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.