Ponting to review his Test future

MELBOURNE: Ricky Ponting says he will review his future as Australia captain and player after the conclusive Ashes loss, insisting he will act for the good of the team and not his own career.

England retained the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years Wednesday after the home side was dealt an innings and 157-run loss in the fourth Test.

Ponting's captaincy has come under scrutiny in the light of the series result, his poor batting, a finger injury and his unseemly remonstrations with the on-field umpires about a reviewed decision Monday which resulted in a fine.

The No. 3 batsman underperformed at the wicket throughout the series and made just 10 runs in Australia's dismal first innings of 98 before managing 20 in the second.

Ponting said while much of his future is in the hands of the selectors, he acknowledges it may be time to review his Test career in the light of the team's performance this series. If Australia fail to win the final Test in Sydney to square the series, Ponting will be the first Australia captain to have lost three Ashes series.

"Whatever decision I make, it's really important it's for the betterment of Australian cricket," he said. "I want to keep playing, I would love to keep leading the team, I still think I've got a lot to offer in both those regards."

"It's got to be about the betterment of Australian cricket, it's never been about me. It's always been about the team and what's right for the team."

In 2005, Ponting became the first Australia captain to preside over an Ashes loss since Allan Border in 1986-1987. After regaining the urn in 2006-2007, he lost it again in England in 2009 before this summer's defeat.

"It's not much of a record so I probably won't be reflecting on that too much," Ponting said.

"The fact that I've lost those three series is disappointing for me," he said. "Hopefully I'm not only remembered as that guy, the guy that lost three Ashes series. There's lots of other great things I've been lucky to be able to be part of as a players throughout my career. This result is not one of my proudest."

Ponting's future in cricket could be beyond his control. He will speak with doctors later Wednesday after leaving the MCG Wednesday morning to have X-rays on his fractured left little finger, an injury which he carried into the fourth Test.

He is also not entirely confident of selection for the fifth and final Ashes Test starting Sunday in Sydney.

"The selectors are meeting this afternoon with a view of naming the team for Sydney," Ponting said. "It's out of my control. I can't think too much about it. I've tried my hardest over the last couple of weeks to try to play well and try to lead the team as well as possible. I've felt I've led the team as well as I can.

"I haven't performed the way I wanted to perform, but I certainly haven't done it without trying, that's for sure."

Ponting said England had shown Australia how to play good Test cricket this series and his team would do well to learn from it. Provided he's fit and selected, Ponting says he'll join an Australia side in Sydney with a lot to play for.

"We can go to Sydney with a chance of being able to level the series and regain some pride in the team performance, and also give the fans around Australia something to be proud of," he said. "That will be our whole focus from now till the end of the Sydney Test."
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Learn How To Take Effective Action To Save Your Marriage!

It would be very easy right now for you to make really rash decisions to try to save your marriage. However, doing this will definitely cause more harm than good to your already fragile situation, simply because you are letting your emotions drive you to do things that you shouldn't.

If your marriage has been a little rocky in recent months, then there is a very good chance that things are really tense between you and your spouse. You will very likely try to pin the blame onto each other, which will only cause more hard feelings between the two of you.

Of course it is very important that you talk to each other about the issues in your marriage, but you will need to plan this carefully so as to avoid any more unpleasantness. As there is probably a tense atmosphere in your home right now, it would be a good idea for you and your spouse to go away for a few days.

Apart from this having a calming effect on both you and your spouse, it is very possible that it will bring back good memories for you, and you could very well enjoy your time together. The whole aim of this time away together is to ensure that you can have a relaxed discussion about the troubles in your marriage and what you need to do to rectify them and save your marriage.

Don't only talk about your problems though, as this will cause a very negative atmosphere between you and your spouse. Make a point of talking about all the good things in your time together as well. Reminisce about the days you started dating, when you decided to get engaged, as well as the fabulous wedding you had and how happy you were then. You will both realize just how much there is to lose if you don't try to save your marriage.

Sometimes, with the pressures of everyday life, the good times are forgotten - revive them again - they can only make your decisions that much easier. You will probably find that talking about all the good times you had together will make it a lot easier to discuss your problems, as well as make you and your spouse more willing to fix them, so that you can save your marriage.


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An unusual passion play between Aishwarya and Hrithik…

All thanks to Aishwarya and Hrithik who will be seen indulging in a passion play of an altogether different kind, while shooting for a scene in the film Guzaarish.
Hrithik essays the role of a paraplegic who can’t feel a thing below his neck. While Ash, being his nurse, takes care of him.
The erotic sequence begins with Ash giving Hrithik a foot massage. That’s when Hrithik starts off with the oohs! and aahs! Aishwarya too, no less, takes the cue and makes lovemaking noises, moans and sighs of sexual ecstasy.
This foot massage inturn turns into a love fest!!
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali told reporters, “how can my hero who feels everything from neck up and absolutely nothing from neck down make love with his nurse? He can only pretend. Hrithik has no love scene with Aishwarya. The so-called love-making sequence is actually savagely funny take on a very poignant predicament of a man who cannot feel the things that normal people do. Although his limbs are senseless, his nurse gives him a foot massage to keep the blood circulations going. And that’s when the whole mock-ecstasy scene happens. I must say Aishwarya and Hrithik gave a whole new definition to ‘faking it’ in this sequence. Bahut masti wali scene hai. But the underlying tragedy of a man who will never actually experience what he’s pretending to, has also been brought out.”
The scene is rather funny rather than titillating.
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Gavaskar wanted Rs 20 crore for IPL role, says BCCI boss

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar are at it again. The latest salvo was fired by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan on Tuesday evening, who accused the batting legend of "demanding Rs 20 crore as remuneration for being on the IPL governing council".

Srinivasan was reacting to Gavaskar’s comments to NDTV earlier in the day where the latter said he was yet to be paid by the BCCI for his role as a governing council (GC) member of the Indian Premier League. "I have not been paid at all by the BCCI since I took the offer and have been sending gentle reminders about it (to the board)," he said and hoped to meet the BCCI president Shashank Manohar to clear the issue.

BCCI officials reacted strongly to former captain Sunil Gavaskar’s comments that he’s yet to be paid for his role as a governing council (GC) member of the IPL. Saying that his doors were open for Gavaskar, BCCI president Shashank Manohar clarified that "all payments have been cleared except for the last quarter".

Gavaskar, along with former India captains Ravi Shastri and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, was part of the eight-member GC headed by Lalit Modi, which took all key decisions of the three editions of the IPL. The trio was offered Rs 1 crore each per year for their services. That panel was disbanded during the Board’s AGM in September and now only two cricketers - Shastri and Mohinder Amarnath - are on board. Interestingly, they are on par with six others on the panel as honorary members.

The BCCI has clearly said that they will not make any extra payment to the former India captain for any role he has played on the GC apart from the unpaid dues. The board further explained that all matters of payment are approved in the BCCI’s working committee meetings. "His (Gavaskar) contract is of Rs 1 crore per year but he claims he was promised an additional Rs 4 crore a year. The BCCI has no knowledge of any such commitment and therefore it has been unanimously decided that the money will not be paid," Srinivasan said.

"Those terms were not acceptable to the board. As per the agreement with the BCCI, former players on the GC were to be paid only Rs 1 crore each per year for three years."

Gavaskar also dragged ICC president and former board chief Sharad Pawar into the controversy saying the latter offered to facilitate a meeting between him and Manohar.
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Why Rani Mukerji is anxious?

Rani Mukerji spent the last couple of days very anxiously as her father was again hospitalised .

Though she is breathing fine now with her father's health getting better, Rani was, however, spotted looking very troubled.

This was the second health problem that her father faced successively and Rani has made sure that she keeps a vigil on her father.

A doting daughter, she was constantly beside her father and cancelled all appointments and meetings that she had lined up.

Check Out Rani Mukerji's Homepage

Read more: Why Rani Mukerji is anxious? - The Times of India