ECB's 'strictly confidential' dossier on Kevin Pietersen

An extremely confidential England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) document detailing Kevin Pietersen's behaviour during the 5-0 Ashes thrashing and his breakdown with then-England coach, Andy Flower has been leaked, and is now in possession with Cricbuzz.com. The dossier on KP is said to be the one that played a huge role in helping remove the maverick right-hander from the England side and was made so as to help the England board through its negotiations with KP, when the matters over his future were to be discussed. 

The document, titled STRICTLY PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL, explains in detail how Kevin Pietersen was disobedient, disloyal, disparaging and disengaging while his side was going through a horrendous time against their traditional rivals, Australia. 

The document carries information on how Pietersen expressed that the captain, Alastair Cook was 'tactically inept' and the entire team was 'a bunch of useless c*nts'.

Excerpts from the document:

• Upon arrival in Adelaide for the Second Test, AF (Andy Flower) gave express instructions to players not to stay out late and not to give the scandal voracious press any ammunition, which KP immediately disobeyed by taking out two young players drinking with him until late (an incident which was front page news in the Adelaide press the following day)
• After playing a terrible shot to get out in one of his innings in the Fourth Test, KP returned to the England dressing room and in front the younger England players, shouted 'you lot are a bunch of useless c*nts'
• KP ranted, saying GS (Graeme Swann) is a 'c*nt', the team was 'sh*t' and having a go at AF and his coaching.
• Following KP's second innings dismissal (5th Test), KP whistled casually on his way back to the pavilion, before coming into the dressing room. After the game was lost, KP walked out of the dressing room, saying "I dont give a f*ck".

Kevin Pietersen slams 'bullying' England cricket culture

Kevin Pietersen has hit out at the "horrendous" bullying by some of his former England team-mates and accused former coach Andy Flower of "ruling by fear". Despite being England's all-time leading run-scorer across all formats, the South Africa-born batsman was sensationally axed after the team's 2013/14 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia.

The England and Wales Cricket Board then gave several convoluted explanations as to why the former captain had been discarded, citing the need to "support" current skipper Alastair Cook as a central reason.

In an interview published on Monday's edition of the Daily Telegraph, to promote an autobiography due to be published on Thursday, Pietersen said he still did not understand why he was effectively sacked. He added that Cook had been put in an "incredibly difficult position" by ECB, following his banishment from the team.

Despite everything, Pietersen -- who has scored over 8,000 runs in 104 Tests, including 23 hundreds at an average of nearly 48, insisted he had not given up hope of representing England again even though he played no County Championship cricket for Surrey last season.

Pietersen, 34, added he'd been shocked by the way senior bowlers Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and James Anderson as well as currently injured wicketkeeper Matt Prior abused fielders for dropping catches.

"The thing that horrified me was when Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss said: 'Guys we've got to stop this, it's not right for the team, there are guys that have come to (us) that are intimidated to field the ball.' And (the bowlers) had the audacity to stand there and say: 'No, if they f**k up we deserve an apology.' It's the most angry I ever got in that dressing room.

"I thought, 'I reckon I could hit these guys. Who do you think you are, to ask for an apology from someone who's trying his heart out? Are you perfect, are you never going to drop a catch? Are you never going to bowl a wide?' But the double standard for me was the bigger thing. If one of them messed up -- if Jimmy messed up, or Swanny - nothing was ever said. Prior left them alone.

"He never left alone (Nick) Compton or Ravi (Bopara) or Trotty (Jonathan Trott).I went after Prior and said he shouldn't be in that side because he's a bad influence, a negative influence -- he picks on players. He's back-stabbing, he's horrendous, he's bad for the environment," he added.

Injury-hit Pietersen out of final NZ Test, IPL

England batsman Kevin Pietersen will miss the last Test against New Zealand and the Indian Premier League due to a knee injury which may sideline him for up to eight weeks, officials said Wednesday. 

"The injury is likely to require ongoing assessments and a likely 6-8 week period of rest and rehabilitation," the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement, two days before the start of the series-deciding game. 

The ECB said the 32-year-old suffered pain in his right knee while fielding earlier this month in preparation for a warm-up game in New Zealand, before the Test series began. 

"This has failed to resolve satisfactorily," it said. 

Recent scans confirmed bone bruising and possible cartilage damage to the kneecap, and Pietersen would return to Britain "for further investigations and specialist review". 

He had been withdrawn from all cricket including the Indian Premier League, it said. 

New Zealand will eye a rare series win and England will try to cement their position as the number-two Test nation in the third and final Test starting Friday in Auckland, following rain-affected draws in the first two games. 

Source :- http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/54808/injury-hit-pietersen-out-of-final-nz-test-ipl

Bresnan undergoes elbow operation

Pace bowler, Tim Bresnan underwent an elbow surgery in the United States and is involved in a race against time for the start of England's international commitments against New Zealand in May. 

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have stated that Bresnan will be undergoing a rehabilitation period for at least six to eight weeks and might be available for the New Zealand series which starts on May 16. 

The ECB statement read: "England and Yorkshire bowler Tim Bresnan has undergone an uncomplicated operation on his right elbow to remove extra bone and scar tissue." 

"Bresnan will now commence a six-eight week rehabilitation and back to bowling programme before returning to competitive cricket early in the summer." 

Bresnan has been troubled by his right elbow for quite some time and underwent an operation on the joints in late 2011. He struggled against the visiting South Africans in 2012 and went wicketless in two Test matches on the tour of India. He was left out of the tour to New Zealand in a bid to help him recover from the injury. 

Source :- http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/54430/bresnan-undergoes-elbow-operation

Strauss awarded honorary life membership of MCC

Former England captain Andrew Strauss was on Monday awarded honorary life membership of the MCC, the prestigious English institution responsible for safeguarding the game's rules. 

Strauss, 35, guided England to consecutive Ashes victories over Australia in 2009 and 2011 before announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket in August last year. 

He is the 27th former England skipper to become an honorary life member of the MCC and joins a select group of current and former players, umpires, administrators and journalists. 

We can turn things around: James Tredwell

England can still stage a turnaround in the one-day series against India despite being on the backfoot, according to spinner James Tredwell who said the team will go into the must-win game trying to draw inspiration from their first game which the visitors won comfortably.

"Obviously, the two defeats are in the back of our minds but I think if you look forward to the result too quickly, then you take your eye off the process.

"I guess we are just going into the game trying to execute our skills as best as we can and if we do that and perform like we did in the first game, there is every chance we can turn them over," Tredwell said at the pre-match press conference here on Tuesday.

"We have a point to prove, absolutely. We spoke about it. It can be quite easy in this part of the world that if you get on a bad trot, you can let your heads drop and we can't allow that to creep in," he said.

Tredwell said the team played well in the first game in Rajkot and will draw positives from that match rather than think about the poor performances.

Pacers may get assistance in cold Mohali conditions

With cold conditions persisting in the northern region for the past several days, fast bowlers are likely to get assistance in the last two ODIs between India and England at Mohali and Dharamsala. It rained heavily in Mohali and other parts of Punjab in the last few days and though the weather has been dry since yesterday, the temperature has dropped slightly and there is chill in the air.

The officials at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), which is hosting the January 23 ODI in Mohali, were working with all modern equipments at their disposal to give finishing touches to the ground after the heavy downpour. Both the teams, who arrived here today by an afternoon flight, will have their practice sessions tomorrow starting with England in the afternoon followed by the Indians in the evening. A PCA official said they are hoping the weather remains clear, but also seem confident of preparing the ground in case there are further rains.

"We have the best drainage system and modern equipment at our disposal to dry out things in minimum possible time in case of more rains. But we hope that weather holds good and there is plenty of sunshine during the next three days," the official said.

Jadeja is a perfect bowling all-rounder: Dhoni

Ravindra Jadeja's exploits with the bat and the ball have received praise from the Indian skipper, MS Dhoni, who has hailed the southpaw's recent performances and termed him as the perfect bowling all-rounder. Dhoni went onto add that Jadeja was the answer to the elusive bowling all-rounder India had been looking for for quite a while now and the only other option they had in the recent past was Irfan Pathan.

"Jadeja is definitely someone who is giving us that balance. In that way, Jadeja is the perfect person to have. We have been struggling with the bowling all-rounder. Irfan is the only one that we have got. Before the new rules were introduced, we used to rely on Yuvraj Singh Images and other part timers to get over with the 10 overs. But with the new rule, Yuvi will need a bit more time to settle down as a bowler," stated Dhoni.

However the Indian captain did not want to put undue batting pressure on Jadeja and expected the Indian top order to perform. "He can bat a bit, but at the same time, we don't want to expose him too much right now. The top-order needs to perform and he bats at No 7 for us. We have seen glimpses of him and he can really take on the bowlers. It does not matter if you're a quickie or a spinner," said Dhoni.

Indian team retained for last 2 ODIs

The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that it has decided to not alter the Indian team for the final 2 ODIs against England. The Indians made a strong comeback in the series after a narrow loss in the first ODI by winning the next 2 ODIs by handsome margins and the Indian board stuck to the winning combination.

The 4th and the 5th ODIs will be held at Mohali and Dharamshala respectively.

Team for 4th and 5th ODI: MS Dhoni(c/wk), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, B Kumar, Ashoke Dinda, Shami Ahmed.

India vs England, 3rd ODI, Ranchi

India have won the toss and elected to field

The wicket was expected to produce a lot of runs, but the bowlers kept things tight and never let the batsmen run away with the advantage. They picked wickets at regular intervals, Jadeja produced a few brilliant deliveries and was well supported by Ashwin too. Joe Root was the only flash in the pan for England, he looked steady until he fell for a false shot.

Virat Kohli, the man unbeaten on 77, takes the backseat as the duo walk out. Dhoni waves to the crowd that goes louder and louder. This is India's biggest win against England in terms of balls remaining (131). That is an indicator of how thoroughly dominant the Indians were today. The bowlers started it all off after Dhoni chose to bowl. They combined splendidly to restrict England to just 155.

India 157/3 (28.1 Overs)

England 155 (42.2 Overs)

India won by 7 wkts

Virat Kohli is the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 77.

England can learn a lesson from India: Morgan

Eoin Morgan believes that England have it in them to wrest the initiative away from the hosts when they gear up to face the MS Dhoni led side in the 3rd ODI at Ranchi on Saturday, 19th of January.

Morgan, who missed the previous ODI series tour in 2011 with a shoulder injury insisted that his team can learn from past experiences. Th series is tied at 1-1 with England drawing first blood at Rajkot and India returning the compliments with a thumping win at Kochi. Both matches were played in front of a raucous crowd, a common feature in any Indian stadiums.

"The only blip we have had since Alastair (Cook) took over as captain was the last trip we had here and we learnt a lot of lessons from that," he said.

"When we were here last we went away from our principles of taking the emotion out of the game and concentrating on what we do best, concentrating on us as a team and our strengths and not getting distracted by other things."

Injury scare for Dhoni ahead of Ranchi ODI

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday survived an injury scare when a rising delivery hit his right thumb during the team's practice session on the eve of the third one-dayer against England here.

However, the team management said he was fit and there was no danger to Dhoni, who is all set to lead Team India at his home ground amidst the local fans, who are eagerly waiting to see the city's favourite son in action on Saturday.

"He is perfectly alright. He does not even need to have an X-ray, scan or anything. There is no danger at all," Satish, Indian team manager (logistics), told reporters here on Friday.

At the nets, Dhoni even bowled and batted for about 10 minutes before being hit by a rising delivery from Indian bowling coach Joe Dawes.

The skipper did not bat again after being hit at the nets and was seen applying ice packs and watching the proceedings from the dressing room balcony.

Dhoni admits that he misread the pitch

Following their crushing 127 run victory over England in the second ODI at Kochi, Indian skipper MS Dhoni conceded that he did not have the firepower that whitewashed England 5-0 in the previous two series. India had whitewashed England in the 2008 and 2011 ODI series at home but Dhoni said his side would not be that dominant now as they lacked firepower in bowling and the top batsmen were struggling.

Talking to reporters at the post match press conference, Dhoni said, "It has happened in the past, but it does not mean it will happen in this series also. We have our own things to worry about. During the last series, we played well as a batting unit and our bowlers were more experienced. Both the bowlers and the batsmen what to do in the powerplays and death overs, how to use the new balls."

Dhoni went onto add that the bowling department lacks the firepower of the previous attacks and the top order is also struggling for runs. He reiterated that the team will have to solve the problem of batsmen failing to convert starts into big totals if they have win matches consistently.

"This has been a problem area. If three or four batsmen make 50, then it is important that at least one or two of them go on to make at least 75. This ensures that when the new batsmen come after them after the loss of quick wickets, then they will not feel the pressure."

Dhoni's big hitting cost us the game: Cook

England skipper Alastair Cook attributed his team's loss to the poor bowling performance at the death overs which saw England giving away 108 runs in the last 10 overs. He conceded that England were outplayed by the Indians on the field and lamented over not capitalising the good start given by his bowlers. He pointed out that that 240-250 was gettable on this wicket.

"The ball spun a little more in the second innings, but you cannot use that as an excuse. We were out skilled and outplayed today. We had a chance in the first 10 overs to get three or four wickets but we did no quite do that. Finn bowled well but full credit to India for putting us under pressure," he said.

Cook also admitted that MS Dhoni's big hits at the death overs made all the difference. "It is a very tough proposition when you have got people like MS Dhoni batting in the death overs. You get exposed when you don't quite get the skills right," he told reporters during the after-match press conference.

India posted a competitive 285 thanks to Dhoni's 72 and Ravindra Jadeja's 61. The bowlers then did a wonderful job and skittled out the visitors for a paltry 158 in just 36 overs to level the five-match series 1-1. Cook praised Dhoni's big-hitting prowess and said his late-order surge changed the complexion of the match. "He is probably the best player in the world in those situations, in these conditions."

India vs England, 2nd ODI, Kochi

India have won the toss and elected to bat

India have scored 108 runs in the last 10 overs and that's all thanks to Jadeja and MS Dhoni. India seemed to be heading towards 240/250 at one stage but a blazing partnership of 96 off 60 balls between RJ and Dhoni has given them a bonus of 30 odd runs.

Ravindra Jadeja had a day to remember. He contributed with bat, ball and on the field to help India to a big win. The England chase never really got going. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was the star early on. His 10 over spell right at the top ensured that England were always on the backfoot. On a track that was aiding the spinners, his spell of 3/30 was worth its weight in gold. Kevin Pietersen was the only batsman who looked in any sort of comfort but after his dismissal the Indian spinners got stuck in and never let the pressure off.

England 158-all out (36.0 Overs)

India 285/6 (50.0 Overs)

India won by 127 runs

Ravindra Jadeja is the Man of the Match for his all-round efforts.

Kochi would be a run feast: Sreesanth

Discarded Indian speedster, S Sreesanth has predicted that the second ODI between India and England to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, will be a run feast as the pitch is expected to be tailor-made for the batsmen and would not offer much assistance to the bowlers. Sreesanth stated that the encounter would be a "high scoring game as the pitch is a belter".

Being a local boy hailing from the state of Kerala, Sreesanth said, "It is going to be a batting wicket. You can be sure of a 300-plus score. The pitch has improved a lot." He further stated that he was back to peak fitness and very keen to make a comeback to the Indian Team.

Leaking 38 runs in the last two overs cost us: Dhoni

Leaking 38 runs in the last two overs of England innings cost India dear in the first ODI, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni conceded in the brief media interaction, which ended abruptly after the Saurashtra Cricket Association authorities switched off power.

"Yes, we conceded a lot of runs in the last two overs. (However), we got a good start but did not have enough wickets in hand in the last ten overs to put pressure on them. Had I stayed on for two more overs things could have turned out differently," said Dhoni after his team's nine-run defeat.

The power was switched off by SCA officials to conduct the sound and laser show for the assembled crowd that stayed on after the conclusion of the prize distribution function.

Dhoni had answered a few questions before power was switched off, which prompted him to ask if he "can call it a day".

India vs England, 1st ODI, Rajkot

England have won the toss and elected to bat

Top effort from England's batsmen, but despite all the effort, I must say that this is just a bit more than a par score. The pitch (read road) is flat and a batsman's paradise. Bell and Cook gave England the platform early on, and although they lost some momentum in the middle, the likes of Pietersen, Morgan and later Samit Patel ensured that they went past 300.

India will look back at the last two overs which went for 38 runs. Apart from that, there was nothing much to separate between the teams. Except Kohli, all the recognised batsmen got going and looked like playing a big knock while they were in the middle. Yuvraj and Raina played gorgeous strokes, but got out at crucial junctures. Dhoni got the crowd going with 4 sixes, but hit one straight to the fielder. Indeed that was the story of the innings as most of the batsmen gifted away their wickets. For England, it was off-spinner James Tredwell who was a revelation as he brought up his best ODI figures. Dernbach was costly, but picked up the big wicket of Dhoni.

India 316/9 (50.0 Overs)

England 325/4 (50.0 Overs)

England won by 9 runs

James Tredwell is the Man of the Match.

England have won their first ODI match against India on Indian soil in 7 years.

Sehwag out, Pujara in for England ODIs

India have retained the majority of the team that lost the series against Pakistan with the only change being Cheteshwar Pujara being preferred over experienced opener Virender Sehwag.

ODI Squad: MS Dhoni (capt, keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami Ahmed, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Chesteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra.

Cricket journalist Martin-Jenkins dies aged 67

Respected English cricket journalist and commentator Christopher Martin-Jenkins has died of cancer at the age of 67, his former colleagues announced on Tuesday.

Popularly known as 'CMJ' in Great Britain, Martin-Jenkins was one of the voices of Test Match Special on BBC Radio and previously worked for the Daily Telegraph and the Times.

"Desperately sad to tell you that CMJ died peacefully this morning," his friend and colleague Jonathan Agnew said on Twitter.

Martin-Jenkins also served as the president of Marylebone Cricket Club in 2010 and 2011.