Sehwag, Taylor, Tendulkar, Afridi take top honours
Virender Sehwag wins the Test batting prize for a second year running
Virender Sehwag has won the Test batting prize for the second year running in the ESPNcricinfo Awards. Sehwag's audacious 293 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai was chosen over Andrew Strauss's 161 at Lord's in the Ashes and Chris Gayle's unbeaten 165 in Adelaide, by a jury of former cricketers, commentators and Cricinfo's senior editors.
The six awards, for performances in the three international cricket formats in 2009, were shared between players from three countries: India, Pakistan and West Indies. Gayle won the Twenty20 batting award for his 50-ball 88 against Australia at The Oval in the World Twenty20. His West Indies team-mate Jerome Taylor's rout of England in Jamaica was voted the Test bowling performance of the year.
The ODI batting award went to Sachin Tendulkar for his fighting 175 in a match India lost by three runs to Australia.
Shahid Afridi, who was nominated for his Twenty20 bowling as well, won for his career-best 6 for 38 in in Dubai, also against Australia.
The award for Twenty20 bowling went to Umar Gul, who was nominated twice in the category, for his five-wicket haul against New Zealand at The Oval, also in the World Twenty20 - a performance of reverse-swing bowling in which, according to former Australia captain and jury member Ian Chappell, "for three overs he looked like he was going to take a wicket every ball and damn near did".
Of the winners, Gul, Gayle and Afridi were among eight players to receive two nominations each. Fifty-seven performances from 2009 were shortlisted in the six categories early in January and voted on by the jury.
Former England opener Geoff Boycott, one of the members of the jury, which also included Tony Greig, David Lloyd, Ramiz Raja, Daryll Cullinan and Sanjay Manjrekar, said Sehwag's win was hardly surprising. "It is extraordinary to watch him play. I have seen some people score quickly and get big scores," Boycott said. "Part of the time it is brute force, but not so with him. It is just simplicity itself. I watch him bat and it seems as though he sees the shot even before the bowler has bowled. It is quite extraordinary. He doesn't play with great power; it is grace, timing and effortless ease, and his range of shots is quite exciting."
In addition to the performance awards, the ESPNcricinfo Awards also comprise the Statsguru Awards, which are based on detailed statistical analyses of the year's performances. Indian players won the top batting awards here as well. Gautam Gambhir was adjudged the Batsman of the Year, based on a score arrived at by adding Test batting average to ODI batting index (batting average multiplied by strike rate). He was also the Test Batsman of the Year. Sehwag was voted the ODI Batsman of the Year. The bowling awards went to Stuart Broad (Bowler of the Year), Mitchell Johnson (Test Bowler) and James Anderson (ODI Bowler). Other Statsguru Awards winners included Shane Watson (Most Consistent Test Batsman), Tillakaratne Dilshan (Most Runs in Test Wins), and Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder (ODI Opening Batting Pair of the Year).
readers were invited to vote on the nominees and their picks mirrored the jury's in all but one category: Twenty20 batting, where they picked Tillakaratne Dilshan's unbeaten 96 in the World Twenty20 over Gayle's 88.
Google to build ultra-fast broadband networks
Labels:
BY ABHILASH
Thursday, February 18, 2010
WASHINGTON – Google Inc. plans to build a handful of experimental, ultra-fast broadband networks around the country to connect consumers to the Internet and ensure that tomorrow's systems can keep up with online video and other advanced applications that the search company will want to deliver.
The Google project, announced Wednesday, is also intended to provide a platform for outside developers to create and try out all sorts of cutting-edge applications that will require far more bandwidth than today's networks offer.
The company said its testbed fiber-optic networks will deliver speeds of 1 gigabit per second to as many as 500,000 Americans. That would be roughly 50 to 300 times faster than the DSL, cable and fiber-optic networks that connect most U.S. homes to the Internet today, at speeds typically ranging from 3 megabits to 20 megabits per second.
Google envisions systems that will enable consumers to download a high-definition, full-length feature film in less than five minutes; allow rural health clinics to send 3-D medical images over the Internet; and let students collaborate with classmates around the world while watching live 3-D video of a university lecture.
"Our goal is to trial new technologies and figure out what kinds of applications you can send over these big pipes," said Richard Whitt, Google's Washington-based counsel for telecommunications and media. "There may be next-generation applications that are being held back right now."
It's unlikely that even Google could afford to bring such connections to big chunks of the country. And Whitt said Google isn't looking to compete head-to-head with the phone and cable TV companies that dominate the U.S. broadband business. Rather, he said, Google hopes its project will help create advanced broadband applications and network technology and identify ways to bring fiber-optic connections to more Americans at a lower cost.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski praised the project, saying that "big broadband creates big opportunities." Next month, the FCC is set to unveil its recommendations on how to bring affordable high-speed Internet access to all Americans.
In comments that Google filed with the FCC about the national broadband plan, Google suggested that the government create the type of testbed network that it now hopes to build itself.
Google's announcement Wednesday also came as welcome news to public interest groups that have warned that broadband connections in the U.S. are far slower and more expensive than those available in many countries in Europe and Asia. Ultra-fast networks now available in the U.S., such as the university-backed Internet2 project, aren't available to consumers, as Google's systems would be.
Sascha D. Meinrath, director of the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative, said the Google project underscores just how slow the major U.S. phone and cable companies have been in building advanced networks.
In a statement, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, a trade group, said the cable TV industry has invested $161 billion over the past 13 years to build a nationwide broadband infrastructure that is available to 92 percent of U.S. homes.
And Verizon Communications Inc. said the Google network will mark "another new paragraph in this exciting story" of broadband growth. Verizon has been building a super-fast fiber-optic network, called FiOS, that offers speeds of up to 50 megabits per second and has run a field test experimenting with speeds of up to 10 gigabits — 10 times faster than what Google is proposing.
Google will seek input from communities that might be interested in getting one of its test networks. The company said it is too soon to say how much the networks will cost to build, but stressed that it does not intend to apply for any of the $7.2 billion in funding for broadband included in last year's economic stimulus bill.
Google said it is prepared to sell access directly to consumers at prices that are competitive with existing broadband services, but would consider letting Internet service providers or local governments sell their own services over the Google network.
INDIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 2 TEST
India win thriller despite heroic Amla
India 643 for 6 dec (Sehwag 165, Laxman 143*, Dhoni 132*, Tendulkar 106) beat South Africa 296 (Amla 114, Petersen 100, Zaheer 4-90, Harbhajan 3-64) and 289 (Amla 127*, Harbhajan 5-59, Mishra 3-78) by an innings and 58 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawkeye
They couldn't out Hashim Amla at all. But India, down to three bowlers and led by an exceptional Harbhajan Singh, found a way around him, leaving him stranded with nine mandatory balls to go, sealing a heart-stopping, series-levelling, top-spot-retaining win. As was fitting, it was Harbhajan who brought about the final wicket with a slider to the left-hand batsman Morne Morkel, after he had put together a 76-minute last-wicket stand with Amla. The final few steps didn't come easy for India: the last three wickets batted out 53.3 overs to set up a beautiful Test-match finish.
For eight hours and 19 minutes in this innings, taking the total time spent at the wicket to 23 hours and 22 minutes for the series, Amla saw everything: offbreaks, topspinners, unintended doosras, big legbreaks, googlies, bouncers, full ones, a blow on the elbow, the opposition bowlers' joy, the bowlers' frustration, and Harbhajan's eruption at having taken the last wicket. Throughout, when he reached fifty, when he reached hundred, when he was hurt, when he was concentrating, when he was defending, during those final few overs of counting each delivery down, and when he was walking back after one of the biggest disappointments he will experience on a cricket field, the calm expression on that face didn't change.
Amla batted like the Monk who didn't even have a Ferrari to sell, and it took a special bowling effort to deny his side the series win. Harbhajan answered India's call with spin bowling aggressive and patient, smart and persistent, and came up with that wicket-taking delivery when it had deserted the other bowlers.
If Amla never looked like getting out, Harbhajan never looked like letting anybody else settle. India started the day needing seven wickets in 98 overs, 52.2 of which were a hopeless waste: Amla faced them, and this man was not going to get out. Not today. They did well to create enough pressure in the remaining overs - despite two dropped catches - to finish the match off with 16 minutes still remaining in the day's play.
India woke up to a bright and sunny day, but were thwarted in the first session by Amla and Ashwell Prince. For about two hours, Amla kept killing their hopes, Prince kept raising them only to not edge to hand. Finally, just when the draw started to become the favoured result, Harbhajan came back for his second spell of the day, from his favoured High Court End.
In the first spell, he had tried to get Prince lbw in a fashion similar to the one in the first innings, and failed. In his second he went over the stumps and made it difficult for Prince to judge which deliveries to leave. The leg line troubled Prince, and finally he jabbed at one outside off and lobbed it to mid-off.
Amit Mishra once again produced the special delivery out of nowhere, this time a googly to take out AB de Villiers in the penultimate over before the lunch break, the third time he had taken a wicket just before a break in the innings. de Villiers was the big wicket because he was the one batsman capable of using his feet and hitting spinners off their length.
Hashim Amla stood between India and victory, India v South Africa, 2nd Test, Kolkata, 5th day, February 18, 2010
India couldn't dismiss Hashim Amla all day, but got all his partners instead © AFP
In the second spell, six overs each either side of lunch, Harbhajan looked menacing with almost every delivery. After lunch, Harbhajan went on to suggest JP Duminy might become his new Ponting. Offbreak, offbreak, slider. Duminy caught in front again. Dale Steyn didn't have a clue about deliveries spinning down the leg side, and kept getting beaten. Harbhajan smartly moved round the stumps, and trapped him too.
Thereafter Amla found an able partner in Parnell, who looked much more assured than Steyn, and helped by a dropped catch by Suresh Raina at a wide fourth slip, played out 24.2 overs. Amla manipulated the strike well: out of eight overs that Harbhajan bowled during that stand, Parnell got away by facing only 12 balls from the best bowler around.
A soft shot befitting a No. 9 arrived duly, after which Amla shielded Paul Harris for a while. From facing four balls of each over, he gradually let Harris face three each, and by the time Harris generated enough confidence in Amla, a soft shot befitting a No. 10 came by. Ishant got both the wickets, but 8.3 more overs had been negated.
That started the most exciting period of the match. Morkel batted solidly along with Amla, they both judged the leaves well, they both defended with soft hands, they both frustrated India more with every passing delivery. Towards the end, mind games began. Amla took a single late in a Mishra over to face Harbhajan in the next over, Dhoni removed Harbhajan and tried the part-time stuff from Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag, and got Harbhajan to bowl at Morkel again.
Nothing gave. Amla seemed to have found a partner who was holding his nerve well. The desperation on Indian faces kept getting more and more apparent with every passing delivery. With 3.2 overs to go, Amla cut Tendulkar towards the boundary, took a single so as to face two more overs as opposed to one. Sehwag hoped it would reach the boundary as he chased, but slyly tried to kick it over when he saw it stop inches before the rope. Just to keep Morkel on strike. That's how much it mattered.
Amla duly played out the next over, Dhoni duly saved Harbhajan for the over after that. Harbhajan had six more balls left, from the High Court End. The first pitched middle, turned away. The second pitched leg, and broke towards off. The third was the killer slider, Morkel made his first mistake in 60 deliveries. Harbhajan roared, Amla's expression didn't change much.
India 643 for 6 dec (Sehwag 165, Laxman 143*, Dhoni 132*, Tendulkar 106) beat South Africa 296 (Amla 114, Petersen 100, Zaheer 4-90, Harbhajan 3-64) and 289 (Amla 127*, Harbhajan 5-59, Mishra 3-78) by an innings and 58 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawkeye
They couldn't out Hashim Amla at all. But India, down to three bowlers and led by an exceptional Harbhajan Singh, found a way around him, leaving him stranded with nine mandatory balls to go, sealing a heart-stopping, series-levelling, top-spot-retaining win. As was fitting, it was Harbhajan who brought about the final wicket with a slider to the left-hand batsman Morne Morkel, after he had put together a 76-minute last-wicket stand with Amla. The final few steps didn't come easy for India: the last three wickets batted out 53.3 overs to set up a beautiful Test-match finish.
For eight hours and 19 minutes in this innings, taking the total time spent at the wicket to 23 hours and 22 minutes for the series, Amla saw everything: offbreaks, topspinners, unintended doosras, big legbreaks, googlies, bouncers, full ones, a blow on the elbow, the opposition bowlers' joy, the bowlers' frustration, and Harbhajan's eruption at having taken the last wicket. Throughout, when he reached fifty, when he reached hundred, when he was hurt, when he was concentrating, when he was defending, during those final few overs of counting each delivery down, and when he was walking back after one of the biggest disappointments he will experience on a cricket field, the calm expression on that face didn't change.
Amla batted like the Monk who didn't even have a Ferrari to sell, and it took a special bowling effort to deny his side the series win. Harbhajan answered India's call with spin bowling aggressive and patient, smart and persistent, and came up with that wicket-taking delivery when it had deserted the other bowlers.
If Amla never looked like getting out, Harbhajan never looked like letting anybody else settle. India started the day needing seven wickets in 98 overs, 52.2 of which were a hopeless waste: Amla faced them, and this man was not going to get out. Not today. They did well to create enough pressure in the remaining overs - despite two dropped catches - to finish the match off with 16 minutes still remaining in the day's play.
India woke up to a bright and sunny day, but were thwarted in the first session by Amla and Ashwell Prince. For about two hours, Amla kept killing their hopes, Prince kept raising them only to not edge to hand. Finally, just when the draw started to become the favoured result, Harbhajan came back for his second spell of the day, from his favoured High Court End.
In the first spell, he had tried to get Prince lbw in a fashion similar to the one in the first innings, and failed. In his second he went over the stumps and made it difficult for Prince to judge which deliveries to leave. The leg line troubled Prince, and finally he jabbed at one outside off and lobbed it to mid-off.
Amit Mishra once again produced the special delivery out of nowhere, this time a googly to take out AB de Villiers in the penultimate over before the lunch break, the third time he had taken a wicket just before a break in the innings. de Villiers was the big wicket because he was the one batsman capable of using his feet and hitting spinners off their length.
Hashim Amla stood between India and victory, India v South Africa, 2nd Test, Kolkata, 5th day, February 18, 2010
India couldn't dismiss Hashim Amla all day, but got all his partners instead © AFP
In the second spell, six overs each either side of lunch, Harbhajan looked menacing with almost every delivery. After lunch, Harbhajan went on to suggest JP Duminy might become his new Ponting. Offbreak, offbreak, slider. Duminy caught in front again. Dale Steyn didn't have a clue about deliveries spinning down the leg side, and kept getting beaten. Harbhajan smartly moved round the stumps, and trapped him too.
Thereafter Amla found an able partner in Parnell, who looked much more assured than Steyn, and helped by a dropped catch by Suresh Raina at a wide fourth slip, played out 24.2 overs. Amla manipulated the strike well: out of eight overs that Harbhajan bowled during that stand, Parnell got away by facing only 12 balls from the best bowler around.
A soft shot befitting a No. 9 arrived duly, after which Amla shielded Paul Harris for a while. From facing four balls of each over, he gradually let Harris face three each, and by the time Harris generated enough confidence in Amla, a soft shot befitting a No. 10 came by. Ishant got both the wickets, but 8.3 more overs had been negated.
That started the most exciting period of the match. Morkel batted solidly along with Amla, they both judged the leaves well, they both defended with soft hands, they both frustrated India more with every passing delivery. Towards the end, mind games began. Amla took a single late in a Mishra over to face Harbhajan in the next over, Dhoni removed Harbhajan and tried the part-time stuff from Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag, and got Harbhajan to bowl at Morkel again.
Nothing gave. Amla seemed to have found a partner who was holding his nerve well. The desperation on Indian faces kept getting more and more apparent with every passing delivery. With 3.2 overs to go, Amla cut Tendulkar towards the boundary, took a single so as to face two more overs as opposed to one. Sehwag hoped it would reach the boundary as he chased, but slyly tried to kick it over when he saw it stop inches before the rope. Just to keep Morkel on strike. That's how much it mattered.
Amla duly played out the next over, Dhoni duly saved Harbhajan for the over after that. Harbhajan had six more balls left, from the High Court End. The first pitched middle, turned away. The second pitched leg, and broke towards off. The third was the killer slider, Morkel made his first mistake in 60 deliveries. Harbhajan roared, Amla's expression didn't change much.
How to Make a Good Password
Labels:
BY ABHILASH
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Creating a Before we begin, you must be clear on one big truth: there is no such thing as a perfect password. A committed hacker can crack any password, given enough time and the right "dictionary" or "brute force" tools. But just like breaking into a car, if the protection is strong enough, the hacker will become discouraged and give up before the protection fails.
How Hackers Crack Passwords
Hackers use one of two major techniques: password recovery (an administrator's technique), and "brute force" repetition. The password recovery tries to fool your computer system into trusting the hacker as a legitimate administrator. Brute force is simply repetitve attempts at your password, up to hundreds of attempts per minute, to crack it.
"Brute Force" Repetition
Hackers often use software tools called "brute force dictionaries"...software that quickly recombines English dictionary words with thousands of varying combinations of spellings. (Yes, much like a Hollywood safecracker movie scene, but slower and less glamorous.)
Brute force dictionaries always start with simple letters "a", "aa", "
The Password Challenge: "How Can I Make It Tough to Crack, But Easy to Remember?"
Indeed, how does one balance these two contrary objectives? A long password of cryptic characters will be strong, but so frustrating to remember. Yet a short-and-easy password will get cracked within minutes by a good hacker.
Gratefully, there are some helpful tips to create a strong-yet-memorizable password. The idea behind these next five password
6 Tips to a Strong Password
1) Make your password long – 6 characters is OK, 10 characters is good, and 15 characters is excellent. 15 is really desirable for high-level security, because 15 is a special number in Microsoft Windows. At 14 characters and less, Windows passwords are scrambled as “hashes” (encrypted into unseen scrambled characters), and stored in hidden Windows system files. It is possible for a gifted hacker to access those stored hashes and unscramble your passwords. However, MS Windows no longer stores hashed passwords at 15 characters and longer. Yes, it is annoying to type 15 characters just to log into your account, but some situations may merit the effort. For example: you are the chief financial officer of a company, or you are the master sergeant for a military unit
2) Start designing the password with a memorable meaningful phrase..then make it complex by adding numbers and special characters. Here is how you do it:
- Pick a word or multi-word phrase that is meaningful to you.
- Mix one or two letters to be upper case.
- Then change one or two letters to be numbers.
- Then for the sneaky twist: insert one or two non-alphabetic characters. The beginning or end of the password is easiest for memorization purposes. Examples include: .(period), !,*, %, &, or #.
- 3) Change your password every 4 weeks. Many employers serious about protecting their data will require their employees to change their password on a regular basis, once a month at minimum. It is a good practice to do the same on your home computer where you keep
private financial information.
4) Do not store your password on paper or with storage software Please avoid password-keeper programs thatclaim to make your life easier. It is the opinion of this writer that password products do not offer enough protection for your login information should your computer get hacked. It is better to memorize a password whenever possible. Never keep your passwords on a piece of paper under the keyboard or in your wallet. Do not keep them in your PDA either; if you must store your passwords at all, keep the passwords’ hints instead. For example, as an alternative to storing “Dexter2Gouda” use “puppy’s name, age and favorite snack”.
5) Use different passwords for your different computer accounts. As annoying as it is to remember them all, please do create a different password for your email, for your online banking, for youreBay and your PayPal. Should one of your passwords ever be compromised, at least the hacker will not be taking over all of your accounts. - Advanced Tips for Designing Strong Passwords:
- If you frequently login to various websites and keep re-using the same password for all of them, check out Nic Wolff’s clever password generator
utility here:http://angel.net/~nic/passwd.html - The idea behind Nic Wolff's utility is to have one “master password” to secure all your other passwords, no matter how many of them you have!
- Although the mathematical encryption is complex, the Master Password itself is easy to use. The whole Wolff Master Password process is explained in a short movie tutorial created by InfoWorld’s Jon Udell here:
- http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/gems/singleSignOn.html
- Another useful password generator is here: http://motdepasse.site.voila.fr/index.html
- Lastly, Johnston’s neatly updated version of the same password generator can be found here: http://www.hashapass.com/
utilities are free and none of the passwords you generate with these scripts is transmitted or stored anywhere.
6) use spaces one of the working method found by me is to use spaces at the last of your password. you can set any number of password behind your password it depend upon u.this isgoing to protect your account from phishing etc
Good luck with keeping your private information private! We can never completely stop hackers or car thieves, but we can certainly make these scoundrels work for it if they want to hack our accounts.
- If you frequently login to various websites and keep re-using the same password for all of them, check out Nic Wolff’s clever password generator
INDIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 2 TEST
India recover after Amla and Petersen tons
South Africa 266 for 9 (Amla 114, Petersen 100, Harbhajan 3-60, Zaheer 3-77) v India
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawkeye
They must have read about it. They must have heard about it. They must have planned for it. Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla have played a Test there before. Nothing, though, can be enough preparation for an Indian comeback from the dead at Eden Gardens.
On Sunday, South Africa met the devil himself, and didn't know what to do. They had reached 218 for 1 in 58 overs, via assured and quick centuries from Amla and debutant Alviro Petersen, when the famous Eden Gardens turnaround began. Eight wickets fell for 43 runs, Harbhajan Singh took three in two overs, VVS Laxman took a stunning running-back catch, the crowd seemingly intimidated the batsmen, two of the middle-order just froze, AB de Villiers ran himself out, Zaheer Khan hit with a direct pick-up-and-throw, and the batsmen forgot about scoring.
And by the way, there were only about 35,000 present in the ground because half the stands have been brought down for renovation. And it was virtually a two-man attack, with Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra looking innocuous for the better part of their day.
Tea South Africa 228 for 2 (Amla 114*, Kallis 0*, Zaheer 2-69) v India
One man without an average in this series and another without a Test average before he took guard gave South Africa a superb start in their quest to become the No. 1 team in the ICC rankings. Coming in at the early fall of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla started as if 253 not out overnight, and took his tally to 367 unbeaten runs for the series. Alviro Petersen, a late bloomer in first-class cricket, took little time to get into his stride and became only the third South African to score a century on Test debut.
India surprisingly persisted with two bowlers short on confidence and on success, and Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra took the tally of wicketless overs between them to 110 in the series. Apart from a testing mid-afternoon mini spell from Ishant, and the odd delivery that misbehaved, India were almost a two-man attack. Those two men created three opportunities: Zaheer Khan bowled Smith with a beauty and got Petersen immediately after his century, but VVS Laxman dropped Amla off Harbhajan Singh when the batsman was on 60.
Nothing should be taken away from Petersen and Amla, though. On a hazy Kolkata morning, they batted with the clarity of thought that is the hallmark of teams way ahead in a contest. When they came together at 9 for 1, Zaheer had just consumed Smith as is his wont. Petersen could have got out for a first-ball duck had India a bat-pad in place. Both of them counterattacked - without fuss, without manic hitting, without needing to go in the air - bringing up the 100 in 20 overs, hitting 17 boundaries in that period.
Ten of those boundaries came from Petersen, who scored a 55-ball half-century in his first session of Test cricket. He was composed and decisive in his footwork. After that awkward first delivery, he got going with a leg-glance off a leg-stump half-volley from Ishant. It only got better for Petersen after that, and worse for Ishant.
The first sighting revealed Petersen as a man who likes to get on to the front foot whenever he can. The pace bowlers saw his liking for the front foot and tried to test him with the bouncer early on. Petersen didn't shy away from pulling them in front of square for two boundaries.
Petersen's game plan remained the same: press forward whenever possible, defend if the line is good, and go for runs if it is either too wide or too straight. No runs down the ground, four flicks for boundaries, and two gorgeous cover-drives worked fine for him in the first half of his effort, after which he became more circumspect and let Amla lead the scoring.
Unlike with Petersen, the first ball that Amla faced told a lot about what was to come. He moved across to Zaheer, and eased an accurate delivery past square leg for two - not much power, just good timing. The two gorgeous cover-drives he played early on in the innings, one each against Zaheer and Ishant, put him into the high strike-rate mode too. Throughout his effort Amla confidently whipped from in front of stumps, and cut with supreme ease.
Towards the end of the first session, they enjoyed some good fortune: a couple of inside edges from Amla missed the stumps, and Petersen - 47 then - survived an lbw shout against Mishra, the kind the umpires are inclined to giving nowadays despite the big stride.
Post lunch, Mishra started with an over that summed up his day. A couple of good sliders, three accurate deliveries, and then short and wide and cut away for four. He went for nine boundaries and a six in 17 overs, that despite Petersen slowing down when he neared his century. One of those boundaries was a lovely straight-drive by Amla, having stepped out of the crease and got right to the pitch of it.
Around that time, Harbhajan Singh was getting good drift and bounce, and bowled a good line wide of off even as Amla looked to get across and negate the lbw. The edge was produced and grassed at first slip. Harbhajan still kept it tight with Amla, enough to make him play his first aerial shot of the series. Agonisingly for India, the hit cleared mid-off, Mishra, by inches, and took Amla to 80, having overtaken Petersen.
By the time Amla played another aerial shot, this time a six to a long hop from Mishra, both the batsmen had reached their centuries without incident. Ishant had troubled Amla with a spell of bouncers, and then become too predictable by pitching almost every delivery of that spell in his half. But India had slowed South Africa down with just 23 runs in eight overs around that spell. Zaheer then came out to take Petersen with one that seamed away slightly and took the edge. There were signs that the momentum could swing the other way, but Amla signalled otherwise with that six.
source-cricinfo
South Africa 266 for 9 (Amla 114, Petersen 100, Harbhajan 3-60, Zaheer 3-77) v India
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawkeye
They must have read about it. They must have heard about it. They must have planned for it. Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla have played a Test there before. Nothing, though, can be enough preparation for an Indian comeback from the dead at Eden Gardens.
On Sunday, South Africa met the devil himself, and didn't know what to do. They had reached 218 for 1 in 58 overs, via assured and quick centuries from Amla and debutant Alviro Petersen, when the famous Eden Gardens turnaround began. Eight wickets fell for 43 runs, Harbhajan Singh took three in two overs, VVS Laxman took a stunning running-back catch, the crowd seemingly intimidated the batsmen, two of the middle-order just froze, AB de Villiers ran himself out, Zaheer Khan hit with a direct pick-up-and-throw, and the batsmen forgot about scoring.
And by the way, there were only about 35,000 present in the ground because half the stands have been brought down for renovation. And it was virtually a two-man attack, with Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra looking innocuous for the better part of their day.
Tea South Africa 228 for 2 (Amla 114*, Kallis 0*, Zaheer 2-69) v India
One man without an average in this series and another without a Test average before he took guard gave South Africa a superb start in their quest to become the No. 1 team in the ICC rankings. Coming in at the early fall of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla started as if 253 not out overnight, and took his tally to 367 unbeaten runs for the series. Alviro Petersen, a late bloomer in first-class cricket, took little time to get into his stride and became only the third South African to score a century on Test debut.
India surprisingly persisted with two bowlers short on confidence and on success, and Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra took the tally of wicketless overs between them to 110 in the series. Apart from a testing mid-afternoon mini spell from Ishant, and the odd delivery that misbehaved, India were almost a two-man attack. Those two men created three opportunities: Zaheer Khan bowled Smith with a beauty and got Petersen immediately after his century, but VVS Laxman dropped Amla off Harbhajan Singh when the batsman was on 60.
Nothing should be taken away from Petersen and Amla, though. On a hazy Kolkata morning, they batted with the clarity of thought that is the hallmark of teams way ahead in a contest. When they came together at 9 for 1, Zaheer had just consumed Smith as is his wont. Petersen could have got out for a first-ball duck had India a bat-pad in place. Both of them counterattacked - without fuss, without manic hitting, without needing to go in the air - bringing up the 100 in 20 overs, hitting 17 boundaries in that period.
Ten of those boundaries came from Petersen, who scored a 55-ball half-century in his first session of Test cricket. He was composed and decisive in his footwork. After that awkward first delivery, he got going with a leg-glance off a leg-stump half-volley from Ishant. It only got better for Petersen after that, and worse for Ishant.
The first sighting revealed Petersen as a man who likes to get on to the front foot whenever he can. The pace bowlers saw his liking for the front foot and tried to test him with the bouncer early on. Petersen didn't shy away from pulling them in front of square for two boundaries.
Petersen's game plan remained the same: press forward whenever possible, defend if the line is good, and go for runs if it is either too wide or too straight. No runs down the ground, four flicks for boundaries, and two gorgeous cover-drives worked fine for him in the first half of his effort, after which he became more circumspect and let Amla lead the scoring.
Unlike with Petersen, the first ball that Amla faced told a lot about what was to come. He moved across to Zaheer, and eased an accurate delivery past square leg for two - not much power, just good timing. The two gorgeous cover-drives he played early on in the innings, one each against Zaheer and Ishant, put him into the high strike-rate mode too. Throughout his effort Amla confidently whipped from in front of stumps, and cut with supreme ease.
Towards the end of the first session, they enjoyed some good fortune: a couple of inside edges from Amla missed the stumps, and Petersen - 47 then - survived an lbw shout against Mishra, the kind the umpires are inclined to giving nowadays despite the big stride.
Post lunch, Mishra started with an over that summed up his day. A couple of good sliders, three accurate deliveries, and then short and wide and cut away for four. He went for nine boundaries and a six in 17 overs, that despite Petersen slowing down when he neared his century. One of those boundaries was a lovely straight-drive by Amla, having stepped out of the crease and got right to the pitch of it.
Around that time, Harbhajan Singh was getting good drift and bounce, and bowled a good line wide of off even as Amla looked to get across and negate the lbw. The edge was produced and grassed at first slip. Harbhajan still kept it tight with Amla, enough to make him play his first aerial shot of the series. Agonisingly for India, the hit cleared mid-off, Mishra, by inches, and took Amla to 80, having overtaken Petersen.
By the time Amla played another aerial shot, this time a six to a long hop from Mishra, both the batsmen had reached their centuries without incident. Ishant had troubled Amla with a spell of bouncers, and then become too predictable by pitching almost every delivery of that spell in his half. But India had slowed South Africa down with just 23 runs in eight overs around that spell. Zaheer then came out to take Petersen with one that seamed away slightly and took the edge. There were signs that the momentum could swing the other way, but Amla signalled otherwise with that six.
source-cricinfo
HITAM CRICKET TOURNAMENT
Thursday, February 11, 2010
After 2 weeks o cricket..we have come the the semifinal stage...
the teams qualified 4 semis are
1)FACULTY
2)CSE 3
3)EEE 2
4)IT 3
SO BUDDIES LEMME TELL ABOUT THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
****** FACULTY *****
They are the most strong team in this competition..and hot favourites ta lift the cup
STRENGTHS:
1)power packed batting line up
2)good fielding to back up their bowlers
WEAKNESS:
1)the one and only let down for this team is their bowling...so lets hope for better show o bowling this time
****** CSE-3 *****
This year this team has shown a lot of spirit and team work in the every game dey played...they posted the highest total in this tournament so far...
STRENGTHS:
1)team work
2)extremely good fielding and back up
WEAKNESS:
1)no drawbacks so far....
WATCH OUT FOR:
1)Jeevan
2)Parameshwar
3)Abi
4)Eashwar for his slow balls
*If they are consistent enough they can lift the cup
********** IT-3 **********
They need to put just a little bit of effort in their batting....Teamwork s the key aspect for this team
STRENGTHS:
1)Team work
2)Extreemely good bowling performances in their previous games
WEAKNESS:
2)Wen compared to the other teams in this competition their depth in the batting is not that good
WATCH OUT FOR:
1)Chaitanya
2)Ganga
********* EEE-2 *********
This team is the team under cover....some of the players in this team can win the matches one handed on their day....so friends watch out for it
STRENGTHS:
1)Bowling s good
2)As already mentioned..this team is the one which s under cover...so nobody knows their strategy so this team may be extreemely effective
WEAKNESS:
1)Fielding needs to improve
****************************
ATLAST I WOULD LIKE TO CONCLUDE BY SAYING THAT THESE 4 TEAMS ARE EQUALLY FAVOURITES TO LIFT THE CUP ...IF THEY PUT LITTLE BIT OF EFFORT IN THEIR WEAKNESSES
*****GUYS SUPPORT UR TEAM BY POSTING COMMENTS****SO THAT WE LL BE ENCOURAGED BY YOU IN POSTING MORE EFFECTIVELY ********
*******THE END*******
the teams qualified 4 semis are
1)FACULTY
2)CSE 3
3)EEE 2
4)IT 3
SO BUDDIES LEMME TELL ABOUT THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
****** FACULTY *****
They are the most strong team in this competition..and hot favourites ta lift the cup
STRENGTHS:
1)power packed batting line up
2)good fielding to back up their bowlers
WEAKNESS:
1)the one and only let down for this team is their bowling...so lets hope for better show o bowling this time
****** CSE-3 *****
This year this team has shown a lot of spirit and team work in the every game dey played...they posted the highest total in this tournament so far...
STRENGTHS:
1)team work
2)extremely good fielding and back up
WEAKNESS:
1)no drawbacks so far....
WATCH OUT FOR:
1)Jeevan
2)Parameshwar
3)Abi
4)Eashwar for his slow balls
*If they are consistent enough they can lift the cup
********** IT-3 **********
They need to put just a little bit of effort in their batting....Teamwork s the key aspect for this team
STRENGTHS:
1)Team work
2)Extreemely good bowling performances in their previous games
WEAKNESS:
2)Wen compared to the other teams in this competition their depth in the batting is not that good
WATCH OUT FOR:
1)Chaitanya
2)Ganga
********* EEE-2 *********
This team is the team under cover....some of the players in this team can win the matches one handed on their day....so friends watch out for it
STRENGTHS:
1)Bowling s good
2)As already mentioned..this team is the one which s under cover...so nobody knows their strategy so this team may be extreemely effective
WEAKNESS:
1)Fielding needs to improve
****************************
ATLAST I WOULD LIKE TO CONCLUDE BY SAYING THAT THESE 4 TEAMS ARE EQUALLY FAVOURITES TO LIFT THE CUP ...IF THEY PUT LITTLE BIT OF EFFORT IN THEIR WEAKNESSES
*****GUYS SUPPORT UR TEAM BY POSTING COMMENTS****SO THAT WE LL BE ENCOURAGED BY YOU IN POSTING MORE EFFECTIVELY ********
*******THE END*******
F-Secure Anti-Theft – Mobile anti-theft software – mobile tracker
Monday, February 8, 2010
With the new F-Secure Mobile anti-theft, you can remotely lock the phone and protect the information it contains with a single SMS message. If the phone is stolen and the thief changes the SIM card, the Theft Control feature locks the phone and informs you of the new number. As an ultimate safety measure to prevent misuse, it is possible to erase all the data on the phone with Remote Wipe.
So the key features of the new F-Secure Mobile phone anti-theft software are:
- Lock your phone remotely
- Erase the confidential data remotely
- Get informed who stole your phone
The new F-Secure Anti-Theft for Mobile supports Symbian and Windows mobile platforms.
- S60 5th Edition
- S60 3rd Edition
- Windows Mobile 6 Professional
- Windows Mobile 6 Standard
LG Unfolds Flexible Electronic Paper
Saturday, February 6, 2010
LG has revealed the World’s first 14.1 inch flexible e-paper, that is almost like a traditional paper, as you can turn pages like you do on normal paper, the images remain crisp and text readable while you bend it 180 degrees and you don’t have to discard it daily, thanks to the digital distribution. This e-paper display is 300 mm thick and only consumes power when the image changes so its power friendly too. The technology used behind is slightly different that we have seen before as it uses the TFTs on metal foil rather than on glass, making it more flexible.
Not much info is available regarding its availability and price but LG plans to mass produce these next generations displays in first half of 2010.
Is this the Future of Newspapers?
INDIA VERSUS SOUTH AFRICA TEST SERIES NEWS
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
India struggling to find quality spinners - Laxman
VVS Laxman, the Indian batsman, has expressed concern over the lack of quality spinners on India's domestic circuit, a problem he feels will be a "worrying factor" for the Indian team. Speaking on Cricinfo's latest video show Opening Up, Laxman was more optimistic about India's batting reserves and was bullish on the survival of Test cricket.
However, his comments on India's spin talent pool will cause concern, given how large spinners loom in India's Test legend. Speaking on the gap between international and domestic cricket in India, Laxman said: "The Indian cricket team is struggling to find some quality spinners, apart from the guys who are playing. You will find that there is no bench strength as far as spinners are concerned. So definitely the quality of domestic cricket has come down in terms of the bowling department."
Later, speaking about young talent, Laxman repeated his concern. "I am really not happy with the bowlers I am seeing. I think the quality of bowlers, especially the spinners will definitely be a worrying factor for the Indian team."
Laxman was optimistic, however, about India's talent in batting, the likes of Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, who've had international experience, and Ambati Rayudu of Hyderabad. But he emphasised the key to success lay in the ability to play long innings. "I think Rohit and Raina are very good. Ambati Rayadu from Hyderabad has got very good potential," he said. "It's good that he has come back now, after playing in the ICL. It's just a matter of time; if he plays to his potential then he will make it to the higher grade. Rahul Dravid keeps mentioning about some players from Bangalore who are very talented. So it is a good future for India, as far as batting is concerned.
"I think for any youngster, you have to practice right from the younger days to [play a] long innings. And that's something that I don't see nowadays in the Ranji Trophy. I don't see too many double-hundreds, too many big hundreds. When we started off, there were lot of double-hundreds, not only from the Test cricketers but also domestic cricketers. I would definitely advice them to play long innings in the four-day format. And once they have the temperament, they can adapt to any form of the game."
Amid the growing popularity of the Twenty20 format, Laxman said Test cricket still remained the most sought-after version in the eyes of the players and dismissed any threats over its future. He added that the current generation of cricketers still rated Tests as the best determinant of one's quality. Instead, he expressed doubt over the survival of the 50-over version with the advent of Twenty20 cricket.
"Test cricket is still a very important form of cricket for all cricketers," Laxman said. "Even though Tests are becoming fewer, all cricketers, even the present generation, want to play more Tests. Everyone knows Test cricket remains the real test of a player's character, skill and temperament.
"Irrespective of how many runs they get in Twenty20 or one-day cricket, everyone feels that only when they do well in Tests will they have a stature in the game. Everyone knows that their ultimate reputation is in Test cricket."
The dwindling interest in 50-over cricket among fans and players alike, Laxman said, was an issue of concern. "I think one-day cricket will be under threat, because people want to watch good quality of cricket," he said. "Over five days they will watch some quality players playing against each other, so definitely Test cricket will stay. But one-day cricket will be under pressure, especially after the advent of Twenty20. I am sure ICC will take necessary steps to make it more interesting."
SOURCE: CRICINFO
VVS Laxman, the Indian batsman, has expressed concern over the lack of quality spinners on India's domestic circuit, a problem he feels will be a "worrying factor" for the Indian team. Speaking on Cricinfo's latest video show Opening Up, Laxman was more optimistic about India's batting reserves and was bullish on the survival of Test cricket.
However, his comments on India's spin talent pool will cause concern, given how large spinners loom in India's Test legend. Speaking on the gap between international and domestic cricket in India, Laxman said: "The Indian cricket team is struggling to find some quality spinners, apart from the guys who are playing. You will find that there is no bench strength as far as spinners are concerned. So definitely the quality of domestic cricket has come down in terms of the bowling department."
Later, speaking about young talent, Laxman repeated his concern. "I am really not happy with the bowlers I am seeing. I think the quality of bowlers, especially the spinners will definitely be a worrying factor for the Indian team."
Laxman was optimistic, however, about India's talent in batting, the likes of Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma, who've had international experience, and Ambati Rayudu of Hyderabad. But he emphasised the key to success lay in the ability to play long innings. "I think Rohit and Raina are very good. Ambati Rayadu from Hyderabad has got very good potential," he said. "It's good that he has come back now, after playing in the ICL. It's just a matter of time; if he plays to his potential then he will make it to the higher grade. Rahul Dravid keeps mentioning about some players from Bangalore who are very talented. So it is a good future for India, as far as batting is concerned.
"I think for any youngster, you have to practice right from the younger days to [play a] long innings. And that's something that I don't see nowadays in the Ranji Trophy. I don't see too many double-hundreds, too many big hundreds. When we started off, there were lot of double-hundreds, not only from the Test cricketers but also domestic cricketers. I would definitely advice them to play long innings in the four-day format. And once they have the temperament, they can adapt to any form of the game."
Amid the growing popularity of the Twenty20 format, Laxman said Test cricket still remained the most sought-after version in the eyes of the players and dismissed any threats over its future. He added that the current generation of cricketers still rated Tests as the best determinant of one's quality. Instead, he expressed doubt over the survival of the 50-over version with the advent of Twenty20 cricket.
"Test cricket is still a very important form of cricket for all cricketers," Laxman said. "Even though Tests are becoming fewer, all cricketers, even the present generation, want to play more Tests. Everyone knows Test cricket remains the real test of a player's character, skill and temperament.
"Irrespective of how many runs they get in Twenty20 or one-day cricket, everyone feels that only when they do well in Tests will they have a stature in the game. Everyone knows that their ultimate reputation is in Test cricket."
The dwindling interest in 50-over cricket among fans and players alike, Laxman said, was an issue of concern. "I think one-day cricket will be under threat, because people want to watch good quality of cricket," he said. "Over five days they will watch some quality players playing against each other, so definitely Test cricket will stay. But one-day cricket will be under pressure, especially after the advent of Twenty20. I am sure ICC will take necessary steps to make it more interesting."
SOURCE: CRICINFO
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)