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CSA tight-lipped on speculations of Kirsten becoming coach

Cricket South Africa (CSA) is tight-lipped about the speculation that former India coach Gary Kirsten has emerged as the frontrunner for the position of new Proteas coach.



Dismissing talks that Kirsten, who lead India to victory in the World Cup on home ground, was the obvious choice, CSA said it had received "strong applications" from South Africa and abroad.



Former Pakistani coach Richard Pybus is considered to be a strong contender after Kirsten, while former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and former Australian all-rounder and Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody are also believed to be the other applicants.



CSA on Monday started interviewing potential candidates to replace Corrie van Zyl, who returned to his position at the CSA High Performance Centre after the recent World Cup in the Indian subcontinent.



Van Zyl, player representative Boeta Dippenaar, selection convenor Andrew Hudson and CSA chief executive Gerald Majola comprised the panel which put candidates through tough questioning before they also undergo psychometric tests.



The panel will make its recommendations to the CSA board after interviewing the candidates for the job.



CSA also still has to select a new captain for South Africa as Graeme Smith stepped down from the post after the world Cup, where the team was crushed in the quarter finals against New Zealand.

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Injured Bresnan likely to miss Sri Lanka Tests

England pace bowler Tim Bresnan is likely to miss all three of his team's Test matches against Sri Lanka after tearing his right calf muscle.



Bresnan sustained a similar injury earlier this year in the one-day series against Australia.



The England and Wales Cricket Board says "a rehabilitation and recovery program will be established in the coming days following further medical assessment."



The first Test starts May 26 in Cardiff.

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Controversial IPL cheerleader Pasqualotto gets Bollywood offer

Mumbai Indians cheerleader Gabriella Pasqualotto, who was sent home midway through IPL 4 for exposing the antics of some of the top players on a blog, has been offered a role in a major Bollywood movie and also been invited to the inaugural India Grand Prix in October.



According to a report in a South Africa newspaper, the 22-year-old has been flooded with media requests from all over the world since her return to her native country.



America's NBC channel and top radio DJs from Australia have also requested for interviews of her.



The South African cheerleader, in a report, has claimed that her blogs were light, fun and innocent and not malicious.



"I mentioned Graeme Smith, but that was old news anyway. When I called Aussies 'naughty', it was meant as mischievous and not in a sexual way," Pasqualotto was quoted as saying by 'The Independent'.



Pasqualotto's mother Amanda was furious at the treatment meted out to her daughter by the IPL orgainsers.



"The girls were told to move around in groups, but they packed her into a taxi on her own and sent her off to the airport. She had no airtime, no-one called us from the Indian agency despite promising Gabby (Pasqualotto) they would do so.



"She had an eight-hour stopover in Dubai and no US dollars to even buy a cup of coffee -- we did not even know where she was. It's a disgrace the way they treated her," said Amanda.



Pasqualotto, meanwhile, said that she was quite happy to stand by her blog and tweets.



"I would like to thank everyone on Twitter and Facebook for their support this week and I'm still a big fan of my team, the Mumbai Indians. Maybe there will be a Part III and if there is, it will probably be about this whole debacle," she said.



Pasqualotto was sent back home after she bloged about her role as a cheerleader and the after-dark activities of some of the world's top cricketers.



"We are like walking porn. All eyes are on you all the time, it is complete voyeurism. The women double take, see you and then pretend you do not exist. The men see your face, then your *****, your **** and then your ***** again. As we walk all we hear is 'IPL IPL' with a little head jingle," she had written in her blog.



Describing an after match party, Pasqualotto said, "The music pumps, the drinks flow and the cricketers come and go. We mingle and associate with important people of the IPL wearing their finest and sexiest...but the real fun happens in the VIP rooms where the players and night owls can cause scandal!



"The few Indian players we have met, such as MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, have been very polite and kept to themselves in dark corners. Hotshots like Tendulkar with families at home are never present. The likes of Jonty Rhodes and Albie Morkel are notorious for having a good time with friends," she further wrote.



The cheergirl added, "Ol Graeme Smith will flirt with anything, while his girlfriend lurks behind him. The Aussies are fun but naughty, such as Aiden Blizzard and Dan Christian.



"By the end of a crazy evening, a certain someone had played kissing catches with three girls known to me only. He cooed to each girl, 'Come home with me I just want to cuddle'."

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IPL qualification scenarios

Mumbai: With 16 matches left in the group stage of the IPL, no team is yet certain of qualification for the final four, while only Deccan Chargers have been eliminated. Here's a look at where the other nine teams stand, and in what scenarios they will either make the cut or miss out



Mumbai Indians are obviously the favourites at the moment - despite the heavy defeat to Punjab - but by no means are they a certainty for the last four. If they lose their remaining three games, there is a possibility four teams will overtake their points tally of 16, which will mean Mumbai will be eliminated without net run-rate coming into play. One example is the following: Rajasthan win their three remaining games, Chennai and Kolkata win two out of three and Bangalore win two out of four. Then Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Rajasthan will all have more points than Mumbai.



On the other hand, if Kochi win their remaining three games and Mumbai lose theirs, then they'll both be on 16. It's then possible that Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore will all have more points, with Kochi and Mumbai battling for the final slot on net run-rate.However, if Mumbai win one more game, they'll be through.



Chennai Super Kings are sitting pretty too with 14 points in 11 matches, but they too will need two wins from their remaining three matches to be sure of a spot in the final four. If they end up on 16, there's a possibility of four teams - Mumbai, Kolkata, Rajasthan and Bangalore - overtaking that number. Alternatively, Kochi could end up on 16 if they win their last three, in which case net run-rate could come into play, but Chennai's is much better than Kochi's.



Kolkata Knight Ridersnbsp;have numbers that are very similar to Chennai's, but two of their last three matches are against Bangalore and Mumbai, who are among the best teams in IPL 2011. Sixteen points may not be enough if Rajasthan win their last three, since Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore are all well-placed to go past 16.



Royal Challengers Bangalore are on 13 points, but they have played a game less than most other teams. Because of the washout against Rajasthan, these two teams are sitting on an odd number of points, which makes their situation a slightly tricky one. Depending on how the other results pan out, Bangalore could go through to the last four if they finish on 15 points, but on the other hand, they could also be eliminated if they end up with 17 points."



Say, for example, that Bangalore win two of their last four, Rajasthan win all three, Kolkata and Chennai win at least two and Mumbai one. Then, three teams will have more points than Bangalore, while Rajasthan will be tied with them on 17, bringing net run-rate into play. Bangalore are well clear of Rajasthan in that area, so two wins should most likely be enough.



On the other hand, 15 points could also be enough for Bangalore if Rajasthan win only one of their last three, and if Kochi win no more than two. Even if Rajasthan win two, they'll only be on 15, and net run-rate will decide which of Bangalore or Rajasthan make the cut. In fact, even if Bangalore lose all four, they could still be in contention if the following happens: Rajasthan win only one of their last three (against Bangalore), Kochi win no more than one, and Punjab no more than two. (A match-by-match iteration shows this scenario is possible.) Then, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata will be through, with Bangalore and Rajasthan tied on 13, fighting for the final slot.



"Rajasthan Royals have slipped up a bit after two successive losses to Chennai - they've played a game more than Bangalore, but are two points behind them. Like Bangalore, they could be eliminated despite finishing with 17: if Bangalore win their last three games, Kolkata beat Pune and Mumbai, Chennai beat Delhi and Kochi, and Mumbai beat Deccan, then Bangalore will finish with 19, while Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai will have 18 points each.



On the other hand, even with 13 points Rajasthan could have an outside chance if Bangalore lose all their remaining games, but given Rajasthan's poor run-rate, it's highly unlikely they can pip Bangalore and take the final spot."



"Kochi Tuskers have had a mixed campaign so far, losing six games and winning five. Victories in each of their last three matches will keep them in contention if other results go their way, but there's a very slim chance of making it with 14 points - they could be level with Chennai, Kolkata, or both, depending on how many of their last three matches Chennai and Kolkata win. However, Kochi's abysmal net run-rate of -0.624, the worst among all teams, means they're the least likely side to win a net run-rate battle, unless they win their remaining matches by huge margins, and Kolkata and Chennai lose badly."

Kings XI Punjab are one of three teams on eight points, but they have a game in hand. That means they could finish with as many as 16 points, but even that might not be enough if Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore win at least two matches each, which is a possibility given the schedules for the teams.



On the other hand, three wins and a tally of 14 could also give them a chance, if other results go their way - for example, if Chennai and Kolkata lose each of their last three games, it could come down to net run-rate for the last one or two slots. Punjab's net run-rate of -0.432, though, is among the poorer ones in the tournament so far.



Pune Warriors have lost seven out of 11 matches, but the silver lining is the fact that many of their defeats have been narrow while most of the wins have been convincing, because of which their net run-rate is a relatively healthy -0.003; they've lost four times with four or fewer balls to spare, and won three times with ten or more deliveries left.



However, the maximum points they can finish with is 14, and three teams already have 13 or more. For Pune to qualify, they'll obviously have to win all three and hope other results go their way: as mentioned in the example above, if Chennai and Kolkata lose each of their matches, and if Rajasthan win no more than one game, then three or more teams could be tied on 14 and vying for the last two slots.



Delhi Daredevils are in a similar position as Pune with four wins in 11 games, though with a poorer net run-rate. They'll have to win their last three games by convincing margins, and then hope at least one of Chennai or Kolkata lose all their remaining games.



Deccan Chargers aren't in contention any more, but with three games to play, they could still play spoilsport and mar the chances of one of the other teams trying to make the knockout stage.

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