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Sachin Tendulkar has offered valuable technical tips to the younger members of the Indian team in the training sessions in Melbourne ahead of the ODI against Australia on February 10.Tendulkar advised Robin Uthappa and Suresh Raina on techniques to adapt to the conditions and the pitches in Australia, suggested tips to Rohit Sharma to improve his front-foot drives and counselled Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary on their stance.Gambhir was told not to have a completely side-on position at the crease, and instead open up his stance for a slightly two-eyed look at the bowler. This would allow him to offer the full face of the bat, and help him play through the on side more effectively.”The plan is simple, see the ball, hit the ball and play in the ‘V,” Gambhir had earlier revealed his theory of batting in Australia. “The conditions here give a batsman full value for his strokes, though you need a lot of courage and determination. It’s difficult to get on to the front foot when you are facing genuine quick bowlers like Brett Lee or Mitchell Johnson but there is very little chance when you are sitting on the back foot.” Tendulkar’s tips are designed to enable Gambhir score more freely in his preferred area down the ground.It is learnt that Tendulkar, while praising Rohit for his back-foot play, was keen that he leans more on to his strokes while driving through the off side to add more power and punch. After his session with Tendulkar, Rohit had his batting video taped by the team’s computer analyst Dhananjay.Rohit considers Tendulkar his favourite player and has sought his advice in the past too. In an earlier interview with Rediff, Rohit said, “It [Tendulkar’s advice] was very different from what you always hear from coaches. I mean what he said was practical, based on his own vast experience. He also told me when to take singles and twos and also when and how to accelerate, and so on and so forth. Believe me, it was very, very different from what we juniors hear from others almost every day.”Tendulkar worked with Uthappa and Manoj Tiwary too. Uthappa’s tendency to commit himself to the front foot came in for scrutiny, and Tendulkar suggested a slight sideways trigger movement instead of a big stride forward.Tendulkar noted that Tiwary places his feet too close to each other in his stance, which inhibits his movement either forward or back. Like he did with Gambhir, Tendulkar suggested that Tiwary open up in his stance which would help him drive towards mid-off and mid-on rather than committing himself to a cover drive.Tendulkar has also advised the youngsters to opt for lighter bats on the bouncier pitches of Australia as it would allow them to move more quickly into position.

New Zealand may have produced a flawless performance in the first Test at Hamilton, but on the second day at Wellington the cracks in their confidence began to show. With James Anderson leading the way with 5 for 73, they were dismissed for 198 and conceded a hefty first-innings lead of 144. But their wicketkeeper, Brendon McCullum, remains confident that – with three days of the match remaining – there is still plenty time for a turnaround.”It wasn’t how we had that part of the day planned out,” said McCullum. “But in saying that we have the opportunity to come back tomorrow and resurrect the mistakes we made today. To win this Test match we knew we’d have to bat well once and, whether it’s the first or second turn, it doesn’t matter. If we can bowl well tomorrow and set about chasing 350 on the final two days, then we have every opportunity.”To achieve that aim, however, New Zealand will need to better the efforts that England’s bowlers put in, and McCullum conceded that it would be a tough act to follow. “Our batting wasn’t as good as it should have been, but in saying that I thought they bowled very well,” he said. “I think the previous day we went past the bat a lot, but we were never in play. We probably bowled a touch short and they bowled that little bit fuller which brought the nicks into play.”The pick of the bowlers was Anderson, who endured some rough treatment in the recent one-day series, but found his form during a state game for Auckland last week. “I think Jimmy is a fine bowler,” said McCullum. “The game for Auckland helped, but he is a quality bowler and we knew the one-day series is different.”In one-dayers you try and be aggressive and try and dominate his style of bowling, but in the Test version, where he has a wicket that is conducive to where he likes to land a ball, he was always going to be tough to play. I thought he was brilliant. We didn’t play as we could, but in saying that I’ll take nothing away from the way he bowled.”He did, however, admit he was slightly surprised to be facing him at all, after Matthew Hoggard was dropped on the eve of the match following his one-wicket display at Hamilton. “I was surprised Hoggard didn’t play,” said McCullum. “He has been a fantastic bowler for England for a long, long time and he’s had probably just one below-par performance in a while. It was pleasing not to see him in the opposition, but when you can call Stuart Broad and Anderson then you’re not too bad.”Anderson’s only moment of discomfort came when McCullum and Daniel Vettori climbed into a counterattack midway through New Zealand’s innings. He was taken for 15 in one over that was reminiscent of the one-dayers, but McCullum paid England an extra complement when asked about his tactics during that period, and admitted he was trying to play in the manner of his opposite number, Tim Ambrose.

“You have to be aggressive when you’re in a situation like that,” he said. “Playing on a wicket like that, when the bowler can land the ball in the right place for long enough, he’ll eventually have your number. I thought that if I could come out and be aggressive and hopefully knock them off their length a little bit, then the good balls would be a lot fewer and further between. Obviously it was short and sweet.” He made 25 from 21 balls before edging Broad to first slip.At the halfway mark of the match, the single biggest difference between the sides is the 164-run partnership between Ambrose and Paul Collingwood. Though Ambrose added only five runs to his overnight 97, he did enough to bring up his maiden Test century, and McCullum said it was richly deserved.We were pretty happy at 136 for 5, so to have that counterattack and the way they did it was outstanding,” he said. “It really changed the momentum of the game. When we kept beating the bat a lot I thought there was an opportunity to deny him, but he deserved to score a hundred for the way he played. The intent he came out with, and the courage to play that way when things aren’t that rosy on the scoreboard is a fantastic effort. I’m sure he’ll cherish it for a long time.”All in all, New Zealand are up against it in this Test, but McCullum said it was not for want of effort on their part. “We’re playing a very good Test team,” he said. “The opposition are allowed to play well. It would have been crazy to turn up here and expect to turn out a below-par effort, and still carry out a victory. There is certainly no complacency in our camp.”We talked long and hard about the need to dominate form the word go and, to England’s credit, they have done that to us. But the game has still got a long distance to travel and it’s about us maintaining the belief that we can get a result out of the game. If we didn’t genuinely believe we were capable of winning this game, we may as well not turn up tomorrow.”

South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has denied claims that the plane crash that caused Hansie Cronje’s death last year could have been due to sabotage. A report in the Observer Sport Monthly had quoted an unnamed CAA investigator as saying that there was reason to believe foul play in the whole matter.Trevor Abrahams, the commissioner of the CAA, told SABC Radio News: “We are not aware of any such report. I don’t know where it comes from andcertainly the indication that someone involved in the actual investigation from the CAA made any such statements are not true.”

As widely predicted in the aftermath of victory in the Champions Trophy, Gus Logie’s tenure as coach of the West Indies is over. The official announcement said that his contract was terminated early by mutual consent.Logie was appointed to the role in 2003 and his contract did not expire until 2005, but in the wake of two comprehensive series defeats by England, even winning the one-day trophy was not enough to save him.”It is no secret that the West Indies Cricket Board is looking for a foreign coach and they have already spoken to a lot of people,” Logie said last week. “Whoever comes in, I hope he gets a lot of support; certainly a lot more than what I was getting. We wanted instant results and if you don’t get that then the knives are always going to be out for you.”I am disappointed. I made a contribution and have been denied the opportunity to work with what has just begun to blossom. A foreign coach will come into this area and will be given the resources and authority I never had to get the job done and this just when results were being seen. I have made a contribution throughout my life to West Indies cricket, and it is time I move on.”Under Logie, West Indies won only four out of 22 Tests, although their one-day record was better, with 20 wins out of 39.Although the timing of the decision of the board might seem inopportune, it wanted to give Logie’s replacement time to settle in ahead of West Indies participation in the VB Series in Australia in January.

Wisden CricInfo’s writers comment on cricket’s latest inventionSteven Lynch
I have been pleasantly surprised by the crowds, the obvious fun, and the way the players have tucked in (maybe the promise of meeting Atomic Kitten at Trent Bridge has something to do with that). It’s fast-food cricket, and a couple of hours after the match most people have forgotten almost everything about it – but that doesn’t matter much as long as people turn up. The TV chats with the captain are sometimes very interesting, but I do feel sorry for anyone who has to bowl in it, and I also have a suspicion that the novelty might wear off. But it has been a good start, blessed with fine weather, and judging by England’s express-style one-day demolition of Pakistan at The Oval, the lessons are already rubbing off at a higher level.Martin Williamson
I was initially sceptical about a product which appeared to owe more to marketing meetings than the game itself, but that evaporated on the first night as the crowds flocked to grounds and the matches were not the farces that many feared. However, a trip to leafy Imber Court to watch Surrey play Sussex left me with mixed feelings. The crowd was good, and importantly the mix of the spectators was far more diverse than usual. But the game itself was not particularly exciting, and there was little feeling that people really cared what was going on in the middle. They basked in the sun, chatted and drank, while the many children raced round playing impromptu games of cricket. Being positive, at least they were there, which is what really matters. I think the future of Twenty20 is to take games to new grounds where there is an untapped audience. Playing them on the same old grounds will, once the novelty has worn off, result in the same old spectator apathy.Andrew Miller
I wasn’t a fan of Twenty20 cricket when the idea was first publicised. My objections were twofold. First the fear of failure: English cricket and gimmickry has a sad and dysfunctional relationship, and I still wince at the memory of the 1999 World Cup opening ceremony, the dampest squib ever to exist outside the realm of metaphor. My second objection, perhaps perversely, was a fear of success. If the crowds did indeed flood through the turnstiles, what next? Test cricket remains the only form of the game that truly and consistently gets my pulse racing, and this seemed so far removed from that as to be a dangerous, almost immoral, experiment. But then, one sunny Friday afternoon, with a day’s work behind me and three hours to kill before a friend’s birthday party, I allowed my guard to drop and my eyes were opened – I found myself part of a packed and knowledgable Oval crowd, all revelling in a rare opportunity to watch a live cricket match from start to finish. Purity is not the issue, and nor are the face-painters and jacuzzis. It’s all about the cricket, stupid!Freddie Auld
We were promised a new form of fast, fun and funky cricket to attract a new crowd to the game – and, after my initial reservations, I haven’t been disappointed. However, this is purely as a TV viewer. My studious nature has meant that I haven’t yet managed to join the throng live and let my hair down. But I plan to do so before long, with a group of my non-cricketing friends. And, the ECB will be pleased to hear, that even includes some girls. Watching on the box, admittedly without all the pitch-side distractions, I’ve enjoyed the immediate assaults and run-chases. That may not be an ideal way to hone a high straight elbow and an immaculate front-foot defensive, but we get enough of that in Tests. And cricket’s not just about that any more – it’s about entertainment and moving with the times.Ralph Dellor
All congratulations to those concerned for introducing Twenty20 into the English game. To get as many people as they have to go to any cricket-related event is an exceptional achievement. Only time will tell whether it is the novelty of the concept that brings the people flocking to previously deserted county grounds, or whether there is a lasting interest that will even convert the new followers to watch first one-day cricket and then go to a Championship match. However, bearing in mind that the idea is to establish the product in its own right, could I make a few suggestions that might make it even more appealing? Like using a bright orange ball instead of what starts out as a white one but soon becomes a mucky grey. And ensuring that both sides do not wear black as the basic shade of their coloured clothing. And – if this reactionary traditionalist is going to throw off all his conservative inhibitions! – reduce the teams to eight a side and bring in the boundaries so that there are more runs. Store these ideas away for when the novelty starts to fade.Sambit Bal
When I first heard about Twenty20, my spontaneous reaction was, “Ah, here we go again.” I have never been a fan of the variants – the Super Six, Max Cricket – anything that seeks to subvert the fundamentals of the game. After watching a few games on television, I wouldn’t say I am a convert yet, but I don’t mind it. What I like about it is that the game has been crunched without tampering with the essentials. At three hours, it’s only twice the size of a football match and roughly the same as a five-setter at the French Open. In theory, it is a combination of the first 15 and the last 10 of a 50-over match, and, to an extent, it works. What I don’t like about it is that it blurs the line between the highly skilled and the plain biffers. Big hits are spectacular, but continuous slogging is ugly. With wickets becoming inconsequential, the licence to hit comes with no price at all, and the bowler is degraded further. But still, if it can attract English kids to a game of cricket, who am I to complain?Raja M
Twenty20 celebrates cricket’s core charm. Forget goals and statistics, targets and tactics. Each match is a highlights package, each ball a story. Creativity is unleashed, and it’s liberation from the copybook. Yet cricket’s precious essence is not just retained but enhanced: beautifully hit straight sixes, spectacular fielding, spinners on duty. This is cricket back to its primeval spirit, the simplicity of purpose that drove men like Gilbert Jessop, Victor Trumper, Viv Richards and the young Sachin Tendulkar: the ball is there to thumped. With teams bowled out in 20 overs, it’s not a bowler’s nightmare either. A true master will conquer any challenge. A Twenty20 World Cup soon? Two matches a day at the same venue, a tournament lasting a week … Fear no changes, don’t sneer at evolution. That’s what one-day cricket taught us in the mid-1970s, and one-day cricket now funds the game. Twenty20 will do the same: it will help cricket flourish in a new millennium, in new frontiers like America.

The Australian first-class domestic competition will be called the Pura Cup for another three years after National Foods renewed its sponsorship yesterday. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said Australia’s success at the elite level relied on the talent emerging through the ranks and the importance of the Pura Cup as a foundation stone was vital."The quality and skill of the players, the healthy rivalry among states and the desire to achieve success ensure that the Pura Cup thrives and attracts the public’s interest," he said. "Running a national cricket competition is not a profit driving exercise by any means – it costs money. But that money must be spent so that we can continue to prepare and promote our players through the cricket system and maintain Australia’s success at the elite level."National Foods, through its Pura Milk brand, made its initial investment into Australian cricket in 1999, and the current renewal marks the company’s second extension of that contract.

Dave Nosworthy has been appointed coach of Canterbury for the next three seasons starting in September.Nosworthy has coached the Northern Titans, one of South Africa’s six first-class sides, for the last five years, but they decided not to extend his contract at the end of the 2004-05 season. In addition, he has coached the national Under-19 and A teams.”Dave comes highly recommended and impressed the interview panel with his thoroughness of preparation. I’m confident he will do an excellent job,” Richard Reid, Canterbury’s CEO, told New Zealand Cricket.Nosworthy, who beat eight other applicants, takes over from Michael Sharpe.

Chris Hartley has some big gloves to fill when he makes his domestic one-day debut for Queensland in the ING Cup final against the Western Warriors at the Gabba on Sunday. Hartley replaced Wade Seccombe, who was included in the Australian Test squad, in the only change to the Queensland team for the ING Cup decider.However in his first class debut earlier this season, Hartley showed that he is not daunted by the big occasions. He became the first Queenslander since Matthew Hayden to score a century on debut when he scored 103 against South Australia. He went on to represent the Prime Minister’s XI against India in January.Seccombe has been a lucky charm for Queensland in the past decade, playing in the 1995-96 and 1997-98 Mercantile Mutual Cup victories. He was also an integral part of Queensland’s 1994-95 and 1996-97 Sheffield Shield wins and the hat-trick of Pura Cup titles between 1999-00 and 2001-02. Queensland have won six of their past seven ING Cup matches this season, including the last five on the trot. Their only loss in that sequence was against Western Australia at Perth.A final decision on whether Jimmy Maher, who suffered a hamstring injury, returns to the team is not expected to be made until Saturday. Maher scored a massive 187 when the Bulls amassed a record 4 for 405 against Western Australia in Brisbane earlier this month.Squad 1 Jimmy Maher (capt), 2 Stuart Law, 3 Martin Love, 4 Clinton Perren, 5 Craig Philipson, 6 James Hopes, 7 Chris Hartley, 8 Andy Bichel,9 Ashley Noffke, 10 Nathan Hauritz, 11 Scott Brant, 12 Chris Simpson

Ravi Shastri, the former Indian captain, has said that the media should take into account the positives that have emerged from the so-called truce between Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell. As a member of the Indian board’s six-member review committee which last Tuesday prevailed upon the coach and captain to bury the hatchet, Shastri said, “Let me assure you that a lot of thought went into our final decision”.”Those who say we took the easy way out couldn’t be more wrong,” Shastri told the Bangalore-based newspaper . “Our decision was based on cold logic. We discussed the consequences of taking drastic action, and came to the conclusion that this wasn’t the time for punitive action. There is no point acting in haste and accentuating the problem, if any.”Ever since Ganguly, in the middle of the Zimbabwe tour, raised the spectre of a domineering coach and Chappell subsequently responded with an email to the board indicting the captain, there have been widespread speculation and prognoses on the state of Indian cricket.”There is no doubt in my mind that this is the biggest controversy to have hit Indian cricket since the match-fixing scandal in mid-2000,” Shastri continued. “Both on and off the field – and when I say off the field, I refer to the administrative shambles – Indian cricket has hit rock-bottom. We couldn’t have afforded another trial by the media and the public at this stage. That neither Greg nor Sourav has a problem working with each other despite the happenings of the last fortnight is a very positive development.”With Ganguly professing his continuing respect for Chappell, and the committee’s additional carrot which emphasised performance as the sole criterion for eligibility in the team, the coach was provided a dignified exit route. With the entire nation’s attention on him, it is now for Ganguly to perform.”Being part of the media myself, I can state with authority that there is enough food on the table for the media, both print and electronic, to gorge themselves for the next 25 days or so despite the gag imposed by the board on the players,” Shastri continued. “Once the Sri Lanka series starts, however, I think the media should stop feasting and go on a month’s fast, allowing cricket to have its say.”

The explosive Leah Poulton is set to make her senior debut for Australia after the squad was announced for the upcoming Rose Bowl series against New Zealand at Brisbane. Poulton, a top-order batsman, is a former captain of Australia under-19s and has been named in place of her New South Wales team-mate Alex Blackwell, who is carrying a knee injury. It is the only change in the 13-player squad to the side which whitewashed India in the Test and one-day series in February.A strong year with the bat earned Poulton the senior call-up; she struck 325 runs in the domestic league, at an average of 32.50. “She is a talented player with a free-flowing game,” explained the chairman of selectors, Margaret Jennings, “and we are keen to see how she performs against New Zealand, whom we expect to provide some very tough competition.” Australia are the current holders of the trophy.The series comprises five one-dayers and the first women’s Twenty20 in Australia, which kicks off the tour on October 18. All ties will take place at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.Squad Karen Rolton (capt), Lisa Sthalekar, Sarah Andrews, Kate Blackwell, Melissa Bulow, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Michelle Goszko, Julie Hayes, Shelley Nitschke, Kirsten Pike, Leah Poulton, Jodie Purves, Clea Smith.