Yuvraj looking to bat up the order

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
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England not afraid of India

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." Read more

India hit a roadblock | india vs West Indies :t20

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.
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India and Sri Lanka victorious

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
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Zaheer's back in swing of things

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 Read more

T20: Younis advises Dhoni to keep his cool

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 Read more

Sehwag offered to play with painkillers

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 Read more

West Indies fined for slow over-rate

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.
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India cagey of Gayle power

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

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 Read more

Last eight can start to dream

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 Read more

ICC T20 World Cup 2009: Schedule of Super Eight Round

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 Read more

India v Ireland live cricket match | highlight video

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
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Virender Sehwag out of T20 World Cup

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. Read more

Yuvraj, Ojha star in India's win touching Bangladesh

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 Read more