Brendon McCullum to deliver Spirit of Cricket lecture

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum will deliver this year's Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced on Tuesday (January 19).
The lecture is named in honour of the late former England captain Colin Cowdrey, an all-time great batsman who was also renowned for the courteous way he played the game.
The 34-year-old McCullum, a veteran of 99 Tests, is due to retire from international cricket next month before heading to Lord's to play for county side Middlesex in English domestic cricket's Twenty20 Blast competition.
One of the most hard-hitting batsmen of his generation, McCullum has also won plaudits for the aggressive yet sporting way in which he has captained New Zealand.
He will deliver his address at Lord's on June 6, three days before the start of the Lord's Test against Sri Lanka.
The inaugural Cowdrey Lecture was given by the late Richie Benaud in 2001 and subsequent speakers have included New Zealand great Martin Crowe, Pakistan's Imran Khan, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, as well as notable figures from outside cricket such as South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
McCullum, who follows last year's speaker Rodney Marsh, the former Australia wicket-keeper turned chairman of selectors, said in an MCC statement: "It was an honour to be asked to deliver the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture -- especially given the stature of some previous speakers -- so I was very pleased to accept the invitation."
MCC president Roger Knight added: "Brendon McCullum is one of the best cricketers of his generation, and I'm sure will be a very engaging speaker -- especially given his insight in to the modern game.
"He has embodied the play hard, play fair message of the MCC Spirit of Cricket throughout his playing career, especially in his captaincy -- so is a perfect fit for this event."

Australia-India ODIs a ratings hit

Australia's ODI series a ratings winner for the Nine Network, and the first Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars T20 will be live on Channel Nine
The Victoria Bitter ODI series has produced some of the highest television ratings of this Australian summer of cricket, with a peak national audience of more than 2.7 million people tuning in on the Nine Network for Australia's series-clinching win at the MCG on Sunday night.
Having peaked at more than 2.6 million nationally for both of the opening two matches of the series, game three peaked at 2.784 million around the country on the Nine Network as Glenn Maxwell steered Australia to a third consecutive victory.
The 1.392 million average across the five Australian metro cities during Sunday night's run chase makes it the second-highest rating session of cricket this summer, behind only the 1.614 million that tuned in for the first night session of the historic Day-Night Test in Adelaide in late November.

Australia includes two debutants and several old hands in T20 squad for India series.

AUSTRALIA has made mass changes to its Twenty20 International setup, naming two uncapped players and recalling several veterans for the upcoming series against India.

A total of 11 players that weren’t in the most recent Australian T20 squad - for a match against England last August - have been included in the 17-man group named for the three-match series against India.
Young batsman Travis Head and wily pace bowler Andrew Tye have been rewarded for their outstanding Big Bash League form to earn their maiden national call-ups.
Shane Watson was named in the group despite admitting earlier this month that his international career could be over, while there were recalls for veteran quick Shaun Tait, fringe Test batsman Shaun Marsh and current Test spinner Nathan Lyon.
The Big Bash’s leading run-scorer, Chris Lynn, was named as was standout leg-spinner Cameron Boyce, in what is a fair indication of the squad Australia will take to India for the World T20 in March.

Shane Watson has been rewarded for his Big Bash form. Picture: Jonathan Ng. Source: News Corp Australia

Australia also added Lyon to the one-day squad for the two remaining 50-over matches against India, while David Warner returns to the group after missing the past two matches for the birth of his second child.

Speaking about the Twenty20 squad, head selector Rod Marsh admitted preparing for the World T20 has been a prime motivator.
The inclusion of Watson is sure to raise eyebrows as he had recently been dropped from Australia’s one-day side and admitted earlier this month that his time in international cricket could have been over.
“Shane Watson has earned his recall to Australian colours through a combination of his experience – especially in short-form cricket – the all-round package he offers and the fact he is bang in form at the moment, having put performances on the board for the Sydney Thunder” Marsh said.
Tait is the next oldest player in the squad, and he hasn’t played for Australia in any format since 2011.

Nathan Lyon is set to make his T20 International debut, and play his first ODI since 2014. Source: Getty Images

“Shaun Tait returns on the basis that he is the quickest bowler going around in Australia at the moment and he offers us that explosive option if we choose to use it. Like Shane Watson, he is also vastly experienced in Twenty20 cricket.
Marsh admitted he wasn’t convinced of Tait’s ability to back up in the hectic Big Bash playing schedule, but has been presently surprised by the fast bowler’s efforts.
“To be honest I didn’t even know if he was going to play that many games,” Marsh said.
“I knew he was on the list.
“He’s probably the fastest bowler in the country at the moment and you do need a bit of pace in T20 cricket.
“We also have to remember we’re playing three matches under Australian conditions here and the World Cup’s not in Australia.
“So we’ll have to use a little bit of knowledge from the IPL, et cetera, to get that final 15 which is not going to be an easy task.”
Marsh was keen to emphasise the importance of Big Bash League form in selecting the squad. Only Warner and Smith haven’t played in the BBL this summer.

Andrew Tye (R) has been a consistent performer for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash. Picture: Gregg Porteous. Source: News Corp Australia

“Chris Lynn, Travis Head and Andrew Tye have made irresistible cases for inclusion off the back of individual excellence in the KFC BBL and we are delighted to offer them the opportunity to push their claims for inclusion in the ICC World Twenty20.
“In terms of leg-spin, Cameron Boyce has once again impressed in domestic action and deserves his spot.”
Marsh offered a World T20 lifeline to former captain George Bailey and Test all-rounder Mitch Marsh, hinting both remain in contention to head to the tournament despite missing out on this squad.
“Sadly we could not find places for George Bailey and Mitchell Marsh in the Twenty20 International squad but for both of them, and for others who have missed out on places in that line-up, the door is certainly not closed for selection for the ICC World Twenty20.
Australia’s T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Scott Boland, Cameron Boyce, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Shane Watson.
Australia’s ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), Aaron Finch, David Warner, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Scott Boland, Kane Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh.

India to face Windies, South Africa in T20 World Cup warm-up ties

India will face the West Indies and South Africa in two warm-up matches ahead of the World Twenty20 cricket Championship, which bowls off in March.
Hosts India will face the world number one T20 side the West Indies on March 10 at rhe Eden Gardens in Kolkata, according to the warm-up fixtures released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
India will play the second warm-up game against South Africa at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 13.
The West Indies will play another practice match at Eden Gardens against Australia on March 13.
India have been clubbed in Group 2 along with New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia and a qualifier advancing from the first round.
The West Indies have been drawn in Group 1 of the Super 10 stage of the T20 World Cup and will play alongside England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and one of the qualifiers from the first round.
The tournament will be staged across eight venues in India from 8 March to 3 April.

New Delhi and Mumbai will host the semi-finals on March 30 and 31, respectively, while Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be the venue of the April 3 final.

Dharamsala to host World T20 India-Pakistan match

Dharamsala will host the World Twenty20 2016 match between India and Pakistan on March 19 while the tournament semi-finals will be played in Delhi and Mumbai, according to the fixtures released by the ICC on Friday. The men's event will be played in two stages between March 8 and April 3, while the Women's World Twenty20 is scheduled between March 15 and April 3.
Chennai, which was in danger of being cut as a host city due to the disputed stands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, has been allotted women's matches.
India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia are placed in Group 2 of the Super 10s stage while South Africa, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka are in Group 1. Two teams will join the Super 10s after the first stage of the tournament, to be held in Dharamsala and Nagpur between March 8 and 13.
The eight teams competing in the first round have also been split into two groups. Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland and Oman have been slotted into Group A, while Group B comprises Zimbabwe, Scotland, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The top team from Group A will join India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand in Group 2 of the Super 10s stage, while the top-placed team from Group B moves to Group 1.
The opening match of the Super 10s stage will be played between India and New Zealand on March 15 in Nagpur. The hosts will then play Pakistan on March 19, the qualifying team in the group on March 23 in Bangalore and Australia in Mohali on March 27.
The top two sides from each of the Super 10s groups will move into the semi-finals. The semi-finals of the men's and women's tournaments will be played in Delhi and Mumbai on March 30 and 31 respectively, with the finals in Kolkata on April 3. Pakistan, should they qualify, will play their semi-final in New Delhi regardless of whether they place first or second in their group; the other qualifier from their group will play the semi-final allotted to Mumbai.
This will avoid a scenario where Pakistan play in Mumbai, where a local political party, the Shiv Sena, has for several years "banned" Pakistan matches in that city. The most recent protest was in October, when Shiv Sena held protests at the BCCI office in Mumbai over talks between the India and Pakistan boards for a proposed series. Following the protests, the ICC withdrew Aleem Dar from the last two ODIs of the South Africa series [the fifth match was held in Mumbai] and former Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar, who were in India on commentary duty, also returned home early.
Defending champions Sri Lanka will begin their campaign against the qualifying team on March 17 in Kolkata, before playing West Indies in Bangalore on March 20. Their matches against England and South Africa will be played in Delhi on March 26 and 28 respectively.
The women's tournament will kick off from March 15 with India taking on Bangladesh and New Zealand playing Sri Lanka. The 10 teams in the women's competition have been split into two groups. Three-time champions Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland are in Group A, while Group B features England, West Indies, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-final stage.

Zaheer Khan tips India to pick up ICC World T20 cup at home.

Zaheer Khan, the former India pace bolwer, on Monday (January 11) picked India as a firm favourite to win the ICC World Twenty20 2016. Zaheer was confident the host nation would use the subcontinent conditions to maximise its chances in the tournament that will be played across eight Indian venues from March 8 to April 3.

“I am sure India will come out with flying colours. Though the format is T20, it is to be played in the subcontinent. Spin can be a part of it and the ability to play spin well can be an advantage,” said Zaheer. Zaheer was speaking as ICC and Moneygram announced an eight-year deal which confirms MoneyGram as an event partner for ICC events from 2016-2023.

India is drawn in Group 2 along with Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia and the winner of Group A (Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland and Oman) from the group stage of the tournament. South Africa, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka, the defending champion, are in Group 1, along with the leading team from Group B of the group stage (Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Scotland and Afghanistan).