 | ||
| Discover Favorites Stumblers | ||
| ||
|
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Check out this site I found on StumbleUpon!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Kieswetter and Pietersen seal title for England
England 148 for 3 (Kieswetter 63) beat Australia 147 for 6 (D Hussey 59) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawkeye
| ||
| Related Links News : Clarke concedes he was 'not up to scratch' News : Pietersen rewarded for hard slog Analysis : Big-match record gives Australia upper hand News : Both teams set for a showpiece final News : How T20s became a serious business for Australia News : Pace attacks gear up for battle Players/Officials: Michael Clarke | Craig Kieswetter | Kevin Pietersen | Ryan Sidebottom Matches: Australia v England at Bridgetown Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Australia | England | ||
Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen powered England to their first ICC global title with an irresistible 111-run stand for the second wicket, as Australia were outmuscled in a battle of the bowlers at Bridgetown. Despite a brave recovery led by David Hussey, who made 59 from 54 balls, Australia's hopes of claiming the only world title to have eluded them were devastated from the moment they lost three wickets in 13 legitimate deliveries in a stunning start to the contest.
Chasing a target of 148, Kieswetter and Pietersen broke the back of the chase in an 11-over alliance, but fittingly it was left to England's captain, Paul Collingwood, to seal the victory with 18 balls to spare. At the moment of victory, he was mobbed by his jubilant team-mates as they poured out of the dug-out, with incredulity and triumph writ large on their features. Barely 12 months ago, Collingwood was leading England to defeat against the Netherlands in the opening contest of the 2009 event. Now he has joined football's Bobby Moore and rugby's Martin Johnson in captaining England to a world sporting title.
The difference between the sides was underlined by the boundary count. Whereas Australia managed eight fours and three sixes in their 20 overs, and just two fours in the first 12 overs, England clattered 12 fours and five sixes in 17, as their confident and attacking batsmen targeted the weak links in the Australian bowling line-up - in particular Shane Watson - to motor past a mid-range target. England, by contrast, showed no weaknesses with the ball or in the field, as their multi-faceted five-prong attack tore onto the offensive with an aggressive but highly strategic display.
The start of the contest was sensational, as Australia crashed to 8 for 3 with a wicket in each of the first three overs. Ryan Sidebottom, a controversial selection a week ago but an automatic choice now, settled England's nerves and exacerbated those of the Australians by removing Shane Watson with the third delivery of the match. A lifter outside off was slashed through to Kieswetter, who fumbled the initial take only for an alert Graeme Swann at slip to dive forward and grasp the rebound in the heel of his hands.
One over later, the dangerous David Warner was run out for 2, as his captain, Michael Clarke, called him through for a tight single at short cover, only for Michael Lumb to swoop and score a direct hit with his underarm shy. And before Australia had had time to regroup, they were undermined by misfortune as well, as Brad Haddin was adjudged caught behind off his hip - brilliantly caught, in fact, by a full-stretch Kieswetter - as Sidebottom snaffled his second.
The effect of the early breakthroughs was to hand all of the initiative to England's charged-up attack, who came at Australia with a Test-match intensity. While the pace in the pitch encouraged the seamers to bend their backs, they were sensibly sparing with the short balls, and instead concentrated on pinning the batsmen to the crease with arrow-straight but undriveable lengths. Had Lumb's aim been slightly better, he might have added two further run-outs from short cover, as Clarke betrayed his anxiety with a succession of nip-and-tuck quick singles.
Match Meter
 Advantage  Honours even |
It wasn't until Clarke nudged Sidebottom through fine leg in the fifth over that Australia registered their first boundary, and though he added a second when he pulled a rare long-hop from Bresnan through mid-on, the score was 34 for 3 after seven overs when England turned to their spinners, Swann and Michael Yardy, with licence to apply the tourniquet. And when Collingwood leapt superbly at short midwicket to snaffle an attempted flick from Clarke, Australia had slumped to 45 for 4 in the tenth over.
Not for the first time in this tournament, however, Cameron White had the power and the intent to lift Australia's tempo. He chose the 13th over of the innings, Yardy's third, to make his move, as he followed a David Hussey swipe for six with four, six, four in consecutive deliveries. With 21 runs in the over, Australia were suddenly back in business on 80 for 4, and with two further fours in consecutive overs, White had moved along to 29 from 17 balls when Collingwood opted to introduce Luke Wright for his first over of the tournament.
The ploy paid quick dividends. Targeting the yorker with every delivery, Wright stifled the swinging blades before drawing White into a wild slash outside off. Broad, who moments earlier had made a mess of a swirling top-edge at deep cover off Hussey, called bravely and chased down a fine low chance as he ran back towards the rope at point. Michael Hussey joined his brother to nudge and swat 47 runs for the sixth wicket in 22 balls, but Australia's final total of 147 for 6 was, as Clarke later conceded, at least 25 runs short of parity.
For once, Lumb was unable to jump-start England's reply, as he clipped airily to mid-on in Shaun Tait's first over to fall for 2 from four balls, but Kieswetter - who was at his happiest with the ball pitched up in his half - cracked Dirk Nannes for consecutive fours, either side of a lengthy delay to fix the malfunctioning sightscreen. He added a third four when Tait overpitched in his subsequent over, and with Pietersen looking typically busy at the crease, England reached a healthy 41 for 1 in their Powerplay, a position that was comfortably ahead of Australia's 24 for 3 at the same stage.
With their platform secure, England never looked like faltering. The legspinner Steven Smith was nailed through the covers for Pietersen's third boundary, before Kieswetter collected consecutive fours in Watson's first over - the first a touch fortuitously as David Hussey fumbled at mid-off. Clarke had no choice but to recall Mitchell Johnson for his third over, and though he stemmed the flow a touch, Watson's medium pace was meat and drink for the now pumped-up Kieswetter, who mowed a massive six over midwicket in an over that leaked 16 runs.
Back came Tait with Australia desperate for a wicket, but Pietersen met him with an imperious lofted drive over mid-on for four, before opening his stance to drive a glorious six over extra cover, and take the required rate down below a run a ball. Two balls later, Kieswetter dabbed a wide ball through point to bring up a 40-ball fifty, and celebrated by slashing Nannes for four through third man before belting an astonishing one-handed six over backward square leg.
With just 30 runs needed from the final seven overs, Pietersen gave Smith the charge and holed out to Warner at long-off for an excellent 47 from 31 balls, but at 118 for 2, Australia knew they still needed a miracle. That prospect became a touch more probable six balls later, when Kieswetter gave himself too much room to a Johnson yorker and was rather comically bowled for 63 from 49 balls, but to judge by the grim faces in the England dug-out, no-one was particularly keen on laughing just yet.
Eoin Morgan, however, swept Smith powerfully for six over square leg to mope their collective brows, and when Collingwood pulled the luckless Watson off the front foot over midwicket for another six, the result was beyond doubt. A swat through fine leg brought the scores level, and one ball later, the title was secure, and England's limited-overs hoodoo had finally been laid to rest.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Injured Praveen out of World Twenty20
| ||
| Related Links Players/Officials: Praveen Kumar | Umesh Yadav Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: India | ||
Praveen Kumar, the Indian fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Twenty20 due to a side strain. His replacement will be Vidarbha and Delhi Daredevils fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who impressed with his pace during the recent IPL.
Yadav, 22, got the call from the Vidarbha Cricket Association earlier in the afternoon and he will leave for the Caribbean on Friday from Mumbai. Yadav, who picked six wickets at 30 in the seven IPL matches, acknowledged the help he got from Eric Simons, the Daredevils' bowling coach, who is also the Indian team's bowling consultant.
"I am completely surprised. And that, too, for a World Cup, I really find it hard to believe," Yadav told Cricinfo from the Nagpur airport. "But I have been enjoying my bowling especially in the last year so it is bearing the fruits now." Yadav was not part of the pool of 30 probables but needs a nod from the tournament's technical committee, which should be a formality.
Praveen had sustained the injury during a practice session at the 3Ws Oval and the Indian team management sent him for an MRI which revealed the injury. He bowled only one over in the victory over South Africa in St Lucia, but his services will be missed in Barbados, where the pitches have plenty of pace and bounce. If India decide to go with three fast bowlers against Australia on Friday, Karnataka seamer Vinay Kumar could make his international debut.
Sublime Jayawardene takes Sri Lanka to 195
20 overs Sri Lanka 195 for 3 (Jayawardene 98*, Sangakkara 68) v West Indies
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
| ||
| Related Links Players/Officials: Mahela Jayawardene | Kumar Sangakkara Matches: West Indies v Sri Lanka at Bridgetown Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Sri Lanka | West Indies | ||
Sri Lanka profited from an amateurish fielding effort from a deflated West Indies to post 195 for 3 after winning the toss and opting to bat in the second match of the day at the Kensington Oval. The chief architect of the mammoth total was Mahela Jayawardene who, in a sublime display of risk-free strokeplay narrowly missed out on his second century of the tournament, eventually finishing unbeaten on 98. He was well supported by Kumar Sangakkara in a 166-run partnership for the second wicket, the highest of the tournament so far.
And that in itself is an indication of the ineptitude of the West Indian fielding and bowling effort, as at least five straightforward chances were missed. Jaywardene displayed silky touch and superb manipulation of the bowling to take full toll, and Sangakkara, while not quite in Jayawardene's league at the moment, matched him almost shot for shot.
It had seemed likely that, with the pitch offering bounce and carry, West Indies would adopt a similarly aggressive bang-it-in approach as Australia had earlier in the day, and indeed Kemar Roach seemed eager to exploit the pace-friendly conditions as he hit the deck hard in his opening over to trouble both openers.
Jerome Taylor, on his return to international cricket after a six-month lay-off, was far more willing to pitch the ball up, and paid the price for it initially as Sanath Jayasuriya, batting up the order in place of the wretchedly out-of-form Tillekaratne Dilshan, clipped Taylor's first ball firmly back over his head.
In an eventful over, the second was then slapped low but straight to Kieron Pollard at backward point. It was a regulation chance for a fielder in that position, but Pollard couldn't hold on to it, and the lapse set the tone for West Indies' performance in the field for the rest of the afternoon.
Roach, who bowled consistently above 90mph in his opening over, deceived Jayasuriya with a slightly slower bouncer to have the veteran caught at short fine leg, but Taylor suffered another lapse from his fielders in his second over, as the normally-reliable Chris Gayle put Sangakkara down at slip before he had scored. Jayawardene lifted the very next ball handsomely over wide long on for six. With that, the moment had passed and the rest of the match was entirely Sri Lanka's.
Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene flashed airily at the odd delivery, but were level-headed enough to keep their composure and capitalise on the bad balls that came, predictably, at least once an over. After an erratic Dwayne Bravo had been carted for 22 in a two-over spell, Darren Sammy, whom West Indies have looked to to keep things orderly in their middle overs in recent times, was brought on but today his first over was dispatched for 10, with Jayawardene favouring the area behind point on the off side.
As the partnership gained momentum, West Indies seemed almost resigned to the fact that a large total was in the offing, and a missed caught-and-bowled chance from Pollard's first ball of the match barely registered. Jayawardene passed fifty with a paddle-pull over the 'keeper, and though he swished airily at the odd delivery, more often than not he was able to hit cleanly through the ball and got good connections on most of his shots.
As West Indies' fielding became ever more ragged, a fourth chance was missed as Benn found bounce and turn to elicit a rare mistake from Jayawardene, who was tempted out of his crease by a flighted delivery. But Fletcher fumbled the take, allowing Jayawardene to scramble back. Three balls later, things became even more farcical as Jayawardene top-edged Benn almost straight up in the air, and Fletcher and Wavell Hinds, the two closest fielders, both stood back and watched the ball plummet down, each expecting the other to go for it.
Sangakkara eventually holed out to long off for 68, but it looked as though Jayawardene would be able to reach his second hundred of the tournament when he took 10 runs from Bravo's final two balls to reach 97 with six balls still to be bowled. He was stranded at the wrong end in the final over, unable to reach the landmark, but through him Sri Lanka were able to post a massive total. Chasing it down will be a mountainous task for West Indies, and one feels that only if Chris Gayle is at his explosive best will they be able to get close.
Awesome Australia outclass India
Australia 184 for 5 (Warner 72, Watson 54) beat India 135 (Rohit 79*, Tait 3-21, Nannes 3-25) by 49 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawk-eye
| ||
| Related Links Players/Officials: Dirk Nannes | Shaun Tait | David Warner | Shane Watson Matches: Australia v India at Bridgetown Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Australia | India | ||
The match started with a maiden. Silence before a storm that absolutely blew India out of its way. Six-hitting has seldom been made to look easier: David Warner and Shane Watson just kept clearing their front legs, creating room, and kept lofting the Indians over various parts of the Kensington Oval. Finding gaps and all they didn't care about. Between them they hit 13 sixes and only three fours, and by the time they were done, 142 runs had been scored in 14 overs. Australia's last four overs for 23 runs were silence before another storm: during which their awesome attack annihilated India, except for Rohit Sharma, the only one of eight batsmen to reach double figures.
The same ample and true bounce that worked for Australia hurt India. That the ball came on, coupled with the short boundaries, gave Watson and Warner the confidence to go for their big hits. The Indian batsmen, though, with no option to duck or leave thanks to the huge chase, were almost always in bad position when playing the short deliveries. And they got plenty of them at a healthy pace.
That Rohit was playing in the first place, an extra batsman keeping India's attack down to two seamers, could be argued to be a defensive move even before the match started.
Out of a spinner-dominated attack, Harbhajan Singh was a bowler apart: he bowled that initial maiden and went for just 15 in his four overs. By comparison, Ravindra Jadeja, who will want to delete May 7 from the 2010 calendar, went for 36 in six deliveries spread over two overs. That after he had dropped Watson when only on 7, and before he ran himself out by running away from the stumps. That Jadeja was brought to bowl a second over after being hit for three successive sixes exposed a rare tactical error from MS Dhoni: he had not left himself with a great choice of bowlers.
Match Meter
Advantage Honours even |
The subdued start that Watson got off to against Harbhajan, though, would have given Dhoni false confidence. After facing seven consecutive dot balls first up, Watson just exploded, pulling Ashish Nehra way over long-on for six. The template had been set. Both the batsmen sat back, took their leading legs out of the way, and hardly hit anything off anywhere but the middle of the bat.
Jadeja contributed to the onslaught, bowling short repeatedly, and Watson brutalised him over midwicket, cow corner and square leg. By the time Jadeja came back, in the 10th over, Australia had consolidated on the start, Zaheer Khan had looked ineffective, and Warner had warmed up, reaching 29 off 25 with Watson on 47 off 29. Three balls later, he came level with Watson, with sixes either side of a widish long-on and a huge one over midwicket. Both the barrels had started firing, and we were in for a contest as to who would hit more sixes.
Watson, already ahead by one, hit Yusuf Pathan for another big one in the next over, but was bowled immediately after by a delivery that kept low. Warner showed no signs of slowing down, hitting Yusuf and Yuvraj Singh for three sixes in the next three overs before edging one that bounced extra.
Yuvraj, Nehra and Zaheer, who bowled well at the death, kept India one short of the dubious record for most sixes in an innings, 17. Soon Rohit would find himself in a fight to avoid the biggest defeat in a Twenty20 international featuring two major sides.
Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait were simply too quick for the top order. Limp shots, batsmen jumping to negotiate accurate bumpers, bottom hand coming off while playing them, lobbed catches inside the circle, a superb yorker and a bit of silly running thrown in, and India were 50 for 7. M Vijay got an edge trying to drag Nannes from outside off, Gautam Gambhir was hurried and had by a Tait bouncer, Suresh Raina followed a top-edged six with another top edge that went nowhere and could even had hit his stumps had Michael Clarke not caught the skier.
Rohit's clean and assured hitting, 79 off 46 balls, not only delayed the defeat, it also made a case for his selection ahead of either Jadeja or Yusuf and kept the net run-rate damage down.
Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Under-pressure Sri Lanka face buoyant Zimbabwe
Under-pressure Sri Lanka face buoyant Zimbabwe
The Preview by Sriram Veera
May 2, 2010
Text size: A | A
Match Facts
Monday, May 3,Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)
| ||
| Related Links News : Zimbabwe coach looks to spin Matches: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Providence Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | ||
The Big Picture
It's what Zimbabwe did in the warm-up games that has made this game a cracking prospect. They defeated both Australia and Pakistan to announce themselves in the Caribbean. All the pressure is now on Sri Lanka, for if they lose tomorrow, they will have to go back home. Only Mahela Jayawardene turned up in the first game. He sparkled as an opener in the IPL and promises to continue doing so here but it remains to be seen who steps up to support him. Angelo Matthews had a few good games with the bat in the IPL but Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan struggled to get going.For Zimbabwe, the spinners have done the demolition job: Ray Price, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer and Greg Lamb have been accurate and miserly. And Elton Chigumbura has starred with the bat. It's been a common theme in the recent months. Price and Utseya have often bowled with the new ball and Cremer has impressed with his legbreaks.
Form guide (most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLWLL
Zimbabwe WWLWL
Watch out for...
Ray Price is one of the more aggressive spinners out there in the world circuit. He can almost snarl at the batsman and has the longest follow-through for a spinner. He can attack or defend aggressively and is known for his nagging line and length.Angelo Mathews is one of those impact cricketers who can win a game single-handedly. He has an undeniable talent with the bat and can be quite crafty with the ball. He is a rapidly maturing batsman who is learning how to finish games.
Team news
Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Sanath Jayasuriya, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.
Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Tatendu Taibu, 4 Brendon Taylor, 5 Charles Coventry, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Andy Blignaut/Craig Ervine, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Ray Price, 11 Greg Lamb.
Pitch and conditions
The scores are likely to remain low in Providence, where the slow surface has been difficult for stroke making.
Stats and trivia
- Mahela Jayawardene smashed 81 runs as an opener in the first game against New Zealand. It was the first time he had opened in an Twenty20 international but he has had considerable success as an opener in domestic T20s and in the IPL games.
- Ray Price has played five Twenty20 games with an economy rate of 3.5, and has been hit for only two sixes.
Quotes
"Everyone is excited by the prospects for Zimbabwean cricket, but we are also realistic in terms of what we feel we can achieve in the short term."
Alan Butcher, Zimbabwe's coach, is not getting carried away by the recent results"If we win every game from here we'll be champions. But there's no room for any more mistakes."
Trevor Bayliss lists out Sri Lanka's task ahead
Raina century seals one-sided win
Raina century seals one-sided win
The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga
May 2, 2010
Text size: A | A
India 186 for 5 (Raina 101, Yuvraj 37) beat South Africa 172 for 5 (Kallis 73) by 14 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawk-Eye
| ||
| Related Links News : Centurion Raina thanks Dhoni for help Players/Officials: Jacques Kallis | Suresh Raina Matches: India v South Africa at Gros Islet Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: India | South Africa | ||
Suresh Raina struggled at first, then he sizzled. He overcame a jittery period of mis-hits and short-pitched bowling, scoring 82 off the last 38 balls he faced, en route to only the third century in Twenty20 internationals. Yuvraj Singh came back to form, Graeme Smith's reluctance to attack with Dale Steyn confounded, and India's 186 was always going to be too much on a difficult pitch and a slow and big outfield.
South Africa's reply, in the face of a four-spinner Indian attack - without using Yuvraj - was even more confounding. Jacques Kallis and Smith struggled to flow, and hesitated to take risks. Their run-rate crossed six an over for the first time in the 11th over, and it was too late by then, despite some late hitting from Kallis.
India had got off to a similar start, albeit against seamers, but unlike South Africa they threw away the caution at a more appropriate time. With two early wickets gone and both Raina and Yuvraj struggling to present the middle of the bat, India were 43 after eight overs. There was no mucking around after that. Although the odd mis-hit remained a feature of the partnership, the sweet shots grew in frequency and India got 143 in the next 12 overs. It worked for them that the mis-hits kept bouncing in front of deep fielders, and the sweet ones cleared them easily.
From the time he came to bat in the first over, Raina was given a fair share of back-of-a-length deliveries. By the time India's both irregular openers, in absence of Gautam Gambhir (down with diarrhoea), ended their struggle, Raina had survived a catch off a Morne Morkel no-ball. He would go on to survive run-out attempts from Smith and AB de Villiers, when on 37 and 47.
Match Meter
Advantage Honours even |
Yuvraj, meanwhile, had found his timing back, and took the lead in scoring, playing the effortless pick-ups, short-arm pulls, and the inside-out shots. By the time he skied one to hand, Raina, having put in the struggle, the ugly moments, was there in a position to cash in. Steyn, underused in the first half of the innings, came back well, but he was now limiting damage as opposed to causing it.
Rory Kleinveldt, who got M Vijay in the first over and Yuvraj later, was the one who suffered the most. And he was asking for it too, bowling either length or full tosses in the 18th over, and was hit to such varied areas as midwicket, cow corner, extra cover, straight over his head, and over long-off. Twenty-five came off that over, during which Raina moved from 75 to 93. He reached his century with a slogged six in the final over, which went for 19.
Raina will cherish this knock all the more because the pitch interested a variety of bowlers. South Africa had managed to assume a strong position with their hit-the-deck bowlers, India were about to do so with the spinners. Harbhajan Singh bowled the first over, Yusuf Pathan was introduced inside the Powerplay, and Loots Bosman was out of his depth on the slow pitch.
With both Kallis and Smith struggling, by the time the first piece of enterprise came, a slog-swept six from Smith in the 11th over, the required run-rate had reached 13. By the time Kallis reached his fifty, off 45 balls, they were needing 15.5 in each of the six overs to come.
Suddenly Kallis exploded, hitting three sixes in the next two overs. It seemed for the second time in 40 overs a batsman was about to put behind him the struggles and play a decisive knock. Yet, there were just too many risks required, and one of them claimed Kallis, leaving 59 to get off 21. The requirement was comfortable enough for India to be able to experiment: Praveen Kumar bowled just one over, for three runs. With two straight wins, India stormed to the second round as the table leaders.
Watson, Hussey set up emphatic win
Watson, Hussey set up emphatic win
The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin
May 2, 2010
Text size: A | A
Australia 191 (Watson 81, D Hussey 53, Aamer 3-23) beat Pakistan 157 (Misbah 41, Tait 3-20, Nannes 3-41) by 34 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
| ||
| Related Links News : Clarke confident after opening win Preview : Defending champions back up in key tie Players/Officials: David Hussey | Dirk Nannes | Shaun Tait | Shane Watson Matches: Australia v Pakistan at Gros Islet Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Australia | Pakistan | ||
Australia began to right previous wrongs in this format with an emphatic dismantling of the defending champions at St Lucia, a 34-run win serving serious notice to one and all of their intentions in this tournament. They wear a fresh look about them in this tournament, under a new captain in Michael Clarke at a global event for the first time since 1999 and with some very handy specialists in the squad.
They went about their opening game in merciless fashion, echoing their dominance over Pakistan months earlier. Brutal half-centuries from Shane Watson and David Hussey set them up, before equally brutal pace shoved aside Pakistan's batsmen. That the loss was Pakistan's tenth international in a row to Australia is neither here nor there; more relevant, Australia were very hot and Pakistan very cold.
It was that way from the start. Watson feasted hungrily in the summer at Pakistan's expense and his love affair continued in more romantic surroundings. A little luck initially helped him, two tough chances put down. More help came from the bulldozing ways of David Warner, the pair giving Australia a brisk start.
Pakistan very rarely open the bowling with a spinner and very quickly, Shahid Afridi's experiment with Mohammad Hafeez looked an unquestioned failure. Warner lofted him for an effortless six over long-off to end the second over and in his next, the game was blown open as the pair took 17.
Match Meter
Advantage Honours even |
Warner fell soon after, as did Michael Clarke, but like a right-handed Matthew Hayden, Watson simply bullied his way forth. The brutality of his batting has grown but so has, slyly, his handling of spin. Hafeez was heaved for three sixes, the last of which brought up his fifty in the 10th over.
He was intelligent against Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, not always picking them, but picking away each bad ball. A couple of full tosses were driven and pulled and one cut was a cross-format shot. Then, Hussey interrupted.
Pakistan's fielding was slowly unraveling and Salman Butt's drop when Hussey was 18 was particularly unnecessary; the reprieve unleashed a violent celebration. To rub it in, he took it out on Mohammad Sami, the unlucky bowler. He had bowled well until the 16th over, when his length and head went, allowing Hussey to loft and pull his way to four sixes and a 28-run over. Amid the mess, Watson's innings briefly forgotten, Hussey's own fifty came up.
Pakistan were schizophrenic with the ball; Afridi was again poor and the decision to bowl Hafeez even poorer. Hafeez and Sami went for 101 runs between them. But Mohammad Aamer and Ajmal were exemplary, pulling back some respect at the very end as seven wickets fell in the last four overs, including a remarkable five-wicket maiden last over.
That was to matter little as Australia's intent carried on through in their bowling. Spin, spin, spin has been the chatter, but Australia believe in pace and with some justification. Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson will trouble all but the very best on any surface. Tait and Nannes were too much for Pakistan's top order and the trio picked up a wicket each in their first spells; Tait in particular was sharp.
Any time the pacemen weren't on, in fact, Pakistan's batsmen looked good. Fourteen came off a Michael Clarke over, 17 off a Steve Smith one. Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq - a little more 2007 than 2009 - kept hope with a 47-run stand but the return of pace extinguished it. Afridi was bowled by Tait, Misbah and Abdul Razzaq slogged out to Nannes and the pace trio ended with eight wickets between them.
Hauritz sits out, Australia bat
Toss Australia chose to bat v Pakistan
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Michael Clarke won the toss and had little hesitation in choosing to bat to open their campaign against the defending champions Pakistan at St Lucia. In Clarke, Australia have a new captain in a global event for the first time since 1999 and they bring a new approach. They have been accused of not being Twenty20 enough in previous editions, relying too much on traditional Test and ODI players.
But with David Warner, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait, Cameron White and David Hussey they appear to be more in sync with the demands of the format this time round. Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's captain, wanted Nathan Hauritz to play but Australia have opted for Steven Smith, the young, blond legspinner who made an impressive debut against Pakistan earlier this year. Pace, in Mitchell Johnson, Tait and Nannes, is still their way.
Pakistan will be happy to come out relatively unscathed from a potentially difficult first encounter. Bonuses came in the way of Salman Butt hinting he may, after all, adjust to the demands of 20-over batting; the decision to drop Mohammad Asif might have surprised a few but Mohammad Sami's format debut was an encouraging and match-shifting one.
Unsurprisingly they are unchanged and will only hope that Afridi and Abdul Razzaq, two vital allrounders who performed poorly in the first game, overcome the blips swiftly.
Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 David Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait
Pakistan 1 Salman Butt, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shahid Afridi (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Misbah-ul-Haq, 7 Fawad Alam, 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal
Raina century seals one-sided win
India 186 for 5 (Raina 101, Yuvraj 37) beat South Africa 172 for 5 (Kallis 73) by 14 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawk-Eye
| ||
| Related Links Players/Officials: Jacques Kallis | Suresh Raina Matches: India v South Africa at Gros Islet Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: India | South Africa | ||
Suresh Raina struggled at first, then he sizzled. He overcame a jittery period of mis-hits and short-pitched bowling, scoring 82 off the last 38 balls he faced, en route to only the third century in Twenty20 internationals. Yuvraj Singh came back to form, Graeme Smith's reluctance to attack with Dale Steyn confounded, and India's 186 was always going to be too much on a difficult pitch and a slow and big outfield.
South Africa's reply, in the face of a four-spinner Indian attack - without using Yuvraj - was even more confounding. Jacques Kallis and Smith struggled to flow, and hesitated to take risks. Their run-rate crossed six an over for the first time in the 11th over, and it was too late by then, despite some late hitting from Kallis.
India had got off to a similar start, albeit against seamers, but unlike South Africa they threw away the caution at a more appropriate time. With two early wickets gone and both Raina and Yuvraj struggling to present the middle of the bat, India were 43 after eight overs. There was no mucking around after that. Although the odd mis-hit remained a feature of the partnership, the sweet shots grew in frequency and India got 143 in the next 12 overs. It worked for them that the mis-hits kept bouncing in front of deep fielders, and the sweet ones cleared them easily.
From the time he came to bat in the first over, Raina was given a fair share of back-of-a-length deliveries. By the time India's both irregular openers, in absence of Gautam Gambhir (down with diarrhoea), ended their struggle, Raina had survived a catch off a Morne Morkel no-ball. He would go on to survive run-out attempts from Smith and AB de Villiers, when on 37 and 47.
The introduction of spin, when Raina was 19 off 22 and Yuvraj 5 off 9, was what turned it around. In the ninth over, Roelof van der Merwe's first and only, Raina played two lovely inside-out drives to get six off two deliveries, and Yuvraj slog-swept to get six off one. That was trigger enough to shed away inhibitions. The first ball of the next over, Raina guessed a back-of-a-length delivery, backed away and slogged Kallis for six. His best shot was when he made room against a near yorker from Albie Morkel in the next over and squeezed it wide of point for four.
Yuvraj, meanwhile, had found his timing back, and took the lead in scoring, playing the effortless pick-ups, short-arm pulls, and the inside-out shots. By the time he skied one to hand, Raina, having put in the struggle, the ugly moments, was there in a position to cash in. Steyn, underused in the first half of the innings, came back well, but he was now limiting damage as opposed to causing it.
Rory Kleinveldt, who got M Vijay in the first over and Yuvraj later, was the one who suffered the most. And he was asking for it too, bowling either length or full tosses in the 18th over, and was hit to such varied areas as midwicket, cow corner, extra cover, straight over his head, and over long-off. Twenty-five came off that over, during which Raina moved from 75 to 93. He reached his century with a slogged six in the final over, which went for 19.
Raina will cherish this knock all the more because the pitch interested a variety of bowlers. South Africa had managed to assume a strong position with their hit-the-deck bowlers, India were about to do so with the spinners. Harbhajan Singh bowled the first over, Yusuf Pathan was introduced inside the Powerplay, and Loots Bosman was out of his depth on the slow pitch.
With both Kallis and Smith struggling, by the time the first piece of enterprise came, a slog-swept six from Smith in the 11th over, the required run-rate had reached 13. By the time Kallis reached his fifty, off 45 balls, they were needing 15.5 in each of the six overs to come.
Suddenly Kallis exploded, hitting three sixes in the next two overs. It seemed for the second time in 40 overs a batsman was about to put behind him the struggles and play a decisive knock. Yet, there were just too many risks required, and one of them claimed Kallis, leaving 59 to get off 21. The requirement was comfortable enough for India to be able to experiment: Praveen Kumar bowled just one over, for three runs. With two straight wins, India stormed to the second round as the table leaders.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
SA look for early progression to round two
|
| Series
| Countries |
| Live Scores
| Fixtures
| Results
|
| News
| Features
| Photos
| Blogs
| Statistics
| Archive
|
| Audio
| Video
| Games
| Mobile
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ICC World Twenty20 2010 / News
- ICC World T20 home
- |
- News
- |
- Features
- |
- Photos
- |
- Fixtures
Fixtures Fixtures Warm-up Matches - |
- Results
- |
- Points Table
- |
- Groups
- |
- Squads
Squads Afghanistan Australia Bangladesh England India Ireland New Zealand Pakistan South Africa Sri Lanka West Indies Zimbabwe - |
- Grounds
Grounds Barbados Guyana St Lucia - |
- Statistics
- |
- Records
- |
- Archives
Archives ICC WT20 2009 ICC WT20 2008 - |
- Women's T20
|
India v South Africa, Group C, ICC World Twenty20, St Lucia
SA look for early progression to round two
The Preview by Sidharth Monga
May 1, 2010
Text size: A | A
Match Facts
Sunday, May 2, Gros IsletStart time 0930 (1330 GMT)
|
| 
| |
| Related Links Matches: India v South Africa at Gros Islet Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: India | South Africa | ||
The Big Picture
India could complain about having to play two matches on the weekend and then having nothing to do over the rest of the week, but that's a price you pay for being the main commercial draw of the tournament. You play on the weekend, you play in prime time. Two of India's other three matches are on Friday and Sunday, and are meant to start at 7pm India time. They have had a good enough start to their tournament, with a win against Afghanistan, but starting against major opposition they would like to show they deserve the prime-time slots they get.India would fancy their chances on the slower pitches against South Africa, but when the two teams last met, it was on a slow turner at Trent Bridge and India failed to chase 131. South Africa, always strong in big events, always underachieving in them, would like to ensure their place in the next round even before they play their easier match, against Afghanistan. Unless Afghanistan pull off a huge upset against South Africa, this match counts for little except for some momentum if India and South Africa meet later in a knockout match.
Form guide (most recent first)
India WWLLLSouth Africa WLLWW
Watch out for...
M Vijay, the late replacement for Virender Sehwag, got his Twenty20 international career off to a good start with 48 against Afghanistan, but the big test of how well India are doing without Sehwag will come against a strong team like South Africa.India have experienced the pace of the pitches and will bowl a lot of slow bowlers against a side not known to be the best against the spinners. In that scenario, AB de Villiers' quick foot work and soft hands will come in handy to ensure South Africa don't stall in the middle overs.
Team news
India made an interesting move against Afghanistan, picking both Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja ahead of a sixth specialist batsman. Apart from that mini dilemma, India should play the same XI.India (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 M Vijay, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Rohit Sharma/Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.
South Africa will like to play both their spinners. The big decision will be the choice of opener, between Herschelle Gibbs and Loots Bosman.
South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Loots Bosman/Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Albie Morkel, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Charl Langeveldt.
Pitch and conditions
After the first day of the matches in St Lucia, it is evident boundaries are not easy to come by. It is a big ground, and the outfield is slightly lush, which will put more impetus on quick running and out-cricket. The pitch is a bit slow too, which will keep the spinners interested. An early-morning start could mean a bit of moisture in the track.
Stats and trivia
- India lead the head-to-head 2-1, having won twice in South Africa before losing once in England.
- India-South Africa matches have been generally low-scoring: in the six innings between them, only once has 130 been passed, when India scored 153 in Durban and then kept South Africa to 116.
Quotes
"Ultimately it is an honour, a privilege to put yourself in a position to win the tournament. But it's a long way away at the moment from every team here. So we are just going to focus on India, which is our first game."
Graeme Smith is not yet thinking about the big knockout matches"Most of our players look quite fresh, even after the IPL. This is something we have learned from the World Twenty in England last year. I don't think that will hamper our performances but it will be a big challenge."
MS Dhoni says his players aren't fatigued
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)