The importance of Sunny- Sunil Gavaskar

 A few weeks ago, shortly after Sunil Gavaskar had delivered the first Dilip Sardesai Memorial lecture at the Cricket Club of India, a twentysomething man asked me if Gavaskar had been a better batsman than Sachin Tendulkar, reducing me to a hum-and-haw wreck. I could understand the legitimacy of his curiosity, but was there a legitimate answer? I must here confess to being a Gavaskarphile. Who from my vintage isn't? The passage of time sometimes...

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'I speak from the heart, not the head' - Sunil Gavaskar

How differently do you see this game at 60 from the way you saw it at 20?It is different in the sense that there is a much wider following than in the 1960s, when I was growing up. Then it was a majority male following, but now I think it's fairly mixed. You've got women of all ages interested in the game, thanks to the Twenty20 mainly. Would you have been happier playing today than when you played? With far more money, and fame.Maybe not, for...

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James Anderson - ENG

James Anderson - ...

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I'm really happy to win ICC award: Dhoni

Not alien to records and milestones, Mahendra Singh Dhoni grabbed one more on Wednesday night when he became the first Indian to win the ICC ODI Player of the Year award and the star stumper-batsman is relishing it."It feels great to know that I am the first Indian player to get this particular award and it's very special because now I am in the company of a lot of other good cricketers," said an elated Dhoni in Dubai.The Indian beat off tough competition from teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Australia fast bowler Nathan Bracken and Pakistan stalwart...

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Sourav Ganguly Interview:I am always under the scanner

Looking back at the period since I made my comeback, I have scored over 3,000 runs in both formats of international cricket, more than any other Indian batsman. Yet, I am under the scanner, and I just don't know why, asks the Bengal southpaw. He is not known to mince words when it comes to lashing out at critics. So, when confronted with the question of his pedestrian showing with the bat in the ongoing IPL carnival, Sourav Ganguly went on the counter-offensive at the pre-match press meet, lamenting that he's always been the subject of criticism...

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Darrell Hair Exclusive Interview - The Australian umpire

Australia’s 53-year-old umpire Darrell Hair speaks about his current retirement plans from international cricket, how he critiques his own performances, player behaviour, his relationship with Murali after their infamous clash at Melbourne ten years ago and his new life in England. I hear you have been offered a new two-year contract by the ICC so what are your current retirement plans because you announced last year you’re looking to quit the ICC after the 2007 World Cup?I’m still not sure what will happen. My plan was to...

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Interview with Ashes star Ashley Giles Recentaly

Last summer Ashley Giles was one of the heroes of England’s first Test series victory over Australia since 1987. England lost the first match heavily but bounced back to win 2-1 with Giles playing a crucial role. The Warwickshire spin bowler talks to ICONS about his love of cricket and explains why the sport is an English icon. What inspired you to begin playing cricket? I grew up playing cricket the old-fashioned way, on the village green, in Ripley, in Surrey, where my whole family was involved. Uncles, cousins, my brother – everyone played...

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Paul Collingwood interview and his success story

Your 135 against South Africa at Edgbaston in August came just in time to save your place. How aware were you of all the talk about your Test future?The thing is you don’t need the press to tell you what the situation is. Usually, it’s all doom and gloom when you read the press and they make it seem a lot worse than it really is. But on this occasion I knew exactly the situation I was in [Collingwood had scored 43 runs in his previous six Test innings] and I knew pretty much 100 per cent that if I didn’t perform in that second innings, that was...

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The Lasith Malinga Success story

It’s too early to tell whether Lasith Malinga will go down in history as a fast-bowling great but his impact on Sri Lankan cricket in the few short years he’s been playing the game has been immense. His captain Mahela Jayawardene says: “He’s a brilliant example for all young cricketers in Sri Lanka. Here’s a boy who came from an out-station with no cricket background and has reached the top. Batsman, bowler, it doesn’t matter where you are from, Lasith shows that if you’re good enough you’re going to make it.” Make it he has. His unique sling-shot...

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‘I’m a terrible Twenty20 player!’-K P interview

Are you expecting to get a hostile reaction when you walk out to bat in South Africa?KP: I got a hostile reception when I walked out to bat in England yesterday [at an Edgbaston ground packed with India supporters] yesterday! It doesn’t faze me one bit. I don’t even think about it. Will your knowledge of the local conditions an advantage?Not really. International players travel round the world all the time now. They’ve all experienced the conditions. Besides, I’ve never played there in September. It’s a bizarre time to hold the tournament: it’s...

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shane warne interview on IPL Success

Shane Warne is not sure how he will feel during the Ashes next year. “I know there will be a stage in the series when Australia need to take 10 wickets on the final day, they’ve got 300 on the board, and England get a partnership going, and I’ll think, ‘Oh, I wish I had the ball in my hand now.” He then pauses before adding, “But then again I might also think, ‘Thank God I’m not playing.’” At the moment it seems more likely he will resist a return to the Test arena. He won’t rule it out just yet. But it is nearly two years since the game’s greatest-ever...

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