flower and Duncan Fletcher in that regard. It would also be remiss of me not to thank Middlesex County Cricket Club, the ECB and the PCA for their support and guidance over the years.
"No one can play international cricket for any length of time without having an incredibly strong support network around them, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family for going through it all alongside me over the course of my England career.

 

India claims its third U-19 World Cup

CAPTAIN'S KNOCK:India captain Unmukt Chand was unstoppable against Australia in the ICC under-19 World Cup final at Townsville on Sunday.— PHOTO: AP

Unmukt Chand led from the front with a magnificent hundred as the India under-19 team lifted its third World Cup title after beating formidable defending champion Australia by six wickets in the final here on Sunday.
This was the India under-19 team’s third triumph after Mohammed Kaif and Virat Kohli led their respective teams to victory in the 2000 and 2008 editions respectively.
Courtesy a magnificent unbeaten 111 from Unmukt and his unbroken partnership of 130 runs with wicketkeeper Smit Patel, India overhauled a competitive target of 226 on a bouncy strip with 14 balls to spare.
It was one of the best centuries one could have witnessed at the junior level as Unmukt hit seven 4s and six 6s during his 130-ball knock.
He completed his century with a six over extra cover off Alex Gregory but the celebrations were muted. The skipper knew that the job was only half done.
Once Smit, who hit an effective 62, slog-swept off-spinner Ashton Turner towards deep mid-wicket for a four a number of Indian supporters rushed to the ground to celebrate with the team.
Though four wickets were lost in the chase, it never looked like an uphill task for the Indians, who were subdued in the middle overs but accelerated towards the end to get to the target with ease.
Good stand
After Prashant Chopra was out chasing a delivery down leg side off Mark Steketee without troubling the scorers, Unmukt and in-form batsman B. Aparajith (33) took the attack to the opposition.
The duo added 73 for the second wicket playing the Aussie pace trio of Steketee, Joel Paris and Gurinder Sandhu with ease. Unmukt, especially, was phenomenal in the closing stages hitting a couple of glorious sixes off Sandhu’s bowling.
The first was over long-off while the second looked even more spectacular as he presented the full face of the bat with a nice follow through.
Aparajith on the other hand hit a nice hook shot off Paris and some lovely cover drives that pierced the field.
However, Sandhu had the last laugh when he forced Aparajith to drive on the up and be brilliantly caught by Turner at short cover.
The Tamil Nadu all-rounder scored 33 off 38 balls with five hits to the fence. Hanuma Vihari (4) and Vijay Zol (1) didn’t score much but some damage was done by the number of deliveries that were consumed in the process.
Zol’s discomfort against the moving deliveries also frustrated Unmukt who didn’t get much of the strike. The Indian captain finally completed his half-century in 68 deliveries.
Zol’s agony came to an end when he edged one off Paris to wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson. The Bowling Power Play proved to be useful for the host as it conceded only 11 runs in the five overs.
At 97 for four, Smit Patel joined Unmukt in difficult circumstances. The boundaries dried up and so did the singles.
Smit, who hit fine straight drives, got India its first boundary after 44 deliveries.
Slowly, the two resurrected the innings with singles and twos. There were the occasional boundaries but only a few compared to the flurry of fours that Unmukt and Aparajith hit in the first 15 overs.
Earlier, India frittered away the early advantage as defending champion Australia recovered from a shaky start to post a competitive 225 for eight.
Electing to field after winning the toss, Indians had the Aussies on the mat at 38 for four before skipper William Bosisto (87 not out) rebuilt the innings with the help of some notable contributions down the order from Tavis Head (37) and Turner.
Colts ‘veteran’ Sandeep Sharma who got four for 54 was the most successful bowler.
BCCI’s cash prize
Meanwhile in Mumbai, the BCCI announced a cash prize of Rs. 20 lakh each for members of the team.
“Many congratulations to the Indian team for winning the ICC under-19 cricket World Cup. We won the ‘senior’ World Cup last year, and now our boys have triumphed in the junior version of the tournament.
“This is a great day for Indian cricket. The Board would like to announce a cash prize of Rs. 20 lakh to each player, and Rs. 15 lakh to each member of the support staff,” said the BCCI President N. Srinivasan in a statement.

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup semi-final match

Ravi Kant Singh of India celebrates with teammates their victory against New Zealand during their ICC U19 Cricket World Cup semi-final match, in Townsville, Australia.

 

ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup

Indian team celebrates victory against New Zealand during their ICC U19 Cricket World Cup semi-final match, in Townsville, Australia.

 

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag

 Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag interact during the first day of the first test cricket match against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

Virender Sehwag 

 Virender Sehwag plays a shot during the first day of the first test cricket match against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

New Zealand vs India in 2012

New Zealand bowler Trent Boult celebrates the dismissal of Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag during the first day of their first cricket test match in Hyderabad.

 

New Zealand in India sachin tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar bats during the first day of the first cricket test match against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

New Zealand in India 2012

  Pujara celebrates after scoring a half century during the first day of the first cricket test match against New Zealand in Hyderabad

India vs New Zealand Hyderabad Test, Day 1

 Virat Kohli, congratulates teammate Cheteshwar Pujara for scoring a half century during the first day of the first cricket test match against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

No end to Sachin Tendulkar's learning curve

 Watching the Indian team nets two days before the start of the first Test against New Zealand, it's apparent why Sachin Tendulkar has weathered 23 long years of pressure and still continues to deliver for his team: His focus and dedication is second to none.

While some other legends of the game — and his contemporaries — have come and gone, the Little Master seems to have the energy and drive to carry on even at the age of 39.

One of the reasons Sachin has continued to succeed while most others have faded away is his eagerness to keep learning. Despite having scored 100 international centuries and amassing 15,470 Test and 18,426 ODI runs, he continues to be one of the finest pupils of the game.

South Africa storm to dramatic win

Matt Prior's thrilling last-ditch bid to save the series, and England's world number one status, ended in a 51-run defeat against South Africa at Lord's.

SCORECARD
Prior (73) produced the most exhilarating of three England 50s but, even after his reprieve on 67 when he was called back from almost the pavilion steps after holing out off a Morne Morkel no-ball, he could not get the hosts over the line.

It was nonetheless not until he was ninth out, caught at first slip off Vernon Philander (five for 30) with the second new ball, that England were finally done - bowled out for 294, when last man Steven Finn went to the very next delivery, in pursuit of an improbable 346.

 

U-19 WC: India edge out Pakistan, reach semis

 

India's [ Images ] tail-enders held their nerves in the tense dying moments to edge out arch-rivals Pakistan by one wicket in a low-scoring thriller to cruise into the semifinals of the under-19 cricket World Cup in Townsville, Australia [ Images ], on Monday.

After dismissing Pakistan for a paltry 136, India made rough weather of a small target as they were reduced to 127 for nine in 41 overs after being in a comfortable 124 for six at one stage.
It was a nerve-wrecking final 25 minutes as Mumbai [ Images ] lad Harmeet Singh and No. 11 Sandeep Sharma from Punjab [ Images ] held their nerves to eke out a narrow one-wicket win with two overs to spare at the Tony Ireland Stadium.

 

VVS Laxman bids adieu to cricketv 

He had style, he had panache and he had perseverance, but VVS Laxman couldn't achieve what he truly deserved. Despite being one of the 'Fab Four', Laxman fell short of what a talent and sportsman like him was worthy of.

As 'Very Very Special' Laxman calls it quits, CricketNDTV takes a look at his cricket odyssey.

VVS Laxman retires from international cricket with immediate effect 

Hyderabad: India batsman VVS Laxman has announced retirement from 16 years of international cricket with immediate effect.

He will not play the Test series against New Zealand that starts from August 23 in Hyderabad.

VVS Laxman: I have tried to give my best while maintaining dignity.

He last played a Test match against Australia in Sydney in January this year.

In his 16-year long career, Laxman played 134 Tests and scored 8781 runs with the help of 17 centuries. In 86 ODIs, he scored 2338 runs with the help of 6 centuries.

Yuvraj Singh to go all out in World T20 opener vs Afghanistan

Yuvraj Singh, who will make a comeback for India in next month's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, revealed he had doubts whether he would play international cricket again after being diagnosed with cancer.

"It feels good to be back. It has been a tough two months of training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore

Team is mentally and physically fit for long season: MS Dhoni

The Indian cricketers are geared up for the long season ahead and are both physically and mentally ready for the packed calendar, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Thursday.

"The team is all fit from the physical and mental aspects. The one and a half months break (after last IPL) was very good from the physical and mental aspect.

"Even on the tour of Sri Lanka (where the team played five ODIs and a lone T20 game against the hosts) we had breaks between each game. We are quite ready for the packed season ahead," said Dhoni at the launch of a new national T20 jersey by the Indian Cricket Board`s apparel sponsors Nike.

"Slowly we will get into the Test format now and then the T20s. There is lot of cricket ahead ending with the IPL. We have to look ahead every 15 days," he said.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Personal information
Full name	Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Born	7 July 1981 (age 31) Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), India
Nickname	Mahi
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Batting style	Right-hand batsman
Bowling style	Right-hand medium
Role	Wicket-keeper, India captain
International information
National side	India
Test debut (cap 251)	2 December 2005 v Sri Lanka
Last Test	13 January 2012 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 158)	23 December 2004 v Bangladesh
Last ODI	04 August 2012 v Sri Lanka
T20I debut (cap 2)	1 December 2006 v South Africa
Last T20I	07 August 2012 v Sri Lanka
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1999/00–2004/05	Bihar
2004/05-present	Jharkhand
2008–present	Chennai Super Kings
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	T20Is
Matches	67	211	108	32
Runs scored	3,509	6,908	5,671	565
Batting average	37.32	51.17	36.12	29.73
100s/50s	5/24	7/46	8/38	0/0
Top score	148	183*	148	48*
Balls bowled	78	12	108	–
Wickets	0	1	0	–
Bowling average	–	14.00	–	–
5 wickets in innings	–	–	–	–
10 wickets in match	–	–	–	–
Best bowling	–	1/14	–	–
Catches/stumpings	192/28	199/66	300/47	15/5

Kohli, Tendulkar in running for top ICC awards

In-form India batsman Virat Kohli, the leading run-scorer in ODIs this year along with Sachin Tendulkar has been nominated for the top ICC Awards 2012.
While Kohli has been nominated for the Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year awards, Tendulkar has once again been nominated for the ICC People's Choice award.
Those nominated for the People's Choice award include Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, South Africa's duo Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis, while England's James Anderson makes up the quintet of nominees.

 

Sachin Tendulkar gears up for Kiwi series

After a well-deserved break of two months, Sachin Tendulkar seems mighty serious about his business as the master blaster began his preparation for the upcoming home series against New Zealand at the National Cricket Academy here.

Tendulkar, who arrived at the NCA on Wednesday afternoon, started his session facing the net bowlers and pacer Zaheer Khan, who is undergoing a rehabilitation programme for the last few weeks.

After taking on the bowlers for nearly an hour, Tendulkar, who last played in the Indian Premier League in May, seemed satisfied with his batting. Later, he faced throw-downs from NCA training assistant Raghavendra for another hour. The maestro, who was assisted by NCA batting coach Dinesh Nanavati, is likely to continue his stint for another four days.

 

Kohli gets two nominations for ICC Awards

 

Dubai: India batsman Virat Kohli has been nominated in two categories for the International Cricket Council (ICC) awards to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka next month.
Virat Kohli, India's most prolific run-getter in the last one year, has been shortlisted for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award and ODI Cricketer of the Year with the latter having Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir as other contenders.

The captains of the 16 Under-19 teams pose with the World Cup trophy, Brisbane

Lasith Malinga bowls in a training session, Pallekele

Irfan Pathan celebrates the wicket of Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka v India, Only T20I, Pallekele

Lahiru Thirimanne was out attempting a reverse sweep, Sri Lanka v India, Only T20I, Pallekele

India vs Sri Lanka T20

India vs Sri Lanka T20

India vs Sri Lanka T20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India vs Sri Lanka T20: Cricket highlights

 

The news from the only T20 match between India vs Sri Lanka which will be played at Pallekele on August 7, 2012,