The Ashes Series, 2010-11

Date	Match Details	Time GMT	Place
Nov 25 - 29	Australia v England, 1st Test	00:01	Brisbane
Dec 03 - 07	Australia v England, 2nd Test	23:03	Adelaide
Dec 16 - 20	Australia v England, 3rd Test	02:30	Perth
Dec 26 - 30	Australia v England, 4th Test	00:01	Melbourne
Jan 03 - 07	Australia v England, 5th Test	00:01	Sydney

India in South Africa 2010-11, Schedule

Malik expect to replace Afridi for 2nd Test against Aus

Former captain Shoaib Malik is set to replace Shahid Afridi in the Pakistan playing eleven for the 2nd Test against Australia at Headingley, which is also possible to see the return of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.

Sources said Pakistan will make two changes in the playing XI that lost to Australia by 150 runs in the 1st Test at Lord's.

Malik will replace Shahid Afridi, who has announced retirement from Test cricket, while Saeed Ajmal is likely to come in place of Danish Kaneria, they said.

Malik has actually convinced the team management that he can still contribute to the side after being axed from the first Test squad following his lack of significance in practice sessions.

"We know that he did not play any cricket in between the Lord's and Headingley so his form has got nothing to do with his selection. We have achieved what we wanted to and since he has scored fifty in the last Test he has played, he would be there in the team," according to 'The News'.

Pakistan undergo a humiliating 150-run defeat against Australia in the first Test last week and Malik's addition will bolster the batting as he is the senior-most players in absence of Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan.

Grand farewell planned for Muralitharan at Galle

Sri Lanka Cricket has deliberated a grand farewell for Muttiah Muralitharan, who will play his last Test against India from Sunday, but they will not prepare a tailor-made pitch to aid the spin wizard.

He is just eight wickets shy of touching the miraculous 800-wicket, but SLC officials say Muralitharan does not need a pitch suiting his style as he can strike on any pitch.

The cricket authorities have invited all former Test skippers to witness the Test and has even formed a special Muralitharan Farewell Committee to organize the show.

"We are planning to give him a good send-off and we will ensure that the event is memorable," SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga told PTI.

SLC will organize a brief event before the commencement of the 1st Test and a grand felicitation at the end of the match.

According to officials, the 38 year old bowler will be welcomed by the local bands from Galle District when he will enter the stadium on the first day.

All former chairmen and secretaries of the board have been invited to witness the farewell Test match and the Galle cricket ground is being spruced up for the occasion.

We will definitely miss Zaheer and Sreesanth: Dhoni

The absence of pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth will be a big setback for the team, according to Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who reckons it will give an opportunity for young pacers to show their worth in the Test series against Sri Lanka.

Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the series due to a shoulder injury while Sreesanth has sprained a ligament of his left knee and will be replaced by Munaf Patel in the test squad.

"It has happened with us in the past. In the past also we have lost our main bowlers just before an important series. We will definitely miss Zaheer and Sreesanth during the series," MS Dhoni told reporters.

He, however, felt that the circumstance was an ideal opportunity for non-regular bowlers of the team to show their worth.

"It is a great platform for young bowlers to prove their mettle and seal their place in the side," Dhoni said.

To make matters inferior for India, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is down with a fever and has been ruled out of the practice match.

"Harbhajan is not playing tomorrow. He has got a viral infection but he is expected to be fit for the first Test," Dhoni said.

Muttiah Muralitharan, who will quit Test cricket after the 1st Test against the Indians, Dhoni said his batting contemporaries will do their best to make it difficult for the Lankan spinner to attain the 800-wicket mark, a feat for which he needs just eight scalps.

"Murali is great bowler but we will make it tough for him in the series. He will have to earn his wickets," he said.

Dhoni also said that he was not in favour of the Decision Review System which will make its preface in next year's World Cup in the sub-continent.

"I am not in favour of the review system. I feel it should be used only when it is 99 per cent accurate," the wicket-keeper batsman said of the DRS which will not be a part of the forthcoming series.

Get Flintoff back for Ashes Series: Ian Chappell

Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has asked England to take prompt from the Bodyline series and talk into all-rounder Andrew Flintoff to come out of Test retirement if they desire to win the Ashes later this year.

After watching Ricky Ponting's struggle against the short balls since last one year, Chappell believes Andrew Strauss should use Flintoff the similar way former England captain Douglas Jardine had utilized Harold Larwood to remove Don Bradman in the infamous bodyline series of 1932-33.

"Jardine was quick to realise that you need good fast bowling to win in Australia. Jardine not only provided Larwood with a blueprint for unsettling Bradman, he also made sure he had plenty of fast bowling back-up. England currently have a flexible attack but the one thing they lack is a man with the speed, accuracy and aura to shake up good batsmen on bouncy Australian pitches," said Chappell.

"The one England bowler with those testimonial is Flintoff. Strauss would be wise to advise Flintoff that if he's fit, he'd like him in the touring party, even if it's just for two or three specific Tests," Chappell said.

Flintoff retired Test cricket after England's Ashes win last year but he is now gearing up to make a first-class comeback with Lancashire after going under the knife to fix his knee problems.

Muralitharan has announced his retirement

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has announced his retirement from all international cricket, after the 1st Test of the 3-match series against India, which will begin on July 18.

Muralitharan is the leading wicket-taker in Test matches as well as ODIs, with 792 wickets in 132 Tests and 515 wickets in 337 ODIs.

He had announced last year that he would be retiring in Test matches after the home series against the West Indies in November 2010, but has now advanced the date. However, he could make himself available for the 2011 World Cup that is to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and will start in February 2011.

One of the world's finest exponents of spin bowling, Murali's career has spanned a staggering 18 years, most of which he spent dazzling the world, and a few of which were dogged by allegations of chucking, notably in Australia, where he was called for throwing on two occasions - by umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson.

He has said that it is difficult to bowl long spell for him and is expected to play T20 cricket. He plays for reigning IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, who are due to play in the Champions T20 league in September in South Africa.

“I am a Sehwag fan" says Haynes

Former West Indies opener Desmond Haynes concedes that he is a big fan of Virender Sehwag and says he hardly misses an occasion to watch the dashing Indian right-hander in action.

"I am a Sehwag fan. If he is batting anywhere I make sure to watch him," Haynes said.

Desmond Haynes also issued some word of guidance to Sehwag, who according to him "has the ability to take any bowler to the park".

"Sehwag should now realise that every one will bowl very close to his body and hence he should practice to play more shots off his body," says Haynes, who is in Dubai to do a coaching clinic, told Gulf News.

Haynes, also praised Yuvraj Singh and said he was happy to see Yuvraj return to the Indian Test team.

"Another exciting player for me is Yuvraj Singh and I am glad he is being given the chance again to play Test series against Sri Lanka," he said.

Haynes, who reckons Sunil Gavaskar as the "best opener the world has ever seen", said among the bowlers he faced New Zealand legend Richard Hadlee was the most fearsome.

"There are guys who could bowl at 100 miles an hour but they don't make you play every delivery. Hadlee is one who is always at you all the time and makes you defend your wicket all the time," he said.