Cook upset at Twenty20 skipper snub

Cardiff (Wales), Sep. 16 : England one-day captain Alastair Cook has admiited to being upset over Graeme Swann being made the national team’s stand-in Twenty20 captain, as he wanted the job himself to go with his permanent leadership of the 50-over team.
Speaking before today''s final one-dayer against India in Cardiff, The Sun quoted Cook, as saying: "I was disappointed — you are when your name''s in the hat and it doesn''t go your way. I think part of the reason was that the selectors did not want to disturb the opening partnership of Craig Kieswetter and Alex Hales.”
"It''s disappointing but you can''t overly worry about selection. It has given a chance to Graeme and he''ll do a good job. He thinks about the game when he is bowling so it should be quite easy for him against West Indies,” he added.
"I don''t know if he''ll be an orthodox or adventurous captain but he''ll probably try a few things," Cook said of Swann.

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Giggs’ sis-in-law ex-lover spotted lingerie shopping following boob job

London, Sept 16 : Ryan Giggs’ sister-in-law and alleged long-term lover, Natasha, who has been keeping low profile since being caught up in the Manchester United star’s sex scandals, was spotted lingerie shopping in Manchester recently. The 28-year-old visited Agent Provocateur in the city''s centre where she had a wander round and checked out the expensive underwear, reports the Daily Mail.
Wearing a plain white vest top and tight fitting grey jeans, Natasha was the height of casual glamour, topping off her outfit with a pair of black ankle boots.
Carrying her pale denim jacket in her hand, Natasha strolled around while speaking on her mobile phone before heading into the luxury lingerie store.
She then perused the various displays before picking up a bra for herself.
The former estate agent recently went under the knife to boost her bust from a modest 30A to a curvy 30F from the six-figure sum she pocketed by selling her claims of an eight-year fling with Ryan, and is said to be delighted with the results.
“Natasha has never felt confident about her boobs,” a source told the Daily Star.
“She’s a slim size eight and felt they were one part of her body she really disliked.
“Now she can’t wait to show them off in a bikini. She’s on the prowl for a man and has someone in her sights,” the source added.

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It does not feel like I'm finishing: Dravid

Cardiff, Sep 15 : Former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid, who will be retiring from one-day internationals after the fifth ODI here Friday, said hard work in the shorter format of the game helped him to excel in Tests.
"It does not feel like I'm finishing. I will still be doing the same things I have been doing in the last two and a half years. But I have had to work harder on my one-day cricket than in Tests," said Dravid, who will be playing his 344th ODI, on the eve of the match here.
Dravid, who will be ending his 15-year-old ODI career, said he does not dread quitting.
"After such a long period of playing cricket, you don't dread the day you will quit. You will recognise that when the time comes, you would have to move on. Retiring wouldn't make much of a change in my life," he said.
"The Test series against West Indies is coming up. There will be a few days off, then it is back to fitness and practice. Nothing would really change. Nothing is going to be different from tomorrow onwards," he said.
On the feeling of retiring, Dravid said: "When you are away from home, you don't get a sense how it's been like. My wife did mention there are very nice things written about me back home. I feel humbled about the things being said and written about me in last few weeks."
Dravid, who is the seventh highest ODI scorer with 10,820 runs, said that when he started playing, he wasn't considered suitable for ODI cricket but he worked hard to score more than 10,000 runs.
"When I started playing, I wasn't recognised as a one-day player. There was a lot more learning I had to do. I was dropped in the middle of my career, had to learn some lessons, and it helped free up my Test cricket as well. I ended up playing over 300 games for India," he said.
"It gives me a lot of satisfaction (to reflect) that I had a good Test and one-day career. At one stage, I probably wouldn't have thought so myself. In many ways, it has been a very pleasing and satisfying career," he said.
Asked whether batting at various positions and keeping wickets helped him to become an all-round cricketer, Dravid said: "I have played in various positions, kept wickets, opened, batted at number three and five. It helped improve my versatility, being challenged to do different things, different positions, learn new skills, batting at 5-6, and facing different bowlers. Keeping and then batting as well as batting and then keeping helped me grow as a person and as a cricketer."
Asked if he was asked to lead the side in his final ODI, Dravid said: "I don't think I would lead the side. M. S. Dhoni has led the side well. I have got enough respect and recognition for what I have done. It would be lovely to win though (tomorrow), irrespective of what happens."
"We were very good at Lord's, unfortunately, we couldn't get over the line. Hopefully we can do so here tomorrow," he said.
Dravid said after he was dropped from the ODI side, he found it difficult to adjust to Test cricket.
"Initially I found it difficult. I was used to playing continuously all the time. There were gaps as big as six months. When it was the off-season in Indian domestic circuit, I found it difficult. Going straight into Tests with no side games was a challenge for me. I had to learn to adjust to it, get fitter and work harder. It helped, and I was also able to iron out a few flaws in my game, as well as spend time with my family."
Dravid said making the final in the 2003 World Cup was one of the highs of his career and leading the team to a first round exit in the 2007 World Cup was the lowest.
"Reaching the 2003 World Cup finals and getting so close was a high. Then watching India win the World Cup this year was extremely satisfying. I watched Kapil Dev lift the trophy as a 10-year-old, and now towards the end of my career, seeing another Indian team do it and realizing you have been a part of that journey has been satisfying," he said.
"Captaining the team in the 2007 World Cup was a big disappointment. I think we had a team which could have done better, but then we lost to Bangladesh and missed out," he rued.
Dravid said that England, who humiliated India in the summer, are yet not ready to be compared along with the great Australian and the West Indies.
"There's no doubt when England comes to India in October, they would find different conditions. That would be a challenge for them. They have proved to be a good side in their home conditions. They have got the potential but it's not easy," said Dravid.
"It's unfair to compare them with the Australians and West Indies of the past. They were consistent for a long period of time and in various conditions. West Indies won in India and Australia in 2004. England need to go to various countries and win, in South Africa and in India," he said.

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Indian cricketers skip practice, opt for go-karting in Cardiff

(Wales), Sep. 15 : Indian cricketers on Wednesday skipped a practice session ahead of their fifth and final one-day international against England, and instead, attended a go-karting competition here. Sources revealed that the team was booked for the individual Grand Prix rally at the arena, costing them approximately 1000 pounds.
Talking to mediapersons, Chris Lipscomb, the manager of the go-karting arena, said the team spent approximately three hours at the venue and was given training before karting.
He said they were given a full safety brief and trained on how best to drive the karts.
The players took part in a 75-minute endurance race.
India is in the middle of what could be it''s worst tour to England. It was white washed in the Test series (four games to nil) and has already lost the one-day series by two games to nil with one match tied and a fourth rained out.
The team has also been hit by the absence of it''s ace players, out due to injury. They include Sachin Tendulkar (toe), Virender Sehwag (shoulder), Gautam Gambhir (head concussion), Zaheer Khan (hamstring) and Harbhajan Singh (abdominal injury).

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