Test status

Sachin Tendulkar breaks ODI world record

Tendulkar passed the mark of 194 not out set by Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry in August last year and 194 by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar in 1997.

The 36-year-old is already the leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket.

Tendulkar's previous best was 186 not out against New Zealand at Hyderabad in November 1999.

India closed on 401-3, with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hammering 68 off just 35 balls as South Africa's bowlers toiled for no reward.

Highest individual scores in one-day international cricket:

1. 200 not out - Sachin Tendulkar, India vs. South Africa, Gwalior, February 2010

2. 194 not out - Charles Coventry, Zimbabwe vs. Bangladesh, Bulawayo, August 2009

3. 194 - Saeed Anwar, Pakistan vs. India, Chennai, May 1997

4. 189 not out - Viv Richards, West Indies vs. England, Manchester, May 1984

5. 189 - Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka vs. India, Sharjah, October 2000

6. 188 not out - Gary Kirsten, South Africa vs. United Arab Emirates, Rawalpindi, February 1996

7. 186 not out - Sachin Tendulkar, India vs. New Zealand, Hyderabad, November 1999

8. 183 not out - Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India vs. Sri Lanka, Jaipur, October 2005

9. 183 - Sourav Ganguly, India vs. Sri Lanka, Taunton, May 1999

10. 181 not out - Matthew Hayden, Australia vs. New Zealand, Hamilton, February 2007

11. 181 - Viv Richards, West Indies vs. Sri Lanka, Karachi, October 1987.

Tendulkar to attend Ashraful's wedding

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar will top the list of invitees when former Bangladeshi skipper Mohammad Ashraful gets married next year, his father has revealed.

“Sachin will be on top of our invitee list when my son decides to marry. Sachin asked my son what should be brought as a family gift but his visit to our home itself will be the biggest gift for us,” The Nation quoted Abdul Matil, as saying.

Although several other players have visited Ashraful’s house, including former Pakistani player Saeed Anwar and Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, but Tendulkar’s visit stands out in Matil’s memory.

Speaking over his mobile from Dhaka on Sunday morning, he said, “Former Pakistani player Saeed Anwar visited our house last year when he came to attend some religious function in Bangladesh.”

“Sachin is my son’s favourite cricketer and since childhood he is his idealhero. We are very happy to receive him. Sachin is a very simple, sober and down to earth person,” Ashraful’s father said.

“Some 1000 people flocked him to see Sachin at my house. The people came to know about Sachin’s visit through media and mouth to mouth publicity,” he added.

Matil recounts how Tendulkar relished on Bangladeshi dishes served to him.

“He liked jumbo prawns and Hilsha fish (Ilish) very much. The sweets and fruits of his choice were also served,” he said.
http://thatscricket.oneindia.in/news/2010/01/25/india-bangladesh-test-sachin-in-ashraful-wedding.html

India meet SA to prove ODI superiority

After the Test stalemate, a depleted India and a scarred South Africa will begin their battle of ODI supremacy today when the three-match series gets underway at a fortified Sawai Mansingh Stadium here. The Indian team arrived here yesterday high on morale and low on resource and it would require more than a nip and a tuck to fill the void created by the absence of some of their key players. The hosts’s bowling unit will lack the firepower of Zaheer Khan after the pace spearhead strained a leg muscle during the Kolkata Test against the Proteas. Zaheer’s absence would sorely be felt not just because he leads the attack but also because he has been virtually India’s bowling captain, mentoring fellow pacers with his elder-brotherly concern. The spin department would also not be the same without the feisty Harbhajan Singh, who would miss the first two ODIs to attend his sister’s wedding. The volatile offie, who had just regained his mojo in Kolkata, would have been quite a handful for the South Africans with his bag of tricks and reckless slogging down the order, not to mention of his confrontational approach. India’s batting also loses some of its formidability because of the absence of left-handed duo of Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, the first is nursing an injury in his left wrist and the second a groin. Like the recent Test series, here also India has more than just a bunch of personal reputations at stake. India need to win the three-match ODI series to remain the number two one day side in the world which would entitle them to USD 75,000 from the ICC. To stave off the South Africans, India would expect the substitute players to come to the party today. S Sreesanth, Zaheer’s replacement, is expected to share the new ball with Ashish Nehra tomorrow and the Kerala speedster would have to ensure that he is upto the mark. Uttar Pradesh teammates Sudeep Tyagi and Praveen Kumar would vie for the third pacer’s slot tomorrow. In the slow bowling department, Amit Mishra is almost certain to play tomorrow and he is expected to share the spin burden with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, whose utility in one day cricket has been proven beyond doubt. In the batting line-up, Gambhir and Yuvraj’s absence could be compensated only if the top order fire in unison. Irrespective of whether India set a total or chase one, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar would have to provide the start they are expected of and Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina need to continue the good work. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has fond memories of the venue. In 2005, it was at the same venue that the star stumper-batsman, then with flowing tresses, had hit a devastating unbeaten 245-ball 183 which remains his highest ODI score so far. Since then, the Indian captain has modelled himself more into a finisher but the crowd would assemble here tomorrow to see glimpse of the old Dhoni. A product of the same power-hitting school, Baroda all-rounder Yousuf Pathan is also set to make it to the playing XI tomorrow, hoping to continue his red hot form that has won him a recall to the side. Fortunately for Dhoni, India is not the only team grappling with injuries. South Africa has already lost their charismatic captain Graeme Smith and even though stop-gap leader Jacques Kallis has an enviable record against India, how much inspiration this burly all-rounder manages to provide remains to be seen. Prolific top order batsman Hashim Amla has been asked to stay back and fill Smith’s void. Amla may have been a run-machine in the drawn Test series but one day cricket is a different kettle of fish altogether and the bearded batsman might struggle to adjust to the ODI mode. Their bowling, especially Dale Steyn, looked too hot to handle in the Nagpur Test but was pretty pedestrian in Kolkata. Steyn’s pace, Morne Morkel’s bounce and Wayne Parnell’s angles remain a worry but the Indian line-up is capable enough to blunt them all.

SA to stage Champions League T20

South Africa will host the 2010 Champions League T20 tournament in September, Cricket South Africa announced Friday. Twelve teams from seven countries will play in the event from September 10 to 26. The first edition of the tournament, for the leading Twenty20 teams from the participating countries, was played in India last year with New South Wales beating Trinidad and Tobago in the final. CSA are shareholders, with the Indian and Australian boards, in the Champions League. The tournament will be played at the home venues of the two South African qualifiers and a third ground to be decided by CSA. The participants will be three teams from the Indian Premier League, two each from South Africa, Australia and England, and one each from Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies.

Nafees to lead BCB XI against England

Opening batsman Shahriar Nafees Ahmed will lead the BCB XI in the first of the two practice matches against England at the Fatullah stadium on February 23. ]BCB squad: Shahriar Nafees (captain), Alok Kopali, Imtiaz Hossain, Nasir Uddin Faruque, Shahin Hossain (wicketkeeper), Mahmudul Hasan, Shafaq Al Zabir, Tanvir Haider, Ariful Hoque, Alauddin Babu, Tapash Baishya, Shamsur Rahman, Md Sharifullah. Team Management: Minhajul Abedin (coach), Zafrul Ehsan (assistant coach), Fahim Muntasir (manager), Azmal Ahmed (physio).

England in Bangladesh 2010