T-20 ICC Cricket world cup update

Ankur VidyaBhavan Student

2010-02-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

Smith: We can win World Twenty20

2009-06-14T02:26:00.000-07:00

South Africa captain Graeme Smith believes his side are on course for World Twenty20 glory after they beat West Indies at The Oval.

Teenage pace ace Wayne Parnell took four for 13 as South Africa ran out winners by 20 runs to once again justify their tag as tournament favourites.

"It's been a successful week but a tough one," said Smith. "We get an extra day now before we play India and I'm comfortable with where we are, you can't argue with the performances or the results we have turned out in this competition so far."

He added: "As a team we try to challenge ourselves. There are always things to improve on but if we play our best and with our intensity, if we perform to our potential, then we will be difficult to beat.

"I really believe we can win it, but there is a long way to go, a lot of cricket to be played and a lot of good teams in this competition."

The Proteas made 183 for seven from their 20 overs, including 55 from Herschelle Gibbs, and after Parnell had removed openers Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher they were relatively untroubled in restricting West Indies to 163 for nine.

Lendl Simmons offered brief hope of a Windies fightback, but their chance disappeared when he fell for 77 as South Africa followed up their win over England on Thursday with another impressive performance

West Indies skipper Gayle was unhappy his side had been forced to take to the field just 17 hours after beating India at Lord's last night, but refused to blame the quick turnaround for the defeat.

The Windies next take on England on Monday.

"Twenty20 takes a lot out of you mentally. But we knew the itinerary and we came here to play a good game of cricket so I'm disappointed we lost," said Gayle. "I have to commend the guys for the effort they put in after what happened on Friday. We wanted to better that performance but it didn't happen."
Source:www.google.com/hostednews

Yuvraj looking to bat up the order

2009-06-14T02:21:00.000-07:00

Yuvraj Singh on Saturday threw a clear hint that he would prefer a promotion in the batting order, but said he would leave it to his captain or coach to decide his position in the team's line-up.

The left-hander played a magnificent knock of 67 from 43 deliveries against the West Indies on Friday and many believe he could do with a promotion to number three in Sunday's do-or-die Super Eights match of the ICC World Twenty20 against England.

"It is the captain and coach who decide where I bat in the line-up. As any batsman, I would like to bat up the order, but it is important it is about the team and not about where you want to bat.

"If somebody is getting the runs then it is very important to carry on the form for the team. But the team comes first and what the team wants I will do that first," he said, at Lord's.

India's vice-captain also admitted he would draw inspiration from his feat of hitting six sixes against England pacer Stuart Broad in the last tournament in South Africa in 2007.

"Yes, hitting six sixes is always a special memory, especially when you get hit for five. Yeah, that will be in the back of my mind but, as I said, it is a new game," he said.

Yuvraj said the pressure of retaining the trophy is also proving to be a factor for the team, but the boys are confident of a good showing against the hosts on Sunday.

"As defending champions there is always pressure, because you want to defend your title. But T20 is a very unpredictable format and anything can happen. As you saw, Australia went out and they are the top team in the world. The thing is that it is a do-or-die situation for us. But we have done well against England recently and we are very confident about tomorrow's game," he said.

He also seemed thrilled at the idea of resuming his rivalry with England's star batsman Kevin Pietersen , who had once labelled the left-armer a "pie-chucker".

"If I get a chance I would like to bowl to him again and I am sure he would like to call me pie-chucker again. But he is a great batsman and we always look forward to playing each other. We do always spur each other on," he said.

Yuvraj also came out strongly in support of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni , who has struggled in the tournament so far.

"Just because Dhoni has not scored in one match it does not mean he is a bad batsman and he cannot score in the future. He has performed well for India and played a lot of great innings for the country. I am sure that once he crosses 10 or 15 runs he will once again win matches for India."
Source: www.cricket.rediff.com

Smith says South Africa can win T20 title

2009-06-14T02:11:00.000-07:00

South Africa captain Graeme Smith said his side were well-placed to triumph at the World Twenty20 after extending their unbeaten record at the tournament with a 20-run win over the West Indies.

That victory, coupled with a seven-wicket defeat of hosts England
earlier in the week, meant South Africa had won their opening two Super Eights matches.

The Proteas, who are within touching distance of the semi-finals, complete their second round programme against defending champions India at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

"I really believe we can win it," said Smith after South Africa's win over the West Indies at The Oval.

"But there is a long way to go, a lot of cricket to be played and a lot of good teams in this competition.

"It's been a successful week but a tough one. We get an extra day now before we play India and I'm comfortable with where we are, you can't argue with the performances or the results we have turned out in this competition so far.

"As a team we try to challenge ourselves. There are always things to improve but if we play our best and with our intensity, if we perform to our potential, then we will be difficult to beat."

South Africa made 183 for seven, Herschelle Gibbs top-scoring with 55, before holding the West Indies to 163 for nine in an innings where teenage left-arm quick Wayne Parnell took four wickets for 13 runs.

"You really need to be on top of your game against the West Indies, especially here at the Oval where the conditions suit them," explained Smith.

Parnell, 19, who took three wickets against England, said: "It's still a batsman's game but if you bowl well you can pick up wickets.

"I enjoy bowling at the death. I have developed my yorker in the last 10 months and I am adding other things to my game."

India went down to a seven-wicket loss to the West Indies at Lord's on Friday.

Before they play South Africa they face England on Sunday at Lord's and Smith said of his team's clash with the title-holders: "There is a lot of cricket in the group before that.

"India had not been really tested in the competition until Friday. I think they will have taken a lot of lessons from that.

"It was their first real competitive game so it going to be interesting to see how they go before Tuesday."
Source:www.cricket.timesofindia.com

England not afraid of India

2009-06-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

England coach Andy Flower was honest while admitting his side's performance in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup was reflective of their current rankings but said they are not afraid of India in their crucial Super Eights match on Sunday.

Flower said his wards will have to play with "controlled aggression" in their must-win game at Lord's here if they are to stay afloat in the tournament.

"I am not sure where we are ranked in Twenty20 International cricket, but in 50 overs we are sixth in the world and at the moment that is the level we are performing at in 20 overs as well. I think it is a reflection of where we are as a team," Flower said.

"India are a very good side and we respect them tremendously but we aren't fearful of them. We'll play an attacking brand of Twenty20 cricket when we face them. We're definitely not going to win this tournament by playing conservative cricket," he said.

Explaining further, the England coach said he was for controlled aggression instead of unbridled slam-bang.

"There's a blend of attack and good decision-making that you've got to find. It's not just crash, bang, wallop all the time, there is a lot of thought that goes into that crash, bang, wallop and there is a skill to playing the right shot at the right time."

Flower also accepted that lack of top-level experience in this format of the game could count against his side when they take on India's star-studded line-up.

"In terms of international experience - and when I say that I include world tournaments such as the IPL where you've the best players in the world playing - we're lacking some of the experience that other top sides have so we're learning about this game as the tournament progresses," Flower said.

"These tournaments are important to the team's development. Development is something that will happen in time but ultimately it is about performance. This is a World Cup and we want to win it in our home country and performance has to be our first priority."

WI v RSA | West Indies vs south Africa highlight video

2009-06-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

As challenges go, it’s about as tough as it can get: less than a day after convincingly getting the better of one of the tournament favourites, West Indies need to gear themselves up to take on another. The unkind scheduling means Chris Gayle and Co have less than 18 hours between games against India and South Africa, but so comprehensive was their victory on Friday that they’ll back themselves to do an encore when they take on South Africa at The Oval on Saturday.

Dwayne Bravo was scintillating against India, Fidel Edwards showed plenty of fire with his short-pitched bowling with the new ball, and Lendl Simmons’ cool head ensured the experience and skill of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan was hardly needed. The challenge is to reproduce the same levels of intensity, for nothing less will do against a side which is on a hot streak, and is looking to become the first team to win six Twenty20 internationals on the trot.

South Africa, along with Sri Lanka, have been the form team of the tournament so far. Unlike the mercurial and unpredictable West Indies, the South Africans take pride in their consistency, and have shown that it takes plenty for them to be beaten, even in a 20-over game. The bowlers have been outstanding, rescuing what seemed a lost cause against New Zealand, and the batting has plenty of depth and class. Can West Indies upset the form book twice in two days?

17th Match of ICC World Twenty20 Cricket tournament from Group E between South Africa vs West Indies (SA vs WI) is scheduled on 13th July, 2009 from 13:30 GMT local time (12:30 GMT) at The Oval, London. Live Cricket Match and Hasan Online Sports will publish live links for watch free online tv streaming and embed multimedia player to stream the match live for free.

Broad warned by ICC over antics

2009-06-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

The ICC has requested England fast bowler Stuart Broad not to repeat his controversial attempts to distract a batsman as displayed during the Super Eights match against South Africa. The incident, which occurred during the 17th over of the South African innings, prompted the opposition to approach the ICC for clarification and following a meeting yesterday between match referee Alan Hurst and umpires Steve Davis and Alan Hill they decided it was "not an appropriate action."

As Broad approached his delivery stride, he pointed towards his side as if to indicate a fielder was out of position, but carried on with his bowling action without disrupting his own rhythm. AB de Villiers worked the ball behind square for a single so Broad's antics didn't bear fruit. It might have been more of a talking point if the ball had brought him a wicket. Broad had done it before as well, during the one-day series at home against West Indies.

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, had said the matter needed clarification. His view appeared to be supported by Law 42.4 of the Laws of Cricket, which states: "It is unfair for any member of the fielding side deliberately to attempt to distract the striker while he is preparing to receive or receiving a delivery."

Paul Collingwood, the England captain, had defended Broad saying he was not going to ask him to stop doing it. England coach Andy Flower claimed former South African allrounder Shaun Pollock had begun the practice some years ago.

"He [Pollock] didn't point to the left as Stuart did but he looked to the left as he was running in," said Flower. "He was probably the first guy I saw do it, which is interesting. I don't think it's a huge issue, to be honest."
Source:www.cricinfo.com

India hit a roadblock | india vs West Indies :t20

2009-06-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

The paths India and West Indies took to reach their Super Eights clash couldn't have been more different. India, by virtue of being defending champions, were pooled with the easiest teams and they swept past Bangladesh and Ireland. West Indies, on the other hand, were not favourites to qualify from a group which included Australia and Sri Lanka. They came to Lord's after being stretched by tough opponents and gave India a reality check as to what lies ahead. As MS Dhoni pithily put it, it was one of those days when "nothing really worked".

India's plans had worked smoothly so far in the tournament. Their make-shift opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, in the absence of Virender Sehwag, succeeded against the Ireland and Bangladesh new-ball attacks. Today they were undone by Fidel Edwards' pace and Dwayne Bravo's variations and the middle order faced its first real test of the competition. Despite Yuvraj Singh's aggressive half-century, India achieved a total that was below par.

"During the middle overs you actually play according to what you get in the first few overs," Dhoni said after the defeat. "If you lose too many wickets in the first few overs, you go for a consolidated approach and play till the 12th or the 13th over so that your lower-order batsmen can come and go after the bowlers. We had to change our plans when Yuvraj and I were batting. We wanted to play the next five or six overs without losing a wicket."

Dhoni and Yuvraj began to consolidate after India were reduced to 29 for 3. The pair took their time in the hope that they would make up for the balls consumed once they were well set and had rebuilt the innings. Yuvraj succeeded but Dhoni didn't and his dismissal, for 11 off 23 balls, set the innings back a long way.

"I got out in the 11th over and that plan got disrupted a bit," Dhoni said. "The intention was not to hit but it went straight to the fielder." Despite the hiccups, a spate of boundaries from Yuvraj, Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan gave India a fighting chance.

The total of 153 seemed eminently defendable when India's bowlers snuffed out the threat posed by Chris Gayle. They tied him down, allowing him only 22 runs off 28 balls, and he eventually top-edged Yusuf towards short fine leg. However, as reliant as they seem on the pyrotechnics of their captain, West Indies had pushed Sri Lanka in their group match at Trent Bridge without Gayle. Bravo led the charge in that game but couldn't take his team to the top of the group. Today he saw West Indies through to the finish.

Bravo, with his footwork and penchant for the inside-out loft over extra cover, countered India's spinners. He scored 48 runs off 28 balls against Yusuf, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha, ensuring the asking-rate never got out of hand. He even prospered against Ishant Sharma, who has found rhythm operating with the older ball, scoring at a strike-rate of 183 against him.

"Bravo was milking the bowlers and he got quite a few boundaries in the middle overs," Dhoni said. "He played shots over covers and through midwicket and you can't really have fielders there. We were able to raise the required run rate close to 10 runs per over, we were good at that but he took the game away from us."

West Indies' seven-wicket victory has left India in a precarious position. They now need to win both their games against England and South Africa to qualify for the semi-finals. Coincidentally, they were in the same position against the same opponents two years against in South Africa.
source:www.cricinfo.com

Younis welcomes Razzaq's return

2009-06-12T01:43:00.001-07:00

Pakistan captain Younus Khan is looking forward to welcoming back Abdul Razzaq into the fold after the all-rounder's late call up into the World Twenty20 squad in England.

Razzaq has been given his chance after Yasir Arafat was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a hamstring injury.

His return also marks his re-integration into the Pakistan side following an amnesty for former players in the Indian Cricket League - the rival Twenty20 event to the officially sanctioned Indian Premier League.

A hard-hitting batsman and lively reverse-swing bowling make the 29-year-old a potential match-winner.

Although Razzaq will arrive in England too late for Pakistan's opening match of the second phase Super Eights against Sri Lanka at Lord's on Friday, Younus believes he can still have an impact during the rest of the tournament.

"This game is not possible but I think he will manage the last two games," Younus told reporters at Lord's here on Thursday. "He is a good name in world cricket and in Twenty20 he is a fantastic all-rounder.

"He is a senior guy and his return will be good for Pakistan cricket - he would be in any team in the world," added Younus, who could have Razzaq available for Pakistan's second Super Eights match against New Zealand.

Pakistan lost to arch-rivals India by five runs in the inaugural final of the World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago.

They looked a shadow of that side during a 48-run thrashing by hosts England first time out at this tournament but bounced back with a convincing win over minnows the Netherlands to book their place in the second round.

"People know that if Pakistan do things right at the right time we can beat any team," Younus stressed.

His refusal to take Twenty20 too seriously and generally relaxed, happy go lucky style of captaincy, have led to raised eyebrows in some quarters.

But Younus defended his approach by saying: "I am a simple guy, sometimes people think I am wrong because when we lose I am still laughing. You must look forward, if you lose or win.

"This is life," he insisted. "Sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days.

"We are focusing on the first two games of this Super Eights. If we win them then we will be in the semi-finals."
Source: www.cricbuzz.com

India and Sri Lanka victorious

2009-06-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

REIGNING champion India and fellow favourite Sri Lanka have wrapped up their World Twenty20 first-round assignments with convincing wins at Trent Bridge.

India warmed up for the second round Super Eights by crushing hapless Ireland by eight wickets on Wednesday, while veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya smashed 81 as Sri Lanka defeated the West Indies by 15 runs.

Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan claimed 4-19, including three wickets in seven balls, to restrict Ireland to 8-112 in a match reduced to 18 overs a side due to rain.

Opener Rohit Sharma then hit an unbeaten 52 off 45 balls as India romped home with 15 balls to spare to end the preliminary league with two successive wins. Gautam Gamhir chipped in with 37 in a first-wicket stand of 77 with Sharma in front of a sellout crowd.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said there was still room for improvement. "The bowlers did very well … (But) we can do better in the field. It wasn't our best day."

The Irish, surprise qualifiers for the Super Eights after beating Bangladesh, never recovered from Zaheer's triple strike, which reduced them to 4-28 by the seventh over. Andrew White top-scored with 29 as four of the top six batsmen failed to reach double figures.

Jayasuriya and Tillekeratne Dilshan hammered an opening stand of 124 as Sri Lanka eased past the West Indies. The duo lifted Sri Lanka to 5-192, a total the West Indies chased bravely despite the absence of explosive opener and captain Chris Gayle, who missed the match due to a knee injury.

The West Indians ended at 5-177, fired by a spectacular counter-attack by Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who put on 77 off 59 balls for the fifth wicket.

Bravo hit a 38-ball 51 that included five fours and two sixes, while Sarwan remained unbeaten on 28.

"I'm happy with the way the guys played," said Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

"Sanath is a genius and he was ably supported by Dilshan. They proved that with a good start you can put up a very defendable total."

Left-handed Jayasuriya, at 39 the oldest player in the 12-nation tournament, smashed 81 off 47 balls, studded with 10 boundaries and three sixes.

THE SUPER EIGHTS

GROUP ESouth Africa

India

England

West Indies

GROUP FSri Lanka

Pakistan

New Zealand

Ireland
Source:www.theage.com.au

Australia not fazed by Buck's new gig

2009-06-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

THE English had hoped the appointment of John Buchanan to a consultancy role would help deliver the Ashes they will be sorely disappointed, according to Australian all-rounder Shane Watson.

Buchanan's temporary defection to England, which will coincide with an England Lions game against the Australians just before the first Test, was greeted without indignation in the Australian camp, with Watson believing the former national coach's presence will have little bearing on the Ashes result.

Though it will be strange to see Buchanan in the opposition dressing room, Watson said his appointment was a reality of modern cricket in which information flows freely around the world, and even suggested Australia would hold the advantage because of the presence of Troy Cooley, the bowling coach who helped the England quicks topple the Australians on English soil in 2005 and then returned to his native Australia.

"Coaches these days are able to coach around the world," Watson said. "For example, Troy [Cooley] and Rod Marsh were at the Australian cricket academy and then went over to help the English out. I think it's great for world cricket to be able to use the knowledge, and it can work both ways. We've got Troy to be able to make the most of the information he got from coaching the England [quicks].

"We've had two years with Tim Nielsen now and obviously John Buchanan has coached Kolkata and done some other things as well, so to me it's part of his job and what he is trying to do as a coach, to get around and help people out whether it's Australia-wide or internationally. He's got great experience so I think that's his call and we're lucky to have Troy on our side now."

Asked whether the Australians would be disappointed if Buchanan divulged information gleaned during his eight-year tenure as Australia's most successful coach, Watson said: "Not at all. There are no real secrets to what we do in the Australian team. It's just the way we prepare … I don't think it's rocket science, what he'll be able to give them, anyway."

Buchanan's assignment will focus predominantly on England's junior teams and the England Lions. He is expected to spend time at the academy in Loughborough and meet coach Andy Flower, but has hinted at an expansion of his role.

"It is my own business who I choose to talk to and what I talk about," Buchanan told Cricinfo. "Both myself and the ECB have indicated that in terms of their elite program I could fulfil a role. I will fly over on June 28, have a good look at the elite program, and sit down with them to see what potentially lies ahead.

"This trip will be largely about looking at the coaching programs, and working with the under-19s and the Lions team."

His most recent coaching triumphs with Australia were the 2006-07 Ashes whitewash and the 2007 World Cup triumph, but he remained affiliated with his home country until Cricket Australia did not renew a coaching ambassador's contract last year.

"John is free to do whatever he wants," said Brett Lee before Buchanan's role with the ECB was formalised.

Buchanan added: "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get over there and look at the general set-up. I think it's fair to say that there has been a fair amount of interest from both parties and I suppose the situation will become clearer in early July."

Watson is hoping to force his way into the Test team through tour matches in Hove and Worcester, but there is intense competition for the No.6 spot after the successful debut of Marcus North in South Africa.

"It comes down to performing in the tour matches," Watson said. "That's what I am setting my mind to, to be in the best technical and mental state to give myself the best chance to perform in those games."
Source: www.smh.com.au

Warriors want Gilly back for T20

2009-06-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

ADAM GILCHRIST could make a surprise return to Western Australia's line-up for next season's Twenty20 domestic competition. But Warriors coach Tom Moody has rejected the notion of former Test opener Justin Langer returning to the WA side.

WACA chief executive Graeme Wood confirmed yesterday that Gilchrist would be targeted for a return to the Warriors but solely for the Twenty20 competition. Under new rules for this season's Twenty20 campaign, each side will be allowed to recruit a high-profile past player of their state.

Wood said Gilchrist, who played a starring role in Deccan Chargers' recent IPL title triumph in South Africa, was the Warriors' main interest.

"I'd say he'd be a reasonable target," Wood said. "We are certainly hoping that would come to fruition."

Moody said the WACA would contact Gilchrist to evaluate his interest.

"Obviously Gilly's got a lot on his plate, a lot to consider, so we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Moody said.

Langer had indicated he was willing to make a comeback for the Warriors but said he would only return if he was offered the captaincy. But Moody said that was not an option, backing Ashes-bound Marcus North to continue on in the role.

"He [Langer] would be relatively keen to come back but he's looking to take on a leadership role here at the WACA as a state captain but that doesn't fit our needs at the moment," Moody said.

Meanwhile, Bulls great Andy Bichel has described Ashley Noffke's controversial defection to Western Australia as a "tragedy" for Queensland cricket.

A disgruntled Noffke, 32, has signed a two-year deal with the Warriors after being upset by the Bulls plans for him to play out his career as a four-day specialist.
Source:www.smh.com.au

Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in Super 8 clash

2009-06-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Fans and the media in England
are yet to get over Younis Khan's absurd comment about T20 being merely 'fun cricket'. On Friday, the Pakistan skipper has the opportunity to prove his comments weren't serious as his side takes on Sri Lanka in the Group F Super 8 encounter.

Runners-up in 2007, Pakistan did themselves a huge favour by convincingly beating Netherlands and advancing to the Super 8. Their progress in the tournament had looked doubtful after their unimpressive performance against England in their first match at the Oval.

Before the tournament started, Younis Khan had stated how a semi-final appearance could put the smile back on people's faces back in Pakistan. Now, their side can take steps towards just that by putting in a performance of note against the islanders.

Pakistan have the best record in T20 Internationals, winning 14 out of 18 matches. But they haven't played like a team that has won most T20 games.

Their team selection and combinations have often been controversial. They dropped a match-winner like Sohail Tanvir against England. Shahid Afridi is more effective with the ball these days than with the bat, yet he has ben promoted to No.4. And sending Misbah-Ul-Haq, one of Pakistan's best players and a genuine match-winner, to bat at No. 7 was shocking. They will need to correct these errors.

Everything will be forgotten, though, if they beat Sri Lanka on Friday. Sanath Jayasuriya will hold the key to the fortunes of the Lankans, as he so often does in any game. But Kumar Sangakkara's boys aren't just dependent on the soon to be 40-year-old.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been as consistent as Pakistan's inconsistency. Sangakkara himself has developed into a class T20 player, while Mahela Jayawardene is one of the best finishers in this format.

If there is a worry for the Lankans then it is the lack of explosive power at the back end of their innings. Perhaps, it is here that Lanka can include Farveez Maharoof instead of Udana, who has struggled with length and direction. Maharoof can bowl excellent yorkers and is a strong hitter of the cricket ball.
Source:www.cricket.timesofindia.com

Zaheer's back in swing of things

2009-06-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

Indian left-arm-seamer Zaheer Khan has had a raw deal with injuries during big tours and major events. He had to return from
Australia in 2003 and 2007. He also had to come back from Pakistan during that momentous tour in 2004 after playing in just the first Test in Multan.

He missed India's victorious campaign in South Africa during the 2007 World Twenty20 because of a heel problem. So when he got injured during the IPL while playing for Mumbai Indians, just a month before the 2009 World T20 began, he must have been thinking, "Oh, no. Not again!"

Zaheer was worried when he suffered the shoulder injury on May 3. "When I fell, I was a bit scared till the scan results were out. I didn't know whether the injury was serious or not. Once the scan results were out, I was pretty confident," the left-arm-seamer, who won the Man of the Match award for his four wickets for 19 runs in three overs against Ireland at Trent Bridge here on Wednesday, said.

Apart from confidence, the 31-year old could also be justified in feeling relieved.

"It was a narrow escape for me. It could have been worse. I was lucky to miss just four weeks of action. The good thing is there is nothing serious that has happened to the shoulder," Zaheer said.

Zaheer has enjoyed his time out in England. His career underwent a renaissance during the county season of 2006, when he plied his trade for Worcestershire. He rediscovered his zeal for cricket after being poorly treated and managed during the Greg Chappell regime.

In July 2007, he bowled India to a famous victory at Trent Bridge in the second Test of the three-match series. India won that series 1-0 and Zaheer was also Man-of-the-Series for picking up 18 wickets. What is it about England and Trent Bridge that brings out the best in him?

"I really enjoy bowling in England, especially on this wicket. There is always something in it for the fast bowlers here. You have favourite grounds and favourite venues which bring back happy memories. It helps you perform better at those venues," was Zaheer's reasoning.

The game against Ireland was Zaheer's second of the tournament. Fans who watched him apply ice packs on his left shoulder during practice on Monday will now be relieved and confident that he is back to full fitness. "It was the second game for me and it was important for me to pick up wickets. I feel confident after this performance," he said.

He ran in, extracted movement and troubled the top-order. If he continues this kind of form and fitness, his dream of playing in a World championship winning XI will be fulfilled.

While Zaheer was part of the side that reached the final of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, he hasn't really been a part of a World Cup-winning side.

Does he regret not going to South Africa in 2007 as he was in great form in the series preceding the tourney, in England? "There's no use thinking about that. It was unfortunate that I opted out of the last World Cup. But that was the right decision at that moment and I am happy to be a part of this team this time," Zaheer said.
Source:www.cricket.timesofindia.com

T20: Younis advises Dhoni to keep his cool

2009-06-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan Thursday had a word of advice for his Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni: 'Keep your cool man.'

Asked to comment on Dhoni's recent tussle with the Indian media during the ICC World Twenty20, Younis said that it would be great for Dhoni if he just focuses on his game and his team.

'I personally believe that nobody comes after you if you are playing well,' said Younis. 'You should focus on your game and your team and forget about everything else,' he added.

Speaking at a press conference here at Lord's ahead of his team's Super Eights match against Sri Lanka, Younis said he has great expectations from his team.

'Sri Lanka are a good side. But it's also a good chance for us because I believe that if we make the right things at the right time, we can beat them easily.'

The Pakistan captain is hoping that his players will be able to counter the threat posed by Sri Lanka's spin duo of Muttiah Muralidaran and Ajantha Mendis.

'We are used to the Sri Lankan spinners now,' said Younis, whose team bounced back from a crushing 48-run against England to beat the Dutch by 82 runs and qualify for the Super Eights.

'I hope the batsmen will play well against them (spinners). Because of cold conditions the ball might not break here at Lord's. But that said, if you play your shots against a bowler like Mendis, there is always a chance that you might give away your wicket.'

Younis ruled out the inclusion of seasoned all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, saying that it would be difficult for the player to take the field against Sri Lanka after arriving here just before the Super Eights match.

'I don't think it's possible for him to come here after 16 or 17 hours of travel and then take part in the match right away.'

The Pakistan captain termed the inclusion of Razzaq as a great sign for his team and said he would include the all-rounder in the playing line-up as soon as he is ready.
Source: www.cricket.yahoo.com

Pakistan v Sri Lanka | Pakistan v Sri Lanka highlight | Pakistan v Sri Lanka live score | PAK vs Lanka

2009-06-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Match facts
Friday June 12, 2009
Start time 17.30 local, 12.30GMT

Sri Lanka Bat

Pakistan Bat

Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in Super 8 clash. Pakistan hope to recover the emotional loss in the final of the Tewnty20 World Cup final last year, when they begin their Super 8 match against Sri Lanka.
Fans and the media in England are yet to get over Younis Khan's absurd comment about T20 being merely 'fun cricket'. On Friday, the Pakistan skipper has the opportunity to prove his comments weren't serious as his side takes on Sri Lanka in the Group F Super 8 encounter.

Runners-up in 2007, Pakistan did themselves a huge favour by convincingly beating Netherlands and advancing to the Super 8. Their progress in the tournament had looked doubtful after their unimpressive performance against England in their first match at the Oval.

Before the tournament started, Younis Khan had stated how a semi-final appearance could put the smile back on people's faces back in Pakistan. Now, their side can take steps towards just that by putting in a performance of note against the islanders.

Pakistan have the best record in T20 Internationals, winning 14 out of 18 matches. But they haven't played like a team that has won most T20 games.

Their team selection and combinations have often been controversial. They dropped a match-winner like Sohail Tanvir against England. Shahid Afridi is more effective with the ball these days than with the bat, yet he has ben promoted to No.4. And sending Misbah-Ul-Haq, one of Pakistan's best players and a genuine match-winner, to bat at No. 7 was shocking. They will need to correct these errors.

Everything will be forgotten, though, if they beat Sri Lanka on Friday. Sanath Jayasuriya will hold the key to the fortunes of the Lankans, as he so often does in any game. But Kumar Sangakkara's boys aren't just dependent on the soon to be 40-year-old.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been as consistent as Pakistan's inconsistency. Sangakkara himself has developed into a class T20 player, while Mahela Jayawardene is one of the best finishers in this format.

If there is a worry for the Lankans then it is the lack of explosive power at the back end of their innings. Perhaps, it is here that Lanka can include Farveez Maharoof instead of Udana, who has struggled with length and direction. Maharoof can bowl excellent yorkers and is a strong hitter of the cricket ball.
Source: www.cricketworld4u.com

India v West Indies, ICC World Twenty20, Lord's | India v West Indies |IND vs WI | India v West Indies highlight video |India v West Indies live score

2009-06-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Match facts
Friday, June 12
Start time 1730 local (1630 GMT)
India Bat

WI Bat

Big Picture
The business end of the tournament is about to begin for India, who have gone into the Super Eights under-tested. They have gone about their task effectively though, and without fuss, and facing them are a side who have been a total contrast. West Indies have been unpredictable, mercurial at times and pedestrian otherwise, and have relied on individual performances to lift them up.

Beware the individual spark though. The kind of innings Chris Gayle played against Australia can beat any team in the world on its own. The team officials are confident Gayle will be back for this match after he missed the inconsequential league game against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. India's counterpart of Gayle, the man capable of playing a similar innings at the top, Virender Sehwag, is not in town. Now starts the real test of how well Rohit Sharma can fill the opener's slot.

Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)

India: WWLLW
The only worry so far has been their bowling at the death. In their two warm-up games, they gave away 31 and 39 in their last two overs, and Ireland managed 39 off the last three in the final league game.

West Indies: LWWLW(T)
Lendl Simmons, Gayle's replacement for the match against Sri Lanka, has given West Indies plenty to think about. His bowling figures of 3-0-19-4 first kept Sri Lanka to under 200, and then his 19-ball 29 got West Indies to some sort of a start in their chase.

Watch out for...
India's spin twins: West Indies clearly relished the pace of Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee, but against Sri Lankan quality spin bowling they struggled. Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha are not quite your Murali and Mendis, but they are good enough to test West Indies.

Gayle comes back with immense possibility at the top, inspirational leadership, and canny offbreaks. How long he stays at the crease could spell West Indies' fate.

Team news
India don't really have major reasons to fiddle around with their winning combination. Except for Irfan Pathan, who provides them with an interesting dilemma. Against Bangladesh, he came out in the last over and hit a six and a four right away, which proved to be the difference between a difficult and an improbable chase. But his bowling has been the weak link in the Indian attack: against Bangladesh his two overs went for 20, and against Ireland his 15-run over in the end took the total past 100. Specialist bowlers in Praveen Kumar or RP Singh, or bits-and-pieces allrounder in Irfan Pathan?

India: (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Zaheer Khan, 9 Irfan Pathan/Praveen Kumar/RP Singh, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Ishant Sharma

Whose place does Gayle take? Simmons will be difficult to push out, which makes Xavier Marshall and Kieron Pollard the prime suspects.

West Indies: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Andre Fletcher, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6&7 Lendl Simmons/Xavier Marshall/Kieron Pollard, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Fidel Edwards, 11 Suleiman Benn.

Stats and Trivia

India and West Indies haven't yet faced each other in Twenty20 internationals.
MS Dhoni's strike-rate in Twnety20 internationals is 105.8, Shivnarine Chanderpaul's is 99.36.Quotes

"We had options for back-up openers, Yusuf and I were also spoken about. But Rohit was in good form in the IPL and has grabbed his chance with both hands."
MS Dhoni speaks about India's new opener, Rohit Sharma

"It will be a big boost for us. With his [Gayle's] presence in the team all the guys' confidence will be up."
Denesh Ramdin, who captained West Indies in Gayle's absence
Source:www.cricinfo.com

England v South Africa match Score Card | Highlight

2009-06-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Match Statistics

England v South Africa, 14th Match
Trent Bridge, 11 Jun 2009
Umpires: SJ Davis , AL Hill
Toss won by England, Elected to bat
Player of the Match: JH Kallis
South Africa won by 7 wickets

Score Summary
Runs Run Rate Overs
England 111/10 5.60 19.5
South Africa 114/3 6.22 18.2

Watch Video Here

England Batting Score Card
Batsman	Status	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
RS Bopara	b DW Steyn	2	5	0	0	4/1
LJ Wright	ct MV Boucher b WD Parnell	1	6	0	0	4/2
KP Pietersen	ct RE van der Merwe b JA Morkel	19	17	4	0	25/3
OA Shah	ct MV Boucher b JH Kallis	38	33	3	2	88/7
PD Collingwood	b JH Kallis	19	19	2	0	78/4
JS Foster	ct JA Morkel b RE van der Merwe	1	4	0	0	79/5
AD Mascarenhas	b RE van der Merwe	1	3	0	0	82/6
GP Swann	ct JA Morkel b J Botha	5	6	0	0	92/8
SCJ Broad	b WD Parnell	9	8	1	0	111/9
AU Rashid	not out	9	17	0	0
JM Anderson	b WD Parnell	0	1	0	0	111/10
Total	10 wicket(s); 19.5 over(s)	111

South Africa
	Over	MDN	Runs	Wkts	Wide	No
DW Steyn	4.0	0	19	1	1	0
WD Parnell	3.5	0	14	3	1	0
JH Kallis	3.0	0	20	2	0	0
JA Morkel	1.0	1	0	1	0	0
J Botha	4.0	0	25	1	1	0
RE van der Merwe	4.0	0	32	2	2	0

South Africa
Batsman	Status	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
GC Smith	ct JS Foster b SCJ Broad	11	15	2	0	17/1
JH Kallis	not out	57	49	5	1
HH Gibbs	b GP Swann	30	30	2	1	91/2
AB de Villiers	ct PD Collingwood b AU Rashid	11	12	0	0	108/3
JP Duminy	not out	2	4	0	0
MV Boucher
DW Steyn
J Botha
JA Morkel
WD Parnell
RE van der Merwe
Total	3 wicket(s); 18.2 over(s)	114

England
Bowler	Over	MDN	Runs	Wkts	Wide	No
AD Mascarenhas	4.0	0	22	0	0	0
JM Anderson	3.2	0	27	0	1	0
SCJ Broad	3.0	0	14	1	0	0
GP Swann	4.0	0	26	1	1	0
AU Rashid	4.0	0	24	1	0	0

South Africa
Batsman	Status	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
GC Smith	ct JS Foster b SCJ Broad	11	15	2	0	17/1
JH Kallis	not out	57	49	5	1
HH Gibbs	b GP Swann	30	30	2	1	91/2
AB de Villiers	ct PD Collingwood b AU Rashid	11	12	0	0	108/3
JP Duminy	not out	2	4	0	0
MV Boucher
DW Steyn
J Botha
JA Morkel
WD Parnell
RE van der Merwe
Total	3 wicket(s); 18.2 over(s)	114

England
Bowler	Over	MDN	Runs	Wkts	Wide	No
AD Mascarenhas	4.0	0	22	0	0	0
JM Anderson	3.2	0	27	0	1	0
SCJ Broad	3.0	0	14	1	0	0
GP Swann	4.0	0	26	1	1	0
AU Rashid	4.0	0	24	1	0	0

Kiwi Ryder out of World T20 with mystery illness

2009-06-11T05:03:00.001-07:00

New Zealand have called up Otago batsman Aaron Redmond to replace the sick Jesse Ryder for the World Twenty20, the Black Caps said on Thursday.

Ryder, a top order batsman, was hospitalised in London earlier this week for a mysterious illness and did not travel with the team for the Super Eights match against Ireland here later on Thursday.

New Zealand manager Dave Currie said Ryder remained in hospital, but was likely to be released within the next 24 hours and head back to New Zealand for further recuperation.

"Unfortunately medical advice is that it would be very difficult for Jesse to regain full fitness in time for the remainder of the tournament," said Currie.

"Because of the time constraints at this stage of the tournament we have made the call to bring in a replacement player, and we are fortunate that Aaron has been able to join the side for Thursday's game.

"It?s a real disappointment for Jesse. He is one of the most explosive batsmen in the world and was well placed to make his mark on this tournament," said Currie.

The International Cricket Council has approved Redmond's inclusion in the squad, Currie added.

A media release from the Black Caps earlier this week said "the diagnosis of Jesse?s injury was unclear, but it seems he is suffering from a significant infection".

Redmond was playing grade cricket in England when he was summoned to join the national squad.

He has played seven Tests for New Zealand and was a leading performer in the latest domestic Twenty20 competition, finishing as the top run scorer including an innings of 100 not out from 58 balls.
Source:www.cricbuzz.com

Sehwag offered to play with painkillers

2009-06-11T04:19:00.000-07:00

While confusion has reigned in England over the last five days over the status and exact nature of the shoulder injury suffered by Virender Sehwag, who was on Tuesday, ruled out of the World 20 championships, some clarity was provided on Wednesday by some of the his Delhi and Team India colleagues.

Sehwag's team mates in the IPL confirmed that the opener had suffered the injury during the tournament's semi-final match against Deccan Chargers in Centurion on May 22. "He dived to stop a shot from Adam Gilchrist off Ashish Nehra's bowling when he strained his shoulder," a Daredevils team mate, who did not wish to be identified, told The Indian Express on Wednesday.

Sehwag, he added, bowled an over after that but experienced slight pain once his body had cooled down after the match.

Another player close to Sehwag said he was advised rest so that his shoulder could heal in the two weeks leading up to the World T20 championships. Sehwag then proceeded to England with the Indian team, still in slight pain, and it was only after an MRI scan in England that a Grade I tear was revealed, the player said.

An Indian team source added: "Viru could still bat with pain-killer injections but there was a problem while throwing and bowling. He offered to get through this tournament if the team needed. But because he would've been a liability in the field, the management decided to ask for a replacement."

Zaheer Khan went through a similar injury in the days leading up to the World T20. He was initially ruled out until he Super 8s but recovered quicker than expected, in time for India's first match against Bangladesh.

Sehwag will now consult Dr Andrew Wallace, who had treated Sachin Tendulkar in the past, in London to decide his next course of treatment.

Dinesh Karthik, named as replacement for Virender Sehwag, will have to wait a little longer before officially joining his team in England.
Source:www.cricket.yahoo.com

Australia's coach Nielsen wants new Twenty20 approach

2009-06-11T03:54:00.000-07:00

Australia's coach Tim Nielsen has conceded his team needs to revisit its approach to Twenty20 to avoid being bundled out of the next ICC World Twenty20. It is less than a year until the next tournament, in the West Indies, and Nielsen wants individual players to consider "where they're at" so the selectors can prepare a competitive squad.

"We have to start approaching it differently when we play the Twenty20 stuff in our normal calendar, because we've seen those as one-off games and it's difficult to get guys across overseas, or it's maybe been seen as a chance for blokes to have an extra day's rest here and there," Nielsen told the Age. "We might have to revisit that. The players will have to think about where they're at with it, and where we go from here."

One of Australia's problems is the lack of Twenty20s that their stars play. The domestic competition takes place while the Test and ODI season is in full swing, so fringe internationals have more opportunity to take part than men like Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.

National teams are restricted to three Twenty20 internationals per season, except for the ICC World Twenty20, and Australia have treated those games as a chance for the busiest players to rest. But that contributed to the Australians' early exit this year and Nielsen has spent the past few days analysing the disappointing result.

"I didn't have much sleep last night, tossing and turning about what we could have done better," Nielsen said. "I felt like we were in a pretty good place going into the tournament, and that's what is so disappointing about it.

"We came here thinking we had a nicely balanced squad, and I think we showed in the practice games that when they're playing at their best they can play any form of the game. We need to look at why things didn't work well, and we need to be honest with ourselves."
Source: www.cricinfo.com

ODI route in England a blessing in disguise - Arthur

2009-06-11T03:41:00.000-07:00

Mickey Arthur the South Africa coach, has said the heavy defeat to England in the one-day series last year had only made the team stronger and emerge as a world-beating unit. He said the 4-0 defeat - after winning the Test series - forced him and Graeme Smith to rethink their overall composition of their limited-overs side and the benefits are now being felt, with South Africa starting the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 as one of the favourites.

"I think that one-day series we had here (in England) after winning the Test series was a blessing in disguise for us," Arthur said. "It certainly forced myself and Graeme to sit back and do a lot of reflection, deciding on which way we wanted to go, what was going to be our brand going forward to the World Cup in 2011, who were the players we were going to look at and we did. We sat down and we thought long and hard about it.

"With the team we had in England, we didn't have the ability to take pace off the ball. We realised we needed to grow our spin bowling department, we realised we needed to have batters who could bowl spin coupled with out and out pace bowlers."

Though the current Twenty20 squad isn't markedly different from the one-day team which toured England last year, the big difference is the number of spinners who've helped South Africa's growth. The offspinner Johan Botha - an effective Twenty20 bowler - was elevated to the one-day captaincy to fill Smith's absence; JP Duminy has been chipping in regularly with his offbreaks and Roelof van der Merwe has been an asset with his left-arm spin and match-winning ability.

"I think we've got the balance right now. We've got seven definite bowling options, three of which are spin bowling options - I include JP Duminy in that because I think he's that good," Arthur said. "And we've got three guys who can bowl at over 140kph (Dale Steyn, Wayne Parnell and Jacques Kallis).

"We also bat down to ten - Wayne Parnell was batting at six for Kent a month back - and I still think as a group we are probably the best fielding side in the world."

Despite the team's recent success as a Test unit - with Test series wins in England and Australia - a victory in an ICC event has always eluded them. South Africa failed to make the semi-finals of the last World Twenty20 on their own turf and bowed out of the 2003 World Cup in the group stages, among other missed opportunities.

"We said a year ago there were three things we really wanted to do as a South African unit - to win a Test series in England, to win a Test series in Australia and to win an ICC trophy event," Arthur said. "We've flattered to deceive in ICC events. We've ticked two of the three boxes and we've got three opportunities until 2011 to put the other one right so here's hoping."
Source: www.cricinfo.com

Redmond to join New Zealand as wrong cover

2009-06-11T03:24:00.000-07:00

Batsman Aaron Redmond has been called up to the New Zealand squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in England as cover for Jesse Ryder, who is down with a groin injury. Ryder, who was hospitalised as a precautionary measure, is in doubt for the team's opening Super Eights clash against Ireland at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Redmond, who has been playing cricket in England, is expected to join the squad but his inclusion is subject to ICC approval.

"He (Ryder) has been in considerable discomfort, and medical advice is that he would certainly not be able to play in tomorrow's game," team manager Dave Currie told NZPA. "In the meantime, Aaron joins the squad as a precautionary measure. However, any replacement will have to be approved by the ICC."

Redmond is yet to make his Twenty20 debut for the country.

The team is saddled with injury worries, with batsman Ross Taylor certain to miss out against Ireland due to a hamstring pull and Daniel Vettori also in doubt with an injured left shoulder. New Zealand's next game is against Pakistan on Saturday.
Source:www.cricinfo.com

New Zealand Vs Ireland Live match |New Zealand Vs Ireland T20 Match | New Zealand Vs Ireland T20 World cup | New Zealand Vs Ireland highlight video |

2009-06-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

Ireland vs New Zealand Highlights - Super 8s

NZ Bat

Ireland Bat

England Vs South Africa | England Vs South Africa highlight video | England Vs South Africa live score | ENG vs RSA highligh

2009-06-11T02:32:00.000-07:00

England Bat

SA Bat

his is will be the 14th Match and 2nd Match in Super Eights round in T20 World Cup 2009.
South Africa are looking a very strong team. They are well balanced side. They are one of the contenders for ICC T20 World Cup. England are back from a strong performance against Pakistan. They are now looking good team. It will be a great contest and very important for both of them.

Even when South Africa were off the boil, they still managed to emerge victorious. Graeme Smith’s men have been on a roll during a memorable year on the road, and as the end of their odyssey draws nigh, they’ve forged themselves a unit that can cope with all conditions. Clinical is the word that best describes their approach, and it’s not without good reason that they start this match as favourites.

The key player for them is AB de Villiers. Had he not been bumped down the order to allow his team-mates valuable practice against New Zealand, South Africa would surely have mustered more than 128 for 7.

England on the other hand would be hoping for good knocks from Bopara and Pietersen to have any hopes of going past South Africa in this form.

Teams:
England : Ravinder Bopara, Luke Wright, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood(c), James Foster(w), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Adil Rashid, James Anderson, Robert Key, Ryan Sidebottom, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier

South Africa :
Graeme Smith(c), Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Mark Boucher(w), Albie Morkel, Roelof van der Merwe, Johan Botha, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Yusuf Abdullah, Morne Morkel, Justin Lee Ontong, Robin Peterson
Source:www.livecrickett20.com

ICC approves Razzaq as Arafat's replacement

2009-06-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

The International Cricket Council has approved former rebel Indian Cricket League player Abdul Razzaq as a replacement for injured Yasir Arafat in the Pakistan squad for the remainder of the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup.

The ICC said in a statement that the event technical committee of the ICC World Twenty20 has approved Razzaq as Arafat's replacement and the confirmation has been conveyed to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Arafat suffered a hamstring injury during the group stage of the Twenty20 World Cup and was advised 12 days rest.
source:www.hindu.com

PCB inquire about Younis' T20 commentary

2009-06-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

Pakistan captain Younis Khan has been asked to explain his comments about Twenty20 cricket being nothing more than fun and entertainment for the crowds by the PCB.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed has confirmed that the Pakistan Cricket Board had inquired about Younis' remarks about twenty20 not being real cricket.

Yawar told the Pakistani media in London that the board had sent an email to him regarding the comments made by Younis at the press conference following the defeat to England at the Oval.

"We have sent the reply. I don't think Younis has committed any breach of the players code of conduct with his remarks. Australian captain, Ricky Pointing has said similar things about Twenty20 cricket. These are personal views," Yawar said.

Younis had surprised many by stating that Twenty20 was like WWE wrestling -- just fun and entertainment for the crowds.

He said it would not be a disaster if Pakistan failed to qualify for the super eights stage which they eventually did after beating the Netherlands.

Yawar insisted Younis had not violated any code of the International Cricket Council with his remarks.
Source:www.cricbuzz.com

West Indies fined for slow over-rate

2009-06-11T01:32:00.000-07:00

West Indies was fined for slow over-rate during their 15-run loss to Sri Lanka in the final Group C match of the Twenty20 World Cup at Trent Bridge here.

ICC Match referee Chris Broad of England imposed the fines after the Denesh Ramdin-led side was ruled to be two overs short of its target at the end of the Sri Lanka innings yesterday when time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with the International Cricket Council Code of Conduct regulations governing over-rate penalties, players are fined five per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

As such, stand-in skipper Ramdin was fined 20 per cent of his match fee while the West Indian players received 10 per-cent fines.

Notwithstanding the defeat, West Indies had qualified for the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup along with Sri Lanka from Group C.
Source:www.cricbuzz.com

India cagey of Gayle power

2009-06-11T01:22:00.000-07:00

India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan rates West Indian captain Chris Gayle the main threat when the two teams clash in the World Twenty20 Super Eights on Friday.

"It will be good if we can get early wickets against the West Indies," Zaheer said after roaring back from a shoulder injury to take four wickets against Ireland on Wednesday.

"Removing Gayle will be a great advantage for us. I am hopeful because we are clicking as a bowling unit and each bowler understands his role.

"We are chipping in with wickets at the right time."

India meet the West Indies at Lord's on Friday, followed by the England clash at the same venue on Sunday, before ending the Super Eights against South Africa at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

Zaheer discounted suggestions the defending champions faced tougher Super Eight matches as compared to the other group which has Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand and Ireland.

"There is no such thing as weak opposition in Twenty20 cricket," he said. "It is such an unpredictable game. Just look at how the Netherlands beat England.

"Any team on any day can be dangerous. Our focus now is only on the West Indies. We are not looking at England or South Africa yet."

The left-arm seamer claimed four for 19, including three wickets in seven balls, to restrict Ireland to 112-8 in a match reduced to 18-overs-a-side due to rain.

Young opener Rohit Sharma then hit an unbeaten 52 off 45 balls as India romped home with 15 balls to spare to end the preliminary league with two successive wins.

Zaheer said he enjoyed the four-wicket boost as he continued his rehabilitation from the shoulder injury.

"I had not played for four or five weeks so it's great to be back in the wickets," he said. "It's a real confidence-booster. I'm very pleased with my performance.

"The shoulder is coming along well. I feel better day by day and I am improving, I feel 100-percent now."

Zaheer had missed most of the Indian Premier League in South Africa and the two practice matches ahead of the World Twenty20 due to the injury in his left shoulder.

"It was a narrow escape for me," he said. "The injury could have been worse. I worked really hard on strengthening my shoulder. The good thing is the injury was not major."

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the team was still to hit peak form despite the eight-wicket win against Ireland after beating Bangladesh by 25 runs.

"Every game you start from scratch," he said. "The bowlers did very well and it's a real positive that they are doing their jobs. But we can do better in the field. It was not our best day.

"I am talking about 85-90 percent efficiency, but we can do it."

With swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag ruled out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury, Dhoni said Zaheer's return to wicket-taking form boosted the champions.

"We thought he would need a few games to get back in the groove. He is bowling in the right areas and he is a very good asset to have."
Source:www.cricbuzz.com

T20 WC: India beat Ireland by 8 wickets,india win,india win the match, india won,india,

2009-06-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Zaheer Khan wreaked havoc while Rohit Sharma continued his purple patch as a ruthless India decimated Ireland by eight wickets in a
Zaheer
rain-marred Group A tie of the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.

Zaheer Khan (4/19) led the rout as India restricted a hapless Ireland to a mere 112 for eight in 18 overs and then went on to overwhelm the target in 15.3 overs with Rohit (52 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (37) making merry against the toothless Irish attack.

Put into bat after persistent rain had truncated the tie to an 18-overs-a-side affair, Ireland could not recover from Zaheer's early three-wicket burst and only four players managed double digit scores as the minnows barely crawled past the 100-mark.

With both the sides having already made it to the Super Eight stage, nothing really was at stake but India captain Mahendra Singh meant serious business when he walked out with the full-strength team.

And chasing a paltry 113 from 18 overs, India hardly broke a sweat with Gambhir and Rohit going great guns.

Gambhir cut the first ball from Boyd Rankin through covers for a four to signal his intention. The left-hander came dancing down the track to hit Kevin O'Brien through covers and then upper-cut Rankin over third man for a stunning six.

At the other end, Rohit was not silent either. The right-hander paddle-scooped Alex Cusack for a four and then chipped him to a similar effect.

The opening stand had yielded 77 runs when Gambhir perished at backward point in the 11th over.

An undeterred Rohit smacked Rankin over mid-wicket for a huge six to inch closer to the target and even though Mahendra Singh Dhoni's (14) was a brief stay, India's win was just a matter of formality which Rohit and Yuvraj Singh (3 not out) completed with ease.

Earlier, Zaheer showed Ireland up as doddering novices as he helped India restrict the opponents to a mere 112 for 8.

Andrew White was the lone face of Irish resistance, top scoring with a 25-ball 29.

The left-arm paceman steamed in on a rainy day to hustle out four Irish batsmen, three off seven balls in his first spell of two overs.

Zaheer took a wicket off his sixth, seventh and 12th deliveries, two off catches in first slip to reduce Ireland to 17 for three in four overs.

Pragyan Ojha then struck off his first delivery in the seventh over and Harbhajan Singh too joined the fun as Ireland's score read 48 for five in the 10th over.

The first boundary in the Ireland's innings came in the fourth over and there were in all only nine fours, besides a six, hit.

From the time Dhoni won the toss and chose to field, the defending champions kept a tight hold on the proceedings.

Zaheer bowled the second over but things soon began to happen in India's favour.

Ireland's opening pair mostly connected air as they tried to swish outside the off-stump but to no success.

Jeremy Bray then completely misread the line of an incoming Zaheer delivery to have his middle and leg stumps knocked back for no runs from seven balls.

The left-arm paceman put himself in line for a hat-trick when he had the other opener William Porterfield edge a catch to Yusuf Pathan in the slips.

Before Zaheer's second over was out, Andre Botha too fell in the same manner but not before he had square cut the left-arm paceman for the first boundary of the innings.

Ojha was pressed into service in the seventh over and obliged off his first delivery when Kevin O' Brien under-edged a pull on to his stumps.

Harbhajan had to wait till his second over before Gary Wilson (19) failed to read his 'doosra' and lost stump.

Ireland then lost their sixth and seven wicket for the addition of one run only.

John Mooney (19) reverse swept Ojha uppishly into the hands of Yuvraj Singh at short fine leg and Regan West was run out by a direct throw by Suresh Raina from mid-on.

Left-arm spinner Ojha increased his tally of wickets to six from two matches, his haul in the present innings reading 2 for 19 from allotted four overs.
Source: www.cricket.timesofindia.com

Last eight can start to dream

2009-06-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Four teams have fallen by the way-side as the ICC World Twenty20 gets down to the nitty-gritty in the Super Eights.

For Australia, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Scotland the dream is over but those who remain will now be aiming to finish in the top two in their respective groups to reach the semi-final stage.

For Ireland that ambition may be slightly unrealistic but having beaten Pakistan in the last 50-over World Cup they will go into their Group F clash on Sunday with little to fear. By then, both teams will have played once in the Super Eights (Ireland against New Zealand on Thursday at Trent Bridge and Pakistan against Sri Lanka at Lord's on Friday).

Ireland rested Niall O'Brien and Trent Johnston during Wednesday's Group A defeat against India, with their early-afternoon meeting with the Black Caps in mind.

Meanwhile, Pakistan are attempting to obtain a visa to bring all-rounder Abdul Razzaq into their squad having lost Yasir Arafat for the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury. Pakistan started their campaign in disastrous fashion, with a heavy defeat against England, but will now look to their slow bowlers - Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal chief amongst them - to steer them into the last four.

New Zealand have been hit by injury problems themselves, with Jesse Ryder possibly being out for the remainder of the tournament, captain Daniel Vettori yet to feature and Ross Taylor absent from Thursday's match against Ireland. Their second Group F match - against Pakistan on Sunday at Lord's - could go a long way to deciding their fate.

Sri Lanka go into the group as the only one to have won both of their first-phase matches after enjoying convincing wins over Australia and West Indies. Sanath Jayasuriya made a welcome return to form against West Indies while his opening partner, Tillakaratne Dilshan, could be one of the batting revelations of the tournament with his mixture of improvisation and aggression.

Group E starts with India and South Africa as firm favourites to progress to the semi-finals but England and West Indies have already beaten higher-ranked opponents in the opening round (Pakistan and Australia respectively).

England recovered well from their tournament opening defeat against Netherlands and the pressure will now be off the hosts when they face South Africa at Trent Bridge on Thursday and India at Lord's on Sunday.

Kevin Pietersen's return from an Achilles injury proved vital in their win over Pakistan and he will hold the key to his side's fortunes over the next five days.

South Africa have looked in imposing form throughout the warm-ups and group stages, enjoying crushing wins in most of those games before showing they can also hold their nerve in a tight finish when they beat New Zealand by one run at Lord's on Tuesday.

Experienced opening pair Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis gave their side a solid start in both of their group matches but it could be the explosive middle order - including AB de Villiers and Albie Morkel - who could tip the balance in close-fought encounters.

India got past Bangladesh and Ireland with consummate ease in Group A but will be pushed harder in the next phase.

Their only discomfort since the start of the tournament to date has surrounded the withdrawal of batsman Virender Sehwag from their squad through a shoulder injury. India's squad is remaining close-knit and are looking good for a repeat of their victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.

West Indies are unlikely to be fancied in many quarters to reach the semi-finals but they will have captain Chris Gayle back in their ranks for their opening Group E match on Friday - against India at Lord's - after he missed the loss to Sri Lanka with a knee injury.
Source: www.cricket.yahoo.com

Jayasuriya and Dilshan Set up Victory touching West Indies

2009-06-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillekeratne Dilshan hammered an opening stand of 124 as Sri Lanka beat the West Indies by 15 runs in the World Twenty20 on Wednesday.

The duo lifted Sri Lanka to 192 for five, a total the West Indies chased bravely despite the absence of explosive opener and captain Chris Gayle, who missed the Group C match due to a knee injury.

The West Indians ended at 177-5, fired by a spectacular counter-attack by Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who put on 77 off 59 balls for the fifth wicket.

Bravo hit a 38-ball 51 that included five fours and two sixes, while Sarwan remained unbeaten on 28.

The match, watched by a sell-out crowd at Trent Bridge, held only academic interest since both teams had already qualified for the Super Eights at Australia's expense.

Sri Lanka, who thumped Australia by six wickets in their first match, are hot favourites to make the semi-finals from Super Eights Group F which includes Pakistan, Ireland and New Zealand.

The West Indies are drawn in the tougher Group E which also has defending champions India, South Africa and hosts England.

Two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.

Left-handed Jayasuriya, at 39 the oldest player in the 12-nation tournament, smashed 81 off 47 balls that was studded with 10 boundaries and three sixes.

Dilshan, who contributed just 38 in the century partnership, went on to make 74 off 47 balls before he became one of seamer Lendl Simmons' four victims.

All-rounder Kieron Pollard bore the brunt of the Sri Lankan assault, conceding 45 runs from his three overs.

The West Indies made a spirited reply, reaching 70-1 by the seventh over before losing three wickets in the space of as many runs.

Two of those wickets fell in one over from spinner Ajantha Mendis, who had Xavier Marshall caught in the deep before bowling danger man Shivnarine Chanderpaul for one.

Brief Score: Sri Lanka 192 for 5 (Jayasuriya 81, Dilshan 74, Simmons 4-19) beat West Indies 177 for 5 (Bravo 51, Mendis 2-25) by 15 runs
Source:www.cricketworld4u.com

ICC T20 World Cup 2009: Schedule of Super Eight Round

2009-06-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

Eight teams from four groups have ensured their place in Super Eight round. You should know that first two teams who are placed as 1 and 2 have got chance to play in the Super Eight round from each group. Each team will play against three teams in this round. In the group stage, we have seen some upset victories where Netherlands defeated England, West Indies defeated Australia and Ireland beat Bangladesh. However, we can see some more upsetting victory in the second round too. Nothing is impossible because it is T20 cricket tournament. Any team can make its come back on their day.
Eight teams have been divided into two groups. They are Group E and Group F.
Group E: A1 - India, B2 - England, C1 - West Indies, D2 - South Africa.
Group F: B1 - Pakistan, A2 - Ireland, C2 - Sri Lanka, D1 - New Zealand.
Date Teams Time Venue
Thursday, June 11 Ireland vs New Zealand 12:30 GMT
13:30 Local
18:00 IST Nottingham

England vs South Africa
D/N 16:30 GMT
17:30 Local
22:00 IST Nottingham
Friday, June 12 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 12:30 GMT 13:30 Local
18:00 IST Lord’s
India vs West Indies
D/N 16:30 GMT 17:30 Local
22:00 IST Lord’s
If you want to get full match schedule of Super Eight round then click the following link- Super Eight Schedule of T20 World Cup 2009.
I am sure that you will get a lot of fun and excitement on this tournament. Let us see who will be the group champion of this edition.
Source:www.cricket-news-bangladesh.blogspot.com

Poulton powers Australia to victory

2009-06-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

Leah Poulton powered Australia to an exciting 5-run victory against England in the final warm-up match in Taunton on Tuesday.

Poulton's 66 contained three towering sixes and helped her side to a challenging 142 for 5 which proved just enough of an edge in a useful warm-up.

Caroline Atkins and Katherine Brunt took England close to the target with a thrilling last-wicket partnership after their team had looked dead and buried on 92 for 9. England ended up only five runs short following the duo's battling and an earlier 42 from Claire Taylor.

Ellyse Perry dismissed three of the top four batsmen. She had Charlotte Edwards caught at deep gully for 1, Claire Taylor caught behind and then the catch of the day came when Lisa Sthalekar dived hard to take Beth Morgan's pull to midwicket.

Sthalekar also took three wickets as the spinners took hold and checked England's batsmen. The Australia bowlers kept up the pressure throughout and were backed up by tidy fielding. In contrast, England was guilty of unusual errors, including putting down Poulton on 28.

Karen Rolton brushed off the significance of Australia's win, instead emphasising the usefulness of the practice. "The result didn't really bother me," Rolton said. "We couldn't ask for a better hit-out going into Friday's second game against the Kiwis."

She was not concerned, either, about how England's last-wicket pairing came back at them late on. "To have a close one that comes down to the last couple of overs, I would rather that sort of hit-out than having an easier win."

England coach Mark Lane said he was disappointed with a couple of areas. "Our ground fielding wasn't too good, our middle order didn't perform as well as I wanted. But there were some solid performances.

"We've had such a successful time everyone wants to beat us. We have to make sure that we don't ever have a bad day. The fact we're playing more and more cricket means there are more opportunities to have a bad day. Today wasn't a bad day for us, it was an average day and we will get better."
Source: www.cricket.yahoo.com

Sri Lanka v West Indies

2009-06-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka and the West Indies will enjoy a contest without pressure when they clash in their last group C league match of the World Twenty20 on Wednesday.

What should have been a virtual knock-out game in the group will hold nothing more than academic interest after both teams knocked mighty Australia out of the tournament.

"This was the only group that had three Test-playing nations in it, so to come out it pretty well is a huge bonus," said Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara.

"Both the West Indies and us have made the Super Eights, so the pressure will no doubt be a bit less. But international cricket is serious business, there is no question of taking it easy."

Sri Lanka hammered Ricky Ponting's men by six wickets on Monday, two days after the West Indies rode on captain Chris Gayle's explosive 88 off 50 overs to down the Aussies by seven wickets.

Sangakkara said Ajantha Mendis's success against Australia, where he took 3-20 in four overs, bode well for his team and he expected the mystery spinner to play a major role in the tournament.

"In a Twenty20 game, where you have to attack almost every ball you play, to have unpredictability, that mystery around him is good," the captain said.

"Batsmen will get on top of him on some days, but more often than not, he is a wicket-taking bowler, an attacking bowler."

Mendis turns the ball both ways with one visible action, making it difficult for batsmen to read him in the air.

Mahela Jayawardene, Sangakkara's predecessor as captain, said Wednesday's game was crucial for both teams.

"We need to look at the bigger picture going into the match," Jayawardene told reporters.

"The momentum is crucial in a World Cup of this nature. One needs to get every small things right, whether it is batting, bowling or fielding.

"No one wants to lose a winning streak. This game will help us get into the rhythm for the Super Eights contests."

Jayawardene conceded Gayle was the major threat and Sri Lanka's bowlers were working on a plan to get him early.

"Chris is definitely a threat up front," he said. "He has a free-flowing game. We will of course try to bowl in areas where he is not comfortable."

The West Indies are being hailed as one of the most dangerous teams in the competition despite being hammered 2-0 in the preceding Test series by England.

They now get a chance to make a mark in a tournament where they were dumped in the first round in the inaugural event in 2007 after losing to Bangladesh.

"We know we have a team that can beat the best, but in Twenty20 it all depends on how one plays on a given day," said Gayle.

"We take it one match at a time. We definitely want to beat Sri Lanka which will raise the team's confidence for the Super Eights."

Match facts
Wednesday June 10, 2009 (day/night)
Start time 17.00 local, 16.00GMT
Source:www.cricketworld4u.com

India v Ireland live cricket match | highlight video

2009-06-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

One of the most important T20 games between India and Ireland will kick off on 10th June. Both defending champion India and minnow Ireland have ensured their place in Super Eight round after beating Bangladesh. This match will take place at Nottingham. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni does not want to take Ireland lightly. This match is scheduled to start at 16:30 GMT (17:30 Local time). After getting an upset win over Bangladesh team, Ireland is now considered as one of the most improving associated sides. Not only that, they moved to the second round after beating Pakistan in ICC World Cup last year. I am really impressed to see their performance. So, Indian cricket team may worry about Irish. I think this weak team can give another upsetting result.

Team: India vs Ireland T20 Match.
Time: 16:30 GMT (17:30 Local Time), 10:00 IST.
Venue: Nottingham
Live TV channel: STAR CRICKET, Doordarshan.

Indian cricket team will have to play the whole tournament without their hard-hitting opening batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been left out due to shoulder injury. Now, he will be sent home and go under surgery. He had sustained this injury during the second edition of IPL. I think Rohit Sharma’s good form will give India some relieve. This 22-year-batsman will be seen along with Gautan Gambhir to make open against Ireland.
Two Irish brothers Niall O'Brien and Kevin O'Brien have important role to lead their country. Niall O'Brien is a prolific batsman and wicketkeeper. And his brother Kevin O'Brien is a Right-arm medium-fast bowler. These two players will be focused more on this game. The sad news is that Niall O’Brien has hurt his ankle during the T20 match against Bangladesh. However, he is hopeful about his presence against India.
This match has got much popularity to the match bidders. India are available at 1.10 where Ireland are 10.00. It is enough to understand who is much popular in this betting. However, everything depends on O’Brien bothers. Their performance can demolish Indian team. Who do you think can win this match? You should know that Australia has been eliminated of this tournament. England lost to Netherlands on the opening day and Ireland defeated Bangladesh by 6 wickets. So, another upset result could happen this time. Let us see who will be the next team to have faced such kind of upsetting defeat.
Indian side is more stronger and balanced than its previous World Cup squad. Their squad is combined with both hard hitting batsmen and leading wicket taker bowlers. Indian middle order batsman Suresh Raina said that opponent team be aware of them. He also said that India will regain the trophy second time. It may not be impossible but I can not give you any guarantee.
Millions of fans around the world should watch this game live on TV to know that who can win this match. It is obviously going to be a nail biting game. Not only fans but also players will suffer by nerve problem. You may not devote yourself to enjoy this game live. If it is your mind’s talk then keep watching on STAR CRICKET and get the thrill and excitement all the time. India’s national TV channel Doordarshan will show this game live for all Indian people.
Live Online Score- you may not be able to enjoy this game live on TV. Don’t be upset. You will be happy to hear that some cricket related website will provide live score ball by ball. I am giving some websites name where from you can get live score with some information-
action8cricket
WebHush
Crictime
Cricinfo
YAHOO CRICKET
Stickcricket
I will be happy if you get some information of this match or if it will help you to know details about the match between India and Ireland. You can give me your opinion and inform me what you want to know.
Source:www.cricket-news-bangladesh.blogspot.com

Ireland Bat

India Bat

New Zealand vs South Africa Highlights video

2009-06-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

New Zealand vs South Africa Highlights - T20 World Cup

SA Bat

NZ Bat

Virender Sehwag out of T20 World Cup

2009-06-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

In a major blow to India's title defence, explosive opener Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the rest of the T20 World Cup, with a continuing shoulder injury.

An official announcement in this regard would be made by the team on Tuesday evening, said sources.

The 31-year-old opener would soon return home to undergo a shoulder surgery.

Sehwag picked up the injury during the recent second edition of the Indian Premier League in South Africa and missed the first match against Bangladesh and the two warm-up matches before that.

After missing the entire practice session on Monday, the veteran batsman was able to bat for only five minutes during the nets session on Tuesday.

Bangladesh and Australia thrown out of the tournament

2009-06-09T03:43:00.000-07:00

Ireland and Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh & Australia respectively to confirm their berth in Super Eight

Australia v Sri Lanka – Sangakara and Dilshan dumped Australia out

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakara and T.Dilshan played an important role in run chase against Australia to achieve the target of 160 runs with one over to spare and beat them by six wickets. For the first time Australia faces so much early exit from the tournament in a decade.

The win for Sri Lanka confirm their and West Indies berth in the Super Eight Stage. Chasing the target of 160 runs for victory Sri Lanka got off to flying start with the help of in-form T.Dilshan (53 runs of 32 balls) despite loosing opener Sanath Jayasurya (2 runs of 7 balls) in the third over of an inning. Dilshan and K.Sangakara (55 runs of 42 balls) put on a valuable partnership 62 runs of just 42 deliveries to make the run chase comfortable for other batsman to follow.

However once Dilshan got out Australia did manage to get the match closer to the end overs but in the end it was captain cool Sangakara and Jehan Mubarak (21 runs of 12 balls) achieved the target with an over remaining.

Earlier Australian after put into bat got off to disastrous start loosing opener David Warner in the very first over. However R. Ponting (25 runs of 15 balls) and Shane Watson (22 runs of 21 balls) tried hard to put Australian inning back on track but once spinner introduced into attack they were struggled and kept loosing wickets at regular intervals.

At one stage they were struggling to get pass 150 run mark but thank to M.Johnson (28 runs of 13 balls) and David Hussey (28 runs of 22 balls) innings as they both collected 65 runs in the last five overs of Australian inning.

Kumara Sangakar was declared Man-of-the-Match for his superb unbeaten knock of 55 runs of 42 balls.

Match Summary (Sri Lanka won by 6 Wickets)

Australia – 159/9 in 20 Overs

M.Johnson- 28 D.Hussey –28

A.Mendis– 4-0-20-3 L.Malinga- 4-0-36-3

Sri Lanka – 160/4 in 19 Overs

K.Sangakara- 55* T.Dilshan–53

B.Lee – 4-0-39-2 M.Clark- 3-0-19-1

Ireland v Bangladesh – Ireland beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets to enter Super Eight

Ireland played an exceptional cricket on a day when require to make it to the Super Eight of ICC world twenty20. They have beaten test playing nation Bangladesh quite convincingly by 6 wickets.

The hungrier side was always going to come up tops and Ireland took a massive stride by keeping a reckless Bangladesh to 137. Bangladesh batted with the freedom of a team that believed they were already in the next stage and paid the price, stumbling after a shaky start. Thanks to M.Mortza quick fire 33 runs of 16 balls that gave some respectability to Bangladesh.

Ireland didn’t got-off to good start but the O’Brien brothers make it possible for their team by playing some good cricket with bat. First it was N. O’Brien who smashed 40 runs of 25 balls and then K. O’Brien finished the game with blistering 39 runs of just 17 balls.

N. O’Brien was declared Man-of-the-Match for his quick fire 40 runs of 25 balls.

Match Summary (Ireland won by 6 Wickets)

Bangladesh – 137/8 in 20 Overs

M.Mortaza- 33* T.Iqbal –22

T.Johnson– 4-0-20-3 K.McCallan- 4-0-17-1

Ireland – 138/4 in 18.2 Overs

N.O’Brien- 40 K.O’Brien–39

M.Mortaza – 4-0-30-2 A.Razzak- 3-0-18-
Source:www.cricketvillage.blogspot.com

Pakistan will have to win by 60 runs against Netherlands to continue alive in T20 World Cup

2009-06-09T02:55:00.000-07:00

London, June 9: Pakistan is on the verge of being eliminated from the ICC Twenty20 Championship, as they now need to win their match against The Netherlands by 60 runs to keep their hopes alive in the tournament.

The team has its task cut out, and the players would need to perform out of their skins as Dutch morale is on a high after their win against England.

The Netherlands would be eyeing another upset.

Pakistan captain Younis Khan has called his senior players to rise to the occasion and perform to their potential.

"Hopefully, the senior guys will come forward and do a job for our team. It's the only chance we have," The Daily Times quoted Khan, as saying.

He is aware of the challenge posed by the men in Orange, and is expecting the game to be 'hard work'.

However, it seems that Khan does not attach much importance to Twenty20 cricket, as he termed this bang-bang version of the game as mere 'fun'.

"Twenty20 cricket is fun cricket, it's more for entertainment, even if it is international cricket. I have never attached too much importance to Twenty20 cricket. I hope we will beat Holland convincingly to avoid elimination," he said.

Source : Sify.com

Pakistan v Netherlands T20 World Cup highlight video

2009-06-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

In the 9th match of ICC T20 World Cup 2009, Pakistan will face Netherlands in a do-or-die match today at Lord's, London starting from 12:30 GMT, 6.00 PM IST. It will be interesting to see who will join England in the Super Eights from their group.

Pakistan has already lost their opening game to England by 48 runs. Pakistan is at last place in the group with a negative run rate so a win over Netherlands will not enough for Pakistan. Pakistan will have to show an outstanding performance against Netherlands and try to win with a very good net run rate.

Netherlands already at the second spot with 2 points & a plus run rate in their group. It means that Netherlands just will have to play with Pakistan as they played against England in their previous game.

Pakistan Playing 11 for Today Match

Younis Khan (C), Misbah-ul-haq, Kamran Akmal (W), Shoaib Mallik, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Iftikar Anzum, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Aamir

Netherlands Playing 11 for Today Match

Darron Reekers, Alexei Kervezee, Bas Zuiderent, Ryan ten Doeschate, Daan van Bunge, Jeroen Smits (C), Tom de Groothe, Mudassar Bukhari, Dirk Nannes, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar

Pakistan Bat

Netherlands Bat

Ireland vs Bangladesh Highlights video

2009-06-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Ireland vs Bangladesh Highlights video- T20 World Cup

Bangladesh bat

Ireland Bat

Australia vs Sri Lanka highlight video

2009-06-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

Australia vs Sri Lanka Highlights - T20 World Cup

Australia Bat

Sri Lanka bat

Australia out of the T20 super eight

2009-06-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Nottingham: Skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan hit robust half-centuries as Sri Lanka showed Australia the door in World Twenty20 with a six-wicket win on Monday.

Australia, asked to bat by Sangakkara in his first match as captain, managed only 159-9 in good batting conditions as mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis and fast bowler Lasith Malinga claimed three wickets each.

Opener Dilshan then plundered 53 off 32 balls and left-handed Sangakkara made an unbeaten 55 to fire Sri Lanka home with six deliveries to spare.

Bangladesh look Irish test for continued existence

2009-06-08T02:54:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh take on Ireland in a tricky group A clash on Monday that will almost certainly take the winner into the next round of the World Twenty20.

The Tigers, who lost to India by 25 runs on Saturday, must win to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the Super Eights. A defeat will send them packing from the 12-nation tournament.

"We know this is a do-or-die match for us, so we have to be at our best," said Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful ahead of the group A game at Trent Bridge.

"We can't afford to put a foot wrong now."

Ashraful said the experience of playing against defending champions India, where they scored 155-8 in reply to their rivals' 180-5, will hold the team in good stead.

"We learnt our lessons," he said. "I think we matched India well but just did not have good partnerships to keep going till the end.

"We bowled and fielded quite well. We must do the same again. The batsmen must put up enough runs on the board."

Opener Junaid Siddique tamed the Indian attack with 41 off 22 balls that contained three sixes and two boundaries, but none of the other top order batsmen were able to fire.

It was left to tailender Naeem Islam, who followed his two wickets with a 17-ball 28 to narrow the victory margin.

Bangladesh raced to 74 by the eighth over against the champions before India's left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha turned the match around with four wickets, including two in his first over.

"We have to do much better against Ireland," said Ashraful. "I am not taking the Irish lightly. They know the conditions well and have nothing to lose.

"It will be a tough game but I am confident we will put up a good show."

Ireland, a non-Test playing side unlike Bangladesh, will ride on the experience of their county players to make an impact in their first-ever World Twenty20.

Eoin Morgan, who plays for Middlesex, was snapped up by England for the tournament, leaving captain William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin and the O'Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, to keep Ireland's flag flying.

It is almost the same Irish team that stunned Pakistan in the 50-overs-a-side World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007 to advance to the second round.

Ireland have never played a Twenty20 international against an established side, but have won three of their four games against fellow minnows.

They also stunned Worcestershire last month after bowling the English county side out for 58, a victory that pleased their coach Phil Simmons, the former West Indian opener.

"That win was just what we needed before the tournament," he said. "It was achieved without our top county players which says a lot for the depth of the squad. I will be very disappointed if we don't make our mark.

"Obviously our best chance lies in the game against Bangladesh but the beauty of Twenty20 cricket is its unpredictability. We will be going into the tournament in a confident mood."

Ireland's last group match is against India on today.
Source:www.cmdn.com

Australia things for must-win Sri Lanka fight

2009-06-08T02:37:00.000-07:00

Ricky Ponting's Australia must perform or face an embarrassing early exit from the World Twenty20 when they take on emotionally-charged Sri Lanka on Monday.

The Australians, stunned by a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of the West Indies on Saturday following Chris Gayle's explosive 88 off 50 balls, cannot afford another loss.

Even if they emerge victorious, Ponting's men are not assured of advancing to the Super Eights because a Sri Lankan win over the West Indies on Wednesday will throw up a three-way tie to be decided by net run-rate.

The loss to the West Indies with 4.1 overs to spare could spell further disaster for Australia, who must not only beat Sri Lanka, but do so by a big margin to improve their net run-rate.

"It all lies ahead of us," Ponting said ahead of the group C match at Trent Bridge.

"We know exactly what we have to do and if we are good enough, we we get it done."

The defeat against the West Indies was Australia's fourth Twenty20 loss in a row.

The shortest version of the game has not been particularly kind to the undisputed kings of Test and one-day cricket, who have won only 11 of their 22 games so far.

Ponting, however, was quick to stress that all was not lost for his team.

Australia suffered a shock defeat by Zimbabwe in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, but still managed to reach the semi-finals where they lost to eventual champions India.

"This form of the game can change very quickly," Ponting said. "We're in exactly the same position as we were last time.

"I guess some of the guys that were in the tournament last time will know what we have to do. There is nowhere else where we can go now."

Sri Lanka will be charged up for their first international match since the horrific terror attack on their team bus in the Pakistani city of Lahore in March while on their way to resume a Test match.

Seven Sri Lankan cricketers and an assistant coach were injured in the attack, which left eight Pakistanis dead.

Kumar Sangakkara, leading Sri Lanka for the first time after good friend Mahela Jayawardene quit the job after the Pakistan tour, said the team looked forward to the game against Australia.

"The pressure will be on them, but we are not taking victory for granted," said Sangakkara. "They will come hard at us and we have to be ready to stand tall.

"We know a side must win at least one game to stay in the race. We have just got to take our chances."

Sangakkara wanted his team to qualify for the semi-finals after being stuck in the Super Eights stage in 2007.

"We have a great mix in both batting and bowling, but at the end of the day it all depends on executing your plans well," he said.

"I am not sure Twenty20 is only a slog. One still needs to plan an innings to ensure you get a good total on the board."
Source: www.cmdn.com

Pietersen power revives England's T20 hopes

2009-06-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

The hosts, 48 hours after their shock four-wicket loss to the Netherlands, bounced back to record a win which, because their net run-rate was now superior to that of the Dutch, ensured their progress in the tournament.

Pakistan, finalists at the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago, now face a make or break Group B clash against the Netherlands at Lord's on Tuesday.

Kevin Pietersen came back from an Achilles injury to lead England to a total of 185 for five with 58 after missing Friday's Dutch debacle at Lord's.

Pakistan, chasing 186 for victory, saw Stuart Broad take two wickets in as many balls to reduce them to 41 for three at the end of the six-over powerplay.

Kamran Akmal holed out to Luke Wright at deep mid-wicket before opener Salman Butt exited for 28.

Pace bowler Broad led England's attack with three for 17 from three overs.

At the 10-over half-way stage Pakistan were well behind the required run-rate at 63 for three.

And by the time the hard-hitting Shahid Afridi reached the crease they were 87 for four in the 13th over.

Afridi could only manage five before he skied off-spinner Graeme Swann to substitute fielder and former Irish cricketing star Eoin Morgan in the deep.

Pakistan's innings petered out as they finished on 137 for seven with captain Younis Khan stranded on 46 not out.

Earlier, South Africa born shotmaker Pietersen faced 38 balls with three sixes and five fours before he was caught at short third man by Umar Gul off Saeed Ajmal.

Spin bowler Ajmal had dropped a caught and bowled chance when Pietersen was on 30.

Pakistan made an early breakthrough after Younis won the toss.

Teenager Mohammad Aamir, a left-arm quick like his boyhood hero Wasim Akram, marked his international debut by removing Ravi Bopara but it needed a superb catch at backward point by Shoaib Malik to leave England nine for one.

Opener Luke Wright, who struck England's first six of the tournament, a pull off the 17-year-old Aamir, kept the run-rate high in the overcast conditions by striking five fours in as many balls faced.

But a stand of 53 was ended when Umar Gul yorked Wright for 34.
Source: www.cricket.indiatimes.com

Australia vs Sri Lanka ICC T20 Live Streaming

2009-06-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

"He'll just get better and better the more overs he gets under his belt. The more he bowls to better players as well he'll benefit from that a lot. He gives us great flexibility."

Another positive for Ponting was the mature 63 from opener David Warner, who in his short career has cultivated a boom or bust reputation.

Warner was forced to rein in his explosive strokeplay after the loss of early wickets.

Making the most of the opportunity

Ponting said Warner would most likely not have played had Andrew Symonds not been sent home.

"We were looking at doing some slightly different things with our team in this game if Symmo had have been in the middle order there," he said.

"But he wasn't so it was good for David that chance at the top of the order to score and I think he showed everybody just how good he can be in this form of the game.

Bangladesh v Ireland ICC World T20 Live Streaming

2009-06-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali, Nazimuddin, Mohammad Sharif, Forhad Reza and Golam Mabud submitted 'letters of intent' at the Bangladesh Cricket Board headquarters at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, a week ahead of the deadline, according to a report in 'Daily Star'.

The BCB has decided to allow Bangladeshi cricketers aligned with the ICL to participate in domestic cricket subject to the termination of their contract with the rebel league by June 15.

With these seven players, the total number of Bangladeshi cricketers who have applied for return to official fold has reached 12.

Habibul Bashar was the first to come forward to take the opportunity of "amnesty" announced by the BCB and then Mosharraf Rubel, Manjurul Islam, Tapash Baishya.

Watch Bangladesh v Ireland ICC World Twenty20 Live Streaming,ICC World twenty20 Latest News And Live streaming,ICC World twenty20 Live streaming
source:www.t20livestreamingtv.blogspot.com

Ricky Ponting tells Australia to hone up after loss to West Indies

2009-06-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said his side would have to raise their game after a seven-wicket loss to the West Indies in their opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 at the Oval.

Although not a shock on the scale of hosts England's four-wicket loss to the Netherlands, the result was certainly far from expected and left Australia effectively needing to beat Group C rivals Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Monday to have a chance of getting through to the second phase Super Eights.

“We'll have two weeks in Leicester if we have an early exit here - that won't be good for anybody,'' said Ponting, who is set to lead Australia in the Ashes Test series in England starting in July.

But, joking aside, Australia could well be spending more time in the English Midlands than they would like should they turn in a similar performance against Sri Lanka to the one they produced at the Oval.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle's breathtaking 88 off just 50 balls - featuring four towering sixes including one off fast bowler Brett Lee that went over the top of the pavilion and out of the largest ground in England - saw his side to their victory target of 169 with more than four overs to spare.

Australia, without the hard-hitting Andrew Symonds, sent home on the eve of the tournament following an “alcohol-related incident'', had been on the back foot from the start with Jerome Taylor removing Shane Watson and Ponting for ducks in the first over.

“We've just got to win on Monday,'' Ponting said.

“We were sloppy and they were a bit sharper than us.''

Reflecting on the West Indies match, he added: “We spoke about getting the first over of each innings right.

“As it turned out we lost two wickets in our batting innings and they took a lot off our first bowling over as well.

“I thought 169 was going to be a competitive total if we could take wickets up front with the new ball but they took us on, hit some early boundaries and got the momentum going their way. They outplayed us for sure.''

Gayle and Andre Fletcher (53) took the game away from Australia with an opening partnership of 133 - the third highest stand for any wicket in the history of Twenty20 internationals.

“We didn't under-estimate them,'' insisted Ponting.

“We know how dangerous a side they can be and in this format of the game I don't think you can afford to take your foot off the accelerator against any opponent as we saw last (Friday) night with the Holland-England game.

“The shorter the format of the game, the closer it brings teams together and when the opposition have players like Chris Gayle they can beat anybody.

“This form of the game can change very quickly. We know there's nowhere else we can go now and we will work on our skills in this form ahead of the Sri Lanka game.''
Source:www.foxsports.com.au

Australia things for must-win Sri Lanka quarrel

2009-06-07T04:25:00.000-07:00

Ricky Ponting's Australia must perform or face an uncomfortable early exit from the World Twenty20 when they take on emotionally-charged Sri Lanka on Monday.

The Australians, stunned by a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of the West Indies on Saturday following Chris Gayle's explosive 88 off 50 balls, cannot afford another loss.

Even if they emerge winning, Ponting's men are not assured of advancing to the Super Eights because a Sri Lankan win over the West Indies on Wednesday will throw up a three-way tie to be decided by net run-rate.

The loss to the West Indies with 4.1 over to spare could spell further blow for Australia, who must not only beat Sri Lanka, but do so by a big margin to improve their net run-rate.

"It all lies ahead of us," Ponting said ahead of the group C match at Trent Bridge.

"We know exactly what we have to do and if we are good enough, we get it done."

The defeat against the West Indies was Australia's fourth Twenty20 loss in a row.

The shortest version of the game has not been particularly kind to the undisputed kings of Test and one-day cricket, who have won only 11 of their 22 games so far.

Ponting, however, was quick to stress that all was not lost for his team.

Australia suffered a shock defeat by Zimbabwe in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, but still managed to reach the semi-finals where they lost to eventual champions India.

"This form of the game can change very quickly," Ponting said. "We're in exactly the same position as we were last time.

"I guess some of the guys that were in the tournament last time will know what we have to do. There is nowhere else where we can go now."

Sri Lanka will be charged up for their first international match since the horrific terror attack on their team bus in the Pakistani city of Lahore in March while on their way to resume a Test match.

Seven Sri Lankan cricketers and an assistant coach were injured in the attack, which left eight Pakistanis dead.

Kumar Sangakkara, leading Sri Lanka for the first time after good friend Mahela Jayawardene quit the job after the Pakistan tour, said the team looked forward to the game against Australia.

"The pressure will be on them, but we are not taking victory for granted," said Sangakkara. "They will come hard at us and we have to be ready to stand tall.

"We know a side must win at least one game to stay in the race. We have just got to take our chances."

Sangakkara wanted his team to qualify for the semi-finals after being stuck in the Super Eights stage in 2007.

"We have a great mix in both batting and bowling, but at the end of the day it all depends on executing your plans well," he said.

"I am not sure Twenty20 is only a slog. One still needs to plan an innings to ensure you get a good total on the board."
source:www.iol.co.za

Smith heeds Scottish notice

2009-06-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

Early-morning rain left the game at the Oval in doubt but conditions had brightened up considerably by three hours before the scheduled 1.30pm start.
Scotland got in a seven-over-per-side match in between the showers on Saturday, with their batsmen giving New Zealand a real fright (compiling 89 from their allocation) only for a below-par fielding display to let their opponent off the hook.
Nonetheless, the South African skipper saw enough from the Scots to guard against complacency.
"It was a good thing to remind us how important Sunday is," said Smith.
"At the end of the day we are a talented team, we are a strong team and the level we play at should be higher than the level that Scotland can manage.
"They can have good performances on the day but we must make sure that we are operating at a higher level than Scotland.

"We should be producing better performances, we should be thinking better, we should be executing our plans better and we should be at the maximum of our intensity throughout the 20 overs."
South Africa go into their tournament opener without any injury problems while Scotland continue to suffer from the absence of seam bowling options following the withdrawals of John Blain (personal reasons) and John Blain (finger injury).
Source:www.cricket.yahoo.com

South Africa vs Scotland highlight match

2009-06-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

The South Africa captain was watching on Friday night as Holland opened proceedings with an astonishing victory over England at Lord's, and will have been a very interested observer too of Scotland's near miss today in a match shortened by rain to just seven overs a side against New Zealand at The Oval."It is a reminder for our boys that we must be ready tomorrow - you must be ready, whoever you are up against."

Even so, Smith knows he has every reason to expect South Africa to get their tournament off to a winning start - against a country who will be eliminated if they lose.

"We are a talented team and a strong team and should be able to play to a higher level than Scotland. We have to make sure we do that," he prescribes.

Opening batsman Smith has encouraging personal memories of South Africa's last match against Scotland - a seven-wicket victory in St Kitts at the 2007 World Cup, with more than half their overs unused and 91 runs for the captain.As for England's shock setback against the Netherlands, Smith identified a heartening turn of events for world cricket - and an acid test to come for the hosts, who can almost certainly still progress by beating Pakistan at The Oval tomorrow night.
Source: www.t20livestreamingtv.blogspot.com

England vs Pakistan highlight video

2009-06-07T00:55:00.000-07:00

England vs Pakistan | England vs Pakistan 2009 | Eng vs Pak | 6th Match: ICC T20 World Cup 2009 - England vs Pakistan at The Oval | T20 World Cup 2009 | Twenty 20 World Cup 2009 Matches

6th Match ICC T20 World Cup 2009 will be played between England and Pakistan on 7th June 2009 at The Oval Stadium.

ICC World T20 2009 also known as Twenty 20 World Cup 2009 is set to begin from June 5 in England. England are the hosts of the second ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament. Twelve teams will battle out in this shorter version of the game. Matches will be played at Lord’s, Trent Bridge and The Oval.

The twelve competing teams are India, Bangaladesh and Ireland in Group A; Pakistan, England and Netherlands in Group B; Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies in Group C and New Zealand, South Africa and Scotland in Group D.

6th Match ICC T20 World Cup 2009 will be played between England and Pakistan on 7th June 2009 at The Oval Stadium. The match will start at 22.00 IST
Source: www.worldoftimepass.com

Video coming soon...

Pakistan vs England Live Updates: 7 June 2009

Pakistan win by 48 runs.

Pakistan Innings:

20 Overs: Pakistan is 137/7

19 Overs: Pakistan is 129/7

18 Overs: Pakistan is 125/6

17.1 Overs: Pakistan is 117/6

17 Overs: Pakistan is 116/5

16 Overs: Pakistan is 108/5

15 Overs: Pakistan is 102/4

14 Overs: Pakistan is 93/4

13 Overs: Pakistan is 89/4

12.2 Overs: Pakistan is 87/4

12 Overs: Pakistan is 83/3

11 Overs: Pakistan is 74/3

10 Overs: Pakistan is 63/3

9 Overs: Pakistan is 58/3

8 Overs: Pakistan is 53/3

7 Overs: Pakistan is 46/3

6 Overs: Pakistan is 41/3 two wickets loss in this over.

5 Overs: Pakistan is 37/1

4 Overs: Pakistan is 29/1

3 Overs: Pakistan is 20/1

2 Overs: Pakistan is 13/0

1 Over: Pakistan is 7/0

Pakistan will start their innings after few minutes. So, come back after short time.

England is batting

20 Overs: England is 185/5

19 Overs: England is 177/5

18 Overs: England is 162/5

17 Overs: England is 157/5

16 Overs: England is 152/3

15 Overs: England is 139/3

14 Overs: England is 136/3 Shah got bowled out.

13 Overs: England is 128/2

12 Overs: England is 113/2

10.3 Overs: England is 99/2

9 Overs: England is 88/2

8 Overs: England is 82/2

7 Overs: England is 76/2

6 Overs: England is 63/2

5.3 Overs: England is 62/2. England just lost teh second wicket

5 Overs: England is 47/1. 15 runs came from the over.

4 Overs: England is 32/1

3.4 Overs: England is 22/1

3 Overs: England is 17/1

2.1 Overs: England is 10/1

1.2 Overs: England just lost first wicket. What a catch and excellent fielding. England is now 9/1

1 Overs: England is 9/0. 9 runs from the first over.

0.2 Overs: England is 0-0. No run from the first two balls

In this entry, we will be giving live score and updates of the match between England and Pakistan which will take place tonight at Kennington Oval, London. The match kicks off at 16:30 GMT. So, be with us to enjoy the live updates of the match with text commentary.

Australia vs West Indies highlight

2009-06-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

The batsmen may capture most of the headlines for the West Indies after their victory against Australia but captain Chris Gayle was also indebted to a crucial new-ball burst from Jerome Taylor.

The 24-year-old paceman rocked the Australians during his first over when he picked up the vital wickets of Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting to reduce them to 3-2. Although the batting side rallied to 169-7 it was a double blow they never fully recovered from.

"I was pretty comfortable [with our target] but give credit to Jerome Taylor," said Gayle, "for picking up those two wickets because he actually set the tone for us by setting the Australians back a bit. I was very pleased with the way he started and if he carries on picking up the key wickets then he can be a dangerous player."

Gayle (88) then ensured their bowling efforts were put to good use when he and Andre Fletcher (53) took them to within sight of victory. The left-hander needed just 50 balls to reach his total and he admitted he put his usual laidback style to one side for his examination against the potentially fearsome Aussies.

"I was pretty focused," Gayle explained "and tried not to get too distracted. You don't want to use up extra energy when you are up against a quality team like Australia so I try to keep as much energy when I go out there to bat."

Although generally pleased with the overall performance, Gayle believes there is still room for improvement over what he hopes will be a tournament that will extend to the Super Eights and beyond.

"Hopefully we will make it to the second round and after that we can set different targets up against different opponents. In the ICC world Twenty20 version of the game, I don't know whether it's because it's a short version of the game, but we tend to concentrate a bit better in that format of the game. But at the same time there is still work to do and our biggest downfall was in the field with too many fumbles making it a bit more difficult with the bat for us, so if we can close up that gap a bit then we'll be rounded off a bit more in the batting, bowling and fielding."

West Indies finish off their Group C campaign against Sri Lanka on Wednesday at Trent Bridge, knowing exactly what they will need to do after the other two group members face-up on Monday.

Ponting says We were outplayed

2009-06-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

Matches:
AUS vs WI, 6th Jun 2009
Australia captain Ricky Ponting had few arguments after his sides were lengthily outplayed by West Indies in their opening match at the Oval.
West Indian complement Chris Gayle hit 88 as the Aussies were believably beaten by seven wickets.

Ponting accepted his side were made to pay for slow starts in each innings, firstly when both he and Shane Watson fell in the first over of their innings and then when Gayle and opening partner Andre Fletcher (52) destroyed his attack from the off in reply.

"We were just a bit sloppy," Ponting conceded. "We'd spoken coming into the game about making sure we get the first over of each innings right and, as it turned out, we lost two wickets in our batting innings and they took a lot off our first bowling over as well [10 from Brett Lee). With the game being as short as it is you can't afford to give momentum away likes that early on in either innings and we did it in both innings. You've got to give them credit. I felt 169 was going to be a competitive total if we took some wickets up front with the new ball but they took us on, hit the boundaries early and got all the momentum going their way. They outplayed us today, for sure."

Ponting's men head into their second match - against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Monday - in the knowledge that they must win to stand any chance of reaching the Super Eights. Australia were in a similar spot of bother during the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 - when they lost their opener against Zimbabwe - so will hope history can repeat itself.

"We are in exactly the same position as we were last time and we managed to beat England well," Ponting recalled. "I guess some of the guys who were in the tournament last time will know that, it will be in the back of their minds and we know that we have to do that - there is nowhere else for us to go now. We'll have a chat about the game on the way up to Nottingham tonight and hopefully when we hit the ground on Monday we can start a bit better."
Source: www.cricket.yahoo.com

Yuvraj, Ojha star in India's win touching Bangladesh

2009-06-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

After skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to bat, India reached 180 for five with Gautam Gambhir cracking 50 while Yuvraj Singh hit a blistering 41 off 18 balls, including four sixes and three fours. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha then claimed four wickets, giving away just 21 runs, to wreck the Bangladesh batting order and stop them at 155 for eight.Bangladesh began their chase in right earnest through Tamim Iqbal (15) and Junaid Siddique (41).

Off-spinner Yusuf Pathan struck in his first over as Tamim came down the wicket for a big hit, only to miss the line and be stumped by Dhoni.Siddique attacked Indian bowlers, hitting three sixes and two fours off just 22 deliveries.But he did not get any support from the other end. Ishant Sharma removed skipper Mohammad Ashraful before Pragyan Ojha bowled a superb spell to cripple Bangladesh.

Ojha dismissed Shakib Al Hasan and dangerous Siddique in the ninth over and Bangladesh could never recover from the double blow. Ojha claimed his third wicket with Yuvraj Singh taking a sensational diving catch to remove Mahmudullah.Yuvraj then dropped a simple chance of Raqibul Hasan in the 14th over.Ojha got his fourth victim in Mashraf Mortaza, who after hitting the bowler for a six went for slog sweep but the ball spun from the middle stump to rattle his off-stump.Ojha then pouched Hasan at mid-on off Zaheer Khan.

Naeem Islam struck 28 off 17 balls with three sixes, but it came too late in the day.Earlier, Gambhir and Rohit Sharma (36), who opened the batting in absence of injured Virender Sehwag, scored 59 runs for ths first wicket.Rohit, who smashed three boundaries and two sixes, was bowled by Shakib after surviving a stumping chance off the previous delivery.Dhoni (26) and Gambhir added 53 runs for the second wicket, but when the former he was bowled by Naeem (2-32), India had only 112 runs to show in the 15th over.It was Yuvraj's breathtaking knock that helped India smash 59 runs in the last four overs.Irfan Pathan (11) hit a four and a six off the last three deliveries he faced.
Source: www.cricket.yahoo.com

India vs Bangladesh Highlights - T20 Highlights

2009-06-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Dhoni won the toss and took the bat first. In Opening Gautma Gambhir and Suresh Raina Stat well. and Made 180 runs from 20 Over.

Watch Video here

India Batting

Teams :

Bangladesh : Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain.

India : Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan.

India vs Bangladesh Online Live Score | highlight

2009-06-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is the opening match for both India and Bangladesh in twenty20 world cup. This is a rematch of group A and in this group, the other country is Ireland. Bangladesh vs India will start at 17:00 GMT (Local Time 18:00) and Trent Bridge, Nottingham is the venue. I know that the supporters of India are expecting a big win by a huge margin but they should not be complacent about playing against Bangladesh. You should remember that In 2007 World Cup cricket, Bangladesh depicted India and then way India got out from the first round. Therefore, if Bangladesh again wins then it will not be the first time.

For India, Bangladesh may look easy meat on paper but Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men will guard against complacency when they begin their title defense against the minnows in the Twenty20 World Cup here tomorrow.

Considering the ease with which India bulldozed Pakistan in their last warm-up match, Bangladesh would require an extraordinary effort even to stretch them but upsets do happen and that would keep Dhoni's men on their toes in the Group A encounter.

The Bangladeshi supporters have another reason to feel confident. In the practice matches, Bangladesh won against Netherlands and Scotland. Not only that, they put up a very strong fight against Australia and Sri Lanka. In fact, in the match against the Lanka, they could put their opponent in constant pressure until the last moment. Of course, you have to remember that these are practice matches but tomorrow, it is a real match of T20 World cup 2009. India is the current champion of this event and they’re one of the hot favorites even this time.

Bangladesh stunned India in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean to plot an early exit of their neighbors from the quadrennial extravaganza and Ashraful said a repeat on Saturday could give them a Super Eights berth in the Twenty20 World Cup.

"Our first goal is the Super Eights but if we have a good start against India, it will give us the confidence of going far in the tournament," Ashraful said.

Indian team has one advantage and that is they have some excellent batsman who can demolish any bowling lineup. Well, the only problem that I can understand about teaming India is that the English condition can be quite tricky. It is more difficult for the batsman to score runs in England than Other countries like India. We saw that in the match against New Zealand the Indian batsmen suffered. However, they were in top form against Pakistan and the supporters want that the Indian batsman can continue their good form in the match against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh and India are expecting that they will advance to the second round from this group. The other countries are land and many people think that Bangladesh and India will easily go to the second round. So, in a sense, tomorrow’s match is like the decider for the top spot of the group. Of course, in English condition, many things can happen as England is a famous country before frequent and unexpected rains out of no where.

India is now the most important market for cricket revenue and naturally, many web sites will provide live score and updates of the match between India and Bangladesh today. I’m giving the name of some of the web sites:
Cricinfo
Cricketnext
Cricket.sulekha
Stickcricket
Source:www.sports37.com

Who do you think will win the match today?

Ind vs Pak T20 Live Score | India vs Pakistan highlight video

2009-06-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

ICC T20 World Cup
India plays Pakistan match today.

Match: India Vs Pakistan
Venue: London
Start time: 10 pm IST

Ind vs Pak pre-match preview and live match coverage with ball by ball commentary. Full scorecard and live scores of the T20 match between India and Pakistan will be available on the following link, once the match starts:

Netherlands will win the match for England by 4 wickets

2009-06-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

The Netherlands pulled off a major upset on the opening day of the Twenty20 World Championships as they shocked hosts England by four wickets in a pulsating Group B match at Lord's.

After restricting England 162 for five, the Dutch side, overcame a sluggish start to overhaul the challenging target in the last ball of the match.

They batted with steely resolve to eke out a sensational victory, riding on small but crucial contributions from Tom de Grooth (49) Peter Borren (30) and Ryan Ten Doeschate (22 not out).

Doeschate held his nerves in the dying moments of the edge-of-the-seat clash to steer his side to a memorable win after playing a part with ball too.

Dutch needed seven runs off the last over, bowled by Stuart Broad and romp home in the last ball when Doeschate and Edgar Schiferli ran two.

Grooth, adjudged Man-of-the-Match, had kept his side in the hunt by his brave 30-ball knock and also raised a crucial 50-run partnership with Borren before becoming the victim of rival skipper Paul Collingwood.
Highlight
source:www.indianexpress.com

England vs Netherlands Highlights

2009-06-05T02:43:00.001-07:00

Watch Live England vs Netherlands ICC World Cup Twenty20 Live Streaming free and online. This is the 2th t20 world cup. 1st T20 world cup has been won by India. This is the second time of ICC world Tweenty20 and first time that icc world Tweenty20 match will be telecast on more then 230 countries.

Among them England vs Netherlands live streaming match might be fantastics specially for Netherlands reason for- this is an opportunity for them to prove that they are also one of the country can play some good cricket specially in ICC World T20.Dont miss to watch this game between England vs Netherlands ICC World Tweenty20 live streaming on here at your pc at live.

Video Coming soon...

England The 1st match of T20 WC: England v Netherlands Live scores

2009-06-04T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hosts England open the ICC World Twenty20 against outsiders the Netherlands at Lord's on Friday in a match they dare not lose and the Dutch hope they might win.

In pace bowler Dirk Nannes, who plays at Lord's for Middlesex, the Dutch have a left-arm quick who can swing the ball late.

In contrast to the ebullience of some of the other ICC World Twenty20 2009 contenders, England open the tournament on Friday almost apologising for their presence.

Although the hosts should not be unduly extended by the Netherlands at Lord's (1730 local), captain Paul Collingwood was noticeably downbeat after his side's unimpressive victory over Scotland in Tuesday's warmup match.

"There are not a lot of expectations on us to be honest," Collingwood told reporters. "We are dark horses. Hopefully that will give the boys a bit more of a licence."

Collingwood was in better spirits a day later when England recorded a seventh successive victory over West Indies, cruising to an untroubled nine wickets win with 32 balls to spare at Lord's.

Ravi Bopara, who scored three successive test centuries against West Indies, was again in fine touch with 60 from 35 balls.

England's leading batsman Kevin Pietersen also showed some form against the Scots after missing the one-day series against West Indies with an achilles tendon injury.

Pietersen, who made two ducks in the Indian Premier League and perished first ball in the first test against West Indies, completed the win on Tuesday with a pulled six to reach 53 not out from 39 balls.

The Netherlands are 500-1 outsiders but Dutch captain Jeroen Smits told the captains' news conference last Sunday that all the pressure would be on England.

"There's no pressure on us," he said. "There's no Dutch reporters here."

Dirk Nannes' career has repeatedly defied expectation. Indeed there is a case for saying he is the most unorthodox player at this tournament - and that has nothing to do with his left-arm pace bowling.

A self-confessed "accidental cricketer", the Japanese speaking and saxophone playing Nannes, who also runs a ski-travel company, only made his first-class debut at the relatively late age of 29 during the 2005-06 season.

The Melbourne-born quick enjoyed success with Victoria in both first-class and Twenty20 cricket, taking four for 23 as the Bushrangers won the 2008 Australian domestic Twenty20 final against Western Australia.

Nannes' form 'down under' led to a contract with Lord's based Middlesex.

The tournament, which is being staged at Lord's and the Oval in London and Trent Bridge in Nottingham, gets into full swing on Saturday with three matches. Champions India, who thrashed Pakistan by nine wickets on Wednesday, open their Cup defence against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge (1700).

All-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate is another key figure for the Dutch and this match could see him in action against at least two of his Essex team-mates in opening batsman Ravi Bopara and wicket-keeper James Foster, with the big-hitting Graham Napier also in England's squad.

Match facts
Friday June 05, 2009 (day/night)
Start time 17.30 local, 16.30GMT
Source:www.cricketworld4u.com

ICC T20 World Cup 2009 Opening Ceremony

2009-06-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

The second edition of ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009 will kick off from 5th June with an opening ceremony which will be arranged at The Marylebone Cricket Club Lords Cricket Ground in London. So, we have only one day left to enjoy the mega twenty20 event which is scheduled to start at 15:30 GMT (16:30 local time). This much expectation event will be aired on ESPN STAR Sports. As India has the biggest market for cricket game so, many viewers from this country will search to know the match start time and TV channel. It will be shown live on STAR CRICKET at 21:00 Indian Standard Time.
Event: ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009 Opening Ceremony
Date: 5th June, 2009
Time: 15:30 GMT, 16:30 Local Time, 21:00 IST.
Live on: ESPN STAR Sports, STAR CRICKET

England and Wales Cricket Board is organizing its inaugural opening ceremony of the ICC World Twenty20. I am not optimistic about ECB. They got some fame for their failure of arranging the opening ceremony successfully in 1999 and 2004. That time, ECB is promised to give something different to make it memorable in the heart of fans. That is why, they have not revealed anything about this event to the media. The duration of the ceremony is perhaps only 45 minutes.

This function will be arranged under tight security. English singer Alesha Dixon is a solo artist who will be seen to perform in the opening ceremony. I am sure this name is enough to bring a lot of fans on stadium in the opening day. Though, England is the home of cricket but English people are crazy about football. However, T20 cricket has increased the popularity. Super stars will join in this event.

There is another reason to attract a lot of people in the stadium is that England will take on Netherlands in their opening day at Lords in Group-B. Lords will host a lot of important matches including the finals of both Men’s and Women’s twenty20 cricket tournament.

Tickets of the opening day have already been sold out. Not only that but also tickets of other matches have been sold 80%. It proves that how much popularity it has got to the people of England. However, if you are lucky then you can get a ticket for you in any ticket booking website.
England has started the tournament as the famous contestant. It seems that they will take some advantage from home crowd. This time, England is spending a big amount of money (3 million) for security arrangement. ECB took this lesson after they saw how Sri Lankan cricket team suffered in Pakistan by terrorists.

England cricket team has not got any big trophy in any cricket format. It is the best time for home team to make a record after clinching the T20 trophy. I hope they can do it because England cricket team is much balanced than its past squad. Let us see how the defending champion India performs in this tournament.
Source:www.cricket-news-bangladesh.blogspot.com

The world's best cricket teams

2009-06-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

"ESPN STAR Sports and licensees will ensure it is the most watched cricket event in history, providing value to commercial partners and helping our great sport to grow stronger"

ICC President David Morgan today looked ahead to the ICC World Twenty20 2009, which starts on Friday, and said he believed it would be "a world-class event between the world's best teams."

The tournament begins on Friday when host England faces the Netherlands at Lord's (1730 BST start), the first of 42 matches over 17 days at four different venues, with The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton also featuring.

And for the first time women's and men's tournaments will run alongside each other, with the men's and women's semi-finals and final being staged back-to-back on the same days and at the same venues.

Looking forward to the action which will culminate with finals day back at Lord's on Sunday 21 June, Mr Morgan said: "The eve of any tournament is always an exciting time and that is certainly the case ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 2009.

"We have assembled the world's best teams together in one location for what I believe will be a world-class event of nation versus nation cricket.

"The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007 was a significant success and now, two years further on and with all the sides having had more experience of the format, I am sure we are in for more excellent cricketing action.

"I know the England and Wales Cricket Board, tournament director Steve Elworthy, his staff and the four venues Lord's, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton - have put in a tremendous amount of hard work ahead of this event and I am sure we will see the fruits of those efforts in the next few weeks.

"Ticket sales have been strong and the prospect of large crowds cheering on the teams will only add to the excitement of the occasion.

"And I am delighted that, for the first time, we have been able to incorporate the women's and men's tournaments.

"With the semi-finals and finals of those two tournaments being played on the same days at the same venues, it will provide women's cricket with a wonderful stage as we look to continue its development, following on from an extremely successful ICC Women's World Cup in Australia earlier this year.

"With large crowds expected I urge spectators to arrive at the venues in plenty of time ahead of the start of matches as the realities of the modern world mean enhanced security measures to seek to ensure everyone is safe and secure.

"The ICC World Twenty20 2009 is part of a fantastic year of cricket in all three formats of the game at international level during this, the ICC's centenary year, with high-profile Test cricket such as the Ashes series between England and Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa to follow.

"I want to wish the players of all sides and the match officials every success during the event and I look forward to the matches being played in the spirit of cricket, with passion but also with sportsmanship and enjoyment because that is what our great sport is all about.

"I am grateful to our global broadcast partners ESPN STAR Sports who, together with their licensees, will ensure that this is set to be the most watched cricket event in history, while extensive coverage via radio and the internet thanks to our partnerships with IMG and Yahoo! will provide people with every opportunity to stay in touch with the action.

"That level of coverage will also ensure recognition for our valued commercial partners Reliance Mobile, LG Electronics, Pepsi, Hero Honda, Emirates, Yahoo!, Reebok, Ultra Tech and Standard Chartered.

"Without the support of our broadcast and commercial partners the ICC could not stage an event of this scale that has the potential to capture attention, ignite interest in cricket and help our great sport grow stronger," added Mr Morgan.

The ICC World Twenty20 2009 involves 12 of the top men's teams and the top eight women's line-ups playing at four venues Lord's, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton in the pinnacle of international cricketing action.

The defending men's champion is India, which defeated Pakistan in the final of the inaugural event, in South Africa in 2007. This is the first staging of the women's tournament.
Source:www.cricket.yahoo.com

Shoheb Akhatar in Khujli Magazine

2009-06-04T07:27:00.001-07:00

Give me your Comment in comment box please...

Symonds sent home for alcohol event

2009-06-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

Andrew Symonds is believed to be contemplating retirement after being sent home from the ICC World Twenty20 for an "alcohol-related incident" that has thrown Australia's plans for the tournament into disarray.

According to Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, "the final straw" came when Symonds, 33, broke team rules related to alcohol and other issues. It is understood he went out early on Wednesday morning to watch the State of Origin rugby league with some team-mates and had a couple of drinks.

While not a serious offence, Symonds' alcohol consumption contravened his personal guidelines with Cricket Australia that were formed following his counselling sessions in the wake of a string of indiscretions. It is understood the restrictions left Symonds not knowing his place in the team.

"There's no doubting Andrew's capabilities as a player, but there are other things happening around him that made the decision we've come to a relatively easy one," said Ponting. "This is not wholly and solely about Andrew Symonds. This is about the Australian cricket team. We've got some young guys who are just finding out what international cricket is all about. This is about the bigger picture and bringing on the next generation of Australian players."

Though Symonds is not disputing the decision, he is apparently keen to tell his side of the story, and is expected to wait until he lands in Australia before speaking.

He attended a PCA dinner with the Twenty20 squad at a Kensington hotel on Wednesday night, but was a notable absentee at Australia's training session at The Oval on Thursday, prompting speculation that he was on his way home.

Following a series of misdemeanours in the past 12 months, Symonds was on a final warning from Cricket Australia, and there is the strong possibility that this latest incident will lead to the withdrawal of his central contract, which Sutherland admitted was "under review".

"Tonight we have also advised him that we will take the [contract] offer off the table at this stage."

Sutherland said at a press conference in Melbourne that Symonds had broken a number of rules "in the last 24-48 hours" and CA were now organising flights to get him back to Australia.

"In isolation, the breaches that I am talking about are not serious, but in the scheme of things, in the scheme of history, they are enough for it to be the final straw. I'm disappointed in Andrew, but I'm also disappointed for Andrew. I'm sad about it."

Symonds has been involved in numerous off-field incidents in recent seasons, most notably the Darwin fishing saga in August 2008, during which he missed a team meeting ahead of the one-day series against Bangladesh, which prompted the team management to send him home from the series.

In addition, he was fined Aus$4000 for a drunken radio interview in January 2009 in which he referred to the New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendan McCullum as "a piece of s..." Symonds apologised, having admitted that alcohol was playing a big part in his life, and he subsequently stated that he was "entering the final chapter of his career".

Despite retaining his central contract only last month, Symonds was omitted from Australia's Ashes squad in favour of Andrew McDonald and Shane Watson. After 26 Tests and 198 ODIs dating back to November 1998, it is hard to see how his career can possibly recover from this latest episode.

Cricket Australia confirmed that they had applied to the ICC technical committee to see if a replacement for Symonds is permitted. Should their application be successful, Moises Henriques and Cameron White are the likeliest candidates for a call-up.
Source:www.cricinfo.com

Pietersen impressed by Yuvraj, Gayle's drumming skill

2009-06-04T02:28:00.000-07:00

London, June 4 (ANI): England's star batsman Kevin Pietersen is impressed by the hitting prowess of Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle, whom he has selected as some of his most feared opponents.

Pietersen reckons Windier captain Gayle is one of the most unsafe Twenty20 stars in the world, and adds Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee to that list, as well as fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Dale Steyn.

Pietersen, speaking in the official World Twenty20 programmed, exposed: "There are a number of players taking T20 to the next level. I think all-rounder have the most to offer in T20 cricket."
"I'm impressed by the likes of Yuvraj Singh of India, Andrew Symonds and other guys who can hit sixes, take wickets and generally field well," The Sun quoted Symonds, as saying.
"I also rate Chris Gayle very highly - quite simply because his batting can tear apart even the best bowling. When he is in the groove, he is practically unstoppable. It's scary to watch him in full flight.
"The likes of Lee, Edwards and Steyn are probably the toughest bowlers. They are world-class pace bowlers and are difficult to face across all forms of the game and certainly no easier in T20," he added.
Pietersen also has a high regard for his England teammates: "I think Stuart Broad and Ravi Bopara could really come to the fore in this tournament. They're very exciting players on the rise in world cricket."
source:www.cricket.yahoo.com

Rohit Sharma shines as India beat Pakistan by 9 wickets

2009-06-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

June 4 (IANS) Openers Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir put on 140 runs to help India pummel Pakistan by nine wickets in an ICC Twenty20 warmup tie that resembled a final in its festive look at the Oval cricket ground Wednesday.

Sharma, opening in place of Virender Sehwag, hit a brilliant and confident 80 off only 53 balls (9x4, 2x6) as defending world champions India took only 17 overs to score 159 for one, easily overhauling Pakistan's 158 for six.

Gambir remained not out on 53 (47 balls, 5X4) to see India through to victory in the company of his skipper M.S. Dhoni, (nine runs, 2X4).

Playing before a stadium packed with delirious Indian and Pakistani supporters, India gave a masterly display of Twenty20 cricket - first restricting what looked like a rampaging Pakistan side to 158 and then knocking up the winning runs with remarkable ease.

Earlier, captain Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq helped Pakistan put on 158 for six in a batting performance that began in marauding fashion but failed to live up to expectations.

Electing to bat before a nearly exclusively South Asian crowd, Pakistan began disastrously, losing opener Shahzaid Hasan for a duck to Praveen Kumar in the first over.

Spinner Harbhajan Singh dropped teenage batting sensation Ahmed Shehzad in the very next over off R.P. Singh before Shehzad (25 off 19 balls, 5 fours) and Kamran Akmal (19 off nine, 4 fours) began wreaking carnage on Kumar and Singh, hammering them to all corners of the Oval.

The men in blue then bounced back, to the delight of tens of thousands of supporters, and grabbed four quick wickets to leave Pakistan tottering on 63 for five before Younis Khan (32 off 32 balls) came up with a captain's innings in the company of Misbah (37 off 30).

Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and P.P. Ojha took one wicket each for India, while Suresh Raina ran out Akmal.

India left out Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, and Pakistan were without Salman Butt and Ifthikar Anjum in a 13-a-side game, where only 11 could field at any given time.

Brief scores:

Pakistan: 158 for six (Misbah-ul-Haq 37, Y. Khan 32, S. Ahmed 25, Y. Arafat 25, I. Sharma one for 11)

India: 159 for one (R. Sharma 80, G. Gambhir 53, M.S. Dhoni 9, Mohammad Aamer one for 18).

Source:www.cricket.yahoo.com

Rohit Sharma sparkles : India beat Pakistan with 9 wicket victory in the warm-up match of T20 WC

2009-06-03T20:36:00.001-07:00

India justified their billing as tournament favorites here today when they brushed aside Pakistan to win their final World Twenty20 warm-up match by nine wickets with three overs to spare.

They were led home by a scintillating and wristily powerful innings of 80 from 53 deliveries by the makeshift opener Rohit Sharma, who struck nine fours as well as the only two sixes of the match. He put on 140 for the first wicket with Gautam Gambhir as the pair chased down Pakistan's 158, in a rematch of the final of the inaugural tournament in 2007, also won by India.

The India captain, MS Dhoni, said: "It was one of our best performances ever, though it was only a warm-up game. It was a brilliant performance from the whole team and the noise here was amazing." Sharma, who scored 404 runs in the IPL, opened only because of Virender Sehwag's shoulder injury. "He was very keen to open and he's got the time and the talent to play the quick bowlers," Dhoni said.

When east met east in south London last night it was not always a culturally enlightening experience. "You're not singing any more," India's supporters taunted Pakistan's as their side's batsmen got on top of the rather helpless bowlers. They followed up with "Are you Scotland in disguise?"

It might have been Millwall down the road. We also had a Mexican wave. But the atmosphere was terrific and the banter between the crowds generally good-natured – unlike at Millwall.

Rather bravely, in view of the extreme levels of security and the highly charged nature of the evening, the International Cricket Council designated this as a "Catch the Spirit" match, in memory of those killed or injured during the attack on the Sri Lanka team and officials in Lahore on 3 March.

When Pakistan batted, they faltered badly when they lost three wickets with the score on 45 but they recovered well in the second half of the innings as India experimented with seven different bowlers.

Shahzaib Hasan had his off-stump knocked back by Praveen Kumar with the fifth ball of the first over and his opening partner, Ahmed Shehzad, had scored only five when he was badly dropped by Harbhajan Singh at midwicket.

Their innings seized up in the fifth over when they lost two wickets and failed to score a run. First Kamran Akmal, backing up, was brilliantly run out by Suresh Raina, diving in from the covers. Then Ahmed had a smite and sent the ball straight up in the air.

When Shahid Afridi was dismissed off the first ball of the sixth over, caught behind off Irfan Pathan as he attempted to smear the ball through the off-side, Pakistan were in deep trouble at 45 for four. Their innings was restored by two partnerships. First the captain Younus Khan, who scored a run-a-ball 32, put on 50 from 45 balls with the feisty Misbah-ul-Haq.

Younus departed, losing his dignity as well as his wicket when he went down the wicket to reverse sweep Harbhajan Singh, toppled over and was smartly stumped. But Misbah, whose 37 came from 30 deliveries with four fours, continued strongly and, with the even more violent and clean-hitting Yasir Arafat (25 off 16), added 45 from 27 balls in an unbroken seventh- wicket stand.

Read From Source Site:guardian.co.uk

India vs Pakistan Practice Match highlight

2009-06-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

India won by 9 wickets.

Indian Innings:

17 Overs: India is 159/1 One wide of the first ball of Aamir give India winning run.

16 Overs: India is 140/1 Rohit Sharma got catch out.

15 Overs: India is 137/0

14 Overs: India is 123/0

13 Overs: India is 110/0

12 Overs: India is 106/0

11.1 Overs: India is 100/0

10 Overs: India is 88/0

9 Overs: India is 80/0

8 Overs: India is 70/0

7 Overs: India is 65/0

6 Overs: India is 56/0

5 Overs: India is 45/0

4 Overs: India is 39/0

3 Overs: India is 25/0

2 Overs: India is 14/0

1 Over: India is 10/0

India will come to chase Pakistan's inning just after few minutes.

Pakistan Innings:

20 Overs: Pakistan is 158/6

19 Overs: Pakistan is 144/6

18 Overs: Pakistan is 129/6

17 Overs: Pakistan is 121/6

16 Overs: Pakistan is 114/6

15.5 Overs: Pakistan is 113/6

15 Overs: Pakistan is 106/5

14 Overs: Pakistan is 102/5

13 Overs: Pakistan is 90/5

12 Overs: Pakistan is 82/5

11 Overs: Pakistan is 77/5

10 Overs: Pakistan is 71/5

9 Overs: Pakistan is 66/4

8 Overs: Pakistan is 61/4

7 Overs: Pakistan is 55/4

6 Overs: Pakistan is 53/4

5.1 Overs: Pakistan is 45/4

5 Overs: Pakistan is 45/3

4 Overs: Pakistan is 45/1

3 Overs: Pakistan is 35/1

2 Overs: Pakistan is 22/1

1 Over: Pakistan is 6/1

India will take on Pakistan today to play the final T20 practice match which will be held at The Oval. This match will be shown live on STAR CRICKET. Here, in this entry, we will provide live online score over by over with short commentary. This match will start at 10:50 GMT (11:52 Local time). So, stay with us and enjoy live cricket.

Indian Ex-stars : India is the team to beat at T20 WC

2009-06-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Bangalore: Despite an early set-back against the Kiwis in the warm-up tie, former Indian stars, including Sandeep Patil and Ajit Wadekar, feel the reigning champions have a very good chance of retaining the Twenty20 World Cup in England as they have the best balanced side.

One of the best coaches in the world and a dashing middle order batsman during his time, Patil also backed Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s early experimentation by saying there was nothing wrong in trying out new tactics before the tournament but not during the tournament.

"Though I don’t like to predict the outcome of any Twenty20 tournament, including the World Cup, I certainly feel that India is the best balanced outfit in the entire tournament. They have a solid batting line-up with all of them proving to be match-winners in the past backed up by the best set of swing bowlers and perhaps two outstanding spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha," Patil told Cricketnext.com on Wednesday.

Source:cricketnext.in

India v Pakistan Twenty20 Warm-up Game at Lords

2009-06-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni would need pluck and luck in equal measure to score a consolation win against Pakistan in the warm-up match of the ICC World Twenty20 on Wednesday.

Dhoni's men lost the first sparring match of the warm-ups to New Zealand on Monday and are up against an opponent who consider themselves unlucky to lose in two previous encounters between the two sides.

Both the previous ties were in the inaugural edition in 2007 and India could cross over the finish line by a matter of chance.

Indians prevailed In the first through a 'bowl-out' after the two sides had tied at the same score.

In the 2007 final match in Johannesburg, Pakistan were just a stroke away from victory when Misbah-ul Haq's scoop off Joginder Sharma landed in short fine-leg S Sreesanth's hands.

Pakistan would be determined to settle the score for they might not get another opportunity to get even with the Indians unless both sides make it to the finals this time also.

Indians would be resigned to leaving out Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag on the bench as both are battling shoulder injuries.

They would be keen though to play Yuvraj Singh who is just about coming to terms with a bout of food poisoning, as disclosed by skipper Dhoni last night.

Fast bowler Rudra Pratap Singh could have another game to get himself sorted out after the pasting of the first match.

Irfan Pathan, too, would be hoping for a few more overs under his belt, as would be the ambition of bowlers Praveen Kumar and Yusuf Pathan also.

Ishant Sharma would look to build upon his superb success of the first game and so would be for batters Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

Opener Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni would have another opportunity to spend some time in the middle and be in a better frame of mind before the real stuff unrolls from Friday onwards.

Pakistan, who lost their first warm up match against South Africa, could field 17-year-old fast bowling sensation Mohammed Aamer who is tipped to be the 'revelation' of this tournament by fast bowling legend Wasim Akram.

Aamer, a tall and skinny lad from the Punjab province of Pakistan, regularly hits upwards of 140kmph in speed and he could make a formidable fast bowling trio with Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir.

Gul and Tanvir are star bowlers of this format. Gul was the highest wicket-taker in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup while Tanvir was the best bowler of the first Indian Premier League.
sources:www.cricketworld4u.com

India vs Pakistan Twenty20 practice matches in 2009: Who will win the matches?

2009-06-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

India is going to face Pakistan to play their second T20 practice match which will be held at Kennington Oval, London. This match will be played on 3rd June, 2009. Both teams are going to face each other after long time. So, this game has much acceptance to the fans. These two rivalry fans always bring a lot of TV ratings. It seems that people around the world always feel interest to see their fight whether it is inside or outside of stadium.

India has got much media coverage as the inaugural champion team. You should know that Pakistan was the runners-up team of the first edition. Both the champion and the runners-up teams could not win their first practice match. So, it will be a big challenge for both of them to win the final practice match.

Before the start of practice match, India got much coverage from different media coverage as the top favorite team and the team who has possibility to win the title again. The sad news is that they lost to New Zealand by 9 runs in their first practice match. Indian selectors and board members said that non-stop cricket can not make any harm of Indian cricket. I think this defeat will teach them a lesson.

I do not blame Pakistan team because they were out of cricket for long time. But I think their young players will try their best to clinch the trophy.
Source:www.cricket-news-bangladesh.blogspot.com

Who will the matches give me your comments

India vs Pakistan T20 Practice Match 2009 live scores

2009-06-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

It is really exciting to see a fight between two arch-rival teams India and Pakistan. Though, it is warm-up match but a lot of people will eagerly wait to see this match live on TV. You should know that Indian cricket team will take on Pakistan in the last practice match. This game is considered as one of the most exciting one. I want to remind you one thing that India was the inaugural champion team where Pakistan finished the tournament as runners-up team. Another reason to be the most attractive practice match is that these two teams will face each other after long time.

Teams: India vs Pakistan Practice Match

Date: June 3, 2009

Time: 16:30 GMT (17:30 Local)

Venue: The Oval

Live on: STAR CRICKET

India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is looking to get a consolation win against their arch rival Pakistan team in the warm-up match of ICC T20 World Cup 2009. Neither India nor Pakistan could make start in the opening practice match. India lost to New Zealand by 9 runs where South Africa defeated Pakistan by 59 runs. So, this match has equal importance for both India and Pakistan. I am sure they will struggle hard to get the victory in any how.

India is the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup champion team. They have got much coverage from media. Indian selectors and coach think that India will retain the trophy for the second time. They have impressed the cricket world with their form both in home and abroad. Recently, they have finished IPL 2. I think it will help them as the practice match for the up-coming ICC T20 World Cup 2009. Most of their players are in good form. Middle order batting line-up build with strong and experienced batsmen. MS Dhoni has been rejuvenated to hold the trophy with a bunch of experienced players. Some cricket experts say that because of non-stop cricket they may feel fatigue. I don’t think so. But I feel doubt about their performance in this format of cricket game. T20 is a game where no one is favorite and where anyone can beat the each other.

I am not optimistic about Pakistan cricket team. They are not strong like past. Most of their fans expect that board members will allow Imran Nazir and Abdul Razzak. However, it is not possible now. Only two days left to star the second edition of ICC T20 World Cup 2009. I think PCB will re-think about these two players again. Let us see how Younis Khan can lead this young side.

I know many people are passionately waiting to see this game live. This game will be televised live on STAR CRICKET in India. Indian people can enjoy live cricket on this channel. ESPN STAR Sports has the global broadcasting rights. So, people from another corner of the world can also enjoy this game live. Pakistani famous sports channel Geo Super can broadcast it live but I am not sure about it either. It is true that we can see a nail biting game between India and Pakistan. Fans will be busy thinking about who will win in this game.

Source:www.cricket-news-bangladesh.blogspot.com

Smith wants to solve all major difficulty for ICC T20 WC

2009-06-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

South African sports fans are spoilt for choice at the moment. No sooner has the IPL finished than the British and Irish Lions have started their tour and now their cricket team is in England preparing for the ICC World Twenty20.

Such is South Africa's passion for rugby the progress of Graeme Smith's side over the next three weeks may struggle to grab the attention. But they have the chance to cap off a period where they have caused some significant shifts in the world order.

They are now the No. 1 team in one-day cricket after taking that crown off Australia and also pushed them close for the top spot in Tests. With a host of their players having experienced the IPL first hand, they are primed to challenge in the ICC World Twenty20. But South Africa have a history of stalling on the big stage. Their continued success over the last year has helped loosen the chokers tag, yet it will linger until they conquer their World Cup problems.

"It would be lovely if we could be successful in this tournament or any ICC tournament that is coming up," Smith said. "We have had an incredible period in the last 16 months and the team has achieved so much. The confidence is good and we are excited about playing this tournament with the chance to go out and express ourselves. I think there is a lot more talent, flair and confidence among this team than ever before."

South Africa's preparations didn't get off to the best start when they arrived at Southgate, in north London, only to find they were not expected for a training session and had to relocate to Lord's. Smith said he would raise a few issues with the technical committee, but added that the way the team responded shows how focussed they are. "Even today with the not-so-great training facilities we have had all over the place the guys have still applied themselves. There's a good, mature attitude among the squad."

And Smith hopes the IPL experience will benefit his team, especially as a number of players were senior figures with their franchises. "A lot of our players had prominent roles in a number of the teams, which probably wouldn't have happened if it had been in India, and they had good leadership roles among their teams."

During the first World Twenty20 two years ago, in South Africa, one of the most controversial selections by the hosts was to omit allrounder Jacques Kallis. This year he is part of the squad and comes off the back of a useful spell at the IPL where he made 361 runs at 27.76 for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"Jacques is the one player who arrives here with a point to prove," Smith said. "He had a decent performance in the IPL so is confidence his high and tactically how we use him is important. He's an allrounder and needs to contribute in all forms."

However, Smith himself didn't enjoy as productive a tournament managing 212 runs at 19.27 in his 12 matches for Rajasthan Royals. But he has masses of Twenty20 experience to fall back on including captaining Somerset to the English Twenty20 Cup title in 2005, winning the Pro20 with the Cape Cobras and last year's success with Rajasthan in the inaugural IPL.

"I have a few really good ideas on how to play the game," he said. "The experience as captain plays a key role and I think I have a good grip on the game."

This tournament is the final point in a marathon spell of cricket for the team which has included last year's trips to India and England, back-to-back series against Australia, plus six weeks at the IPL for many of its players, and Smith has called for one last effort from his squad.

"It's been a lengthy period and mental fatigue is probably our biggest challenge and something we have addressed as a team," he said. "Something that we've been really good on is responsibility and professionalism throughout this period. At different times you feel a little jaded, but I think we can find it within us to pick ourselves up for three more weeks."

Source: cricinfo.com

John Blain replace to boost Scotland Cricket for T20 World Cup

2009-06-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

The Scotland cricket team have been allowed to replace John Blain in the squad preparing for World Twenty20 after the experienced fast bowler walked out on the team following a training ground bust-up with Gavin Hamilton, the team captain, and Peter Steindl, the coach.
“John Blain decided he didn't want to be part of the squad,” Roddy Smith, the Cricket Scotland chief executive, said yesterday. “He is a grown man so we respect his decision and will move on to prepare for the tournament without him. It is entirely his decision.”

Calum MacLeod, the Warwickshire bowler who had been one of the controversial omissions from the original squad, joined the rest of the party yesterday as the replacement and could feature in today's warm-up game against England at Trent Bridge.

As far as Blain is concerned, it appears that matters came to a head after the match on Saturday against Bangladesh, when Scotland dropped catches during a sloppy fielding performance and lost with more than an over to go. Captain and coach, who have been demanding improvements from the players since their near-humiliation in South Africa earlier this year, were deeply unhappy with the performance in the field and made no secret of their anger in the post-match briefing.

Blain was among the worst culprits, his four overs disappearing for 43 runs, but he appears to have reacted badly to being one of those singled out for criticism after that performance. What is unclear - Blain could not be contacted yesterday - was whether he has retired permanently or may reconsider when Scotland's international programme resumes in the autumn.

This is the latest of a series of problems to hit the Scotland squad, who have gone backwards in status and results since 2005, when they were the best of the associate nations. While Ireland enjoyed a remarkable World Cup in 2007, Scotland failed to win a game and they have struggled since then on the county circuit. Earlier this year they capped it all by failing to qualify for the next World Cup and coming perilously close to dropping out of the international tier altogether.

In that period, they have gone through four coaches and last month Ryan Watson resigned as captain after a wretched run of personal form. Hamilton replaced him and has been quick to make his mark, demanding a more professional, hard-working approach and an end to the sloppy habits that had crept in. “The team don't need bringing together, they have never been apart,” Smith said. “They are working hard to improve and nobody else has got upset by any criticism.” The big task for Hamilton and Steindl is not to let this get in the way of preparations for today's game against England. They need a strong performance to boost confidence before their matches against New Zealand and South Africa at the weekend.

Source : Timesonline.co.uk

Australia vs New Zealand T20 Practice Match 2009 Live Score

2009-06-02T01:04:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow Australia will take on New Zealand in a warm-up match. Both teams have got win in their first practice match. Australia got win against Bangladesh by 38 runs where India finished their inning 9 runs short from New Zealand innings. It will obviously be an exciting thing to see these two winning teams facing each other to play their last practice match. Both the champion team and the underdog team failed to show their best game. But I can still remember that these two teams got more focus as the top favorite team. It has been clear that T20 is a game where no one is favorite. Anything can happen in this format of cricket game.

Teams: Australia vs New Zealand warm-up match

Venue: The Oval

Time: 16:30 GMT (17:30 Local time)

It is sure that Australia faced a weak team Bangladesh. Then they had to struggle hard to make sure their victory. Match between these two teams became more competitive. On the other hand, New Zealand faced a tough opponent India. Their match was closely competitive. I am surprised to see that Indian players could not manage 9 more runs to clinch the victory.

However, New Zealand is not a good team either. But we can expect to see them performing well against Australia. Let us see if Ricky Ponting’s Australia can continue their good form against Kiwi.

Live Updates- ESPN STAR Sports has got the telecasting rights and it is telecasting most of the practice matches live on this channel.

If you are unable to enjoy this game live on TV then you can get live updates from some cricket related websites. Cricinfo.com is providing live online updates ball by ball. I am sure that you will enjoy the game live and keep in tough with it.

Source: www.cricket-news-bangladesh.blogspot.com

South Africa vs Pakistan highlights

2009-06-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

A complete performance from South Africa saw them hammer Pakistan by 59 runs in their warm-up match at Trent Bridge on Monday.

A complete performance from South Africa saw them hammer Pakistan by 59 runs in their warm-up match at Trent Bridge on Monday.

Pakistan never really looked like reaching a target of 187, even before a decisive flurry of wickets that saw them slump from 62-2 to 81-7.

Only young opener Ahmed Shehzad put up much resistance with 33 off 27 balls as a succession of experienced team-mates found a variety of manners to depart.

South Africa's opening attack of Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell kept a tight rein on proceedings after the former bowled Salman Butt with the third ball of the innings.

Slow left-armer Roelof van der Merwe sealed Pakistan's fate with wickets in each of his first two overs to remove Shehzad and Younis Khan (14).

Six of South Africa's seven-man bowling attack enjoyed success as only Shehzad topped 20 for the batting side in a display that will leave their captain, Younis, with plenty to ponder upon.

South Africa's top order laid the foundations for a substantial total of 186-7, after winning the toss, and Albie Morkel issued the coup de grace with 32 off 14 balls.

South Africa got to their 50 in the fifth over, helped in no small part by wides and no balls (with Sohail Tanvir the main culprit).

Captain Graeme Smith's half-century came off just 33 balls but when opening partner Jacques Kallis (26) tried to up the tempo himself he top-edged slow bowler Saeed Ajmal to third man.

Smith continued on his merry way, including a flat six of Shahid Afridi, before the spinner got his revenge. The left-hander advanced down the track on 70 and was deceived in the flight as he failed to get back into his crease before wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal removed the bails.

Herschelle Gibbs then took Afridi for 10 off consecutive balls before he bottom-edged an attempted cut and was bowled for 42 off 22 balls.

That only brought in Morkel, however, who hit Umar Gul for three successive sixes in the 18th over.

Source:www.cricket.yahoo.com

India beat New Zealand in Twenty20 warm up game

2009-06-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

New Zealand's unbeaten record against India in Twenty20s continued today by beating the world champions by nine runs in their warm-up outing at Lord's. Several New Zealand batsmen chipped in with aggressive contributions to post an imposing total which their bowlers, led by the reliable Daniel Vettori, defended tenaciously against a powerful Indian batting line-up.

Chasing 171 for a win, India rode on sterling knocks from Rohit Sharma (36), Suresh Raina (45) and Ravindra Jadeja (41 not out) to cruise to what seemed an imminent win before eventually managing 161 for six.

Earlier, New Zealand survived Ishant Sharma's four-wicket haul to post 170 for seven with useful cameos from Ross Taylor (41), Brendon McCullum (31), Scott Styris (29) and James Franklin (27 not out off 10 balls).

India were off to a flying start with Rohit wasting precious little time to assert his class even in his uncharacteristic opener's role.

Rohit carved Iain O'Brien for a boundary in the first over and worse awaited the right-arm pacer who bled 18 runs in his second with Rohit hitting him for two massive sixes and a four with class written all over the shots.

The opening stand had yielded 42 runs inside five overs when Gautam Gambhir (14) fell to Ian Butler but Rohit smote James Franklin for another six to signal he was not perturbed.

India, however, soon find themselves in a spot of bother with rival captain Daniel Vettori striking twice in his first over.

Coming at number three, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (6) had advanced so much down the track that even a fumbling Brendon McCullum had all the time in the world to dislodge the bails.

Two balls later, Rohit fluffed a shot and much to hi s dismay, the ball rolled on to hit the stumps, cutting short his 20-ball knock bejewelled with three sixes and as many fours.

Earlier, the Kiwis overcame a shoddy start and some hostile bowling from Ishant before reaching a modest total with Taylor (41), McCullum (31), Styris (29) and James Franklin (27 not out off 10 balls) shining with the bat.

Despite McCullum and Jesse Ryder (2), arguably two of the most hard-hitting batsmen in contemporary cricket, opening the innings, New Zealand had a rather subdued start after India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni put them in.

Ryder's poor form in the recent Indian Premier League continued here too and the left-hander had his off-stump uprooted by Ishant Sharma in the third over.

Brief Score: New Zealand 170 for seven (Taylor 41, McCullum 31, Franklin 27*, Ishant 4-25) beat India 161 for six (Raina 45, Jadeja 41*, Vettori 3-24) by nine runs.

Source: www.cricketworld4u.com

India vs New Zealand T20 Practice Match 2009 live score

2009-06-01T02:08:00.000-07:00

Millions of fans around the world who eagerly played between India and New Zealand will wait to see the warm-up match. It is international practice or the game does not make any difference whether the match. People always interested to see India's match looks. It gets more media coverage. You know that India, New Zealand on his first Twenty20 match will take practice should know. It will take place at Lord's, London. You 16:30 GMT (17:30 local time) live in this match can enjoy. At the same time the Trent Bridge, Nottingham in between Pakistan and New Zealand will be another warm-up match. ESPN Sports STAT will be broadcast live all the practice matches. I also said that the cricket star and TV show will have heard it live.

It seems that India's strong team won the trophy once again think. The inaugural ICC Twenty20-winning team. Naturally they will be more focused. Indian captain MS Dhoni enough to continue their success is assured. I too beautiful of 2009 ICC Twenty20 World Cup in the second edition is sure about its success. Indian team is a group of experienced players is involved. So, they'll do well.

New Zealand is not in their analog form. They hard to get back their lost glory is fighting. This team still has not won a big cup. This time I have any chance of them for good performance can not see. Twenty20 cricket as it is too much, we want to win in this match, that can not. But I think that India's victory can be estimated.
Video:

New Zealand Inning
over 1

over 2

over 3

over 4

over 5

Pakistan vs South Africa T20 Practice Match 2009 Live Score

2009-06-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

However, the practice match as part of the international match is not identified, but also as a scheduled match in the form of value is given. You already know that the heat was already between the countries having started matches. Each team can play two warm-up matches. T20 Pakistan their first practice on June 1 that Trent Bridge, Nottingham would be held in South Africa to play the match will face the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009 from June 5 that its second version is not ready to kick that before.Sports channel ESPN STAT the match will be on live television.
Match: Pakistan vs South Africa, Warm up Match, ICC World Twenty20 2009

Date: 1 June 2009

Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

16:30 GMT (Local Time 17:30)

I think both teams know the strength of his team rather than the more attention will be given a hope of winning the match. South Africa in a good form of the game of cricket in all forms. Most of their players are performing consistently well. So, naturally the forthcoming Twenty20 World Cup, it will try to continue.

Pakistan cricket team for a long time was one of international cricket. Their house in any field can not play international cricket. This they can suffer a lot. PCB to get the rebel players had thought, but the players' reluctance and board members because of the future can not happen for the future failed to guarantee them. However, the Pakistan selectors over the coming Twenty20 World Cup for a strong team have announced. You know that this is a team against Australia in a Twenty20 match, got to know can win. I think they win this tournament and this will lead to some tried to use it in hope.

If you live score for a detailed preview and then visit:

Pointing wants to win all match in Cricket T20

2009-05-30T03:58:00.000-07:00

Australians and the present World Cup holders have the ICC Champions Trophy.

Speaking at a press conference Ponting a big incentive to try to holders of the three competitions was agreed.

He completed the work on the ashes of a series of focus has been after.

The next few days and me and all our talk about Twenty20 cricket is going to go and how we can do, he said Twenty20 cricket at the level best to play myself up for the next few weeks for the rest of the group.

We a little dissatisfied with the last World Cup, going out in the semi-finals and the like as you have been in our possession with the Champions Trophy and World Cup for us, there's a lot of back-up at this time if we can win all three is - it would be nice.

"To ensure that in the next few weeks will be our focus."

Zimbabwe and the first time that they have lost the game to change things for the last tournament were quickly added to the semi-final stage, where they lost to India last champion to make it round.

Kevin Pietersen in the 2009 ICC Twenty20 World Cup will face a big challenge

2009-05-30T02:08:00.000-07:00

Kevin Pietersen in the recent Twenty20 format of cricket has been said is not good. Twenty20 cricket, if you look at his record, you can not ascertain the truth is. So, the forthcoming ICC Twenty20 World Cup's best batsman of the modern generation as to prove their talent is a big challenge. They form in both Test cricket and one-day line.

But cricket's shortest format of the game your performance is really terrible. To challenge the Royal Bangluru by the most players in the form of bids was sought. The team was chosen as captain. However, because his skills as the captain failed to prove his RCB 2 win six games in the guidance found. Above that Anil Kumble, the second edition of IPL in the final of the team was led. Twenty20 cricket is that their theory about you and you become a better Twenty20 cricket is a game. He only played 15 Twenty20 cricket where he is an average of 26.78 from 375 matches is scored.

2009 ICC Twenty20 World Cup will be played in England this time. So, the benefit of home advantage should want to use. I take the best opportunity for them to come back in this game is.

Indian cricket team reach in London for T20 World cup

2009-05-30T01:52:00.000-07:00

India's cricket team on Friday in London Heathrow airport on June 5 that has come to start the second World Twenty20 tournament to take part in the.

Earlier in the day from the Mumbai team before departure, Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who won the Cup in 2007, about keeping the title, as the current team of vast experience in 20-20 cricket had had faith?

India on June 6 with his opening match against Bangladesh, Ireland plays a Group 12 - team tournament in its second opponent is going.

The 15-member Indian team and a deep batting line-up is a strong pace and spin attack.

Indian cricket teams performs at the T20 World Cup

2009-05-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

India won first ICC world T20 on 2007. With the help of combination of all the players. That times all the player was in good form and because of this India won this cup. With guide of Dhoni all the players’ performance very well. TOl takes a peep at the supper strong 15-member group.

Best Man of Indian cricket team:

MS Dhoni (captain) Age: 27
Stats: Played for Team Chennai supper kings
M-13
Runs-304
HS-58*
Avg-43.42;
SR-131.60; 50s-2

No other Indian captain of the man as much as the fans have received the rent. Dhoni is a belief that almost anything, counting the impossible can. So much is written and the captain and his man management skills to talk about his batting and keeping that are onwards. Seriously, he is also good in these two departments.

Virender Sehwag Age: 30
Stats: Played for Team Delhi
M-11
Runs-198
HS-50
Avg-19.80
SR-143.47

IPL on fire with his performance was not set. Got to sit outside and injured and said that he was impressed with the rhythm. But players like him to effect a shift away from top form is returning. The only problem for her inspiration. India's first two games against Bangladesh and Ireland and the struggle against the minnows have a reputation.

Gautam Gambhir Age: 27
Stats: Played for Team Delhi
M-15
Runs-286
HS-71*
Avg-22.00
SR-102.87
IPL was a great season and then to a strange start to the boil was. But Twenty20 is very much his forte and his ability to run on the track at the top bowlers and hit them out psyches. In England, where the ball will swing in June, and sewing, this device will also prove it will be easier because it will negate the movement.

Best Bowler of Indian cricket team:

Harbhajan Singh Age: 28
Stats: Played for Mumbai Indians
M-13
Best-4/17
Avg-21.33
Eco-5.81
SR-22.0

As the top, but very smart Sachin Tendulkar was not used to. If the pitches in England in the form of moisture are expected that a bit, he will get some help. T20 for the well-done and is a rapidly adapted his bowling is a great tool. His big hit, which can come to work less, do not discount.

Ravindra Jadeja Age: 20
Stats: Played for Team Jaipur
M-13
Runs-295
HS-42
Avg-26.81
SR-110.90
Bowling: M-13; Wkts-6; Best-3/15;
Avg-25.16; Eco-6.47

Jaipur for a team was one of the mainstays. Breakthrough that can strike well and rotate the strike. His left-arm spin, but is underrated can cause havoc. Look for him in the field. Posts - closed class can trigger a run outs in their early - silver field. Is a safe catcher.

Zaheer Khan Age: 30
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Mumbai Indians
M-6
Wkts-6
Best-3/31
Avg-23.66;
SR-21.00
Eco-6.76

As a very good rhythm to be in great form and that an important time in the IPL was injured. He said that the bowling for the country where he rediscovered his zest and being treated shabbily by the government of the chapel after reinvented he will return. He said that in the power plays and death can strike at bowling Yorkers to squeeze apply. War also ordered the meat can strike down low.

Praveen Kumar Age: 22
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Royal Challengers
M-13
Wkts-13
Best-3/30
Avg-30.30;
Eco-7.93
SR-22.90

As a swing bowler in English conditions is love Will. In his first wicket has a habit of getting over. Is a slow and a good Yorker.

Sachin says Dhoni’s team keeps crown the T20 title

2009-05-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

India Batting great Sachin Tendulkar of the Twenty20 World Cup next month will retain Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team as the games most explosive is the best telling of the world believes.

"India is the world's most balanced team and we can protect the title no doubt," Tendulkar said on Thursday the DNA newspaper.

"We stand a very good cricketer and we want to prove that this is the deadliest combination to have," records added, the international Twenty20 game is not breaking batsman.

Dhoni's success in South Africa for a surprise two years ago, the shortest form of the game to ensure a young Indian cricket team was led by the popularity of the commercial center in the immediately found.

Head, a young wicketkeeper batsman Dhoni, second edition in England on June 5 to begin an active bunch. India and Bangladesh in Group A with Ireland.

"The good thing is that our team and the pressure of any amount can still get the performance," Tendulkar added. "In fact, the pressure on Team India thrives. In India, I would like to put your money."

However, Zaheer Khan smart India in England, an injury doubt for seaming conditions of exploitation, a five-man pace attack will be in the stomach.

"It is equal with the best," Tendulkar an attack spearheaded by the pacy Ishant Sharma said.

Zaheer, Ishant, Rudra Pratap Singh, especially in English conditions form a lethal combination.

We kind of attack, sew a lot, and that such work will be in a position. Is our day, we will destroy any batting side can do.

"We come as a package. I am certain that this package at this time is the best in the business. This package, which once again we are required to make the world champion is everything."

All Cricket Team Sqaud accounced for T20 World Cup 2009

2009-05-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

The Indian Sqaud accounced is as follows:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain)
Virender Sehwag (vice-captain)
Gautam Gambhir
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
Yusuf Pathan
Rohit Sharma
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Ishant Sharma
Praveen Kumar
R P Singh
Ravindra Jadeja
Pragyan Ojha
Irfan Pathan

The Australian T20 squad is as follows:

Ricky Ponting (c)
Michael Clarke (vc)
Nathan Bracken
Brad Haddin
Nathan Hauritz
Ben Hilfenhaus
James Hopes
David Hussey
Mike Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Brett Lee
Peter Siddle
Andrew Symonds
David Warner
Shane Watson

Bangladesh Sqaud accounced is as follows:

Mohammad Ashraful (c)
Junaid Siddique
Tamim Iqbal
Raqibul Hasan
Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)
Naeem Islam
Abdur Razzak
Shahadat Hossain
Syed Rasel
Shakib Al Hasan
Mashrafe Mortaza (vc)
Rubel Hossain
Shamsur Rahman
Mithun Ali
Mahmudullah

Ireland Squad - ICC Twenty20 World Cup

Regan West
Peter Connell
Paul Stirling
Niall O'Brien (WK)
Kyle McCallan
Kevin O'Brien
John Mooney
Jeremy Bray
Gary Wilson (WK)
Boyd Rankin
Andrew White
Andre Botha
Alex Cusack
Trent Johnston
William Porterfield (C)

Sri Lanka twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Kumar Sangakkara (Captain & Wicketkeeper)
Indika De Saram (Wicketkeeper)
Sanath Jayasuriya
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Mahela Jayawardene
Nuwan Kulasekara
Farveez Maharoof
Lasith Malinga
Angelo Mathews
Jehan Mubarak
Ajantha Mendis
Muttiah Muralitharan (Vice-Captain)
Chamara Silva
Thilan Thushara
Isuru Udana

Pakistan twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Younis Khan (Captain)
Ahmed Shehzad
Fawad Alam
Kamran Akmal (Wicketkeeper)
Mohammad Aamer
Misbah-ul-Haq
Saeed Ajmal
Salman Butt
Shahid Afridi
Shoaib Malik
Iftikhar Anjum
Umar Gul
Yasir Arafat
Shahzaib Hasan
Sohail Tanveer

England twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Paul Collingwood (Captain)
Ravi Bopara
Kevin Pietersen
Owais Shah
Dimitri Mascarenhas
Eoin Morgan
James Foster (Wicketkeeper)
Robert Key
Graham Napier
Luke Wright
James Anderson
Stuart Broad
Ryan Sidebottom
Graeme Swann
Adil Rashid

New Zealand twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Daniel Vettori (Captain)
Brendon McCullum (Wicketkeeper)
Martin Guptill
Jesse Ryder
Ross Taylor
Scott Styris
Neil Broom
Jacob Oram
James Franklin
Nathan McCullum
Ian Butler
Peter McGlashan (Wicketkeeper)
Kyle Mills
Brendon Diamanti
Iain O'Brien

South Africa twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Graeme Smith (Captain)
Johan Botha (Vice-Captain)
Yusuf Abdulla
Mark Boucher (Wicketkeeper)
AB Devilliers
J.P. Duminy
H.Gibbs
J.Kallis,
Albie orkel
M.Morkel
Justin Ontong
Robin Peterson
Dale Styen
R.van der Merwe

Netherlands twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Jeroen Smits (Captain/Wicketkeeper)
Peter Borren
Mudassar Bukhari
Tom de Grooth
Maurits Jonkman
Alexei Kervezee
Dirk Nannes
Ruud Nijman
Darron Reekers
Edgar Schiferli
Pieter Seelaar
Daan van Bunge
Bas Zuiderent
Ryan tan Doeschate
Eric Szwarczynski

Scotland twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Gavin Hamilton (Captain)
Richie Berrington
John Blain
Kyle Coetzer
Majid Haq
Gordon Drummond
Niel McCallum
Dewald Nel
Navdeep Poonia
Glenn Rogers
Colin Smith (Wicketkeeper)
Jan Stander
Ryan Watson
Fraser Watts
Craig Wright

West Indies twenty20 World Cup Squad:

Chris Gayle (Captain)
Lionel Baker
Sulieman Benn
David Bernard
Dwayne Bravo
Dinesh Ramdin (Wicket keeper)
S.Chanderpaul
Fiedel Adwards
Andre Fletcher
Xavier Marshall
Kieron Polard
Darren Sammy
Ramnaresh Shrawan
Lendl Simmons
Jerome Taylor

Adil Rashid replaces Andrew Flintoff in T20 world cup squad

2009-05-28T02:23:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff well from knee injury, while the Chennai Super Kings for the 2009 IPL tournament, playing in her condition worsened, which is recovering from the fight. He said that the 15-man teams for the World Cup play, he Twenty20 World Championship for the English team a very important member can be allowed in the name of a miraculous recovery were considered. But the decision by the English Board with your surgeon made against him for the World Cup and is considered well-ash, for July 8 in Cardiff it will be ready to start back.

Andrew Flintoff all remember the West Indies Test and ODI the match and the next month's Twenty20 World Cup will miss.

With due permission from the ICC, the Board adil rashid in English for the World Cup in place of Andrew Flintoff pushed as a replacement.

Description for ICC T20 World Cup 2009 Group-A

2009-05-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

The most exciting tournament of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009 is being held soon. Only 11 days to start for the remaining ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2009 seconds. You already have that one on the ICC Twenty20 World Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament is nothing. The June 5 tournament is scheduled to start. This year, the home of cricket in England which is said will take place. Test the following nine countries, twelve national teams participating in four groups. Three teams in each group is involved. The inaugural ICC Twenty20 world champion team in one of India Group A and India and Ireland are two teams. In this article, I vividly describes this group will be about.

Indian cricket team in Group A. The format of the cricket tournament in the inaugural champion was the top favorite. All forms of cricket in both home and abroad in their performance is satisfactory. Good form most of their players are now. Indian selectors a full strength 15-member team Twenty20 tournament in the hope of repeating their success, has announced. Recently, he successfully in South Africa, the other version of IPL has ended. I think this case to perform well and they also play the shortest form of cricket with yourself can help acclimatize. Indian cricket team in a good position in the ICC rankings in both Tests and ODI's. They did win against top ranked teams. You know that they should know that the top is a Twenty20 cricket has a place in the team rankings. Naturally, the media and they will be more focused. However, they are in good form, but I also show that they do not meet accepted to have done. India as a team if they hold the title in the inaugural session of the second title defense of the tough times have to struggle for. One thing I said after that they can not win the title that they won the World Cup in 1983, the ICC want to remind you. It seems that India is the second time the ICC Twenty20 World Cup title for failure to protect could be. However, it is not my prediction. Former players and cricket captain Zaheer Abbas and Wasim Akram about the Indian cricket team said. But the one thing about the Indian cricket team will be the group winner is sure.

In the second round is likely to be Bangladesh's second best team possible. India with only a weak opponent in the group with Ireland's staged. However, the game of cricket, where nothing can be done. I think that in Bangladesh and India's team for one will disturb the wound can expect. It is possible either, but I do not know or not. However, cricket is a game where nothing is impossible. I also that this is a miracle because a regular basis in the accident does not happen in cricket history in this way is likely to be low. This time, we in Bangladesh's team a bunch of young players can see. However, BCB earn some money for the unauthorized Indian Cricket League (Aisiel) joined the rebels to allow the players reluctantly shows. Bangladesh Cricket Board, I think that these players to play domestic cricket will allow hope. If the second round of the Bangladesh cricket team can make in its place as a Bangladeshi, I will be happy.

It seems that Ireland is the weakest team in the group. This team no chance to move ahead in the second round to have done. But they can do a miracle in this tournament. The ICC World Cup cricket team beat Pakistan. They are new in the world of cricket. So, I hope he is not. If he's playing cricket in this format I can follow the score will be happy.

Rao Iftikhar replace Shoaib Akhtar in T20 World cup 2009

2009-05-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar of the Pakistan team selector a skin infection due to have been removed from the place were looking for the best replacement. Pakistan's star pace because they change with Rao Iftikhar for now, the selectors did not have far to go. It is said that Rao Iftikhar the next month's ICC Twenty20 World Cup will be played in England 2009, which has been selected for sure. The replacement by the World Cup technical committee has been accepted. So, I think the Pakistan cricket team is nothing to worry about. That experienced players such as Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan, which is a big loss for the team will not be present in the main squad's true. But, I think that Rao Iftikhar for his team and will keep an important role as a enduring player is expected to secure their place.

Forthcoming Fixtures cricket matches

2009-05-25T03:17:00.000-07:00

Fri 05 Jun, 16:30 GMT
England v Netherlands
1st Match, Group B

Sat 06 Jun, 09:00 GMT
New Zealand v Scotland
2nd Match, Group D

Sat 06 Jun, 12:30 GMT
Australia v West Indies
3rd Match, Group C

Sat 06 Jun, 16:30 GMT
India v Bangladesh
4th Match, Group A

Sun 07 Jun, 12:30 GMT
South Africa v Scotland
5th Match, Group D

Sun 07 Jun, 16:30 GMT
England v Pakistan
6th Match, Group B

Mon 08 Jun, 12:30 GMT
Bangladesh v Ireland
7th Match, Group A

Mon 08 Jun, 16:30 GMT
Australia v Sri Lanka
8th Match, Group C

Tue 09 Jun, 12:30 GMT
Pakistan v Netherlands
9th Match, Group B

Tue 09 Jun, 16:30 GMT
NZ v RSA
10th Match, Group D

Wed 10 Jun, 12:30 GMT
Sri Lanka v West Indies
11th Match, Group C

Wed 10 Jun, 16:30 GMT
India v Ireland
12th Match, Group A

ICC T20 World Cup trophy photo

2009-05-25T02:07:00.000-07:00

ICC TWENTY20 WORLD CUP TROPHY
The winner of the World Cup in England will go back home with the trophy looking good ..

World Wild air T20 World cup list

2009-05-25T01:15:00.000-07:00

ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009 is in hand. ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament to be held this year in England, which is the second version. The inaugural meeting in South Africa two years ago. But the shorter version of cricket tournament schedule has already been completed. Finals on 5 June 2009 can see live. Twelve countries will play in four groups. You already have the Indian cricket team is the champion of the inaugural ICC.

Fans across the world to your favorite team to see on TV. This tournament is expected to see something out. Like other fans of the tournament, I am encouraged to see. It seems that I can not fly to England and enjoy the match live on the stadium is true. But I would like to give some live TV channels can help. I have already described in this post I need to understand what is going to think. Yes, Yes, I want to talk about TV channels, which can see the live games.

Sports channels from different land masses live tele-education cast of the tournament has been accepted. So fans of the world from any part of this tournament can enjoy. Here, in this article, I live television based on a list of countries

Australia- Fox Sports, Nine Network
Canada- Asian Television Network
Europe- Eurosport2
India- ESPN, Star Cricket
Middle East- Arab Digital Distribution
New Zealand- SKY Network Television
Pacific Islands- Fiji TV
Pakistan- Pakistan Television Corporation
South Africa- Supersport
Sri Lanka- Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
United Kingdom- Sky Sports
United States- DirecTV