The Indian Premier League may bring unforseen riches to the world’s top cricketers, but not everyone has fallen for the lure of the lucre.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting and senior pro Michael Hussey opted out of the IPL’s second season starting in South Africa on Saturday to rest tired limbs after a back-breaking schedule.

Two other Australians, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, did not even put themselves up for auction, saying they wanted to concentrate on their international careers.

Expensive players are not guaranteed their entire riches as the England duo of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have found out.

Both went for record sums of 1.55 million dollars each at this year’s auction, but England’s home series against the West Indies in May has shortened their IPL participation to the first two weeks.

Players are paid on a pro-rata basis and two other England stars, Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah, will also be similarly affected.

Collingwood and Shah were picked up by the Delhi Daredevils team for identical amounts of 275,000 dollars each.

West Indian captain Chris Gayle, who commands 800,000 dollars from the Kolkata Knight Riders, and team-mate Fidel Edwards, a new signee with the Deccan Chargers for 150,000 dollars, will also be available for two weeks.

Australian controversial all-rounder Andrew Symonds, bought by the Deccan Chargers for 1.35 million last year, will now be available for only the last two weeks of the IPL.

Brett Lee, a 900,000-dollar signee with Kings XI Punjab, may not even play at all as the Australian medical staff monitors his recovery from ankle and foot injury ahead of the Ashes.

Australian Shane Watson, who was the IPL’s player of the tournament last year, is also out till May 7 due to his inclusion for the Pakistan series.

“I think Shane will miss the first nine games and be available for the last five and hopefully the finals,” said Shane Warne, his Rajasthan Royals captain.

The biggest losers are the Pakistani cricketers who were thrown out of the IPL this year after Islamabad denied them permission to travel to India for the tournament following growing tensions between the two countries.

The players’ appeal to allow them to return to the IPL since the tournament had been shifted to South Africa was rejected by tournament organisers.

It deprives Warne’s champion team of the services of left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir, the highest wicket-taker last year with 22 wickets.

Tags: Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Symonds, Australia, Brett Lee, Chennai Super kings, Chris Gayle, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, England, Flintoff, IPL 2, IPL 2009 News, IPL South Africa, Ipl T20, Kevin Pietersen, Kings XI Punjab, Knight Riders, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Owais Shah, Pakistan Cricketers, Paul Collingwood, Rajasthan Royals, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir, South Africa, West Indies

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Ricky Ponting’s men have been unable to win back the one-day international ranking but he believes they can still finish the tour on a high. South Africa claimed the series with a 61-run win in Port Elizabeth on Monday in the 4th ODI and in doing so confirmed their position at the top of the rankings table.

But Australia can make the scoreline a little less lopsided and will fly out with a 3-2 loss if they fight back to win the final ODI in Johannesburg on Friday. It will require a turnaround in form after South Africa’s strong performances but Australia are keen to regain some momentum before heading to the UAE to take on Pakistan.

“We weren’t able to do well this time, and the South Africans outplayed us in the last three games in all facets of the game, so they deserve to be where they are,” Ponting said after the Port Elizabeth loss. “We’d like to finish the tour on a high, so hopefully there’ll be a bit of character in the team when the guys pitch up on Friday.”

Ponting took a risk by sending South Africa in on Monday but the bowlers struggled to make inroads into the top order. Herschelle Gibbs’ 21st ODI century and an attacking 84 from AB de Villiers left Australia chasing 318 and despite a promising opening stand between Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke Australia fell well short.

“Herschelle obviously played beautifully, he played a sensational innings,” Ponting said. “I thought De Villiers was also outstanding. We needed someone at the top to go on and make a big hundred, but we didn’t really have that.”

Tags: 4th ODI, Australia, Brad haddin, De Villers, Hershchelle Gibbs, Michael Clarke, pakistan, Ricky Ponting, South Africa, South Africa Vs Australia

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Roelof van der Merwe and captain Johan Botha took South Africa to a series-clinching 17-run win in the second Twenty20 International against Australia at Centurion Park on Sunday.

Van der Merwe hit 48 off 30 balls as South Africa struggled to 156 for five after being sent in. Then Botha produced a miserly spell of off-spin bowling, taking two for 16 in four overs, as Australia were restricted to 139 for eight.

Van der Merwe, selected mainly as a slow left-arm bowler, was surprisingly sent in at number five and initially he struggled to find his timing.

But he chanced his arm and slammed four sixes and two fours, with two sixes and both fours coming in one over from Nathan Bracken, usually one of the world’s most economical bowlers in limited overs cricket.

The Australian bowlers varied their pace and lengths skillfully and the South African batsmen were unable to maintain a consistently quick scoring rate.

Australia made a good start, with Michael Clarke and David Warner putting on 37 for the first wicket.

But Warner was bowled by Albie Morkel and one run later Australian captain Ricky Ponting was caught behind off left-arm pace bowler Yusuf Abdulla, a second new player in the South African line-up.

Clarke and David Hussey put on 25 for the third wicket before the game changed dramatically when Clarke was bowled by Botha and Callum Ferguson was run out first ball.

Botha’s teasing spin prevented the Australians from recovering their momentum and wickets fell as the batsmen went for big shots.

David Hussey followed up his 88 not out in the first match with 27 and threatened to swing the game Australia’s way when he hit Van der Merwe for six and four off successive balls in the 15th over, only to be caught at mid-off off the next delivery.

South Africa made four changes from the side that won the first match in Johannesburg by four wickets on Friday. “The new players have shown they can play at international level and have given the selectors a nice headache,” said Botha about the challenge of selecting a side for the World Twenty20 in England in June.

“Our bowling was pretty good,” said Ponting. “But you need batting partnerships and that’s where we fell short.”

Tags: Australia, Centurion Park, Johan Botha, Merwe, Michael Clarke, Natham Bracken, Ricky Ponting, South Africa, South Africa Vs Australia, T20 International

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