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Sachin Tendulkar has said winning the World Cup is an “unfulfilled dream” for him and though he said he would like to play the 2011 edition of the tournament he didn’t want to commit to anything that far away.If Tendulkar plays in the tournament that will be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, it’ll be a record sixth World Cup appearance for him. “I am enjoying my cricket at the moment and don’t want to think too much into the future,” Tendulkar told CNN-Lokmat, a regional language news channel. “I have been playing almost non-stop for 20 years and want to focus only on the present. I prefer to take series by series.”Though he didn’t specify when he would retire, Tendulkar said even after he quit he would like to be associated with the game. “I would like to spend more time with my family, but will in some way be connected with cricket. The only thing I have known in all these years is to play cricket and I would have to be always associated with the game.”Tendulkar missed the second Test against South Africa in Ahmedabad – where India suffered an innings defeat – and is set to miss the third one in Kanpur as well because of a groin injury he picked up during the first Test in Chennai. He said playing cricket had never been for the money.”I never played the game thinking about the money I would make out of it, and neither do the youngsters [think like that] today. This game has given me sleepless nights, just thinking of how I will play the next day. That excitement can never be measured in terms of money. Right from the start, all I wanted was to play well and score as many runs as possible. That has been my motivation, not money.”Tendulkar also denied reports that there were rifts in the Indian team. “These reports of senior-junior rift are totally false. In the team, seniors and juniors respect each other, and we realise the importance of playing for the country. The media is damaging its credibility by giving stories without authentic information.”Asked who he thought was the most inspiring captain he had encountered, Tendulkar said Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, was one who was always two steps ahead of the game.Meanwhile, Lalchand Rajput, the coach of the Mumbai Indians, is confident Tendulkar will be fit in time to lead the franchise in the IPL. “Sachin is a player who does not like to miss any games,” he told . “I am sure the physio will take care of him and he will be all right in time for the IPL.”

Scorecard
Tasmania gained six points after beating Queensland by seven wickets inside three days in their Pura Cup match at Brisbane. Set a target of 47 in their second innings, Tasmania lost three batsmen in an attempt to finish off the game within ten overs. Michael Di Venuto, the opening batsman, top scored in both innings, although Adam Griffith was chosen for the Man-of-the-Match award for taking six wickets for 76 in the match.Queensland resumed batting on day three at 3 for 54, trailing Tasmania by 84. Things just got worse from there as James Hopes fell leg before to Griffith on the eighth ball of the day. Chris Hartley, the wicketkeeper, managed to hang around for 51 balls before nicking one to Sean Clingeleffer and giving Griffith his second wicket of the day. Matthew Hayden pushed the score closer to the 150-mark batting with an injured finger, but the collapse could not be stopped and the last three wickets fell for 35.Tasmania made a mess of an easy chase and Hopes was on a hat-trick when he snaffled up Michael Bevan and Travis Birt in successive balls. But in the end Di Venuto, along with George Bailey, secured full points for Tasmania. Queensland, the defending champions, will hope to redeem themselves when they host New South Wales on October 27.

ScorecardYoung spinner Timycen Maruma picked up three crucial wickets to ensureZimbabwe A maintained their grip on the second day of their four-daymatch against Bangladesh A at Queens Sports Club. Maruma found someturn on the Queens track to get rid of opener Mehrab Hossain, AlokKapali and Mahmud Ullah Riyad as Bangladesh A in reply to the hometeam’s 353 closed the second day on 115 for the loss of seven wickets.The visitors still need 89 runs to avoid the follow-on and it is going tobe a difficult task with most of their reliable batsmen back in thepavilion. Earlier on in the day, the home side added 77 to theirovernight score to take their first innings to 353 as their tailenders continued to resist. Enamul Haque took all theremaining three wickets to finish with five wickets.

Scorecard

Daniel Harris led a steady but unspectacular batting effort as South Australia built a solid first-innings total against Tasmania. The Redbacks picked up the pace after tea to reach 5 for 288 at stumps following an extra-cautious first two sessions in which they scored only 152 runs.Darren Lehmann gave South Australia a spark late in the day, racing to an unbeaten 37 from 39 balls after Mark Cosgrove’s 61 from 96 deliveries boosted the run-rate. Harris made 85, his highest first-class score in an interrupted career spanning eight seasons. His 94-run opening partnership with Matthew Elliott (43) put the Redbacks on track after Lehmann won the toss and elected to bat.But Ben Hilfenhaus ended Elliott’s 112-ball innings shortly after lunch when Michael Di Venuto held a catch at second slip. Hilfenhaus gave Tasmania some momentum when he dismissed Cameron Borgas for 10 and he finished with 3 for 52 after trapping Callum Ferguson lbw for 38.The Redbacks are trying to pry themselves off the bottom of the Pura Cup table, with no wins from three matches, while the Tigers lead the competition with two wins.

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, will join a six-day training camp starting May 12 despite not having fully recovered from a groin injury which he picked up during the one-dayers against Sri Lanka last month. Gayle subsequently missed out on taking part in the Indian Premier League, though he travelled to India to briefly join the Kolkata Knight Riders, who had signed him on for US$800,000.West Indies’ manager, Omar Khan, said Gayle’s fitness will be assessed by team physiotherapist CJ Clarke before a final decision is made regarding his availability for the first of three Tests against Australia, which begins on May 22 in Sabina Park. “Chris will be part of the camp and the physio will do a full assessment to see how quickly he will be able to rejoin the team and play again,” Khan told CMC.”We are happy that he will be at the camp because he is a very experienced player and would be able to share his knowledge in the various planning sessions we will have,” he said. “We are hopeful that Chris will be ready to face the Australians. As we know this will be a very important series for us. We are confident of doing well, and we hope to continue the good work we have started.”Gayle will join 17 other players in the training squad which does not include Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo – all of whom are taking part in the IPL. West Indies will announce their 14-man squad for the first Test after the end of the camp.

Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMARamnaresh Sarwan top-scored for West Indies in the one-day series against India with 273 runs, including a century and two fifties. His one-day average is almost 47, but his Test average stands at less than 40. In this audio feature by Cricinfo’s Ranjit Shinde, we hear from Brian Lara on Sarwan’s value to the team, and from S Rajesh, Cricinfo’s stats editor, on how he resembles Carl Hooper, another supremely talented under-performer.And, of course, we also hear from Sarwan himself.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik has stated that the foot inflammation that kept him out of the first ODI against New Zealand in Wellington was a minor injury and that he had wanted to play the game but was advised rest by the team management. Malik also revealed that he played the preceding three-match T20 series with painkillers and a strapped foot. His selection for the third ODI in Auckland on Sunday will be determined by a fitness assessment before the match.Malik sustained the injury prior to the first T20 in Auckland while walking barefoot near the ground. He scored 20, 39 and 14 in the three matches but bowled only 2.4 overs.”I played with painkillers for the country,” Malik told ESPNcricinfo. “The injury was minor and I am not a 25-year-old to pull myself in caution. I am an experienced cricketer and can play with minor injuries. I believe that I can give my 100%, so I rather ignore minor niggles. I didn’t even try to hide myself in the field and batted to my full capacity to contribute.”I wasn’t really 100% with my body but I was there in the game with my 100%. I contributed and those three T20 games were quite evident. I even wanted to play the ODI but was rested for the game lest I aggravate my injury further. They wanted me to hold back for a while until the second ODI, giving me ample time to recover.”Having lost the T20 series 2-1, Pakistan are keen to save the ODI series. They lost the first ODI after having New Zealand reeling at 99 for 6, while the second match was abandoned due to rain. Malik said there were plenty of lessons for Pakistan to learn from the tour.”Obviously it wasn’t the one we planned for but you got to give New Zealand an edge being a host,” Malik said. “There were mistakes that could have been cut down and we did our best but it didn’t go well. But such a tour gives you a lot of positives going ahead and this will help us. The competitiveness always gives you lessons and it allow to you assess yourself, and I am hopeful this tour is going to help us in the upcoming Asia Cup and World T20.”Comparatively New Zealand were a better side and we need to enhance our individual performances. Our coaching staff has been emphasising on physical fitness, which needs to be improved, and I feel we are still behind the cricketing world in this aspect of the game. Also, if we need to compete, apart from fitness, we need to enhance our skill level to match the competition.”

Three Englishmen, a Sri Lankan and a Pakistani have been named as the Five Cricketers of the Year, cricket’s oldest accolade, in this year’s , published today.Paul Collingwood, Monty Panesar and Mark Ramprakash were chosen alongside the Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene and Pakistan’s prolific Mohammad Yousuf. All were chosen for their influence on the past English season, the traditional criteria for selection.Though four of the five were chosen largely for their impact on the international season, it was Ramprakash’s remarkable form and consistency in the County Championship which earned him the honour, reminding many what he might have achieved in Test cricket. He finished 2006 with 2278 runs to his name and became only the fifth batsman in the history of first-class cricket in England to complete a full season with an average of over 100. Such prolific scoring would earn most England batsmen promotion to the Test side but, at 37, Fletcher wasn’t tempted.Whereas 2006 was a reminder of one man’s lost talent, for Collingwood it was a year in which his tenacity and bottle were recognised. Seemingly forever the “fall guy,” he transformed himself into England’s most undroppable batsman; his maiden hundred against India at Nagpur confirmed his ability, more to himself than the public, and then followed a run of consistent scores, including a memorable 206 against Australia. Truly England’s scrapper.

While Ramprakash dominated county attacks, Yousuf controlled the world’s. Pakistan’s run machine notched 1788 in the calendar year, beating Viv Richards’s 30-year-old record of 1710 and, with nine hundreds, he was virtually unstoppable.From one bearded wonder to another and, though Panesar’s statistics don’t gleam as bright as the other four recipients’, his was a year no less successful. Sachin Tendulkar was his first Test victim, prompting the frolicking-like-a-lamb celebration which endeared him to the public. It was no fluke: a five-for against Sri Lanka confirmed his immense ability (and equally plate-sized hands) and, after being dropped for the first two Tests of the 2006-07 Ashes, he responded with eight wickets.Jayawardene was rewarded as much for his captaincy as his batting, helping to save the Lord’s Test with 61 and 119 – before blitzing England in the one-dayers. Then followed an epic 374 against South Africa, the fourth-highest Test score to confirm his status as one of Sri Lanka’s very best.Another Sri Lankan, Muttiah Muralitharan, was named as the Leading Cricketer of the Year.

Group B

The favoritesScotland served their notice as a threat last month with a pair of wins over Ireland, the defending champions in the World T20 qualifier. Since the World Cup, they have been dominant against Associates in general, thumping UAE in a three-day match before securing first-innings points in a rain-marred draw against Afghanistan. In the last few days they scorched Namibia and Jersey in warm-up games.A new name to keep an eye on is 22-year old opener George Munsey. He scored a half-century against UAE in a three-day match in May, earned a maiden call-up to the T20 squad and hammered 75 off 44 balls against Jersey. Among the more familiar faces, wicketkeeper Matthew Cross was superb against Ireland in June and will look to reprise that form.Afghanistan haven’t lifted the trophy at this tournament since their debut in 2010, and may find it difficult to break that dry spell in wet and windy conditions. Their pace bowling trio of Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran will be formidable but their batting side has traditionally struggled in prior trips to the British Isles.All eyes will be on the returning Mohammad Shahzad. He was left out of Afghanistan’s World Cup squad in February, but has come back very strongly. He made 266 in a two-day match against MCCU in May, followed that up with 109 against Middlesex and then hammered 100 off 51 balls against Unicorns at Wormsley in June.Battle for playoff spotsNetherlands received a timely fillip last week when former South African left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe switched allegiances. He made an impressive start in his second coming to international cricket, top-scoring with 40 not out and taking 2 for 27 in a loss to Nepal.A loss to Hong Kong on Tuesday was another reminder of the gap left by Tom Cooper’s absence. Fiery starts from Stephan Myburgh will be vital to keep opposition bowlers at bay.Since the World Cup, Scotland have been generating a lot of waves in Associate cricket•Cricket Scotland

This event marks the first major tournament in 15 years that Khurram Khan won’t be suiting up for UAE. He was a central figure in their qualification for both the 2014 World T20 and 2015 World Cup, which means pressure will fall on Shaiman Anwar to keep up his fine World Cup form.The adjustment to the British Isles has not gone too well early on with heavy defeats to Scotland and Ireland in multi-day matches, while UAE split a pair of 50-over games with Kenya at Southampton. A win over Nepal on Wednesday was a much needed result and it will be up to the fast bowling unit of Mohammad Naveed, Manjula Guruge and Amjad Javed to make sure more such victories are delivered.Pulling up the rearCanada received a major wake-up call when they were throttled by a local Scottish district side on Tuesday in an eight-wicket defeat. The loss seemed to have rattled enough cages as captain Rizwan Cheema crashed 98 off 36 balls against Namibia on Wednesday. The Americas regional champs received a harsh scheduling assignment by having to play Scotland, Netherlands and Afghanistan on three consecutive days to end group play, a major hurdle to overcome just to reach the playoffs.Similar to Canada, Kenya drew a short straw in terms of scheduling by having to play five times in the first six days of the tournament, the most cramped segment any of the 14 teams have to face. The stretch also includes three straight days playing against Afghanistan, Scotland and UAE. A loss to Jersey in the lead up to this tournament means Kenya’s prospects for success are looking very grim.In Munis Ansari, Oman have perhaps the only bowler who can match the Afghanistan pace trio in this group for raw pace. Beyond captain Zeeshan Maqsood at the top of the order, batting contributions are slim and they frequently slip from three down to all out in quick time. Oman are not without the capacity to spring an upset, but after losing all seven group games in their last appearance at the qualifier in 2012, it is hard to see them achieving great success in Scotland.

Glenn McGrath has started some light training for his stint playing Twenty20 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. However, McGrath said he did not want the shortest form of the game to eat away at the Test and ODI schedules in world cricket.”Hopefully there is room for all three forms of the game but we’ll wait and see,” McGrath told . “I think in India anything to do with cricket is going to be successful. The effect it will have on Test cricket or one-day cricket, hopefully it won’t be negative.”It has got the potential in the same way one-day cricket has been to Test cricket, run-rates are a lot higher. But I guess it also has the potential if it gets too big and starts going to markets like the US and Europe and other places, I would hate to see it take the spot of Test cricket and one-day cricket.”McGrath was pleased to be able to play a role in developing cricket’s following and he was looking forward to playing with or against other international stars in the IPL. “To have players like myself and Shane Warne and Stephen Fleming, it’s more of an ambassador role to give it a bit more credibility,” he said.”People coming to watch the game are probably not your mainstream cricket fans so it’s bringing more people to the game which is great.” McGrath, Warne and Fleming will be part of a pool of players who can be signed up by privately-owned franchise teams in the IPL, which is scheduled to have its first tournament in April next year.