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As mentioned in my column early this morning, the selectors have not included any new faces to the Test squad, rather, they have kept faith in their players, though they have let the team down very recently – Yes, I am talking about the selectors faith in bringing back Yuvraj, Sreesanth and Ishanth Sharma.

When compared to my list, there were not much to ponder about, except the fact that Badrinath is found missing in this 15 member squad. This will surely demotivate this lad, as he could not cement in touring side for the last 5 years. The lack of confidence shown by the selectors, could mean end of the road for Badri. There are lot of young contenders waiting in the wings – the likes of Pujara, Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Raina – the last 3 mentioned in this list who are already a proven factor in ODIs, are all chirpy cricketers, and unlike Badri, are self motivators.
As mentioned, Yuvraj’s inclusion is no surprise to this touring team  – Captain MS Dhoni, is a big fan of Yuvraj’s talent, and could have insisted that he be recalled. The selectors perhaps thought that the necessary message had been delivered. This wake-up call to Yuvraj, will now do a lot of good to him and is sure to prove all his critics, once again, wrong.

Ishant and Sreesanth, part of India’s last Test squad, have gone through pretty ordinary times in limited-overs cricket since then, both in the IPL and while playing for India. They were duly dropped, but are still the best bets for the Test side. More so because none of the alternatives tried in their absence have impressed enough. And Ashish Nehra is not willing to play Tests, while Praveen Kumar is strictly a limited-overs bowler.
More importantly, this selection could point to a practical outlook from the selectors, that of having identified Ishant and Sreesanth as Test specialists, and having realised the need to protect them from the excessive one-day cricket, which could have played a part in their downfall.

Lack of alternatives could have prompted India to go for three spinners, giving Ojha another chance in a Test squad. The spin squad is safely in the hands of Bhajji, Ojha and Amit Mishra, leaving Dhoni nothing to complaint about.

Wridhman Saha probably, has been taken as an understudy to Dhoni and may be included in the 1st tour game.

The touring team selection clearly indicates that there will be 7 batsman (including Dhoni) and 4 bowlers (2 paceman and 2 spinners) during all 3 matches against SL. Thus when the tour starts with a three-day game at Nondescripts Cricket Club, it should provide a good competition between Ishant and Sreesanth, and Mishra and Ojha.

Squad: MS Dhoni (wk & capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (vice-capt.), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, M Vijay, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Wriddhiman Saha (wk)
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India vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test Updates:

Update 1: Paranavitana was bowled out by Harbhajan Singh for 53 runs

Update 2: Sri Lanka lose Sangakkara, their second wicket. Ojha scalps Sangakkara. Sri Lanka are 159 runs for two wickets.

Update 3: Sreesanth scalps Jayawardane’s wicket. Jayawardane scored 29 runs off 63 balls.

Update 4: Sri Lanka lose their fourth wicket. Bhajji scalps Samarweera’s wicket, his second today.

Team India: 1.Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper) 2.Virender Sehwag 3.Murali Vijay 4.Rahul Dravid 5.Sachin Tendulkar 6.Yuvraj Singh 7.V.V.S. Laxman 8.Harbhajan Singh 9.Pragyan Ojha 10.Zaheer Khan 11.Shantakumaran Sreesanth

Team Srilanka: 1.Kumar Sangakkara (captain) 2.Prasanna Jayawardene (wicketkeeper) 3.Tillekaratne Dilshan 4.Tharanga Paranavitana 5.Mahela Jayawardene 6.Thilan Samaraweera 7.Angelo Mathews 8.Nuwan Kulasekara 9.Rangana Herath 10.Muttiah Muralitharan 11.

Chanaka Welegedara India have already slipped to third spot in the one day international ranking following their disastrous showing against Australia in seven ODI series.

If India wins the match, it will grab the top test spot, something that every team wants to get. India will win the series if it wins the match or even draws it. Indian batsmen and bowlers have performed exceedingly well against Sri Lanka in this ongoing series.

In the last test match their performance was several notches better than their normal performance. And that was the reason that they forced Sri Lanka to follow on and then win the series without batting again.

So far Indian bowlers including Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth have not been able to make an impact on the rampaging Sri Lankan batsmen.After merely 18 overs Sri Lankan players have scored 89 runs without losing a single wicket.

Tharanga Paranavitana has scored 52 runs while Tilakratne Dilshan is playing at 33 after playing only 33 balls.

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There are 32 teams made up of 736 players who will form part of the big show. South Africa will host a wide variety of players from all over the world.

Each previous world championship has had some specific item that has characterized it. World Cup South Africa 2010 is highlighted by the large number of talented players taking part in the competition.

 
The list of known figures among the teams is quite big. There are players to suit all different kinds of audiences. From the fan who is just happy with seen their favorite players take a go at the game to even the most discerning fan who demand a top quality show at each game.

 
Each team has highly trained players among that bear the brunt of the team on their shoulders. There are also teams that hold many great players in their squad. This is something that will provide fans the opportunity to appreciate a variety of excellent plays.

One team that stands out above the rest is Spain. The Red has had a great deal of success in recent European competition. This has made Spain one of the favorites to win the world championship.

Spain is a powerful team that has great figures among European football’s elite. Distinguished players such as David Villa, Fernando Torres, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, are part of the renowned squad coached by Vicente Del Bosque.

Another team that stands out in Europe is England. Under the command of coach Fabio Capello the team has become a very dynamic and experienced team. Among the best in England are Frank Lampard, Steve Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and John Terry.

Latin America also stands as a source of world-renowned players. Brazil comes to South Africa with the aim of reaching their sixth world championship. The Verde-Amarela, led by Dunga, is characterized by its teamwork. Figures such as Kaka, Robinho and Lucio along with goalkeeper Julio Cesar, make up a strong squad.

Argentina is another team loaded with stars that never cease to amaze its fans. With figures like Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano, the Albi-Celeste is a powerful offensive force.

In Africa, players such as Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Karim Ziani, among others, are responsible for putting on the big performances for each of their respective teams.

South Africa has a talented group of young players among their lines. Although it is a team with little experience it might bring on the surprise.

Interest in all these soccer stars is spread throughout the world. In Asia Park Ji-Sung and Shunsuke Nakamura are admired, while in the United States Landon Donovan is one of the favorites, like Tim Cahill is in Oceania.

Although all of these great players are consolidated figures, they know that to grow further in their careers they must stand firm and keep on improving. They must remain constantly looking for way to make a name of their own and become part of the history of the most beautiful game ever played.

The Asia Cup trophy is made up of a combination of silver, gold, copper and brass with a silver finish with mat and gloss finish. It stands to communicate the strength, purity, humility and persistence that not only represent the four metals but also the four participating nations. Each team will play once in the group stages. The top 2 teams based on points at the end of the group stages will meet each other in a one-off final. Each win will yield 4 points while a tie/no result will yield 1 point. The 2010 Asia Cup trophy was unveiled by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shahid Afridi, Kumar Sangakkara and Shakib Al Hasan in the presence of Vikas Jain, Business Director, Micromax and Ashraful Huq, CEO – Asian CricketCouncil.

This time Pakistan was happy with the return of Shoaib Malik and Shoaib Akhtar. But Pakistan’s problem was their batting in this tournament, which looks a little fragile. Their bowling was strong enough but missing Umar Gul, so this time they lost the chance to get into the finals. India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh missed in this tournament. Saurabh Tiwary played first time in this international cricket and that was an exciting incident for the Indians. But India too played well and entered the finals. From the beginning, Sri Lanka had a biggest chance to enter the Asia Cup cricket finals as they played very well from the starting. The way Bangladesh lost the matches showed that it was difficult for them to enter into the finals. Sri Lanka and India entered the Tenth Asia Cup Cricket finals and this will be the 18th clash since the start of 2009.

Both Sri Lanka and India already guaranteed themselves in the final of the Asia Cup on June 24. Strangely enough neither of these teams has met in the Asia Cup thus far instead they have both booked their final spots. India made light work of the Tigers in their opening game romping to a six wicket victory on the back of a superior bowling effort restricting their opponents to just 167. Sri Lanka were similarly ruthless against their pool opponents – they managed to stave off a Shahid Afridi led batting resurgence then put on their own masterclass with the willow against Bangladesh posting 312. Let’s watch the finals tomorrow and hope for the best.

All fans of this massive game want to know all about a particular match that is being played anywhere. They simply want to stay connected with the game, so that they do not lose out on any action that is taking place on the field and off the field. Live cricket score helps all cricket fans stay glued to the match. Given the kind of hectic schedule that we all maintain, it is really difficult to compromise on any aspect of our schedule to watch a particular match. Therefore, in such situations, the best thing that a fanatic can do to keep pace with his or her favorite game is to take the help live cricket score. Today, the growth in the information technology has definitely simplified things for people all across the globe. Today, with the help of this facility that is provided by information technology has helped thousands of cricket fans to keep a track of their favorite match without even watching it.

Live cricket score can be accessed through various medium. The television is one of the best medium in this respect. Through news channels, one can keep a track of the score and the other on-field and off-field activities that are taking place while a match is going on. This is definitely one of the best supports that any fan can find. The other medium include radio, internet and the recently added, mobile telephones. On the internet, one can find cricket dedicated websites that provide all the information about a match that is being played. Radio also gives information from time to time. The various mobile phone network providers have also come forward to provide the fans with the information of any match that is being played anywhere across the globe.

Well, how can I forget to mention about the famous dailies. Well, the famous and not so famous dailies all across the world make sure to provide live cricket score to their readers, so that they can also keep a track that of the various happenings that took place on the field and off the field. Therefore, take the help of any of the medium and remain connected to the game that is full of thrills and excitement.

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