Few gave them any chance of mixing it with the big boys when they arrived in South Africa, but in two successive days, India, all of one game old in this format when they arrived for the ICC World Twenty20, have put it across two teams with the most experience at this version. If yesterday's win against England was built around an awesome batting display, today's was a result of significant performances in all aspects - the batting recovery from 33 for 3 was remarkable, the bowling was fiery, if sometimes erratic, while the fielding was simply sensational.
Almost the entire team played a part, but the most significant contribution came from a 20-year-old making his international debut. Rohit Sharma was a revelation. He has been spoken of highly in domestic circles, but to come out for the first time on an international stage and play with the poise and composure he did was quite remarkable. It shows he possesses an excellent temperament and isn't fazed by the big stage, qualities that are as important for an international cricketer as skill.
The skill aspect shone through as well. The conditions at Kingsmead meant this wasn't a normal Twenty20 knock: a batsman coming in at No. 5 in this format would usually be expected to be on fourth gear from the start, but with India at 33 for 3 and the ball seaming around, it was essential that the batsmen rethought their strategy. Rohit was smart enough to do that.
Add his outstanding fielding, and India seem to have found a long-term middle-order batsman who should eventually make a mark in all forms of the game
Of his first 14 balls, he only scored four runs, and was often hurried by the sheer pace of Morne Morkel - who consistently bowled at around 142 to 145 kph - and Johan van der Wath. However, the bowler-friendly conditions also demonstrated that he has the technique to cut it at this level: the stance is upright and relaxed, he doesn't commit onto the front foot too early - a quality that should help him on bouncy tracks - and he defends with a straight bat and close to his body.
In his first 20 minutes at the crease, there was evidence that he had the ability to make the grade in the longer version, but with the ball zipping around, could he transform defence into the kind of strokeplay that would give India a fighting chance in this game? The next 45 minutes answered that too, and quite emphatically.
His first two fours weren't entirely convincing, but then he played three strokes of sheer class: Albie Morkel pitched it on a good length just outside off, and Rohit leaned forward, rode the bounce, and square-drove it past backward point. Soon after that, Makhaya Ntini was elegantly flicked away, the ball bisecting quite perfectly the fielders at fine leg and square leg. Next up, when Ntini pitched it up outside off, Rohit eased into a classical cover-drive, again placing it just right. The pace of the pitch had been a problem earlier, but now that he had gauged it, the runs flowed far more freely, with his favourite shot being the cut over point, a stroke he executed more than once with flourish. Add his outstanding fielding, and India seem to have found a long-term middle-order batsman who should eventually make a mark in all forms of the game.
RP Singh impressed again with a lively spell of swing bowling With Mahendra Singh Dhoni getting into his stride too, it ensured India had a competitive total in the end, but few would have expected such an intense and high-quality performance in the field. If Pakistan had outdone Australia in the field earlier in the tournament, India did the same to South Africa today. While the South Africans missed a couple of sitters and fumbled in the field, the Indians were dervishes. Dinesh Karthik's sensational catch to dismiss Graeme Smith, and Rohit's Jonty Rhodes-like dive to run out the dangerous Justin Kemp were obviously the highlights, but there were other less noticeable moments too, when the fielders attacked the ball, picked it up cleanly, and threw quickly, and reasonably accurately.
Among the bowlers, RP Singh, with the ability to move the ball both ways and get disconcerting bounce, showed once again just how much he has developed over the last six months. Four for 13 in four overs were outstanding returns, and they didn't flatter the way he bowled. Sreesanth, when he got his direction right, was a handful, while Irfan Pathan showed once again that he has got back his rhythm and swing.
The one aspect that was a black mark on an otherwise impeccable performance was the indiscipline in bowling: the Indians gave away 15 runs in wides, and bowled 11 extra deliveries. Their excellence in other areas - and South Africa's uncanny ability to play at their worst at the big stages - allowed them to get away with it, but on Saturday against Australia such profligacy might not go unpunished.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Twenty20world cup update
India's high-octane show spurs it to semis
Rudra Pratap Singh extended a tradition of an Indian left-arm fastmedium bowler making a stunning impact in a big game at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground as Team India came up with a high-octane performance for the second night running to breeze into a semifinal date with Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 with a superb – run victory over South Africa.
For the second night running, India was able to channelise its emotions and etch a stunning victory as it raced to the top of Group E and pushed the home side out of the tournament, carrying New Zealand into the semifinals after a triple tie. There was an enormous display of self-belief as India readied itself for a clash with Australia on Saturday.
From a dismal 61 for four in the 11th over, India finished with a fighting 153 for five in 20 overs. It rallied through an 85-run partnership between a creative Rohit Sharma (50 not out, 40 balls, seven fours, two sixes) and a steady Mahendra Singh Dhoni (45, 33 balls, four four, one six). It still left the team with a much work to do when defending the score.
Led by RP Singh, the bowlers and fielders did a terrific job of that. If RP Singh finished with four for 13 in four overs, Sreesanth and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh grabbed two wickets each while Irfan Pathan was at his economical best and Joginder Sharma filled his role as the fourth seamer adequately.
Four years ago, Ashish Nehra had demolished England in an ICC World Cup game here with a fine exhibition of swing bowling at Kingsmead. He had finished with figures of six for 23 in his 10 overs. Tonight, it was 21-year-old RP Singh's turn to leave his imprint on the ground as he finished with four for 13 in his four overs.
India turned out some attacking fielding in support of the bowlers. It almost as if they were paying a tribute to the side's best fielder, Yuvraj Singh who was out of the game with a sore elbow. Karthik's catch at second slip to dismiss Graeme Smith was a stunner, flying to his left to get both his hands to the ball that was screaming past him.
Not long after, Rohit Sharma's fielding skills came to the fore. And it fetched him the man of the match award. Mark Boucher played RP Singh to the off side and set off for a single. The young Indian charged from his position on the 30-yard circle at cover, swooped on the ball and flicked it on to the stumps, catching the dangerous Justin Kemp short of his crease.
South Africa lost its way under the pressure that India mounted on it. And it was a pity that Shaun Pollock's efforts with the new ball earlier in the day went waste.He does not need much more to inspire him than a new white ball, a lively pitch and lights at his home turf, the Kingsmead Cricket Ground. The Indian cricketers have known this for a while but were served a reminder in a four-over spell.
Rohit Sharma, batting for the first time in the tournament, led India's quest for a moderate score that would give its bowlers a chance to stop South Africa. He overcame nerves to play some aggressive and innovative strokes and shared a battling stand with Dhoni (44, 33 balls, four fours, one six).
Seeking a win over the formidable home side to make the semifinal grade, India suffered a reverse even before a ball was bowled when its vice-captain Yuvraj Singh pulled out of the game with a sore left elbow. With a top finisher missing from the ranks, Dhoni held himself back to the No. 6 slot and was able to haul India back on rails to finish with 153 for five in 20 overs
Rudra Pratap Singh extended a tradition of an Indian left-arm fastmedium bowler making a stunning impact in a big game at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground as Team India came up with a high-octane performance for the second night running to breeze into a semifinal date with Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 with a superb – run victory over South Africa.
For the second night running, India was able to channelise its emotions and etch a stunning victory as it raced to the top of Group E and pushed the home side out of the tournament, carrying New Zealand into the semifinals after a triple tie. There was an enormous display of self-belief as India readied itself for a clash with Australia on Saturday.
From a dismal 61 for four in the 11th over, India finished with a fighting 153 for five in 20 overs. It rallied through an 85-run partnership between a creative Rohit Sharma (50 not out, 40 balls, seven fours, two sixes) and a steady Mahendra Singh Dhoni (45, 33 balls, four four, one six). It still left the team with a much work to do when defending the score.
Led by RP Singh, the bowlers and fielders did a terrific job of that. If RP Singh finished with four for 13 in four overs, Sreesanth and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh grabbed two wickets each while Irfan Pathan was at his economical best and Joginder Sharma filled his role as the fourth seamer adequately.
Four years ago, Ashish Nehra had demolished England in an ICC World Cup game here with a fine exhibition of swing bowling at Kingsmead. He had finished with figures of six for 23 in his 10 overs. Tonight, it was 21-year-old RP Singh's turn to leave his imprint on the ground as he finished with four for 13 in his four overs.
India turned out some attacking fielding in support of the bowlers. It almost as if they were paying a tribute to the side's best fielder, Yuvraj Singh who was out of the game with a sore elbow. Karthik's catch at second slip to dismiss Graeme Smith was a stunner, flying to his left to get both his hands to the ball that was screaming past him.
Not long after, Rohit Sharma's fielding skills came to the fore. And it fetched him the man of the match award. Mark Boucher played RP Singh to the off side and set off for a single. The young Indian charged from his position on the 30-yard circle at cover, swooped on the ball and flicked it on to the stumps, catching the dangerous Justin Kemp short of his crease.
South Africa lost its way under the pressure that India mounted on it. And it was a pity that Shaun Pollock's efforts with the new ball earlier in the day went waste.He does not need much more to inspire him than a new white ball, a lively pitch and lights at his home turf, the Kingsmead Cricket Ground. The Indian cricketers have known this for a while but were served a reminder in a four-over spell.
Rohit Sharma, batting for the first time in the tournament, led India's quest for a moderate score that would give its bowlers a chance to stop South Africa. He overcame nerves to play some aggressive and innovative strokes and shared a battling stand with Dhoni (44, 33 balls, four fours, one six).
Seeking a win over the formidable home side to make the semifinal grade, India suffered a reverse even before a ball was bowled when its vice-captain Yuvraj Singh pulled out of the game with a sore left elbow. With a top finisher missing from the ranks, Dhoni held himself back to the No. 6 slot and was able to haul India back on rails to finish with 153 for five in 20 overs
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sri lanka beat Bangladesh by 64 run
Sri Lanka kept their ICC World Twenty20 hopes alive with a convincing 64-run win over Bangladesh at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. And while Chaminda Vaas may have stood out on the bowling front, it was once again the unheralded Jehan Mubarak who featured with the bat when Bangladesh won the toss and chose to field first. After his impressive 46 off 13 balls against Kenya in the group stages, newcomer Mubarak commented that he wasn't usually considered a big hitter.
But a quickfire 31 not out off 19 balls saw the lanky former national swimming champion once again playing a starring role for the Sri Lankans. In fact, coming in at number seven with his team seriously in trouble, Mubarak's knock in a 51-run partnership with Tillakaratne Dilshan (21 not out off 16) ended up being the highest of the innings and one which gave the Sri Lankans the edge over a determined Bangladesh side eager to cause another upset.
It had been a shaky innings for the World Cup finalists before Mubarak and Dilshan got to the middle. Having scored consecutive fifties in earlier matches of the tournament, Sanath Jayasuriya failed with the bat for the second match in a row, this time going in the first over (caught by Mahmudullah Riyad off the bowling of Mashrafe Mortaza) without scoring.
Upul Tharanga made 23, Kumar Sangakkara 20 and captain Mahela Jayawardena 30 but the momentum was never there and some impressive bowling from the Bangladesh side saw the Sri Lankans restricted to 147-5 in their 20 overs.The wickets were shared around five of the Bangladesh bowlers, with Riyad finishing with the best figures of 1-19 off his four overs.
A target of 148 seemed to be a modest one for Bangladesh to reach but Chaminda Vaas and Randi Dilhara Fernando set to work preventing that from happening. Vaas struck first, trapping Nazim Uddin LBW in the first over for 0 and Fernando soon followed, dismissing the other opener, Tamim Iqbal (caught Malinga for 3). Like the Sri Lankans a little earlier in the evening, Bangladesh struggled to get going from there on in with wickets falling at regular intervals as the required run rate shot up into double figures and beyond. And they eventually collapsed to 83 all out by the 16th over (Aftab Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan finishing as the top scorers with a paltry 18 runs each), handing
Sri Lanka the 64-run win.
But a quickfire 31 not out off 19 balls saw the lanky former national swimming champion once again playing a starring role for the Sri Lankans. In fact, coming in at number seven with his team seriously in trouble, Mubarak's knock in a 51-run partnership with Tillakaratne Dilshan (21 not out off 16) ended up being the highest of the innings and one which gave the Sri Lankans the edge over a determined Bangladesh side eager to cause another upset.
It had been a shaky innings for the World Cup finalists before Mubarak and Dilshan got to the middle. Having scored consecutive fifties in earlier matches of the tournament, Sanath Jayasuriya failed with the bat for the second match in a row, this time going in the first over (caught by Mahmudullah Riyad off the bowling of Mashrafe Mortaza) without scoring.
Upul Tharanga made 23, Kumar Sangakkara 20 and captain Mahela Jayawardena 30 but the momentum was never there and some impressive bowling from the Bangladesh side saw the Sri Lankans restricted to 147-5 in their 20 overs.The wickets were shared around five of the Bangladesh bowlers, with Riyad finishing with the best figures of 1-19 off his four overs.
A target of 148 seemed to be a modest one for Bangladesh to reach but Chaminda Vaas and Randi Dilhara Fernando set to work preventing that from happening. Vaas struck first, trapping Nazim Uddin LBW in the first over for 0 and Fernando soon followed, dismissing the other opener, Tamim Iqbal (caught Malinga for 3). Like the Sri Lankans a little earlier in the evening, Bangladesh struggled to get going from there on in with wickets falling at regular intervals as the required run rate shot up into double figures and beyond. And they eventually collapsed to 83 all out by the 16th over (Aftab Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan finishing as the top scorers with a paltry 18 runs each), handing
Sri Lanka the 64-run win.
Pakistan win by six wicket
Australia
Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Brad Hodge, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken.
Pakistan
Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Nazir, Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Asif.
Once again it was a crucial middle-order partnership that went a long way to earning Pakistan their second win of the super eight stage of the ICC World Twenty20 as they defeated Australia by six wickets in Johannesburg.
And once again, an impressive all-round effort from the Pakistan bowlers proved to be another decisive factor in the victory, which has put them on the verge of a semifinal spot in the tournament.
Having won the toss, Pakistan elected to field first and struck early when new kid on the block Sohail Tanvir dismissed Matthew Hayden in the second over for 1 (caught by Younus Khan). Sohail went on to claim two more crucial wickets – those of Adam Gilchrist (for 24) and Michael Hussey (for 37) in a spell that would certainly have elicited a smile on the face of the selectors.
Hussey and Brad Hodge had put together a partnership of 50 off 30 balls in the middle of the innings to steady things for the Australians but some tight bowling from Pakistan saw the mighty Aussies scoring only 14 runs from the final three overs to finish on a rather disappointing total of 164-7.
At a ground that has produced the highest totals of the tournament so far, that was always going to look a little low but Stuart Clark got the Australians in it right from the start, claiming three wickets in his first two overs. He first dismissed Imran Nazir (caught Mitchell Johnson) for 10 and Mohammad Hafeez (caught Michael Clarke) for 15 before removing the danger man from Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka on Monday, Younus Khan (caught by Brett Lee) for 4.With the Pakistan side struggling on 35 for three by the sixth over, Johnson did further damage by trapping Salman Butt LBW for 11.
So, with their top order a thing of the past, captain Shoaib Malik and Misbah Ul-Haq set about restoring the innings for Pakistan. And that they did in style, both reaching over 50 runs while notching up a partnership of 119 (off 78 deliveries), a fifth wicket partnership record in Twenty20 internationals.
As light rain sifted down on what has otherwise been a consistently sunny Wanderers, the onslaught continued and much to the clearly pro-Pakistan supporters’ delight, the duo reached their target of 165 off a wide ball from Andrew Symonds with five balls to spare. Malik finished on 52 (off 38
balls) not out while man of the match Ul-Haq was unbeaten on 66 (off 42).
Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Brad Hodge, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken.
Pakistan
Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Nazir, Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik (capt), Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Asif.
Once again it was a crucial middle-order partnership that went a long way to earning Pakistan their second win of the super eight stage of the ICC World Twenty20 as they defeated Australia by six wickets in Johannesburg.
And once again, an impressive all-round effort from the Pakistan bowlers proved to be another decisive factor in the victory, which has put them on the verge of a semifinal spot in the tournament.
Having won the toss, Pakistan elected to field first and struck early when new kid on the block Sohail Tanvir dismissed Matthew Hayden in the second over for 1 (caught by Younus Khan). Sohail went on to claim two more crucial wickets – those of Adam Gilchrist (for 24) and Michael Hussey (for 37) in a spell that would certainly have elicited a smile on the face of the selectors.
Hussey and Brad Hodge had put together a partnership of 50 off 30 balls in the middle of the innings to steady things for the Australians but some tight bowling from Pakistan saw the mighty Aussies scoring only 14 runs from the final three overs to finish on a rather disappointing total of 164-7.
At a ground that has produced the highest totals of the tournament so far, that was always going to look a little low but Stuart Clark got the Australians in it right from the start, claiming three wickets in his first two overs. He first dismissed Imran Nazir (caught Mitchell Johnson) for 10 and Mohammad Hafeez (caught Michael Clarke) for 15 before removing the danger man from Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka on Monday, Younus Khan (caught by Brett Lee) for 4.With the Pakistan side struggling on 35 for three by the sixth over, Johnson did further damage by trapping Salman Butt LBW for 11.
So, with their top order a thing of the past, captain Shoaib Malik and Misbah Ul-Haq set about restoring the innings for Pakistan. And that they did in style, both reaching over 50 runs while notching up a partnership of 119 (off 78 deliveries), a fifth wicket partnership record in Twenty20 internationals.
As light rain sifted down on what has otherwise been a consistently sunny Wanderers, the onslaught continued and much to the clearly pro-Pakistan supporters’ delight, the duo reached their target of 165 off a wide ball from Andrew Symonds with five balls to spare. Malik finished on 52 (off 38
balls) not out while man of the match Ul-Haq was unbeaten on 66 (off 42).
Sunday, September 16, 2007
First hat-trick in twenty 20 world cup
Brett Lee claimed the first-ever hat-trick in T20 cricket as Australia dominated the tame Bangladesh batsmen in their ICC World Twenty20 Super 8 clash at the Newlands cricket ground on Sunday.
Lee dismissed Shakib al Hasan (caught behind), Mashrafe Mortaza (bowled) and Alok Kapali (leg before the wicket) in his third over to put Australia on top. Lee's previous best in this format of the game was one for 26 against New Zealand in 2004/05.
The pace spearhead ended up with three for 27 runs in his four overs as Bangladesh limped to 123 for eight in 20 overs.. In fact, twice Lee claimed wickets off free-hits which were not counted as the previous deliveries were no balls.
Lee was superbly supported by Nathan Bracken, who claimed two wickets for 14 runs in his three overs. In fact, bowling the last over of the Bangladesh innings, Bracken too was on a hat-trick!
From one extreme to the other, Bangladesh batters are sure to exasperate their supporters. While they went ballistic in their game against South Africa on Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon saw them so stubbornly preserving their wickets against Australia that they forgot that they were allowed just 20 overs to bat.Crowds flocking the Newlands cricket ground on Sunday hoping to see yet another exciting – never mind if it's suicidal at times – Bangladesh batting display were in for a disappointment.
So hell bent were the Bangladeshis on preserving the wickets in this match that they completely forget their natural game. They batted slower than they would in a normal ODI. Aftab Ahmed, who was a raging bull against South Africa the other evening, scored 31 off 34 balls with just two fours on Sunday. Tamim Iqbal scored 32, but those came off 40 balls and didn't do too much for his side.
Balance between offense and defense is the key in Twenty20, something which the inexperienced Bangladeshis have not yet learnt. Either they are Mad Max or strokeless wonders. Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to bowl, but he didn't have to worry too much. Thanks to the strange Bangladesh attitude, none of his bowlers went for big runs. Mitchell Johnson gave away 28 runs for one wicket in his four overs, and he was the most expensive among the seamers.
Stuart Clark gave away just 13 runs in his four overs and picked up one wicket.Michael Clark's puppy left-arm spin went for 28 runs in three overs when they should have been worth much more. Clarke even had a wicket against his name.
Lee dismissed Shakib al Hasan (caught behind), Mashrafe Mortaza (bowled) and Alok Kapali (leg before the wicket) in his third over to put Australia on top. Lee's previous best in this format of the game was one for 26 against New Zealand in 2004/05.
The pace spearhead ended up with three for 27 runs in his four overs as Bangladesh limped to 123 for eight in 20 overs.. In fact, twice Lee claimed wickets off free-hits which were not counted as the previous deliveries were no balls.
Lee was superbly supported by Nathan Bracken, who claimed two wickets for 14 runs in his three overs. In fact, bowling the last over of the Bangladesh innings, Bracken too was on a hat-trick!
From one extreme to the other, Bangladesh batters are sure to exasperate their supporters. While they went ballistic in their game against South Africa on Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon saw them so stubbornly preserving their wickets against Australia that they forgot that they were allowed just 20 overs to bat.Crowds flocking the Newlands cricket ground on Sunday hoping to see yet another exciting – never mind if it's suicidal at times – Bangladesh batting display were in for a disappointment.
So hell bent were the Bangladeshis on preserving the wickets in this match that they completely forget their natural game. They batted slower than they would in a normal ODI. Aftab Ahmed, who was a raging bull against South Africa the other evening, scored 31 off 34 balls with just two fours on Sunday. Tamim Iqbal scored 32, but those came off 40 balls and didn't do too much for his side.
Balance between offense and defense is the key in Twenty20, something which the inexperienced Bangladeshis have not yet learnt. Either they are Mad Max or strokeless wonders. Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to bowl, but he didn't have to worry too much. Thanks to the strange Bangladesh attitude, none of his bowlers went for big runs. Mitchell Johnson gave away 28 runs for one wicket in his four overs, and he was the most expensive among the seamers.
Stuart Clark gave away just 13 runs in his four overs and picked up one wicket.Michael Clark's puppy left-arm spin went for 28 runs in three overs when they should have been worth much more. Clarke even had a wicket against his name.
New Zealand clinch thriller by 10 runs
Another sunny day, and another cracking match at the Wanderers. India and New Zealand made sure the Super Eight stage of the ICC World Twenty20 got off to a thrilling start with a match that went right down to the wire in Johannesburg. In a match that really could have gone either way, it was the New Zealanders who emerged victorious, winning by 10 runs.
Having won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat, India struck early when they sent Lou Vincent packing with only 11 runs on the board.But a solid 45 off 31 balls from fellow opener Brendon McCullum meant the New Zealanders got back on track. He notched up a 50-run partnership with Peter Fulton and another vital 50-run partnership further down the order between Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram saw the Black Caps reaching a significantly improved total of 190 (compared with their disappointing 164 against Sri Lanka on Saturday), their last wicket falling off the final ball of the innings.
In fact, some impressive fielding from the Indians saw New Zealand losing captain Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, McMillan and Jeetan Patel (three of them run out) in the final over, which could otherwise have seen them eclipsing the 200-run mark.Harbhajan Singh was particularly impressive on the bowling front, conceding just 24 runs off his four overs and taking the vital wickets of McCullum (caught by Gambhir) and Fulton (LBW).
India then got off to a great start, putting on 76 runs before Virendar Sehwag was caught by Scott Styris off Oram for 40. His replacement Robin Uthappa went the very next over without scoring but Gambhir stuck it out, reaching his 50 before succumbing to Vettori for 51. At this stage, on 104-3 in the 11th over, it seemed India were in control but the wickets fell with increasing regularity after that. Vettori was in particularly devastating form as his side staged a determined fight-back, eventually finishing with figures of 4-20 off his four overs.
Set with a target of 33 off the final two overs and with just two wickets in hand, the numerous Indian fans in the stadium endured a nerve-wracking few minutes.Singh tried to speed things up with a big one but sent it straight up and eventually into the hands of Vettori, meaning the Indians needed 23 off the final over, which was bowled by Mark Gillespie, with just one wicket in hand.But the target proved just out of reach for the Indians, who eventually went down by 10 runs.
Earlier, Opener Brendon McCullum gave the initial thrust to his team - scoring a quickfire 45 from just 31 balls, until Harbhajan Singh put the brakes on New Zealand's quick scoring. India will chase a daunting task of scoring 191 – it will be the second most succesful chase of the tournament, if it happens. The best chase was by South Africa in the first match against the West Indies.
A late flourish from Oram (35) and McMillan (44) ensured New Zealand compiled a challenging total of 190 – eventually bowled out. RP Singh (2/29) and Harbhajan (2/24) were India’s best bowlers.
Jacob Oram's cameo innings included three sixes and two fours – he scored 35 runs from just 15 balls. New Zealand were in totters at 91/5 when the tall left-handed all-rounder came to the crease. Oram and McMillan put on a stand out partnership of 73 runs.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss in Johannesburg and elected to field first in the all important crunch game against New Zealand. The Subcontinent have retained the same XI which participated in the thriller against Paksitan.
Daniel Vettori and his team made just one change to the lineup - Off spinner Jeetan Patel replaced fast bowler Chris Martin.
India team
V Sehwag, G Gambhir, RV Uthappa, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, KD Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, IK Pathan, AB Agarkar, S Sreesanth, RP Singh
New Zealand team
BB McCullum, L Vincent, PG Fulton, RL Taylor, SB Styris, JDP Oram, CD McMillan, DL Vettori, SE Bond, MR Gillespie, JS Patel
Having won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat, India struck early when they sent Lou Vincent packing with only 11 runs on the board.But a solid 45 off 31 balls from fellow opener Brendon McCullum meant the New Zealanders got back on track. He notched up a 50-run partnership with Peter Fulton and another vital 50-run partnership further down the order between Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram saw the Black Caps reaching a significantly improved total of 190 (compared with their disappointing 164 against Sri Lanka on Saturday), their last wicket falling off the final ball of the innings.
In fact, some impressive fielding from the Indians saw New Zealand losing captain Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, McMillan and Jeetan Patel (three of them run out) in the final over, which could otherwise have seen them eclipsing the 200-run mark.Harbhajan Singh was particularly impressive on the bowling front, conceding just 24 runs off his four overs and taking the vital wickets of McCullum (caught by Gambhir) and Fulton (LBW).
India then got off to a great start, putting on 76 runs before Virendar Sehwag was caught by Scott Styris off Oram for 40. His replacement Robin Uthappa went the very next over without scoring but Gambhir stuck it out, reaching his 50 before succumbing to Vettori for 51. At this stage, on 104-3 in the 11th over, it seemed India were in control but the wickets fell with increasing regularity after that. Vettori was in particularly devastating form as his side staged a determined fight-back, eventually finishing with figures of 4-20 off his four overs.
Set with a target of 33 off the final two overs and with just two wickets in hand, the numerous Indian fans in the stadium endured a nerve-wracking few minutes.Singh tried to speed things up with a big one but sent it straight up and eventually into the hands of Vettori, meaning the Indians needed 23 off the final over, which was bowled by Mark Gillespie, with just one wicket in hand.But the target proved just out of reach for the Indians, who eventually went down by 10 runs.
Earlier, Opener Brendon McCullum gave the initial thrust to his team - scoring a quickfire 45 from just 31 balls, until Harbhajan Singh put the brakes on New Zealand's quick scoring. India will chase a daunting task of scoring 191 – it will be the second most succesful chase of the tournament, if it happens. The best chase was by South Africa in the first match against the West Indies.
A late flourish from Oram (35) and McMillan (44) ensured New Zealand compiled a challenging total of 190 – eventually bowled out. RP Singh (2/29) and Harbhajan (2/24) were India’s best bowlers.
Jacob Oram's cameo innings included three sixes and two fours – he scored 35 runs from just 15 balls. New Zealand were in totters at 91/5 when the tall left-handed all-rounder came to the crease. Oram and McMillan put on a stand out partnership of 73 runs.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss in Johannesburg and elected to field first in the all important crunch game against New Zealand. The Subcontinent have retained the same XI which participated in the thriller against Paksitan.
Daniel Vettori and his team made just one change to the lineup - Off spinner Jeetan Patel replaced fast bowler Chris Martin.
India team
V Sehwag, G Gambhir, RV Uthappa, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, KD Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, IK Pathan, AB Agarkar, S Sreesanth, RP Singh
New Zealand team
BB McCullum, L Vincent, PG Fulton, RL Taylor, SB Styris, JDP Oram, CD McMillan, DL Vettori, SE Bond, MR Gillespie, JS Patel
Thursday, September 13, 2007
India-Pakistan ready to battle
A new Asian derby featuring India and Pakistan will unfold at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban on Friday night when the teams square up in their maiden Twenty20 contest at the ICC World Twenty20. Despite the brevity of the contest, both sides are expected to be as intense and competitive and delight the packed crowd and TV audiences.
The match should only be of academic interest but then no India-Pakistan game can ever be of mere academic interest. It is about pressure and the ability to cope with that. Most of the 22 men who will take the field at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground on Friday will have much experience of dealing with this special pressure and may handle this challenge well.
With not much history of Twenty20 to fall back upon, it would be tough to stick one's neck out and back either side to win the inaugural contest. Typically of the teams, there is much talent in their ranks and it will boil down to which set of players cope with pressure well. In a short format, there is precious little room for error. "Of course, there is pressure," said Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. "Whenever we are playing India, there is added pressure since it is a huge game. We don't want to lose any game, irrespective of who we are playing, be it India, Scotland or Australia. We just want to give off our 100 per cent and not lose any game in any format.
"We made some mistakes in the game against Scotland and we cannot afford to commit the same mistakes a second time," Malik said. "I am satisfied with the way we bowled. We made some mistakes with our fielding but I must say we got lucky to make 171 against Scotland. We will sit together and evolve a good plan for the match against India."
India's young side does not have as much time to think about Friday's match with Pakistan since it is due to play on Thursday. "We will start looking at the game against Pakistan only after we complete the opening match with Scotland," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "It would be foolish to dismiss Scotland as a no-hoper. Every team has a chance in Twenty20."
There have been some suggestions that this match will make up for the contest that didn't materialise at the ICC World Cup in the West Indies when Bangladesh and Ireland scripted upset victories and took up India and Pakistan's places in the Super Eights.
Dhoni and Malik have been at pains to tell anyone who cares to listen that the World Cup is water under the bridge. "We will all be better off if we forget what happened at the ICC World Cup 2007 and focus on the game on hand," Dhoni said.
Allrounder Shahid Afridi smiled when he was reminded that India had beaten Pakistan in all their World Cup encounters. "But this is the Twenty20 World Cup and anything can happen," he said. "No team can be taken lightly in this format. Our morale is high after securing a win in the opening match and the boys are all keen to secure a win in the huge game against India."
The teams:
Pakistan (from): Shoaib Malik (captain), Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Mohammed Hafeez, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Abdur Rehman, Fawad Alam and Sohail Tanvir.
India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Joginder Sharma and S Sreesanth.
The match should only be of academic interest but then no India-Pakistan game can ever be of mere academic interest. It is about pressure and the ability to cope with that. Most of the 22 men who will take the field at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground on Friday will have much experience of dealing with this special pressure and may handle this challenge well.
With not much history of Twenty20 to fall back upon, it would be tough to stick one's neck out and back either side to win the inaugural contest. Typically of the teams, there is much talent in their ranks and it will boil down to which set of players cope with pressure well. In a short format, there is precious little room for error. "Of course, there is pressure," said Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. "Whenever we are playing India, there is added pressure since it is a huge game. We don't want to lose any game, irrespective of who we are playing, be it India, Scotland or Australia. We just want to give off our 100 per cent and not lose any game in any format.
"We made some mistakes in the game against Scotland and we cannot afford to commit the same mistakes a second time," Malik said. "I am satisfied with the way we bowled. We made some mistakes with our fielding but I must say we got lucky to make 171 against Scotland. We will sit together and evolve a good plan for the match against India."
India's young side does not have as much time to think about Friday's match with Pakistan since it is due to play on Thursday. "We will start looking at the game against Pakistan only after we complete the opening match with Scotland," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "It would be foolish to dismiss Scotland as a no-hoper. Every team has a chance in Twenty20."
There have been some suggestions that this match will make up for the contest that didn't materialise at the ICC World Cup in the West Indies when Bangladesh and Ireland scripted upset victories and took up India and Pakistan's places in the Super Eights.
Dhoni and Malik have been at pains to tell anyone who cares to listen that the World Cup is water under the bridge. "We will all be better off if we forget what happened at the ICC World Cup 2007 and focus on the game on hand," Dhoni said.
Allrounder Shahid Afridi smiled when he was reminded that India had beaten Pakistan in all their World Cup encounters. "But this is the Twenty20 World Cup and anything can happen," he said. "No team can be taken lightly in this format. Our morale is high after securing a win in the opening match and the boys are all keen to secure a win in the huge game against India."
The teams:
Pakistan (from): Shoaib Malik (captain), Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Mohammed Hafeez, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Abdur Rehman, Fawad Alam and Sohail Tanvir.
India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Joginder Sharma and S Sreesanth.
England vs Australia
England eager to 'humiliate' Australia
England will be aiming to condemn Australia to a 'humiliating' early exit from the ICC World Twenty20 after Paul Collingwood's men crushed Zimbabwe by 50 runs in their Group B encounter on Thursday.
In the words of captain Ricky Ponting, Australia have their "backs to the wall" following a shock defeat by Zimbabwe on Wednesday and the world champions must beat England to stay alive in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.England are assured of qualification for the next stage unless they lose to Australia by more than 50 runs and Kevin Pietersen is relishing the challenge ahead.
"We were humiliated by Australia (in the Ashes) last winter and now we're in a position of strength where we can pretty much humiliate them," Pietersen said following his man-of-the-match knock of 79 from 37 deliveries. "It's somewhere we haven't been for a long time and it would be a really good day for England if it happens. I'm not saying it is going to happen but it's an opportunity of a lifetime," Pietersen said.
Ponting admitted he was embarrassed by his team's performance against the African nation and knows they have to improve drastically if they are to prolong their stay in South Africa.
"We're playing a good team and we're going to have to play a lot better than we did against Zimbabwe if we want to win," Ponting said. "We have to improve, it's as simple as that. There's a short turn around between games but I'm hoping it's more a mindset thing that we have to get right."
Playing against the 'old enemy' usually brings out the best in Australia and Ponting expects his team to rise the occasion again. "It wasn't long ago that we played a lot of cricket against England, in both forms of the game, but having said that they have the edge on us in experience in Twenty20 cricket -- we're all still very new to it. "We have to learn from our mistakes (against Zimbabwe) and if we don't then we're fools. Hopefully we can bounce back today."
England will be aiming to condemn Australia to a 'humiliating' early exit from the ICC World Twenty20 after Paul Collingwood's men crushed Zimbabwe by 50 runs in their Group B encounter on Thursday.
In the words of captain Ricky Ponting, Australia have their "backs to the wall" following a shock defeat by Zimbabwe on Wednesday and the world champions must beat England to stay alive in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.England are assured of qualification for the next stage unless they lose to Australia by more than 50 runs and Kevin Pietersen is relishing the challenge ahead.
"We were humiliated by Australia (in the Ashes) last winter and now we're in a position of strength where we can pretty much humiliate them," Pietersen said following his man-of-the-match knock of 79 from 37 deliveries. "It's somewhere we haven't been for a long time and it would be a really good day for England if it happens. I'm not saying it is going to happen but it's an opportunity of a lifetime," Pietersen said.
Ponting admitted he was embarrassed by his team's performance against the African nation and knows they have to improve drastically if they are to prolong their stay in South Africa.
"We're playing a good team and we're going to have to play a lot better than we did against Zimbabwe if we want to win," Ponting said. "We have to improve, it's as simple as that. There's a short turn around between games but I'm hoping it's more a mindset thing that we have to get right."
Playing against the 'old enemy' usually brings out the best in Australia and Ponting expects his team to rise the occasion again. "It wasn't long ago that we played a lot of cricket against England, in both forms of the game, but having said that they have the edge on us in experience in Twenty20 cricket -- we're all still very new to it. "We have to learn from our mistakes (against Zimbabwe) and if we don't then we're fools. Hopefully we can bounce back today."
Update on Twenty20 World Cup
India-Scotland match washed out
The sight of the drifting rain would be a heavenly sight but not for cricket buffs who had made their way to the Kingsmead Cricket Ground to watch India make its debut in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament with a group D match against Scotland that would have helped it warm up for Friday's contest with Pakistan.
Viewed against the floodlight that lit up the ground on new moon night, the sight of rain moving like a mist -- carried away by the strong westerlies – was among the most beautiful I have experienced in my career as a cricket writer. There is finally a challenger for the memories of rain in the Kandyan hills during the Indian team's tour of Sri Lanka in 1993.
Then again, such beauty comes along with disappointment. India and Scotland would share two points from the game. It leaves India with the task of having to keep an eye on net run rate when it plays against Pakistan on Friday. In the one completed game in the group, Pakistan's 51-run victory over Scotland gave the teams net run rates of +2.55 and - 2.55 respectively.
Things did not look bleak when the teams reached the stadium for the evening match. Rain had stayed away from Durban the whole day but made its presence felt even as the side were warming up to complete the day's programme. It was a day on which Bangladesh sent the West Indies home and Zimbabwe was unable to replicate its success from Wednesday night.
In fact, after one aborted attempt to get the toss going and a further delay, Scotland captain Ryan Watson won the toss and asked India to take first strike. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealed that he was banking on the most experienced cricketers in the squad to make the 11. He left out Joginder Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan and Piyush Chawla.
Dhoni had not even completed his customary chat for TV when rain came down again and forced the ground staff to shield the pitch and the square with covers. The covers came off and on as rain kept playing games and tested the ground staff's alacrity. The poor security personnel got a drenching as they stayed on the field, lest some adventurous fan sneak to the middle.
The cricket fraternity resumed a three-hour wait for play to begin at least five overs each but at 8-30 pm local time, the umpires Steve Davis and Simon Taufel had to throw their hands up and declare ICC World Twenty20's maiden washout. And leave us in the press box to get nostalgic about the beauty that can spoil an evening's entertainment.
Bangladesh defeat Windies by 5 wickets
Everybody said before the tournament started that the ICC World Twenty20 could provide the lower-ranked sides the chance to shine.
But few could have predicted two major upsets in as many days. The West Indies were sent packing on Thursday, after their defeat at the hands of Bangladesh by six wickets while world ODI champions Australia have been left with a crucial clash against England in which a victory is a must if they are to avoid the same fate.
Bangladesh are fast earning themselves the title of surprise-springing specialists, having beaten both India and South Africa at the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year and they didn't let their ardent fans at the Wanderers in Johannesburg down on Thursday.
Things went their way from the start with Bangladesh winning the toss and electing to field first. The West Indies' star of Tuesday night, Chris Gayle, could not replicate the performance that saw him becoming the first ever centurion in Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa, however, and failed to put a run on the board, caught at point by Alok Kapali off the bowling of Syed Rasel.
Devon Smith and Shivnarine Chanderpaul then went to work salvaging a sorry looking score and put on 95 runs before Chanderpaul was caught by Mashrafe Mortaza off Abdur Razzak for 37. Smith was next to go after being bowled by Razzak for 51 and had it not been for Dwayne Smith's quick-fire 29 off just seven balls further down the order, the West Indies score would have been even more disappointing.
As it was, they finished with 164-8 with Shakib Al Hasan finishing with figures of 34-4 off his four overs. Rasel was also particularly impressive, conceding only 10 runs from his four overs and taking one wicket.
With the prize of a guaranteed spot in the next round of the tournament up for grabs, Bangladesh set off on their run-chase with purpose. They lost Nazim Uddin early after he was caught by Sarwan off Ravi Rampaul for just one and fellow opener Tamim Iqbal was next to go for 10, but Aftab Ahmed and captain Mohammad Ashraful then produced a scintillating display of batting to pretty much win the match for their country. Ashraful scored the quickest 50 in Twenty20 Internationals (off just 20 balls) before being dismissed for 61 and later being names man of the match.
Shakib came in for a quick 13 off 9 before being caught by Powell off Sarwan and Kopali joined Ahmed in knocking off the remaining runs with two overs to spare. Ahmed finished on 62 not out which he scored off 49 balls to complete yet another memorable Bangladesh performance.
England defeat Zimbabwe by 50 runs
England’s greater experience and excellent bowling by seamer Dimitri Mascarenhas along with leg-spinner Chris Schofield earned them a convincing victory over Zimbabwe in the Group B match of the ICC World Twenty20 at Newlands cricket ground here on Thursday. Chasing 189 runs, Zimbabwe managed just 138 for seven to give England victory by 50 runs. England now plays Australia on Friday.
Mascarenhas took three wickets for just 18 runs in his four overs to dismantle the Zimbabwe top order. Schofield took his first ever wicket for England when he dismissed Stuart Matsikinyeri for two. A few deliveries later, he added Chibhabha to the kitty. Schofield's final analysis read 4-0-15-2.
The Zimbabwe openers – Brendon Taylor and Vusimusi Sibanda – once again gave their team a good start, raising 74 for the first wicket. Wednesday's hero Taylor top scored for Zimbabwe with 47, made off 39 balls with four fours and two sixes but he never really challenged the well organized England outfit.
None of the Zimbabwe batsmen could dominate the bowling the way they did against Australia the other night. Playing back-to-back games against tough opponents finally took their toll, and in the end, it turned out to be a bit of a one-sided affair, with the result apparent after 12 overs into the Zimbabwe innings.
Earlier, Kevin Pietersen -- always an unorthodox hitter – reached his pinnacle in experimentation. He slammed 79 runs off 37 balls as England racked up 188 for nine in their 20 overs. Unperturbed by the fact that Zimbabwe bowlers had laid low the might of Ricky Ponting & co just a few hours ago, Pietersen and his skipper Paul Collingwood were simply ruthless in their approach.
Elton Chigumbura was the only Zimbabwe bowler who made an impact today, taking four for 31 in his four overs.For a large part of his innings, Pietersen – South African by birth – batted left-handed! He used the reverse sweep to great effect and in the 13th over of the innings, bowled by Keith Dabengwa, he reverse sweeped a six and two fours apart from hitting another 'conventional' six.
Pietersen fell trying to reverse sweep Zimbabwe skipper Prosper Utseya. He was caught on the fence but he had done his job by that time, raising a 100-run partnership with Collingwood and slamming four sixes and seven fours in the process.
England suffered another setback in the form of Collingwood, who was run out a few deliveries later for a personal score of 37, made off 27 balls with one four and two sixes.
Zimbabwe started off well once again, after Collingwood decided to take the first strike. Strike bowler Chigumbura was on a hat-trick in his second over itself when he dismissed opener Darren Maddy for 14 and one-down Luke Wright off successive deliveries.
Closely monitored was Andrew Flintoff by the fans and media alike, as the all-rounder launched yet another comeback following yet another injury. He looked extremely edgy, and was dropped on five and seven before Chibhabha ended his misery. Flintoff scored 13 and managed to hit one six.
Chigumbura rattled the England lower order and was on a hat-trick again when he dismissed Owais Shah and Mascarenhas off successive deliveries. It was only because of his controlled bowling that England didn't go past 200.
The sight of the drifting rain would be a heavenly sight but not for cricket buffs who had made their way to the Kingsmead Cricket Ground to watch India make its debut in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament with a group D match against Scotland that would have helped it warm up for Friday's contest with Pakistan.
Viewed against the floodlight that lit up the ground on new moon night, the sight of rain moving like a mist -- carried away by the strong westerlies – was among the most beautiful I have experienced in my career as a cricket writer. There is finally a challenger for the memories of rain in the Kandyan hills during the Indian team's tour of Sri Lanka in 1993.
Then again, such beauty comes along with disappointment. India and Scotland would share two points from the game. It leaves India with the task of having to keep an eye on net run rate when it plays against Pakistan on Friday. In the one completed game in the group, Pakistan's 51-run victory over Scotland gave the teams net run rates of +2.55 and - 2.55 respectively.
Things did not look bleak when the teams reached the stadium for the evening match. Rain had stayed away from Durban the whole day but made its presence felt even as the side were warming up to complete the day's programme. It was a day on which Bangladesh sent the West Indies home and Zimbabwe was unable to replicate its success from Wednesday night.
In fact, after one aborted attempt to get the toss going and a further delay, Scotland captain Ryan Watson won the toss and asked India to take first strike. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealed that he was banking on the most experienced cricketers in the squad to make the 11. He left out Joginder Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan and Piyush Chawla.
Dhoni had not even completed his customary chat for TV when rain came down again and forced the ground staff to shield the pitch and the square with covers. The covers came off and on as rain kept playing games and tested the ground staff's alacrity. The poor security personnel got a drenching as they stayed on the field, lest some adventurous fan sneak to the middle.
The cricket fraternity resumed a three-hour wait for play to begin at least five overs each but at 8-30 pm local time, the umpires Steve Davis and Simon Taufel had to throw their hands up and declare ICC World Twenty20's maiden washout. And leave us in the press box to get nostalgic about the beauty that can spoil an evening's entertainment.
Bangladesh defeat Windies by 5 wickets
Everybody said before the tournament started that the ICC World Twenty20 could provide the lower-ranked sides the chance to shine.
But few could have predicted two major upsets in as many days. The West Indies were sent packing on Thursday, after their defeat at the hands of Bangladesh by six wickets while world ODI champions Australia have been left with a crucial clash against England in which a victory is a must if they are to avoid the same fate.
Bangladesh are fast earning themselves the title of surprise-springing specialists, having beaten both India and South Africa at the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year and they didn't let their ardent fans at the Wanderers in Johannesburg down on Thursday.
Things went their way from the start with Bangladesh winning the toss and electing to field first. The West Indies' star of Tuesday night, Chris Gayle, could not replicate the performance that saw him becoming the first ever centurion in Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa, however, and failed to put a run on the board, caught at point by Alok Kapali off the bowling of Syed Rasel.
Devon Smith and Shivnarine Chanderpaul then went to work salvaging a sorry looking score and put on 95 runs before Chanderpaul was caught by Mashrafe Mortaza off Abdur Razzak for 37. Smith was next to go after being bowled by Razzak for 51 and had it not been for Dwayne Smith's quick-fire 29 off just seven balls further down the order, the West Indies score would have been even more disappointing.
As it was, they finished with 164-8 with Shakib Al Hasan finishing with figures of 34-4 off his four overs. Rasel was also particularly impressive, conceding only 10 runs from his four overs and taking one wicket.
With the prize of a guaranteed spot in the next round of the tournament up for grabs, Bangladesh set off on their run-chase with purpose. They lost Nazim Uddin early after he was caught by Sarwan off Ravi Rampaul for just one and fellow opener Tamim Iqbal was next to go for 10, but Aftab Ahmed and captain Mohammad Ashraful then produced a scintillating display of batting to pretty much win the match for their country. Ashraful scored the quickest 50 in Twenty20 Internationals (off just 20 balls) before being dismissed for 61 and later being names man of the match.
Shakib came in for a quick 13 off 9 before being caught by Powell off Sarwan and Kopali joined Ahmed in knocking off the remaining runs with two overs to spare. Ahmed finished on 62 not out which he scored off 49 balls to complete yet another memorable Bangladesh performance.
England defeat Zimbabwe by 50 runs
England’s greater experience and excellent bowling by seamer Dimitri Mascarenhas along with leg-spinner Chris Schofield earned them a convincing victory over Zimbabwe in the Group B match of the ICC World Twenty20 at Newlands cricket ground here on Thursday. Chasing 189 runs, Zimbabwe managed just 138 for seven to give England victory by 50 runs. England now plays Australia on Friday.
Mascarenhas took three wickets for just 18 runs in his four overs to dismantle the Zimbabwe top order. Schofield took his first ever wicket for England when he dismissed Stuart Matsikinyeri for two. A few deliveries later, he added Chibhabha to the kitty. Schofield's final analysis read 4-0-15-2.
The Zimbabwe openers – Brendon Taylor and Vusimusi Sibanda – once again gave their team a good start, raising 74 for the first wicket. Wednesday's hero Taylor top scored for Zimbabwe with 47, made off 39 balls with four fours and two sixes but he never really challenged the well organized England outfit.
None of the Zimbabwe batsmen could dominate the bowling the way they did against Australia the other night. Playing back-to-back games against tough opponents finally took their toll, and in the end, it turned out to be a bit of a one-sided affair, with the result apparent after 12 overs into the Zimbabwe innings.
Earlier, Kevin Pietersen -- always an unorthodox hitter – reached his pinnacle in experimentation. He slammed 79 runs off 37 balls as England racked up 188 for nine in their 20 overs. Unperturbed by the fact that Zimbabwe bowlers had laid low the might of Ricky Ponting & co just a few hours ago, Pietersen and his skipper Paul Collingwood were simply ruthless in their approach.
Elton Chigumbura was the only Zimbabwe bowler who made an impact today, taking four for 31 in his four overs.For a large part of his innings, Pietersen – South African by birth – batted left-handed! He used the reverse sweep to great effect and in the 13th over of the innings, bowled by Keith Dabengwa, he reverse sweeped a six and two fours apart from hitting another 'conventional' six.
Pietersen fell trying to reverse sweep Zimbabwe skipper Prosper Utseya. He was caught on the fence but he had done his job by that time, raising a 100-run partnership with Collingwood and slamming four sixes and seven fours in the process.
England suffered another setback in the form of Collingwood, who was run out a few deliveries later for a personal score of 37, made off 27 balls with one four and two sixes.
Zimbabwe started off well once again, after Collingwood decided to take the first strike. Strike bowler Chigumbura was on a hat-trick in his second over itself when he dismissed opener Darren Maddy for 14 and one-down Luke Wright off successive deliveries.
Closely monitored was Andrew Flintoff by the fans and media alike, as the all-rounder launched yet another comeback following yet another injury. He looked extremely edgy, and was dropped on five and seven before Chibhabha ended his misery. Flintoff scored 13 and managed to hit one six.
Chigumbura rattled the England lower order and was on a hat-trick again when he dismissed Owais Shah and Mascarenhas off successive deliveries. It was only because of his controlled bowling that England didn't go past 200.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
West Indies Batting
C.Gayle c M.Boucher b van der Wath 117(57)
D.Smith c M.Boucher b V.Philander 35(34)
M.Samuels c AB de Villiers b S.Pollock 6(4)
Chanderpaul c M.Boucher b van der Wath 11(10)
D.Smith c H.Gibbs b M.Morke l(4)
R.Sarwan (C)c AB de Villiers b V.Philander 12(8)
D.Ramdin (W)not out 6(4)
D.Bravonot out 0(0)
Bowling over run Wicket
S.Pollock 4 52 1
van der Wath 4 33 2
M.Morkel 4 30 1
V.Philander 4 35 2
A.Morke l 16 0
G.Smith 1 16 0
M.Ntini 2 19 0
South Africa
G.Smith (C) c C.Gayle b R.Rampau 28(21)
H.Gibbs not out 90(55)
de Villiers c D.Ramdin b F.Edwards 16(9)
J.Kemp not out 46(22)
M.Boucher (W)
Toss: South Africa, Elected to Field
Man of the match: Chris Gayle
South Africa Team: Graeme Smith (C) , Herschelle Gibbs , AB de Villiers , Mark Boucher (W), Justin Kemp , Shaun Pollock , Albie Morkel , Johan van der Wath , Vernon Philander , Makhaya Ntini , Morne Morkel .
West Indies Team: Chris Gayle , Devon Smith , Shivnarine Chanderpaul , Marlon Samuels , Ramnaresh Sarwan (C) , Dwayne Bravo , Denesh Ramdin (W), Dwayne Smith , Daren Powell , Ravi Rampaul , Fidel Edwards .
Umpires: Mark Benson (ENG), Daryl Harper (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
Refree: Chris Broad (ENG)
C.Gayle c M.Boucher b van der Wath 117(57)
D.Smith c M.Boucher b V.Philander 35(34)
M.Samuels c AB de Villiers b S.Pollock 6(4)
Chanderpaul c M.Boucher b van der Wath 11(10)
D.Smith c H.Gibbs b M.Morke l(4)
R.Sarwan (C)c AB de Villiers b V.Philander 12(8)
D.Ramdin (W)not out 6(4)
D.Bravonot out 0(0)
Bowling over run Wicket
S.Pollock 4 52 1
van der Wath 4 33 2
M.Morkel 4 30 1
V.Philander 4 35 2
A.Morke l 16 0
G.Smith 1 16 0
M.Ntini 2 19 0
South Africa
G.Smith (C) c C.Gayle b R.Rampau 28(21)
H.Gibbs not out 90(55)
de Villiers c D.Ramdin b F.Edwards 16(9)
J.Kemp not out 46(22)
M.Boucher (W)
Toss: South Africa, Elected to Field
Man of the match: Chris Gayle
South Africa Team: Graeme Smith (C) , Herschelle Gibbs , AB de Villiers , Mark Boucher (W), Justin Kemp , Shaun Pollock , Albie Morkel , Johan van der Wath , Vernon Philander , Makhaya Ntini , Morne Morkel .
West Indies Team: Chris Gayle , Devon Smith , Shivnarine Chanderpaul , Marlon Samuels , Ramnaresh Sarwan (C) , Dwayne Bravo , Denesh Ramdin (W), Dwayne Smith , Daren Powell , Ravi Rampaul , Fidel Edwards .
Umpires: Mark Benson (ENG), Daryl Harper (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
Refree: Chris Broad (ENG)
Monday, September 10, 2007
Stars' absence takes gloss away from Twenty20 cricket
The absence of the some of the biggest names, either forced or voluntary, has taken the sheen away from the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship of cricket beginning with a South Africa-West Indies encounter on Tuesday.
Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly (all voluntary), Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (injury), New Zealander Stephen Fleming (selection), Australia's Shaun Tait (injury) and Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar (disciplinary action) will all be missing from the 12-nation tournament.
Also absent will be South Africans Jacques Kallis (selection) and Loots Bosman (disciplinary), spinner Mohammed Rafique and Javed Omar of Bangladesh (selection) and England's Ryan Sidebottom and Ravi Bopara (injury).
A huge population of people with Indian roots in South Africa would have particularly loved to see how an in-form Tendulkar, fresh from his exploits in England, besides Dravid and Ganguly, would have fared in the shortest version of the game based on 20 overs per innings.
But the decision to stay away by the Indian stars, all in their mid-30s, means that they would never be able to play in a Twenty20 World Championship as the next competition would be held after four years.
By that time, Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly would be in their late 30s and presumably retired.
Hard-hitting batsman-cum-wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads Team India in Dravid's absence and Yuvraj Singh will be the vice-captain while Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan are making their comebacks to the side.
Matches will to be played in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg Sep 11-24. The final will be played on Sep 24.
Fans as well as the organisers would have also liked to see how successful the likes of spinner Muralitharan, mercurial Akhtar, fast bowler Tait, all-rounder Kallis and the hard-hitting Bosman would have been in this slam bang version of the game.
As the championship comes just four months after the World Cup in the West Indies, some experts have their reservations about its success and its ability to attract crowds.
But given the fact that this is a different, fun version and also that it is the first time so many teams will be contesting in this format gives hope to the organisers that fans will pack the stadiums.
Apart from the 10 Test-playing countries - India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, West Indies, Zimbabwe and South Africa - Kenya and Scotland will be making up the field.
The teams have been divided into four groups of three each. The top two sides will advance to the quarter-finals which will have four teams playing a round robin league in two groups, followed by the semi-finals and the final.
It is difficult to pick a firm favourite in this version of the game as the short span of an innings puts almost all teams on an equal footing. The margin of error in Twenty20 is little, much less than the one-day internationals played on 50-overs-per-innings basis.
Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly (all voluntary), Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (injury), New Zealander Stephen Fleming (selection), Australia's Shaun Tait (injury) and Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar (disciplinary action) will all be missing from the 12-nation tournament.
Also absent will be South Africans Jacques Kallis (selection) and Loots Bosman (disciplinary), spinner Mohammed Rafique and Javed Omar of Bangladesh (selection) and England's Ryan Sidebottom and Ravi Bopara (injury).
A huge population of people with Indian roots in South Africa would have particularly loved to see how an in-form Tendulkar, fresh from his exploits in England, besides Dravid and Ganguly, would have fared in the shortest version of the game based on 20 overs per innings.
But the decision to stay away by the Indian stars, all in their mid-30s, means that they would never be able to play in a Twenty20 World Championship as the next competition would be held after four years.
By that time, Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly would be in their late 30s and presumably retired.
Hard-hitting batsman-cum-wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads Team India in Dravid's absence and Yuvraj Singh will be the vice-captain while Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan are making their comebacks to the side.
Matches will to be played in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg Sep 11-24. The final will be played on Sep 24.
Fans as well as the organisers would have also liked to see how successful the likes of spinner Muralitharan, mercurial Akhtar, fast bowler Tait, all-rounder Kallis and the hard-hitting Bosman would have been in this slam bang version of the game.
As the championship comes just four months after the World Cup in the West Indies, some experts have their reservations about its success and its ability to attract crowds.
But given the fact that this is a different, fun version and also that it is the first time so many teams will be contesting in this format gives hope to the organisers that fans will pack the stadiums.
Apart from the 10 Test-playing countries - India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, West Indies, Zimbabwe and South Africa - Kenya and Scotland will be making up the field.
The teams have been divided into four groups of three each. The top two sides will advance to the quarter-finals which will have four teams playing a round robin league in two groups, followed by the semi-finals and the final.
It is difficult to pick a firm favourite in this version of the game as the short span of an innings puts almost all teams on an equal footing. The margin of error in Twenty20 is little, much less than the one-day internationals played on 50-overs-per-innings basis.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
20/20 World Cup is going to start from 11 th September in South Africa.
There are four grops:-
Group A South Africa West Indies Bangladesh
Group B England Australia Zimbabwe
Group C New Zealand Sri Lanka Kenya
Group D Pakistan India Scotland
In Indian Standard Time:
Tuesday, September 11th 2007
South Africa v West Indies 10.30 PM Johannesburg
Wednesday, September 12th 2007
New Zealand v Kenya 2.30 PM
Durban Pakistan v Scotland 6.30 PM Durban
Australia v Zimbabwe 10.30 PM Cape Town
Thursday, September 13th 2007
West Indies v Bangladesh 2.30 PM Johannesburg
Zimbabwe v England 6.30 PM Cape Town
India v Scotland 10.30 PM Durban
Friday, September 14th 2007
Sri Lanka v Kenya 2.30 PM Johannesburg
Australia v England 6.30 PM Cape Town
India v Pakistan 10.30 PM Durban
Saturday, September 15th 2007
Sri Lanka v New Zealand 6.30 PM Johannesburg
South Africa v Bangladesh 10.30 PM Cape Town
Sunday, September 16th 2007
Winner Group C v Runner Up Group D 2.30 PM Johannesburg
Winner Group B v Runner Up Group A 6.30 PM Cape Town
Winner Group A v Runner Up Group B 10.30 PM Cape Town
Monday, September 17th 2007
Winner Group D v Runner Up Group C 10.30 PM Johannesburg
Tuesday, September 18th 2007
Winner Group C v Runner Up Group B 2.30 PM Durban
Winner Group B v Winner Group D 6.30 PM Johannesburg
Runner Up Group A v Runner Up Group C 10.30 PM Johannesburg
Wednesday, September 19th 2007
Winner Group A v Winner Group C 6.30 PM Durban
Runner Up Group B v Runner Up Group D 10.30 PM Durban
Thursday, September 20th 2007
Winner Group B v Runner Up Group C 2.30 PM Cape Town
Runner Up Group A v Winner Group D 6.30 PM Cape Town
Winner Group A v Runner Up Group D 10.30 PM Durban
Saturday, September 22nd 2007
E2 v F1 6.30 PM Cape Town
E1 v F2 10.30 PM Durban
Monday, September 24th 2007
Final
There are four grops:-
Group A South Africa West Indies Bangladesh
Group B England Australia Zimbabwe
Group C New Zealand Sri Lanka Kenya
Group D Pakistan India Scotland
In Indian Standard Time:
Tuesday, September 11th 2007
South Africa v West Indies 10.30 PM Johannesburg
Wednesday, September 12th 2007
New Zealand v Kenya 2.30 PM
Durban Pakistan v Scotland 6.30 PM Durban
Australia v Zimbabwe 10.30 PM Cape Town
Thursday, September 13th 2007
West Indies v Bangladesh 2.30 PM Johannesburg
Zimbabwe v England 6.30 PM Cape Town
India v Scotland 10.30 PM Durban
Friday, September 14th 2007
Sri Lanka v Kenya 2.30 PM Johannesburg
Australia v England 6.30 PM Cape Town
India v Pakistan 10.30 PM Durban
Saturday, September 15th 2007
Sri Lanka v New Zealand 6.30 PM Johannesburg
South Africa v Bangladesh 10.30 PM Cape Town
Sunday, September 16th 2007
Winner Group C v Runner Up Group D 2.30 PM Johannesburg
Winner Group B v Runner Up Group A 6.30 PM Cape Town
Winner Group A v Runner Up Group B 10.30 PM Cape Town
Monday, September 17th 2007
Winner Group D v Runner Up Group C 10.30 PM Johannesburg
Tuesday, September 18th 2007
Winner Group C v Runner Up Group B 2.30 PM Durban
Winner Group B v Winner Group D 6.30 PM Johannesburg
Runner Up Group A v Runner Up Group C 10.30 PM Johannesburg
Wednesday, September 19th 2007
Winner Group A v Winner Group C 6.30 PM Durban
Runner Up Group B v Runner Up Group D 10.30 PM Durban
Thursday, September 20th 2007
Winner Group B v Runner Up Group C 2.30 PM Cape Town
Runner Up Group A v Winner Group D 6.30 PM Cape Town
Winner Group A v Runner Up Group D 10.30 PM Durban
Saturday, September 22nd 2007
E2 v F1 6.30 PM Cape Town
E1 v F2 10.30 PM Durban
Monday, September 24th 2007
Final
England v India
India innings (50 overs maximum)
SC Ganguly c Flintoff b Anderson 15 (22)
SR Tendulkar c Prior b Flintoff 30 (46)
G Gambhir c Wright b Anderson 12 (20)
R Dravid c Prior b Flintoff 0 (3)
Yuvraj Singh c Collingwood b Mascarenhas 28(48)
RV Uthappa c Anderson b Mascarenhas 22 (30)
MS Dhoni c Anderson b Flintoff 50 (72)
RR Powar run out (Shah/Prior) 10 (20)
Piyush Chawla st Prior b Mascarenhas 0 (6)
Z Khan b Panesar 7 (16)
RP Singh not out 1 (6)
Extras (lb 8, nb 4) 12
Total (all out; 47.3 overs) 187 (3.93 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-26 (Ganguly, 6.1 ov), 2-52 (Gambhir, 12.4 ov), 3-53 (Dravid, 13.3 ov), 4-59 (Tendulkar, 15.4 ov), 5-106 (Uthappa, 24.3 ov), 6-119 (Yuvraj Singh, 30.2 ov), 7-147 (Powar, 37.2 ov), 8-148 (Piyush Chawla, 38.4 ov), 9-160 (Khan, 41.6 ov), 10-187 (Dhoni, 47.3 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
JM Anderson 9 1 28 2 3.11
SCJ Broad 10 0 44 0 4.40
A Flintoff 8.3 0 45 3 5.29 (4nb)
AD Mascarenhas 10 2 23 3 2.30
LJ Wright 2 0 11 0 5.50
MS Panesar 8 2 28 1 3.50
England innings (target: 188 runs from 50 overs)
MJ Prior c Dhoni b Singh 0 (7)
LJ Wright c & b Singh 0 (2)
IR Bell run out (Tendulkar/Ganguly) 36 (40)
KP Pietersen not out 71 (96)
PD Collingwood not out 64 (73)
Extras (lb 8, w 9) 17
Total (3 wickets; 36.2 overs) 188 (5.17 runs per over)
Did not bat OA Shah, A Flintoff, AD Mascarenhas, SCJ Broad, MS Panesar, JM Anderson
Fall of wickets1-10 (Wright, 1.2 ov), 2-11 (Prior, 1.4 ov), 3-74 (Bell, 15.6 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
Z Khan 9 1 40 0 4.44 (1w)
RP Singh 7 0 40 2 5.71 (4w)
Piyush Chawla 9 1 44 0 4.88
SC Ganguly 4 0 13 0 3.25
RR Powar 5.2 0 32 0 6.00
Yuvraj Singh 2 0 11 0 5.50
Toss India, who chose to bat first
Series England won the 7-match series 4-3
Player of the match KP Pietersen (England)
Player of the series IR Bell (England)
SC Ganguly c Flintoff b Anderson 15 (22)
SR Tendulkar c Prior b Flintoff 30 (46)
G Gambhir c Wright b Anderson 12 (20)
R Dravid c Prior b Flintoff 0 (3)
Yuvraj Singh c Collingwood b Mascarenhas 28(48)
RV Uthappa c Anderson b Mascarenhas 22 (30)
MS Dhoni c Anderson b Flintoff 50 (72)
RR Powar run out (Shah/Prior) 10 (20)
Piyush Chawla st Prior b Mascarenhas 0 (6)
Z Khan b Panesar 7 (16)
RP Singh not out 1 (6)
Extras (lb 8, nb 4) 12
Total (all out; 47.3 overs) 187 (3.93 runs per over)
Fall of wickets1-26 (Ganguly, 6.1 ov), 2-52 (Gambhir, 12.4 ov), 3-53 (Dravid, 13.3 ov), 4-59 (Tendulkar, 15.4 ov), 5-106 (Uthappa, 24.3 ov), 6-119 (Yuvraj Singh, 30.2 ov), 7-147 (Powar, 37.2 ov), 8-148 (Piyush Chawla, 38.4 ov), 9-160 (Khan, 41.6 ov), 10-187 (Dhoni, 47.3 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
JM Anderson 9 1 28 2 3.11
SCJ Broad 10 0 44 0 4.40
A Flintoff 8.3 0 45 3 5.29 (4nb)
AD Mascarenhas 10 2 23 3 2.30
LJ Wright 2 0 11 0 5.50
MS Panesar 8 2 28 1 3.50
England innings (target: 188 runs from 50 overs)
MJ Prior c Dhoni b Singh 0 (7)
LJ Wright c & b Singh 0 (2)
IR Bell run out (Tendulkar/Ganguly) 36 (40)
KP Pietersen not out 71 (96)
PD Collingwood not out 64 (73)
Extras (lb 8, w 9) 17
Total (3 wickets; 36.2 overs) 188 (5.17 runs per over)
Did not bat OA Shah, A Flintoff, AD Mascarenhas, SCJ Broad, MS Panesar, JM Anderson
Fall of wickets1-10 (Wright, 1.2 ov), 2-11 (Prior, 1.4 ov), 3-74 (Bell, 15.6 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
Z Khan 9 1 40 0 4.44 (1w)
RP Singh 7 0 40 2 5.71 (4w)
Piyush Chawla 9 1 44 0 4.88
SC Ganguly 4 0 13 0 3.25
RR Powar 5.2 0 32 0 6.00
Yuvraj Singh 2 0 11 0 5.50
Toss India, who chose to bat first
Series England won the 7-match series 4-3
Player of the match KP Pietersen (England)
Player of the series IR Bell (England)
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