Haddin backs Clarke as captain

Brad Haddin spent his first full day as Australia's vice-captain insisting Michael Clarke, his new master, is the right man for the top job. A new cricket leader is usually a time for celebration in this country, but Clarke's appointment for Monday's fifth Ashes Test at the SCG has been greeted with extreme caution. 

Ricky Ponting is missing the match due to a broken finger and Clarke enters the fixture in poor form and with only pockets of public support. None of that matters to Haddin, who says the team is 100% behind the leader. 

"He is ready to do this job," Haddin said at the SCG. "He'd be excited about the prospect of captaining Australia and he will do a very, very good job. We're 100% behind him and, being a good mate of mine, I'll support him in any way I can. He deserves to be in this position ... he's the best man for the job." 

Haddin, 33, said the public reaction to all the Australian players changed from week to week. However, Clarke's rating among large sections of the community, particularly in his home state of New South Wales, has been more consistent. His lack of runs in the series - 148 in eight innings - hasn't helped endear Clarke to the detractors and the lukewarm response adds to the pressure on the country's 43rd Test captain. 

"You are one good innings away, or sometimes one good cover drive away, from the support being with you," Haddin said. "Michael is a very strong character so things will be okay. He has got a very good cricket brain and you saw that through the T20 World Cup [when Australia made the final]. He thinks a lot about the game, he is going to do a very good job." 

Haddin, who hopes his elevation is temporary, has played 31 Tests since replacing the retired Adam Gilchrist in the middle of 2008. He has leadership experience with New South Wales and gets a close-up view of the game as wicketkeeper. It will be interesting to watch how he juggles his post as one of the team's verbal enforcers with his new responsibilities. 

The first aim for Australia is to show some signs of collective improvement after being thoroughly out-played in three of the four matches. The hosts are upset to have failed in their push to regather the urn - Haddin said the results were "unacceptable" - but they will aim to take comfort in a victory in Sydney.

"It's disappointing we have lost the Ashes and we are disappointed in our own performance, but you have to move on pretty quick in sport," he said. "We have to win this Test match to make this series 2-all."

Clarke replaces Ponting as Test captain

Michael Clarke is Australia's 43rd Test captain after succeeding the injured Ricky Ponting for Monday's fifth Ashes Test in Sydney. Clarke, who has been the deputy since 2008, takes the coveted job at a time when the team is at its nadir and the 29-year-old is in a severe batting rut. 

Ponting's broken left pinky not only means he may never add to his 152 Tests, but it accelerates the transition to Clarke during a summer in which his performances have indicated he is not ready for the role. He now has no choice after his appointment - and the elevation of Brad Haddin to vice-captain - was approved in a unanimous decision by Cricket Australia's board on Thursday afternoon. 

"Obviously I'm honoured, it's for this Test match and hopefully we can get Punter right as soon as possible and get him back into whichever team," Clarke said at the SCG. "The sooner we can get him back into the one dayers, the better for us." 

Clarke is in charge of a 12-man squad as it attempts to draw the series with England, who retained the Ashes with their innings victory in Melbourne on Wednesday. Usman Khawaja has been included to make his debut at No. 3 while Doug Bollinger was recalled to replace Ryan Harris, who suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle at the MCG. 

But the major focus is on how Clarke will deal with his switch from energetic lieutenant to the man who has to juggle his own game with all the extra commitments required to run a team. He has led Australia in 18 ODIs and another 18 Twenty20s and has usually enjoyed giving the captaincy back to Ponting. 

In his dream Clarke would have taken the job in peak form, but he has experienced a poor campaign against England with 148 runs at 21.14 and only one half-century. Even that came with criticism after he tweeted an apology for not walking when he was dismissed late on the penultimate day in Adelaide. 

"I make no bones about it, my form has not been good enough throughout this series," he said. "I've had a couple of innings where I've felt really good but I need to get out here and make sure I get some runs on the board, and that's my focus right now. I've had the chance to captain Australia in the Twenty20 form and a handful of one-dayers as well, and I don't think it's hurt my performance. Hopefully that's the same this week." 

Clarke is a modern cricketer and his metrosexual tendencies and A-list activities have created lingering questions over his suitability for the leadership. His on-field moves will now be analysed intently as he hopes for a way out of such a dire period for Australia. 

Ponting's fractured finger deteriorated during the fourth Test that finished with him failing to win the Ashes for a record third time. If the urn was still up for grabs he would have pushed to play but gave into medical advice. 

"I'm devastated to tell you the truth, it was the news I was dreading," Ponting said after landing in Sydney. "During the game I didn't think I'd done too much more to it." When asked if he was considering retirement he said: "I'm not thinking about it at all." 

Ponting, who scored only 113 runs in the first four games, could face surgery on his finger, but is expected to be fit to guide Australia in their push to win a fourth consecutive World Cup. He had an x-ray on the final day of the Melbourne defeat and it showed the fracture had moved during the match. 

"What I need right at the moment is just as much time as I possibly can to let it heal and make sure that I'm 100% right for the start of the World Cup," he said. "That's really how the decision was made, so I've just got to do everything in my power over the next little bit to look after it as well as I can." 

He will see a specialist again over the next day to decide on the best way forward. "Hopefully he will commence training in the later part of the Australian summer," Alex Kountouris, the team's physiotherapist, said. "He is expected to be fully fit for the World Cup." 

Ponting's Test future is less clear as Australia's next five-day engagement is currently scheduled for Sri Lanka in August, although there is a talk of a series against Bangladesh after the World Cup. He is already 36 and Australia have realised during their poor Ashes performance that they have to start rebuilding through young players.

Ganguly hopeful about India's chances at 2011 World Cup

Siliguri (West Bengal), Dec.24 (ANI): Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly said he is hopeful the recently announced Indian squad would win the forthcoming World Cup.

Interacting with mediapersons here on Thursday, Ganguly said that seeing the performance of Indian players at home ground, a victory in the World Cup could be expected.

"I am very hopeful. India is a very strong One Day International (ODI) team and they are playing it at home. If they can handle the pressure of the people at home, they'll be at the side who can win the World Cup," said Ganguly.

He further remarked that the team's performance in the first test against South Africa was disappointing but he was optimistic of the second test in Durban.

"Nobody wants to lose, am sure none of us, none of the players, or the team, or the supporters would be happy with the loss. But it can happen. You can win some game, you can lose some game, and am sure they will bounce back in the next tour... obviously toss will be important," said Ganguly.

Australia names Dovey as new team manager

Cricket Australia (CA) has appointed Rugby Football Union England Team Operations Manager Gavin Dovey, an expatriate Australian, to be new team manager of the Australian cricket team from April 2011.

Dovey will replace long-serving Australian team manager Steve ("Brute") Bernard, who will be retiring from the role after the ICC Cricket World Cup early next year.
Bernard and Dovey will conduct a handover during the Australia tour to Bangladesh which is scheduled immediately after the CWC.

Announcing the appointment on Monday, CA General Manager Cricket Michael Brown said he was excited to have recruited an appointee of Dovey's background and sports management expertise to fill the role, which is critical to the smooth operation of the team and its support group.
"Not surprisingly, we had a large field of strong candidates when we sought a replacement for Steve but Gavin was the stand-out candidate," Brown said.

"Steve Bernard has been an outstanding Australian team manager, is one of the most popular identities in world cricket and we knew his would be big shoes to fill.

Canberra-educated, Dovey worked for the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority before moving to a role managing anti-doping with the RFU, which in turn preceded his promotion into his current role.
He said he was looking forward to returning to Australia to take up a position he expected to be challenging but fulfilling.

"The RFU has been great to me and I will always be grateful for the opportunities they offered me - I have learned a lot. I now look forward to taking up the challenge of replacing Steve and of doing my part to help support the sporting team that the whole nation follows".

Cabs to drive fans in England 'World Cup' crazy

The International Cricket Council and Gullivers Sports Travel are gearing up cricket fans in England for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which starts on 19 February.


Hailed as 'The Cup That Counts', the England cricket team go into the tournament with high expectations after winning the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies while also beginning its Ashes retention campaign in a positive manner Down Under.

Gullivers, which is the official UK travel agent for the event, is urging fans to get behind the England team and support its mission to bring back the ICC Cricket World Cup from the Asian sub-continent.
It is also offering packages to supporters of all the 13 other teams, with thousands of people from the UK expected to travel to the event.

To drive the point home, more than 150 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011-branded black cabs are hitting the cities of London, Manchester and Birmingham, calling on fans to make sure they book official packages with appointed provider, Gullivers Sports Travel.

Gullivers has been working with the ICC since 1995 and its range of ICC Cricket World Cup travel 2011 packages starts at just GBP 169 per person and guarantee official match tickets. Gullivers can also arrange tailor-made holidays, combining the cricket with some of the region's many tourist highlights, including visiting tea plantations in Kerala, a houseboat stay, elephant spotting in Periyar National Park and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka.

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