Long waited gold medal came for USA by the hand of Steven Holocomb.

Steven Holcomb,U.S. bobsled pilot,had been driving his four-man sled virtually blind for a couple of years when he decided to have his eyes treated. The results were unexpected for him.

Although the procedure was resulted in great success, Holcomb found the restored eyesight interfered with his instinctive driving style. So Holocomb went back to racing half blind, deliberately obscuring his vision when hurtling down the track.

It worked greatly, given that Holcomb piloted his four-man bob to an Olympic gold medal on Saturday -- the first time the United States had won the event since 1948.

"I think I do still drive a lot by feel ... a lot of issues came back when I had my eye surgery," Holocomb said.He had been suffering from a disease that causes the cornea to bulge out, was not ready for the consequences of being able to see so clearly after treatment in 2008.

Pele speaks of the management of world cup officials.

The Brazilian superstar of soccer,Pele, nrecently speaks of how many numbers of official the world cup should have be.Pele says FIFA should place match official behind both goal to support the referees at the World Cup and avoid scandals like Diego Maradona's infamous handball at the 1986 tournament.

Monday,Pele said that he is in favor of five match officials being used per game at the World Cup in South Africa this June, but he opposes video replays. Stopping play would slow the game and could impede a possible counterattack, he said.

In the Europa League this season,UEFA experimented of using five match officials.

A three-time World Cup winner with Brazil,Pele, raised the concern of having referees behind the goals for international games at FIFA meetings with president Sepp Blatter and German legend Franz Beckenbauer in the fall, after Thierry Henry's blatant handball assured France's qualifying for the World Cup against Ireland.

"Not to use modern technologies,was decided, instead, we do propose using two referees behind the goals, and FIFA is tkinking of it," Pele said Monday in Mexico City, where he is promoting the Copa Libertadores, South America's top club competition.

Pele, who has been working with a FIFA committee that oversees officiating, said he's looking forward to a scandal-free World Cup. He added that it's tough to name favourites, but he has a lot of confidence in his homeland and has been impressed with Spain as well. He said England, Italy and Argentina are also likely to be contenders.

Canadian figure skater J Rochette won bronze in Vancouver.

Joannie Rochette, the Canadian figure skater, skating four days after her beloved mother died,in Vancouver figure skating championship, cheered the Canadian by winning a bronze medal Thursday night in the women's figure skating championship.

JoanieRochette's free skate was not without flaws, but one stumble and one shaky landing could not deny her being the first podium finish for a Canadian figure skater since 1988.

"I feel proud. The result itself does not matter," she said through a spokesman. "It's been a lifetime work with my mother [to make it to the Olympics podium], and we achieved that."

Rochette placed third after Tuesday night's short program -- 7.14 points behind Kim Yu-Na of South Korea and 2.42 points behind Mao Asada of Japan -- who skated just before her. The free skate scores are weighted more and account for roughly two-thirds of a skater's total.

A determined Rochette came on the ice, to the hockey-like cheers of the 14,000 at Pacific Coliseum. She needed a perfect skate to win silver but on a triple flip, she stumbled and the second place slipped away.

There,lately,she had a bit of a shaky landing after another jump, but she stayed on her feet.

he blew a kiss into the air,backing from finishing line, and came to the waiting area where she, in French, covered her heart with right hand and spoke to her mother,Therese Rochette,who died Sunday of a heart attack in Vancouver at 55, Canadian Olympic officials said. Joannie Rochette opted to stay in the games, and two days later stirred a crowd with a courage

"Her mother is inside her heart and soul, so she'll be there for her," her agent Dave Baden told CNN on Wednesday, "and [Joannie] will draw from that strength."ous performance.

A record recorded by the record master;SACHIN TENDULKER.

Highest ODI individual record has been recorded by Tendulker 2day at Guwati,in the he become the the 1st man to reach Double hundred in ODI. Tendulkar's innings featured strokes of the highest quality, but his true genius was exemplified with one particular shot which wouldn't be found in a coaching manual. In the first over of the batting Powerplay - taken in the 35th over - Dale Steyn fired a full, quick delivery outside off but Tendulkar walked right across his stumps and nonchalantly flicked him across the line, hopping in his crease on one leg to bisect the gap at midwicket. A helpless Steyn watched the ball speed away and merely shrugged his shoulders. There was no use searching for excuses or venting frustrations at the temerity of that shot. It was just that kind of afternoon for the bowlers.

There was just no letting up. The short boundaries and the flat pitch were too inviting for Tendulkar. Virender Sehwag's dismissal for 11, caught at third man, was just an aberration as Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan and Dhoni traded cricket bats for golf clubs. Driving and lofting through the line had never been this easy. Tendulkar could have driven them inside out in his sleep.

The two 100-plus stands, with Karthik and then with Dhoni, may well get lost in the scorecard but they were vital building blocks. Karthik rotated the strike well in their stand of 194, struck three clean sixes and helped himself to a brisk half-century. That partnership sent out ominous signs to the South Africans that they were in for something massive. Add Dhoni's bludgeoning hits and scoops and you had a score in excess of 350.

Tendulkar was in his element, flicking off his pads and driving neatly through the off side using the pace of the ball. He began by guiding a half-volley from Parnell through the covers before flicking the next one off his pads past midwicket. Steyn tried to bowl it a bit shorter but Tendulkar responded by pulling him over midwicket and slashing over point. Even the introduction of spin didn't help as Tendulkar gently tucked Roelof van der Merwe off his pads past short fine leg to bring up his fifty, off just 37 balls.

He brought up his first six in the 32nd over, off JP Duminy, launching him over long-on. Pathan bashed it around at the other end, clubbing full tosses and short deliveries in his 23-ball 36, as India amassed 63 runs in the batting Powerplay. The South African seamers made the mistake of bowling too fast and as a result, bowled too many full tosses and full deliveries. Theyorkers remained elusive and Tendulkar, who was seeing it like a beach ball, picked the gaps, made room and improvised.

The inside out shots over extra cover, really stood out. There was a brief interruption when Albie Morkel complained of crowd trouble but it did nothing to shake Tendulkar's concentration. He reached his 150 by making room to Parnell and chipping him over midwicket with a simple bat twirl at the point of contact. He went past Kapil Dev's 175 with a towering six over long-on. He equaled his highest score of 186 with a pull to fine leg, before Dhoni took over.

''This is not the end'',Brett Lee.

''This is not the end of me. It's a cricket choice and it's a lifestyle choice."
Brett Lee said goodbye to Test,but at 33 is desperate to recover from elbow surgery to represent his country again in the shorter forms. Brett Lee couldn't add to his 76 Tests since he fractured a bone in his left foot in late 2008 and he thought his aching body could meet the demands he would be pushing for more time under a baggy green.
But after dealing with long-term elbow, foot, side and ankle injuries in the past 15 months he knows his body is not able to take the strain. In spite of his decision to focus on the one-day and Twenty20 - he hasn't decided whether he will go to the IPL yet - Lee does not want younger fast men to give up on Tests.
''Obviously, there's specialist bowlers one-day and Twenty20," he said at the SCG. "But for me, Test cricket is the peak. There's a lot of luck in Twenty 20, a lot of skill and a bit of luck in one-dayers. But Test cricket is a test for the bowlers and a test for the batsmen."
Ricky Ponting said Lee, the fourth-highest wicket-taker for Australia, should be remembered as one of the game's greats. "If we all just take a minute and think about what he's put himself through in that 10 or 12 years," he said. "Running 35 metres to bowl every ball, bowling every ball at close to 150kph, and putting his heart on the line every ball he bowls, this bloke deserves a massive pat on the back."

Brett Lee to follow on Flintoff's way!!!!

Brett lee,Australian paceman.Brett Lee,could be set to follow the footsteps of Andrew Flintoff, Jacob Oram and a number of other high-profile cricketers by retiring from Test cricket for sake of lengthening his one-day and Twenty20 career.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald's report, Lee is expected to confirm his decision at a press conference on Friday. At the age of 33, he currently stands fourth on the list of Australia's all-time Test wicket-takers, with 310 victims in 76 Tests dating back to his debut in 1999.
However, he didn't play a Test since suffering a stress fracture of the foot during Australia's home series defeat against South Africa at Melbourne in December 2008. He was forced to sit out of the subsequent 2-1 victory in South Africa, before a side strain ruled him out of the entire Ashes. An elbow injury then sidelined him for Australia's 2009-10 home series wins against West Indies and Pakistan.
According to the SMH, Lee's decision to retire from Tests was influenced by a discussion with Flintoff, leading to speculation that he too could seek to pursue a freelance career to maximise his earnings in the final years of his career.

Chance to test the bench strength for India & SA.

The Test series wasn't closely fought - both India & SA won by an innings- in the conventional sense but there were intense and dramatic contests. It has, thus, left everybody expecting that the ODIs will be as interesting. Some key players are missing from both India and South Africa but, as Australia proved on their last trip here, the absence of personnel can be overcome.

For India, who were beaten by a severely-depleted Australian team, here, a chance to raise their limited-overs game to a level of their capability. Their last ODI outing was a tri-series in Bangladesh, where they lost in the final to Sri Lanka, who reopened some old wounds. The pitch had something for the seamers and the Indian batting line-up folded cheaply. South Africa might not get the pitches necessary to exploit India's vulnerability but it's bound to be an interesting battle.

This three-match series will offer a bigger Test for South Africa. They will miss Graeme Smith and without him the top order, even with the inclusion of the in-form Hashim Amla, doesn't have the same strength. Much will depend on AB de Villiers, who had a quiet Test series, if they are to put up totals around 300.

The first game is huge for India ahead of the 2011 World Cup as Jaipur has faced some terror threats and the cricket world will be watching how the security issue is handled. It's been reported that there will be unprecedented levels of security: the Indian Air Force will be manning the skies and the police have divided the city into five centers - the airport, the route leading to the hotel and stadium, the team hotel, and one each inside and outside the stadium.

Awards 2009;3 countries dominates....

Virender Sehwag has won the Test batting prize for the second year running in the ESPNcricinfo Awards. Sehwag's audacious 293 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai
.The six awards, for performances in the three international cricket formats in 2009, were shared between players from three countries: India, Pakistan and West Indies. Gayle won the Twenty20 batting award for his 50-ball 88 against Australia at The Oval in the World Twenty20. His West Indies team-mate Jerome Taylor's rout of England in Jamaica was voted the Test bowling performance of the year.

The ODI batting award went to Sachin Tendulkar for his fighting 175 in a match India lost by three runs to Australia.

Shahid Afridi, who was nominated for his Twenty20 bowling as well, won for his career-best 6 for 38 in in Dubai, also against Australia.

The award for Twenty20 bowling went to Umar Gul, who was nominated twice in the category, for his five-wicket haul against New Zealand at The Oval, also in the World Twenty20 - a performance of reverse-swing bowling in which, according to former Australia captain and jury member Ian Chappell, "for three overs he looked like he was going to take a wicket every ball and damn near did".

Shakib's maiden test ton;Bangladesh fightback.

Shakib resumed at 0 as Bangladesh resumed at 88 for 5 today.Shakib tried his level best to resist but there was not enough men left to accompany.A encouraging maiden ton from Shakib Al Hasan was less to deny New Zealand victory on the fifth day at Seddon Park, as Bangladesh fell 121 runs of victory in the afternoon after a breathtaking morning's play. Shakib played gorgeously for his 100,counter-attacking to the New Zealand bowlers who were firmly on top as the final day of the Test match began. Shakib battled valiantly in resistance, finding nice support from his overnight partner, Mushfiqur Rahim, and the in-form Mahmudullah, but Shakib was ultimately left with just the company of the tail as he attempted to pull off an unlikely victory. It was not to be for Bangladesh.
Earlier, Shakib and Mushfiqur started patiently, negotiating the good deliveries safely but being sure to put away the bad balls; when they slashed they slashed hard the wide ones to send them flying top of the packed slip cordon. New Zealand tussled hard to keep the pressure on, sprightly, as usual, in the field with the bowlers hitting their lengths in consistent early on.

Allrounder Yusuf Pathan has been recalled to the ODI squad for the first two matches against South Africa, along with fast bowler Praveen Kumar. R Ashwin, the Tamil Nadu offspinner, has also been called up, as has Mumbai allrounder Abhishek Nayar, to the 15-man squad.

Yusuf had made a strong case for himself with his eye-catching performances on the domestic circuit. His two centuries for West Zone - 210 off 190 balls in the second innings - helped them achieve the highest chase in first-class cricket in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone.

"It's a great feeling to be called up," Yusuf told Cricinfo. "In the back of my mind it was there after I scored those two hundreds in the Duleep [Trophy] final. If I get a chance to play, I think I'm in really good form. I'm happy to be in such good form."

He strengthened his chances by smashing a century off 40 balls - the third fastest century in List A matches - for Baroda in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Maharashtra in Ahmedabad. That performance came on the day the selectors met in Kolkata, where the second Test is currently underway, to pick the 15-man squad.

Squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Sudeep Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan, Amit Mishra.

A ton to cherish.

Mahmudullah, had cut a disappointed figure at missing out on a maiden Test century by four runs against India recently, but he only had to wait one more match to get to the coveted landmark. After his 115 helped Bangladesh avert the follow-on on day three at Seddon Park, Mahmudullah's ecstatic on-field celebrations were followed by a chirpy press conference after stumps.

"I was happy that this time I got the century after missing out against India ... this one might have been my best innings so far because I came into a difficult situation with us six down for around 200, and we batted well," he said.

Mahmudullah also commented on his record-breaking partnership with his captain Shakib Al Hasan. "We had fun, it was a good partnership. We just tried to keep positive and go for the bad balls and were happy to make the runs. If you look at the scorecard, everyone in the top order made a start but didn't capitalise. So it was good, the way that Shakib and I batted well."

Shakib's controversial dismissal was played down by Mahmudullah, who believed the ball had carried to the keeper initially. "I thought it was a fair catch the way the New Zealanders were coming [into the huddle], but I was unhappy that Shakib couldn't also make a century. All the boys were a bit disappointed, but that's just a part of life."

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori also weighed in on the issue saying, "I haven't seen the replays, but Brendon was unsure about it so I went to the umpires and talked to them and they were confident about the decision," pointing out that Bangladesh "still had a review up their sleeve" but opted not to use it.

Vettori also praised the 145-run stand between Mahmudullah and Shakib. "It was a very good partnership. They were busy at the crease and put away every bad ball and put the pressure back on us."

Vettori revealed some of New Zealand's plan of attack for the rest of the match. "We'll try to bat out the first two sessions tomorrow and see where we are from there," he said. "We got a few to turn today, but there is still a large role for the seamers to play. They need to execute better in the fourth innings when we are trying to bowl them out."

India will be desperate to hold the no.1...

VVS Laxman apart, this is the same Indian side that lost by an innings inside four days in Nagpur a week ago. After four days in Kolkata, they are just seven wickets away from a series-equalling victory that would silence many of those that have questioned their position at the top of the Test-match tree. This has been no designer dustbowl, and India didn't even have the advantage of batting first. Despite that, the wicket of Jacques Kallis in what turned out to be the penultimate over of the day's play has given them an outstanding chance of closing out the match, provided the inclement weather that allowed only 34.1 overs on Wednesday stays away.

"It was handy getting Kallis out before the bad light," said Gary Kirsten, India's coach. "They've got some good players all the way through. Amit [Mishra] bowled really well today. So did Harbhajan [Singh]. With the two of them bowling really well, and with Ishant [Sharma] and Zaheer [Khan] adding in as well, we are in a good position. It obviously depends on how many overs are available to us tomorrow."

Can Amla guide SA home.

The cruelty of sport cannot show up more starkly. Everything that Hashim Amla has built so far in the series, every patient, gritty minute he has spent at the crease for his 416 runs, stands to fall apart if he fails on Thursday. And, with a sunny day forecast, India's primary aim will be to get rid of the batsman of the series.

For Amla, the challenge couldn't be any bigger: with just three more specialist batsmen for support, and two of them - Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy - struggling for form, he will have to come up with something special if South Africa are to snatch the No. 1 ranking from India. Not once was he tentative. He got his eye in instantly and played with a freedom that can only come out of confidence. As the Indians grew desperate and tried to attack Amla replied with some aggressive strokes that forced MS Dhoni to spread his field. Kallis, whose 57-run partnership with Amla had soothed some frayed nerves in the South African camp, said the pair's positive intent had affected India's strategy. "They were probably trying to defend as well as take wickets and we need to keep doing what we did today," Kallis said.

Kallis said in Amla, South Africa possessed the best pilot to see them to safety. "He is mentally very strong, has good powers of concentration, knows his limitations and knows his gameplan very well and executed it very well."

A rousing seventh wicket stand between Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah rescued Bangladesh from the follow-on the third day at Seddon Park. New Zealand batted for five overs before bad light intervened, but lost the wicket of BJ Watling, to finish 154 ahead at stumps.

Shakib and Mahmudullah combined with Bangladesh reeling at 196 for 6, and added a stroke-filled 145, in the process setting a new Bangladesh record for the seventh wicket, to propel the score past 400.

Earlier in the day, the New Zealand seamers, supported by the ever-threatening Daniel Vettori had run rampant, demolishing the touring top order by picking up five wickets for 127 runs in the first session. Chris Martin and Tim Southee set the tone early, bowling a niggardly line and length to induce fatal errors from the overnight pair. Tamim Iqbal's innings retained little of the breathtaking panache from the previous evening, and he was out to a Southee delivery that was not short enough to pull. The remainder of the Bangladesh top order crumbled spinelessly under the relentless pressure, and things looked bleak going in to lunch at 211 for 6.Soon after the lunch the Shakib-Mahmudullah heroic started.

Twin cenury;but SA on the brisk.....

On Sunday, South Africa met the devil himself, and didn't know what to do. They had reached 218 for 1 in 58 overs, via assured and quick centuries from Amla and debutant Alviro Petersen, when the famous Eden Gardens turnaround began. Eight wickets fell for 43 runs, Harbhajan Singh took three in two overs, VVS Laxman ran from first slip to short fine leg to take a catch, the crowd seemingly intimidated the batsmen, two of the middle-order batsmen just froze, AB de Villiers ran himself out, Zaheer Khan hit with a pick-up-and-throw, and the batsmen forgot about scoring runs.

Laxman could bat at no.3;Jhon Wright hopes.

In March 2001, India were falling apart at the Eden Gardens. Steve Waugh's ruthlessness had seen Australia string together a record 16 Test wins on the trot as they reached Kolkata. Another victory seemed imminent by the end of the third day after India were made to follow on.

It was a desperate situation - the series was at stake - and Sourav Ganguly and John Wright, India's men in charge, were pushed to the wall. Call it impulse, instinct, hunch or plain desperation, their decision was pure left-field: they asked VVS Laxman to get ready to bat at his most desired position - No.3. And the rest is history.

Nine years down the line, India find themselves in a similar difficult position, with more than the series at stake - they could also lose the world No. 1 ranking to South Africa. And, in the absence of Rahul Dravid, the stage is set for Laxman to bat again at No. 3, ahead of Murali Vijay, who batted one-drop at Nagpur and has the attitude but not the experience.

Wright, though, has no doubt in his mind. "If Dravid is not there I'll play Laxman at three without question straightaway," he told Cricinfo. His confidence in Laxman, he said, stems from his ability to put the fast bowlers under pressure. "If it is the Laxman I knew, he is particularly good against the opening bowling attack because he takes the attack to the bowlers."

Recalling the events of 2001, Wright said the strategy of playing Laxman up the order in that Test was based on his batting in the first innings. "But he has the ability to punish the bad balls. You just can't bat to survive, you have to be positive. He is that sort of a player and he loves batting at No. 3," Wright said.

Imrul,Shakib rocks ; Bangladesh almost!!!!!!!!!

A determined maiden century from Imrul Kayes and a wonderful spell of slow bowling by Shakib Al Hasan was not enough to deny New Zealand a 3-0 clean sweep after the hosts clinched the final ODI in Christchurch by three wickets. Man of the Match Martin Guptill powered New Zealand towards Bangladesh's modest 241 and, despite a mini collapse towards the end, they reached the target comfortably in the 45th over.
Earlier, Kayes batted for the majority of Bangladesh's innings, building productive partnerships with the middle order to guide his team to 198 for 4 after 40 overs. Mohammed Ashraful and Shakib both posted 30s after a disappointing showing in each of the previous ODIs, but were unable to kick on to put the New Zealand attack under pressure in the final overs.Despite runs coming from the top order, Bangladesh were once again unable to put in a complete batting performance, and failed to accelerate. While the visitors did well to reach 198 for 4 after the 40th, the final ten overs yielded only 43 runs for the loss of five wickets and left the score at 241 for 9, when at one stage at total in excess of 260 looked likely.
Brendon McCullum began the New Zealand run chase in belligerent fashion, pulling Shafiul Islam over square leg for six in consecutive overs, but fell attempting an ugly slog, dragging a fuller Rubel Hossain delivery onto his off stump. Martin Guptill came to the crease and was in supreme touch from ball one, timing it superbly to the straight boundary, both along the ground and over the infield. The running between the wickets was especially impressive while Guptill was in the middle, stealing lightning-fast singles to men in the infield. effectively in the batting Powerplay and the death overs.
Shakib then came into the attack dismiss Peter Ingram in his first over, playing inside the line of a well-pitched drifter that hit off stump. Ross Taylor too was stumped off Shakib after a flighted delivery beat the bat and left him well short of his crease.The departure of Neil Broom and Jacob Oram in quick succession, however, put some pressure back on the hosts, but Ian Butler and James Franklin had plenty of overs to play with. Despite the tension, they negotiated the remainder of the run chase without much drama. Franklin hit the winning runs in the 45th over, leaving Bangladesh to rue the missed opportunity to score 25-30 more runs, which might have made for a much tighter finish.

The best joy givers of the decade.

	It isn't easy to decide on the most amazing aspect of Sehwag's achievement. That he has yet to challenge Viv Richards' record 56-ball 100? Or that, even after the 146 in Rajkot he was still averaging 50% fewer in ODIs than Tests? Living proof of sport's glorious unpredictability? Yes. A tonic for all, even in the Age of the Bat? You betcha

IT'S A HUGELY COMPETITIVE FIELD. Inside the boundary, the footprints promise to be long and deep. Forenames and nicknames should suffice. The runs and majesty of Brian, Ricky and Sachin; the wickets and sorcery of Murali and Warney; the unflappable constancy of Jacques, Kumar and The Wall; the brutal pace of Brett and Shoaib; MS and Gilly - redefiners of all-roundness; Harby and Swanny - Renaissance Men of finger-spin… what, stop there?

Glenn's immaculate control; Daniel's indomitable wiliness; AB's Velcro hands; Shahid's effervescence; Colly's grit; Shivnarine's cussedness; Vaughany's cover-drive; the exquisite flourishes of VVS; the wristy lustre of Hashim, Mahela and Yousuf; the pioneering audacity of Ajantha, KP and Mr Dilscoop; Shakib - Bangladesh's first world-beater; Freddie - comic-book hero from West to East. Above all tower the munificent, magnificent three.

Bronze goes to Virender Sehwag, the first batsman since Bradman to combine speed and gluttony. Bringing a one-day mindset to the Test crease, he has made outlandishly merry: only man bar Bradman to reach the 290s three times; two of the three quickest triple-hundreds in terms of balls faced; three scores of 250-plus at better than a run a ball; five of the 10 fastest double-tons. Among specialists with 2000 Test runs, he leads on strike rate, at 80.44 runs per 100 balls, with Clem Hill (74.91) a distant second. And still he averages over 54 for India, second only to Len Hutton among openers topping 5500 runs. The solitary consolation for bowlers is that he seldom detains them for longer than two sessions. Still, if any contemporary batsman can outstrip Lara's 400, he can.

It isn't easy to decide on the most amazing aspect of all this. That he has yet to challenge Viv Richards' record 56-ball 100? Or that, even after last week's 146 in Rajkot, he was still averaging 50% fewer in ODIs than Tests? Living proof of sport's glorious unpredictability? Yes. A freak? Time will tell, but quite possibly. A tonic for all, even in the Age of the Bat? You betcha.

	Muralitharan: humility, dignity and an unquenchable competitive zeal .

SEPARATING SILVER medallist from gold, however, is the stiffest ask. In one corner bobs Makhaya Ntini: cattleherd turned shining, smiling symbol of the Rainbow Nation. South African cricket's first black icon, and only the third bowler of express pace to play 100 Tests, he may yet supplant Shaun Pollock as his country's greatest wicket-taker in Tests (not bad, given that his modus operandi all but rules out lbws). Imagine predicting that little lot in 1968, or even this time last decade.

He owes plenty to an astonishingly resolute body (Richard Pybus, a former coach, originally suspected he was made of titanium and carbon fibre). No less essential has been the inner strength. To the South African authorities, craving a champion of transformation in an era of quotas, what could have proved more embarrassing than picking someone unworthy? As Michael Atherton reasoned in the Times, that would have been worse than no role model at all. Fortunately - and despite being found guilty, however briefly, of rape - Ntini had the skill, the application and the fortitude to spare blushes.

And then there's The Artist Known As Murali, owner of another pair of staggeringly sturdy shoulders. . Muttiah Muralitharan's entire career, moreover, has been clouded by condemnation, for an action dictated by a deformed elbow yet always approved when scientifically examined. But it's that rubbery right wrist that has propelled him towards 800 Test victims, not a bent arm. That and an unquenchable competitive zeal, even if the only visible hint is that single jagged tooth, lending him the look of a habitually famished shark.

Nobody in cricket history, not even Lalit Modi, has so constantly courted controversy, nor so divided opinion .Through it all, the humility and dignity have dimmed not a watt. Only once, fleetingly, has Murali allowed himself to be provoked into anything even resembling trash talk, and it took that consummate pot-stirrer Warne to do it. Only very recently, in his 38th year, has he failed to meet the colossal standards he has set himself. Only now, with a guarantee-nobody'll beat-'em 61,880 deliveries and 1315 wickets on his international clock, does he finally look vulnerable.

Nuff Respect: that's what Linford Christie, the former Olympic sprint champion and another polariser of public opinion, called his management company. Murali might wish he'd got there first. Has he been given his due? Not yet. Not by half. They may have flattered on occasion, but the stats don't lie. Subtract those 89 cheap-as-chips Bangladeshi wickets and he still averages a Barnesian 5.81 scalps per Test to Warne's 4.88. So long as you accept they were legitimately earned. This laptop's acceptance is wholly unreserved.

An underdog and outsider with a social conscience and magic at his fingertips: no sportsman has ever brought me greater joy. Let's leave it in posterity's capable hands.

The best bowlers across years,formats.

Finally the research has completed and the list of best bowler has been enlisted.Here it goes.....

Muralitharan heads both Test and ODI tables and is ahead by a comfortable margin. Only the churlish and the narrow-minded would deny this great bowler his place at the top. It is easy to say that he played in a weaker team so he had more opportunities to pick up more wickets. What about the batting and fielding. A strong team would have provided these cushions to their bowlers.

McGrath is second in Tests and third in ODIs and again fully deserves his high position. Has there ever been a better fast bowler? He is ahead of his long time compatriot Warne and Wasim Akram quite comfortably.

Wasim Akram is the other way around. Had a great ODI career (he is second) but had a slightly below-par Test career, of course compared to the Test giants. Overall a phenomenal fast bowler, worthy of his third position.

Warne is third in Tests. His achievements are legendary and do not need further words. He is a hair-breadth behind Wasim Akram. Would we ever see a twosome like McGrath and Warne bowling together?

The outstanding South African fast bowler, Donald is in fifth position. Consistency across the formats is his forte.

The top-10 is completed by Pollock, Waqar Younis, Garner, Hadlee and Ambrose. I am quite happy that there three great pairs in this group. It should be noted that the somewhat low number of wickets of Hadlee and Garner has not prevented them from coming to the top. Lillee misses the cut mainly because of the average ODI placements, not his fault, though. Marshall could also not find his place in the top-10 because of the ODI points.

The top-10 has 2 Australians, 2 Pakistanis, 2 South Africans, 2 West Indians, one Srilankan and one New Zealander. A fair distribution, one would say, with 6 countries represented. For the record, Kumble, Gough, Streak and Mashrafe Mortaza are the other country's best bowlers.

There also two spinners in the top-10 and four in the top-20. This is in line with the overall proportion since only 19 spinners qualified, representing 25% of the total. For the record, Chris Gayle props up the rankings.

The best bowlers across formats - across years

  Rating                     Spin Test   ODI   Test    ODI
 Points                     Flag Wkts  Wkts    Pts    Pts
  1000                                         500    500

1  752 Muralitharan M     Slk *   792   505  380.6  371.7
2  697 McGrath G.D        Aus     563   380  348.6  348.8
3  656 Wasim Akram        Pak     414   502  301.2  354.4
4  655 Warne S.K          Aus *   708   293  346.5  308.8
5  637 Donald A.A         Saf     330   272  309.7  327.4
6  635 Pollock S.M        Saf     421   393  302.2  332.5
7  631 Waqar Younis       Pak     373   416  295.3  335.2
8  624 Garner J           Win     259   146  308.2  316.0
9  623 Hadlee R.J         Nzl     431   158  328.1  294.9
10  621 Ambrose C.E.L      Win     405   225  328.6  292.3
11  600 Lillee D.K         Aus     355   103  305.8  293.8
12  587 Marshall M.D       Win     376   157  327.0  259.8
13  580 Holding M.A        Win     249   142  287.5  292.4
14  573 Imran Khan         Pak     362   182  307.4  265.5
15  570 Kumble A           Ind *   619   337  286.9  283.3
16  568 Bond S.E           Nzl      87   126  265.0  303.3
17  565 Lee B              Aus     310   324  232.5  332.9
18  564 Walsh C.A          Win     519   227  311.7  252.5
19  561 Saqlain Mushtaq    Pak *   208   288  236.1  324.8
20  556 Roberts A.M.E      Win     202    87  262.6  293.4
21  553 Ntini M            Saf     390   265  243.4  310.0
22  549 Vaas WPUJC         Slk     355   400  241.2  308.0
23  545 Shoaib Akhtar      Pak     178   223  249.9  295.0
24  538 Kapil Dev N        Ind     434   253  258.7  279.5
25  529 Gough D            Eng     229   235  246.6  282.2

Reasons of PONTING being selected Player of the decade.

Even friends are complaining that Cricinfo's Decade Review went on and on, and having suffered the 2007 World Cup, we know the feeling. In our defence we can only say that it was quite a decade and we were keen to cover as much ground as possible. Now the matter is behind us and we can move on to the next one.

Of course there have been questions about our very concept of a decade. Should the decade not end next year, a few of you asked. We have followed a simple principle: Do we ever refer to the year 1990 as part of the 80s? How then can 2010 be part of the noughties? Of course, there can be an argument to the contrary, but we simply made a choice.

There has been far more passionate debate about the final element in the Decade Review package, and inevitably so. It would have been a surprise had it been otherwise. But the disappointing aspect of it is how parochial some of that debate has been. Whether Ricky Ponting deserved to be the player of the decade is a question that can be asked without being narrow-minded and mean-spirited.

Happily enough for us, not a trace of nationalist bias could be found in our jury. Without breaching the confidentiality of the process, I can reveal a few trends. More Indian jury members gave the No. 1 ranking to Ricky Ponting than Australian ones did, and exactly the same number of Indians and Australians had Sachin Tendulkar among their top three players. Seven of our nine Indian panelists gave the No. 1 ranking to an Australian player, and three No. 1 rankings for Jacques Kallis came from outside South Africa.

I can exercise the liberty to reveal my vote. I didn¹t choose Ponting as my No. 1. My player of the decade was Glenn McGrath; for to me it was he more than anyone else who was responsible for Australia¹s dominance till 2007. Shane Warne had a strong case too, but he gave up playing one-day cricket in 2003. But Ponting won by an overwhelming margin, and in our collective wisdom the right choice was made.

We asked the jury to choose the Player of Decade on the basis of quality of their performances, consistency and durability, contribution to their team's overall performance, and the impact they had on the game on the whole. Ponting’s case went beyond the numbers alone which were staggering in any case. He led, both with the bat and on the field, Australia to two World Cup wins, and his fire has kept Australia burning even after they lost all their great players apart from him.

It was never a question of who was the best player over a whole career. In a list of all-time great batsmen, Tendulkar and Brian Lara would always be, at least in my book, ahead of Ponting. But their best years were in the 90s. As were Warne's. No batsman has dominated the decade of the bat as much as Ponting.

Cricket is a small community. It must celebrate its greats without reservation or rancour

Ponting`s best weapon aganist bogyman is his mind

'Stick to plan A, don't go to plan Z'.

A top psychologist believes Ricky Ponting should not overreact to mind games, writes David Sygall in the Sydney Morning Herald. Performance psychologist Phil Jauncey uses interesting analogies, but the former Australian cricket team consultant's explanations provide a clue as to what might be swirling around Ponting's mind as he prepares to face West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach in the limited-over series this week.

Steve Waugh, for instance, stopped playing the short ball. Ponting worked on it and played it attackingly. They're both good answers because they both show that the batsman's in control. The problem arises if the batsman starts wishing the bowler didn't bowl short. Once you start saying, 'If only', you're giving up control of the situation.

Amla`s double put SA in charge.

The double-century continued to elude Jacques Kallis but not Hashim Amla, who accumulated his way to the highest Test score by a South African in India. He also provided solidity from the other end as AB de Villiers played havoc with the spinners' lengths during a 108-run partnership that followed the 340-run stand between Kallis and Amla, the fifth-highest association in India. On a pitch behaving like it was a fourth-day track, it seemed a formidable total.

Amla's was an incredibly disciplined effort. He didn't hit anything in the air. Once Kallis was done with his onslaught on the first day, there were no periods of quiet or a loud burst from Amla, still managing a 50-plus strike-rate. Today he scored 55, 45 and 38 in the three sessions, a third of which featured 25 minutes fewer, and never frustrated the other batsmen by hogging the strike. He faced 473 deliveries and the batsmen after him got 556 in all. It needed all the discipline from Amla because the pitch offered Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra ample assistance.

Which is what will disappoint India more than the score. Mishra bowled 53 overs for no wicket - only five Indian spinners have managed worse. Harbhajan managed just one maiden in 46 overs, which rightly suggested there was not enough pressure created on a helpful pitch.

Wicket-taking opportunities were in short supply, and half of them not taken. When Mishra beat the bat, he beat it by six inches and upwards, the wrong'un was underused, when he had Kallis plumb the umpire didn't trust the slider to hold its line, and when de Villiers played around with his length, Mishra bowled long hops.

Harbhajan had to deal with batsmen moving back and across outside off, negating the lbw, closing the bat-pad gap, and working him around for singles. When he went round the stumps and created opportunities, M Vijay and MS Dhoni dropped Amla in one over when on 149.

The Kallis lbw miss didn't hurt India much. In the next over Harbhajan got him to bat-pad one, something that had looked inevitable on the second morning, the 11th time that Kallis had started on 100-plus overnight but failed to go onto 200. The double-century seemed to be on his mind as he looked comfortable in the middle, but wasn't in a run-scoring mode. His first run came in the ninth over of the day and he added only 14 off 61 deliveries. Had Kallis been scoring quickly, he wouldn't have had a slip, a forward short leg and a leg slip waiting.

Twelve commandments tht makes sachin GREAT

"Twelve Commandments" followed in doing the analysis. 1. Equal weight for Tests and ODI. T20 internationals not included since many top players have not played any T20-I matches and anyhow very few matches have been played. Let the number of T20-I matches cross 1000 before we consider it worthy of inclusion in this type of analysis. 2. Recognise longevity measures but make sure that the total weight does not exceed 20%. 3. Especially for ODI, recognise and incorporate the important fact that during the early 20 years very few ODI matches were played. 4. While evaluating batting average related measure for ODIs, work out an equitable method which is fair to the top order who can build long innings but get dismissed often and late order batsmen who do not have time to build long innings but remain unbeaten more often. 5. Recognise the fact that runs scored against stronger teams should carry additional weight as compared to runs scored against lesser attacks. 6. Recognize how the batsman has performed in comparisons to his peers. 7. Use only career level figures. Match performances, while very relevant would make it difficult to be equitable to Tests and ODIs. 8. Since this analysis is limited to batsmen who played between 1969 and 2009, work out the algorithms based on these years. In other words, keep out of the equation Bradman's outrageous figures. An average of 60.00 is the pinnacle, not halfway down the pole. This has helped to rationalise the analysis quite well. 9. Since this is a pure batsman-based analysis, exclude the non-batting factors such as Captaincy, Results, World Cup wins, Wicketkeeping load etc. Richards and Ponting might have won more matches and World Cups than Tendulkar and Lara but that should not be used to decide who is ahead in this batting analysis. 10. I also decided that I would sum the points at rounded integer level and would tie batsmen who have similar points. I would not use decimal points to separate any groups. 11. The Balls played information is available for Test players with 100% certainty only for the past 15 years. After a long deliberation I decided not to use this since it would mean I would have to extrapolate this based on team balls played for over 25 years of Test matches. That would not have been fair to the earlier batsmen, especially the attacking ones. 12. Finally I thought long and hard and decided not to use the IPF, the new ODI measure suggested by Alex Tierno. The main reason for this is that this is primarily an innings-level performance measure. The secondary reason is that this is a derived measure, not a basic one.

Kallis and Amla centuries deflate India

Jacques Kallis defended like a rock, attacked like The Rock, put behind him the odd play and miss, and scored 120 out of South Africa's 193 for 2 by tea. Hashim Amla, whom he joined at 6 for 2, gave him the strike when he was in the zone and took charge after tea when India slowed the scoring down with defensive fields and reverse-swing. Both scored unbeaten centuries to put together South Africa's highest partnership against India and, by stumps, render Zaheer Khan's opening spell of 6-4-2-2 to a footnote.

Zaheer's burst seemed to have arrested dramatically the chain of events going against India. VVS Laxman couldn't regain his fitness in time, Rohit Sharma injured himself at the last minute playing football, reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha made his debut as a specialist batsman and MS Dhoni lost the toss. Then Zaheer brought relief, but not without some luck.