Sports Updates

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Video - Tendulkar Announces Retirement

Watch this news video report including archive footage as Sachin Tendulkar announces his decision to retire from cricket in November.

Tendulkar will play his 200th and final Test, rumoured to be in his home town of Mumbai, against the West Indies, after which he will retire.

He has already retired from One-Day International and Twenty20 cricket and by the time he has finished, will have enjoyed a 24-year career that began in November 1989.

Along the way, he broke a host of records, including Test centuries, appearances and runs, becoming the first man to score an ODI double-century and the first man to register 100 international centuries.

He won the 2011 World Cup with India, helped them achieve the coveted number one Test ranking, twice won the Champions League Twenty20 and the Indian Premier League with the Mumbai Indians.

Video courtesy of SNTV and will be available for a period of 14 days from 11th October 2013. After this date, the player above will default to showing the most recent videos available.

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Wheyhey - It's Protein Ice Cream

Wheyhey protein ice cream has been developed as a sweet treat for athletes, including cricketers, that doesn't require hours of hard work to burn off.

The sweetness and flavour comes without all of the sugar, fat and calories that regular ice cream contains.

Instead, it is made from high quality whey-based protein isolate so is low in fat, contains no sugar, no gluten and each 150ml tub contains just 165 calories.

Wheyhey is therefore ideal for complementing your diet, satisfying any cravings for sweet food and aiding your fitness regime.

22 grams of protein in each tub is the equivalent to a chicken breast which supports lean muscle growth and muscle recovery; so next time you finish a workout and fancy something sweet afterwards, grab a cool tub of Wheyhey and help your muscles rebuild and recover quickly.

It is already a favourite with athletes and models including Wales and British & Irish Lions rugby captain Sam Warburton.

It is available in three flavours - vanilla, strawberry and chocolate - and is the perfect way to incorporate protein into your diet in a fun and tasty way.

"Incorporating protein into a tasty treat such as Wheyhey is a brilliant idea and makes protein more accessible to a wider audience," Lee Constantinou, a fitness expert at Holland & Barratt said.

"Protein is crucial for those looking to increase muscle as well as for those who are simply looking to improve overall health," he added.

Wheyhey ice cream costs £2.50 for a 150ml tub or £6.50 for a 500ml tub and is available at Ocado, Holland & Barratt, Wholefoods, Planet Organic, As Nature Intended, GNC, Urban Kitchen, Fitness First and Virgin

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World Test Championship Details Unveiled

David Richardson, Misbah-ul-Haq, Graeme Smith and Neil Manthorp at the World Test Championship launch

The qualifying period and logo for the World Test Championship, which will conclude in 2017, have been unveiled in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and his South Africa counterpart Graeme Smith were present at the event launch.

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive David Richardson explained:

"The qualification pathway for the ICC World Test Championship will be through the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings, with the qualifying period being from 1 May 2013 through to 31 December 2016.
"The top four teams at the conclusion of the qualification period will qualify for the event in 2017. The results of any Test series ending after 1 May 2013, and the results of any Test series starting before 31 December 2016, will be included in the period that determines qualification for the ICC WTC."

Smith, who will lead his side against Pakistan in the opening Test in Abu Dhabi from 14th October, added:

"It’s fantastic to have a pathway clearly identified for the ICC World Test Championship and to know that the top four teams will have a chance to battle it out to be crowned the ultimate champions.
"It adds a new meaning for all the Test teams when it comes to the rankings and the context of all Test series."
Misbah, whose side are not currently in the top four, said: "Test cricket is a journey and it’s the pinnacle of our game. It will add even more context to all the bi-lateral series that the Test sides play and ultimately gives each team a chance to be world champions in Test cricket."

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Yuvraj's Fairytale Return Gives India Victory

Yuvraj Singh was at his majestic best to power India to victory.REUTERS/Vivek Prakash. Picture Supplied by Action Images

India 202-4 (Yuvraj 77no) beat
Australia 201-7 (Finch 89) by 6 wickets
Only T20 International, Rajkot
Scorecard

Yuvraj Singh marked his international cricket return with a match-winning 77 not out in the one-off Twenty20 International against Australia in Rajkot.

India had looked to be slipping in their pursuit of their formidable target of 202 at 100 for four in the 12th over, but Yuvraj - sidelined since January - took the game to the Australian bowlers and, with a little support from his captain MS Dhoni, saw his side home.

As expected, it was a high-scoring game at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, with Aaron Finch continuing his blazing form at the top of Australia’s batting line-up by smashing 89 off just 52 balls. He added a scarcely believable 56 in 29 balls with debutant opener Nic Maddinson.

Maddinson, a 21 year-old with prodigious talent from New South Wales, appeared undaunted by playing the biggest team in cricket, at home, in arguably their favourite format, and smashed 34 off only 16 balls before being bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Australia’s middle-order didn’t build upon their start as effectively as they might have done. They lost Shane Watson and George Bailey in quick succession to Vinay Kumar during the eighth over, although Glenn Maxwell - clearly with an eye on keeping his name in the frame for another big-money IPL deal - played a powerful cameo of 27 off 13 balls that included four sixes.

He fell in the 12th over to make it 124 for four, but Australia’s late charge never really materialised once Finch had been sent packing by Vinay Kumar in the 17th over. It ended another majestic innings from Finch that further cemented his place at the top of Australia’s T20 batting line-up following his record-breaking 156 against England earlier this year.

The 21 balls following his departure yielded a disappointing 27 runs as Australia’s all-rounders struggled to find the boundary in the latter stages. Nonetheless, any team that posts 201 in a T20 game and takes India’s leading bowlers R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma for a combined total of 93 runs from six overs must be pretty pleased with their evening’s work.

It took an innings of brilliance from a slim-line Yuvraj to wipe the smile off their faces. Coming into the series, he had been in good form for India A and India Blue after following a rigorous training regime, and it showed with a remarkable display of clean hitting. 35 balls brought five sixes and eight fours, with his 77 runs taking India across the winning line with two balls to spare. MS Dhoni, content to play second-fiddle at the other end, finished on 24 off 21 balls, with their partnership worth 102 off 51 balls.

The two sides meet again, in the first of seven One-Day Internationals, on Sunday in Pune.

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AUDIO: Ford right for Surrey, says Stewart

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County ins & outs

Stay up-to-date with the latest player releases, signings and speculation from all the counties.

Counties are allowed to field two overseas players in Twenty20 games, with up to four registered for that competition - although only two can be registered at any one time, and registrations must be for a minimum of 10 days.

Only one overseas player is permitted in the County Championship and 50-over competitions.

KPK: Kolpak contractREL: releasedRET: retiredYTH: from youth teamsEUP: European Union passportUKP: Recently-obtained UK passport. Also shows, where relevant, players' previous counties

Kolpak contracts are signed by foreign players, using a loophole in European Union law to avoid counting against the quota of one overseas player per club.

Players who moved counties during the 2013 season are included on the 2013 list. Have we missed anyone? Please let us know.

Overseas player 2013: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies); Albie Morkel (South Africa)

Overseas player 2014: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)

Ins: Scott Elstone (ex-Nottinghamshire, released in 2012)

Outs: Alasdair Evans (REL)

Possible departures: The club say they are not in a position to offer batsman Ben Slater a new contract at present.

Other news: Seamer Mark Footitt has signed a new contract, after Derbyshire claimed other counties were interested in him. Derbyshire were also interested in Kent all-rounder Matt Coles, who has instead joined Hampshire.

Overseas player 2013: None

Overseas player 2014: TBC; financial pressures are likely to preclude an overseas signing again.

Ins: Stuart Poynter (Ireland, ex-Warwickshire), Graham Clark (MCC Young Cricketers)

Outs: Mitchell Claydon (Kent), Will Smith (Hampshire), Callum Thorp (REL), Steve Harmison (RET)

Other news: Jamie Harrison, Gordon Muchall and Gareth Breese have signed new contracts.

Overseas player: Rob Quiney (Australia); Hamish Rutherford (New Zealand); Shaun Tait (Australia); Gautam Gambhir (India)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: None

Outs: Maurice Chambers (Northants)

Possible signings: Coach Paul Grayson says Essex will hold talks with Monty Panesar about making his loan move from Sussex permanent.

Possible departures: Owais Shah has retired from first-class cricket and although he is out of contract this winter, Essex hope to re-sign him to play limited-overs cricket.

Other news: Greg Smith and Graham Napier have signed new contracts, while strength and conditioning coach Ian Fisher has joined Yorkshire.

Overseas player 2013: Marcus North (Australia); Nathan McCullum (New Zealand)

Overseas player 2014: Jacques Rudolph (South Africa; subject to clearance from Cricket South Africa)

Ins: None

Outs: None

Other news: Hugh Morris is to become chief executive and managing director, while the county are looking for a new head coach. Jim Allenby and Michael Hogan have signed new contracts. Seamer Simon Jones has retired from first-class and one-day cricket, but will continue to play Twenty20.

Overseas player 2013: Michael Klinger (Australia); Dan Christian (Australia)

Overseas player 2014: Michael Klinger (Australia)

Ins: Tom Smith (Middlesex), Will Tavare (YTH)

Outs: Richard Coughtrie (REL), Paul Muchall (REL)

Other news: Craig Miles, Liam Norwell, Hamish Marshall, Ian Cockbain and Gareth Roderick have signed new contracts.

Overseas player 2013: George Bailey (Australia); Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan)

Overseas player 2014: TBC; manager Giles White is chasing an overseas bowler

Ins: Matt Coles (Kent), Will Smith (Durham), Lewis McManus (YTH), Tom Barber (YTH)

Outs: Dimitri Mascarenhas (RET), David Griffiths (Kent), Hamza Riazuddin (RET), Adam Rouse (REL), Jack Sheppard (REL), Michael Roberts (REL), Jake George (REL)

Overseas player 2013: Vernon Philander (South Africa)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: Mitchell Claydon (Durham), David Griffiths (Hampshire), Charlie Hartley (YTH), Matt Hunn (YTH)

Outs: Mike Powell (RET), Matt Coles (Hampshire), Charlie Shreck (REL), Benedict Kemp (REL)

Possible departures: Veteran all-rounder Darren Stevens admits his career is in doubt after being charged by the ICC with failing to report a corrupt approach.

Other news: Fabian Cowdrey, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Calum Haggett, Sam Northeast and Alex Blake have all signed new contracts. James Tredwell admits he may step down as captain to focus on his international career.

Overseas player 2013: Simon Katich (Australia); Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand)

Overseas player 2014: TBC; McClenaghan says he hopes to return to Lancashire in 2014

Ins: Jos Buttler (Somerset)

Outs: Stephen Moore (REL), Gareth Cross (REL)

Future signings: Zimbabwe paceman Kyle Jarvis has agreed a three-year contract and the county say he will join as a non-overseas player, subject to registration, "in the near future".

Overseas player 2013: Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies); Joe Burns (Australia); Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: None

Outs: Claude Henderson (RET), Matthew Hoggard (RET)

Overseas player 2013: Chris Rogers (Australia); Adam Voges (Australia); Kyle Mills (New Zealand)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: Harry Podmore (YTH)

Outs: Corey Collymore (REL), Tom Smith (Gloucestershire), Josh Davey (REL), Adam London (REL)

Other news: Gurjit Sandhu and Ravi Patel have signed new contracts.

Overseas player 2013: Trent Copeland (Australia); Cameron White (Australia); Richard Levi (South Africa)

Overseas player 2014: TBC; Copeland cannot return as he no longer meets eligibility criteria, having not played in a Test since September 2011.

Ins: Maurice Chambers (Essex)

Outs: Lee Daggett (RET), Luke Evans (REL), Christian Davis (REL), Sam Sweeney (REL), Con de Lange (REL)

Possible signings: Northants say they are in talks with a left-arm spinner, a seam bowler and an overseas bowler.

Other news: All-rounder David Willey has signed a new contract, while veteran batsman David Sales has been offered a new deal.

Overseas player 2013: Ed Cowan (Australia); David Hussey (Australia); Ian Butler (New Zealand)

Overseas player 2014: TBC; Hussey will not be returning

Ins: None

Outs: Ben Phillips (REL)

Overseas player 2013: Alviro Petersen (South Africa), Dean Elgar (South Africa); Yasir Arafat (Pakistan); Abdur Rehman (Pakistan); Piyush Chawla (India)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: None

Outs: Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Gemaal Hussain (REL)

Other news: Twins Jamie and Craig Overton have signed contract extensions.

Overseas player 2013: Graeme Smith (South Africa); Ricky Ponting (Australia); Glenn Maxwell (Australia); Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Overseas player 2014: Graeme Smith (South Africa)

Ins: None

Outs: Kevin O'Brien (REL, had been on contract for Twenty20), Jon Lewis (REL), Zander de Bruyn (REL)

Other news: Jack Winslade, Tom Jewell and Freddie van den Bergh have signed new contracts.

Overseas player 2013: Steve Magoffin (Australia); Scott Styris (New Zealand); Dwayne Smith (West Indies)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: None

Outs: Monty Panesar (REL), Joe Gatting (REL), Andrew Miller (REL)

Other news: Callum Jackson and Harry Finch have signed new contracts.

Overseas player 2013: Jeetan Patel (New Zealand)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: Tom Lewis (YTH), Jon Webb (YTH)

Outs: Darren Maddy (RET), Chris Metters (REL), Tom Allin (REL), Stuart Poynter (Durham)

Other news: Warwickshire had tried to sign Somerset's Jos Buttler and Essex's Maurice Chambers, but they decided to join Lancashire and Northants respectively instead.

Overseas player 2013: Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka); Andre Russell (West Indies)

Overseas player 2014: TBC

Ins: None

Outs: Neil Pinner (REL), Steve Leach (REL), Michael Johnson (REL), Aneesh Kapil (REL)

Other news: Graeme Cessford and Daryl Mitchell have signed new contracts.

Overseas player 2013: Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

Overseas player 2014: Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

Ins: None

Outs: Phil Jaques (REL)

Other news: Richard Pyrah and Ryan Sidebottom have signed new contracts, while former player Ian Fisher has returned to Headingley as strength and conditioning coach, a role he held at Essex.