Cricket league

That’s been the daily call sheet for each of the Kannada film actors who will be playing for team Karnataka at the much-hyped Celebrity Cricket League which kick-starts on June 4 in Bangalore.

“An hour and a half of physical training, followed by an intense practise session on the field for another hour is rounded off with more exercise,” says actor Dharma, one of the team members.
The preparation does not end here. A healthy diet plan and a couple of mandatory rules put forth by the team’s captain, actor-director Sudeep, has resulted in a team of film actors that could actually beat a team of professional cricket players recently.

“We played against a team of players, many of whom have been part of the Under 21 and Under 19 teams for Karnataka, and were shocked when we tied with them. They had scored 192 runs and when we took to batting, we did not expect to get even half way there. While that was a good match, we are waiting to see what will unfold during the main matches in June,” says actor Mahesh.

News of these intense practise sessions have travelled to the
other participating film industries too, and a source says, “One of the actors from the Tamil film industry called to ask if Sudeep has started Karnataka’s own Chak De team. It does seem like that, for the team’s players are not allowed to partytoo late into the night. They are also off alcohol and smoking to ensure good stamina. Now, after a good month or two of daily practise, the team is looking good on the field.”

Also on call, on the field is doctor and physiotherapist Ramakanth, who has been a consultant to the Indian cricket team. During practise, a lot of the players tend to suffer minor sprains and injuries, which need immediate attention. In fact, Sudeep seems to have dislocated a small bone on his finger. “It happened last week, and the doctor says it requires a surgery. But I can’t risk a surgery just days before the matches begin. It will just have to wait. Until then, Ramakanth is helping out every morning with physiotherapy,” says Sudeep.

With so much preparation underway for the upcoming matches, the players seem to be doing their bit. The team owner, Ashok Kheny, has done his bit too — what with the number of crores he has invested on the team as well as on the film artiste’s association. Since the matches begin in Bangalore, the rest of the film industry is expected to be heading to the grounds on June 4 as well, to cheer for the Karnataka Bulldozers. Film stars playing for Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film industries are going to battle it out on the field. So the question is… are you gonna be there too?

Stars, biz houses for OPL innings

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has spawned off its first clone in the country. The championship,which revolutionized the business of cricket, has inspired film stars and corporate houses in the state to launch their own version of the IPL — the Orissa Premier League (OPL). The state-level league is taking a leaf right out of the IPL and is all set to become a starstudded affair. The IPL,which has movie stars like Shahrukh Khan, Priety Zinta, Shilpa Shetty and business biggies like Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya bidding for players, purchasing them and rooting for their teams all through the tournament, gained huge popularity due to its high glamour quotient. The OPL, on the same lines, has many Oriya actors, corporate houses, Page 3 celebrities and educational institutions queuing up to buy teams. The inaugural season of the tournament will be held between May 22 and June 5.

Ollywood stars Anubhav Mohanty, Sritam Das and many corporate houses in the state are padding up to bid for their own teams. Anubhav revealed that he is in talks with Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) officials regarding the modalities of buying a team. "I have been a cricketer myself and, like most other Indians, I just love the game. The OPL is a brilliant idea as it will provide a good platform to many budding cricketers in the state. I am keenly considering the proposal of buying a team," said Anubhav. The Olly star, however, did not divulge which team he would bid for. "I am a true-blue Oriya and every place in the state holds equal importance for me," he added. Orissa Cricket Association secretary Asirbad Behera, meanwhile, stated that many corporate houses and actors have expressed their interest in purchasing teams in the OPL, but he declined to divulge any details. "Many Ollywood stars and business firms have already started approaching us to buy teams. They are inquiring about the terms and conditions of owning a team in the OPL. The response towards the OPL has been overwhelming," said Behera.

The tournament will be played between eight teams, which will be shortlisted from 13 teams fixed by the OCA.The earmarked 13 teams are: Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Berhampur, Sambalpur,Augul, Keonjhar, Jharsuguda, Puri, Kendrapara, Dhenkanal, Jajpur and Balasore. Submission of bids by aspiring franchise owners will start on May 3 and close on May 9. Bids will be opened on May 9. The players will be auctioned on May 13 and the entire auction will be telecast live on a television channel. The OCA has fixed a base price of Rs 4 lakh for any franchise to own a team. It has prepared a gradation list of the top 100 cricketers of Orissa.

The base price for a grade A player has been fixed at Rs 50,000,while for a grade B player, it stands at Rs 30,000. A grade C player's base price is Rs 20,000; Rs 10,000 for a grade D player; for a grade E player, the price is fixed at Rs 5,000. The OPL will kick off on May 22nd and will continue till June 5. A total of 27 matches will be played in the tournament including the final.The winning team will get a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh,while the runners-up will be awarded Rs 2 lakh.

Sports stars denies AV in battle of level playing fields

FORMER Yorkshire and England bowler Darren Gough is among a string of sporting celebrities who have given their backing to the “No” campaign.

Ex-Olympic rower Alex Story, who stood for the Conservatives in Wakefield in last year’s general election, was another of the 13 sportsmen and women urging people to vote No, along with former England cricket captain David Gower, double Olympic champion rower James Cracknell, Formula One team boss Sir Frank Williams, former England cricket captain David Gower and this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen.

Tory-supporting Gough said: “I talk sport every single day, four till seven, so I know a level playing field when I see it. In cricket, you’re either in or out.

“So when I played cricket for England, when I was given out, I had to walk, I had to go. You didn’t get a second chance, so why should it be any different in politics? In cricket, we have what they call the corridor of uncertainty, and if you vote yes to AV, that’s exactly what you’re getting, but in politics.”

Mr Story said: “I, like most people, want clarity. In politics, the more opaque the system, the more the politicians win, and the more the people lose. I went to the Olympic Games and I lost, but my time as an athlete was not wasted. I took part, I’m still very proud of it, and our political system must reflect the same thing: there has to be a winner, there has to be a loser.”

Yesterday Billy Bragg was among campaigners backing the “Yes” campaign at the launch of a national advertising campaign seizing on British National Party leader Nick Griffin’s support for the current first-past-the-post system.

Cricket stars blanched on their plates

 

" Pathan Ka Chaap Shot" (lamb chops) kept a lot of fans going when the tension was thick and the suspense growing. You wouldn't think that with an India-Pak match on you could eat a morsel, specially something heavy like chicken sheekh rolled in egg tawa paratha except when it comes in the disguise of "Gauti Ka Purana Pyaar".

Restaurants and bars came up with innovative ways to celebrate the match as cheering fans sipped drinks named after signature moves of their favourite cricket stars. One of the hottest-selling drinks at a pub, Blues, in Connaught Place was "Dhoni's Helicopter". Another favourite was "Square Cut".

Tabula Rasa in Saket handed out complimentary blue and green cocktails (with vodka as main ingredient apparently) to go with the colours of the two warring teams. But with the crowd bulging, those soon ran out.

Blanco in Khan Market created a special menu specially for the match. "Best Bouncer" — a potent mix of gin, vodka and tequila — emerged a clear favourite. Names of drinks were drawn from cricketing vocabulary. There was "Caught and bowled" (fancy name for the classic 'gin and tonic') and there was "Third Umpire" (frozen margaritas in three flavours).

"People were having shots of 'Mesmerizing Sixer' which has Kahlua, Baileys and Triple Sec. But most drank beer as the constant cheering made them thirsty," says Mahesh Katial of Blanco. For food, they had the "Indian Spin Googly" — a food combo, including chicken, paratha and lentils. For vegetarians, chicken was substituted with cottage cheese. There was also the 'Irish Sweep" which is Irish-style country-roast chicken served with potatoes. The World Cup Special Combo was an assortment of vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks and six pints of beer.

Blues also had the curious, non-cricket-related "Firangi Pasand Hindustani Style" — essentially a vegetarian cheese burger.

Stars decide for Emirates Airline Twenty20

 

Dubai cricket fans are being promised a feast of runs and thrilling entertainment when the Emirates Airline Twenty20 gets underway at The Sevens cricket ground on Friday. This year’s tournament is likely to serve up plenty of spectacular action with the likes of Indian legend Sourav Ganguly, England spinner Monty Panesar and Kiwi batsman Lou Vincent all in the mix.

County champions Nottinghamshire will be taking on Durham, Sussex and defending champions Fly Emirates XI as well as a specially assembled MCC side captained by Ganguly. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Durham, Sussex, Nottinghamshire and the MCC to Dubai for what promises to be an entertaining spectacle of sport,” said Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ DSVP Commercial Operations Worldwide.

“We are also looking forward to watching our very own Fly Emirates XI side get the tournament under way in the opening match here at 7he Sevens, Emirates’ dedicated sports and events facility. The cricket pitches have been in operation for a year now and are in top condition, so the stage is set for a great day of sport. “Fly Emirates XI are the defending champions after beating Sussex in the final last year and our players - talented employees from the Emirates Group who juggle their love for cricket with busy work schedules - are excited about once again being able to test themselves against top professionals,” added Vaughan.

Ganguly, who last played for the MCC against Pakistan, said: "It is an honour and a pleasure to represent MCC, and I am absolutely delighted to have been invited to play for the club in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 competition.”.  “I thoroughly enjoyed captaining the MCC side that took on the Pakistanis at Lord's last summer, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play in another talented MCC team.”

Also looking forward to the challenge is Sussex’s Monty Panesar, who was part of England’s Ashes winning squad last season. “All the squad at Sussex are very much looking forward to the pre-season trip to Dubai and in particular the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament, as it will be great to get into some competitive action before the new season in England,” said Panesar. “We did well to get to the final of the tournament last year and we’ll be looking to go one better this time around,” he added.

The Durham team, which features the likes of Steve Harmison, Ian Blackwell and Phil Mustard, are equally fired up for the tournament and will be tough to beat. “The lads always go in to every competition wanting to win and this competition is no different. Winning is a habit and one we want to get in to straight away. We’re going to be up against tough opposition but we’ll be putting in every effort to bring the trophy back to the north east,” said Harmison.

Meanwhile, county champions Nottinghamshire will be looking to continue their fine form from last season when they step out onto the pitch at The Sevens. “We take Twenty20 cricket very seriously and one of our objectives for this season is to reach finals day in our domestic competition. The quality of the opposition in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 is very high and it goes without saying that we’re keen to win the competition,” said Notts captain Chris Read.

Matches begin at The Sevens at 10.30am on Friday. Another highlight for fans heading to the tournament will be the presence of former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, who has been selected to captain the Kings XI Punjab in this year’s IPL. Gilchrist is lending his support to the Emirates Airline Twenty20 and will be at The Sevens to take in some of the action at the April 1 event as well as meeting fans and signing autographs. He will be joined by Kings XI Punjab teammates Dinesh Karthik, who has represented India in 52 ODIs and 23 Tests, and Shaun Marsh of Australia.

Also running alongside the Emirates Airline Twenty20 will be an Under-11s Kwik Cricket tournament. Friends and families of the school children participating in this fun tournament are expected to come and cheer them on, adding to the festive atmosphere. “There is plenty to look forward to at this year’s Emirates Airline Twenty20 with a great line-up of players who are certain to provide some excellent entertainment,” said Tournament Director Matthew Jackson. “With the kids tournament running alongside the main event as well, this certainly promises to be a true carnival of cricket,” he added.

Tickets to the Emirates Airline Twenty20 on Friday are Dh25 with children under 12 gaining free admission provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Seating is on grass banks and fans are being encouraged to bring along their own garden chairs and sun umbrellas. Tickets are available from the Promoseven Sports Marketing offices in the Emarat Atrium Building, Sheikh Zayed Road and will also be on sale at the gate at The Sevens ground, which is located on the Dubai - Al Ain Road just beyond Exit 29/30, on the day of the tournament. For any enquiries regarding the event, call the Promoseven Sports Marketing offices on +971 4 321 0008.

World Cup India Pakistan match

 

Virender Sehwag had once come up with this highly entertaining tale about his sledging with Shoaib Akhtar during an India-Pakistan match: “Shoaib was repeatedly bowling bouncers and I kept ducking. He’d walk up to me and taunt `show me your hook shot’.  After a lot of this sort of talk, I told him pointing out at Sachin, `that’s your father at the non-striker’s end. Ask him to show you the shot.’ Next over Shoaib bounced at Sachin and he hooked him for a six. I walked by Shoaib and remarked, “Beta beta hota hai, baap baap hota hai”.

Sehwag’s inimitable wry humour is legendary in cricket circles. He has his own way of seeing the funny side even during tense moments and it is this extraordinary gift which helps him make light of any pressure. Pakistanis, in fact, bring out the best in him as he can banter with them in Hindi.  It is no wonder that while other players on either side of the border succumb to nerves in these needle matches, he has a triple ton and a double ton to show, among other sterling performances.

Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who grew up in a one room house in Lahore with eight others and learnt his initial cricket on the streets, hit the nail on the head when he explained pressure associated with India-Pakistan matches.  “All my countrymen want to see only a win against India. They do not care for anything else. They put tremendous pressure on us all the time to win against India. We don’t enjoy it at all. The tension is too much.”

He could well have been echoing the feelings of the Indian cricketers, except, in this case, these are a billion people who’d settle for nothing other than an Indian victory.  While the India-Pakistan rivalry has existed right from the time of partition, it was the series of matches in Sharjah that really gave a fillip to the needle. Sharjah, now denounced as the epicentre of betting and match-fixing, was supposedly a neutral venue and the television rights from these games were used by the organisers to keep both the Boards and others happy. It was at Sharjah that the pressure of India vs Pakistan matches took a new dimension.

The matches would be staged on Fridays, which was a holiday for the Indian subcontinent’s expatriates working in UAE. The cheap seats, which stretched through most of the stadium, were filled with noisy, abusive Pakistani spectators.  Indian film stars, board officials and VIPs were wooed by the organisers and seated in the exclusive VIP section (along with the likes of Dawood Ibrahim). Indian spectators were outnumbered in the stands (many Indians claimed they could not get their hands on these tickets, which were almost exclusively made available to Pakistanis). The Indian cricketers were booed, berated and maligned by the spectators till it unnerved them. The umpiring too sucked at times.

But what took the cake was in the shopping malls and other entertainment areas in Dubai and Sharjah. The Indian expats would harangue the players and demand they first defeat Pakistan before venturing out to relax or shop. “We will give away these items free to you,” they’d mock. “Go and win first.” It was, without doubt, traumatic for the Indian cricketers. They were harassed and picked on, on the ground and off it too. And this was pressure — of the most intense kind that they had to endure it series after series in Sharjah. Those who could withstand it, like Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, became mega stars. But there were some who packed up while others were accused of colluding with fixers and other undesirable elements.

The dozen-odd years of Sharjah tournaments almost destroyed the credibility of Indian cricket till the ICC and BCCI were goaded into action by a series of media exposes. The venue was banned for international cricket. So too were a few players and officials. But the pressure and the hype that visited the two teams those days remained. The wide reach of satellite television ensured that the rivalry grew more passionate and the pressure more extreme for the players of the two nations.

It is perhaps ironic that the eagerly awaited semifinal clash on Wednesday is to be staged at Mohali in Punjab rather than any other Indian venue. Mohali is not very far from the Wagah border and whichever team wins will encourage extra pep that evening to its soldiers and citizens during the ‘beating the retreat’ ceremony. As it is, the lowering of the flag each evening is a jingoistic exercise at the border. The result of the cricket match in the neighbourhood of this location would certainly send tempers and passions soaring at the ceremony next evening.

Certainly an India-Pakistan match is not just a game. And its result does not impact only the main protagonists. The match and its intensity would suck into its vortex so many others, in so many different walks of life throughout the world. This is why so many Indians who interact with Pakistanis in the US, Middle East, Europe and elsewhere would want their team to emerge triumphant. Nothing else would matter. For them, and for the billion strong Indians, a win against Pakistan is not everything. It is the only thing!

Indian cricket star steps up to bend for children’s charity

 

It’s becoming fashionable for sports stars to offer personal memorabilia for auction on eBay for a good cause, and the latest to join in the trend is the current Indian cricket team captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Dhoni, one of the world’s top batsmen, has offered one of his collection of bats to the highest bidder  to raise funds for CRY India, an organisation which campaigns for the rights of the country’s large numbers of underprivileged children.

Bidding started at just one rupee, and at the time of writing was up to Rs11,300 – just under £155. An extra Rs500 is being charged for express delivery anywhere in India, but if the buyer came from elsewhere, they would have to make their own arrangements using a world courier.

However, there is plenty of time left to secure this unique item, as the sale will run until 11am BST next Thursday, March 31.

Bay senior manager, pop culture, Deepa Thomas said: “We are positive that the auction for the bat autographed by M S Dhoni will prove popular with cricket fans around the world.”

Dhoni will be back in action on Thursday, and again he could have a busy time in his joint captain/wicketkeeper role, as him team takes on Australia for a place in the tournament’s semi-finals.

Gooch calls for England's World Cup stars

 

GRAHAM GOOCH has warned England to learn from his mistakes and find the X Factor to win a maiden World Cup. Gooch played in three finals – 1979, 1987 and 1992 – and lost them all. Three games away from glory and with Sri Lanka up next in the quarter-finals, the England batting coach believes this team has a chance of reaching the final, but they must start playing their best cricket now.

Perhaps that is where his teams went wrong. They eased their way to the final by being solid, consistent performers, but when it came to the crunch they ran out of steam.  There is no danger of the same being said of this wildly unpredictable bunch, but with Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad at home, the question remains ‘who will burst from the pack to become a World Cup hero?’

“I don’t have any regrets in my career as I played a long time and had a lot of fun with Essex and England and gave it my best shot,” said Gooch. “But my only slight thing is we played in three World Cup finals and we lost three. “In the second two in particular we were quite consistent all the way through – in India in 87 and Australia in 92 – but we just probably had gone off the boil by the time the final came round.

“And we didn’t find anyone in either of those games to supply that match-winning performance. That was the one thing missing from both finals, we had contributions from lots of people but not ones that won the match. “We just didn’t quite have anyone, myself included, who did something really special on the day to tip the scales our way. You’re always looking for that X Factor. It’s not about the number of runs, it’s not about the number of wickets you take, it’s about how many matches you win for your team. How many matches your contribution makes the ­difference.

“The important thing about a World Cup is you have to start playing your better cricket towards the latter stages. The first ­objective is to get to the knockout stage and we’ve had a roller-coaster ride achieving that. “We know we can improve, we’re not looking back and it’s only the ­challenge in front of us that counts, and if we improve we’ve a good chance.”

At 57 Gooch remains as enthusiastic about the game as ever and his value to the England team comes as much from his empathy in situations like this as his technical ­know-how. He does not talk about batsmen and bowlers he talks about run-makers and wicket-takers. As far as he is concerned it does not matter how, it is just about how many.

It is why you will not hear him criticising Jonathan Trott for failing to look flashy when he keeps hitting 50s and 100s, nor will he come own hard on Eoin Morgan when he gets out playing a reverse sweep. But some things are the same now as in his playing days, such as batting out the 50 overs – which England have failed to do in their last three matches.

“I don’t like being bowled out inside 50 overs,” he said. “You have to use them up even if it just means getting a few singles at the end. “If you come to the last 10 overs and you’ve only a few wickets left you’re in trouble. You can’t accelerate and you’ve little option but to see it through and we haven’t been able to do that. “Against the West Indies we could have found another 10 runs. It doesn’t sound a lot but in a low-scoring game it can be the difference between winning and losing.” Go Camping for 95p! Vouchers collectable in the Daily and Sunday Mirror until 11th August . Click here for more information

Michael Clarke's new friend

 

Australian vice cricket captain Michael Clarke's new friend Kyly Boldy is starring in a new television commercial for whiskey brand Jim Beam.

Boldy, 27, who is currently in India, stars alongside former Blue Heelers fixture Samantha Tolj in the ad, which is ironically set in a speed-dating venue.

In the ad, set to debut nationally next month, Boldy and Tolj play empowered chicks who are watched by a bloke on the hunt, but he is confronted with "The Dilemma" (the title of the campaign) as a result.

Intimidated, he ends up choosing his best mate instead - Jim Beam.

"This is great for Kyly, who is a TV presenter and actress - and she beat many other contenders for the role, which is fully scripted," the Herald Sun quoted Boldy's agent Sally White as telling Confidential.

White also said the infomercial presenter on Ten's morning show 'The Circle' and former weather presenter is about to sign a deal with a network for a lifestyle role. (ANI)

Stars and Style of Cricket

England, possibly in honour of its long sporting tradition, is trying very hard to fail, but I suspect that it might very well fail to fail. I hope Bangladesh marches into the quarter-finals, precisely because it is the very opposite of England: its spirit is greater than its ability, unlike England, which brought along quality to the Cup but mislaid its spirit somewhere on the flight to the subcontinent. The one fascinating aspect of this tournament so far is the difference in the management style of its captains. The test of a captain lies, obviously, in adversity, and Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan is blessed with the courage of self-belief.

He could have fallen into that worst of all traps, sulking self-pity, when angry fans broke his window panes after his team’s pathetic loss to the West Indies. Instead, he picked himself and the team up, and led them to a famous victory against England. It does not actually matter now whether he goes into the next round. He has restored his nation’s pride. Bengali fans are right. They do not expect Bangladesh to win the Cup, but they will not tolerate a team that betrays its honour.

The surprise is Shahid Afridi, who could easily join Pakistan’s foreign service after this swansong. The man who has tweaked a ball or two in his time, has flowered into a diplomat. He soothed ruffled feathers after defeat against New Zealand through a brilliant strategic pincer movement: he invited the huge Pakistani media contingent for dinner with the players. Mollifying the messenger is the best treatment for the ache of bad news. Afridi is clearly aware that contemporary Pakistan has only two powerful institutions, the army and the media. The army has only cursory interest in cricket during wartime, so an alliance with the media is sufficient for crisis control.

Pakistan remains the contrarian’s favourite; and if Afridi can handle his temperamental eleven with the kind of aplomb he has shown off the field, then watch out for the Greens. Predictably Pakistan’s erratic, slippery-fingers wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has induced the best joke so far: ‘What is Akmal’s favourite pick-up line? Can I drop you anywhere?’

In contrast, Mahendra Dhoni is so laidback he could have been training in a sauna. Dhoni is proponent of the Yawn School of Business. When asked why India had made such heavy weather of defeating less-than-ordinary sides like Holland, he replied with a verbal shrug. India was winning, wasn’t it, and that was good enough for him. Well, he might lose when there is no second chance left. It may not be much of a problem for him personally, since the advertisement deals are done, cheques are in the bank, and he probably thinks that the Great Indian Public is fickle in its affections anyway. Somebody should tell him that the symbol of India is the elephant, and while the elephant treads with a light step, it also has a long memory.

The captain who really knew how to lie on his back was the incomparable Viv Richards, but he had a few advantages over Dhoni. He was a genius with the bat. He was fearless (he disdained a helmet, trusting his eye and instinct instead). And he had a set of bowlers who could break your hand when you were looking and crack your head when you took your eye off the ball. Dhoni has fashioned half a team for this tournament, just a set of brilliant batsmen, on the assumption that opponents will get themselves out. We shall see what we shall see.

The finest gentleman ever to captain England was surely Colin Cowdrey. In his last match as captain Cowdrey walked to the pitch for the toss, dressed in immaculate whites. And waited. Richards sauntered up 20 minutes late, wearing a T shirt and bandanna in more colours than a rainbow would dare to advertise.
The coin was tossed. Richards won. Richards looked at the prim and proper Cowdrey and asked the Englishman what he wanted to do, rather than exercising his right of decision. Once Cowdrey had recovered, he said England would like to bat. Okay man, said Richards, you bat.The West Indies won that Test match by 10 wickets. That is why it was Cowdrey’s last match. And that is why few lovers of cricket can remember Cowdrey, and no one has forgotten Vivian Richards.

Style is an art, particularly if it can be complemented with swagger. But style is not a substitute for substance.
The writer is editor of The Sunday Guardian, published from Delhi, India on Sunday, published from London and editorial director, India Today and Headlines Today.

Australia's Test fortunes

Voted the players' association's shield player of the year on Tuesday, 32-year-old Hopes made a strong case for the veterans at a time when Cricket Australia has pursued a policy of encouraging younger state squads.
Hopes said they were needed as mentors to the new breed as Australia looks to rebuild its Test status after the Ashes series disaster. His comments came after Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed concern that the domestic cricket competition was not producing ready-made international players like it used to.


Hopes said it was hard to compare the quality of the competition between eras. "Shield cricket is on the way back up, there's a lot of young kids playing," said Hopes. "I think it's also important to keep the guys aged around 30 playing for as long as they can, because they're going to be the guys that teach the young kids how to play first class cricket.

"We can't run away from the fact that our Test ranking has gone down in the last couple of years, and it's up to these young kids now who are going to get a go in the next year and a half to step up in Shield cricket."  Hopes said mentoring Queensland youngsters had been his focus since getting the captaincy. "It coincided with me being dropped from the Australian one-day team," he said.  "That was my goal from then on. If I'm not going to play for Australia, well it's up to me and guys like me to help these kids become good first class players."

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said the crowded international schedule was having an effect on the quality of the game at the domestic level. "Perhaps international players don't play quite as much state cricket as they used to, so perhaps the standard is somewhat less as a result of that," he said. "But there's no doubt that the intensity and the fierceness in which the teams compete is at a level in parallel to what it was 15 years ago or 100 years ago."

Hopes polled 23 votes to take out the ACA player of the season award on Tuesday, three more than the competition's leading wicket-taker Luke Butterworth of Tasmania. Victorian veteran batsman Brad Hodge was named the one-day player of the season, while South Australian opening batsman Dan Harris was named Twenty20 player of the year. Western Australia were presented with the Benaud Spirit of Cricket Award.

The awards were presented at Bellerive Oval, which will play host to the Shield final between Tasmania and NSW from Thursday.