Briefly Cricket: Swann criticises Pietersen

England off-spinner Graeme Swann has criticised the manner in which Kevin Pietersen led the side during his stint as England captain.

Swann criticises Pietersen

England off-spinner Graeme Swann has criticised the manner in which Kevin Pietersen led the side during his stint as England captain. In his new autobiography,’The Breaks Are Off’,Swann has been quoted as saying :”There is no doubt that Kev is a good player,a really fine batsman,but he was never the right man to captain England in my opinion. Some people are better leaders of men and Kev,for all his abundant talent is not one of those natural leaders.” According to a report in the Daily Mail, at one point of the Chennai Test in 2008,Pietersen was reduced to screaming “F****** bowl f****** straight at everyone,” the report said.

Ready to bat lower down

Revealing that Shaun Marsh’s elevation to the number three spot in the Australian Test team was a part of captain Michael Clarke’s ‘long-term plan’,Ricky Ponting has said that he has no problem in moving down the order as long as he is part of the playing XI. “It was a long-term plan of Michael’s to have Shaun move to No 3 and me move to No 4 and Michael move to five and Huss (Hussey) to six,” Ponting said. ” Michael sees that in the best interests of the team going forward for a period of time. So I’ll be three this week,probably three in the one-dayers in South Africa and then probably drop back to four for the Test matches,” he added.

CA gives Hussey week off

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Australia is taking no chances with Michael Hussey ahead of the teams tour of South Africa,deciding to give him the week off from domestic competition. His (Husseys) workload has been significant, Cricket Australia general manger Michael Brown said in a statement. Looking at all the coming international fixtures,it was decided that it is best for Michael if he sits out this week.

Harbhajan gets award

Harbhajan Singh was chosen Sikh Sportsperson of the Year at the World Sikh Awards 2011 in London for his contribution to the Indian cricket teams World Cup triumph. Harbhajan,however,could not receive the award personally as he was busy leading Mumbai Indians to the Champions League Twenty20 title. Ironically,the honour comes at a time when Harbhajan has been dropped from the ODI team due to his poor form.

Ganguly to play Ranji

Sourav Ganguly is keen to play the four-day Ranji Trophy matches as well as 50-over Vijay Hazare trophy matches for home side Bengal. “I am available to play for Bengal in the four-day and 50-over (Ranji) matches. However,I will not be available for the T20 ties,” Ganguly said. The former Indian skipper,who is representing Pune Warriors in the IPL also undergoes practice sessions at the Eden Gardens. Ganguly,as a chairman of the Cricket Development Committee of Bengal,attended its first meeting at the club house,which also has Arun Lal,Ashok Malhotra and Pranab Roy as members.

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Trade, tech, defence: EU rolls out new strategic roadmap for India

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The EU has unveiled a new strategic agenda to enhance relations with India, prioritizing trade, technology, defence, security, connectivity, and climate change. President von der Leyen stressed the importance of partnerships based on shared interests and values. The EU plans to finalize a FTA with India by the end of the year and strengthen collaboration on global issues and with other countries.

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