India eager to continue dominating run

India will be looking to continue their dominating run against the West Indies when the sides face off in the final match of the series, starting from Tuesday at Mumbai. With the series already lost, West Indies will be keen on scoring some positive points ahead of the one-dayers, having shown tremendous courage and grit in the second innings of the second test match.

Sachin Tendulkar will be the man yet again under the spotlight. Playing at his home ground, and with the series already decided, the script couldn’t be any better for the legendary batsman to finally score his 100th international ton. India have made one change to their squad, axing Yuvraj Singh for Rohit Sharma. Sharma has been impressive in the Ranji trophy and the selectors want to give him a try before Team India’s tour to Down Under next month.

West Indies will look to draw inspiration from their spirited fightback in the second innings, after being bundled out in the first innings. Darren Bravo proved his mettle with a gritty century and was ably supported by Kirk Edwards and Adrain Barath. The youngsters will look to impress yet again, together with Shivnarine Chanderpaul who is expected to play in spite of a calf injury. The bowling department sums up the misery of the West Indies team ever since their intimidating fast bowlers retired.

Wankhede Stadium hosts its first match in over five years, when England won by a convincing margin.

Why Pakistani players should not be a part of IPL

By now everyone knows that the much-awaited auction for the third edition of Indian Premier League has happened amid a lot of controversy. From the final shortlist of 66 players, none of the 11 Pakistani players were bid for. It has caused a stir in the discussion circles, and a lot of furore has been noticed in Pakistan. But CricketIsMyLifeline will show you a different view - a view that everyone should consider. We will tell you why Pakistani players were not selected.

So starting off, lets begin with what our topic is. There is nothing wrong in being patriotic. Its the Indian Premier League. As the name implies, its supposed to be 'Indian'. Its not like the World Series Cricket in 1970s that had representation from around the world. Its 'Indian Premier League' so give Indians a chance to showcase their talent. And why do we say so? Simply because on the international front, Team India does not get a chance to do so.

The Hots & The Nots of 2009

Its been yet another eventful year of cricket. Thrilling finishes to performance excellences on the field; and awards and honours to controversies off the field. Here's a look at ten of the 'Hot' and the 'Not' events of the year.

No. 1
HOT - Akmal Brothers
The duo from Pakistan combined to put in the rare glimpses of excellence from Pakistan this year. Umar burst on to the scene with a bang, scoring a whirlwind century in Sri Lanka. He also ended as the top run-getter in his debut test series against New Zealand. Kamran also played a pivotal role in Pakistan's triumphant T20 campaign besides putting in consistent performances in the ODI format. The two brothers leased life and energy into the Pakistan team.

NOT - Hussey Brothers
After starting the year strongly with impressive performances, the Hussey brothers faded away. David fell away so much so that it cost him his place in the team while Mr. Cricket aka Michael Hussey's graph kept tailing downwards with pressure ringing on him from the experts calling for fresh blood.


No. 2

ICC kisses BCCI's feet, once again

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of cricket, has once again proved its inability in stamping its own authority and instead bowing down to the pressures of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This latest development surrounds ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP) post 2012. ICC president David Morgan has suggested that the home-and-way component of the current FTP could be done away with. This would mean teams no longer have to play two minimum bilateral series every six years, once at home and the other on away soil.

The suggestion should ring alarm bells on two counts.