Story Australian Premier League 2009 [ICC2002]

[The Mongrel]

Two month window for eight-franchise competition
Cricket Australia unveils APL
Cricinfo staff
12 November 2008

Following the success of the 2008 Indian Premier League, Cricket Australia announced its own Australian Premier League to take place in late-2009. The ICC today gave the all clear for the establishment of the APL and announced a two month break from international cricket in September and October. The APL, which contains eight established franchises, will operate in a similar fashion to the Indian franchise system as all teams have a salary cap and an auction for the players will take place in June next year.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland unveiled the eight franchises at a press conference today - New South Wales and Victoria with two sides each whilst South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland all will have one franchise each. In addition, sides will be allowed one marqee signing who will receive a contract 10% higher than his side's most expensive purchase in the APL auction.

Franchises
Perth Mariners
Melbourne Thunder
Sydney Sharks
Adelaide Titans
Brisbane City Cyclones
Hobart Heroes
Newcastle Fury
Docklands All-Stars

APL rules announced
Cricket Australia release franchise requirements
Cricinfo staff
12 November 2008

Cricket Australia have announced the rules for each franchise in the upcoming Australian Premier League auction and Australian Premier League Season.

• Each side will have a salary cap of AUD6.5 million.
• Each side will be entitled to a franchise player whose contract will be worth 10% more per year than his team's highest purchase at auction.
• All players willing to be auctioned must submit their names before May 24, 2009 at 12 PM AEST.
• Following the auction, each franchise will be required to select three players (supplementary selections) from their catchment area who will receive AUD150,000 contracts.
• Following the auction and supplementary selections, each team may negotiate with eligible unsigned players to sign a contract within their salary cap.
• Any player who plays less than four games through the course of the season will only have 25% of their contract count within the salary cap.
• In each match, a side must contain no less than five (5) Australian players and no more than six (6) players not holding an Australian citizenship.
• The franchise player must play ever match he is deemed medically fit to play.

---

 

[The Mongrel]

Dhoni again cracks million-dollar barrier

Posted on 06/18/2009 in APL

The first news is out - and its big news. Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni backed up his US$1.5 million price tag in the IPL as he was signed for AU$1.25 million by Docklands. The other first round picks (each round contains ten selections): Matthew Hayden to Sydney for $825,000, Sachin Tendulkar to Perth for $850,000, Jacques Kallis to Adelaide for $750,000, Chris Gayle to Brisbane for $800,000, Muttiah Muralitharan to Adelaide for $650,000, Kumar Sangakkara to Sydney for $710,000, Glenn McGrath to Docklands for $600,000, Kevin Pietersen to Perth for $860,000 and Andrew Flintoff to Newcastle for $370,000. This means Docklands have already spent $1.85 million on two high profile signings.

Hussey becomes second million-dollar man

Posted on 06/18/2009 in APL

Hobart's signing of Michael Hussey fo AU$1,000,000 has also forced Ricky Ponting's contract to $1,100,000 as the APL created its second and third million dollar men. Mitchell Johnson became Brisbane's first signing for $770,000 whilst David Hussey went to Sydney for $725,000 to prove the IPL set a precedent as the home-grown players attracted the highest prices.

Other signings: Nathan Bracken to Newcastle for $420,000, Shahid Afridi to Perth for $300,000, Sanath Jayasuriya to Melbourne for $450,000, Cameron White to Newcastle for $610,000, Herschelle Gibbs to Brisbane for $600,000, Dale Steyn to Adelaide for $310,000 and Shaun Pollock to Perth for $500,000.

Squads as of now:

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000)

Hobart sign English pair

Posted on 06/18/2008 in APL

Hobart added to their signings of Mike Hussey and marquee player Ricky Ponting by landing English pair Paul Collingwood ($710,000) and Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000).

Other signings: Shiv Chanderpaul to Adelaide for $565,000, AB de Villiers to Docklands for $480,000, Luke Ronchi to Melbourne for $325,000, Adam Voges to Docklands for $500,000, Michael Dighton to Brisbane for $300,000, Graeme Smith to Sydney for $450,000, Virender Sehwag to Melbourne for $825,000 and Yuvraj Singh to Sydney for $565,000.

Squads as of now:

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Sachin Tendulkar ($850,000), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000), Luke Ronchi ($325,000), Virender Sehwag ($825,000)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000), Graeme Smith ($450,000), Yuvraj Singh ($565,000)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000), Michael Dighton ($300,000)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000), Paul Collingwood ($710,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ($565,000)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000), AB de Villiers ($480,000), Adam Voges ($500,000)

T20 specialists make good money

Posted on 06/18/2009 in APL

Gautam Gambhir has been snapped up by Adelaide for $450,000 and Umar Gul has been signed by Sydney for $560,000 as the two talented Twenty20 stars made big money after their comparatively weak records in the test and ODI arenas.

Other signings: Chaminda Vaas to Docklands for $300,000, Mahela Jayawardene to Newcastle for $600,000, Shaun Tait to Perth for $550,000, Ryan Harris to Sydney for $175,000, Shane Watson to Perth for $500,000, Simon Katich to Docklands for $320,000, Daniel Vettori to Hobart for $615,000 and Jacob Oram to Docklands for $410,000.

Squads as of now:

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Sachin Tendulkar ($850,000), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000), Shaun Tait ($550,000), Shane Watson ($500,000)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000), Luke Ronchi ($325,000), Virender Sehwag ($825,000)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000), Graeme Smith ($450,000), Yuvraj Singh ($565,000), Umar Gul ($560,000), Ryan Harris ($175,000)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000), Michael Dighton ($300,000)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000), Paul Collingwood ($710,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000), Daniel Vettori ($615,000)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ($565,000), Gautam Gambhir ($450,000)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000), Mahela Jayawardene ($600,000)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000), AB de Villiers ($480,000), Adam Voges ($500,000), Chaminda Vaas ($300,000), Simon Katich ($320,000), Jacob Oram ($410,000)

Adelaide snap up McCullum

Posted on 06/18/2009 in APL

Adelaide have landed Kiwi wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum for $810,000 in one of the highest profile signings of the fifth round of bidding.

Other signings were: Ramnaresh Sarwan to Melbourne for $530,000, Dwayne Bravo to Brisbane for $410,000, Rohit Sharma to Hobart for $200,000, Justin Langer to Newcastle for $300,000,Kamran Akmal to Hobart for $250,000, Mark Boucher to Brisbane for $450,000, Morne Morkel to Sydney for $175,000, Lasith Malinga to Newcastle for $200,000 and Mohammad Asif to Newcastle for $150,000.

Squads as of now:

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Sachin Tendulkar ($850,000), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000), Shaun Tait ($550,000), Shane Watson ($500,000)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000), Luke Ronchi ($325,000), Virender Sehwag ($825,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (530,000)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000), Graeme Smith ($450,000), Yuvraj Singh ($565,000), Umar Gul ($560,000), Ryan Harris ($175,000), Morne Morkel ($175,000)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000), Michael Dighton ($300,000)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000), Paul Collingwood ($710,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000), Daniel Vettori ($615,000), Rohit Sharma ($200,000), Kamran Akmal ($250,000)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ($565,000), Gautam Gambhir ($450,000), Brendon McCullum ($810,000)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000), Mahela Jayawardene ($600,000), Lasith Malinga ($200,000), Mohammad Asif ($150,000), Justin Langer ($300,000)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000), AB de Villiers ($480,000), Adam Voges ($500,000), Chaminda Vaas ($300,000), Simon Katich ($320,000), Jacob Oram ($410,000)

Yousuf and Hopes attract 500k bids

Posted on 06/18/2008 in APL

Australian all-rounder James Hopes has been landed by Adelaide for $550,000 whilst Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has attracted a $500,000 contract from Melbourne in the sixth round of bidding.

Other signings were: Stephen Fleming to Newcastle for $290,000, Scott Styris to Docklands for $250,000, James Anderson to Melbourne for $200,000, Monty Panesar to Docklands for $400,000, Dominic Thornely to Perth for $330,000, Mohammad Ashraful to Newcastle for $110,000, Salman Butt to Melbourne for $300,000 and Ishant Sharma to Melbourne for $450,000.

Squads as of now:

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Sachin Tendulkar ($850,000), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000), Shaun Tait ($550,000), Shane Watson ($500,000), Dominic Thornely ($330,000)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000), Luke Ronchi ($325,000), Virender Sehwag ($825,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (530,000), James Anderson ($200,000), Mohammad Yousuf ($500,000), Salman Butt ($300,000), Ishant Sharma ($450,000)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000), Graeme Smith ($450,000), Yuvraj Singh ($565,000), Umar Gul ($560,000), Ryan Harris ($175,000), Morne Morkel ($175,000)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000), Michael Dighton ($300,000)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000), Paul Collingwood ($710,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000), Daniel Vettori ($615,000), Rohit Sharma ($200,000), Kamran Akmal ($250,000)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ($565,000), Gautam Gambhir ($450,000), Brendon McCullum ($810,000), James Hopes ($550,000)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000), Mahela Jayawardene ($600,000), Lasith Malinga ($200,000), Mohammad Asif ($150,000), Stephen Fleming ($290,000), Mohammad Ashraful ($110,000)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000), AB de Villiers ($480,000), Adam Voges ($500,000), Chaminda Vaas ($300,000), Simon Katich ($320,000), Jacob Oram ($410,000), Scott Styris ($250,000), Justin Langer ($300,000), Monty Panesar ($400,000)

Sydney add to bowling stocks

Posted on 06/18/2009 in APL

Sydney have added to their strong bowling lineup by landing English seamer Ryan Sidebottom ($275,000) and South African all-rounder Albie Morkel ($150,000).

Other signings are: Zaheer Khan to Newcastle for $430,000, Jerome Taylor to Adelaide for $265,000, Tatenda Taibu to Newcastle for $100,000, Ross Taylor to Brisbane for $400,000, Ian Bell to Perth for $320,000, Ashley Noffke to Docklands for $350,000, Michael Clarke to Newcastle for $820,000 and Shaun Marsh to Hobart for $300,000.

Squads as of now:

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Sachin Tendulkar ($850,000), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000), Shaun Tait ($550,000), Shane Watson ($500,000), Dominic Thornely ($330,000), Ian Bell ($320,000)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000), Luke Ronchi ($325,000), Virender Sehwag ($825,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (530,000), James Anderson ($200,000), Mohammad Yousuf ($500,000), Salman Butt ($300,000), Ishant Sharma ($450,000)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000), Graeme Smith ($450,000), Yuvraj Singh ($565,000), Umar Gul ($560,000), Ryan Harris ($175,000), Morne Morkel ($175,000), Ryan Sidebottom ($275,000), Albie Morkel ($150,000)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000), Michael Dighton ($300,000), Ross Taylor ($400,000)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000), Paul Collingwood ($710,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000), Daniel Vettori ($615,000), Rohit Sharma ($200,000), Kamran Akmal ($250,000), Shaun Marsh ($300,000)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ($565,000), Gautam Gambhir ($450,000), Brendon McCullum ($810,000), James Hopes ($550,000), Jerome Taylor ($265,000)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000), Mahela Jayawardene ($600,000), Lasith Malinga ($200,000), Mohammad Asif ($150,000), Stephen Fleming ($290,000), Mohammad Ashraful ($110,000), Zaheer Khan ($430,000), Tatenda Taibu ($100,000), Michael Clarke ($820,000)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000), AB de Villiers ($480,000), Adam Voges ($500,000), Chaminda Vaas ($300,000), Simon Katich ($320,000), Jacob Oram ($410,000), Scott Styris ($250,000), Monty Panesar ($400,000), Ashley Noffke ($350,000)

Newcastle land bad boy in last round of bidding

Posted on 06/18/2009 in APL

Newcastle have landed Pakistan bad boy Shoaib Akhtar for $750,000 and Indian youngster Robin Uthappa for $500,000 in the eighth and final round of bidding in the auction.

Other signings: Malinga Bandara to Perth for $200,000, Sreesanth to Hobart for $280,000, Rahul Dravid to Docklands for $510,000, Paul Harris to Brisbane for $210,000, Harbhajan Singh to Hobart for $420,000, Anil Kumble to Melbourne for $350,000, Beau Casson to Brisbane for $450,000, Irfan Pathan to Melbourne for $350,000.

Squads as of now:

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Sachin Tendulkar ($850,000), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000), Shaun Tait ($550,000), Shane Watson ($500,000), Dominic Thornely ($330,000), Ian Bell ($320,000), Malinga Bandara ($200,000)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000), Luke Ronchi ($325,000), Virender Sehwag ($825,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (530,000), James Anderson ($200,000), Mohammad Yousuf ($500,000), Salman Butt ($300,000), Ishant Sharma ($450,000), Irfan Pathan ($350,000), Anil Kumble ($350,000)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000), Graeme Smith ($450,000), Yuvraj Singh ($565,000), Umar Gul ($560,000), Ryan Harris ($175,000), Morne Morkel ($175,000), Ryan Sidebottom ($275,000), Albie Morkel ($150,000)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000), Michael Dighton ($300,000), Ross Taylor ($400,000), Paul Harris ($210,000), Beau Casson ($450,000)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000), Paul Collingwood ($710,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000), Daniel Vettori ($615,000), Rohit Sharma ($200,000), Kamran Akmal ($250,000), Shaun Marsh ($300,000), Harbhajan Singh ($420,000)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ($565,000), Gautam Gambhir ($450,000), Brendon McCullum ($810,000), James Hopes ($550,000), Jerome Taylor ($265,000)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000), Mahela Jayawardene ($600,000), Lasith Malinga ($200,000), Mohammad Asif ($150,000), Stephen Fleming ($290,000), Mohammad Ashraful ($110,000), Zaheer Khan ($430,000), Tatenda Taibu ($100,000), Michael Clarke ($820,000), Shoaib Akhtar ($750,000), Robin Uthappa ($500,000)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000), AB de Villiers ($480,000), Adam Voges ($500,000), Chaminda Vaas ($300,000), Simon Katich ($320,000), Jacob Oram ($410,000), Scott Styris ($250,000), Monty Panesar ($400,000), Ashley Noffke ($350,000), Rahul Dravid ($510,000)

Final APL squads

Posted on 06/25/2009 in APL

Following supplementary draft and free agency period.

Perth Adam Gilchrist (marquee), Sachin Tendulkar ($850,000), Kevin Pietersen ($860,000), Shahid Afridi ($300,000), Shaun Pollock ($500,000), Shaun Tait ($550,000), Shane Watson ($500,000), Dominic Thornely ($330,000), Ian Bell ($320,000), Malinga Bandara ($200,000), Suresh Raina ($270,000), Mohammad Hafeez ($150,000), Graeme Swann ($70,000), Paul Nixon ($95,000), Theo Doropoulos ($55,000), Steve Magoffin (supp), Ben Edmondson (supp), Marcus North (supp)

Melbourne Shane Warne (marquee), Sanath Jayasuriya ($420,000), Luke Ronchi ($325,000), Virender Sehwag ($825,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (530,000), James Anderson ($200,000), Mohammad Yousuf ($500,000), Salman Butt ($300,000), Ishant Sharma ($450,000), Irfan Pathan ($350,000), Anil Kumble ($350,000), Praveen Kumar ($200,000), Aaron Heal ($175,000), Andre Nel ($230,000), Phil Mustard ($100,000), Sohail Tanvir ($150,000), Andrew McDonald (supp), Peter Siddle (supp), Brad Hodge (supp)

Sydney Brett Lee (marquee), Matthew Hayden ($825,000), Kumar Sangakkara ($710,000), David Hussey ($725,000), Graeme Smith ($450,000), Yuvraj Singh ($565,000), Umar Gul ($560,000), Ryan Harris ($175,000), Morne Morkel ($175,000), Ryan Sidebottom ($275,000), Albie Morkel ($150,000), Yusuf Pathan ($250,000), Ajantha Mendis ($110,000), Marlon Samuels ($120,000), Stephen Smith (supp), Stuart MacGill (supp), Peter Forrest (supp)

Brisbane Andrew Symonds (marquee), Chris Gayle ($800,000), Herschelle Gibbs ($600,000), Mitchell Johnson ($770,000), Michael Dighton ($300,000), Ross Taylor ($400,000), Paul Harris ($210,000), Beau Casson ($450,000), George Bailey ($135,000), Owais Shah ($250,000), Stuart Broad ($150,000), Brett Dorey ($150,000), RP Singh ($90,000), Michael Kasprowicz (supp), Clinton Perren (supp), Scott Brant (supp)

Hobart Ricky Ponting (marquee), Michael Hussey ($1,000,000), Paul Collingwood ($710,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($480,000), Daniel Vettori ($615,000), Rohit Sharma ($200,000), Kamran Akmal ($250,000), Shaun Marsh ($300,000), Harbhajan Singh ($420,000), Sreesanth ($280,000), Loots Bosman ($90,000), Sourav Ganguly ($260,000), VVS Laxman ($170,000), Mark Cameron ($80,000), Ashwell Prince ($90,000), Ben Hilfenhaus (supp), Brett Geeves (supp), Tim Paine (supp)

Adelaide Darren Lehmann (marquee), Jacques Kallis ($750,000), Muttiah Muralitharan ($650,000), Dale Steyn ($310,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul ($565,000), Gautam Gambhir ($450,000), Brendon McCullum ($810,000), James Hopes ($550,000), Jerome Taylor ($265,000), Luke Pomersbach ($300,000), Gerard Denton ($100,000), Darren Maddy ($95,000), Brad Haddin ($210,000), Doug Bollinger ($100,000), Matthew Elliott (supp), Mark Cosgrove (supp), Daniel Cullen (supp)

Newcastle Andrew Flintoff ($370,000), Nathan Bracken ($420,000), Cameron White ($610,000), Mahela Jayawardene ($600,000), Lasith Malinga ($200,000), Mohammad Asif ($150,000), Stephen Fleming ($290,000), Mohammad Ashraful ($110,000), Zaheer Khan ($430,000), Tatenda Taibu ($100,000), Michael Clarke ($820,000), Shoaib Akhtar ($750,000), Robin Uthappa ($500,000), Misbah-ul-Haq ($350,000), Chris Hartley ($50,000), Phil Jaques (supp), Nathan Hauritz (supp), Stuart Clark (supp)

Docklands MS Dhoni ($1,250,000), Glenn McGrath ($600,000), AB de Villiers ($480,000), Adam Voges ($500,000), Chaminda Vaas ($300,000), Simon Katich ($320,000), Jacob Oram ($410,000), Scott Styris ($250,000), Monty Panesar ($400,000), Ashley Noffke ($350,000), Rahul Dravid ($510,000), Shoaib Malik ($225,000), Azhar Mahmood ($175,000), Dwayne Smith ($140,000), Syed Rasel ($120,000), Aiden Blizzard (supp), Shane Harwood (supp), Bryce McGain (supp)

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Great Start Mogrel/...Surely will follow this one...KUTGW

 

[The Mongrel]

Melbourne Thunder v Sydney Sharks, APL, Melbourne
Hayden scripts thumping win in APL opener
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
September 25, 2009

Sydney Sharks 156 for 3 (Hayden 55*, Sangakkara 41*, McDonald 2-32) beat Melbourne Thunder 154 for8 (Yousuf 50*, Morkel 2-20, Harris 2-30) by seven wickets

Australian batsman Matthew Hayden claimed the first Man of the Match award of the Australian Premier League as the APL went off with a bang in Sydney's seven wicket victory over Melbourne in front of a big crowd at the MCG.

Some 80,000 people turned out for the first match of the APL and, after being treated to an extravagant opening ceremony, the Melbourne crowd had something to cheer about as legend leg-spinner Shane Warne won the toss against Sydney captain Graeme Smith and elected to bat first on a slow looking MCG wicket.

Thunder openers Luke Ronchi and Sanath Jayasuriya got to an attractive start against Sharks opening bowlers Brett Lee and Umar Gul as they raced to 0-23. However the first chance Jayasuriya offered went begging as he edged a fiery ball from Brett Lee on nine only to be dropped behind by Kumar Sangakkara.

However the Sharks would only have to wait until the end of the next over to get rid of the dangerous Sri Lankan as he edged a good length ball from Umar Gul to Matthew Hayden at first slip for 19. But that was to be just the start of the Thunder collapse as Queensland bowler Ryan Harris struck with his second ball to remove Virender Sehwag for a golden duck as the Indian opener played a lazy shot against a swinging ball.

2-35 soon became 3-45 as Ramnaresh Sarwan fell for six attempting a suicidal second run after turning Gul down to third man as the Albie Morkel throw had him comfortably short of his ground. The 80,000-strong MCG crowd were further stunned as Luke Ronchi's promising start came to an end on 26 as he looked to strike his second six of the innings against Ryan Harris only to be caught by Umar Gul at deep square-leg.

But whilst the Thunder batsmen fell, Pakistani batsman Mohammad Yousuf proved you don't need to play unorthodox strokes to make runs as he played a glorious 50* in 35 balls. The graceful innings uncluded just six boundaries as he watched Australian batsmen Brad Hodge (15) and Andrew McDonald (14) depart to ugly looking shots. Yousuf eventually found a partner in Irfan Pathan as they combined for a 46-run stand to help push the score above a defendable 150.

However 150 was nowhere near enough against the strong Sydney top order. Graeme Smith and Matthew Hayden combined for an imposing 52-run opening stand as only Ishant Sharma caused the left-handed pair any trouble - young Victorian seamer Peter Siddle struggling to 0-23 in two overs. On 20 the captain Smith fell to McDonald as he attempted to turn a good length ball down to third man - only to get the faintest of edges through to Ronchi who was standing up to the stumps.

McDonald also picked up the wicket of Hayden for 55 as the big man attempted a typical Matthew Hayden shot - walking down the wicket in an attempt to hit the medium pacer over mid-wicket. But the disturbance of Hayden's stumps didn't worry the visitors as Kumar Sangakkara and David Hussey combined for a secure 38-run stand before Hussey holed out in the deep against Irfan Pathan to leave Sangakkara to guide the visitors home with a classy 41* in 28 deliveries.

Jamie Alter is a staff writer at Cricinfo

? Cricinfo

 

[Kiko_97]

This is great a thread to revive the forum I hope you stick with it. KUTGW

 

[Highlander999]

Excellent start mate. You are well known for your top quality story's

 

[thesweepmaster]

Absolutely mind blowing start to this story and really i should have excepted it off you, Mongrel.
Just coming off the story, how do you edit the teams and players lists on ICC? is there some kind of patch which I can get off here or somewhere else?

 

[jarl]

Great start mate, Go the Thunder..

 

[The Mongrel]

Brisbane City Cyclones v Perth Mariners, APL, Brisbane
Thornely upstages hosts in last gasp win
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
September 26, 2009

Perth Mariners 173 for 4 (Thornely 67*, Dorey 3-26) beat Brisbane City Cyclones 172 for 4 (Gayle 55, Shah 37*, Tait 2-31) by six wickets

A tremendous half-century from New South Wales batsman Dominic Thornely helped the Perth Mariners come back from the brink to script a stunning six wicket victory over the Brisbane City Cyclones off the last ball at the 'Gabba. Chasing 173 for victory, all hope looked gone as they struggled on an overcast evening against the line and length of Brett Dorey until Thornely bashed 67* in 34 balls to bring up a fantastic win.

Mariners captain Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to field first only to have Cyclones opener Chris Gayle attack from the very outset to take two fours off the first three balls from Shaun Pollock. However as Tasmanian batsman Michael Dighton faced up to his first ball, Pollock nearly had his revenge as he found the outside edge of the aggressive right-hander only for Sachin Tendulkar to drop him on 0.

Gayle and Dighton combined for an attractive 85-run stand to set a good platform for the innings before Gayle fell to Shahid Afridi's leg spin - caught by Dominic Thornely at square leg for 55 in 34 deliveries. Michael Dighton soon followed suit to Shane Watson as he was bowled for a run-a-ball 37.

English batsman Owais Shah was joined by Cyclones marquee player Andrew Symonds who made a low key start to his APL career to be caught behind off Shaun Tait for twelve in eleven deliveries. With the very next ball, Tait reduced the hosts to 4-130 with just four overs to play as George Bailey was caught by Shane Watson at backward point after smoking a short ball from Tait.

But a handy 42-run stand between Shah and $410,000-rated West Indian Dwayne Bravo helped the score to an imposing 4-173 in difficult conditions. Shah finished unbeaten on a steady 37 whilst Bravo raced to 26 in just thirteen deliveries.

Chasing 173, Adam Gilchrist and Sachin Tendulkar got off to a racing start with a 34-run stand before Gilchrist edged a late-swinging ball from Mitchell Johnson to be caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for 16. However just as the match looked to be edging towards to Perth side, West Australian Brett Dorey (who was signed for $150,000) found the outside edge of the little master Sachin Tendulkar to dismiss him for a promising 31.

Dorey would strike twice more to dismiss Shane Watson (13) and dangerman Kevin Pietersen (9) to leave the Mariners reeling at 4-81. However the Cyclones could not be prepared for the onslaught they were about to suffer at the hands of Dominic Thornely who blasted five fours and four sixes as the Mariners took 66 runs off the last five overs to script a stunning victory. Ian Bell would hit the winning single off the last ball of the innings against a wayward RP Singh to finish unbeaten on 35 - but it was the fantastic half-century from the $330,000-rated Thornely which lit up the packed 'Gabba crowd.

Jamie Alter is a staff writer at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

 

[The Mongrel]

Adelaide Phoenix v Hobart Heroes, APL, Adelaide
Heroes dodge bullet in low-scoring scrap
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
September 26, 2009

Hobart Heroes 152 for 7 (Hussey 45, Paine 33*, Taylor 3-32) beat Adelaide Phoenix 144 all out (Pomersbach 45, Hopes 44*, Vettori 3-25) by eight runs

Not even gutsy displays from Australian batsmen Luke Pomersbach and James Hopes could save the Adelaide Phoenix from an eight run loss at the hands of Hobart at Adelaide Oval as Heroes spinner Daniel Vettori claimed three wickets to lead the visitors to a hard-fought victory. Winning the toss and batting, the much fancied Hobart side struggled to 7-152 as Jerome Taylor ran through them with 3-32. But Vettori and Dimitri Mascarenhas combined to take six wickets between them to cripple the Phoenix who very nearly recovered after falling to an abysmal 5-43 early.

Hobart openers Shaun Marsh and Sourav Ganguly looked troubled early on an Adelaide Oval deck with a tinge of green on the surface as Dale Steyn and Jerome Taylor had the ball moving just enough to be going on with. Marsh fell first - Jerome Taylor's first delivery swinging back in at pace to knock over the left-handers off-stump before removing his opening partner Ganguly three balls later with a fiery bouncer.

Hobart's two million dollar men Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting came together with the expectations of the Hobart franchise upon them and set about restoring the Heroes innings. Heroes captain Ponting looked in good touch on his way to 20 before Victorian seamer Gerard Denton found the top-edge of a cut shot which flew to Gautam Gambhir at deep third man. The loss of one wicket set about a mini-collapse as Mike Hussey was run out two balls later for a composed 45 whilst Paul Collingwood fell next over to Muttiah Muralitharan for just one.

But a handy partnership of 42 for the sixth wicket between Rohit Sharma and Tim Paine helped regain some momentum for Hobart before Sharma was caught off the niggling bowling of James Hopes. The loss of the Indian youngster did, however, pave the way for what would be a match-winning 35-run stand between Paine and Dimitri Mascarenhas before the latter became Jerome Taylor's third victim off the final ball of the innings.

The Adelaide run chase seemed to be over before it even started as Ben Hilfenhaus struck early to remove the dangerous Brendon McCullum for twelve. McCullum, noted for being one of the premier Twenty20 openers in the world, came down the wicket to the Tasmanian seamer and lost his off-stump to an ugly swat at a swinging delivery. Indian opener Gautam Gambhir - likewise noted for his immense T20 performances - fell in a similar fashion as Hilfenhaus angled the ball back into the left-hander and knocked over his middle stump.

Retired Redbacks batsman Matthew Elliott showed he needs more time to adjust to the pace of APL cricket as he worked hard for his score of eight in 16 deliveries before being done in by Man of the Match Daniel Vettori. Vettori's left-arm spin also dismissing Shivnarine Chanderpaul (7) and captain Darren Lehmann (3) to leave the hosts reeling at 5-43. But Luke Pomersbach and James Hopes combined to give the Phoenix a real sniff of victory with a 73-run stand for the sixth wicket before Pomersbach fell for an impressive 45 in 34 deliveries as he was caught behind off Mascarenhas' medium pace. The English all-rounder eventually the difference between the sides with his 3-41 in four overs; also claiming Gerard Denton (6) and Dale Steyn (3) to set up the nailbiting victory.

Hopes' 44* in just 24 deliveries wasn't enough to overcome the poor start as cricket bad boy Sreesanth finished the innings off with the wicket of Muttiah Muralitharan to finish with fantastic Twenty20 figures of 1-16 in 3.3 overs.

Jamie Alter is a staff writer at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

 

[gutterman]

great stuff mate this is a great story so far kutgw

 

[The Mongrel]

Sydney Sharks v Docklands All-Stars, APL, Sydney
Hayden again the star as Sharks ease to victory
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
September 27, 2009

Sydney Sharks 167 for 3 (Hayden 58, Smith 44, Shoaib Malik 1-16) beat Docklands All-Stars 166 for 5 (Katich 58, de Villiers 50, Umar Gul 2-33) by seven wickets

Matthew Hayden's second Australian Premier League half-century has lead the Sydney Sharks to their second victory in a seven wicket win over the Docklands All-Stars at the SCG. The All-Stars posted a competitive total of 5-166 following half-centuries to openers AB de Villiers and Simon Katich before mar Gul struck twice to prevent them scoring at a quick rate at the end of their innings. Hayden's 58 in 42 balls was compiled in frenetic fashion as he bludgeoned the Docklands attack before David Hussey took the Sharks home with a 19-ball cameo of 31*.

Winning the toss and batting, Katich and de Villiers started well with an 87-run stand between the two with de Villiers in particularly good touch in his APL debut. The South African opener bought up his fifty in 28 balls before falling the next ball to Ryan Harris as he gave Matthew Hayden a simple catch at deep third-man.

The rollicking start continued for the visitors as they raced along at nearly ten an over to be 2-146 after 16 overs as Simon Katich was run out by a beautiful throw from Yuvraj Singh. However the Sharks would soon turn the screws to concede just twenty runs in the last five overs as Shoaib Malik (1), Adam Voges (7) and Scott Styris all departed in quick succession to leave captain MS Dhoni unbeaten on 44 in 34 deliveries.

Chasing 167, it all seemed elementary for the Sydney Sharks as Hayden and Smith posted a 106-run opening stand to frustrate Dhoni's men. Hayden's innings of 58 included five fours and three sixes before he top-edged a pull against Jacob Oram to be caught easily by Adam Voges at mid-wicket. Smith followed suit to reduce the Sharks to 2-110 as he was trapped LBW by Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik for 44 before a 48-run stand between Kumar Sangakkara (23) and David Hussey (31*) sealed an emphatic victory.

Jamie Alter is a staff writer at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

Scorecards may come out differently here as I used photobucket with imageshack down.

 

[jarl]

Nice presentation and story mate, just 1 question will you be doing a points table so we can keep up to date on who is winning?

 

[The Mongrel]

Nice presentation and story mate, just 1 question will you be doing a points table so we can keep up to date on who is winning?

Yeah, that'll come up after the Melbourne-Newcastle game.

 

[The Mongrel]

Newcastle Fury v Melbourne Thunder, APL, Newcastle
Freddie debuts in style as Thunder fall to second loss
The Bulletin by Jamie Alter
September 27, 2009

Newcastle Fury 175 for 8 (Flintoff 71, Misbah-ul-Haq 47, Nel 2-28) beat Melbourne Thunder 172 for 8 (Pathan 45*, Hauritz 3-34) by three runs

2005 Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff started his Australian Premier League career off in style with a devastating innings of 71 to lead the Newcastle Fury to a nailbiting debut APL victory over Melbourne at Newcastle. Coming to the crease at 3-8, Flintoff showed no fear in attacking in a difficult situation as he played arguably the best knock of the tournament with 71 in just 37 deliveries.

On an uneven wicket, Michael Clarke's decision to bat first raised a few eyebrows among the packed No.1 Sports Ground crowd. The eyebrows were raised even further as the Fury made a disastrous start to slump to 3-8 early as Ishant Sharma removed openers Phil Jaques (7) and Stephen Fleming (1) whilst Andre Nel took his first APL wicket by trapping Clarke LBW for a duck. Flintoff combined with Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene for an impressive 34-run stand in quick time before the latter became Nel's second wicket as the South African seamer proved to be a brilliant replacement for Peter Siddle; removing Jayawardene for fourteen.

But a 98-run stand for the fifth wicket between Flintoff and Misbah-ul-Haq got the crowd back into the match as they looked capable of posting a total of over 200 as they breezed along at ten runs per over. On 47, Misbah followed a wider ball from Andrew McDonald to gift Luke Ronchi a simple catch up at the stumps before Flintoff's whirlwind innings came to an end after six fours and four sixes as he was bowled by an Irfan Pathan yorker.

The Fury were unable to post over 200 as the lower order were well contained - spinners Aaron Heal and Shane Warne snaring Shoaib Akhtar (16) and Nathan Bracken (1) respectively. However the target of 176 for victory would be an imposing total for the visitors on a difficult wicket - a chase made even more difficult as Luke Ronchi fell in the second over for ten as he edged a good ball from Nathan Bracken.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (7) and Twenty20 superstar Brad Hodge (2) also fell quickly to reduce the visitors to 3-38 before Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Yousuf combined for a solid 42-run stand to lift the Thunder to 3-90. But disaster struck as Melbourne lost 4-14 within two overs as Nathan Hauritz claimed three wickets with his accurate off-spin to remove Yousuf (27), McDonald (6) and Warne (0). The big wicket of Sehwag fell to Man of the Match Flintoff as he trapped the Indian opener LBW for 41 to effectively snuff out any chance of a Thunder win.

Irfan Pathan gave the visitors a small glimmer of hope with his impressive 45* in just 25 balls (four fours and two sixes), but it wasn't enough as Aaron Heal (15) and Andre Nel (15*) couldn't score quickly enough as the Thunder went down just four runs short of the 176-run target.

Jamie Alter is a staff writer at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo