Australia’s Test and ODI captain Michael Clarke has agreed to join Sahara Pune Warriors for two IPL seasons for an undisclosed sum, says a report in the Times Of India, adding that Sahara Pune Warriors, who were eager to rope in a big star in place of the ailing Yuvraj Singh, have got the man they wanted.
Clarke, who will be 31 next week, is a refined middle-order batsman and can be a utility bowler with his slower stuff. He has never been part of IPL and retired from international T20 last year. Clarke’s inclusion is a coup of sorts for Pune as the Aussie was not available in IPL’s auction pool.
“It’s a big thing for us,” said Abhijeet Sarkar, corporate communication head of the Sahara group, the owners of Pune franchise. “All credit to captain Sourav Ganguly and others who were involved in the negotiations. Clarke will be an integral part of Warriors’ unit. He is a player of big stature and can fill in the shoes of Yuvraj.”
According to a report in Indian Express, the Australian Test and ODI skipper will bring plenty of experience with him, but not so much in the Twenty20 format. Clarke has featured in only 40 Twenty20 matches in his career, 34 of which were international matches. “The other six, the only domestic T20 games he has been involved in so far, came nearly eight years ago, when he played for Hampshire in the 2004 English Twenty20 Cup. Clarke’s last T20 match came in October 2010, for Australia against Sri Lanka, a few months after which he retired from international T20s. His T20 record is modest, with only one half-century in 34 innings that fetched him 639 runs at an average of 22.03 and a strike rate of 108.85.”
Other news (TOI, HT, Indian Express, The Hindu)
England set out on historic chase: England recovered from two crucial blows to stay afloat in their tough run chase to win the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday. The tourists, set a history-defying target of 340, reached 111 for two by stumps on the third day on a dry pitch that has made batting progressively difficult. The world No. 1 Test side lost openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook cheaply, before Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen repaired the damage by adding 63 for the unbroken third wicket. Trott was unbeaten on 40 and Pietersen was on 29, with England still needing 229 runs with eight wickets in hand to win the Test and take the lead in the two-match series.
Watson, Hussey lead Oz to victory: Shane Watson and Mike Hussey smashed half centuries to lead Australia to a convincing eight-wicket win over West Indies in the first Twenty20 International at St Lucia on Tuesday. Watson hit 69 off just 43 balls, including five fours and six sixes, and Hussey finished unbeaten on 59 from 45 deliveries. Set 151 to win after West Indies made 150 for seven from their 20 overs, the Australians reached their target with 11 balls to spare to go one-up in the two-match series.
MCC mulls Afghanistan tour: Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is contemplating a tour of Afghanistan, the club's president said on Wednesday, indicating that a visit to the wartorn nation was more likely than a trip to Pakistan. MCC has played its part in supporting Afghan cricket by helping provide pitches in the capital Kabul, organising fixtures against the national side and coaching players. “I am going to Afghanistan to look at Kabul and the cricket pitches we have put in,” MCC president Phillip Hodson told BBC radio's Test Match Special programme on Wednesday. “Then I will go to Lahore as a private citizen”.
