A true 'Son' of INDIA - Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has been playing top-class cricket for 20 years and he's still producing blistering innings, still looking hungry, still demolishing attacks, still a prized wicket, still a proud competitor. He has not merely been around for two decades. From his first outing to his most recent effort, a stunning 175 in Hyderabad, he has been a great batsman. Longevity counts amongst his strengths. Twenty years! It's a heck of a long time, and it's gone in the blink of an eye.

The Berlin Wall was taken down a week before Sachin Tendulkar first wore the colours of his country, Nelson Mandela was behind bars, Allan Border was captaining Australia, and India was a patronised country known for its dust, poverty, timid batsmen and not much else. In those days Tendulkar was a tousle-haired cherub prepared to stand his ground against all comers, including Wasim Akram and the most menacing of the Australans, Merv Hughes. Now he is a tousle-haired elder still standing firm, still driving and cutting, still retaining some of the impudence of youth, but nowadays bearing also the sagacity of age.

It has been an incredible journey, a trip that figures alone cannot define. Not that the statistics lack weight. To the contrary they are astonishing, almost mind-boggling. Tendulkar has scored an avalanche of runs, thousands upon thousands of them in every form of the game. He has reached three figures 87 times in the colours of his country, and all the while has somehow retained his freshness, somehow avoided the mechanical, the repetitive and the predictable.

Perhaps that has been part of it, the ability to retain the precious gift of youth. Alongside Shane Warne, the Indian master has been the most satisfying cricketer of his generation.

Tendulkar's feats are prodigious. He has scored as many runs overseas as in his backyard, has flogged Brett Lee at his fastest and Shane Warne at his most obtuse, has flourished against swing and cut, prospered in damp and dry. Nor can his record be taken for granted. Batsmen exist primarily to score runs. It is a damnably difficult task made to look easy by a handful of expert practitioners. Others have promised and fallen back, undone by the demands, unable to meet the moment. Tendulkar has kept going, on his toes, seeking runs in his twinkling way.

Again AUSTRALIA has been royally screwed !!!!!

London: England regained the Ashes with a 197-run win over Australia in the fifth and final Test at the Oval here on Sunday. Victory, achieved with more than a day to spare, saw England take the five-match series 2-1.

Australia, set what would have been a record fourth innings victory total of 546, were bowled out for 348 with Michael Hussey last man out for 121, when he was caught close in by Alastair Cook off spinner Graeme Swann.

From 327 for five, the end came swiftly with four wickets going down for 16 runs in 32 balls, with fast bowler Stephen Harmison taking three for seven in 13 himself.

Australia level with crushing win

Australia required a session and six overs on the third day at Headingley to wrap up a thumping innings-and-80-run victory against England, and so draw level at 1-1 in the Ashes with just the fifth Test at The Oval to come in a fortnight's time. Mitchell Johnson had the honour of sewing up the contest with his fifth wicket of a resurgent performance, when he bowled Graham Onions for a duck to confirm his return to his best and most hostile form, and underline the fact that Australia have suddenly emerged as firm favourites to complete their 10th Ashes victory in their last 11 contests.

It was not, however, a day that went entirely to plan for Australia, who were frustrated - not for the first time in the series - by England's tail.After the resumption, however, the end came swiftly. Swann's uncompromising performance came to an end when he swished outside off to Johnson and was adjudged caught-behind for 62 from 72 balls, whereupon Onions - on a king pair after his first-innings extraction - was struck on the gloves first-up by a ball that very nearly dribbled onto his stumps. In the event, he survived just seven deliveries as Johnson nipped one off the seam to peg back his off stump, and Australia march south to London with their morale sky-high.

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Courtesy YOUTUBE:

Courtesy WIKIPEDIA:

"International Friendship Day celebrations take place on the first Sunday of August every year. The tradition of dedicating a day in honor of friends began in US in 1935. Gradually the festival gained popularity and today Friendship Day is celebrated in a large number of countries. On this day people spend time with their friends and express love for them. Exchange of Friendship Day Gifts like flowers, cards and wrist bands is a popular tradition of this occasion.

The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed the first Sunday of August as National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event. Following the popularity and success of Friendship Day in US, several other countries adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. Today, Friendship Day is enthusiastically celebrated by several countries across the world.

In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship. Many friends wish each other with exchange of gifts and cards on this day. "Friendship bands" are very popular in India and Nepal. With the advent of social networking sites, friendship day is also being celebrated online. The commercialization of the Friendship Day celebrations has led to some dismissing it as a "marketing gimmick". "

Andrew Flintoff ends England's 75-year wait

In his final act at the home of cricket, Andrew Flintoff broke England's 75-year Lord's curse with his first five-wicket haul since the Ashes-clinching Oval Test of 2005. It was, unquestionably, a performance that will enhance his already mythical status within English cricket, but more pertinently for now, delivered England to a 1-0 series lead heading into Edgbaston.

Victory was sealed 17 minutes before lunch when Graeme Swann, another major contributor on Monday, pegged back Mitchell Johnson's middle stump with the Australian total at 406. The wicket prompted scenes of jubilation not witnessed at Lord's in decades, and a collective furrowing of brows in the Australian dressing rooms as the series momentum shifted sharply in the hosts' favour.

Pathans clinch thriller for India !!!!

On a day when the Hussey brothers did the winning act for Australia, India found their answer in the two Pathans, with Yusuf and Irfan scripting a thrilling three-wicket win in the one-off Twenty20 game. Set a challenging 172 for victory, India seemed to have botched up the chase when Sri Lanka's spinners reduced them to 115 for 7, but then came the last twist on an evening which had several: a 59-run partnership off 25 balls, and India were home and dry with four balls to spare, ending the tour with five wins in six games.

The Twenty20 game is designed to thrill, and this game did that in ample measure: there were 345 runs scored in 39.2 overs, with 11 sixes and 32 fours. The most important of them, though, came late in the evening from the Pathan brothers, after it seemed Sri Lanka's spinners had spun the match irreversibly in their favour.

Matthew Hayden...amongst All-time greats !!!!

Matthew Hayden can now look back on his career that puts him in the top 10 Test batsmen and top 20 ODI batsmen of all-time.

Hayden's highest Test rating of 935 came during the Ashes series of 2002-03 that puts him level in 10th position with South Africa's Jacques Kallis and just behind four others, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and a West Indian triumvirate consisting of legends Clyde Walcott, Viv Richards and Garry Sobers.

Hayden's One-day performances put him 18th in the all-time Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen with a career- high rating of 854 points, a tally that puts him level with New Zealand's Glenn Turner and just behind Sri Lanka's Aravinda de Silva.

Who is the best......Who will be 1, 2 and 3.....????

Put the celebrations on hold. Australia are still world No. 1 after winning the Sydney Test. But the shield of invincibility surrounding Ricky Ponting's men has been shattered beyond repair. And it has opened up a close race for the top spot in Test cricket with South Africa and India in hot pursuit.

A candidate for profiles in courage — Graeme Smith led from the front as South Africa almost upset the world order. With his team staring at defeat the captain came out despite a broken finger. Australia though hung on to their No. 1 ranking by the fingernails as Smith was last man out, a response from the Aussies that they weren't done just yet.

"It's very pleasing for me to see some of the younger players come into the team and this game and start off with a win," said Australian captain Ricky Ponting, praising debutants Doug Bollinger and Andrew McDonald besides a new-look Australian outfit. "This is what you always hope for."

The Sydney result opens up a mouth-watering three-horse race for the top spot in Test cricket over the course of the year. South Africa can still do it if they beat Australia at home next month in a return series. Thumping Australia 2-1 at home is the defining moment in their cricketing history and Smith knows his team is on the cusp of ending an era.

"Balance of power is evening out in world cricket," says South African skipper Graeme Smith. "Australia dominated world cricket for a decade or so and obviously, enjoyed their time."

Not too far behind is a team which has given Australia far more nightmares than the Proteas. India are worthy challengers after beating Australia thrice this year.

"The gap has been narrowed," says Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh. "But we have to play consistently well throughout the years to come to become No. 1."