Blame me if there are empty seats, says Alonso

Barcelona, May 10: Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso blamed his lack of recent success as much as the credit crunch for empty seats at the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday.

Organisers expect around 100,000 spectators at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday, a far cry from the record 140,700 that turned out on race day in 2007 when Alonso arrived as Formula One champion for the second successive year.

Last year's Sunday attendance was 132,600.

However Spain is suffering in the economic crisis and ticket sales have slowed although 71,600 turned out for Saturday's qualifying to see Alonso qualify eighth with the lightest car on the grid.

"I think the crisis will have an effect probably," said Alonso, who won twice last year but has scored just five points in four races this season, when asked about the gaps in what would previously have been a sea of fans.

"It's not good that I say this, but I think it's also because we are not winning.”

"I'm sure if Renault was winning races or winning the podium, the grandstand is full. Because people know what is the situation at the moment, they are not really that interested any more," added the Spaniard, who won in Barcelona in 2006.

"In this championship there are no battles between Ferrari and McLaren, there are no battles between Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso. So it's a little bit difficult to explain for the people how Formula One is now."

New rules have turned the sport upside down this season with McLaren, Ferrari, BMW-Sauber and Renault all struggling to score points while newcomers Brawn GP are battling previously unheralded Red Bull and Toyota at the front.

McLaren's world champion Lewis Hamilton has scored just nine points in four races while Ferrari's Felipe Massa, last year's overall runner up, has none. His team mate Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion, has three.

Brawn's Jenson Button, a tail-ender with Honda last year, has won three races.

Yuvi all praise for Jayawardene for win

Kimberley, May 09: Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh heaped praise on Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene whose quickfire innings of 28-ball 43 under pressure ensured their side`s three-wicket victory over Deccan Chargers here on Saturday.

Chasing 169, Kings XI were in trouble at 86 for four at the strategy break after Yuvraj himself and Kumar Sangakkara were out in the space of two balls and one run but Jayawardene took the side to the threshold of victory with a blistering innings before the lower order finished off the match.

"After I was out in the 10th over I told the batsmen to stitch a partnership. Mahela and Irfan (Pathan) did that and the lower order had a few hits at the boundary," he said.

"Mahela played an outstanding innings and he has been consistent all along and doing well for us under pressure," Yuvraj said after the match.

The return of Australian pacer Brett Lee has added the sting to the Kings XI Punjab attack and Yuvraj understandably was happy with that.

"It a good thing (Lee`s return). We are getting better (in bowling), getting better at the death overs. If bowling at the death is sorted out, batting can take control of the match later," said Yuvraj.

Man-of-the-match Jayawardene said he had wanted to stay till the end but could not though the lower order did well to finish off the match.

"I had to be there till the end after Yuvraj and Sangakkara were out but I could not. Fortunately, the lower order were able to finish off the match," he said.

"Run chase is all about planning. After the 10th over I and Irfan spoke to each other to score at six to seven an over for another five overs. We were always ahead of that target but unfortunately I could not last till the end," said the former Sri Lanka captain.

Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist said despite the loss, his side was still in the hunt for a semifinal spot as the tournament was still wide open.

"It was an exciting game of cricket though we lost. It (tournament) is still wide open. Everybody is in the mix and every team is in the tournament," he said.

Asked about the wicket, he said, "It was a funny wicket. I won`t say that the ball came to the bat. But, as Mahela (Jayawardene) showed batsmen can clear the ropes.

Bangladesh offer amnesty to ICL players

Dhaka, May 09: Bangladesh offered an amnesty on Saturday to their Indian Cricket League (ICL) players asking them to end their contracts with the Twenty20 competition by June 15 if they wanted a ban from domestic and international cricket lifted.

"The players have to terminate their contracts by June 15 to apply for the withdrawal of their ban," Bangladesh Cricket Board media officer Jalal Yunus said.

However, Yunus said the players would not be considered for the national team before December 31 even if they severed all links. Bangladesh banned 14 cricketers for 10 years last October for joining the ICL.

Dhoni is an impressive leader: Flintoff

Manchester, May 09: Star England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has joined the growing list of Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s admirers, saying the wicketkeeper batsman is a very impressive leader both on and off the field.

Flintoff played under Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League before a knee injury forced him out of action.

But the Englishman, the costliest player on the Twenty20 event`s roster along with team-mate Kevin Pietersen, said he was mighty impressed with what he saw of Dhoni`s captaincy during his short stint with Chennai.

"Dhoni is very impressive both on and off the field. He is a very cool-headed guy," Flintoff said.

The talismanic all-rounder said injury might have cut short his IPL sojourn this time around but he was looking forward to be back next year.

"It is great to play in the presence of great players like (Australian) Matthew Hayden. I am looking forward to coming back next year," he said.

Earlier, Hayden had also praised Dhoni`s captaincy.

"MS is a fantastic captain and player. MS gets some great power from unorthodox shots. He is a danger in this form, danger in any format really. When he is going he just strikes the ball as hard as anyone on the planet. And these small boundaries ... he is just unstoppable," Hayden had said.

IPL great for young Indian players: Kirsten

Cape Town, May 09: India coach Gary Kirsten believes rubbing shoulders with some of the world`s best cricketers in the Indian Premier League has been of immense help to young Indian players.

"The IPL provides a great opportunity for young Indian cricketers to show what they are capable of in a high-profile environment," Kirsten said.

"They also get to mix with, and learn from, successful international cricketers. This can only be of benefit to Indian cricket. Performances during the IPL can definitely be a stepping stone to achieving higher honours. Yusuf Pathan was one example of that last year," said the former South African player.

According to Kirsten, the IPL has shown that the best team on paper need not be successful on the pitch.

"There will always be new ideas and new thinking in every IPL. What is of interest to me are those teams that are able to win consistently and why they are able to do it. It isn`t always the best team on paper," the 41-year-old said.

Kirsten had a sympathetic view of John Buchanan`s multiple-captaincy theory but said as far as the Indian team is concerned, Mahendra Singh Dhoni remains the skipper.

"In the dynamic world we live in, innovative thinking is important to try and stay ahead and push the boundaries of performance. I think it is important to balance out what is already working and what can improve performance," Kirsten said about Buchanan`s plan for his Kolkata Knight Riders team.

"MS Dhoni has proved a highly effective and capable leader for India and I`m sure that will not change for some time to come," he said.

Chennai Super Kings Vs Deccan Chargers: Images

Chennai Super Kings beat Deccan Chargers by 78 runs in Buffalo Park in East London

IPL points table

Team	Played	Won	Loss	N/R	Point	R/R
Super Kings	10	6	3	1	13	1.22
Delhi Daredevils	8	6	2	0	12	0.21
Rajasthan Royals	10	5	4	1	11	-0.11
Deccan Chargers	9	5	4	0	10	0.13
Kings XI Punjab	10	5	5	0	10	-0.45
Royal Challengers	9	4	5	0	8	-0.40
Mumbai Indians	9	3	5	1	7	0.39
Knight Riders	9	1	7	1	3	-1.10

Delhi overwhelming favourites against battered Kolkata

Match date: 10th May 2009

Venue: Wanderers, Johannesburg
Start time: 14:45 GMT

Ground reality and pitch

Also known as the'Bullring', Wanderers is home to to the Highveld Lions. Wanderers goes down is history as hosting one of greatest ODI matches when South Africa chased down a colossal target of 434 runs set by Australia. Known as a typical South African pitch, Wanderers posts a hard wicket providing assistance to the seamers. The bounce is also favoured by the batsmen because the ball comes on to the bat quicker, enabling better strokes.

Temperatures: Min - 65F Max - 47F | Humidity: 63% | Conditions: Partly Cloudy

In Image: Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum reacts as he fields against Delhi Daredevils.

Images: AFP (Any unauthorised reproduction is prohibited)

Bangladesh offers amnesty to 'rebel' cricketers

Bangladesh has offered amnesty to 14 cricketers who played in the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), asking them to scrap contracts by June 15 to have their bans withdrawn, an official said Saturday.

Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus told AFP that the cricketers who joined the Twenty20 cricket meet have to sever their links and then apply for readmission into domestic and national cricket.

"We have taken a very soft approach. They have to scrap their deals with the ICC (International Cricket Council)-disapproved ICL by June 15 and then apply to us. We'll then allow them to play domestic matches," he said.

"If they prove their worth in the domestic leagues, we will consider them for the national cricket team from January 1 next year. We have reopened the door and now it's their choice whether they want to play for Bangladesh again."

The 14 players including former Bangladesh captain Habibur Bashar were given a 10-year ban last September for joining the unauthorised ICL, bankrolled by India's top media group Zee Telefilms.

All 14 featured in the ICL's Dhaka Warriors team in the last season. The team includes 11 current or former internationals.

Media reports said the players had signed up for 200,000 dollars each for a three-year period but the ICL declined to reveal the financial details.

Several players have in recent weeks told local media that they would like to play for the national team again and sought blanket amnesty from the cricket board.

Bashar said the amnesty offer opened a window for the rebel players.

"It's a positive move. We can now see some lights at the end of the tunnel. We have some time to think," he told AFP.

The umpire referral system will be up for review in the ICC Cricket Committee's annual meeting at...

The umpire referral system will be up for review in the ICC Cricket Committee's annual meeting at Lord's on Monday and Tuesday which among others, will also discuss the feasibility of day/night Test cricket and ways to improve over-rates.

The meeting, to be chaired for the first time by ex-West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, who replaced former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar, will also consider whether there should be a maximum weight of bats at international level and the effect of double-sided bats and switch-hits on the game.

According to an ICC statement, the members will also brainstorm ideas to ensure one-dayers remains relevant and popular in a cricketing landscape that now features three formats of the game.

The Committee meeting will be attended by ICC General Manager (Cricket) David Richardson, former Australia captain Mark Taylor and former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, ICC Elite Panel Umpire Simon Taufel, chief ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle, Kenya captain Steve Tikolo, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur and FICA CEO Tim May.

Recommendations of the Committee will be sent for approval to the Chief Executives Committee and the ICC Board which will meet at Lord's during ICC's annual conference from June 22 to 26.

The umpires' decision review was trialled in four Test series over the past nine months -- Sri Lanka vs India (August 2008), New Zealand vs West Indies (December 2008), West Indies vs England (February/March 2009) and South Africa vs Australia (February/March 2009). The Committee will consider whether it is appropriate to proceed with further use of the system, and if so, how and when that should take place, considering its undue negative influence on the pace of the game, effect on the players and on the authority of on-field umpires, practicality of the appeal by the players.

It will also mull on whether limits on the weight and depths of bats should be introduced specifically for international cricket. It will also consider any issues raised by the introduction of the double-sided bat and the switch-hit.

In the light of Twenty20 cricket's impact in the game, the committee will discuss whether there is a need to recommend any revisions to the One-Day International format.

The reason for review of ODI format is the desire to ensure that it continues to retain its relevance and popularity in a cricketing landscape in which there are now three versions of the game - Tests, ODIs and T20Is - at international level, the ICC statement said.