Wisdem In India

                                                                 

Bloomsbury launches Wisden into India

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is pleased to announce it has signed a long term licensing deal with leading sports and entertainment management firm FidelisWorld FZ LLC for the rights to Wisden India. Rights will also extend to the regions of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Middle East and North America.

A central foundation of Wisden India will be an annual book aimed squarely at the burgeoning Indian market. It will focus on all areas of the Indian game – including Test matches, One Day Internationals, the IPL and domestic cricket – while sharing the same qualities as Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. A new pool of writers is expected to include some great Indian players as well as respected journalists. Some of the most distinguished names in cricket from Sir Neville Cardus and Sir Donald Bradman to Richie Benaud and Mike Atherton have contributed to past editions of Wisden.

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Sebastian Vettal Become First Man To Win Indian Grand Prix

Red Bull's champion Sebastian Vettal become the first man who won F1 Indian grand Prix which was held at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida on October 28 to 30 of 2011

Some Important things about the BIC

*Race Date: 28 Nov to 30 Nov

*Circuit Length: 5.125 Kms

*Race Distance:307.294 Kms

*No. of Laps: 60

*Circuit Name:Buddh International Circuit(Delhi)

*Lap Record: 1.27.249

* Name of Winner: Sebastian Vettel(Germany)

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India thrashed again, slip to number three in Test rankings

London: Sachin Tendulkar came agonisingly close to a phenomenal 100th international century before a pathetic India slumped to an innings and eight runs defeat in the fourth and final cricket Test to give a ruthless England a resounding 4-0 series win here today.

Needing to bat out the entire fifth day to save the game, Tendulkar (91) led a spirited fightback alongwith Amit Mishra (84) but the complexion of the game changed dramatically after their dismissals as the visitors lost as many as seven wickets for a mere 21 runs to be all out for 283 in the second innings just at the stroke of tea.
With this emphatic victory, England officially crowned themselves the number one team in Test rankings with 125 points followed by South Africa with 118 points.
The Indians, who started the series as the number one Test team, surrendered the number one tag after losing the third Test in Birmingham and have now slipped to the number three position following the 4-0 whitewash.
Spinner Graeme Swann was the wrecker-in-chief for England with with impressive figures of six for 106 while Stuart Broad chipped in with two wickets.
Resuming at the overnight total of 129 for three, Tendulkar and Mishra raised hopes of drawing the game as the duo put on 144 runs for the fourth wicket but Mishra's departure virtually opened up the floodgates as none of the Indian batsmen showed the determination to hang around for long.
The visitors suffered a stunning collapse, losing their last seven wickets for 21 runs, a reflection of the caputilation which has been a feature right through the series.

Tendulkar and Mishra, who resumed this morning, continued the good work for the first 40 minutes after lunch but then both were gone in quick succession.
Mishra started the rot when he played inside the line to a Graeme Swann delivery and his off-stump was pegged back.
The gusty knock by the leg-spinner lasted for 184 minutes and 141 balls and his 84 runs included 10 fours.
From the other end, India suffered the double blow when Tendulkar was given out leg before wicket which appeared a harsh decision as the Tim Bresnan delivery appeared to be heading down the leg stump.
Television replays showed that the ball would have hit the top of the leg stump.
Tendulkar made his 91 runs in 239-minutes and 172-ball innings, slamming 11 fours. It was not the best of his knock as he was dropped on scores of 70 and 85 off Swann and there was also a stumping against the off-spinner which went abegging last night.
India?s innings unfolded quickly as Suresh Raina took his second duck from the match, out again to Swann but this time leg-before-wicket.
England claimed the second new ball as soon as it was due and its? effect was immediately apparent. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (3) slashed at a wide delivery from Stuart Broad and was caught at second slip.
RP Singh departed in the same over when he edged an outswinger into the gloves of wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

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Tiger Woods’ ex-mistress Jamie Jungers busted for DUI

 Tiger Woods’ fourth mistress Jamie Jungers has reportedly been arrested in Las Vegas after she got involved in a car accident while driving under the influence (DUI).

Law enforcement sources said that Jungers was involved in the car crash on the corner of Tropicana and Lindell, which is very close to the Vegas strip, TMZ. com reported.
Jungers was charged with driving on a suspended registration, having no proof of insurance, and driving under the influence.
She was taken into custody and has since posted bond. (ANI)

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Gerrard backs Suarez to outshine Tevez as Premier League’s South American star

 Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has backed team-mate Luis Suarez to become the top South American player in the Premier League, and prove that he is a better striker than Carlos Tevez.
“Luis is a special player, he really is. He’s so good. His movement, his touch, his awareness and the way he takes his goals is fantastic,” the Daily Express quoted Gerrard, as saying.
“It’s natural you are going to compare him to Tevez because of his build, his shape and the way he plays. But I think he can go on to be even better,” he added.
Manchester City’s Argentine star Tevez had emerged as the outstanding overseas player in England last year after he scored 24 goals and led the team win the FA Cup and qualify for the Champions League.
Suarez was superb after joining Liverpool last season and was player of the tournament as Uruguay won the Copa America this summer. 

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Pak wants to host tennis Fed Cup

 The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has requested the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to allow them to host next year's Fed Cup.
Pakistan, which is placed in the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania group II, participated in the event after a decade this year.
PTF's acting president Irshad Bhatti said that hosting the event would help Pakistan progress to the next round.
"We are taking inspiration from the Pakistan Football Federation. FIFA approved Lahore as venue for the World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh so we also requested the ITF to allow us to host the Fed Cup," The Express Tribune quoted Bhatti, as saying.
Pakistan has produced many sporting stars right from the Independence and the history of Pakistan tennis can''t be completed without mentioning the name of Haq Brothers - Inamul Haq, Islamul Haq, Hameedul Haq and Ikramul Haq.
It was reported earlier that the PTF had issued its four-year developmental plan for the promotion of the game, aiming at winning a spot in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro.
The country is currently ranked 57th in Davis Cup, the premier international team event in men's tennis, while placed at No. 78 in Fed Cup, a premier team competition in women's tennis. (ANI)

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Tiger Woods loses yet another major sponsor Tag Heuer

 Tiger Woods lost his missus, his numero uno rank and his reputation following the revelation of his sex scandals. Now he has suffered yet another setback after his major sponsor Tag Heuer dropped him from their list.
According to Golf World, Luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer ended its terms with the World No. 18 golfer when his current contract `expired', reports the Telegraph.
The contract is said to be worth more than 10million dollars and the Swiss firm is the sixth major sponsor to drop Woods following revelations about his personal life two years ago.
The Swiss watchmaker suspended the use of Woods' image in the US after his extramarital affairs came to the limelight.
Previously sponsors like Gillette, Gatorade, Accenture, AT and T and Golf Digest already had deserted the world's most famous golfer. 

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Tremlett eyeing 4-0 Test series whitewash over India

England fast bowler Chris Tremlett has called on his teammates to seal their ascent to the top of the Test rankings with a series whitewash over India.
England will become the new World No. 1 Test team if they win the third Test at Edgbaston, which starts on Wednesday, and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-match series

"We need to concentrate on the next game and then what comes after that will be our next challenge. But even if it's still a long way away, we hope to be in a position to win 4-0," the Daily Express quoted Tremlett, as saying.
Tremlett had missed the second Test at Trent Bridge due to back and hamstring problems.
He further said that he finds losing out on the odd game now is easier to deal with than it would have been four years ago.
"If I had lost my place four years ago I would have got quite down on myself and quite depressed but I'm not now," the fast bowler said.
"The great thing is that someone like Bressie can come in and do a good job, and that makes you more hungry. I am disappointed not to have played at Trent Bridge, but I feel positive about getting back," he added. (ANI)

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Australia announce under-19 cricket squad for India tour

Cricket Australia (CA) Monday announced a 14-member under-19 squad for a three-week tour to India that also involves Sri Lanka.
National talent manager Greg Chappell, a former Australian captain, said: "The Youth Selection Panel (YSP) has made a number of changes to the squad that played matches against the West Indies in Dubai in April as some who were not there are now available for selection. Unfortunately, CA-contracted player Patrick Cummins is not one of those players, due to his ongoing recovery from a back injury."
Chappell said the new players coming in provide the YSP and coach David Fitzgerald a great opportunity to give international experience to a wide range of talented youngsters with the ultimate focus being the ICC Youth World Cup in Australia in 2012.
"Cameron Bancroft and James Peirson starred in the matches in April and since then both have been away with the AIS team to Chennai, India. Our view is that their games have continued to improve and these matches give them an opportunity to show off their skills. Fast bowler Dom McGlinchey, from Geelong, is a new member of the under-19 squad and impressed us on recent state visits to Victoria, which were attended by Australian bowling coach Craig McDermott. Dom also attended the Kerry Packer scholarship camp at the COE earlier this year," Chappell added.
The role of captain will be shared throughout the tour. The tour of Indiawill commence Sep 22. However, exact match dates and venues are yet to be confirmed at this stage.
Squad: Cameron Bancroft, Sebastian Gotch, Kurtis Patterson, Nicholas Stevens, James Peirson, Travis Head, Joel Paris, Alex Pyecroft, Corey Ogle, Dominic McGlinchey, Brad Chard, Ashton Turner, Shane Cassell, William Bosisto. (IANS)

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Former Pak cricketers want Afridi’s return to resolve captaincy crisis

The all-rounder, who led Pakistan for over a year including in the World Cup earlier this year, announced his retirement from international cricket after citing differences with the PCB and said that he would not return under the current setup.

Former Pakistani cricketers believe that the return of Shahid Afridi as the captain of the team could resolve the crisis plaguing the team, especially at a time when the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) is trying to find a replacement for current skipper Misbahul Haq.

While the PCB did not announce a deputy to Misbah for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour, reports have suggested that the board is considering grooming a player as the future leader of the team.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis had also expressed his concern over the matter, urging the board to groom a young captain. Misbah also admitted that he would not be able to play for a long time.
Former Pakistani players, however, have demanded for a long tern option, saying that the return of Afridi is the best immediate solution, The Express Tribune reports.
"Afridi's return can resolve this issue. When he does, a new captain can be groomed under him. Afridi has at least four years of cricket left in him and he'll have ample time to groom a youngster unlike Misbah. In the best interest of the team both parties [PCB and Afridi] should show some flexibility and find a solution," former chief selector Iqbal Qasim has said.
Former captain Wasim Akram also stressed the need for Afridi's return.
"I won't speak much on the issue but Afridi is needed. He has a lot of cricket left in him and he can still do a lot for the Pakistan team," Akram said, while former fast-bowler Jalauddin said that "the PCB has not displayed good planning as it selects and drops players on an agenda. The board should seek the combined advice of the game's technocrats, which will be helpful." (ANI)

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A.P CHESS PLAYERS, HARIKA AND HARIKRISHNA WIN

harika

In the Asian individual chess championshipbeing held at Mashad in
Iran, Andhra Pradesh chess players Dronavalli Harika and Pentela
Harikrishna registered their third wins.

In a fifth round match held here on Friday, Harika won against Nafisa
Muminova of Uzbekistan with 46 moves. Grandmaster Harikrishna needed
96 moves to beat Kazakistan grandmaster Rinath Jumabayev.

In the fourth round, Harika had lost to Mongolia’s Munguntul Batkuyaag
in 25 moves while Harikrishna had drawn against Jiang Ji Bu of China
in 41 moves.

Now Harikrishna has four points in his account and Harika has three and a half.

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Chennai To Host World Chess Championships

World Chess Champion Vishwanathan Anand will clash with Israel’s Boris Galfind in the final of the 2012 World Chess Championship. This contest will be held in Chennai. This is the first time that that this championship is going to be hosted by India.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalitha has on Wednesday accepted the proposal to host the championship in Chennai in April or May next year, following her meeting with the chief of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), Mr. Kirsan Iliyumajinov. Hosting the tournament is expected to cost about 20 crore rupees to the exchequer.

Anand and Galfind are expected to fight 12 rounds. The one who wins the most number of rounds will be proclaimed the World Champion. In 2010, Anand had defeated Bulgaria’s Veselyn Topalov in Bulgaria by 6.5-5.5 to win the title. Now he will be defending his title against 43-year-old Galfind, who had earned eligibility for the World Championship final by winning the Candidates tournament.

India is seventh in the world chess rankings. 24 chess players from India are grandmasters of whom 10 are from Tamil Nadu.

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Sashi Wins, India Draws With Hungary

Hungary

Ningbo [China]. Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran started the World Team Chess Championship on Sunday with a win. With this India has been able to draw with Hungary 2-2 in first round.Russia beat the U.S. 3-1.

Sasikiran defeated Almasi Jolton of Hungary. Before that, the board’s top player Peter Leko and P Harikrishna shared points while N. Gopal shared points with Balog Sabah. But Surya Sekhar Ganguly suffered defeat at the hands of the world’s best female player Judith Polgar . Armenia defeated Israel 3.5 to 0.5 in this PremierWorld Championships and took an early lead. The Israeli team has entered this tournament without their star player BorisAbramovich Gelfand, who will be challenging World Champion Vishwanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship to be held in Chennai in 2012.

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A New Queen At Wimbledon

Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic has won theWimbledon Singles Women’s title with a nerveless ease. In the finals played on Saturday she won the match against the favourite and fifth seeded, Maria Sharapovaof Russia in straight sets. This was the first grand slam title win for the eighth seeded Czech who is said to think of herself as a “jeans and T-shirt” girl.

This 21-year-old left hander comfortably outplayed the Russian beauty 6-3, 6-4. She happens to be the third lady from the Czech Republic to win the Wimbledon singles women’s title. Her compatriots Martina Navratilova (nine time title winner) and Jana Novotnahave won the titles earlier. Both of them were present in the royal box of the centre court during the finals. Kvitova has never before reached the finals of a grand slam event. She won the title in style by scoring the first ace of the match in the tenth game of the second set. After winning the trophy she said,”I have no words to describe my happiness as two all time greats of the game were watching the match from the royal box. It feels good to know that they were cheering for me during the match. It was unbelievable.”

For the 2004 champion and the fifth seed Sharapova the defeat was disappointing. A face that is said to have launched a thousand advertisement campaigns and the world’s highest earning sportswoman was easily outsmarted by a lesser known lady who didn’t have much faith in her abilities. Sharapova was a strong contender to win her fourth grand slam title. After losing the finals she said,”It feels good to return to this dias and lift the runner up trophy. But I wanted to win the title today. One day I will definitely add another Wimbledon title to my kitty.”

Kvitova has become the youngest Wimbledon champion since Sharapova won this title as a 17-year-old in 2004.

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Bhupathi-Vesnina Lose In The Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Finals

Bhupathi and Vesnina

Fourth seeded India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Russia’s Elena Vesnina have lost in the mixed doubles finals of Wimbledon to Jurgen Meljar of Australia and Iveta Benasova of the Czech Republic in straight sets. For Vesnina this was the second successive loss in a grandslam final. She had lost in the French Open women’s doubles finals with Sania Mirza last month. Even Bhupathi’s dream of winning a grandslam title after 2009 was shattered.

The duo of Bhupathi and Vesnina lost to the ninth seeded duo in just 51 minutes by 3-6, 2-6. Bhupathi hasn’t won a grandslam title after January 2009. He had won the Australian Open mixed doubles title in 2009 alongwith Sania Mirza. He has to his credit four men’s doubles and seven mixed doubles grandslam titles. His men’s doubles partner Leander Paes has won 12 grandslam titles (six men’s doubles and six mixed doubles each).

Earlier Bhupathi and Vesnina had won the semifinal duel against Australia’s Paul Henle and China’s Wei Seeh while Jurgen and Iveta had defeated the eighth seeded duo of Canada’s Daniel Nester and China’s Yung Jon in the other semifinal to make it to the finals.

The victorious Australian-Czech duo didn’t lose a single set in the entire tournament and maintained pressure on their opponents with their brilliant serves and returns.

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Nobody There To Take My Place – Sania Mirza

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza has ruled out retiring from tennis and she said that there was nobody to take her place as of now. But she has expressed a desire that when she bids adieu to tennis there should be atleast one lady player from India who can create ripples at the grandslam tournaments.

Speaking at a function in Indore tennis club Sania said,”I don’t find the future of tennis in India very encouraging. This is no secret. I see no player from India in the near future who can do well at tournaments abroad after me.” She said,”One day I too have to retire from this game.” She felt that the future of men’s tennis was more encouraging. “After Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna now we have Somdev Devvarman who is doing well in international tournaments” she said.

She said that she was saddened by the latest doping scandal in Indian athletics and felt especially bad for the women athletes. She said,”Until the charges against them are proved they should not be treated like criminals. If found guilty they should definitely be punished. Talking about tennis coaches she said,”We need good coaches as there are many budding tennis players in the country. Though we have coaches but they lack international exposure.”

Talking about improving the sporting interaction between India and Pakistan, she said,”Everyone wants to see good relations between the two countries. I know that even the players feel so.” She said that when her husband Shoaib Malik plays cricket in India, he feels at home. In a lighter vein she said that even if India and Pakistan fight in a marbles’ competition, the game would be exciting.

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Dhyan Chand Should Be Given The Bharat Ratna Before Sachin – Shivraj

Sachin Tendulkar Bharat Ratna Award

Bhopal ..Even if the sporting fraternity in the country is demanding that Sachin Tendulkar be given the Bharat Ratna, BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhandoes not support it. According to him, Sachin Tendulkar is a great player, and the number of his fans are in the millions, yet there is no urgent need to immediately give him the Bharat Ratna. If a sportsperson is eligible for the first Bharat Ratna, it is definitely not Sachin Tendulkar, according to him. According to him Major Dhyan Chand, the Indian hockey wizard of yesteryears is the most eligible sportsperson for this award at this time.

Mr.Chauhan has demanded that Major Dhyan Chand be bestowed with this honour before Sachin Tendulkar.

He said that the wizard of hockey had brought great fame to the country from around the world. He felt that though Sachin Tendulkar is great and is an icon for millions, the ’ Bharat Ratna ’ should rightfully be awarded to Major Dhyan Chand, before Tendulkar.

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Huge Demand For Tickets For The Edgebaston Test

After England’s phenomenal success in the Lord’s and the Trentbridge tests, there seems to cricket fever all over England. Crowds are reported to be queuing up for the tickets for the third test match that starts atEdgbaston on August 10. Such fervour is usually seen in the Ashes series.

England is 2-0 up in the series and if it wins one more test in this series they become the number one in tests. On the final day of both the first two tests there were record crowds in the stadia in anticipation of an English win. The English crowds are said to be expecting the same from their team in the third test.

According to an official of the Edgbaston Cricket groundalready 85,000 tickets have been sold. He said that the tickets for the first three days have been sold out and people are now queuing up for the tickets for the fourth and fifth days. The locals are said to be very happy with the performance of the England team and hence this huge soar in demand for the tickets.

The Indian team maybe down but not definitely out despite the loss in the first two tests. With a few changes the Indian team too is said to be all geared up for the crucial test. Team India is expected to go all out to maintain its supremacy as the number one amongst test playing nations.

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India expect great things from Sehwag's return

Mumbai: Former India players are united in their belief that Virender Sehwag's return from injury will stabilise the team's fragile batting order and lift morale in the remaining two Tests against a dominant England.
The dashing opener has been sidelined since undergoing shoulder surgery in May, keeping the 32-year-old out of the tour of the West Indies and India's first two Tests against England.

India, 2-0 down in the four-match series, had looked nothing like the world's number one-ranked team in the Lord's and Trent Bridge Tests but that could change with the return of the explosive right-hander, according to Anshuman Gaekwad.

"It is almost going to be like a new series. To have Sehwag and (Gautam) Gambhir back... It will give a lot of confidence to the team," the former India international and coach said.

Sehwag's opening partner Gambhir injured his elbow while fielding at Lord's and missed the 319-run defeat at Trent Bridge but is likely to return to the starting lineup for the third Test beginning on Aug. 10 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

The injuries to the top order forced India to tinker with the batting lineup, placing Rahul Dravid in a makeshift opener's role and VVS Laxman up the order at number three.

"In a Test match, it is of utmost necessity to have a good start. Their return will be a big relief for the captain and the team," emphasised the former India opener, who played 40 Test matches from 1975-85.

Sehwag has 22 hundreds in 87 Test appearances but it his strike rate of almost 82 runs per 100 deliveries that make him one of the most intimidating batsmen in cricket.

Former captain Ajit Wadekar said Sehwag's return would ease the pressure on India's "Big Three" - Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman.

"Sehwag coming back itself is enough to boost the morale of the team. We never had a solid opening partnership in the series," Wadekar, the former chief of national selectors, said by phone.

Reaching No.1 spot is not the end of the journey: Swann 

"If our openers do their bit, batsmen down the order will start gaining in confidence."

Sehwag's audacious strokeplay might be the ideal counter-attacking ploy the team needed to recover from the heavy defeats and avoid a two-clear Test series defeat that would enable England to leapfrog India at the top of the rankings.

"The opposition bowlers also get disheartened by Sehwag's presence," the 70-year old Wadekar said.

India will play a two-day tour game against Northamptonshire starting on Friday and it will be Sehwag's only chance to acclimatise himself to the conditions before the third Test starts on Aug. 10.

"I don't know how much practice he will get. He has been out for so long after the injury. Hope he acclimatises quickly with the conditions there," Wadekar, who led India to series victories in West Indies and England in 1971, said.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly also doubted whether Sehwag had enough time to get match fit.

"It has to be seen whether the dynamic opener has had enough cricket or whether the Northants game is enough to get him ready for Birmingham," Ganguly wrote in his column on Thursday.

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Zimbabwe return to Test cricket after six years

Harare: Zimbabwe made a return to Test cricket after six years as they faced Bangladesh at the Harare Sports Club here Thursday.

Haroon Lorgat, Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), ...

Zimbabwe's return could well be termed dramatic after their captain Tatenda Taibu slammed the country's cricket board on the eve of the Test match saying the administrators have not done enough for the sport.

India expect great things from Sehwag's return

The African nation voluntarily withdrew from playing in the longer format in 2005 and its performance in the international arena has deteriorated since then. But with former players like Grant Flower and Heath Streak coming onto Zimbabwe's cricket scene, things seem to be going in the right direction.

International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO Haroon Lorgat, who is here for the match, says Zimbabwe's return is a good thing to have happened for Test cricket.

"To have Zimbabwe return to playing competitive Test cricket is a progressive step and I hope we will see good performances," Lorgat said in release.

"The future of Test cricket must be supported and I am encouraged by the positive signs of recovery we see in the game in Zimbabwe. It is incumbent on the entire cricket community to work together to promote Test cricket and that is why I wish to support this Test match.

"Much has been done to improve cricket in Zimbabwe, especially in the past two years. It has been fantastic to see some experienced and talented individuals becoming deeply involved, including former players such as Heath Streak, Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell along with Zimbabwe Cricket's chairman Peter Chingoka and chief executive Ozias Bvute."

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