Sri Lanka to keep heat on Ponting-less Aussies

Sri Lanka will keep the heat on an Australia side that will be without their skipper Ricky Ponting for Wednesday's opening one-day international in Melbourne, captain Kumar Sangakkara said Tuesday.

The Sri Lankans received a significant boost ahead of the Melbourne Cricket Ground match when Ponting said he was withdrawing to attend his grandmother's funeral in Tasmania.

Sangakkara's team hold the whip hand going into the three-match ODI series after thrashing Australia by seven wickets in a Twenty20 match in Perth last Sunday.

The wicketkeeper-batsman warned that Sri Lanka must keep applying the pressure to the world's number one-ranked one-day team.

"A player of Ricky's calibre not being in the side, he's a huge blow to anyone," Sangakkara told reporters.

"He's one of the best batsmen probably in the last two decades or so.

"I'm not sure how it will affect the Australians, but for us again it's a case of thinking more about us and trying to keep a focus on the processes that we try and do setting the tone for the innings and getting our combinations right."

Although Sri Lanka are using the Australian tour as a buildup to next year's World Cup on the sub-continent, Sangakkara said his focus would be on trying to beat the home side.

"The World Cup is there, everyone knows when it is and this is a build-up for it," he said.

"But for us, this tour is very important, so we take this series in that context, as a series on its own.

"Of course, the combinations we play will probably allow us to make some decisions about certain players, it will also give players opportunities to grab those elusive places in a final World Cup squad.

"But we have to play this, we have to play the West Indies and then think about the World Cup."

Like Australia, Sri Lanka are yet to decide their line-up for Wednesday's game, but Sangakkara confirmed Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan would open the batting.

ICC not against Pakistan, says former president

A former president of the International Cricket Council blamed Pakistan cricket authorities for the state of the game in the country and denied the ICC was picking on Pakistan.

"ICC is not against Pakistan, it's Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which is against their cricket and has not sorted out their problems, forcing the ICC to take the matters in its hands," Pakistani Ehsan Mani told AFP.

"The way PCB is being run, it is only to protect the position of one person," said Mani, ICC president 2003-2006, without specifically naming under fire PCB chairman Ijaz Butt.

Pakistan's recent tour of England was marred by newspaper allegations of spot-fixing during a Test at Lord's in August, leading to the ICC suspending three key players.

The ICC on Sunday turned down an appeal from Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and bowler Mohammad Aamer against the suspension. The third accused, Mohammad Asif, had withdrawn his appeal.

The ICC has ordered Pakistan to implement measures to curb alleged corruption and other problems, warning failure to clean up its act could result in sanctions.

No international teams have toured Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team's bus in March last year, meaning huge financial losses and fears that interest in the sport will start to wane among the youth.

"The PCB should have taken the lead and sorted those things out," Mani told AFP late Monday.

"It is because we are not capable of doing it that the ICC has said we will step in. I know some of the people on the (ICC) committee and they seriously have Pakistan?s cricket at heart, I?ve got no doubt about that," said Mani.

Mani said the PCB had plenty on its plate.

"Domestic cricket, schools' cricket, clubs' cricket -- I hear there are quite a lot of issues in domestic cricket in Pakistan which needed to be addressed," he said.

"You will always find that the boards with the best systems, like Australia and India, their teams will always do better because the team selection, the selection of the selectors, is a whole process.

"At the moment our system... it is only at the whim of one person. You will only get a board as good or bad as its chairman."

Would like to take one series at a time: Tendulkar

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar said that he would like to focus on one series at a time rather than thinking too far ahead including the World Cup that will be held in the sub-continent, next year.

"I am not yet thinking about the tour of South Africa and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. My immediate focus is on the upcoming New Zealand series and only when that is over, I will start talking about South Africa," Tendulkar said on the sidelines of a function that marked his association as a brand ambassador with a high-end watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet.

However, Tendulkar admitted that he would be happy if India can maintain the winning momentum in the coming series.

"The momentum is with us right now and we should not let it go. We are not taking anything for granted and want to be on our toes. We would be looking to keep on producing competitive cricket and stick to the basics."

When asked whether he is currently enjoying the form of his life, the iconic batsman who recently completed 14,000 Test runs said that although he is happy but he is still not satisfied.

"There is always room for improvement. I am happy with my current performance but not satisfied. I want to get better.

In fact, in any profession one must strive to get better and better," said Tendulkar, adding, "I always want to remain a student of the game because that is when you grasp more and is always keen to improve."

The 37-year-old, who had one of the most fruitful years of his career in 2010 as he won his first ICC's Player of the Year Award and returned to the top of the world batting rankings for the first time since 2002.

In February, he scored centuries in successive Tests against South Africa before becoming the first man to reach 200 in an ODI against the same opponents.

When asked what all has remained in his wish list which he still want to achieve, Tendulkar said, "There is no wish list. I play because I always love playing cricket. The only thing I ever wanted to do was to play for my country.

"Now, my track is only cricket, where a lot of stations come and I cherish arriving at all of them. But I personally just want to do something for my country and go on playing. In this journey I want to achieve whatever I can till the time remains," said the man, who remains just one short of scoring 50 Test centuries.

"It was a fantastic win the Test series against Australia. In fact, it was great to see some guys produced special cricket. (VVS) Laxman is definately one such special guy, who snatched the victory for us. He was struggling to even jog as he was injured but he went out there and produced such a brilliant innings.

Buzz Up Sachin Tendulkar yearns for 'next level'

He has been hailed as one of the most accomplished players in world cricket but Sachin Tendulkar still yearns to reach the "next level" as a batsman.

Tendulkar, who made history earlier this month by becoming the first batsman to score 14,000 runs in Test cricket, says his desire to improve remains as intense as it has ever been.

"I'm really focusing now on how I can get to the next level as a batsman. How can I get even more competitive? How can I get even more consistent? How can I get better?" Tendulkar said, according the extract of an interview to 'The Guardian' to be published in full tomorrow.

Instead of struggling for form with advancing age, 37-year-old Tendulkar has had the most prolific year of his Test career in 2010 and he insists rather than considering retirement he has many more goals to fulfill.

"Life would be flat without dreams. I think it's really important to dream - and then to chase those dreams. I really believe in this because it's this dreaming that makes me work so hard. I want to continue doing that because I've worked very hard the last couple of years on my batting," he said.

"(Coach) Gary Kirsten has been instrumental in this. Together we've worked hard in the last couple of years to improve my batting. He's given me the freedom to express myself, and to pace my innings as I see fit. I can slow down occasionally. Gary has helped me do this and it's because he's more a friend than a coach," said Tendulkar who is just one short of hitting 50 Test centuries.

He described 2010 as his "sweetest year" as he won his first ICC's Player of the Year Award and returned to the top of the world batting rankings for the first time since 2002.

In February, Tendulkar scored centuries in successive Tests against South Africa before becoming the first man to reach 200 in an ODI against the same opponents.

Tendulkar was the highest run scorer in IPL and also made a Test double-hundred against Sri Lanka before his remarkable performances against Australia which saw him reach the 14,000 landmark in the second Test at Bangalore while scoring 214 and an unbeaten 53 to complete India's 2-0 series victory.

The iconic but down to earth batsman conceded that his form subsided a few years ago, prompting critics like Australia's Ian Chappell to call for his retirement.

"There was a little dip for me, around 2005 and 2006. But I had a lot of injuries then. I had finger and elbow injuries, and then a back injury. All these upper-body injuries may have altered my back-swing a little. But, fortunately, all that is behind me now and I've been able to put in the hours of practice that I need," he said.

Tendulkar had earlier expressed his desire to win the 20111 World Cup and he said the cricket-mad Indian fans would be demanding to win the prestigious tournament at home.

"It's going to be massive. Everyone in India is already looking forward to hosting a mega tournament and although people haven't started talking yet about 1983 (when India won the World Cup) it will happen soon. But, given our recent form, people have a right to be excited and have extremely high hopes for us. There are going to be big expectations." Tendulkar also talked about the influence of his late father, a novelist and poet, as well as his brother, Ajit, who remains his closest cricketing confidante.

He also revealed the surprise identity of the bowler who has troubled him most in Test cricket and reflects on the day he and Shane Warne visited Don Bradman on his 90th birthday.

Buzz Up Sachin Tendulkar yearns for 'next level'

He has been hailed as one of the most accomplished players in world cricket but Sachin Tendulkar still yearns to reach the "next level" as a batsman.

Tendulkar, who made history earlier this month by becoming the first batsman to score 14,000 runs in Test cricket, says his desire to improve remains as intense as it has ever been.

"I'm really focusing now on how I can get to the next level as a batsman. How can I get even more competitive? How can I get even more consistent? How can I get better?" Tendulkar said, according the extract of an interview to 'The Guardian' to be published in full tomorrow.

Instead of struggling for form with advancing age, 37-year-old Tendulkar has had the most prolific year of his Test career in 2010 and he insists rather than considering retirement he has many more goals to fulfill.

"Life would be flat without dreams. I think it's really important to dream - and then to chase those dreams. I really believe in this because it's this dreaming that makes me work so hard. I want to continue doing that because I've worked very hard the last couple of years on my batting," he said.

"(Coach) Gary Kirsten has been instrumental in this. Together we've worked hard in the last couple of years to improve my batting. He's given me the freedom to express myself, and to pace my innings as I see fit. I can slow down occasionally. Gary has helped me do this and it's because he's more a friend than a coach," said Tendulkar who is just one short of hitting 50 Test centuries.

He described 2010 as his "sweetest year" as he won his first ICC's Player of the Year Award and returned to the top of the world batting rankings for the first time since 2002.

In February, Tendulkar scored centuries in successive Tests against South Africa before becoming the first man to reach 200 in an ODI against the same opponents.

Tendulkar was the highest run scorer in IPL and also made a Test double-hundred against Sri Lanka before his remarkable performances against Australia which saw him reach the 14,000 landmark in the second Test at Bangalore while scoring 214 and an unbeaten 53 to complete India's 2-0 series victory.

The iconic but down to earth batsman conceded that his form subsided a few years ago, prompting critics like Australia's Ian Chappell to call for his retirement.

"There was a little dip for me, around 2005 and 2006. But I had a lot of injuries then. I had finger and elbow injuries, and then a back injury. All these upper-body injuries may have altered my back-swing a little. But, fortunately, all that is behind me now and I've been able to put in the hours of practice that I need," he said.

Tendulkar had earlier expressed his desire to win the 20111 World Cup and he said the cricket-mad Indian fans would be demanding to win the prestigious tournament at home.

"It's going to be massive. Everyone in India is already looking forward to hosting a mega tournament and although people haven't started talking yet about 1983 (when India won the World Cup) it will happen soon. But, given our recent form, people have a right to be excited and have extremely high hopes for us. There are going to be big expectations." Tendulkar also talked about the influence of his late father, a novelist and poet, as well as his brother, Ajit, who remains his closest cricketing confidante.

He also revealed the surprise identity of the bowler who has troubled him most in Test cricket and reflects on the day he and Shane Warne visited Don Bradman on his 90th birthday.

Gavaskar says Kochi link-up sad

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar seems angry at the way the media has portrayed him for his alleged link with the Kochi IPL franchisee. Some people have even alleged that he had been giving advise to them even while he was a member of the IPL governing council, thus entering the conflict of interest area.

"Pray, tell me how does an offer to be in charge of cricketing aspects of a franchise make so much news when I have not even accepted it.

Isn't it futile to respond to any questions, especially when the angle and line of the article has already been decided by the writer or TV channel?" he told MAIL TODAY.

He further wrote in his e-mail reply that he responded in "good faith" to media houses, but it seems his reply provided "credibility to the biased article written" and to the story shown by channels.

"So, I can shout from the roof tops that I declined to be on the governing council, but it will still be said that I was sacked, expelled, dropped and what not. Sad, really sad," he rued.

Gavaskar also maintained that the BCCI hasn't removed him from the chairmanship of its technical panel. "I don't know where these things are coming from. I'm still the chairman of the technical committee."

Tendulkar was core to Mumbai Indians' success during IPL III

Mumbai Indians was the first team to arrive in South Africa for the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), which gets underway on Friday, when the Indians take on Bizhub Highveld Lions at the Wanderers.

There is an aura around Mumbai Indians, largely because they are captained by Sachin Tendulkar, who is arguably the most exciting and successful player of the modern era. There is a buzz of excitement wherever the Little Master goes, and South Africans are lucky to have seen him on numerous occasions.

Although he has retired from international Twenty20 (T20) cricket, Tendulkar, who owns just about every batting record in the world, was an integral part of the Mumbai Indians' success in the IPL earlier this year, where they were runners-up to Chennai Super Kings.

He scored 618 runs for his team, which earned him the record for most runs scored in any edition of the IPL.

He says he is very excited about playing in the Champions League.

"Having played cricket for more than 20 years, this is the first time I am doing something like this. You have champion sides from most of the cricket-playing nations. It's as tough as it can get. It will be competitive and exciting. You have some world-class players participating in this tournament and I think the crowds will thoroughly enjoy it.

"Twenty20 has always been an exciting format; this takes it to a new level altogether."

He said the team had no problems settling down as a unit again.

"We had a superb third IPL season and the players understand each other very well, so there is no question of trying to understand each other again. We already know what the thinking is."

Tendulkar also said he did not think the Australian and South African teams would have any particular advantage because of the conditions in South Africa.

"It all depends on how you perform on any given day," he said.

"Many of the players taking part in the tournament have been travelling around the world, and have grown accustomed to different conditions."

The master batsman said that playing unknown teams posed a new challenge as well.

"All the teams have some world-class players, so it's always a challenge to play against them. But for me, it's all about playing to the best of my potential. It doesn't matter who the opposition is. That is the way I have always approached the game, and I continue to do that now."

Tendulkar said the Lions would have a slight advantage in the opening match because of their knowledge of conditions at the Wanderers.

"After having played for such a long time, I'm playing in South Africa in September for the first time in my career, so conditions are slightly different. But that doesn't mean that we can't produce good cricket. We're here to compete hard and to compete fairly. The Lions have the advantage of knowing the conditions and the ground better than us, but that doesn't mean we can't beat them."