All posts by n8rngtd.top

Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai Indians captain, has criticised the Wankhede Stadium pitch for the game against Deccan Chargers on Sunday, saying it was not ideal for Twenty20 cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2012Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai Indians captain, has criticised the Wankhede Stadium pitch for the game against Deccan Chargers on Sunday, saying it was not ideal for Twenty20 cricket. The grassy pitch offered plenty of seam movement and the batsmen from both sides struggled. Chargers set a paltry target of 101, which Mumbai chased down in 18.1 overs with five wickets in hand.”This was a different wicket from what we have played at the Wankhede,” Harbhajan said. “Not good for Twenty20 cricket. I came today and saw the pitch and said ‘wow what to expect here’, we never know what to expect from this track ever. From next time, I think we have to ensure we know what kind of wicket we are going to play.”Chargers captain Cameron White too agreed with Harbhajan, saying it was “probably not an ideal T20 wicket”, but admitted that Mumbai played better.White had captained the team in place of Kumar Sangakkara, who sat out. White said the decision was taken by Sangakkara and the coach Darren Lehmann, in the best interests of the team combination. Sangakkara has been struggling for form this season, scoring 83 runs in five innings. White, though, praised Sangakkara for his selflessness.”Darren Lehmann and Kumar were discussing it (the combination) and decided to pick the best combination for this wicket,” White said. “Very selfless thing for Kumar to do. It’s unusual to change the captain when you get to the ground. It backfired now but on other occasions it might work.”White said he and the rest of the batsmen should take the blame for the defeat. “We failed to bat out our overs, we still had eight balls to face. At the end of the day you’re not going to win too many T20 games when you score 101.”The way our team make-up is, we probably need three overseas batsmen. I don’t think we have the luxury of doing that because our local batters aren’t strong at the moment.”Dale Steyn bowled a hostile spell for the Chargers, bowling Richard Levi first ball and beat the bat on several occasions. He finished with figures of 4-0-10-2 but the support bowlers weren’t good enough to sustain the Chargers. Rohit Sharma had several close calls against Steyn but the batsman carried the chase with 42, before falling 26 short of the target. White was full of praise for Rohit.”Rohit Sharma I believe is one of the best players in the world. I find it very hard to believe he’s not playing for India in all three formats,” White said. “He’s just class and Dale was able to get it past the outside edge and it was a great contest.”Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in Bangalore

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya13-May-2012

Match facts

Monday, May 14, 2012
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Herschelle Gibbs has had an immediate impact on Mumbai Indians’ batting•AFP

Big Picture

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore have played a big role in spicing up the race for the playoffs. A big win over Kolkata Knight Riders featured a significant landmark for Rohit Sharma and an excellent start to Herschelle Gibbs’ IPL season, giving Mumbai Indians reason to not tinker with their opening combination again. They are currently third in the points table and can go at least one spot up should they beat Royal Challengers, and reach a position of relative safety vis-à-vis the playoffs.Royal Challengers have won three in a row, including a nine-wicket demolition of Mumbai Indians last week, and would be desperate to keep that run going. After facing Mumbai Indians, they take on toppers Delhi Daredevils – not the ideal team to be facing in the event of a must-win scenario or being at the mercy of net run-rates. Mumbai Indians are a formidable opponent themselves, and Royal Challengers, currently No.5, will do well to push them back to a position of insecurity.

Form guide

(most recent first, completed games)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWLL

Mumbai Indians: WLWWW

Players to watch

Chris Gayle has taken the batting plaudits for Royal Challengers but his opening partner Tillakaratne Dilshan has been building up good form as well. His half-century against Pune Warriors was his third in six innings; he’s also outshone Gayle on occasion. How will he face up to his team-mate, and the IPL’s best bowler, Lasith Malinga?Herschelle Gibbs took little time to show his worth to the Mumbai Indians side, stepping out to smash Brett Lee for three fours over extra cover in the space of four balls. He adapted well, ceding the floor to Rohit who was the more aggressive of the pair, and didn’t show any signs of rustiness or discomfort despite having to sit out the bulk of his team’s campaign.

Stats and trivia

• Rohit Sharma’s century against Knight Riders was the 22nd in the IPL and the eighth by an Indian in the tournament’s history. His 167-run stand with Herschelle Gibbs was the third-highest in the IPL.
• Pragyan Ojha has taken the most wickets for a left-arm spinner in the IPL – 69 in 63 matches. Daniel Vettori is third in the list, with 28 in 34 games. Brad Hogg and Ravindra Jadeja top the list this season with 10 each; Ojha has nine.

Quotes

“But as far as talent and technique is concerned, I think Rohit is a little bit better than Virat.”
“The last two games, we have bowled well. The bowlers have stepped up and we are peaking at the right time which is good.”

For the second time in two matches, there was very little separating India and Pakistan’s Under-19 teams, as they tied the final of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUnmukt Chand’s 121 was not quite enough for India Under-19s•Associated Press

For the second time in two matches, there was very little separating India and Pakistan’s Under-19 teams, as they tied the final of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in dramatic fashion. Pakistan opener Sami Aslam scored his second hundred of the series to carry his team to 282, before India captain Unmukt Chand did the same for his side. But both centuries went in vain, with neither team claiming the trophy.Pakistan did well to achieve the tie. India were in relative control in the chase, needing 37 in the final six overs, with seven wickets in hand and Chand batting on 101. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz then produced two effective overs, claiming two wickets and conceding just five, to bring Pakistan back into the game. Chand was still around though and almost carried his bat, but his dismissal off the fourth ball of the final over – caught on the cover boundary off seamer Ehsan Adil – left India needing five off two deliveries. No. 8 Rush Kalaria pierced the off side for four, to bring the scores level. The final delivery, though, he could only chip gently to mid-off. Dot ball. Shared title.Like in their one-run defeat to Pakistan in the group match, India chose to field. And once again, Pakistan’s innings was built around Aslam. India managed to keep the scoring in check early in the innings, but a 100-run stand at over a run a ball between Umar Waheed and Sami Aslam for the third wicket put Pakistan on course for a sizeable total.Pakistan had launched the final assault, scoring 49 from overs 41 to 45, when Kalaria removed Saad Ali and Aslam off consecutive balls. He took three more wickets, and Pakistan managed only 30 for 5 in the final five.India’s reply revolved around a 175-run stand for the second wicket between Chand and B Aparajith. Aparajith fell 10 short of a hundred, Nawaz’s first victim of the game. Apart from these two, none of the other India batsmen managed to go past 23, as the lower-middle order let the game slip from their grasp.Aslam’s century came after scores 82 not out, 121, 47 and 77, and he, expectedly, won the Player of the Series and best batsman awards. Sri Lanka offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who picked up 12 wickets in four games, was named the best bowler of the tournament.

Rob Nicol, the New Zealand opener, has said it is about time he ensures he plays a long innings at the top of the order, not merely get starts

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2012Rob Nicol, the New Zealand opener, has said it is about time he ensures he plays a long innings at the top of the order, not merely get starts. Since making a century on ODI debut in October last year, Nicol, 29, has scored another ton and two fifties but in his last eight innings, has failed to convert starts into something substantial. His scores in this ODI series, in which New Zealand have been defeated and are trailing 1-3, read 14, 15, 59 and 35.”The reality of it is, pretty much during the whole series, I’ve got myself into positions but haven’t been able to push on for the side,” Nicol said on the eve of the fifth ODI in St Kitts. ”I’m steadily finding my feet (at international level), but I’m a realist and I know time is of the essence.”I need to start producing scores of 100+ for the side and batting in partnerships, like JW (coach John Wright) says. I’m really hoping that I can forge something with someone tomorrow.”New Zealand were outplayed in the first four matches of their tour of the USA and the Caribbean, beaten comprehensively in the two T20s in Florida followed by the first two ODIs. However, since then, there has been a significant improvement. They won the third ODI before putting up a fight in a losing cause in the fourth.’You’ve got critiquing from every point of view, even within your own side, so if you’re not positive yourself then you’re never going to get any enjoyment out of the game,” Nicol said. ”We put a concerted effort up against them again (in the fourth match) and I think, if a couple of things had gone our way, we could have got over the line and we’d be fighting for the series.”But you can always massively dissect a game, but in reality in the heat of the moment you’ve got to go with your gut. We’re slowly getting there, hopefully tomorrow we can get over the line.”

Nagenahira Nagas left the door open for Ruhuna Royals after succumbing to a 15-run defeat to Uthura Rudras in Colombo

The Report by Andrew Fernando26-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChamara Kapugedera’s innings lifted Uthura Rudras to 149•Shaun Roy/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Nagenahira Nagas left the door open for Ruhuna Royals – who play top-placed Wayamba United in a must-win match today – to usurp them in the top four, after succumbing to a 15-run defeat to Uthura Rudras in Colombo. Chamara Kapugedera struck 43 from 32 to take Uthura to 149 from their 20 overs, before Naved-ul-Hasan bowled his best spell of the tournament to derail Nagenahira’s chase.Nagenahira lost five wickets for 40, and were never able to build any fluency into their innings, despite a valiant 43 from Colin de Grandhomme in his first appearance in the SLPL. Angelo Mathews was unlucky to be run out off an Udara Jayasundera straight drive that flicked the bowler’s fingertips on the way to the stumps, but several of Nagenahira’s batsmen were guilty of throwing away their wickets to poor shots. Ahmed Shehzad was caught heaving across the line, before Travis Birt danced past a straighter one from Jehan Mubarak that hit the top of middle stump. Needless run outs compounded Nagenahira’s woes as both Mushfiqur Rahim and Angelo Perera charged down the wicket when a run was not on offer. Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis continued swinging at nine down, but 42 from the last three overs was always going to be beyond the pair.Kapugedera’s second strong performance in two matches underpinned Uthura’s innings, after he had missed out on selection for Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20 squad earlier in the week. Arriving at 57 for 3 after 8.4 overs, Kapugedera was assured from the outset – striking two boundaries from Saroj Pathirana’s tenth over. His teammates, though, continued to flounder at the other end. Despite Kapugedera’s lively progress, Uthura’s scoring rate had dipped below 6.5 by the end of the 14th over. Farveez Maharoof came and went attempting to boost the rate, but managed only 12 from 14, before Kapugedera took it on himself to provide the late charge. He made 18 from his last 8 balls to propel Uthuras towards 150, before departing in the penultimate over.

Shahriar Nafees is set to return to the Bangladesh A team for the four-day match against the West Indies’ High Performance Centre side from September 22

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2012Shahriar Nafees is set to return to the Bangladesh A team for the four-day match against the West Indies’ High Performance Centre side from September 22, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s disciplinary committee lifted restrictions on his selection. The left-hand opener was sent home last month before the third and final four-day match in the Shafi Darashah competition in Bangalore after his reaction to an umpiring decision during the A team’s second match.He continued to show his frustration in the dressing-room and was later warned by the match referee. But the team management found the bad behaviour enough for the Bangladesh A captain to be jettisoned before the tour ended.The selectors kept him out of a 19-member training team for the series against the Caribbean side and almost three weeks after the incident, Nafees was referred to the disciplinary committee that heard his account.”The national selectors can select him, there’s no longer any embargo on that,” BCB’s disciplinary committee chairman Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir said. “We have spoken to [Shahriar] Nafees and all members of the team management. We will put together our recommendations and submit it to the board president today.”After the hearing at the BCB headquarters in Mirpur, Nafees admitted it was an overreaction on his part, which he could have avoided at the time.”I gave my version of the events to the disciplinary committee, so I hope the confusion regarding this matter goes away,” Nafees said. “I could have behaved better, and if I had controlled myself, the situation wouldn’t have escalated; had the dressing room been closed off to the public and not been so open, it wouldn’t have created so much trouble.””If I wasn’t the captain, it wouldn’t have looked so bad. My behaviour had an adverse effect on my team-mates, so I could have been a lot more responsible. If I had kept my cool, the incident wouldn’t have stretched for a month,” he said.When he was sent back, some board officials pointed out to Nafees leading a dissension in the training camp in Khulna before they headed to India. It was a small group of players who had allegedly clashed with coach Stuart Barnes and trainer Tushar Kanti Howlader, but neither did the team management inform the board, nor punish anyone.But Nafees believed that the incidence in Bangalore wasn’t related to what took place during the camp in Khulna. “The two are separate incidents. We trained for two months (prior to the tour) and there wasn’t anything wrong in the relation between players and management. I personally don’t want to see the two incidents being related. Whatever has happened though is unfortunate,” he said.

Zimbabwe have enough talent heading into the World Twenty20, but their challenge in Sri Lanka would be to learn to pass testing phases in matches

Firdose Moonda17-Sep-2012Overview
Only three hours could separate Zimbabwe from partying like the year 1999. That was their best showing in a multi-team tournament and one win in the World T20 could be enough to take them there again.There is one problem though. That victory will have to come against either the hosts, Sri Lanka, or one of the favourites, South Africa. Zimbabwe have beaten Sri Lanka’s A team and an experimental South Africa in the last few months but facing the full strength sides will be a different proposition.They have the skill they need but not as much of the self-assurance as they had 13 years ago, when the country’s cricket landscape was very different. Two of the current coaching staff, Heath Streak and Grant Flower, were players. The team consisted of mostly white players and the sport itself was considered an elite activity.A few years later, the nation was on the brink of change and cricket was pushed in that direction too. Aggressive transformation, the black armband protest, the worsening state of the economy and the crippling of the cricket structures all combined to bring the sport to its knees. When it started to walk again, it was a different toddler that stood up.Cricket is now a sport played by the majority and the squad reflects that. Talented players from high-density (and largely low-income) areas have been sought out, found and embraced into the system to work with the previously advantaged. Many of those who walked away have come back and are helping to rear Zimbabwe cricket.The results have been painstakingly slow. A successful Test comeback against Bangladesh waned into defeats at the hands of Pakistan and New Zealand. An almost entirely empty calendar in 2011 also did not help their progress.They may be undercooked and face a huge task but this tournament is one of the rare occasions Zimbabwe have to show off their talent and they have enough to want to make a point. Brendan Taylor is a capable leader, Vusi Sibanda has been playing for long enough to show what he has learned over years in the game as has Ray Price. It would be dangerous to say the stalwart is on the brink of his last tournament because if Price has it his way, he will play forever.Combined with the youth of Kyle Jarvis, Malcolm Waller and Foster Mutizwa, Zimbabwe are a balanced enough unit to play more than just two matches in the tournament but few expect them to. Quite simply: they will need everything to go their way for three hours to take back good memories from Sri Lanka.Key players

Experience will be Zimbabwe’s biggest asset with seven of their current squad having played T20 internationals from the 2007 edition of the tournament. Of those battle hardened players, Hamilton Masakadza will be expected to lead the batting line-up and
Chris Mpofu will be tasked with the same job with the ball.
Masakadza will hope that the form he found in the unofficial T20 tri-series in Harare is still with him. In that competition he was the top scorer, having scored more than a hundred runs than his nearest rival and compiling four consecutive half-centuries and a hundred in the warm-up match.Mpofu has recently been overshadowed by the pace of Kyle Jarvis and the swing of Brian Vitori but his skill is still much needed and valued by Zimbabwe. Having mastered the slower ball, a weapon that will come in handy on the surfaces in Sri Lanka, his variations will round off a dynamic attack.Zimbabwe’s surprise win against Australia in the 2007 World Twenty20 was among their rare highs in the past few years•AFP

Surprise package
Few international batsmen would have seen Richard Muzhange before this tournament but his reputation precedes him. A toe-crusher in the Malinga-mould, although with a far more traditional action, Muzhange will be difficult to get away and may inflict some pain as well. Jason Gillespie called him the best death bowler in Zimbabwe, having groomed and mentored him at the Mid-West Rhinos. He has risen through the ranks quickly and although he is only 21-years old, has proven maturity. Muzhange has yet to make his international debut and if the occasion does not overawe him, he could be Zimbabwe’s much needed level head when the situation calls for it.Weaknesses
Like many teams who hover at the bottom of the rankings, when Zimbabwe get it right, they’re spectacular but when they get it wrong, they get it considerably wrong. From middle-order collapses to an inability to haul back an opposition batting line-up, Zimbabwe’s main problem is that they struggle to recover when they are in trouble.If the top three don’t set a reasonable platform, Zimbabwe are more likely to be skittled than post a score worth defending. A full toss that get smacked for six is likely followed up with a short and wide delivery than a good length one. Lack of confidence, more than lack of skill or technique, is to blame. With little exposure to regular, high quality opposition, Zimbabwean players tend to question and then doubt themselves and their ability when facing top teams.Alan Butcher has placed emphasis on building self-esteem, a tactic that worked early in Zimbabwe’s Test comeback but has waned since then. Repeated defeats and small mistakes that compound have added to Zimbabwe’s woes and they will have to adopt a more carefree, nothing to lose attitude if they hope to overcome their mental block.World T20 history
Best remembered for their shock victory over Australia in the inaugural competition in 2007, Zimbabwe’s tournament form has been nothing short of dismal. Elton Chigumbura took three wickets and Taylor scored a belligerent 60 to give Zimbabwe an unexpectedly good start to what was then a new tournament. But, they went on to lose to England by 50 runs at the same event.In 2009, they did not participate. The tournament was held in England and political pressure over the worsening situation in Zimbabwe meant that they pulled out of the competition. By the next year Zimbabwe was back but their luck had not improved. They lost both matches of the group stage but the margins were small – 14 runs and seven runs.Recent form
International cricket is sparse for Zimbabwe and they have not played a series since January. Then, they were whitewashed in all formats in New Zealand, including the T20s, although they were most competitive in the shortest format.Zimbabwe’s last four T20 series, dating back to October 2010, have been home and away against New Zealand, home against Pakistan and away against South Africa. All the series have consisted of two matches and they have lost all of them 2-0. Importantly, though, Zimbabwe won an unofficial T20 tri-series which featured Bangladesh and South Africa in Harare in June.Statistics
Zimbabwe last won an official T20 in February 2010, when they beat West Indies by 26 runs. Overall, they have only won three of the 20 matches they have played. Theirs is the worst win-loss record of all teams who have played more than five T20s, including Kenya, Canada and Scotland. Only Bermuda have a worse record, having lost all of the three T20s they have played.

Gerald Majola, the suspended CSA chief executive, has been found guilty on all nine charges laid against him at his disciplinary hearing

Firdose Moonda17-Oct-2012Gerald Majola, the suspended CSA chief executive, has been found guilty on all nine charges laid against him at his disciplinary hearing, including accepting bonuses, not declaring them to the board and wrongdoing around travel claims. The sanction against him will only be decided on Friday, although it is likely he will be fired.Majola’s hearing took place without him after he withdrew from proceedings last week. He was invited to appear before chairperson Karel Tip for the decision today but chose not to. He could still make an appearance tomorrow to make submissions on the sanction that will be handed down.When that takes place it will bring to an end an almost three-year long saga over which has centred on R4.7 million (then US$ 671,428) in bonuses that were paid to Majola and 29 other staff members after the hosting of the 2009 IPL in South Africa. Three separate investigations found that the money was not properly declared to the board and contravened principles of corporate governance.Suspicion first emerged when CSA’a auditors picked up the payments as an irregularity in August 2009. At the time, sources close to the body maintained that the payments were made in accordance with precedents set during other non-CSA events, such as the 2007 World Twenty20. The then-president Dr Nyoka called for a more thorough look into the matter. CSA initially said they would have an external enquiry but decided to exhaust their internal mechanisms first and moved the matter in-house.AK Khan chaired the commission and cleared Majola of any wrongdoing but reprimanded him for making an error of judgement in not declaring the money. On Nyoka’s insistence – after having votes of no confidence passed against him twice and winning a court battle – CSA had to subject itself to an audit by major firm KPMG. Their investigation recommended CSA seek legal advice on whether Majola broke the law. After hearing testimony from a lawyer, the board chose to reprimand Majola severely in response.The action was deemed to be unsatisfactory by the country’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula. He stepped in and ordered that another investigation be conducted under Judge Chris Nicholson. Hearings were held from December last year to February 2012 and in March, Nicholson issued his findings. The two most notable ones were that Majola be suspended pending a disciplinary hearing and that CSA restructure its board.The latter is almost complete. On Tuesday CSA announced the five independent directors who will sit on the new board and will appoint five provincial presidents to join them at the AGM on October 27. They may also have to appoint a new chief executive if Majola loses his job after the sanctions have been announced. Jacques Faul, the acting chief executive, and Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC boss, are believed to be in the running.Majola’s hearing was due to be complete by the end of May but it was delayed when he contested the appointed chairperson. The challenge was successful because John Myburgh, who was to hear the proceedings, made an advisory award against Majola and he was believed not to be impartial in the matter because of that.Tip was then appointed and the hearing started last Wednesday. Majola has since launched a challenge in the country’s Labour Court. He is challenging the legitimacy of the action taken against him over the last year, particularly the decision to hold a disciplinary hearing against him.

A round up of the Momentum One Day Cup matches on November 11, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2012
ScorecardAn unbeaten century from Lions’ opener Stephen Cook helped his side defeat Dolphins by 89 runs at the Wanderers. After Cook’s innings led them to 246 in the shortened 37-overs-a-side game, Dolphins, after a decent start, lost six wickets for 29 runs to be bowled out for 157. Spinner Aaron Phangiso, who had a memorable Champions League T20, bowled an effective spell of 3 for 37 in eight overs.After a delayed start to the match, Cook and fellow opener Gulam Bodi started positively, scoring 80 runs in 13.2 overs to lay the base for a strong total. The middle-order batsmen provided fruitful support to Cook, and at the death, Cook and Jean Symes scored 41 runs in 21 deliveries to reach the total at a run rate of 6.64 runs per over. Twenty-nine wides bowled by Dolphins bowlers helped their cause.Dolphins lost opener Cameron Delport early in their chase, in the second over, but his partner Jonathan Vandiar scored 49 off 51 deliveries to keep them in the hunt. However, at 128 for 4, middle-order batsman Cody Chetty was stumped off Phangiso, and his dismissal led to a collapse. The lower order didn’t put up any resistance as Dolphins were bowled out in the 32nd over.Lions stay at the top of the table after the win.
ScorecardIn Centurion, another century by an opener, by wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn, led to Titans’ 81-run victory against Knights. Chasing 286, Knights slipped from 92 for 1 to 168 for 8, largely through bowlers Henry Davids and Roelof van der Merwe, who ended up claiming nine wickets together as Knights were bowled out for 204.After being put in to bat, Titans lost opener Davids in the fifth over, but a 127-run stand between Kuhn and No. 3 Mangaliso Mosehle shaped their side’s innings strongly. After the partnership was broken, Kuhn put on 121 runs with captain Martin van Jaarsveld, and at 258 for 2 in the 43rd over, had the base for a solid acceleration towards the end of the innings. They lost eight wickets for 27 runs to end at 285 for 9.Knights lost an early wicket in the chase, that of Ryan Bailey in the fourth over. But opener Reeza Hendricks, who scored a half-century, and Rilee Rossouw added 74 runs quickly to set their team on track. Once Rossouw got out, however, wickets started falling quickly as other than Johan van der Wath, none of the other batsmen put up a fight. The innings ended by the 37th over, as van der Wath ran out of partners. Spinner van der Merwe, who took the final wicket, achieved impressive figures of 5 for 26 in 8.3 overs.Kuhn was adjudged the Man of the Match for his century. Titans are second in the table now.

Former selector Mohinder Amarnath has pointed the finger at the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, for overruling the selectors’ unanimous call for sacking of MS Dhoni as captain after the two whitewashes in England and in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2012Mohinder Amarnath, the former India selector, has said it was the BCCI president, N Srinivasan, who overruled the selectors’ unanimous call for sacking of MS Dhoni as captain after the two whitewashes in England and Australia. “The Board President did not approve the unanimous decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Amarnath told .Post the Test debacle in Australia, Amarnath said, the selectors wanted to appoint a young captain for the triangular one-day series that followed, but their decision was overturned.”We selected the team for the triangular series, selected 17 players but we did not select the captain,” he said. “The captain was selected by somebody else.”Asked whether he questioned the decision, Amarnath said, “When you respect a person you don’t ask questions. But my question is, you have a selection committee those who think what is best for Indian cricket then why they are not given a free hand.The selectors thought about stepping down then, Amarnath said, but decided against it as they, “did not want to create a big stir there as the team was playing abroad and the series was going on there.”There was massive speculation that this was the reason Amarnath’s term as a selector ended abruptly when he was actually expected to be the new chairman of the selectors. When asked about that, all Amarnath said was: “I don’t miss it.”Amarnath was asked to clarify a rumour doing the rounds that he was cited the BCCI constitution that stated he could not sack Dhoni without the higher-ups clearing it. “Neither will I say yes nor will I deny it, okay,” he responded. “I know the facts, and I will tell you the facts when I feel the time is right.” He did go on to say, though, that he was not aware of the constitution. Clause 13(a)(iv) of the BCCI constitution states that: “The President shall approve the composition of a team, selected by the Selection Committee.””When somebody becomes a selector, I don’t think you are aware of the constitution of the BCCI,” he said. “I was not aware. I don’t think even the current committee is aware of the constitution.”According to the , Amarnath, Narendra Hirwani and Raja Venkat, during a meeting in January this year for selecting the squad for the CB Series in Australia, wanted to sack Dhoni.”Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of the selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper the time was not right to remove him,” a selector told the paper.Why does Amarnath think Dhoni doesn’t deserve a place in the Test side? “If you see his track record for the last one year as captain, I am talking about Test matches, not one-day, he hasn’t done anything,” Amarnath said. “You give a run to a guy. I am not saying you should remove a guy overnight, but if you see a guy is failing again and again, I don’t think it is going to be possible to continue with the same guy.”I think he should be replaced in Test cricket. I am not talking shorter versions. He is an asset there, he has done very well, he is a match-winner, but with the technique he has I don’t see him do any wonders in Test cricket.”You have to look at contribution of the players, where you are playing and what opposition you are playing. We have to move ahead with times, and we have to look forward. People who have contributed to the game, we respect them, we adore them, but what is important is future of Indian cricket and not to live in the past. Cricket has changed, age has everything to do in life. We have to look ahead.”I believe in fresh blood. I was looking forward for a guy like Virat Kohli to take over as captain in one day cricket. I think he is a fantastic player, he is the future.”When Amarnath spoke about moving forward, he was asked about Sachin Tendulkar and what his future should be. “Sachin has been a great cricketer, a great ambassador, he has achieved everything but I think they way he is playing we see a shadow of Sachin Tendulkar,” he said. “And I don’t accept him to play in the same fashion as he has done in the past. Age is a factor. He is not alone. Look at all greats. Once you cross mid-30s, things become little bit difficult, a little bit more demanding. He is no exception. He has to take it very seriously, and I think the selectors have to have a word with him, what are his plans. Then they should take a call and then decide.”