Former England captain David Gower, among the greatest of left-handers, spoke to The Telegraph exclusively on Sachin ‘The Master’ Tendulkar.

The following are excerpts:

Q Talking of Sachin, what comes to your mind instantly?

A The striking thing for me is how long he is going on... I like the fact that every time you hear about him, or hear from him, he seems to be saying how much he still loves playing the game. At the age of 38, considering not many people start as young as Sachin, he has been there for a long time... It’s an extraordinary quality to keep loving batting... Personally, I found it increasingly hard as I got towards 36. He is 38.

Sachin’s first tour of England was in 1990, which was also the last time you played against India. What were your first impressions of him?

That was a long time ago... I think the chatter around the England dressing room during that time must have been along the lines of how impressed we were with that kind of maturity at such a young age (Sachin was then 17). If someone comes into the Test squad at 21, we say he must be very talented... Sachin was far younger. It’s not something that an English player would expect to do or would even be capable of doing. So, when you look at those first performances of Sachin, he had a pretty good tour... He scored a hundred (maiden three-figure knock for India) at Old Trafford in tricky times.

What has contributed to his longevity?

Well, Sachin has had some small gaps... He has had time off to repair himself... If you enjoy the game, if you enjoy batting, if you enjoy the challenge of playing against the best day in and day out, then you want to keep going. There are not many people I know anywhere around the world, in the last 25 years, who have had the same desire at 38 which they had at 20. For Sachin, it’s not a financial thing, he is not playing for money. He is playing because he loves batting. So, as long as that love is intact, as long as that desire is there, I have no doubt that he will carry on.

Over the years, have your impressions of Sachin changed in any way? Have you noticed any tinkering with his game?

You tinker sometimes daily, sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly, sometimes not for a while... For me, the more interesting point is not the technique part... It is much more interesting to try and look into someone’s mind and find out what makes him do what he does so well... Only Sachin knows that. If you ask what makes him love the game so much, he can answer you, I can’t.

In terms of technique, where would you place Sachin vis-à-vis the other greats?

I always thought that it was a very good contest between him and Brian Lara for the best batsman in the world label. Lara was, for years, I thought, more exciting to watch... You can cite the figures if you want to, see the number of runs, to say Sachin has gone ahead of Lara... If you want to be the greatest, you keep piling on the runs.

So, where does Sachin stand?

It’s difficult... (Sir Donald) Bradman sure holds the honour... His average (99.94 in Test cricket) is uniquely outstanding, it’s extraordinary... Rather than comparing across eras, you look at the way Bradman was so singularly outstanding in his time and led that era by a clean distance... The question, then, is has Sachin led the current era by the same distance? It’s a different game now... Test matches in the 1930s and the 1940s were not as regular as they are now... There were no ODIs... So, it’s not a like for like comparison... Different circumstances and a very different game now. If I were Sachin, I would settle for being the best of my era.

Sir Viv Richards has said that Sachin is the greatest... You played against him at different times... Are you game for a comparison between Sir Viv and Sachin?

Viv was more explosive, Viv was more destructive... He was more intimidating, a much more in-your-face type of an opponent. One of Sachin’s great attributes is that he goes about his business quietly and steadily. Obviously, when Sachin gets going, you don’t know how to get him out... It’s a question of whether or not he wants to make a mistake! 

When I played against Viv, he intimidated the bowlers... Sachin does it in a different way. With Viv, it was a different thing... I’d been there when Viv hit the fastest Test hundred (off 56 balls, in Antigua, in 1985-86) of all time.

Being the captain, what did you feel that day?

Helpless.

Your bowlers?

Helpless... It was an awesome innings.

Sachin has never been involved in controversies... Does that place him on a higher pedestal than the other really big achievers?

It’s very much to his credit... Sachin has always impressed with the way he deals with people. There are people who are much more extravagant, extrovert characters... John McEnroe was one such... If you turn the sound down and look at the way he played, you see a marvellous player. For Sachin, one doesn’t need to turn the sound down. From that point of view, to be able to combine the two things, he’s definitely an ideal man.

Have you been surprised at the way he has been able to handle the pressure and for so long?

I’m not surprised... Sachin started with high expectations and has lived up to them. He is blessed with a temperament which allows him to cope with it. No one has ever come up with anything to suggest that he is anything but controlled and a gentleman... That’s extraordinary.

Do you find it odd that on the Honours Board at Lord’s, there is no Sachin, no Lara, no Ricky Ponting?

Well, the game very rarely gives you what you want for free... But, then, look at all those people and look at what they have done around the world. Lord’s is special, but so is the MCG, the SCG... Lovely grounds around the world. Would you like to make a hundred at Eden Gardens? You would.

The last one... Is Sachin, then, the perfect role model?

I think he is as good as it gets... Who wouldn’t want to be at the top of the list of run-scorers and century-makers in Test cricket (and in ODIs)? Who wouldn’t want to have the reputation of not just being a great player, but a great man? In an era where there are so many issues within sport, beyond sport, life in general and the way the world is, it would be refreshing to ponder that there’s one man who has done it all for 22 years and been free of controversies.

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Kaneria pleads innocence in fixing case

Lahore, (AFP): Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on Saturday pleaded innocence in the spot-fixing case which ended in his Essex county team-mate Mervyn Westfield being jailed for four months. The two players were arrested by Essex police in May 2010 on suspicion of spot-fixing during a county match against Durham in 2009.

Kaneria was released and not charged but Westfield pleaded guilty to spot-fixing charges in January this year, and was sentenced by a London court on Friday, when the Pakistani was named as the middleman in the plot.

"I am completely innocent from day one. All allegations against me are false," Kaneria, 31, told reporters after the first day's play in the domestic Pentangular Cup final in Lahore, where he captained the Sindh provincial team.

At the Old Bailey Westfield admitted receiving £6,000 ($9,200) to bowl so that 12 runs would be scored in the first over of the contest, although in the event only 10 were conceded. Prosecutors said the player had been lured into the fix after an approach by Kaneria.

Kaneria claimed he was cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). "The Essex police cleared me and I have clearance certificates from both the ECB and ICC, so I am not feeling any pressure. I am just enjoying my cricket. Westfield is a convicted fraudster and admitted liar. In trying to reduce his own guilt he has tarnished my name."

Kaneria's brother Vinay also released a statement on his brother's behalf, saying Kaneria was released and had not been charged, and had fully co-operated with the investigation.

PCB seeks evidence as Kaneria leads Sindh
Misbah saddened by Kaneria controversy

"In explaining the circumstances of Westfield's case to the court, the Crown Prosecution Service reiterated to the court that after intensive investigations the British police concluded that there was no evidence on which to charge Kaneria," the statement said.

It "vehemently denied" that Kaneria was involved in Westfield's actions. "It was quite clear that Westfield would say anything to avoid a custodial sentence. In court he attempted to portray himself as a naïve and vulnerable person who was easily lead astray," the statement added.

Kaneria, only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan, is the fourth highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in Tests with 261, the highest by any spinner. But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has blocked him from playing international cricket since October 2010, when its Integrity Committee did not clear him to face South Africa. He challenged the decision in court but his case was dismissed in November last year.

Earlier Saturday, the PCB said it would seek evidence from the relevant authorities in Britain before taking any action against Kaneria. "Since Kaneria is a Pakistan player we are obviously looking into the matter with a lot of concern," its legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi told AFP.

"Since the match was an England domestic match, it's in the England board's jurisdiction and we will seek evidence from the concerned authorities. Once it comes we can only then summon him before the Integrity Committee of the PCB where his case is still pending."

Rizvi added: "The stance of the PCB is one of zero tolerance towards any player with questionable integrity. The judgment of Westfield raised a lot of questions but in law everybody is innocent until proven guilty."

Kaneria's implication in the Westfield case is the latest blow to Pakistani cricket after a spot-fixing scandal on the team's tour of England in 2010 ended in lengthy bans and jail terms for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

That prompted International Cricket Council to force Pakistan to form an Integrity Committee to check players' assets and suspicions against them.

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Abu Dhabi, February 15 (AFP): He is the rugged face of Afghan cricket with a story fit for the big screen, and he embodies not only his nation's turbulent past, but its hopes for a brighter future.


When Nawroz Mangal led Afghanistan against Pakistan last week, it was the end of a long journey which started with his family's flight from Soviet troops, and continued when he picked up bat and ball as a young refugee.


According to Mangal, now 27, the enduring legacy from those tough days in hard-scrabble Pakistani border camps is a love of cricket which has now blossomed into a successful international career.


"That period was difficult for all the family," the Afghan captain told AFP in an interview. "We were financially hit and living in refugee camps was very tough on us."


"The best part of those ugly days was that I learnt this beautiful game of cricket."


It was "this beautiful game" which pitted Mangal's Afghanistan against Pakistan for their first top-level one-day international in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with the debutants losing by seven wickets.


Regardless of the result, it was a landmark event greeted with high excitement in the war-wrecked nation - even by members of the Taliban - which has taken cricket to its hearts.


Mangal is the figurehead for Afghanistan's cricket revolution as the most recognisable player of a squad which learned the game on rudimentary pitches in the Pakistani camps.


But he says the biggest obstacle to his cricket career was his father, who wanted him to follow his two brothers by becoming a doctor and looking after the injured soldiers and civilians in his war-ravaged homeland.


It took skilful persuasion from coach Taj Malik - one of the pioneers of cricket in Afghanistan - who travelled to the border camp to convince Mangal's father of his son's talent.


Mangal calls those early days "hard to forget".


But once the Taliban were overthrown by US-led troops in 2001, Mangal and his family returned home and the Afghanistan cricket team was founded. He was then selected for the Asian Cricket Council Trophy in Oman in 2004.


"It was a dream come true for me," said Mangal. "While playing in the dusty refugee camps I never realised that I could make it that big, and in Oman I was playing with some top ranked players and I performed."


Although Afghanistan were knocked out in the quarter-finals, Mangal finished as leading scorer for his team with 271 runs. Three years later, he was named captain of his country.


"With the recognition by International Cricket Council and help from the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) we managed to get tours and facilities and gradually our team improved before we achieved our biggest target in 2009," Mangal recalled.


That year, Afghanistan became the first affiliate nation to gain full one-day status when they finished fifth in the World Cup qualifying event held in South Africa, only narrowly missing a berth at the 2011 tournament.


The success prompted President Hamid Karzai to form the national cricket board, allocating grants and promising facilities to further harness talent.


And in 2010, Afghanistan won a qualifying tournament to compete alongside the world's top 10 nations at the World Twenty20 event in the West Indies. Afterwards, crowds thronged Kabul airport to welcome their newest heroes.


"Qualifying for the World Twenty20 was a great achievement and we were on cloud nine as everyone was talking of our achievement. I think that lifted cricket in Afghanistan more than any other thing," said Mangal.


By 2010 cricket overtook football as Afghanistan's most popular game, according to the Afghan board, with more facilities and children now playing on the street - something that was unthinkable under the Taliban.


"It has changed totally," said Mangal. "Now you can see kids playing cricket on the streets, something unimaginable in the past."


"With more and more facilities and the team achieving more milestones I think cricket will attain more heights in Afghanistan."


According to Afghanistan team manager Shafiq Stanakzai, Mangal will play an important part in that success.


"You need role models for every sport and Mangal is ours in cricket. He is cool, wise and inspiring so with him in our team more and more youth will follow the path he and his team-mates have carved," said Stanakzai.

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MS Dhoni shakes hands with Sri Lankan team members after the match ended in a draw. (Getty Images)

For the second consecutive match, India captain MS Dhoni held centre stage in the last over at the Adelaide Oval, but this time he couldn't quite get his team over the line as the fifth match of the Commonwealth Bank Series against Sri Lanka today ended in a tie.

Chasing a target of 237 to record their third win on the trot, India needed nine runs off the last over bowled by Lasith Malinga, but Sri Lanka missed the chance to dismiss Dhoni in the fourth ball of the over when the bowler fluffed a simple run out chance; and the skipper then took three runs off the last delivery to leave Sri Lanka still searching for their first win in the tournament. There was some drama even after the last delivery as the umpires checked if the batsmen had ran one short, but replays showed they hadn't and the match ended in a tie. As an aside, Malinga had a five ball over in India's 30th over of the innings, and it is anyone's guess if the result would have been different had the error been spotted.

India stuck to the rotational policy with Sachin Tendulkar coming in for Virender Sehwag, who had a back spasm; while Irfan Pathan made another comeback as he replaced Zaheer Khan, who had a problem with his right calf. Tendulkar hit two boundaries in his 24-ball 15, but never looked comfortable in the middle, and he was the first Indian batsman to be dismissed when he edged an angled delivery around the off stump from Nuwan Kulasekara to Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps. Tendulkar's failure is bound to be blamed on the rotational policy by its detractors, who feel the rhythm of the batsmen is disrupted.

Virat Kohli has been the in-form batsman for India in the last few matches, was solid in defence and just when he looked to be getting himself in, he played across the line and was trapped plumb in front by Thisara Perera.  The rotational policy is apparently in place to ensure Rohit Sharma gets an extended run in the one-day team, and the talented youngster was content in keeping the scoreboard ticking over as he rotated the strike well with Gautam Gambhir. Rohit's innings was cut short by a direct throw from Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene at backward point after Gambhir called him for a quick single as India slipped to 94 for 3 in the 22nd over. And, when Suresh Raina played a loose shot to be caught behind off Malinga's bowling, India was very much on the backfoot.

But, Gambhir and Dhoni, who had been taking indirect swipes at each other over the last couple of days, forged a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket to get India's run chase back on track. Gambhir had batted beautifully for his 106-ball 91, which contained only six boundaries, but he played shots all over the ground and he also kept the scoreboard ticking over by taking the ones and twos. He was also not troubled by any of the Sri Lankan bowlers, but missed out on a century for the second consecutive match when he was involved in a horrible mix-up with Dhoni. India's captain took off for a non-existent single after playing a delivery towards mid-on before changing his mind but it was too late for Gambhir to beat Kulasekara's direct throw.

Dhoni, who became the first Indian wicket-keeper batsman to play in 200 ODIs and only the fifth in the world, carried on his form from the last match against Australia, striking the ball well in his 69-ball 58*, but he was also involved in two more run outs - that of Pathan and Vinay Kumar. Malinga and Perera took two wickets each, while four Indian batsmen were run out.Dinesh Chandimal top-scored for Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval. (Getty Images)

Earlier, Sri Lanka had a horror start when Upul Tharanga's horrendous run in the CB Series continued when he edged the second ball of the match to Dhoni behind the stumps with Vinay Kumar being the successful bowler. Tillakaratne Dilshan adopted the safety first approach but hit a massive six of Kumar before his innings was cut short by Irfan who had him caught behind by Dhoni. Irfan looked fit on his comeback and also managed to get a fair amount of away swing, especially to the left-handers. His first spell had figures of 7-0-23-1, and he finished with 1-38 off nine overs.

Dinesh Chandimal and Kumar Sangakkara then got Sri Lanka's innings back on track with some sensible batting as they put away the bad deliveries but kept the scoreboard ticking over by rotating the strike. Sangakkara though had a brain fade when he tried to laucnh R Ashwin over mid-on, but only succeeded in getting a leading edge to the tossed-up delivery to Gambhir at point.

Chandimal played another attractive knock as he added to his growing reputation as Sri Lanka's next big batting talent as he played shots all over the ground and added 94 runs for the fourth wicket with Jayawardene. The Sri Lanka skipper had suffered a slump in form since the South Africa tour, but here he looked to back at his sublime best. 

Sri Lanka's innings though went off track in the batting powerplay where they scored only 18 runs and lost three wickets, including that of Jayawardene and Chandimal. Jayawardene (43) was trapped plumb in front by Vinay, while Chandimal (81 off 91 balls) was run out when he and Angelo Mathews attempted a risky single. Perera was the third wicket to fall in the batting powerplay when he was caught by Kohli off Ashwin's bowling.

India were on top of Sri Lanka in the last 10 overs of the latter's innings as they conceded only 50 runs to restrict Jayawardene's team to 236 for 9, which was at least 30 runs short of the total they appeared to be on course to get when Chandimal and Jayawardene were going strong. Kumar (3-46) was the most successful of India's bowlers; while Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja conceded 51 runs in nine overs and 58 runs in 10 overs respectively.

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                      Strange ways of Indian cricket

The Indian team's think-tank has taken a leaf out of Australia's book in the ongoing Commonwealth Bank tri-series by deciding to adopt the rotational policy for their three senior batsmen - Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir.

Sehwag and Gambhir were not part of India's matches against Australia at Melbourne and against Sri Lanka at Perth respectively, and it was Tendulkar's turn to sit out the team's third match of the tournament at the Adelaide Oval today. As expected, the news of Tendulkar's omission wasn't taken too kindly by former India captain Ravi Shastri, who was visibly upset by the team management's decision to rest the master batsman and said he should play all the matches in the CB Series to try and score his elusive 100th century in international cricket. But, why should Tendulkar be given special treatment and be kept away from the rotational policy? Tendulkar is undoubtedly India's greatest batsman, but even he can't be bigger than the team.

I thought cricket was a team game where personal milestones take a back seat and decisions should be taken in the larger interests of the team! This is something I had alluded to in this article last month saying Tendulkar's selection for the CB Series and indeed the one-day team is a backward step for Indian cricket.

Returning to the rotational policy being used Down Under, Sehwag justified it last week as he said the team management wants the youngsters in the team to play all matches in the tournament and get used to the conditions as the 2015 World Cup is being hosted by Australia and New Zealand. "We have good youngsters. (What is) important is, they have to play more one-dayers so they have experience when the World Cup comes. That's our aim. When the World Cup is there, they should have played at least 75-100 ODIs, so they are ready for the World Cup," he said. 

India captain MS Dhoni said the policy has been put into place to ensure Rohit Sharma gets enough matches to make himself a permanent member of the one-day team. There's something fundamentally wrong with this logic, because Rohit would have thought he had established himself in the team thanks to his back-to-back Man of the Series awards in India's last two one-day series against West Indies, both home and away. Also, by singling out Rohit, the message is that he still hasn't done quite enough to be a part of the playing XI and he's being given enough chances now to make a case for himself. This surely is being unfair to Rohit when there are other players who need this 'security' more than him at the moment. 

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Captain Clarke to miss Sri Lanka match due to injury

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of Friday's triangular seriesmatch against Sri Lanka in Sydney with a right hamstring injury, Cricket Australia said on Monday.

The selectors will name the Australian squad for the next bunch of matches in the series on Tuesday where they will also have to choose a replacement captain for Friday's fixture.

"Michael Clarke sustained a low grade right hamstring strain in the ODI versus India in Adelaide on Sunday," Australia team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement.

"He had scans today (Monday) that confirmed the low grade nature of the injury.

"He will not recover in time to play in Australia's next... game on Friday in Sydney against Sri Lanka but I will assess him later this week and decide on his availability for the game in Brisbane on Sunday 19 February against India."

Clarke broke the news of his injury first on Twitter.

"Nice to back in Sydney... Having a scan this afternoon so will keep you all informed... Feeling very positive. Thanks for the concern," Clarke tweeted earlier on Monday.

After getting his scan reports, Clarke was happy that the injury was a minor one and said he hoped to be back for Australia's match against India.

"I have a grade one hamstring strain so will be out of Friday's game vs SL but hopefully be back for Sunday against India in Brisbane. Good news," he said.

India play Sri Lanka in Adelaide on Tuesday in the fifth match of the triangular series.

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                      Injured Lee set for early comeback


Melbourne: Ruled out for over a month due to a broken toe, Australian pacer Brett Lee could make a stunning early comeback in the ongoing ODI tri-series against India and Sri Lanka this week itself.

Lee was expected to be out for six weeks after breaking the little toe on his right foot after stopping a powerful shot by Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni during Australia`s Twenty20 loss to India in Melbourne on February 3.

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   Hitters in Indian batting still can't be seen

Chasing a modest 233, India's victory march was shaping up to be a dawdle at 157 for 3 at the WACA – where India had failed to post 200 in a Test just about a month ago. But Suresh Raina's old folly, MS Dhoni's unnecessary hoik and Virat Kohli's suicidal run almost cost India a win that was in the end rescued by Ravindra Jadeja and the Man of the Match, R Ashwin.

India had Sri Lanka under the pump all through the afternoon with a distinct plan – dry the runs and invite mistakes – that kept up the supply of wickets. And when it came to setting up the chase, Sachin Tendulkar took care of it, though not with the hundred that's now turning into a bounced cheque.

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                Mathews backs Sri Lanka big guns

Perth, (AFP): Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews believes his team's star batsmen are ready to start turning promising starts into substantial scores and help their side rediscover winning form.

Sri Lanka suffered their second successive defeat to start the triangular one-day series against Australia and India on Friday, falling by five runs to the hosts at the WACA.

Mathews said more runs were needed from the top order to turn Sri Lankan fortunes around.

Their three best batsman - Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene - have all got into double figures in both their tri-series games, but none has gone on to make a substantial score.

Mathews, who made 64 batting at number seven to almost rescue his side from a seemingly hopeless position on Friday, said it was only a matter of time before the trio capitalised on their early good work at the crease.

"Sangakkara, Dilshan, Jayawardene, they are world-class players, we all know that," he said.

They have been  getting starts. I am sure they will bounce back and go for a big one in the next few games. "

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