Sunday, July 27, 2008
Pragma systems
Harmison selected
Durham fast bowler Harmison, 29, has spent the past four months in the international wilderness but has been recalled to a 13-man party for the third npower Test against South Africa at Edgbaston.
Those that have witnessed him at close quarters this summer claim the menace last seen in him a couple of summers ago when he routed Pakistan at Old Trafford is back.
Two indifferent years followed that zenith, which bore match figures of 11 for 76, but he now has the opportunity to make a new start in an England shirt.
"The ball is in his court," said national selector Geoff Miller.
"If he bowls well and does the job we ask him to do then it could be."
Miller and England captain Michael Vaughan are among those to have been impressed by the alignment of speed and direction in Harmison's bowling this season.
Having rediscovered the zip he lost on the tour of New Zealand, he has been the most prolific operator in the top division of the County Championship with 40 victims, a statistic which convinced the four-man selection panel it was time for a recall.
"There's no risk at all," said Miller. "We wouldn't have put him in if we thought there was a risk.
"We talk to all the players regularly and I have watched him bowl this year and talked to him myself.
"People are now saying he is in a better place than he was, and he now looks like the bowler he was a couple of years ago when he was striking fear into opposition batsmen."
Durham captain Dale Benkenstein is another advocate of his return to the top level.
"He's been outstanding in all forms of the game," enthused Benkenstein.
"He's got great control at the moment, he's bowling with great pace and I think he's ready to get back into the Test side.
"He adds a new dimension. He's got pace and bounce and will bring a fear factor into the game.
"He adds a good balance to the side and I don't think the tail will be hanging around with him in the team. For me it's great to have him in the side - I'd never leave him out of our side."
There is no guarantee Harmison will be in the XI when play gets under way on Wednesday but with England 1-0 down with two matches left, changes were inevitable.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Get good socks
Wie disqualified
Debt consolidation
Wallabies open with a win
Pepperjam marketing
Pole for Stoner
Friday, July 18, 2008
Criminal Defense lawyers
Website review
Monday, July 14, 2008
Scolari attracts Robinhio
Chelsea are reported to have made an offer of US$96 million for the 24-year-old, who is upset at his club's plans to include him in a deal to bring United's Cristiano Ronaldo to the Spanish capital.
The west London club deny they have bid that amount, but Robinho's agent Wagner Ribeiro claims an offer for the Brazil international is on the table.
"The Chelsea offer is big, but it's not that big," Ribeiro told Brazilian website Globoesporte.com.
Robinho himself has revealed his brief encounter with Scolari at a friendly game in 2003 made a big impression on him, and that he would relish the chance to work with his compatriot again.
Ribeiro echoed those comments, and stated his client is "seriously considering" a move to London.
He said: "What's making Robinho seriously consider accepting Chelsea's offer is that Scolari helped him a lot when he still wasn't very well known in Europe.
"Scolari called him up to play a game in Basle, between the Friends of Ronaldo and Friends of Zidane in 2003. Scolari spoke to Robinho and gave him strength."
It is believed Madrid are reluctant to let Robinho go until the Ronaldo saga reaches its conclusion, and the Brazilian himself has claimed to be happy in Madrid.
But Ribeiro revealed the Spanish champions' inclusion of Robinho in a proposed swap deal for Ronaldo could have caused permanent damage.
He said: "In the meeting (with Chelsea sporting director Frank Arnesen last week) I said that Robinho was at one of the best clubs in the world, he earns a good wage and today he's known worldwide because of Real.
"Madrid is one of the best cities in the world to live in. In other words he has it all.
"The only unpleasant thing is the club's assessment of his value, and he feels undervalued for having become a part of some trade deal."
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Zenni Opticals
Donald predicts win for South Africa
Former South Africa fast bowler Donald believes the battle between Smith and Kevin Pietersen, who was born and grew up in South Africa before defecting to England, would not be a major factor in the series.
"After every Test I see here, I realise more and more that England is the place to get a win," said Donald in his column for Sondag newspaper. "South Africa have never won a series here, and don't get me wrong, it will be a tough task for them to do it, but I predict a 2-1 series victory."
He added: "But while South Africa start as favourites, there is little that actually separates the two teams in the series.
"The duel with KP will not play a big role in the Test series. Kevin will be a lot more relaxed than last time out, as he has been in England now for a number of years, but I don't think that he will stand back for us. He is likely to be as aggressive as always.
"There is always someone in the England team that will deliver a special performance in the series and KP is that type of player."
Donald also believes England are a weaker team without all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who will miss the first Test at least as he continues his recovery from injury.
"There is no doubt that England will miss Flintoff in the first Test and this gives South Africa a definitive edge in the bowling line-ups," he added.
"This is also a Test where the performance of Dale Steyn will be very important for the Proteas side. Dale will be under a lot of pressure and these games will test his class."
IZEA and its benefits
Hamilton is stronger
The winning margin of 68.5 seconds from BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld was the largest since Damon Hill triumphed by more than two laps in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix.
Yet Hamilton's performance far outweighs that of Hill as just eight finished in Adelaide, with all of the other leading players that year retiring for one reason or another.
In contrast, Hamilton's display was a masterlass of how to drive in the rain, while the majority of his rivals were unable to keep their cars on the circuit.
Given his recent trials and tribulations on and off track, the 23-year-old seemingly proved he has the mental ability to cope under considerable pressure.
"It's true that you do learn from adversity," remarked Hamilton, who then attempted to recall a quote he had read from human rights activist, Martin Luther King.
"I can't remember it word for word, something like 'It is not the times when we triumph and are successful that make us who we are, but those when we are at our lowest and going through troubles'.
"It's a long way off from the actual quote, but I remember reading it and thinking it was very important.
"Coming into the race, the whole week had been tough, but when you take it all in, you learn more.
"And when you are racing, you learn a lot more and how to improve."
With respect to King, the quote reads: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
You can appreciate Hamilton's sentiments, adding: "I had a lot of pressure on me, especially after a terrible job in qualifying, at least by my standards.
"But the plan was not to beat myself up, not to go out and win by the first lap. In fact, I just wanted to get a point.
"I would have been happy with eighth, so with that approach I just remained relaxed. It was important I had the three c's - cool, calm and collected.
"That's really what helped me keep things together because it was such a mental challenge.
"To win took an incredible amount of energy, and to stay focused I needed to be 100 per cent, no more, no less.
"At the end of the day I've stayed true to my faith. Things happen for a reason, and I'm here for a reason, so I'm very thankful."
Hamilton is adamant that despite failing to score in his previous two races in Canada and France, and a demanding personal schedule, we should not have felt worried for him.
"Not at all," insisted Hamilton.
"Meeting Nelson Mandela was the most overwhelming experience. It took a lot out of me, to really understand what was going on.
"But I have a job to do, and I always want to perform at my best, not only in the car, but away from it.
"For me, the biggest emotional build-up was not wanting to let down the fans.
"I know how much support I have, how much my team believe in me, and I've a fantastic team-mate who is pushing me all the time.
"Although you try to contain the whole build-up, there is so much excitement, and that emotion is over-flowing all the time.
"But I feel I did a good job, and I'm very happy."
At the halfway point of the year, Hamilton is involved in a three-way tie for the lead with the Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, although has the edge on countback.
Online Marketing Blog
Dacevic on fire
The seventh-seeded Canadian dropped the opening set before rallying past American wild card Taylor Dent, 3-6 7-5 6-1, at the Campbells Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
Dancevic has spent most of this year playing on the Challenger circuit and has posted just a pair of wins at the ATP level. However, one of those wins came two weeks ago in the opening round at Wimbledon, where he shocked seventh-seeded David Nalbandian in straight sets before losing in the next round.
Dancevic, who improved to 2-5 lifetime against top-10 players with his stunner against Nalbandian, comes into this tournament ranked 99th in the world and is looking for his first ATP title.
The 23-year-old struggled with his serve in the first set and was broken midway through, eventually losing the set to Dent.
Dancevic was broken twice in the second set but took advantage on three of four break chances of his own and won four of the last five games to extend the match.
The Canadian dominated the final set, winning 71% of his service points and breaking Dent twice to avoid a first-round upset. Dancevic will next face American Brendan Evans, who won his opening-round match on Monday.
Also winning Tuesday was fifth-seeded American John Isner, who cruised past countryman Jesse Levine, 6-3 6-1.
Trailing while on serve, 3-2, in the opening set, Isner won the final four games and the first five of the second set, converting four of five break-point opportunities.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Malibu drug rehab
Few experts agreed that it is easy to lump the root of addictions into one. Also, it is generally accepted in some circles that the cure for addiction comes from just a principle – self control.
Well, I do not know whether that is true, but I do know that each individual is different and addiction treatment should focus on behavioral diversity of clients.
At Cliffside Malibu, which is a drug rehab center, behavioral diversity is taken into account when treating their clients. Apart from assigning their patients to a primary therapist, they also use group related therapy for there are times when group efforts is just the thing needed for breakthrough in addiction treatment.
Cliffside Malibu drug treatment center also uses outdoor activities to support addiction treatment. The drug treatment program consists of many activities to make their clients comfortable as lots of aspects of rehabilitation is uncomfortable.
Cliffside Malibu has established itself as powerful and effective player in the treatment of addiction.
Akthar taking the fight
The Pakistan Cricket Board originally imposed a five-year suspension on him because of disciplinary reasons in April. That was challenged and presided over by a three-man PCB tribunal, when it became an 18 month ban and a 7 million rupee fine.
The ban was lifted for a month so he could play briefly in the Indian Premier League in May, before the conclusion of that tribunal.
“I want to play for my country again and I hope to see the ban overturned,” he told reporters this week.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Dating and its uses
Kirsten backs MSD
While the skipper's outburst had little effect on the BCCI, which had decided to remain mute when the schedules were circulated for comments and suggestions, the coach said the performance of the players had been suffering due to too much of cricket off late.
"It would be unfair to expect players to play so much of cricket in such short span of time in 35 degrees of heat. I think that three games in four days in this heat took a toll on the players," Kirsten told reporters.
"Due to the schedule, the pace was off a little bit in last game but we are not concerned about it and guys are fielding well in the nets and we're happy with that. Yes, we made few mistakes in last games, and the guys are aware of that," he added.
Dhoni had lashed out at the organisers two days ago citing that India had to play back-to-back matches in the group stage. The team got a two-day break but are again scheduled to play Pakistan and Sri Lanka on consecutive days.
Kirsten was confident that his wards will deliver the results in the Super Four game as well.
"The guys are good performers and they always want to do well. As I've said earlier, there are players we are working on and I hope they will execute in the next games," he said.
"Sri Lanka is playing good cricket, they're a good side, a very well organised team. They have got a good team and like Pakistan, they're also going to be a tough opponent," he added.
The South African was also critical of the flat tracks in the Asia Cup as it had made the task difficult for the bowlers.
"But we have come up with a couple of ideas on what we are going do and have spent some times with bowlers. We believe in these bowlers, they're the same bowlers who did exceptionally well in Australia. We've identified what we need to do on these wickets," he said.
Kirsten also came in defence of young Rohit Sharma who hasn't been consistent at all and said the promising raght-hander would soon be back amongst runs.
"We back him fully in the team. He is a star of the future, we continue to work on his game and give him options in terms of what he can do on a cricket field. We are very exited about his talent," he said.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Charlotte web design
Gambhir on fire
Sehwag's early onslaught ensured India were never under pressure as they made light work of a target of 223.
India eclipsed the target in 35.1 overs, losing just three wickets in the process, and will take on Pakistan in the final on Saturday.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 222 in 49.5 overs, the bulk of the runs coming off the bat of Raqibul Hasan (89).
RP Singh, India's only change from the team that humbled Pakistan on Tuesday, was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three for 46.
Sehwag, who plundered 89 runs in India's 140-run win over Pakistan, continued from where he left off as he cut and pulled Bangladesh's bowlers in typically ferocious fashion.
He brought up his half century in just 29 deliveries, but departed soon after while attempting to hook Dolar Mahmud.
Sehwag (59) had hit Mahmud for a couple of sixes and fours, but the bowler had the last laugh when he snared the opener off the last delivery in his expensive first over.
India's innings lost momentum following Sehwag's dismissal as Rohit Sharma laboured to 26 before falling to a mistimed sweep.
But, Yuvraj Singh (26), who was dismissed when at the doorstep of victory, got the chase back up to speed.
Ghambir was cautious at the start, content with watching as Sehwag took centre-stage.
But the left-hander slowly came into his own as he dominated the chase. His unbeaten 107 came off just 101 deliveries and contained 14 boundaries and a six.
Earlier, Hasan's knock had bailed out Bangladesh after the loss of early wickets effectively ended the hosts' hopes of making the final.
Medium pacer Praveen Kumar, again handed the new ball, struck in the very first over, getting Tamim Iqbal to edge a wide delivery to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.