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I am fit to play any form of cricket: Harbhajan

Harbhajan fit and ready to represent Mumbai Indians in the Champions League T20

New Delhi: Critics have ripped him apart in recent times for his poor form but an undeterred Harbhajan Singh says having a clear conscience and performing the role assigned to him by the team is what matters the most.

Harbhajan, who is now fit to play after being ruled out of the England series due to an abdominal muscle strain, insists he could not have taken over 400 Test wickets if he was not good enough at the highest level.

"All these years, I have maintained one thing. After a hard day's play, I go back to my hotel room and look at myself in the mirror. If I know that I have given my 100 percent, that's what matters to me", Harbhajan told PTI in an interview.

"More than what people believe, an individual is the best judge and I can't fool myself," said the 31-year-old off-spinner.

Harbhajan came back after the second Test match in England because of a Grade I abdominal muscle strain and had to undergo intense rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He is expected to make a comeback for Mumbai Indians in Champions League Twenty20.

"I started bowling even during my rehabilitation. Now I am bowling around 16-17 overs and gradually the workload would increase to 30 overs which is a standard number of overs sent down by a specialist spinner in a Test match," he explained.

When asked whether he is worried about facing a lot of criticism about playing in Champions League Twenty20 as he was injured during Test series, he replied: "No cricketer invites injuries. I was injured but now I am fit.

"Had there been any other tournament instead of CL T20, I would have even made myself available for that. I have been given a go-ahead by the doctors and physios and that's why I am getting ready for competitive cricket. For me, it's about playing any form of cricket," he explained.


Having seen numerous ups and downs in his 13-year-long international career which has seen him get 665 international wickets (406 in Tests and 259 in ODIs), Harbhajan has certainly learnt the art of keeping his chin-up in crisis situations.

There are people who have been writing him off but the fiesty off-spinner got 15 wickets in three Test matches in South Africa and 11 wickets in three Test matches in West Indies. His 70-odd proved crucial in India's Test win over West Indies. Before that he was adjudged man-of-the-series for his back-to-back centuries and 10 wickets against New Zealand.

"Just after one Test match, people start writing someone off as if he has not performed for 10 matches. If I hadn't been good, I wouldn't have got 400 Test wickets. I have seen a strange thing. When one gets five-for with full-tosses and long hops, he is a great bowler and if you go wicketless despite your best efforts, you are not considered good enough," he said with a touch of sarcasm.

Ask him who is the person he falls back on for technical suggestions, pat comes the reply: "Anil Kumble."

"Apart from Anil bhai, I also speak to our national selector Narendra Hirwani from whom I have got valuable inputs. Also speaking to legends like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar who are great players of spin bowling has helped me grow as a bowler. For me, it matters what my teammates feel about me."

Recently legendary off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna had publicly criticised him, terming his technique faulty which certainly didn't go down well considering Harbhajan's record in international cricket for close to a decade and a half.

"Well, if he (Prasanna) feels that way about me, little can I do about it. He is entitled to have his own opinion. But with all humility, I would like to point out that with 25 to 30 percent accuracy as he (Prasanna) has stated, you can't get 400 plus Test wickets."

He admitted that India didn't play well in England but one series can't undo all the good work done by Team India.

"We had just one bad series. This is the same set of players who took you to No 1 ranking in Tests, won the World Cup. We will fight back and it's an earnest request please don't write us off," he added.

News from - http://sports.in.msn.com/cricket/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5434206

ICC approve World Cup qualifying system

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, pictured in February 2011. Cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a new system of qualifying for the 2015 World Cup here on Monday.

Cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a new system of qualifying for the 2015 World Cup here on Monday.

It is a result of a humiliating u-turn by the ICC after they had originally announced that the 2015 tournament would be just contested by the 10 Test-playing countries.

However, following a negative reaction to that they have decided to organise qualifying which will see four second tier countries end up fighting out the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

There will be a new 50-over League introduced which will serve as the qualifying programme for the World Cup.

The top two teams in the eight team 50-over League will qualify automatically for the World Cup and the remainder of the teams will be joined by the teams finishing third and fourth in the World Cricket League Division 2.

The top two teams will compete in the new League to decide the remaining two qualifiers. The event will take place at a venue and on a date still to be decided.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons was delighted with the announcement as his side would be among the favourites to fill one of the spots - they have a rich recent World Cup pedigree having beaten Pakistan four years ago and then England this year in the group stages.

"It certainly gives all the one-day games in the league some extra spice, and there's sure to be some high-pressure games as the league progresses," said Simmons.

The competition has already begun, and Ireland are up and running.

"We've got off to a good start beating Namibia twice, and we'll be looking to add to that with wins against Canada," said Simmons, a former West Indies opening batsman.

"We've tried to schedule the games to give ourselves the best chance of having everyone available, which isn't always easy."

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said that this system would enable all countries no matter what level they were at the moment.

"This will provide exciting context for the new 50-over League with every one of the Associate and Affiliate teams able to make their way from Division eight of the World Cricket League all the way to the ICC Cricket World Cup finals," said Lorgat.

While the 2015 World Cup will be a 14-team competition the 2019 World Cup will be a scaled-down 10-team event, with the top eight places being awarded to the top-ranked teams and two berths being awarded in a pre-qualifying tournament.

News from - http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/44646/icc-approve-world-cup-qualifying-system

Trott named ICC cricketer of the year

Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott were named Test player of the Year and Player of the Year respectively at a ceremony hosted by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), on Monday.

Cook - the 26-year-old opener who was appointed one day captain after the World Cup this year - shone during the year peaking with a masterly 294 in the third Test victory over India in August, though, that fell outside the time frame for the award.

It was his third Test century in six matches and 19th in all, and he is now just three shy of England's all-time record Test century total.

It represents quite a turnaround in the genial Cook's fortunes as a year ago he was close to being dropped before reviving his career with a hundred against Pakistan at The Oval.

It proved to be the springboard for a triumphant tour of Australia where he scored 766 runs, including three centuries, as England won the Ashes 3-1.

During the performance period, he played 12 Tests and in 18 innings, he compiled 1,302 runs at an average of 51.74, including six centuries and four half-centuries.

His highest score of 235 not out against Australia at Brisbane helped his team towards series victory as it won the Ashes away from home for the first time since the 1986-87 season.

The independent voting academy of 25 cricket experts put Cook first, ahead of an impressive group of players that had been short-listed, including England team-mates Trott and James Anderson, as well as Jacques Kallis of South Africa, who previously won this award in 2005.

"I think the highlight of year was when we won in Sydney, to beat Australia and Chris Tremlett to take that final wicket it was truly a great year," said Cook.

"This award is about the rest of the team not just me."

The ICC later named Trott as their cricketer of the year.

"I never envisaged winning this award and it's a brilliant feeling to be recognised," Trott said.

Trott, who alongside Cook was a bedrock of England's victory in Australia last winter with 445 runs, took the award ahead of fellow short-list nominees Sachin Tendulkar and Hashim Amla.

After receiving the award at a dinner, Trott spoke of his delight at an accolade that honoured not just his but England's achievements over the last 12 months.

Asked for his favourite memory, the South Africa-born batsman had no hesitation nominating not one of his innings but his run-out of Australia's Simon Katich on the first morning of the second Test in Adelaide.

"That run-out in the first over of the game - it was the first time I've ever got to run around a cricket field like a football striker scoring a goal," he said.

"That was the best highlight for me - although I have to say as a team Melbourne was special."

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara became the second-ever recipient of the People's Choice Award apart from being named as the ODI cricketer of the year.

During the performance period, he played 25 ODIs and compiled 1,049 runs at an average of 55.21, including one century and seven half-centuries. As wicketkeeper, he also took 36 victims comprising 26 catches and 10 stumpings.

Sangakkara was unable to attend the awards due to playing in the recently completed Test match against Australia in Pallekele. Upon hearing the news he said: "It's a great honour first of all to have been nominated for this award and a great honour to have actually won it.

"I would like to thank the rest of my teammates, they have done a great job over the years in one-day cricket and I am privileged to be part of this and led these guys for just over two years. I thank you again, I feel very very proud."

Meanwhile, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the 'Spirit of Cricket' award for agreeing to allow Ian Bell to continue batting when he was run out in controversial circumstances during the second Test at Trent Bridge in July 2011.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "While the initial appeal and umpire decision were correct to the letter of the law, the decision by Mahendra and his team to withdraw the appeal shows great maturity. To see players and officials uphold the Great Spirit of cricket, which has underpinned the game for more than a century, is very special."

The award winners: 

Player of the year: Jonathan Trott (England)

Test Player of the year: Alastair Cook (England)

ODI Player of the year: Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Women cricketer of the year: Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)

Umpire of the year: Aleem Dar (Pakistan)

Best Twenty20 performance of the year: Tim Southee (New Zealand) - for taking 5-18 v Pakistan

Associate and Affiliate Player of the year: Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)

Spirit of Cricket award: MS Dhoni (India)

Emerging player of the year: Devendra Bishoo (West Indies)

News from - http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/44658/trott-named-icc-cricketer-of-the-year

Microsoft Windows 8: Here's What We Know So Far

Details about Windows 8, Microsoft's newest operating system expected in 2012, have been leaking out thanks largely to Microsoft previews and a stream of blog posts on the company's Building Windows 8 blog.

The new OS is said to be Microsoft's biggest Windows refresh since Windows 95, when desktop PCs reigned supreme and most laptops cost nearly $3000. Now, Microsoft wants to update Windows for a consumer technology world that is obsessed with online services and touch-centric devices such as the iPad and Android smartphones.

Windows 8: TL;DR* (*Too Long; Didn't Read)

So far, Microsoft has detailed a brand new touch interface for Windows 8 with the traditional desktop UI hiding underneath. The new OS also will run on both ARM and Intel processors, opening up a range of Windows 8-powered devices such as desktops, laptops, and tablets.

Windows 8 also is expected to have an OS X-style Mac App Store, and should include further integration with Microsoft's growing range of online services such as SkyDrive, Office 365, and the free Office Web apps. Other improvements include USB 3.0 support and an overhauled version of Explorer, Windows' file management tool.

Here's a look at everything we know so far about Window 8.

Get in Touch With Windows 8

The most dramatic change for Windows 8 is Microsoft's emphasis on a new Windows Phone 7-inspired touch interface. Windows 8's new start screen has large panels that are ideal for touchscreens, but that also can be manipulated by a mouse.

The Microsoft Windows 8 start screen

The traditional Windows interface with the start button, task bar, and desktop is still available and will come up any time you load a legacy app such as Microsoft Excel 2010. You can also run new Windows 8 touchable apps alongside traditional Windows apps. Microsoft said HTML and JavaScript will be the primary development language for new Windows 8 apps.

ARM and Intel

Windows 8's touch-centric interface may give traditional mouse-and-keyboard desktop fans the chills, but the new UI could help Microsoft compete in the tablet arena. Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft will design its operating system to work not only with Intel's x86 chip architecture, but also with ARM processors. ARM chips are very popular in the mobile device market and should help Microsoft's partners put Windows 8 on a range of so-called post-PC devices such as tablets.

An ARM processorThe big question, however, is whether people will be willing to give ARM-based Windows devices a chance. Apple's iPad is the most dominant device in the new generation of one-panel touch tablets. And the consensus among critics and device makers is that people are looking for slates running mobile operating systems such as iOS, Android, and the QNX-based OS on the Blackberry PlayBook. Can Microsoft succeed in the tablet arena by offering Windows with a new touch overlay? I guess we'll find out in 2012.

App Store

You can expect to see an integrated app store in Windows 8 that should let you download new software for your device with just one click. Earlier in August, Microsoft revealed on the Building Windows 8 blog the details of various engineering teams working on the new OS, and the list included an "App Store" team. It's not clear what the app store team is working on, but chances are it will be a product similar to the Mac App Store available for Mac PCs running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and 10.7 (Lion).

App Preview

Speaking of Apps, some Microsoft partners are already hard at work designing touch-based apps for Windows 8 tablets. ZDNet uncovered a purported early design for a USA Today Windows 8 app that has a very Metro UI look and feel to it.

A mock-up of a Windows 8 app

Another Windows 8 mock-up shows an app presumably designed with in-flight entertainment consoles in mind that offers access to news, weather, and videos.

Clouds in Windows 8

Also part of Microsoft's list of Windows 8 engineering teams was a group called "Windows Online." It's not clear what that team might be doing, but there are a large number of online services that Microsoft could integrate into Windows 8, such as Office 365, Office Web Apps, Windows Live and Azure. Some integration with these so-called cloud services already exists, but there are still annoying shortcomings in Windows such as an easy way to mount your SkyDrive as a local drive accessible via Windows Explorer. Dropbox can do it, so why can't Microsoft?

USB 3.0 Support

USB 3.0 promises data transfer speeds that are up to 10 times faster than the current USB 2.0 standard, and USB 3.0 also uses less power than its predecessor. You can already take advantage of speedier USB 3.0 ports in Windows 7 thanks to third-party drivers. But starting with Windows 8, Microsoft plans on including native support for USB 3.0.

Windows Explorer: File Management Basics

The new interface for file copy information in Windows 8Microsoft has spent a fair amount of time recently talking about its overhauls to Windows Explorer for the next iteration of Windows. The new Windows Explorer will improve its file management basics such as copy, move, rename, and delete functions, which make up 50 percent of Explorer's usage in Windows 7.

The new interface puts all your basic file management functions into one window instead of having separate windows for each function. This will make it easier and more efficient to handle moving around several large files at once, such as photos and videos.

If you're copying or moving files, you can also get an expanded view to see throughput graphs and how many bits have already been transferred. Microsoft also claims its time estimates to completion will be more accurate in Windows 8.

Finally, Microsoft has improved the filename collision dialog to make it easier to figure out which files you'll be overwriting when a new file has the same name as a file already sitting in your destination folder.

Exploring Ribbons

The Windows 8 version of Explorer is also getting Microsoft's ribbon interface in a bid to make the file management tool more touch friendly, efficient, expose useful commands, and to reintroduce popular Explorer features from Windows XP. Microsoft has also optimized the new Explorer for widescreen displays and will add about 200 keyboard shortcuts for power users.

Explorer gets the ribbon interface in Windows 8.

The new Windows 8 Explorer will have three main tabs--Home, Share, and View--along with a File menu on the far left side. Explorer's primary Home tab in Windows 8 includes 84 percent of the commands users employ most often, Microsoft says, such as "Move to" and "Copy to" for moving and copying files. Microsoft has also exposed the command "Copy path" for people who want to paste a file path into another Explorer window to access a file quickly or email a link to a file sitting on a corporate server.

The Share tab offers one-click access to the "Email" and "Zip" commands, as well as other options such as "Burn to disc," print and, in a nod to the 1990s, fax. The new Explorer will also show you who has access to a currently selected file on your HomeGroup or enterprise network.

Explorer's new File menu gives power users quick access to the command prompt as well as an option to open the command prompt as an administrator. Both options open a C prompt with the file path set to your currently selected folder such as My Documents or Desktop.

There are also contextual menus in Windows 8's Explorer that only show up when you are doing specific tasks. If you open up Explorer to look at photos, for example, under the "Manage" tab you'll see options to rotate the currently selected photo, start a slideshow, or set a photo as your background.

Opening up an Explorer window to look at your computer's connected drives will give you options to format, optimize, and clean up your hard drive, eject an external thumb drive, or activate Windows' Autoplay feature. Windows 8's Explorer will also include XP's 'Up' button that allows you to move backwards through your file directories.

That's all for now, but Microsoft is expected to reveal more details about Windows 8 during the company's BUILD conference that starts September 13 in Anaheim, CA. We'll keep an eye on Microsoft's blogs for more Windows 8 news.

News from - http://www.pcworld.com/article/239131/microsoft_windows_8_heres_what_we_know_so_far.html