Spirits Cricket

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The captain of the England cricket team, Alastair Cook, wants his players to pull their socks and come up with something special in the third test match against Australia which is going to start from tomorrow at Perth.

England is down by 0-2 in the series and they have an uphill task in their hands now. If they have to retain the Ashes, they will have to win 2 out of the next 3 test matches.

Cook was clearly looking pressurized while talking to the reporters in the pre match press conference earlier today.

The English skipper said, “We haven’t been at our best so far in the series and that is really disappointing. But, now, we can’t afford to put up another poor performance.”

“Captaincy is not an easy job. You are always under the scanner as a captain, but, you need to be up for the challenges and that’s what I am doing. I am ready for the upcoming game and I will try everything that I can to pull things back for us.”

England had included two spinners in the XI in the last test match as the Adelaide pitch was dry and was expected to assist the slow bowlers, but, on a quick and bouncy surface at Perth, there is no chance of them doing that. One of the two spinners would certainly be dropped.

England might also leave out both of them and go into the Perth test match with an all pace attack.

When asked about the possibility of both the spinners being sidelined, Cook said, “Selection is always difficult when you are losing games. You have to make some tough calls. As far as going with an all pace attack is concerned, it’s definitely possible.”

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Video Ranking: 4 / 5

Kevin Pietersen has said that there shouldn’t be any mercy shown towards the players who are caught being involved in spot fixing.

In the previous edition of Indian Premier League, some spot fixing cases had come into limelight. It had been found that some players took money from the bookies and then, conceded a certain amount of runs in a particular over.

After investigation, the Board for control of cricket in India handed those players a life ban.

Pietersen is one of the few England players who play in the Indian Premier League and he is hugely popular in India. He has represented three different IPL teams so far. Currently, he plays for Delhi Daredevils.

When asked about his thoughts on spot fixing, Pietersen said, “I am very clear about it. If somebody is found being involved in these sorts of things, hand him a life ban.”

When asked about his experience of playing in the IPL, Pietersen said, “It’s a great tournament and BCCI should be given credit for that. They have worked hard for making this tournament interesting and they have succeeded in doing that.”

“I have a lot of fun playing in the IPL. The stadiums get jam packed in each and every match and especially, when we play our home games in Delhi, the atmosphere is always phenomenal.”

“We get tremendous support in Delhi. And, not only us, but, each and every side gets the same kind of support on its home ground.”

When asked about one of India’s greatest batsmen Rahul Dravid who has recently played the last game of his professional career, Pietersen said, “I have had the privilege of playing alongside him when I was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore side. He is a champion player and an awesome man.”