Who should take responsibility for this defeat?
I think it’s a collective responsibility. We didn’t play well enough and it is a disappointment that everyone has to share.Would you like to continue as coach?
This is not the time to talk about that.This proves Vision 2007 has failed. Is it a personal failure for you?
As I said before I think it’s a collective responsibility. We’ve come here with high expectations obviously, certainly from home, and we haven’t been able to live up to that. That’s something that everyone is well aware of in the dressing room. It’s a fairly quiet place as you can imagine at the moment. Everybody’s disappointed. As Rahul [Dravid] said some time back, we’re all in it together and we have to share in it together.The team looked flat in the middle. Have they played too much cricket?
I think coming out of Jamaica the feeling in the group was very strong and the spirit was fine and high and we were confident and we had a reasonably good break in that period in Jamaica so that we can complain about that or use that as the excuse. At the end of the day we didn’t play well enough in the group stage.Was the team under pressure?
I think Indian team definitely playing under more pressure than most teams because of the weight of expectation back in India. I think it does have an effect and I would say from my experience from the last few weeks that it definitely had its effect, playing up to the Bangladesh game I thought the boys were a bit anxious at that stage and then the pressure built from there. Today, they just didn’t play that well. I think the bowlers did a reasonable job and we didn’t really give ourselves a chance to win the match because we didn’t get any partnerships.There was a whole hype built around how this team was working towards the World Cup. What went wrong?
There is nothing more to be said other than we didn’t play well enough. The fact of the matter was that we got the team that India wanted and we didn’t perform when the time came. That’s the long and the short of it. That is my answer. I’m not sure right at this time is the moment to try and dissect it. We need to go and look at it from a distance that might give some perspective. There is no point making comments at an emotional time like this. At the end of the day, we didn’t play well enough.

Are you concerned about the reactions back in India?
In the light of recent incidents, obviously you’ve got to be concerned. When India wakes up tomorrow, they will be disappointed. They will be angry with what has happened, and it is a disappointment. I hope that people realise that it is just a game, and the guys out there did their best. It wasn’t good enough on this occasion. I think there are a number of things that need to be looked at to get a clear perspective about what has happened this week but I don’t know if we’re going to get any answers right at this moment other than to say we didn’t play well.Why did the team crumble? Are they unable to handle pressure?
There are a number of factors but I’m not going to try and put labels on it. Again, it’s a very emotional time for a lot of people and any comment that is made can be misconstrued and made to sound worse than it actually is. I don’t know I can say it, but we weren’t good enough on the day.Over the last 17 matches overseas, India have only played 50 overs on four occasions. Why is that?
We haven’t played well enough.But it’s a period stretching over one and a half years…
We haven’t played well enough, that’s it.Can you pin-point the reasons why they haven’t batted well enough?
I don’t think this is the forum for me to make any comment in that regard. There is a lot of emotion, as I said. In light of this and in light of recent events I am not going to be making any comments about what’s wrong with anything or anybody.Aren’t you shirking your responsibility?
No I don’t think so. I am not employed by you people, I am employed by the BCCI. Obviously, I will have to face up to them and give them a report and give them some indications of what I think. But I don’t think this is the forum for me to say anything.Another word that has been mentioned a lot is ‘process’. What went wrong with the process?
That’s an inflammatory question and I’m not prepared to answer it.You said you are answerable to the BCCI. But aren’t you also answerable to one billion fans in India? Shouldn’t you say something to them?
We didn’t play well enough.That’s all?
I don’t know what else you want me to say? You want me to criticise somebody or a group of people? I am not prepared to do that. We didn’t play well enough. We weren’t able to play well enough under the conditions or the circumstances of the tournament. We didn’t play well enough.

Why didn’t we play well enough?
Well I don’t think India has won a tournament overseas since 1985. There is a bit of history to it. There are obviously some reasons. I am not prepared to go into them at this stage.How critical was [Sachin] Tendulkar’s failure?
I don’t think we can give the blame to one individual, or a group of individuals, in this case. Everyone goes out there and tries to play well. Nobody goes out there and tries to play badly. I don’t know if we can pick on any one person and say it their lack of form or lack of performance. As a group, we didn’t play well enough.Did we pick the right team?
That’s not for me to say. I was given a team and I was happy to work with the team.How much responsibility are you willing to take?
Obviously I have to take some responsibility and I am quite happy to do that, I’m the coach. But I don’t think the coaching staff alone must be blamed for what has happened here. The coaching staff and the support staff have worked very hard, the coaching staff haven’t worked very hard. Apportioning blame is not going to change what has happened.This is still India’s worst performance in World Cup history. Is there a need for serious introspection?
I think there is a need for a serious introspection, but I don’t think it should start today.Do you think it’s time for a change of guard?
That’s an inflammatory question, and you know I can’t answer that in this forum.Are you taking anything from this World Cup?
A lot of disappointment. Again, I think if we look at this from a distance it will give better perspective than walking straight off the field on what has been a disappointing day, and one of the more disappointing days in India in cricket. I’m not sure we’re going to come up with any answers that will solve any problems or change what has happened out there today. But, as I said in the last answer, it’s time to sit down and take a serious look at what’s happening and what’s happened and see what may be done to improve things for the future.Given a chance, would you like to stay with the Indian team?
I am not prepared to answer that question today. It’s not my decision.What if you are given a chance?
I haven’t been given a chance. Given an opportunity, I will give an answer then.Was there anything wrong with the planning?
I think the planning was fine, the preparation was good, but the execution on the day wasn’t good enough. You’ve got to give some credit to Sri Lanka, they played well and they deserve their victory. We weren’t able to execute the plan as we would have liked to. It happens. It’s happened probably more often that it should have.We didn’t see the right body language after the Bangladesh match. Do you agree? Or do you think it would also be an inflammatory answer?
It would be an inflammatory answer. You are trying to put words in my mouth. They’re not my words and they wouldn’t be words I would like to use.Do you agree the fire was missing?
The team was under pressure, I absolutely agree with that. I think that pressure did have a bearing with what happened out there today.Are you going to go back with the Indian team or are you worried about your security?
I don’t think any comment about that is going to help the situation. I’m quite confident that systems are in place to look after security of the team and the individuals involved.You took over the team in July of 2005. How many points would you give yourself on a scale of 10?
Again, that’s a very difficult question to answer. I’m happy that I’ve done the best job that I could do. Eighteen months is not a long time to build a team. If you look at any sport, it takes a long time. To put a number from my point of view, I don’t think I am the right man to make that assessment. I am happy with myself. The coaching staff and the support staff did they best that they could do. It wasn’t good enough.

The West Indies Cricket Board has denied reports in the local media that Ken Gordon, its president, has resigned, but it has confirmed that he did offer to do so in a letter sent on April 17.Rumours started circulating on Sunday that Gordon had quit, prompting the denial from the board. But in a terse statement, it was acknowledged that he had been asked to reconsider stepping down and that the situation would be discussed at a meeting of the full board on April 29.”The situation which now exists might have been avoided if WICB had been more aggressive in addressing these problems over the years,” Gordon wrote.”This includes our current administration for our choices have not delivered.”We should be seen to be taking responsibility from the top if this is to be the culture of the future. I, therefore, propose to tender my resignation as president to send an indisputable signal of how the board will in future address the issue of accountability.”The WICB will have a genuine fresh and healthy start. A new president, a new captain, a new coach, a cleaned up financial situation; strong financial injections into the cricket boards; a new and experienced CEO with a good management team and credibility in the eyes of the public. There is much to recommend this and if we can minimise dislocation it is the right thing to do.”The captain and coach have already gone, and if Gordon also steps down then it will signal an almost fresh start for West Indies cricket.

Darren Lehmann wants a specialist recruiter to help South Australia draft in talented players who might otherwise be overlooked as the state tries to drag itself out of the mire it fell into last season. Lehmann said cricketers from rural areas sometimes missed out on the first-class system.”It is something we have to look at, with the way [Aussie Rules] football is going with their recruitment,” Lehmann told . “It is something the SACA are probably looking at. It is certainly an idea, there’s a lot of good players in the country that are probably untapped and don’t come to the city often enough.”The Redbacks, who finished last in the Pura Cup in 2006-07 with only one victory, were keen to sign Lou Vincent, the New Zealand batsman, for next season but Vincent has now committed to Auckland. “We have to look at players internationally and interstate,” Lehmann said. “I think Lou Vincent was playing one off against the other and that is just the way he decided to go.”Lehmann also said blood-thinning treatment for his deep-vein thrombosis should allow him to play South Australia’s first game of the season, a Pura Cup clash with Victoria starting on October 14. Lehmann was recovering from an operation on his Achilles tendon when he was diagnosed with DVT this month.”It’s a setback but it probably helps the recovery of the Achilles with these thinning tablets,” he said. “Now it is a case of getting the Achilles right for mid-October.” Lehmann is wearing a moon boot to treat the problems but he expects he will no longer need that in about a fortnight.

ScorecardFor the third day running rain washed out play at Ayr, as Scotland and UAE took three points each from their Intercontinental Cup meeting. The only play possible had been on the first day as UAE reached 174 for 4.Scotland now move straight into their one-day international against Pakistan at Edinburgh, but will be without two of their county players.Kyle Coetzer has opted to stay with Durham and Dougie Brown has injured his Achilles. The situation surrounding Coetzer is similar to the problems which faced Ireland with their county players recently, and it has left Ryan Watson, the Scotland captain, concerned.”It’s a tricky situation and we’re going to come up against it a lot, county versus country. Kyle’s under a bit of pressure,” said Watson. “The disappointing thing is they [Durham] don’t actually have a game on the day.”Kyle’s in his final year of his contract, so I think he’s looking to get that extended. He’s having a good season so it is a pity he’s not available. I don’t really know the ins and outs too much, as to why he’s not available, but he would love to play for Scotland at any opportunity so you would have to say there is a bit of pressure being put on him.”

Brian Lara has become the first big-name signing for the Indian Cricket League, which announced today that it has also contracted former Indian allrounder Madan Lal to coach its Delhi team and Balwinder Singh Sandhu as director of academies.Lara, who retired from international cricket after the World Cup earlier this year, said he looked forward to playing with promising youngsters and to captaining one of the teams. “You can’t keep me too far from cricket and hence I return to the game in this exciting new avatar”, Lara said in a statement issued by the Essel Group, promoters of the ICL.Lara’s joining the ICL had first been reported in May and at the time the names of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath had also been linked with the league.Rajesh Chauhan and Pranob Roy, former players who had also served as selectors, were roped in as talent scouts for the league. They joined Kapil Dev, Kiran More and Sandeep Patil on the ICL roster.The Board for Control of Cricket in India has not given its official sanction to the ICL, and has, in a controversial decision, barred current India players and former players on its payroll from associating with it.Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, recently said the board had decided not to recognise the ICL as no State Association was in its favour. “We don’t want to promoteanybody who wants to be a parallel body. We have a policy and there will not be any re-think on this.”Lal, who was a part of India’s World Cup-winning team captained by Kapil Dev, said his role as a coach included inculcating character in the team and creating a “brand of cricket which possesses killer instinct”.In his reaction, Sandhu pointed out that he had been the head coach at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy and the coach of the under-19 team.

Nottinghamshire have signed Kyle Hogg, the Lancashire allrounder, on a month-long loan deal to cover for an increasing injury list.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, is down to the bare bones of a pace attack with Charlie Shreck, Andy Harris, Paul Franks and Mark Footitt currently out of action and Ryan Sidebottom committed to England duty”I’m delighted to have Kyle on board and it’s a great opportunity for him to play some first-class cricket and prove a point,” said Newell. “He’s a talented young seamer who has been struggling to claim a regular place in a strong Lancashire team.”We have been keeping an eye on him for some time and although he will only be with us for a month initially, who knows where it might lead.”It will be Hogg’s second loan spell of the season after spending time with Worcestershire during the first half of the summer. He has struggled to find a regular spot in the Lancashire side, even though there have been a number of injuries at Old Trafford.

Global sports good manufacturer Adidas today said the Indian board has no rights over personal endorsement contracts of a player, countering rival Nike’s claim that it derived rights from the board to use Sachin Tendulkar’s name and image for advertising purposes.In their ongoing battle over Tendulkar at the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), Adidas contended that the board would have to enter into a separate agreement with them in a case-to-case basis, which players can even refuse.”What is the authority of BCCI [Board of Control of Cricket in India] for granting such rights of Tendulkar’s [to Nike],” the Adidas counsel said, commenting on Nike’s reply in which the sportswear firm has contended that “it believed it had derived rights from BCCI” to use Tendulkar’s name and image, both still and motion picture. “They can use the BCCI name and logo but not use individual’s name,” the Adidas counsel said.The counsel also claimed that Nike was not an official sponsor of the Indian cricket team. “As per the documents, Sahara India Airlines is the official sponsor of the cricket team … It does not mention Nike as a sponsor.”Following the commission’s direction, Adidas submitted its contract with Tendulkar but without Clause 3 of the agreement. Clause 3 deals with the amount it paid to the cricketer for endorsements.The BCCI also submitted its contract with the players. The MRTPC bench headed by Justice OP Dwivedi directed Nike to produce a copy of its agreement with BCCI and has listed the matter for the second week of August.

One of the off-field entertainments in place during this tournament is the dancers placed around the boundary edge who jump onto stage with each boundary that’s hit or wicket which falls. It’s a miracle none of them collapsed of exhaustion the way Bangladesh flew out of the blocks at Newlands. Few, if any, innings, even in Twenty20, have begun in such astonishing style and after 4.2 overs the score line read 58 for 4. There’d barely been a ball where the dancers hadn’t been up on their podiums.Bangladesh batted with a freedom of a team who knew they were already in the next stage, but you sense that they wouldn’t have played much differently if the situation hadn’t been so comfortable. They have some of the most naturally aggressive batsmen in the game – one of the reasons their Test growth has been much more stunted than in limited-overs cricket – and once the big shots began it was hard to stop them.There has never been any doubting their ability to play shots, but even in Twenty20 there is a judgment call to be made. Mohammad Ashraful opened his innings with a majestic first-ball six over square leg then scooped his next delivery over short fine leg. Ten in two balls is plenty, but the adrenalin was coursing through Ashraful’s veins and he couldn’t stop, miscuing his third ball to Graeme Smith at mid-on.Aftab Ahmed also quickly found his over drive setting, mauling Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini in the early overs. It was an audacious period of striking and the packed crowd were lapping it up. England captain Paul Collingwood was spotted in the crowd, trying to collect a few tips for Sunday’s key Super Eights game, but he seemed as equally baffled by what was going on.If the likes of Ashraful and Ahmed are going to play with such abandonment, they also need to learn when to step back for a moment. The phrase, ’20 overs is more than you think’ has been used so much by domestic players that, in five years, it is already a cliché but it does hold true. Ahmed had given his side such an early kick-start, he could have taken a few overs to consolidate, but instead fell to an awful swing across the line.

Deriders of Twenty20 say it is not much more than glorified slogging. But the innings of Chris Gayle and Sanath Jayasuriya already in this tournament have been a compacted version of how they play in ODIs. Jehan Mubarak’s 13-ball 46 against Kenya was clean, straight hitting, not slogging. However, some of Bangladesh’s shot selection did lurch back towards the hit-and-hope variety. “We wanted to play our natural game,” said Ashraful. “We have good strikers in the top six but while the run-rate was good we lost too many wickets.”Their age can be put forward as a significant factor in their defence – no one in the side is older than 25 – and the passion they put into their cricket is a joy to watch. They want to succeed every time and Ashraful could barely tear himself away from the crease after his dismissal. Against West Indies Ashraful and Ahmed guided the team to victory, but even though the batting was no less aggressive there was a touch more selection. That, however, was in a chasing situation and, as expected, it is quickly becoming clear that hunting down runs is the way to go.In the end they weren’t a million miles away from a decent total, which is where some restraint would have paid dividends. It is still difficult to judge what a defendable score is when batting first and as Bangladesh’s approach suggested they did really know what they were aiming at. But it cost them nothing having a go and if ever there was a game to try something different this was it. As with everything in their development, it will have been a valuable learning experience.

Bermuda’s national cricket team may have some of their senior players back – but now they have nowhere to train.Gus Logie’s training squad is currently doing gym work as the BCB tries to find them a home ahead of the tour to Dubai and Kenya. And though he now has the likes of Janeiro Tucker, Kwame Tucker, Chris Foggo and a host of stars of the Under-19 team at his disposal, Logie has nowhere to coach them.”The National Stadium has been made unavailable to us. I’ve been told we won’t be able to use it from September 21 to October 15. I don’t know why. We are just doing gym work and we are trying to sort something out with Bailey’s Bay and Berkeley so that we can have some cricket sessions. It’s not an ideal situation but that’s where we are at. It’s always been a problem [lack of training facilities] but we just have to deal with it.”The situation is made worse by the fact that many of the island’s cricket grounds are now in the process of converting to football pitches for the upcoming soccer season.Logie added that wide-ranging improvements were needed to Bermuda’s cricketing infrastructure – not just for the national team but for the domestic league as well.”Those of us who watch cricket on a weekly basis have seen the standard of the pitches and of the grounds. You can’t say that it is good. We need to improve it. We need to put more effort towards improving everything we are doing.”Reprinted with permission of the Bermuda Sun

South African pathologist Lorna Martin has told the inquest that former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer had died of natural causes by pointing to flaws in the original autopsy conducted by Jamaican government pathologist Ere Sheshiah. Martin is the third pathologist after Nathaniel Cary and Michael Pollanen to conclude that Woolmer did not die of manual strangulation.Martin, who signed the cremation certificate after Woolmer’s body arrived in South Africa, said she had reached the conclusion after viewing a video of Sheshiah’s autopsy.”It doesn’t appear that the international practice was followed in the examination of the neck,” Martin testified on Tuesday. “I am of the opinion that he died of natural causes.”Pollanen, the Canadian pathologist, had told the inquest on Monday he was aware that a toxin had been detected in Woolmer’s body, though he wasn’t certain about the details. When asked to justify her findings, Martin said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that Woolmer was weakened with the toxin before being allegedly strangled.”My disagreement with the cause of death (of strangulation) doesn’t come from whether the person was weakened or not, but comes from the injury or lack of injuries,” she said.The inquest is expected to end on November 9.