Dravid, the wall that still stands tall‎

Can this world produce just another Dravid, whichever country he may belong to, so that I can continue my romance with Test Cricket? I know, I'm asking for something near impossible. But it's a hope. Just a hope. Greed, may be.

@Dravid_Gravitas

stump. Leave. Dot ball. Late. Nudge. Two. Soft hands. Kill. Dot ball. Width. Cut. Tap. Single. Back again. Forward. Defend. Dot ball. Beaten. Dot ball. Forget. Off Four. Ball after ball, over after over. 

The craftsmanship does not lie on the surface. Dravid's batting is not the stylish face of the clock, it's the moving parts inside. 

Sharda Ugra (CricInfo)

And in England Dravid is th top scorer after Sir Don Bradman among overseas cricketers 

@ferozkhan_a (feroz khan)

Dravid is consistent as ever, Yuvi & yuvraj r trnding wit Asad Rauf & #trentbridge & as usual Dravid is missing.

@Sreesanth36 

Quite simply a class apart from most. One of the greatest ever, fact

@Finn92

So.. Dravid has faced more balls than any other batsman in the world !! Speaks volumes for those balls... titanium balls ! #Dravid

@shantusharma (shantu sharma)

Accenture should just hire Rahul Dravid. No one exemplifies HIGH PERFORMANCE, DELIVERED more than him

@jhunjhunwala (Rakesh Jhunjhunwala) 

1999, Azhar to Rahul Dravid, "Sachin's not scoring runs off late. Will you do it ?"

-"Okay."

2003, Ganguly to Dravid, "We can't afford to play a keeper at the cost of a batsman. 

Will you keep wickets ?"

-"Okay."

2005, Selectors to Dravid, "We don't want Dada in the side anymore. Will you 

captain the team ?"

-"Okay."

2007, Kumble to Dravid, "India's on the verge of losing. Will you save the test ?"

-"Okay."

2008, Selectors to Dravid, "youngsters like Raina and Kohli need to be given a 

chance. We can't have you in the ODI team anymore."

-"Uh.. Okay."

2011, Dhoni to Dravid, "I think I ought to have a bowl. Will you keep wickets again 

?"

-"Okay."

"Gambhir has injured his elbow. Will you open the innings ?"

-"Okay."

Here's a man who has never been taught how to say "No".

And they call Mike Hussey "Mr.Cricket".

@9ananth

Don't Mess with Me - Rivals

The Game Changers - ICC 2011 World Cup

Yusuf Pathan (India): Yusuf has turned himself into a world-class game-changer, more off late with his two ODI centuries than before, when he was considered an IPL wonder only. He is the kind of player who can take any bowling attack apart, anywhere in the world and he gave an example of this with his second ODI century in demanding conditions in South Africa. The IPL turned out to be the perfect launch pad for Yusuf's career and he has made use of that experience brilliantly in the ODIs. He could be a decisive weapon in India's arsenal in this World Cup. Not forgetting his useful off-spinners, Yusuf's batting at No. 7 holds the key in setting and while chasing big targets.

Kieron Pollard (West Indies): One of the deadliest batsmen in the slog overs, he has the ability to put bowlers into submission. He does not wait for the ball to be pitched in his zone and can send even the good-length deliveries into the orbit. If this 23-year-old hits the right note, a lot of teams could be seen running for cover. He will be a key weapon for a Windies side that's not even a silhouette of their invincible status of the 70s. If Pollard can show his T20 form in the World Cup, he can take West Indies the full distance. Apart from being very dangerous with the willow, Pollard is equally good with the leather in his hands.

Shahid Afridi (Pakistan): This all-rounder became a household name after his very first match. Shahid Afridi announced his arrival in international cricket with a sensational 37-ball century versus Sri Lanka at Nairobi in 1996 when he was just 17. He holds the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket and that is enough to say what he can do batting at number 7. While he is a compulsive basher, the responsibility of leading the team may help him channel that aggression to work in his team's favour. While off late his leg-spinners have made more news than his batting, Pakistan would want their skipper to go 'Boom Boom'.

Paul Collingwood (England): He is struggling with his form lately and announced retirement from Test cricket but Collingwood's ability goes without doubt. He is one of the most experienced players in England's lineup and has to lead from the front in the mega event. He is not the biggest hitter of the ball but can make it count when the team needs it the most. He also has the knack of timing his innings to perfection, which makes him an ideal pick at No. 7, though Strauss keeps using him as a floater in the batting order. A lot will depend on him if England has to go deep into the World Cup.

Angelo Matthews (Sri Lanka): One of the promising all-rounders in the world at present, Mathews is one of the most important cogs in Sri Lanka's ODI wheels. A right-hand batsmen who cherishes batting at No. 7, Mathews is a busy player who always keeps the scoreboard ticking and is capable of playing the lusty blows if the need arises. His useful seam-up stuff also gives Kumar Sangakkara an option of playing an extra spinner in the side.

PCB: Pakistan Cricket Board

World Cup Squads

Australia : Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke (vc), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White

India : Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra.

Pakistan : Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir.

South Africa : Graeme Smith (c), Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Johan Botha, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk.

New Zealand : Daniel Vettori, Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.

Sri Lanka : Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath

Zimbabwe : Elton Chigumbura (capt), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams

Netherlands : Peter Borren (c), Adeel Raja, Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman (wk), Tom Cooper, Tom de Grooth, Alexei Kervezee, Bradley Kruger, Bernard Loots, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski, Ryan ten Doeschate, Berend Westdijk, Bas Zuiderent

Bangladesh : Shakib Al Hasan (c), Tamim Iqbal (vc), Abdur Razzak, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Naeem Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Raqibul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shahriar Nafees, Suhrawadi Shuvo

England : Andrew Strauss (c), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy

Kenya : Jimmy Kamande (c), Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, David Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Peter Ongondo, Elijah Otieno, Maurice Ouma (wk), Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo, Seren Waters

West Indies : Darren Sammy (capt), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Carlton Baugh (wk), Andre Rusell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Adrian Barath.

Ireland : William Porterfield (c), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien (wk), Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson (wk).

When sentiments overpower your common sense!

Australia's World Cup Squad

Inexperienced all-rounder John Hastings has tipped out paceman Peter Siddle for a berth in Australia's 15-man World Cup squad.

Veteran Michael Hussey was also named despite suffering a serious hamstring injury on Sunday. Siddle and Tasmanian spinner Xavier Doherty were the hard luck stories this morning.

Hussey will have his rehabilitation program determined in the next 24 hours but faces a race against the clock to be fit for Australia's World Cup defence.

He will almost certainly miss the entire seven-game series against England, with a replacement yet to be finalized.

Hastings, who has played two games for Australia, has been drafted in to provide all-round cover for Shane Watson.

His versatility edged him ahead of Siddle, Australia's most consistent bowler during the Ashes, and Doherty, the country's best performing slow bowler in domestic 50-over cricket in recent seasons.

As expected, speedster Brett Lee made the final cut after his impressive comeback to ODI cricket last Sunday and will lead Australia's pace attack on the subcontinent.

Shaun Tait will tour despite missing Australia's last match due to back stiffness, while left-arm pair Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson were also picked despite wayward performances in Melbourne.

Tim Paine has been named as wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's understudy while also providing support for the top order.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said the squad had found the right balance of youth and experience.

"One of the major decisions to be made in this squad was ensuring the balance was right in the squad to provide the best cover for all positions in the event of injury, illness or form issues that may arise," Hilditch said.

"It includes the experience of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee, and also some young talent like Steve Smith.

"Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin were all also part of the victorious 2007 ICC cricket World Cup squad that went unbeaten in the Caribbean, so there is plenty of character in this group of Australian cricketers."

He added: "Nathan Hauritz is our preferred spin option and his one-day record in India is excellent. He will be an important part of our bid for this fourth World Cup.

"Doug Bollinger has also been a strong performer for us in one-day cricket in India in recent times and we expect him to have a big impact on the tournament.

"Victorian John Hastings has been selected as he adds variety to our bowling options. We feel his bowling is well suited to subcontinent conditions and his all-round skills with bat and ball add to the flexibility of the squad.

"David Hussey has been selected on the back of years of excellent interstate performances in all forms of the game and we feel he will play a crucial role for us in subcontinental conditions and also has the ability to bowl important overs for Australia. Fellow Victorian Cameron White is very important to us in the middle order and he has the ability to dominate with bat.

"Tim Paine richly deserves his selection as he provides a second wicket-keeping option and is also an excellent option for any top order batting position."

Squad: Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke (vc), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White

India's World Cup Squad

India will gamble on the fitness of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Praveen Kumar after the four injured players were included in the final 15-member squad on Monday for next month's World Cup.

Regular openers Sehwag and Gambhir and paceman Kumar missed the current five-match one-day international series against South Africa through injury while Tendulkar hurt his hamstring in Saturday's second match and will return home.

As for the bowling attack, the selectors included four pacemen and three spinners for the Feb. 19-April 4 tournament being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Experienced seamer Zaheer Khan will spearhead the pace attack with support from Kumar, Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra, while Harbhajan Singh leads the spin department, backed up by Ravichandran Ashwin and Piyush Chawla.

Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma missed out on a spot as the selectors opted instead to include a third spin bowler due to the slow nature of the pitches in the sub-continent.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra.

Ashes: Five Best Jokes

The Australian cricket team's endured a humiliating defeat against England in the Ashes series, and naturally have been subjected to both ridicule and jokes.

Here, according to the Telegraph, are five best jokes.

What do you call an Australian with 100 by his name? 

A bowler.

Why can''t Aussies open bottles? 

Because they don''t have any openers.

What do you call an Australian with a bottle of champagne in his hand? 

A waiter.

What do you call a world class Australian? 

Retired.

What do you get if you cross the Australian cricket team with an Oxo cube? 

Laughing stock.

Will Ricky Ponting's career end with two regrets?

Every cricketer has some regret or the other during the course of his career.

Steve Waugh failed to conquer the final frontier -- beating India in their backyard.

The legendary Sir Don Bradman probably regretted not being able to finish his career with an average of 100 (he ended with 99.94).

And there is still a chance that Sachin Tendulkar,despite all his personal achievements, might just end up never being able to win that coveted prize of them all -- the World Cup.

Ricky Ponting will perhaps end his career with not one but two regrets. 

The Australian captain is yet to win an Ashes series in England, and a Test (let alone a series) on Indian soil.

Ponting has lost successive Ashes series on English soil -- in 2005 and 2009, and considering the next one takes place in 2012, his chances of continuing as Australia's captain seem highly unlikely.

On Indian wickets, his record as a captain is abysmal, to say the least.

The 0-2 defeat in the just-concluded series meant Ponting lost five of the seven Tests he has captained on Indian soil -- the highest tally by any Australian captain. The remaining two were drawn, meaning he is yet to captain his team to a Test win in India.

He is also the first Australian captain to lose six Tests against India, the other loss coming in Perth in 2008.

Considering Australia's next tour to India will happen only after a few years, the one that finished seems, for all practical purposes, Ponting's last Test series in India, thereby implying he will have no more opportunity to improve his poor record.

He may try desperately to sound positive but deep within himself Ponting has perhaps realized the obvious -- his career will end sans series success in both England and India.