Sachin's form may help us win CL T20: JP Duminy

Skipper Sachin Tendulkar has mysterious ability to inspire his team-mates to perform several notches up and that will make a massive impact on Mumbai Indians' campaign in next month's Champions League T20 in South Africa, feels batsman Jean-Pual Duminy.

Duminy believes that if Sachin Tendulkar continues with his menacing form of this year's IPL, MI will go all the way through.

"He (Sachin) clearly leads from the front and that lifts his team-mates. He is very inspiring and exceptional skipper. If he fires, others also perform better by another 20 per cent.

"He has been in fine form in the IPL and for India. Hope he does the same for us to win this tournament," Duminy told PTI on the sidelines of the launch of Champions League Twenty20 here.

"Sachin helps everybody out and he tries to engage every player. I get along with him very well and had discussions on batting and other cricketing things," said the 26-year-old batsman, who was the inaugural CLT20's top scorer for Cape Cobras but will play for Mumbai Indians this time.

Shane Warne looking forward to IPL-4

Australian spinner Shane Warne expressed his willingness to play in the 4th edition of the Indian Premier League 2011.

The Rajasthan Royals captain, who lead his team to a title win in the inaugural edition 2008, had a three-year contract with his t20 franchise which expired after the 3rd edition.

Although a fresh auction will be held in September for IPL-4, the Australian star is not in favour of IPL franchisees retaining any player for the next season.

Warne, who is currently in England, said he is looking forward to play the in the Twenty20 cricket league in India for one more year.

"It's great here in England, love coming over for the so called summer !!! Hahaha. P.S: Yes will play 1 more year. I'm looking forward to IPL 4!," he wrote on his twitter page.

Warne has been uncertain about featuring in the IPL and had earlier described his chances of playing in next year's event as fifty-fifty.

Champions League Twenty20, 2010 Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time ISD	Place
Sep 10	MI v Lions, 1st Match, Group B Lions won by 9 runs	21:00	Johannesburg*
Sep 11	Warriors v Wayamba, 2nd Mat, Group A Warriors won by 7 wkts	17:00	Port Elizabeth
Sep 11	Central Districts v CSK, 3rd Mat, Group A CSK won by 57 runs	21:00	Durban*
Sep 12	Lions v South Australia, 4th Mat, Group B South Aus won by 11 runs	17:00	Centurion
Sep 12	RCB v Guyana, 5th Mat, Group B RCB won by 9 Wickets	21:00	Centurion*
Sep 13	Victoria v Warriors, 6th Mat, Group A Warriors won by 28 runs	21:00	Port Elizabeth*
Sep 14	MI v South Australia, 7th Mat, Group A S.Aus won by 5 wickets	21:00	Durban*
Sep 15	Central Districts v Victoria, 8th Mat, Group A Victoria won by 7 wickets	17:00	Centurion
Sep 15	CSK v Wayamba, 9th Mat, Group A CSK won by 97 runs	21:00	Centurion*
Sep 16	MI v Guyana, 10th Mat, Group B MI won by 31 runs	21:00	Durban*
Sep 17	RCB v South Australia, 11th Mat, Group B S.Aus won by 8 wickets	21:00	Durban*
Sep 18	Central Districts v Warriors, 12th Mat, Group A Warriors won by 6 wickets	17:00	Port Elizabeth
Sep 18	CSK v Victoria, 13th Mat, Group A Victoria won in super over	21:00	Port Elizabeth*
Sep 19	Lions v Guyana, 14th Mat, Group B Lions won by 9 wickets	17:00	Johannesburg
Sep 19	MI v RCB, 15th Mat, Group B MI won by 2 runs	21:00	Durban*
Sep 20	Victoria v Wayamba, 16th Mat, Group A Victoria won by 8 wickets	21:00	Centurion*
Sep 21	South Australia v Guyana, 17th Mat, Group B S.Aus won by 15 runs	17:00	Johannesburg
Sep 21	Lions v RCB, 18th Match, Group B RCB won by 6 wickets	21:00	Johannesburg*
Sep 22	Central Districts v Wayamba, 19th Mat, Group A Wayamba won by 74 runs	17:00	Port Elizabeth
Sep 22	CSK v Warriors, 20th Match, Group A CSK won by 10 runs	21:00	Port Elizabeth*
Sep 24	CSK v RCB, 1st semi-final	21:00	Durban*
Sep 25	South Australia v Warriors, 2nd semi-final	21:00	Centurion*
Sep 26	TBC v TBC, Final	21:00	Johannesburg*

* - Day Night Match

India tour not idyllic for Ashes preparation: Ponting

Australia captain Ricky Ponting fears that his country's forthcoming tour of India in October may obstruct their preparation for the Ashes series commencing in November 25 at Brisbane.

Ricky Ponting said that preferably, Australia should not play on dry and flat Indian pitches in the run-up to the Ashes series against arch-rivals England at home.

"If you were trying to sit down and map out your perfect preparation for an Ashes series or a home series it probably wouldn't be playing two Test matches in India," said Ponting.

"But you don't live in an ideal world. That's the way international cricket is these days," Ponting was quoted as saying by 'The Australian'.

Australia play two Tests followed by three one-day Matches during their India tour.

Talking about Australia's three-wicket defeat against Pakistan in the 2nd Test at Leeds, Ponting admitted that he had misjudged the batting situation after winning the toss.

"We were definitely playing catch-up from stumps day one. That's my responsibility, to get those sorts of things right and make those decisions," Ponting said.

Australia were bowled out by Pakistan for just 88 - their lowest total in 26 years - on the first day of the 2nd Test at Headingley, in a Test that also ended Pakistan's 15-year wait for a win over Australia.

Sachin deserves World Cup victory: Morrison

Sachin Tendulkar deserves a World Cup win under his belt but to realise this dream the batting icon wants players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni to fire in the 2011 home event, says former New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison.

"Sachin Tendulkar, the master, deserves to have some sort of winners medal hanging round his neck but it's not all about him. Cricket is a tough game and it's also about whether Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni can carry for India. Can they do it for Sachin?," Morrison said at an ICC audio-cricket show.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also feels that India will be strong contenders to lift the ICC World Cup 2011.

"I think India has the best chance to lift the World Cup this time round. It has to be good for them playing on home turf. It adds pressure but that's part of hosting.

"You feel that India want something special to happen and this year I think you've got to go with the India team to follow the 1983 side led by Kapil Dev," said Morrison, who claimed 126 ODI wickets and 160 in Tests.

India will co-host the 2011 edition along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in February-March.

McCullum almost quit NZ team for the IPL

Brendon McCullum reveals that he nearly turned his back on the country to entrust to an entire season of the IPL, before he changed his mind while on holiday in Fiji. The star NZ keeper & batsman made the revelations in his book Inside T20, co-authored by journalist Dylan Cleaver. In the book, he mentions the crash that the Indian Twenty20 league had on his psyche.

"I felt I had some unfinished business in the 2nd season of the IPL. However, the fact that the tournament did not go according to expectations did not sit well with me. I desperately wanted to turn it around," McCullum wrote.

"I must admit I came really close to not playing for NZ. I went to Fiji for a holiday with my wife and I had a long hard look regarding the cricket that I have to play.

McCullum said that the whole issue of whether he should sign or not sign with NZ cricket misty his thoughts during this period. He said that he had to give something up to understand it and he chose not to give up his full and total commitment to New Zealand.

Pakistan complete a 2-0 series win over Aussies

Pakistan beat Australia in 11 runs after their 23-run win on Monday to seal the Twenty20 international series 2-0.

Pakistan post a challenging 162 for nine in 20 overs with six of their batsmen reaching double figures, including the Akmal brothers Kamran and Umar who scored 33 and 25 respectively.

Skipper Shahid Afridi, who took two brilliant catches on Monday, struck with the ball this time. Afridi took two wickets for 30 from his four overs of quickest leg-spin to reduce Australia to 104/5.

Michael Hussey, who steered Australia to win in the Twenty20 World Cup semi-final in St Lucia when Pakistan appear to have the game won, kept his team in the match batting at number seven.

Left-hander Hussey scored 25 from 14 balls but his dismissal lbw to Umar Gul spelled the end of his team's hopes and they were finally all out for 151 from 19.4 overs.

The teams meet at Lord's next Tuesday in the 1st test of a two-test series.

Match Summary
Pak 162/8 20 over Umar Akmal 25 Kamran Akmal 33 S. O'Keefe 3/29 Dirk Nannes 3/30	Aus 151 allout 19.4 over M. Clarke 30 David Hussey 33 Shahid Afridi 2/30 M. Aamer 3/27

Man of the match: Mohammad Aamer

Pakistan beat Australia by 23 runs in 1st T20i

Pakistan beat Australia for the 1st time in 13 matches across in all formats of cricket as they won the first T20 international by 23 runs at Edgbaston.

They were grateful to Umar Akmal's career-best 64 runs in just 31 balls that helped Pakistan to a total of 167 for eight after they had been 47 for four.

Australia, chasing 168 to win, were 144 allout with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal three wickets for 26 runs off his four overs and teenage left-arm faster Mohammad Aamer doing the mass of the damage.

Victory put Pakistan 1-0 up lead of the 2nd and final T20 international here on Tuesday.

Match Summary
Pak 167/8 20 over Umar Akmal 64 Kamran Akmal 23 Shaun Tait 2/25 Dirk Nannes 2/41	Aus 144 allout 18.4 over David Warner 41 David Hussey 34 Saeed Ajmal 3/26 M. Aamer 3/27

Man of the match: Umar Akmal

Pakistan v Australia in England 2010, Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time IST	Venue
Jul 05 - Mon	Pakistan v Australia, 1st T20I Pak won by 23 runs	21:30	Birmingham
Jul 06 - Tue	Pakistan v Australia, 2nd T20I Pak won by 11 runs	21:30	Birmingham
Jul 13 - 17	Pakistan v Australia, 1st Test	15:00	London
Jul 21 - 25	Pakistan v Australia, 2nd Test	15:00	Leeds

Australia in India 2010