It went down to the last ball but when Jacques Kallis fell in the 43rd over, with South Africa requiring an improbable 74 from 43 balls and only two wickets in hand, it looked like game, set and match to India. From there, Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell threatened to pull of an incredible heist but India held their nerve to clinch a final-ball win in Jaipur.

The quality of cricket was actually below-par from both sides – India’s bowling threatened to completely disintegrate under the pressure and barring Kallis, South Africa’s batting was quite dismal – but the contest was made memorable by the tailenders Steyn and Parnell. This is how it panned out in the end: Steyn lashed two straight sixes in the 46th over bowled by Suresh Raina, the pair pinched three boundaries in the 48th over bowled by an errant Sreesanth and when both batsmen struck audacious sixes down the ground against Ashish Nehra in the 49th over, South Africa required only 10 from the last over.

Praveen Kumar bowled Steyn with a slower one off the second delivery but the drama wasn’t over yet. Charl Langeveldt pulled the penultimate delivery to long leg where Sachin Tendulkar dived full-stretch to prevent the boundary. Many replays later, the third umpire ruled it a legal save and South Africa had to be content with three runs but had the well-set Parnell on strike for the last delivery. More excitement lay ahead as Praveen hurled a wide leaving South Africa needing three to win. Parnell squeezed out the final delivery to third man where Sreesanth fielded the ball cleanly and threw in a slightly wide throw but MS Dhoni had enough time to break the stumps with Parnell just one yard short of levelling the scores.

Until those dramatic end overs where India threatened to choke, they had actually done most things necessary to win the game. No batsman got a big score, but there were enough handy contributions from the top-order to push India to a strong 298. No bowler got more than two wickets but there was enough combined discipline in the attack, till they crumbled under the Steyn & Parnell show, to restrict South Africa.

For their part, South Africa might have come very close in the end but the stand-in captain Jacques Kallis was the only top-order batsman to offer any resistance in the chase where Ravindra Jadeja starred for India with his unspectacular but steady spell of left-arm spin where he used the arm-ball quite liberally to keep the batsmen honest. When Jadeja came on to bowl South Africa were sitting pretty at 60 for 1 from nine overs. When he finished his first spell that read 8-2-23-2, and included the vital wickets of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, South Africa had slowed down to 127 for 3 from 24 overs.

He didn’t get the ball to turn but repeatedly slipped the one that went straight on with the arm to suffocate the batsmen. The ball also tended to skid on in this surface and at times kept a touch low and the batsmen struggled to put away his armers. He lured Gibbs to slice to long-off and troubled both Kallis and de Villiers with his skidding deliveries. de Villiers tried to wriggle free with an attempted cut shot that proved fatal as he completely failed to connect.

From then on South Africa were always chasing their own tail despite Kallis’ effort and though Steyn and Parnell played the one-day innings of their lives, they fell short in the end.

Like South Africa, India too didn’t have any centurion today but, unlike the visitors, there were enough contributions to charge them to a strong score. On a day when Virender Sehwag played a couple of typically stunning shots – a slashed six over third man and another flamboyantly carved over covers being the picks – two innings, from men who are yet to secure their spots in the playing eleven, caught the eye. Karthik’s entertaining 44 and Raina’s attractive 58 stood out for their sparkling shots, and also for their untimely dismissals. Both fell when they were well-set and had the opportunity to take India to an unassailable position.

India were at 32 for the loss of Tendulkar in seven overs when Karthik started to go for his shots. Until then, he was playing the conventional strokes and even timing them well but was unable to find the gaps.

Everything changed in the eighth over bowled by Parnell. The first ball, a short of a length delivery outside off stump, was flat-batted – a forehand cross-court swat – over the bowler’s head. Off the third delivery, he walked down the track to upset the line and length and whipped through midwicket for another boundary and a pull off the fifth delivery fetched him a couple before he collected another pulled boundary off the last ball.

Karthik continued to innovate and play the big shots – a slog-swept six against Johan Botha being the highlight – before he fell. This ability to manufacture shots and pull out the big hits irrespective of the match situation has been his strength and weakness. Shot selection hasn’t always been his strong point but it looked like today was going to be his day until he was dismissed against the run of play, mistiming a pull shot off Langeveldt straight to mid-on.

Raina took over after Karthik’s exit, starting off with a delightful, on-the-up, cover-driven boundary off Albie Morkel, and handled himself well against the short stuff from Kallis. The pitch was a flat beauty and there wasn’t great pace or bounce to cause any trouble and Raina collected boundaries with upper cuts and a couple of pull shots. He went on to heave a back-of-length delivery from Parnell over wide long-on boundary but in the 44th over, with India on 260 for 6, he moved away from the stumps to try an expansive inside-out drive over the covers, only to edge Kallis behind the wicket.

It was left to the tail to push India towards 300, which proved more than enough in the end courtesy a fine spell from Jadeja. Kallis carried on gamely with a characteristic innings but he received no support from his team-mates: Mark Boucher edged a slightly wide delivery, Alviro Petersen was run out as he failed to ground his bat, and both Morkel and Botha fell playing across the line. Kallis dealt in singles initially, put away most of the bad balls, and tried to manufacture a few big shots in the end overs but the stiff target proved too much for him to pull off a one-man-show. Steyn and Parnell nearly pulled off the improbable but couldn’t complete a fairy-tale finish.

“It feels good that I lasted for 50 overs, a good test of my fitness. I’d like to bat another 50 overs at some stage and see that the fitness level doesn’t drop,” Tendulkar said after his effort helped India take a unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. “The ball was coming onto the bat and I was striking the ball well. So when everything falls into its place, it feels nice. It was one of the innings where I felt I was moving well. Since I was timing the ball well, I could be more aggressive and put pressure on the bowlers.”

Tendulkar, while dedicating his feat to the people of India, credited coach Gary Kirsten for the team’s success in both forms of the game after the debacle in the World Cup in the Caribbean. “I’ve enjoyed various challenges; after the 2007 World Cup things have looked different and I’m enjoying the game,” he said. “The credit also goes to Gary [Kirsten], he has really held the team beautifully. It’s about togetherness and playing for each other. You see during the practice sessions that Gary himself trains as hard as anyone else, or probably harder than anyone else as he’s the one giving us practice all the time.”

Tendulkar said he sensed an opportunity to break the record and reach a double-century when he had gone past 175 in the 42nd over. The record eventually came in the 46th over, and the 200 in the 50th. “When I was near 175-180, I thought I could get a 200 as there were quite a few overs left,” he said. He added that he would prefer his achievement to be upstaged by an Indian. “I don’t play for records, I play for enjoyment and play with lots of passion. That’s how cricket started. I didn’t start playing cricket to break all the records; it’s happened along the way. The dream was to play for India and do my best.

“I don’t think any record is unbreakable. Records are made to be broken. I hope that if this record is broke, it’s done by an Indian.”

This was India’s third-highest score in ODIs, and Tendulkar said the 400-mark would not have reached if not for some big hitting by Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni. “I thought a target of 340-350 would be a good one, but Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni came in and hit the big shots and cleared the ropes consistently and helped us pass 400.”

Tendulkar added that India were not relaxing despite having put up a mammoth score, for they were aware South Africa were the only team to have chased down a target in excess of 400. “This was the team that chased 434 against Australia. So we didn’t get complacent and told ourselves that we had just got through the half-way stage by scoring 401. And what we did in the second half was extremely important. We were aiming at getting early wickets and putting them out of the game.”

Dhoni, who witnessed Tendulkar surpass the record from the other end, said: “I think one of the best innings, you can say. It’s always good to be on the other side, watching him score 200 runs. When he is tired and can’t play the big shots, he was very clever to use the pace of the bowler and it’s very difficult for the bowlers as they don’t know where exactly to bowl.”

India lost Virender Sehwag early, and Tendulkar was assisted in three sizable stands where runs came at a brisk pace, with Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf and Dhoni. “Once Viru got out, it was important to get some kind of a partnership going. They [Tendulkar and Karthik] went on with their innings, and they set a platform after which we were sure we would get 350-plus which would be a difficult target,” Dhoni said. “Yusuf was sent up the order and with the talent he’s got, he can be a great asset to the side.”

Yusuf scored a quickfire 36 and was particularly lethal during the batting Powerplay, while Dhoni proved destructive at the death, bludgeoning 68 off 35 in a century-stand with Tendulkar in just 53 balls. “I have changed my batting a bit, but the situation demanded that kind [attacking] of innings,” Dhoni said. “The ground is a small one, and we were a bit worried about the dew factor. But once they lost 3-4 early wickets, it was difficult for them to get back into the game.”

For South Africa and their stand-in captain Jacques Kallis, it was a case of the basics gone wrong. “The toss was quite vital. Our basics were just weren’t good enough today. We were outplayed,” Kallis said. “We lost wickets at crucial stages, our basics let us down. A fantastic innings by Sachin; he took advantage of some good conditions and he played superbly. We let ourselves down in some areas.”

In Year 2010, cricket calender is packed with a Twenty20 world cup in month of April in West Indies, Asia cup which is an ODI tournament played between all asian country, several bilateral tours like South Africa, New Zealand & Australia tour of India which includes test series and T20 games and one or two triseries as well. and on top of all, Australia and England resume their battle for urn, the Ashes 2010, to be played in Australia this time from the month of November.

Australia also tour England for a series of one day internationals while England play host to Pakistan vs Australia test series after a long gap. Bangladeshi team will have their busiest cricketing season while Indian cricket team will indulge into Indian Premier League (IPL), Champions League T20 along with their International commitments.

Note that following list of cricket fixtures for year 2010 show only which country tour where in what month. Actual and full time table is only relased by respective host boards around 2-3 months in advance. So, in case you are anticipating an upcoming cricket series, wait some more.. following tables will be updated as soon as full schedules are released.

England Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
Months Versus Matches Fixtures & Result
January England in South Africa 4 tests + 5 ODI + T20 Eng in SA 2010
February-March England in Bangladesh 2 tests + 3 ODIs Eng in Bdesh 2010
April T20 WC in West Indies Twenty20 World cup World T20 2010
May Bangladesh in England 2 Test + 3 ODI Bdesh in Eng 2010
June Australia in England 5 ODI Series Aus in Eng 2010
Aug-Sept Pakistan in England 4 test & 5 ODI Pak in Eng 2010
Nov-Dec England in Australia Ashes 2011 Ashes 2010

India Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
January India in Bangladesh 2 Test + Triseries India in Bdesh 2010
February-March South Africa in India 3 Test + 5 ODI SA in Ind 2010
April Asia Cup ODI Tournament Asia Cup 2010
April T20 WC in West Indies Twenty20 World Cup World T20 2010
May India in Zimbabwe 3 ODI Series Ind in Zim 2010
July India in Sri Lanka Triseries Ind v NZ v SL
October Australia in India 7 ODI Series Aus in Ind 2010
November New Zealand in India 3 Test + 5 ODI NZ in Ind 2010

Australia Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
January Pakistan in Australia 3 Test + 5 ODI + T20 Pak in Aus 2010
February West Indies in Australia 5 ODI + T20 WI in Aus 2010
March-April Australia in New Zealand 3 Test + 5 ODI + 2 T20s Aus in NZ 2010
April T20 World Cup in WI Twenty20 World Cup World T20 2010
June Australia in England 5 ODI Series Aus in Eng 2010
July Pak v Aus in Eng 2 Test & 3 ODI Pak v Aus 2010
August Bangladesh in Australia 2 Test & 3 ODI Bdesh in Aus 2010
October Australia in India 7 ODI series Aus in Ind 2010
November England in Australia 5 Test Series Ashes 2010-11

Pakistan Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
January Pakistan in Australia 3 Test + 5 ODI + T20 Pak in Aus 2010
April Asia Cup ODI Tournament Asia Cup 2010
April T20 World cup in West Indies Twenty20 World Cup World T20 2010
July Pak v Aus in Eng 2 Test & 3 ODI Pak v Aus 2010
Aug-Sept Pakistan v England 4 test & 5 ODI Pak in Eng 2010
October Bangladesh in Pakistan 2 Test + 3 ODI Bdesh in Pak 2010
November South Africa in Pakistan 3 Test + 5 ODI SA in Pak 2010

New Zealand Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
February Bangladesh in New Zealand 1 Test, 3 ODI, 2 T20 Bdesh in NZ 2010
March-April Australia in New Zealand Test + ODI + T20 Aus in NZ 2010
April T20 World cup in West Indies Twenty20 World Cup WC T20 2010
July New Zealand in Sri Lanka Triseries Ind v NZ v SL
October New Zealand in Bangladesh 2 Test + 3 ODI NZ in Bdesh 2010
November New Zealand in India 3 Test + 5 ODI NZ in Ind 2010

Sri Lanka Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
January Srilanka in Bangladesh Triseries Ind v SL v Bdesh
April Asia Cup ODI Tournament Asia Cup 2010
April T20 World cup in West Indies Twenty20 World Cup WC T20 2010
July India & New Zealand in Sri Lanka Tri Series Ind v NZ v SL
Nov-Dec West Indies in Sri Lanka 3 Test + 5 ODI WI in SL 2010

South Africa Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
January England in South Africa 4 Test + 5 ODI Eng in SA 2010
February-March South Africa in India 3 Test + 5 ODI SA in Ind 2010
April T20 World cup in WI Twenty20 World Cup WC T20 2010
May-June South Africa in West Indies 4 Test + 5 ODI SA in WI 2010
September Zimbabwe in South Africa ODI Series Zim in SA 2010
Oct-Nov South Africa in Pakistan 3 Test + 5 ODI SA in Pak 2010

West Indies Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
February West Indies in Australia 5 ODI + T20 WI in Aus 2010
March Zimbabwe in West Indies ODI Series Zim in WI 2010
April T20 World cup in West Indies Twenty20 World Cup WC T20 2010
May-June South Africa in West Indies 4 Test + 5 ODI SA in WI 2010
July – August West Indies tour of England 4 Test + 5 ODI WI in Eng 2010
Nov-Dec West Indies in Sri Lanka 3 Test + 5 ODI WI in SL 2010

Bangladesh Cricket Schedule : Year 2010
January SL & Ind in Bdesh ODI Triseries Ind v SL v Bdesh
January India in Bangladesh 2 Tests Ind in Bdesh 2010
February Bangladesh tour of New Zealand Test + ODI + T20 Bdesh in NZ 2010
March England in Bdesh Test + ODI Eng in Bdesh 2010
April Asia Cup ODI Tournament Asia cup 2010
April T20 World cup in West Indies Twenty20 World cup World T20 2010
May Bangladesh in England 2 Test + 3 ODI Bdesh in Eng 2010
July Bangladesh in Australia 2 Tests Bdesh in Aus 2010
August Bangladesh in Pakistan 2 Test + 3 ODI Bdesh in Pak 2010
October New Zealand in Bangladesh 2 Test + 3 ODI NZ in Bdesh 2010

England 180
South Africa 292/5 (86.5 ov)
South Africa lead by 112 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Day 3 – Session 1

There can be little doubt that cricket needs to inspire young minds for its continued propagation and that having England matches on free-to air TV would encourage that. . As the marketing men will tell you, penetration is everything and a peak of two million viewers for the dénouement of this year’s Ashes at the Oval on Sky pales when compared to the seven million who watched the equivalent moment on Channel 4 four years earlier.

hat extra reach can have an effect. A month after England’s 2005 heroics I was in Norfolk and saw children playing cricket after school instead of football (it was October). The incredible narrative of that series was undoubtedly the catalyst for such unseasonal enthusiasm but those kids might never have been touched so directly had the series been on pay-TV, as now.

It was 11 years ago that Lord MacLaurin, then chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, paved the way for the current situation by persuading Tony Blair’s government to remove Test cricket from the A-list of sporting events like the Grand National and the FA Cup – the so-called ‘Crown Jewels’ – that had to remain on terrestrial TV. Now, a review, led by David Davies, is looking at whether the Ashes, though not all Test cricket, possesses enough “special national resonance” to be returned to the A-list and free-to-air television.

There are important consequences to consider. The ECB’s latest deal with Sky is worth £300 million over the next four years but any move to put the Ashes back to terrestrial TV, something the Government has the power to make compulsory, would decimate that value. More cricket would have to be offered to bidders just to limit the shortfall, leading to an even greater saturation of the fixture list than prevails now.

With a fifth of the ECB’s revenues going toward developing the grass roots and recreational side of the game (the most of any British sport), it isn’t difficult to see which aspect would suffer most in the pursuit of larger TV audiences. Reaching new viewers is a laudable ideal but not if it depletes the section in which most would begin their journey. According to one ECB insider, the drop in revenues would be ruinous, with hundreds of people and projects in that sector being made redundant.

County cricket would also be affected with playing staffs being cut back. Even the England players could suffer a reduction in salary, making them prey to parasitic Twenty20 competitions that are certain to have multiplied like pond life by the time the next TV rights come up for sale in 2012.

Excellence costs money and England currently boast an Ashes-winning men’s team and the best women’s team on the globe. Returning the Ashes to terrestrial TV might improve the wellbeing of the country, providing England are winning, but not the game that spawned them.

England celebtrated victory of Ashes series

Dickie Bird Gives His Last Decision In Test Cricket

Former greatest British Test umpire Dickie Bird has joined the chorus of people imploring the  International  Cricket Council (ICC) to change their rules to ensure the best officials are appointed  to the biggest series.

Under ICC regulations, umpires are banned from standing in matches involving teams from their own countries, ensuring matches are overseen by “neutral” umpires.

Critics have argued that the best umpires should be appointed regardless of their nationality and the teams involved, and the issue came to a head during the recent Ashes series between England and Australia.

Australia’s Simon Taufel has been officially recognised as the ICC’s umpire of the year for the past five seasons but was prevented from officiating in the Ashes, which was clouded by a series of contentious decisions.

“I don’t know whether the ICC or the ruling body has got the best umpires, but you must get the best umpires, especially to do an Ashes series when there’s so much at stake,” Bird told Sky Sports on Tuesday.

“Decisions can cost a Test match or a player’s career. It looked at times as if the pressure got at the two umpires out in the middle.”

Bird, 76, said he sympathised with the umpires who did control the Ashes series because of the extra scrutiny they were under but said their jobs would be made easier if more video replays were allowed.

“It’s not an easy job, it’s very difficult, but now there are electronic aids so they should be able to get most of the decisions right,” he said.

Symonds want to take green bagy cap

England regained the Ashes with a 197-run win over Australia in the fifth and final Test at the Oval on Sunday. Victory, achieved with more than a day to spare, saw England take the five-match series 2-1. England victory’s left Ponting with the unwanted record of becoming only the second Australia captain, since Billy Murdoch in 1890, to be in charge of two losing Ashes tours of England. And it also knocked Australia off top spot in the Test rankings.

With Australia losing their grip on the Ashes, troubled all-rounder Andrew Symonds has added further insult to the injury by criticizing the world champion’s team culture that led to his unceremonious ouster from the national side. Symonds, who has been watching the Ashes on television, said the rigid team rules still rankle him.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Symond quoted ” “I suppose you like to go out on your own terms. But the way I was, that I am, and the way the game was headed … if you can’t sit in the pub and watch a football game over a beer, if that’s upsetting team rules and harmony, there’s no place for me anymore ”

“I’m not bitter. I’m not angry. It was just the way it unfolded. Now I can go and watch my footy team play and relax doing it. I would have liked to have gone out on my own steam, but it’s not a train smash, mate. It’s one of those things.

“I’m a keen Broncos supporter. They’ve been great to me, they’ve welcomed me with open arms. I’ve found it interesting to sit in on team meetings and see how they go about preparing for a game,” he added.

Symonds said although he is upset with the way he was thrown out of the Australian team, he still desires to wear the baggy green

The 34-year-old all-rounder met Queensland cricket chief Graham Dixon and expressed his desire to play for the domestic side once again, a decision which was inspired by a casual chat with former Test opener Matthew Hayden.

“I know when I came back I still had the passion to play Test cricket – I wouldn’t have bothered training otherwise. I wouldn’t have bothered trying to get fit again. But I’m happy with life now. It’s water under the bridge. I didn’t plan for it to end the way it did.”

“It just came to a point where I would come back from an injury and have a couple of weeks where everything was fine, then things would go downhill again” He told.

He said “I’ve done something like two years rehabilitation out of the last four and for my body, for my family’s sake I have decided to call time on the Tests and concentrate on the shorter form of cricket.”