James Anderson: Sachin Tendulkar is not my bunny

James Anderson strength has dismissed Sachin Tendulkar but the bowler insist that the Indian batting maestro is not his bunny and that he has no control over him.

Anderson got Tendulkar for the seventh time in Tests when he dismiss him leg before in the second innings of the second Test at Trent Bridge and for the second time in this series.

Only Muttiah Muralitharan has in use his Test wicket more times (eight) and he had 19 matches in which to try, compared to Anderson's eight.

"A lot of people are starting to talk about it, but I genuinely don't think I have anything over him," Anderson was quoted as saying in the Daily Express.

"It is truly nice to keep getting him out although and hopefully it will continue."

Anderson has been doing just that and with rising promptness. Since first taking Tendulkar's wicket in a Test in March 2006 (in Mumbai), he has grown to be a real thorn in the batsman's flesh.

Anderson detached Tendulkar thrice in 2007; at Lord's once and in both innings at The Oval.

He got him again in Mohali in December 2008 and now twice this year. If you include Anderson's clashes with Tendulkar in ODIs, the England paceman has got him another three times (twice in 2007 and in February this year in the World Cup tie in Bangalore) to take his total to 10.

The fast bowler feels his better self belief has made him a better bowler.

"There are still plenty of times like at Trent Bridge earlier in that second innings (Tendulkar made 56), when I felt like I had nowhere to bowl at him. He was beating me for boundary after boundary," Anderson said.

"With all players as good as he is, it is just a question of hanging in there and hoping that you bowl one too well for him."

If Test and ODI records are connected, it is Australian speedster Brett Lee who tops the list of getting Tendulkar, 14 times.

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'England tour hardest of my career'

Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday accepted that the current England Test series is one of the hardest tours of his career.

"If you consider injuries, fitness, form, everything, there are quite a few things to worry about. It's hard to recall (any other) but it's among the most difficult tour I've been concerned in," he told a press discussion ahead of the third Test starting on Wednesday.

The tour has placed strange demands on the mental faculties of Indian cricketers, more so on Dhoni who has been on the road for almost a year and who has the added liability of keeping and leading the side.

"More than that, it's the physical aspect. However, more and more you play, the more experienced you get to train your mind to get out of it; the measures what needs to be taken.

"Of course, it's not easy; there are different ways for different individuals. Some prefer to have additional nets while others prefer to take their mind off cricket. It's what suits an entity," he said.

He did not out rightly decline the idea of fielding four medium pacers on a green track at Edgbaston in the third test.

"The wickets so far haven't assist spinners. It pushes us to think if we can play four fast bowlers, the slow over-rate doesn't bother us, what's significant we select the eleven suited to the track," said the Indian captain.

India presently has four fit medium-pacers in S Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel. RP Singh, the substitute for Zaheer Khan, is yet to join the squad which in fact restricts the options for the tourists.

The other option of course would be to have either leg-spinner Amit Mishra or left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha make the playing eleven.

Despite opener Virender Sehwag's failure next to Northamptonshire in the warm-up match, Dhoni underlined the value the Delhi dasher brings to the side.

"There is no good reason why he shouldn't be playing. He is a dynamic player; he backs his instinct to play shots, irrespective of the bowler he is facing. He looks at the ball and gives it the action it deserves.

"He is a violent opener who has a big impact on opposition bowlers. He is a very good batsman to have in the side," he said.

Dhoni uttered anxiety on how his side failed to capitalise on the good positions between the 45th and 80th over during England's batting.

"We were in a position to control both games.

If we get into a similar situation, it's important we go in front and put further force on their batting which is quite deep.

It's significant how we bowl with the ball between 45-80 overs," he said.

Reacting to the riots in London and nearby areas, including Birmingham, Dhoni exposed he was shopping with a few other team-mates at the city centre before they returned and were then planning to leave for dinner when the violence broke out.

"Our security manager, Zaks told us it was better off if we stayed in hotel. It's sad (the riots), but there is not much we can do as persons or cricketers.

"There are worried authorities, as cricketers we even don't need to have a look at it. We should do what's in our control and that's preparing for the game. We are avoid things we can avoid," he said.

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Kamran Akmal vow to make a rejoinder

Depressed at losing out on a central contract, Kamran Akmal has vowed to make a comeback into the Pakistan side throughout strong presentation in domestic circuit.

Apart from Kamran, the PCB on Monday misplaced former captain Shoaib Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria from the list of 28 new centrally-contracted players for a six-month period - July to December this year.

"I'm extremely disappointed. I admit that it was my mistake but I think I deserve another chance. It's the Board's decision and I don't want to say much. I've earned the agreement for eight years and losing this one is not a big deal," he told express daily newspaper.

"The selectors were not content with my performance but I just need to keep on playing domestic cricket and establish my form to them. I'm 29 and fit so I feel that there's at least six years of cricket left in me," said Kamran, who has till date played 53 Tests and 137 ODIs for Pakistan.

"Everyone makes mistakes but the important thing is knowledge from them. I vow not to make them again. No wicket-keeper loves to drop catches," he said.

Kamran was in category 'A' of the PCB agreement for the first half of the year but has not been chosen for the national team after showing inconsistent form in the World Cup early this year.

He was replaced by Mohammad Salman for the West Indies tour. However, Salman was subsequently dropped after he failed to make an impression and Kamran's younger brother Adnan Akmal was recall to the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe.

Apart from Kamran, the PCB also did not honor central contract to the likes of former limited-over skipper Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar as they have announced their retirements from international cricket.

Meanwhile, another not needed Pakistani cricketer, Faisal Iqbal, has lashed out at the PCB after he was unnoticed from the list.

Faisal said he was being mistreated by the Board for being the nephew of former Pakistan captain, Javed Miandad, and that he deserved a bond based on his domestic performances.

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Afghans capitalize as Canada fall down

Canada lost a rush of late wickets to let Afghanistan to post a 17-run victory over their hosts in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

After rain clear in Toronto, the one-day international was reduced to a 20-overs-a-side game.

Afghanistan posted 150 all out in 18.3 overs, and Canada were in a location to push on for victory in the closing overs of their reply.

But from 121 for five after 16.4 overs, they lost four wickets inexpensively and ran out of time to reach their target, finishing stranded on 133 for nine.

Each innins feature two key aid, with Afghanistan first indebted to Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Nabi who scored 34 and 47 correspondingly. Both were swift-scoring, with opener Sadiq cracking four fours and a six in a 23-ball knock, and Nabi club one four and four sixes in an innings lasting 31 balls.

Three Canadian bowlers - Khurram Chohan, Harvir Baidwan and Rizwan Cheema - each claim three wickets.

Hiral Patel conquered the beat in the early stages of Canada's reply, hitting six fours and a six in a 39-ball innings of 43. Cheema, enjoying a fine match on a personal level, then struck three fours and two sixes as he reach 36 in 24 balls.

But neither man found important support, with Jimmy Hansra, who scored 10, the only other Canada batsman to reach double figures.

Spinner Samiullah Shenwari, who built-in Patel among his victims, had outstanding bowling figures of three for 16 from three overs.

The dismissals of Cheema with Canada’s team total on 112 prove a major blow.

Zubin Surkari was then sixth man down on 121, and with the total of 126 three batsman fell, with Usman Limbada, Baidwan and Chohan detached in the space of three balls spanning the 18th and 19th overs.

Victory completed a victorious trip to Canada for the Afghanistan team, after their nine-wicket victory in a four-day match and two-wicket win in the opening one-day international at King City.

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