Vidya Balan Envy with Shahid-Priyanka Relationship?

Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are reportedly in a love relationship since they started shooting for their upcoming film Kaminey. Initially, it seemed to be a rumor, but the speculation got more grounds when Priyanka started living in the same building where Shahid also resides.

Now, it seems that Vidya Balan, another sought-after Bollywood beauty, could not accept the off-screen relationship between Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. In fact, Vidya has recently bought an apartment near Shahid Kapoor’s residence and reports available in the media suggest that Vidya wants to keep an eye on Shahid Kapoor.

Shahid Kapoor and Vidya Balan were also romantically linked up during the shooting of their 2008 movie Kismat Konnection which did not do well in the box office. That time, both of them denied it and claimed they were just professional friend. Now, it seems that there was something else between Shahid Kapoor and Vidya Balan.

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NDTV

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif are Expected to miss the World Cup

Pakistan's squad the two have been named but they are not fit for the next world cup, said a PCB official. They will go to London for their treatment.

Cricketworldcuplatest reported

"The situation for them is not good. They are struggling against time and we are not very hopeful of them playing in the World Cup," said the PCB official without wanting to be named.

The two bowlers tested positive last October for the banned substance nandrolone, but a PCB appeals panel cleared them of a doping offence and set aside their bans in December.

Pakistan media reported on Friday they had gone to London to take private dope tests to confirm the level of nandrolone remaining in their bodies.

The reports said they took the tests to confirm no traces of nandrolone remained before taking the PCB's official tests.

Director of cricket operations Saleem Altaf insisted it was mandatory for Shoaib and Asif to clear dope tests and fitness trials next week to play in the World Cup.

"I don't know why they are delaying taking the tests in Pakistan but if they don't take it they don't go to the World Cup," he said.

It is bad luck for Pakistan. In a conference Pakistan Captain told, “Fit Pakistan team can win World Cup.” So it is clear that Pakistan cricket team is in presser.

VVS Laxman and Mohammed Kaif Overlooked in the Indian Squad for the World Cup Cricket 2007

The final Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 has been on public recently. The squad included only three middle order batsmen in which two of them are not specialist middle order batsman and two of them are struggling with injury. On the other hand, the squad has four specialist openers. So, it seems that the squad lacks of balance in the batting line up. Yuvraj Singh is the only man who is a real middle order batsman but since last ICC Champions Trophy he has been out of International cricket. Other two middle order batsmen are not idle for middle order. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicker keeper) and strike bowler Irfan Pathan are idle for slog overs and the team can only expect some cameo innings from them, not more than that.

I became astonished that Indian selectors did not think about experienced VVS Laxman and Mohammed Kaif; even they were not given a chance to prove their form. I think there is no doubt about their class as they have proved their potential many times. They just to need to prove their present form but to do this you have to get a chance which they did not get in the last series.

I think both Kaif and Yuvraj had a big impact on the batting line up in the last world cup 2003 and that was one of the most important reasons behind India’s excellent performance in that tournament. Yuvraj is an attacking batsman whereas Kaif is a batsman who can play on singles. So, the two middle order batsmen brought a perfect balance to the batting line up. I think this is very much important to have at least two specialist middle order batsman in the batting line up. It is not possible for the openers or one down or two down batsmen to click every day because it is cricket and you can not do well in every match. That is why, two specialist middle order batsman is badly needed for a good batting line up in order to protect any crucial situation and also take the score in a competitive total.

Ramesh Powar, Mohammed Kaif and Suresh Raina Out of the Indian Squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

Ramesh Power has got out of the final Indina squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 though he has taken 18 wickets in the last 10 matches. This off spinner could not get chance in the squad as Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh has been selected as the spinner. On the other hand, Mohammed Kaif, a good middle order batsman and excellent fielder, has also been out from the final 15. Kaif is a bit unlucky that he even was not given a chance to prove himself. However, following the Kaif’s exclusion from the squad, the students of Allahabad University have showed their protest and burnt effigies of selector Dilip Vengsarkar. Besides Kaif and Power, Suresh Raina, an all rounder of UP has been got out of the squad.

NDTV reported:

Powar has taken 18 wickets in the last 10 ODIs he has played which is one less than Munaf Patel, the highest wicket taker, in as many ODIs.

However, he failed to find a place in the final 15 for the World Cup.

The Mumbai spinner lost out to more experienced colleagues, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

He may have been disappointed but could take heart from what the Chairman of selectors said.

"Powar was unlucky not to make it though he has got wickets," said Dilip Vengsarkar, Chairman, Selection Committee.

All rounder Mohammed Kaif's exclusion from the team also drew angry protests from the students of Allahabad University.

Students burnt effigies of Vengsarkar in Kanpur as well. Besides the UP skipper, his state team mate Suresh Raina was also overlooked for the World Cup.

I think Kaif was supposed to give a chance to show his performance as he is not a new face in the Indian team and he has nothing to prove his class which he showed earlier. What he needed to be proven was his current form but the selectors did not give him any chance.

Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik Intend to Do Well in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik are the two young members of the Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. They have gone through a hard competition with some of other talented young stars such as Suresh Raina, Ramesh Power. Karthik has been in the squad as a reserve wicket keeper as Dhoni is the first choice for wicket keeping position in the team. Karthik’s wicket keeping is also very good. On the other hand, Robin Uthappa is a talented opening batsman. However, at this moment both of them are very happy having same intention in their mind and that is to play well in the upcoming world cup cricket and use the chance they got on this occasion.

India Times reported:

"I am happy to be selected. I will try my best to make this opportunity count," said Uthappa who has edged out Delhi challenger Gautam Gambhir for the opener's spot and is likely to launch the innings with former India skipper Sourav Ganguly in the World Cup to be held in March-April.

The 21-year-old Kaarthick echoed similar sentiments. "I am confident of making an impression in the World Cup if I get a chance," said the wicket-keeper batsman whose energy inside the ring as well as on the outfield has impressed the Indian team management.

Interestingly, Uthappa too can keep wickets like Kaarthick who is the second-choice stumper in the squad behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Both have fought back from early setbacks to their careers.

Kaarthick, who has played in 11 ODIs and scored 145 runs with 63 against the West Indies in the previous series on a difficult track that paved the way for an Indian win, is the senior among the two players as far as international debut is concerned.

After making a lukewarm debut in the Natwest Challenge in England in 2004, the bubbly Kaarthick lost his place to his more flamboyant rival and superb finisher Dhoni in the ODIs first and then in the Tests too.

I think they are potential and can serve India well during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 but I think selectors should have focused on the middle order batting line up as there is only one experienced and reliable batsman Yuvraj Singh but he is struggling with injury whereas Dhoni and Pathan are not that much reliable to be middle order batsman.

Indian World Cup Cricket 2007 Squad and Middle Order Batsmen

Indian selectors have included seven specialist batsmen in which four are specialist opener. Virender Shewag, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Robin Uthappa all are opener and got a lot of success in that position. Captain Rahul Dravid also played a number of matches as opener. So, I think in the first four positions there will have not any problem. However, from the 5^th position onward there are not any inform batsman at the moment. Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan can be regarded as the batsmen for number 5, 6 and 7. More precisely, Yuvraj is the only middle order batsman in the squad as both Dhoni and Pathan are hard hitter who barely play on singles and can make gaps during the middle of the innings rather they are more appropriate for the last 10 overs. Moreover, Pathan is a makeshift batsman as he is a strike bowler of the team. Among these three (Yuvraj, Dhoni and Pathan), both Yuvraj and Pathan are struggling with injury and were not in a good form in their last ODI matches.

So, I think middle order of this batting line up is totally a mess as some of them are not middle order batsman at all and injury is also playing a negative role there. I do not know that considering the situation stated above, how selectors came up with such names for the middle order and how they left out an experienced batsman Laxman or al rounder Suresh Raina in stead of taking Dinesh Karthik for a reserve wicket keeper.

Indian Squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007: No True All Rounder in the First 15 Member

Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 was on public yesterday. There is no surprise face in the squad and again Indian will go to world cup cricket without having any all rounder in true sense. Why true sense? Well, you may think that Irfan Pathan, who is now struggling with injury, can be a bowling all rounder. However, please think twice can we say in true sense that he is a perfect all rounder. I do not think so. Irfan Pathan is an excellent bowler who has showed his batting talent in some matches but it does not mean that he can be a reliable batsman as well. I think at least he can be a special batsman for the slog overs. I admit that taking some extra runs and getting some lofty shots in the last 10 overs is very important for limited over cricket but it does not mean that Pathan is an all rounder in a true sense.

For the last couple of series I have seen that India batting line lacks in the middle order especially in the 5^th, 6^th or 7^th position. For example, India lost the last match against Indian at Rajkot due to the lack of a reliable middle order batsman who can carry the innings to the end. So, instead of having an additional wicket keeper, India should have had an all rounder and Suresh Raina could be the first choice. Raina is a good off spinner and a talented middle order batsman and an energetic fielder too. Here another point is that experienced middle order batsman Yuvraj Singh is also not fit as he is in an injury. So, I think Indian middle order should have got some body reliable who is in fir and inform at the moment.

This is really needed to have an all rounder in today’s cricket and for ODI it is badly needed. There was a time when people just think about one side either batting or bowling or wicket keeping. However, now the situation has been changed and most the cricket powers have all rounder in their teams which sometimes make the difference in the field. It has been long since that India does not have any quality all rounder who can have a good impact on in the team and dominating performance in the field. In the world cup 2003 India included Sanjay Bangar, who, with the course of time, is now out of scene.

Two Wicket Keepers in the Indian Squad of World Cup Cricket 2007: Does It Really Need It

Yesterday Indian selectors have declared the 15 member squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup Cricket 2007. There is no new face in the final squad. The combination formed with 7 batsman, 7 bowlers and 2 wicket keepers. It seems a balanced side. However, does it really need to have a second wicket keeper for the squad?

Well, you may think that yes it needs because wicket keeping is such a position for which it is badly needed to have reserve person. It is a good logic though, but does it need to have third wicket keepers in the squad. Even if you have all great batsmen and all legendary bowlers in your squad, you will not think about taking three wicket keepers in your squad rather you may think about taking another batsman or bowler or an all rounder. However, Indian selectors did it. How?

Dinesh Karthik and Mahendra Singh Dhoni both are in first 15. However, I do not know if the selectors forgot another wicket keeper Rahul Dravid. In the last world cup 2003, Rahul Dravid played as a wicket keeper and that is why, India could take an additional batsman. This batsman gave a good back up to the side in the world cup 2003. I do not what is the reason selectors thought about to include Dinesh Karthik. Karthik is a good wicket keepers but I do not think that he has that much of batting talent so that he can be regarded as a batsman only.

Indian Squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007

The final world cup squad of India has been declared just a few hours ago. There is not any surprise inclusion in the squad. The squad involves two wicket-keepers, 7 bowlers and 7 batsmen; but there is no all-rounder but the injured Irfan Pathan can bat well who now can be regarded as the only all-rounder in the squad. The team will lead by veteran batsman Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar has been selected as the deputy of Dravid. The squad is given below-

Rahul Dravid (c), Sachin Tendulkar (v-c), Virender Sehwag, , Saurav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar

Among the bowlers there are two spinners and five pacers. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are in the squad with their spin bowling and Ajit Agarkar. Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan will appear with new ball. The most important thing is that there are four specialist openers- Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa and Virendar Shewag.

Indian and Sri Lankan Team Reach at Rajkot ahead of the Sunday’s ODI Match

Both Sri Lanka and India have reached at Rajkot ahead of the second ODI match of the ongoing ODI series between Indian and Sri Lanka. The second match of the series will be held on Sunday. The first ODI match at Eden Garden was declared abandoned due to rain having played 18 overs. However, following the alleged match fixing controversy of Nagpur, both ICC and local police are aware of having any such incident. Marlon Samuels, a veteran ODI player of West Indies has been accused by the Nagpur police of having contract with a bookie named Kochar during the Indian vs. West Indies ODI series.

Saharasamay reported:

The ICC team, in coordination with local police, would be keeping an eye on every movement of players from hotel to dressing room.

Through six close circuit cameras in the dressing room, every single movement by the two teams will be recorded even as the local police are all set to monitor any betting activity in the region.

Strict vigil would be maintained to ensure that no unauthorised person gets access to the dressing and hotel rooms, both in person and through phones.

Meanwhile, all eyes are set on the second ODI at Rajkot between the two countries to be played on Sunday.

The BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, calling the coming match a very important one, said the ICC vigilance team as well as the local police would keep the tab of the developments at Rajkot.

Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, it is very much needed to protect any book making activities in order to have nice tournament. I think ICC should come up with some strict laws against the bookmakers also because there are some laws concerned with the players but the bookmakers can easily escape from the scene.

Dispute over the Telecasting Issue between Nimbus and Doordarshan Getting More Complicated Making the Telecast of the India Vs. Sri Lanka ODI Series U

The uncertainty over the telecasting issue of the India vs. Sri Lanka ODI series is getting more complicated. Earlier the high court gave the verdict that the state run television channel Doordarshan will telecast each of the incidents of the match after seven minutes and NEO Sports will telecast the match live.

However, Nimbus Communications, the owner of the NEO Sports, rejected such sharing and that is why the Government has sent a show-cause notice to the Nimbus Communications.

RxPG News reported:

On Friday, Justice B.D. Ahmed of the Delhi High Court refused to grant conditional stay of a government ordinance asking private sports channels to share live feed of cricket and other sports events with public broadcaster Prasar Bharti, which makes it mandatory for Nimbus Communications, the owner of the NEO Sports, to share live feed with state-run Doordarshan.

Appearing before Ahmed, who is hearing the original petition, senior Counsel for Nimbus Harish Salve submitted that the signals of the free-to-air telecast of the Doordarshan - could be downloaded by the neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, the whole of Southeast Asia and Middle East causing irreparable loss to the private channel.

'The ordinance transgresses the constitutional limits and apart from violating the petitioner's fundamental rights, it also interferes with the power of the court to review the circular enforcing the private channels to share the feed,' said the petition.

Despite requests, Prasar Bharti did not fix decryption boxes in its 1,400 low power transmission - centres and the people in neighbouring countries were watching the matches free, said Salve.

Appearing for the government, Additional Solicitor General - P.P. Malhotra said the Nimbus petition should be dismissed as it had challenged the circular of the government contrary to its fundamental right enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution.

Citing judgements of the Supreme Court, Malhotra said it was the fundamental right of every citizen to view and listen to cricket matches or sports events held in the country on TV or radio.

Malhotra read out the relevant portions of the ordinance saying that the private channel would have to share live feed with DD and All India Radio -.

I think the ongoing dispute between the two channels should be solved as soon as possible in order to make the way clear so that the fans can watch the match live on the television.

Churches will Go for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

An organization named Project HOPE, based on different churches, will go for the coming ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in order to give entertainment and religious motif to the fans. He Project Hope is a partnership between local and Para church leaders.

Jamaica Gleaner reported:

“Project HOPE is a partnership among local churches and para-church leaders in the Caribbean to share the Christian gospel with those attending the CWC. The primary strategy is to touch the hearts of cricket enthusiasts through friendship-evangelism, entertainment packages, sports seminars, health clinics, tract distribution, prayer and counselling for those who request such and general helpfulness.

The acronym HOPE is the short for Hospitality Outreach Prayer Empowerment. This project was birthed last year and is spearheaded by Pastor Percival Palmer of Whole Life Sports, a division of Whole Life Ministries.

For his part, Pastor Palmer, is upbeat and expectant that God is going to manifest His glory beyond boundaries. "Spiritually speaking, there is something I hear rumbling in the Caribbean. I went to Guyana recently and shared one day there with 70 pastors. They quickly got a committee organised and are ready to run with the vision. St. Kitts is ahead of us. The people in the region are very expectant. I think God is about to do something ... There have been some prophetic words by Kenneth Copeland, in terms of spiritual tsunami coming to the region this year. We as the Church have to be prepared. I am believing that God will show up and do some phenomenal things.

Other sporting and entertainment events held during the time of the CWC will also have the involvement of Project HOPE, Pastor Palmer said. Project HOPE, he continued, will be at Boys and Girls Championship March 29-April 1, to do ministry. Similarly, he said, Project HOPE would also be involved in Fun in the Son which is scheduled to take place at Hope Gardens on March 17.

Pastor Palmer said Project HOPE Jamaica, would not be Kingston-bound, but that there will be ministry done in Trelawny and other western parts of the island.”

This is interesting that churches will be involved in the World Cup Cricket 2007 which I think a positive sign for the biggest tournament of the cricket world.

The Authority Asking Fans to Collect their Tickets Soon

The authority is now asking the fans to collect their desired tickets of the World Cup Cricket 2007 soon as the tickets are being sold well in the third phase of ticket selling. It has also been reported that the price of the ticket is beyond the capacity of general people. SKN Vibes reported:

The LOC official explained that the modest pricing of the tickets make it possible for locals to enjoy the exciting matches between the teams from Australia, South Africa, Scotland and the Netherlands.

The cheapest ticket you can get is for $40.00 (US $15.00) so there is no excuse not to go to Warner Park, Henry noted. School is not going to be in, so the teachers are going to be free, the students are going to be free and its going to be a great opportunity to make sure that you see at least one game & of the Cricket World Cup.

Mr. Henry noted that the West Indies Cricket Boards hosting of the CWC was historic as the region has never staged an event of this magnitude. He added that this unprecedented undertaking, which involves a total of nine countries as host venues, may be the only to be witnessed by this generation.

This Cricket World Cup is perhaps the only one you and I and perhaps our children will see ever in our life, he stressed. The CWC is held every four years and the West Indies will have to wait a while before it comes around again, given the amount of countries that are bidding to get it. I think, we in the Caribbean, we in St. Kitts and Nevis, have to grab the opportunity & and make sure that we seize it and be part of this historic happening.

Tickets are available at the CWC ticket office in the Sands Complex. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Warner Park Cricket Stadium will have a 10,000 seating capacity for the CWC.

The Players whom the Spectators will Feel during the ICC World Cup Cricket 2007

Another World Cup Cricket is going to be started from the 11^th of March. Since the last world cup cricket 2003, there were several star players who have gone into retirement during the last four years. The stars will frequently come to the coming tournament as theses players were world best in their time. Among the retired stars Michael Bevan is one of them. This Australian middle order batsman is one of the best ever batsmen in the history of ODI cricket. Then Nathan Astle, the New Zealand opener has recently gone through his retirement and Chris Haris and Chris Cairns also took their retirement.

Carl Hooper from West Indies and wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs and Shane Warne, Damien martin from Australia will make people feel for them. Javagal Srinath from India and Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain, two former captain of England, has also gone through their retirement.

So, these players will not be appeared physically in the upcoming ICC World Cup Cricket 2007 however, they will reach at this biggest tournament in the mind of millions of fans. The retired players will also feel some kin to the game.

Team India Suffers from a Number of Injuries ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

Team India has got some bad news as there are number of injuries found among the front line players. Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh have fallen into injury. So they all have been excluded from the first ODI in Eden Garden which was declared abandoned due to heavy rain after playing 18 overs.

Now it is a question that whether India will keep the squad unchanged for the second ODI as well or any of these three can come to the final eleven. Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 I think it is needed for each of the players to play and work out with the problems.

ICC to Send a Team to Investigate the Marlon Samuels’ Accusation of Sending Information to a Bookie

ICC will go through the West Indian batsman Marlon Samuels’ allegation of providing information regarding matches to a bookie Kochar. The police of Nagpur, India first accused Marlon Samuels based on a tapped conversation between Samuels and the bookie Kochar.

NDTV reported:

The team, mainly comprising of ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit officials, will be in Nagpur by Monday for detailed discussions with the Nagpur police, said a top BCCI source.

"We have received a communication that a team from ICC will be going to Nagpur. We are ready to cooperate in the investigations," the source said.

During their stay in Nagpur, the ACU officials will also interact with the staff of the hotel where the West Indian cricketers had put up for their ODI against India last month.

The ACU team will try to ascertain whether any other cricketer was involved in leaking information to bookies.

The team will submit its report to the ICC which would then recommend what action could be taken against the West Indian all-rounder who has been accused of leaking information on team composition to alleged bookie Mukesh Kocchar.

"The ICC then will forward the report to the West Indies Cricket Board, which will have to take action if the player is found to be guilty," the source said.

This is a good decision as they will send a team to investigate the matter which will be helpful for both ICC and Marlon Samuels. Here it is also a question that why police has specially tapped the conversation of Samuels. The mystery over the issue is roaming around the cricket world.

Show-cause Notice Send to Nimbus due to their Rejection Sharing the Telecast of the Indian-Sri Lanka ODI Series with Doordarshan

There is a dispute going on between two televisions channels of India over the telecast right of India’s cricket match. Nimbus and Doordarshan have shared the series with West Indies but for the series against Sri Lanka Nimbus is reluctant to share the series with Doordarshan. In this regard the Government has sent a show-cause notice to Nimbus.

IBN Live reported:

The Government, which had been already irked with the fact that the two organisations could not come to an agreement over the telecast of the India-West Indies ODI series, has now issued a show-cause notice to Nimbus.

The private broadcaster had been mandated to share the feed with Doordarshan as per an ordinance and the Government now wants to take action against Nimbus.

According to a report in the news agency PTI, Nimbus had refused to share the feed with Doordarshan as it was awaiting the Delhi High Court's decision on the issue.

The matter had come up for hearing in the HC on Thursday but had been posted for further hearing on Friday.

According to penalties in the 'Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Ordinance, 2007', the Government can suspend or revoke a broadcaster's licence, permission or registration, for denying content to Prasar Bharati.

For such rejection Nimbus can be penalized with Rs 1 crore. I think the situation will not be solved so soon because the Indian constitution is involved here. The only way to resolve the matter is to arrange a meting involving both the channels and the government and discuss the matter.

Should Sreesanth be Given the New Bowl to Open Bowling for India?

Sreesanth is a young medium pace bowler of Indian cricket team. He has spent a good series in South Africa especially in the test series. However, he can not live up to the demand of the fans in ODI cricket. Record says that he is very much economical in ODI cricket. His bowling average in ODI seems not to be well comparing with his test bowling average.

I think Sreesanth is given the new ball to open the innings as his bowling speed is much better than that of other players currently playing for India. So, if he is given the new ball and asked to bowl as much speed as he can then it will be very much effective. As India needs a pace bowler for the squad, so he can be best used in this way. It is true that India has two excellent spin bowlers but sometimes, runs and wickets in the first 15 overs become crucial and change the situation. So, to check the runs and take wickets India needs to follow some tricks. For example, one of the opening bowlers can check the runs to create pressure on the batsmen and the other opening bowler will concentrate on taking wickets using the impatience of the batsmen. However, if this plan does not work well in a match then the captain should go for using spin bowlers in order to check runs and the pace bowlers can be used later on in a number of spells.

If India go for four bowler strategy then the captain has to use occasional bowlers and I think Rahul Dravid should have some tricks to use the occasional bowlers as well. Suppose if the pacer can take off three wickets in the first 15 overs then the captain can think about using occasional bowler in one side and the spinners in other side so that the batsman can not bat comfortably. However, if the pace bowlers concede too many runs in the first 15 overs then the captain should not use occasional bowler immediately rather he should use two specialist spinners at the same time so that the runs can be checked from the both hand. For using occasional bowler, the captain should have some additional strategy. For example, if an off spinner comes in one hand then it is better to use a leg spinner or left arm spinner or slow medium pacer instead of using another off spinner in other hand.

Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup Cricket 2007, India should have some other effective plans as they do not have a strong bowling side.

India and Australia to Meet in Belfast, Ireland on June after the End of the World Cup Cricket 2007

Indian and Australia will meet to each other on June in Belfast, Ireland. They will play three ODI matches there. These three matches will be included in those 25 matches India has to play over the five years in offshore venues as per the contract between Indian Cricket Board and Zee TV.

Cricinfo reported:

Under the conditions of an agreement signed between Zee TV and the Indian Cricket Board, India have to play 25 offshore ODIs over a five-year period, and following Ireland's successful hosting of the one-day international against England at Stormont in Belfast last June, officials have been in secret negotiations with the BCCI to bring further international cricket to their shores.

"Clearly there is an incentive to be hosting such events," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, told Cricinfo. "This is not just a major cricket match but a major sporting event, between two of the best sides in the world." Deutrom confirmed that the three matches would be held at Stormont on June 27, June 29 and July 1, but added that this would be subject to the finalising of terms.

For India, the series will be played as a warm-up for their tour of England in July, which comprises three Tests and seven one-dayers. "We will play against Australia in the last week of June," Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the Indian cricket board, told reporters. "We have chosen Ireland as the venue and details are being worked out."

This is a good initiative that two cricket powers will play in Ireland where Cricket is not that much popular. However, it would be better if the initiative of organizing some ODI matches in USA and Canada could be successful.

Rickey Ponting Having Monotonous Feeling over the Plenty of Matches against India

Rickey Ponting, the captain of Australian Cricket team, has revealed his dissatisfaction over the plenty of cricket matches against India this year. It has been scheduled that Indian and Australia will meet in Northern Ireland in June just after the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. Then Australia will go to India in October and India will go to Australia in December which will followed by a tri-series with India, Australia and Sri Lanka.

India Times reported:

Ponting's comments came following news Australia and India are set to play three, and possibly five, matches in Belfast, Northern Ireland this June.

Ponting's side will also tour India in October to play seven ODIs, and then host the same opposition from December in four Tests and a tri-series in early 2008, which also involves Sri Lanka.

"From a player's point of view, you'd like to be playing all the teams around the world on a more consistent basis,"Ponting said. "But that's just the way it is. That's programming. No matter how hard you work at programming, it's pretty hard to get it right 100 per cent of the time."

This is true that playing so many matches against the same opposition is something seemed to be irritating. So, I think ICC will go through this matter while deciding the fixture among the teams in future.