Print Wrap: Daily dose of headlines
Every morning Cricketnirvana brings you a roundup of headlines from the leading national dailies across the cricketing nations. Here's what some of the newspapers are talking about…
England's bowlers wilt in the face of Bosman blitz
British daily The Independent, in its Monday edition, writes the Proteas steamrolled England by 84 runs in the second Twenty-20 international…
What a deeply significant day it was for England. Alastair Cook was their captain for the first time, the inaugural stage in a grooming process for the future. Kevin Pietersen made his return to the team after the surgery on an Achilles tendon last July, a relief for all concerned.
And then it all went horribly wrong in the second Twenty20 international. South Africa came out slugging in a fashion only Babe Ruth might have recognised. In a destructive dismantling of England's hapless attack, they made 241 for 6, the second-highest total in Twenty20 internationals and the largest between two major nations. During this brutal assault they struck a record 17 sixes, nine of them to Loots Bosman and six of them to their captain, Graeme Smith.
The result was a formality simply because England, even with Pietersen back and the revelation that is Eoin Morgan, lacked the necessary power to sustain a rate of 12 runs an over. The defeat by 84 runs was the heaviest the team have suffered and the T20 series was left drawn at 1-1.
"I don't think it comes much tougher than that," said Cook. "Very little we tried came off, the margin for error on that pitch was very small and unfortunately they punished us."
If Cook, who expressed his pride in having done the job, thought that was tough enough, he was then criticised for his handling of Adil Rashid, who was withdrawn from the attack after one over which went for 25....
Brett Lee out of running for Test selection
Australia’s newspaper The Australian reports that speedster Brett Lee is out of contention for the first Test against the West Indies in Brisbane next week after his elbow injury flared up…
The 300-wicket fast bowler pulled up sore after a relatively lacklustre performance in the Ford Ranger Cup match against Tasmania yesterday where he failed to take a wicket and did not bowl faster than 141kmh.
“Brett Lee was not considered for this match after suffering a reaction to his elbow injury,” NSW said in a release yesterday. “Brett remains upbeat at this stage but will seek advice on the next course of action regarding further treatment on the injury.”
Lee, 33, is expected to know more about the prognosis tomorrow, but elbow injuries are notoriously difficult to overcome as team-mate Stuart Clark discovered last season.
Clark pulled out of the summer series to have his elbow operated on and has battled to get back into the Test side since.
Selectors have insisted that Lee bowl in the Sheffield Shield match to prove his fitness and panel chairman Andrew Hilditch will be at the game.
Lee’s Test future must be questioned as he has not played a match since breaking down in Melbourne last December.
A side strain on the eve of the Ashes cruelled his first attempt at a comeback and an elbow injury from the recent one -day series in India has again derailed his plans....
Thackeray's criticism of Tendulkar uncalled for: BCCI
India’s daily The Times of India reports the BCCI has reacted sharply to Bal Thackeray’s jibe at Sachin Tendulkar on his ‘Mumbai for all’ comment…
The Indian Cricket Board on Monday reacted angrily to Bal Thackeray's criticism of Sachin Tendulkar for his 'Mumbai is for all' comments, saying the Shiv Sena chief should be brought to book as his verbal attack on the batting maestro was uncalled for.
In an interaction with the media on completing 20 years in international cricket, Tendulkar had said, "I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians."
Thackeray criticised the statement saying, "There was no need to take a cheeky single by making these remarks. By making these remarks, you have got run-out from the "pitch" of Marathi psyche."
"You were not even born when the 'Marathi Manoos' got Mumbai and 105 Marathi people sacrificed their lives to get Mumbai," Sena mouthpiece 'Samana' quoted Thackeray as saying.
The BCCI reacted sharply to Thackeray's statement with its Finance Committee chairman and spokesperson Rajiv Shukla saying that the Shiv Sena chief was talking like Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
"These kind of comments are completely uncalled for. Shiv Sena people have no business to talk like this. Tendulkar is a nationalist. He is for Maharashtra, he is for India. If somebody calls himself an Indian, is it a crime?" he fumed.
"No Marathi will support Shiv Sena if they talk in these terms. Tendulkar has spoken like an Indian, like a nationalist. They don't understand this. In order to get some votes, they are trying to provoke feelings. These people should be brought to book," Shukla added....
