As England embark on another Ashes summer, thoughts inevitably turn towards our lads' success on home soil four years ago and some of the iconic images that famous series threw up. Many of them involve England’s inspirational skipper Michael Vaughan, his doubled fisted celebration after the last gasp Edgbaston victory, his battling century at Old Trafford and, of course, the sight of the Yorkshireman lifting the famous little urn aloft at the Oval.
But time appears to have caught up with Vaughan and when his fading hopes of earning a recall to the test side were extinguished a few weeks ago, so it appears was his desire to carry on playing professional cricket.
Vaughan is on the brink of announcing his retirement from the game and may have already done so by the time you read this. In doing so Vaughan would be bringing the curtain down on a wonderful career with both county and country and one that will be remembered fondly by England cricket fans.
Making his debut in 1999 Vaughan quickly established himself as a top order batsman and rose to the top of the batting rankings in 2002/03. That summer he took over the captaincy from Nasser Hussian and he led his side on a journey that would take in six successive test series victories, culminating in that famous Ashes win in 2005.
Sadly, like many of the side, that September day at the Oval proved to be the high point. Injuries began to catch up with him and he missed the 2006/07 Ashes re-match with a chronic knee complaint. He returned for the 2007 World Cup but resigned from the one-day captaincy after England’s early exit. A year later after a poor start to the 2008 summer Vaughan called time on the test captaincy too at an emotional press conference. There he pledged to score runs for county and country now he was free from the shackles that leadership places on you. But that form didn’t come and his failure to earn a recall since has perhaps forced his hand. At 34 there is no shame in calling it a day and perhaps it is a good idea to go out at the top anyway.
So thanks Vaughany for the memories and here’s hoping the class of 2009 can emulate your achievements of four years ago and bring the Ashes home. Make sure you keep up to date with the First Test odds prior to any Lords Test betting! If you feel like getting in the betting mood, check out Betfair's new fanvfan site!
Monday, 29 June 2009
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Ashes Memories Part 1 - Alderman's Ashes
1981. Ah, yes, which was all about Ian Botham, wasn't it? Oh, and Bob Willis steaming in to take 8-43 in That Match at Headingley. Well, yes, in a way. England won the series 3-1, owing much to the England all-rounder's renaissance and never-say-die attitude with ball and bat. However, it's easy to forget that one bowler took 39 wickets in that 6-match series and another took a rarely-beaten 42. Yet they both finished on the losing side.
The first was the incomparable Dennis Lillee. Arguably past his prime, slowed by injury but still a match-winner, Lillee always bowled his heart out and took 11 wickets at The Oval and 8-80 in the low-scoring opener at Trent Bridge which the Aussies won. However, it was the less well-known Terry Alderman who ended up with what is still one of the highest wicket hauls in a Test series, 42. He took 9 at Trent Bridge in his Test debut and the same number in both the Headingley and Old Trafford games, both better remembered for Botham's heroics.
As if that wasn't enough, he went on to take 41 in the 1989 series, when the Aussies absolutely destroyed England, at an average of just 17.36. While Steve Waugh, Boon, Jones, Border, Taylor and Marsh stacked up the runs, there was Terry, always with a strange benign smile on his face, swinging and cutting the ball this way and that at barely medium pace making excellent batsmen like Gooch, Gower and Smith look rather foolish. Gooch allegedly asked to stand down as opener because he couldn't fathom how to play Alderman!
No doubt the Aussie would have had the same effect in 1985 had he not taken part in the infamous rebel tour of South Africa. In his whole career, he played in only 41 Tests and took 170 wickets. Amazingly, 95 of them came against England at just 21.59. He wasn't the same against anybody else or anywhere else. His style seemed to suit English conditions and wickets back in the 1980s. In my memory he always seemed to be wearing a sweater, ambling into a stiff breeze, but I suppose the sun did occasionally shine warmly in England in those days!
The record books may favor the likes of Botham, Lillee, Harmison or McGrath but I reckon one of the all-time Ashes greats was the almost forgotten TM Alderman. Maybe Graham Gooch would agree.
The first was the incomparable Dennis Lillee. Arguably past his prime, slowed by injury but still a match-winner, Lillee always bowled his heart out and took 11 wickets at The Oval and 8-80 in the low-scoring opener at Trent Bridge which the Aussies won. However, it was the less well-known Terry Alderman who ended up with what is still one of the highest wicket hauls in a Test series, 42. He took 9 at Trent Bridge in his Test debut and the same number in both the Headingley and Old Trafford games, both better remembered for Botham's heroics.
As if that wasn't enough, he went on to take 41 in the 1989 series, when the Aussies absolutely destroyed England, at an average of just 17.36. While Steve Waugh, Boon, Jones, Border, Taylor and Marsh stacked up the runs, there was Terry, always with a strange benign smile on his face, swinging and cutting the ball this way and that at barely medium pace making excellent batsmen like Gooch, Gower and Smith look rather foolish. Gooch allegedly asked to stand down as opener because he couldn't fathom how to play Alderman!
No doubt the Aussie would have had the same effect in 1985 had he not taken part in the infamous rebel tour of South Africa. In his whole career, he played in only 41 Tests and took 170 wickets. Amazingly, 95 of them came against England at just 21.59. He wasn't the same against anybody else or anywhere else. His style seemed to suit English conditions and wickets back in the 1980s. In my memory he always seemed to be wearing a sweater, ambling into a stiff breeze, but I suppose the sun did occasionally shine warmly in England in those days!
The record books may favor the likes of Botham, Lillee, Harmison or McGrath but I reckon one of the all-time Ashes greats was the almost forgotten TM Alderman. Maybe Graham Gooch would agree.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Yuvraj Blitz Takes India To High Scoring Thriller Against West Indies
From the drama of the Twenty20 World Cup it was the 50 over match that bought the tension and excitement in the first one day match between West Indies and India at Sabina Park.
A total of 658 runs were scored and 23 sixes the fourth highest in a one day match are huge numbers but it is a format that is hugely being impacted from the Twenty20 format. Both teams wanted to put a good performance on and win with West Indies poor performance in the semi final and India’s embarrassing knock out in the Super Eights.
India had a number of there big players out but it allowed them to test there bench strength and there was still a very strong team selected. India were struggling at the top with losing Gambhir and Sharma leaving India on 32 for 2 after 7 overs but then it was all about Yuvraj Singh blistering innings who was supported brilliantly by Dinesh Karthik. Karthik played his first match after a long stint out of the team and he looked very composed opening and scored an excellent 67 at a strike rate of 87.77.
But once Yuvraj got his eye in and got use to the pace of the wicket and got some momentum going he was unstoppable and such a pleasure to watch. What ever Gayle threw at Yuvraj he would answer it with smashing the bowler all over the ground whether it was Bravo, Jerome Taylor, Benn or Gayle. In his innings of 131 he scored 10 boundaries and 7 sixes, in a space of 17 balls he scored 82 runs which is astonishing, and if he stayed till the end of the innings we could taking about the first double century in one day cricket. Even with the fall of the Yuvraj India continued the momentum and the attack with Dhoni, Yusuf and Harbhajan scoring useful runs.
With a 340 set for West Indies to win it was all set up for a special innings from Chris Gayle but he never really got going. The top four batsmen all got excellent starts but never went on to play the innings Yuvraj played and with regular fall of wickets the target for West Indies seemed out of reach. With the fall of Jerome Taylor leaving West Indies struggling on 250 for 7 it seemed game over and so did the Indian team which cost them and Yusuf Pathan’s over that went for 13 runs and 9 runs in the last two balls was the turning point where West Indies believed and India realized they were in a battle. From that point onwards India gave the Windies with too many extra runs which was criminal and only got West Indies closer to the score of 340. Credit to Ramdin and the lower order they threw there bat and got closer but it was all too much for them and the experience India had of holding there never under pressure showed and they ended victorious.
It was Twenty20 that was bringing the crowds in to the stadiums and people watching it on TV but the 50 over match showed that it still has a place. It may not have been the best standards on the field or bowling which allowed the match to be more excitement and allowed the batsmen to prevail.
Let’s hope the rest of the series has the same amount of tensions, excitements and goes all the way to the 100th over and we will all be satisfied.
A total of 658 runs were scored and 23 sixes the fourth highest in a one day match are huge numbers but it is a format that is hugely being impacted from the Twenty20 format. Both teams wanted to put a good performance on and win with West Indies poor performance in the semi final and India’s embarrassing knock out in the Super Eights.
India had a number of there big players out but it allowed them to test there bench strength and there was still a very strong team selected. India were struggling at the top with losing Gambhir and Sharma leaving India on 32 for 2 after 7 overs but then it was all about Yuvraj Singh blistering innings who was supported brilliantly by Dinesh Karthik. Karthik played his first match after a long stint out of the team and he looked very composed opening and scored an excellent 67 at a strike rate of 87.77.
But once Yuvraj got his eye in and got use to the pace of the wicket and got some momentum going he was unstoppable and such a pleasure to watch. What ever Gayle threw at Yuvraj he would answer it with smashing the bowler all over the ground whether it was Bravo, Jerome Taylor, Benn or Gayle. In his innings of 131 he scored 10 boundaries and 7 sixes, in a space of 17 balls he scored 82 runs which is astonishing, and if he stayed till the end of the innings we could taking about the first double century in one day cricket. Even with the fall of the Yuvraj India continued the momentum and the attack with Dhoni, Yusuf and Harbhajan scoring useful runs.
With a 340 set for West Indies to win it was all set up for a special innings from Chris Gayle but he never really got going. The top four batsmen all got excellent starts but never went on to play the innings Yuvraj played and with regular fall of wickets the target for West Indies seemed out of reach. With the fall of Jerome Taylor leaving West Indies struggling on 250 for 7 it seemed game over and so did the Indian team which cost them and Yusuf Pathan’s over that went for 13 runs and 9 runs in the last two balls was the turning point where West Indies believed and India realized they were in a battle. From that point onwards India gave the Windies with too many extra runs which was criminal and only got West Indies closer to the score of 340. Credit to Ramdin and the lower order they threw there bat and got closer but it was all too much for them and the experience India had of holding there never under pressure showed and they ended victorious.
It was Twenty20 that was bringing the crowds in to the stadiums and people watching it on TV but the 50 over match showed that it still has a place. It may not have been the best standards on the field or bowling which allowed the match to be more excitement and allowed the batsmen to prevail.
Let’s hope the rest of the series has the same amount of tensions, excitements and goes all the way to the 100th over and we will all be satisfied.
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Solanki so good
Worcestershire have been in the Twenty20 runs this week. Not surprisingly, their 222-4 was miles too good for Glamorgan despite a late onslaught from Robert Croft. Opener Vikram Solanki scored exactly 100 in just 48 balls, ably assisted by Moore and Davies, then tight bowling across the board, including a rare maiden by Noffke, restricted their visitors to only 121-6. Worcester also notched an impressive 176-8 against Somerset at Taunton but the home side reached the target with an over to spare.
These two sides, plus Northants and Warwickshire all have ten points in their division so whoever wins the Somerset vs Northants match will go top. Warwickshire have won two on the trot, or should I say Trott, because the opener hit 73 in 52 balls against Gloucestershire.
Kent also picked up two successive victories to go second in the South Division. Both were very close contests, though. First they overcame Hampshire by 8 runs, thanks largely to Darren Stevens, who smashed 6 sixes in his innings of 56, then came a one-run win against Surrey where Stevens this time did well with the ball. Apparently he now has the record of most Twenty20 Cup appearances and is one of the few players to top 1000 runs in the competition since it began.
This season, Jim Allenby (Leicestershire) and Michael Lumb (Hampshire) top the run aggregate table. This week, Lumb added to his recent hundred by taking 93 from Middlesex and 59 from Kent so he really is in great form in the biff-bang competition.
Durham also won twice, with Jamaican off-spinner Gareth Breese producing two extremely economical spells against Yorkshire (who could only muster 90-9 in their twenty overs) and Derbyshire. They are chasing North division leaders Lancashire and Leicestershire and have still to play both, so qualification lies entirely in their hands!
Sussex head the South division thanks to an easy win over Surrey. Yardy's 2-14 and Chawla's 2-17 from their full allocation of overs were largely responsible in leaving their batting line-up with a simple target.
The qualifiers for the knockout stage will be known after Sunday. I still fancy one of Northants, Kent and Lancashire to win the Cup but anything can happen in the next few days.
These two sides, plus Northants and Warwickshire all have ten points in their division so whoever wins the Somerset vs Northants match will go top. Warwickshire have won two on the trot, or should I say Trott, because the opener hit 73 in 52 balls against Gloucestershire.
Kent also picked up two successive victories to go second in the South Division. Both were very close contests, though. First they overcame Hampshire by 8 runs, thanks largely to Darren Stevens, who smashed 6 sixes in his innings of 56, then came a one-run win against Surrey where Stevens this time did well with the ball. Apparently he now has the record of most Twenty20 Cup appearances and is one of the few players to top 1000 runs in the competition since it began.
This season, Jim Allenby (Leicestershire) and Michael Lumb (Hampshire) top the run aggregate table. This week, Lumb added to his recent hundred by taking 93 from Middlesex and 59 from Kent so he really is in great form in the biff-bang competition.
Durham also won twice, with Jamaican off-spinner Gareth Breese producing two extremely economical spells against Yorkshire (who could only muster 90-9 in their twenty overs) and Derbyshire. They are chasing North division leaders Lancashire and Leicestershire and have still to play both, so qualification lies entirely in their hands!
Sussex head the South division thanks to an easy win over Surrey. Yardy's 2-14 and Chawla's 2-17 from their full allocation of overs were largely responsible in leaving their batting line-up with a simple target.
The qualifiers for the knockout stage will be known after Sunday. I still fancy one of Northants, Kent and Lancashire to win the Cup but anything can happen in the next few days.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Twenty20 World Cup 2009 - Top Eleven Players
The best eleven players from the Twenty20 World Cup 2009 -
Tilakaratne Dilshan - Lead Sri Lanka to the final with some splendid innings and most importantly in the semi final scoring 96 against the West Indies. He will be remembered for his innovative scoop that he developed, unfortunately that was his downfall in the final.
Chris Gayle – His first match against the Aussies was destructive and he ended up scoring 88 of 50 balls and it remains the innings of the World Cup. He did not produce much more in the tournament till the semi final against Sri Lanka where he carried his bat
Shahid Afridi – Started off very poorly which resembled Pakistan’s form but he peaked at the right time particular with the bat. Once he was promoted to number 3 he showed his quality and took Pakistan to victory in the semi and final.
Kumar Sangakkara (c & wk) – The best captain in the tournament and in pressure situations he was able to keep his cool be tactically aware. His promotion of Dlishan to open was a master stroke and the faith in the young opening bowlers was genius even if did not pay off in the final.
AB De Villers – Played some excellent innings for South Africa but his 63 of 50 balls against India on a turning wicket would have to be one of his best.
Dwayne Bravo – Had a very good all around tournament but the performance that stands out is against India taking 4 for 34 and scoring 66 of 36 and taking West Indies to victory.
Abdul Razzaq – His short impact gave Pakistan the balance they were looking for and his performances with the ball were outstanding particular in the final getting 3 wickets. We cannot forget he has not played for the national team for nearly two years and he showed his quality immediately.
Wayne Parnell – Was South Africa’s best bowler of the tournament and not too far behind Umur Gul who was best bowler of the tournament. He consistently troubled batsmen with his pace and accuracy whether he bowled during the powerplay or the final overs. He showed his class by bowling the last over in the first innings against Pakistan.
Umur Gul – The leading wicket taker, once it was decided that he would bowl in the final 10 overs it seemed the ideal role as it allowed him to bowl yorker after Yorker. His performance against New Zealand of 5 for 6 was outstanding but in the semi final against South Africa to have bowled six yorkers was breathtaking.
Lasith Malinga – He was outstanding and was able to handle the pressure of being the main fast bowler in the team. He had a full variety from yorkers to slower balls and he continued to bamboozle batsmen with his side on action.
Ajantha Mendis – Spinner of the tournament, he had a habit of getting wickets at the right time throughout the whole tournament apart from the final against Pakistan. He allowed Sri Lanka to defend modest totals which he made look quite easy with keeping his economy rate down as well as getting wickets.
Tilakaratne Dilshan - Lead Sri Lanka to the final with some splendid innings and most importantly in the semi final scoring 96 against the West Indies. He will be remembered for his innovative scoop that he developed, unfortunately that was his downfall in the final.
Chris Gayle – His first match against the Aussies was destructive and he ended up scoring 88 of 50 balls and it remains the innings of the World Cup. He did not produce much more in the tournament till the semi final against Sri Lanka where he carried his bat
Shahid Afridi – Started off very poorly which resembled Pakistan’s form but he peaked at the right time particular with the bat. Once he was promoted to number 3 he showed his quality and took Pakistan to victory in the semi and final.
Kumar Sangakkara (c & wk) – The best captain in the tournament and in pressure situations he was able to keep his cool be tactically aware. His promotion of Dlishan to open was a master stroke and the faith in the young opening bowlers was genius even if did not pay off in the final.
AB De Villers – Played some excellent innings for South Africa but his 63 of 50 balls against India on a turning wicket would have to be one of his best.
Dwayne Bravo – Had a very good all around tournament but the performance that stands out is against India taking 4 for 34 and scoring 66 of 36 and taking West Indies to victory.
Abdul Razzaq – His short impact gave Pakistan the balance they were looking for and his performances with the ball were outstanding particular in the final getting 3 wickets. We cannot forget he has not played for the national team for nearly two years and he showed his quality immediately.
Wayne Parnell – Was South Africa’s best bowler of the tournament and not too far behind Umur Gul who was best bowler of the tournament. He consistently troubled batsmen with his pace and accuracy whether he bowled during the powerplay or the final overs. He showed his class by bowling the last over in the first innings against Pakistan.
Umur Gul – The leading wicket taker, once it was decided that he would bowl in the final 10 overs it seemed the ideal role as it allowed him to bowl yorker after Yorker. His performance against New Zealand of 5 for 6 was outstanding but in the semi final against South Africa to have bowled six yorkers was breathtaking.
Lasith Malinga – He was outstanding and was able to handle the pressure of being the main fast bowler in the team. He had a full variety from yorkers to slower balls and he continued to bamboozle batsmen with his side on action.
Ajantha Mendis – Spinner of the tournament, he had a habit of getting wickets at the right time throughout the whole tournament apart from the final against Pakistan. He allowed Sri Lanka to defend modest totals which he made look quite easy with keeping his economy rate down as well as getting wickets.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Boom Boom Afridi Takes Pakistan To T20 World Cup Glory
The best team won the Twenty20 World Cup and that cannot be questioned by anyone, Pakistan were clinical in all departments and the hero to all Pakistani fans it was Boom Boom Shahid Afridi who played the crucial innings and most importantly took his country to victory.
From ball one the Pakistan team were on the mark with youngster Mohammad Aamer removing Dilshan who had been in sublime form throughout the tournament. This wicket only got Pakistan and their fans even more up for the final and the celebrations would continue with bowler of the final Abdul Razzaq collecting 3 wickets in the final with removing Mubarak, Jayasuriya and Jayawardene leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 43 for 2 in the 6th and final over before the end of the powerplay.
Pakistan were in total control and it was a question how many will Sri Lanka get to make it a contest in the Lords final. Captain Sangakkara ensured his team did not fold and he played a very assured innings and he had help from Silva but it was not till Angelo Matthews came in the Sri Lanka innings it got the momentum it was looking for. They had a crucial partnership of 68 runs where for the first time the Pakistani bowling attacked on the day looked a bit flat and the bowler of the tournament Umer Gul was not keeping the run flow in check. As end of the innings was getting closer the momentum was going with Sri Lanka at one stage it looked they would only reach 100 but then 120 looked the target but to reach 138 was a magnificent efford.
Pakistan knew if they batted sensibly and played the big shots on the bad balls they would win comfortably and the openers ensured that particular Kamran Akmal they got the start they would get every Pakistani fan in Lords jumping from their seats. Even with quick wickets of both openers that did not stop Pakistan as the Afridi and Malik were at the crease and they wanted to ensure they were at the crease to take their team to victory. Captain Sangakkara tried everything he could with constant bowling changes but that was not to be successful the three M’s did not have the impact they were hoping for as the Pakistan batsmen went after them knowing they only had a smallish target to chase down. Of the 2 boundaries and 2 sixies Afridi hit the Pakistani fans went ballistic and they could sense victory.
Sri Lanka must have tried everything possible even when there were more runs then balls but the 17th over by Udana was the most telling and it was the one that took Pakistan closer to victory. The penultimate over had to be bowled by Malinga with only needing 7 of 12 balls it was only a matter of time and of the fourth ball of the over from a leg bye. Shahid Afridi posed as he scored the winning runs it was everything that symbolises him a cricketer and the way he has transformed himself as the match winner and after two world cup defeats he was even more desperate it would be third time lucky and it was in the most convincing manners.
After all the bad times Pakistan have suffered over the last two years politically, with cricket being removed and the attack on the Sri Lanka team on 3rd March 2009 this victory is everything that the whole country have been craving for. The joy the cricketers have given the people back home hopefully this allows a nation that craves cricket to allow other nations to come and tour Pakistan without the worry if they are safe or not.
Without a doubt this world cup win is far bigger than the 92 world cup win taking into consideration everything and hopefully as the 92 Pakistan team went onto bigger things hopefully the team of 09 can emulate them.
From ball one the Pakistan team were on the mark with youngster Mohammad Aamer removing Dilshan who had been in sublime form throughout the tournament. This wicket only got Pakistan and their fans even more up for the final and the celebrations would continue with bowler of the final Abdul Razzaq collecting 3 wickets in the final with removing Mubarak, Jayasuriya and Jayawardene leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 43 for 2 in the 6th and final over before the end of the powerplay.
Pakistan were in total control and it was a question how many will Sri Lanka get to make it a contest in the Lords final. Captain Sangakkara ensured his team did not fold and he played a very assured innings and he had help from Silva but it was not till Angelo Matthews came in the Sri Lanka innings it got the momentum it was looking for. They had a crucial partnership of 68 runs where for the first time the Pakistani bowling attacked on the day looked a bit flat and the bowler of the tournament Umer Gul was not keeping the run flow in check. As end of the innings was getting closer the momentum was going with Sri Lanka at one stage it looked they would only reach 100 but then 120 looked the target but to reach 138 was a magnificent efford.
Pakistan knew if they batted sensibly and played the big shots on the bad balls they would win comfortably and the openers ensured that particular Kamran Akmal they got the start they would get every Pakistani fan in Lords jumping from their seats. Even with quick wickets of both openers that did not stop Pakistan as the Afridi and Malik were at the crease and they wanted to ensure they were at the crease to take their team to victory. Captain Sangakkara tried everything he could with constant bowling changes but that was not to be successful the three M’s did not have the impact they were hoping for as the Pakistan batsmen went after them knowing they only had a smallish target to chase down. Of the 2 boundaries and 2 sixies Afridi hit the Pakistani fans went ballistic and they could sense victory.
Sri Lanka must have tried everything possible even when there were more runs then balls but the 17th over by Udana was the most telling and it was the one that took Pakistan closer to victory. The penultimate over had to be bowled by Malinga with only needing 7 of 12 balls it was only a matter of time and of the fourth ball of the over from a leg bye. Shahid Afridi posed as he scored the winning runs it was everything that symbolises him a cricketer and the way he has transformed himself as the match winner and after two world cup defeats he was even more desperate it would be third time lucky and it was in the most convincing manners.
After all the bad times Pakistan have suffered over the last two years politically, with cricket being removed and the attack on the Sri Lanka team on 3rd March 2009 this victory is everything that the whole country have been craving for. The joy the cricketers have given the people back home hopefully this allows a nation that craves cricket to allow other nations to come and tour Pakistan without the worry if they are safe or not.
Without a doubt this world cup win is far bigger than the 92 world cup win taking into consideration everything and hopefully as the 92 Pakistan team went onto bigger things hopefully the team of 09 can emulate them.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Durham Take Charge
With two consecutive victories - over Lancashire and Warwickshire - Durham eased into pole position to defend their County Championship crown. Both wins owed much to the bowling of Graham Onions and Steve Harmison who both must now be in contention for the Ashes first XI.
Somerset also picked up their first two wins of the first-class season, overcoming Yorkshire then, in a close contest, Sussex. A few good innings from Trescothick and some useful performances with the ball by Thomas and Willoughby took the county to third place. However, both games were away from the placid batting track of Taunton where they really need to bowl sides out if they are to challenge seriously for the title.
He may have finished on the losing side this time but Sussex's new leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has made an incredible impact within two weeks of arriving in England. In two Championship matches he has taken 19 wickets and scored a century! Could he do what Mushtaq Ahmed did just a few seasons ago and help Sussex to top spot?
Nottinghamshire only played once in the past fortnight but remain in second place. They beat Hampshire, with the aid of centuries by Ali Brown and Chris Read, plus a solid all-round bowling display. If they win their game in hand they would probably regain top spot.
Hampshire did recover to beat Lancashire by ten wickets, with Tim Tremlett and Imran Tahir taking many of them and spoiling VVS Laxman's arrival in the Lancashire batting line-up. The Red Roses also wilted against Durham, despite Saj Mahmood's 6-30 and Andrew Flintoff's match stats of 6-77.
Worcestershire are fixed to the bottom of Division One and the news that Simon Jones will miss the rest of the season will only make matters worse. They were well beaten by Sussex and drew with Yorkshire, their bowling just not up to the task. Ashley Noffke has been a good all-rounder but Kabir Ali hasn't yet made a convincing return to form.
In the second tier, Gloucestershire remain at the top, a full 22 points ahead of second-place Surrey. They owe a great deal to the skill and nous of veteran seamers Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby who have also both excelled at Twenty20 this summer.
Nel and Schofield each helped themselves to wickets, and Afzaal to a double-century in Surrey's innings defeat of Northants, then in the following match Dernbach took 6-47 to leave Leicestershire in trouble. However, a triple-century stand by South Africans Dippenaar and Ackerman rescued a draw for the Midlanders who remain rooted to the bottom. Essex moved ahead of Kent by winning at Tunbridge Wells. Thanks not to Alistair Cook, but bowlers Masters, Napier and Danish Kaneria whose 6-92 from 42 overs proved decisive.
It's back to Twenty20 for the counties this week. How many would love to splash the cash for Dilshan or Umar Gul right now?
Somerset also picked up their first two wins of the first-class season, overcoming Yorkshire then, in a close contest, Sussex. A few good innings from Trescothick and some useful performances with the ball by Thomas and Willoughby took the county to third place. However, both games were away from the placid batting track of Taunton where they really need to bowl sides out if they are to challenge seriously for the title.
He may have finished on the losing side this time but Sussex's new leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has made an incredible impact within two weeks of arriving in England. In two Championship matches he has taken 19 wickets and scored a century! Could he do what Mushtaq Ahmed did just a few seasons ago and help Sussex to top spot?
Nottinghamshire only played once in the past fortnight but remain in second place. They beat Hampshire, with the aid of centuries by Ali Brown and Chris Read, plus a solid all-round bowling display. If they win their game in hand they would probably regain top spot.
Hampshire did recover to beat Lancashire by ten wickets, with Tim Tremlett and Imran Tahir taking many of them and spoiling VVS Laxman's arrival in the Lancashire batting line-up. The Red Roses also wilted against Durham, despite Saj Mahmood's 6-30 and Andrew Flintoff's match stats of 6-77.
Worcestershire are fixed to the bottom of Division One and the news that Simon Jones will miss the rest of the season will only make matters worse. They were well beaten by Sussex and drew with Yorkshire, their bowling just not up to the task. Ashley Noffke has been a good all-rounder but Kabir Ali hasn't yet made a convincing return to form.
In the second tier, Gloucestershire remain at the top, a full 22 points ahead of second-place Surrey. They owe a great deal to the skill and nous of veteran seamers Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby who have also both excelled at Twenty20 this summer.
Nel and Schofield each helped themselves to wickets, and Afzaal to a double-century in Surrey's innings defeat of Northants, then in the following match Dernbach took 6-47 to leave Leicestershire in trouble. However, a triple-century stand by South Africans Dippenaar and Ackerman rescued a draw for the Midlanders who remain rooted to the bottom. Essex moved ahead of Kent by winning at Tunbridge Wells. Thanks not to Alistair Cook, but bowlers Masters, Napier and Danish Kaneria whose 6-92 from 42 overs proved decisive.
It's back to Twenty20 for the counties this week. How many would love to splash the cash for Dilshan or Umar Gul right now?
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Pakiatan V Sri Lanka Twenty20 World Cup Final 2009
This was the final that was always going to take place after the attack on the Sri Lanka coach on 3rd March in Lahore, it will be an emotional but also bring both countries together and bring happiness to the country that wins. When the national anthems will be sang there will be mutual respect for all but once it is over the fierce rivalry will continue and may the best team win.
Both teams have reached the final in different manners with Sri Lanka being very convincing for 6 matches they have played and Pakistan have been the surprise team after a couple of horrendous warm up matches and then against England but in the last three matches they have been quite brilliant and deserve to be in the Lords final.
Sri Lanka will be entering the final as favorites and they have been able to handle the pressure of that where Pakistan will be underdogs which make them even more dangerous and cannot be taken lightly by Sri Lanka. Both teams having lost major finals in 2007 with Pakistan having contested the inaugural final having lost to India by 5 runs will allow them to use there experience wisely where also Sri Lanka lost to Australia in the 50 over final so both teams will want to ensure win this final after past defeats.
With the final being a knockout like the semi both Pakistan and Sri Lanka were the teams who could hold there nerve and win the pressure situations but to make a mistake tomorrow could be crucial and cost you victory.
Sri Lanka have the most complete teams with match winners in all departments with the impressive and dangerous trio of Malinga, Mendis and Murali bowling 12 out of 20 overs have been all exceptional by taking wickets and won matches for there team in this tournament. What they have done so well is they have been able to slow down the game by bowling dot balls which in increasing the run rate and also taking crucial wickets. There top four batsmen are the most classiest in world cricket and have had an excellent run and one of them have gone on to score the big innings like Dilshan did in the semi. Many have questioned if you remove the big four early what do Sri Lanka do as they do not have a big hitter after that but they have never been in that situation the likes of Silva and Mubarak will have the chance to shine in a final.
Pakistan seem to have got the perfect balance they have been looking for with there experience batting line up and the explosive Afridi at number 3 and they will hoping he can play a similar innings like he did in the semi against South Africa. Even with there batting looking strong recently it is most probably there most area of concern as the pressure could get to them and it could all fall apart. The bowling attack is outstanding even more with the return of the experience Razzaq, the impressive Gul after the first 10 overs and the deadly Shahid Afridi.
As the tournament has gone on the bowlers have dominated even more and the scores decreasing gradually so the team that can cope with the pressure from the opposition bowling attack and score runs from 12 out of 20 overs will win. If there was a pick a from each team it will be how Sri Lanka cope with Umer Gul’s bowling at the end of the innings and how Pakistan cope with Malinga and the batsman’s who can counter attack and there team will come out on top.
The way the tournament has planned out it was impossible to predict a winner as the total opposite occurs but I am sure the best team will win the second edition of the Twenty20 World Cup final will be Sri Lanka.
Both teams have reached the final in different manners with Sri Lanka being very convincing for 6 matches they have played and Pakistan have been the surprise team after a couple of horrendous warm up matches and then against England but in the last three matches they have been quite brilliant and deserve to be in the Lords final.
Sri Lanka will be entering the final as favorites and they have been able to handle the pressure of that where Pakistan will be underdogs which make them even more dangerous and cannot be taken lightly by Sri Lanka. Both teams having lost major finals in 2007 with Pakistan having contested the inaugural final having lost to India by 5 runs will allow them to use there experience wisely where also Sri Lanka lost to Australia in the 50 over final so both teams will want to ensure win this final after past defeats.
With the final being a knockout like the semi both Pakistan and Sri Lanka were the teams who could hold there nerve and win the pressure situations but to make a mistake tomorrow could be crucial and cost you victory.
Sri Lanka have the most complete teams with match winners in all departments with the impressive and dangerous trio of Malinga, Mendis and Murali bowling 12 out of 20 overs have been all exceptional by taking wickets and won matches for there team in this tournament. What they have done so well is they have been able to slow down the game by bowling dot balls which in increasing the run rate and also taking crucial wickets. There top four batsmen are the most classiest in world cricket and have had an excellent run and one of them have gone on to score the big innings like Dilshan did in the semi. Many have questioned if you remove the big four early what do Sri Lanka do as they do not have a big hitter after that but they have never been in that situation the likes of Silva and Mubarak will have the chance to shine in a final.
Pakistan seem to have got the perfect balance they have been looking for with there experience batting line up and the explosive Afridi at number 3 and they will hoping he can play a similar innings like he did in the semi against South Africa. Even with there batting looking strong recently it is most probably there most area of concern as the pressure could get to them and it could all fall apart. The bowling attack is outstanding even more with the return of the experience Razzaq, the impressive Gul after the first 10 overs and the deadly Shahid Afridi.
As the tournament has gone on the bowlers have dominated even more and the scores decreasing gradually so the team that can cope with the pressure from the opposition bowling attack and score runs from 12 out of 20 overs will win. If there was a pick a from each team it will be how Sri Lanka cope with Umer Gul’s bowling at the end of the innings and how Pakistan cope with Malinga and the batsman’s who can counter attack and there team will come out on top.
The way the tournament has planned out it was impossible to predict a winner as the total opposite occurs but I am sure the best team will win the second edition of the Twenty20 World Cup final will be Sri Lanka.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
South Africa Chock Again In Semi Final As Pakistan Reach 2nd T20 Final
South Africa have once again chocked in the semi final stage which was down to an all around performance by Shadid Afridi and a motivated Pakistan team. South Africa who has now lost 4 semi finals in 10 years will be annoyed by being called chockers but they cannot hide from the stats and Smith will be questioned about his batting tactics which cost them a place in the Lords final.
The road for both these two teams to the semi final could not be more different South Africa have been 7 matches unbeaten and also embarrassed Pakistan in the warm up and looked as no hopers but came into the semi with form of there main players and momentum which was crucial.
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first on a wicket that looked good to bat on first and then tired and allow there bowlers could take advantage off. The semi worked according to plan they lost opener Hasan but that brought in Afridi who looked fired up and went on the attack particular on Johan Botha and ended up scoring 51 runs of 46 balls and he was supported by Shoaib Malik who played superbly. Once the wickets of Afridi and Malik went Pakistan were never able to capitalize on such a good platform where they could have got 170. They where reduced to 149 runs and spectacular death bowling by Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn and allowed them to score 29 runs in the last 5 overs.
South Africa were efficient as ever in the bowling attack but the pressure of the semi final may have got them to make mistakes and give runs away from Smith and De Villers and they probably should have been chasing a smaller target.
South Africa would have been the most satisfied once the second innings as they knew they could be chasing a lot more and they started on the attack but once Smith lost his wicket to Mohammad Aamer the wheels came and did not have a plan B. Kallis continued to play in his own style which allowed the other batsmen to attack and reduce the run rate which was increasing ball and ball and the scoreboard pressure in the semi final was taking its affect. Man of the moment Afridi came on to bowl and removed Gibbs and De Villers in the 8th over leaving South Africa stuttering at 50 for 3.
The decision to bring in JP Duminy ahead of big hitter Albie Morkel was bizarre as they knew they were behind the run rate and to score big in the last 5 overs was not possible and that was the decision the ultimately cost them a place in the final. Pakistan’s bowling and fielding was exceptional, and the performance of Umer Gul bowling his 3 over for 19 and the ability to bowl yorker after yorker in the last two overs showed that he is the number one bowler in the T20 format. The South African batsmen were not able to hit big against the disciplined Pakistani bowlers and by the time Morkel came in it was too much for him to do and Pakistan won the sem with quite a bit ease then they would have expected.
It wad once again South Africa’s batting that has cost them a spot a place in the final which lacked the ability to think outside the box. To lose only by 7 runs will annoy them and they know if they went on the attack it could have so much more different but it has allowed Pakistan to reach there 2nd Twenty20 World Cup Final.
It has been impossible to predict this tournament but it seems that a Pakistan V Sri Lanka final is poised especially after the attack in Pakistan on the Sri Lanka coach.
The road for both these two teams to the semi final could not be more different South Africa have been 7 matches unbeaten and also embarrassed Pakistan in the warm up and looked as no hopers but came into the semi with form of there main players and momentum which was crucial.
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first on a wicket that looked good to bat on first and then tired and allow there bowlers could take advantage off. The semi worked according to plan they lost opener Hasan but that brought in Afridi who looked fired up and went on the attack particular on Johan Botha and ended up scoring 51 runs of 46 balls and he was supported by Shoaib Malik who played superbly. Once the wickets of Afridi and Malik went Pakistan were never able to capitalize on such a good platform where they could have got 170. They where reduced to 149 runs and spectacular death bowling by Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn and allowed them to score 29 runs in the last 5 overs.
South Africa were efficient as ever in the bowling attack but the pressure of the semi final may have got them to make mistakes and give runs away from Smith and De Villers and they probably should have been chasing a smaller target.
South Africa would have been the most satisfied once the second innings as they knew they could be chasing a lot more and they started on the attack but once Smith lost his wicket to Mohammad Aamer the wheels came and did not have a plan B. Kallis continued to play in his own style which allowed the other batsmen to attack and reduce the run rate which was increasing ball and ball and the scoreboard pressure in the semi final was taking its affect. Man of the moment Afridi came on to bowl and removed Gibbs and De Villers in the 8th over leaving South Africa stuttering at 50 for 3.
The decision to bring in JP Duminy ahead of big hitter Albie Morkel was bizarre as they knew they were behind the run rate and to score big in the last 5 overs was not possible and that was the decision the ultimately cost them a place in the final. Pakistan’s bowling and fielding was exceptional, and the performance of Umer Gul bowling his 3 over for 19 and the ability to bowl yorker after yorker in the last two overs showed that he is the number one bowler in the T20 format. The South African batsmen were not able to hit big against the disciplined Pakistani bowlers and by the time Morkel came in it was too much for him to do and Pakistan won the sem with quite a bit ease then they would have expected.
It wad once again South Africa’s batting that has cost them a spot a place in the final which lacked the ability to think outside the box. To lose only by 7 runs will annoy them and they know if they went on the attack it could have so much more different but it has allowed Pakistan to reach there 2nd Twenty20 World Cup Final.
It has been impossible to predict this tournament but it seems that a Pakistan V Sri Lanka final is poised especially after the attack in Pakistan on the Sri Lanka coach.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Four Teams Battling It Out For Two Spots In The Lords Final
The four best teams will be batting line it out for two spots for the Twenty20 World Cup final at Lords. After a tournament which has given us so much drama, unpredictability and excitement there will be so much more as it comes to the knockout stages and it will come down to which team can hold there nerves the most.
Most will be hoping for a South Africa V Sri Lanka final which will be the two best unbeaten teams and deserve to pit there wits against for the Twenty20 World Cup. With the unpredictability with the shock elimination for Test Champions Australia and World Champions India we should not be surprised to see a Pakistan V West Indies final.
Semi Final 1 - South Africa V Pakistan
The first semi final pit hot favorites South Africa against mercurial Pakistan, they are two very different teams which should be an outstanding match.
Pakistan who has been sublime in the last two matches be it only New Zealand and Ireland but what they have is a team that is playing and winning together which makes them a dangerous side for South Africa. The return of Abdul Razzaq seems to have got Pakistan going with his experience as an all-rounder which has given Younus Khan another dimension particular in the strong bowling attack Pakistan posses. There main strength is there bowling with potential bowler of the tournament Umur Gul, guile of Afridi and the return of Rassaq. Also there batting seem to have clicked but it could also be there downfall and how they can handle pressure of a semi final against hungry South Africa.
South Africa have been by far the best team in all departments where they have gone 7 matches unbeaten and have been able to counter attack any situation that situation that have come against. The most impressive win has to be against India on a turning wicket which they dominated where past they would have crumbled and been embarrassed. They seem mentally strong and are not worried out losing another semi final and being called chockers once again. They do not have any weaknesses as they can rely on any player on the batting front or any of the variety of bowlers they have but what they can ensure there fielding will be of high standard and save runs at any moment.
Semi Final 2 – West Indies V Sri Lanka
The second semi final pits unbeaten Sri Lanka against underdogs West Indies, another two different teams should provide a cracking semi final.
West Indies have been the team not many picked to go far after a woeful and embarrassing summer against England. Captain Chris Gayle started it all off with an innings of pure hitting against Australia and all around performances against India and England have taken them to the semi finals. There main strength and match winning ability is in there batting and all there batsmen has the ability to play a winning innings. As we saw against India there bowling can be dangerous especially if they are underestimated, this is most likely to be there downfall in reaching the final.
Sri Lanka have the classiest team and have match winners in the batting with there top four and the three M’s in the bowling attack which can destroy any batting line up. If the all of there top four come off there will not stopping Sri Lanka even if does not there will be one of them who will bat the innings and take Sri Lanka to a competitive score for the bowling attack. Sri Lanka have the most balance bowling attack and the most fearsome with Malinga, Murali and Mendis who have all taken wickets and won matches in the tournament and you can expect them to once again to come to the party.
It is impossible to look past a South Africa V Sri Lanka final but to make a prediction it seems impossible so all we can do any enjoy some fabulous cricket over the next three days.
Most will be hoping for a South Africa V Sri Lanka final which will be the two best unbeaten teams and deserve to pit there wits against for the Twenty20 World Cup. With the unpredictability with the shock elimination for Test Champions Australia and World Champions India we should not be surprised to see a Pakistan V West Indies final.
Semi Final 1 - South Africa V Pakistan
The first semi final pit hot favorites South Africa against mercurial Pakistan, they are two very different teams which should be an outstanding match.
Pakistan who has been sublime in the last two matches be it only New Zealand and Ireland but what they have is a team that is playing and winning together which makes them a dangerous side for South Africa. The return of Abdul Razzaq seems to have got Pakistan going with his experience as an all-rounder which has given Younus Khan another dimension particular in the strong bowling attack Pakistan posses. There main strength is there bowling with potential bowler of the tournament Umur Gul, guile of Afridi and the return of Rassaq. Also there batting seem to have clicked but it could also be there downfall and how they can handle pressure of a semi final against hungry South Africa.
South Africa have been by far the best team in all departments where they have gone 7 matches unbeaten and have been able to counter attack any situation that situation that have come against. The most impressive win has to be against India on a turning wicket which they dominated where past they would have crumbled and been embarrassed. They seem mentally strong and are not worried out losing another semi final and being called chockers once again. They do not have any weaknesses as they can rely on any player on the batting front or any of the variety of bowlers they have but what they can ensure there fielding will be of high standard and save runs at any moment.
Semi Final 2 – West Indies V Sri Lanka
The second semi final pits unbeaten Sri Lanka against underdogs West Indies, another two different teams should provide a cracking semi final.
West Indies have been the team not many picked to go far after a woeful and embarrassing summer against England. Captain Chris Gayle started it all off with an innings of pure hitting against Australia and all around performances against India and England have taken them to the semi finals. There main strength and match winning ability is in there batting and all there batsmen has the ability to play a winning innings. As we saw against India there bowling can be dangerous especially if they are underestimated, this is most likely to be there downfall in reaching the final.
Sri Lanka have the classiest team and have match winners in the batting with there top four and the three M’s in the bowling attack which can destroy any batting line up. If the all of there top four come off there will not stopping Sri Lanka even if does not there will be one of them who will bat the innings and take Sri Lanka to a competitive score for the bowling attack. Sri Lanka have the most balance bowling attack and the most fearsome with Malinga, Murali and Mendis who have all taken wickets and won matches in the tournament and you can expect them to once again to come to the party.
It is impossible to look past a South Africa V Sri Lanka final but to make a prediction it seems impossible so all we can do any enjoy some fabulous cricket over the next three days.
Duckworth-Lewis conspires against England
So England are out and just as their Twenty20 adventure began with a rain soaked defeat, so it ended in similar fashion with a passing thunderstorm ensuring a soggy finish for Paul Collingwood and his men.
It has been a strange old tournament for England, with more ups and downs than a big dipper, but the general feeling seems to be that this was always as far as we were going to get. Indeed after the nightmare against the Netherlands many people expected England to be out within the first three days of the tournament, which would have been an unqualified disaster.
But I feel England do deserve some credit for fighting back against Pakistan and India. The team seemed to perform at their best when backed into a corner and the pressure was on, but sadly that motivation couldn't be carried over to the other matches. South Africa are an excellent side, no question, but England contributed to their own downfall with naive batting in particular letting them down.
However the excellent performance against India gave set them up for what was effectively a quarter final against the West Indies. It was here I felt we needed fate to deal us a good hand, unfortunately it didn't. A decent score of 160 from 20 overs was more than enough to defend but as the storm clouds hovered the infamous Duckworth /Lewis rulebook was opened.
I agree it is the fairest method to decide matches affected by the weather but I can't help feeling the number of wickets allowed should be adjusted accordingly.
The Windies adjusted title of 90 from nine overs with ten wickets remaining put them firmly in the driving seat, it was the equivalent of being 70-0 after eleven overs, a position by which they could swing the bat with plenty of wickets in hand. In the end their depth of batting counted, with the experienced pair of Sarwan and Chanderpaul guiding the Windies home after English hopes were briefly raised by a flurry of quick early wickets.
There is no time to be down through as the Australians are lying in wait. The signs were there during this tournament that England are adapting to the pacy nature of Twenty20, offering hope for the future. But that progress needs to be put to one side along with the white balls and coloured strips - the red ball of test cricket is ready to be taken out.
As much as I would have loved to have seen England win this tournament, especially on home soil, victory in the forthcoming Ashes series would eclipse any success in the Twenty/20. And If you push most England fans, I'm sure they would agree with me.
It has been a strange old tournament for England, with more ups and downs than a big dipper, but the general feeling seems to be that this was always as far as we were going to get. Indeed after the nightmare against the Netherlands many people expected England to be out within the first three days of the tournament, which would have been an unqualified disaster.
But I feel England do deserve some credit for fighting back against Pakistan and India. The team seemed to perform at their best when backed into a corner and the pressure was on, but sadly that motivation couldn't be carried over to the other matches. South Africa are an excellent side, no question, but England contributed to their own downfall with naive batting in particular letting them down.
However the excellent performance against India gave set them up for what was effectively a quarter final against the West Indies. It was here I felt we needed fate to deal us a good hand, unfortunately it didn't. A decent score of 160 from 20 overs was more than enough to defend but as the storm clouds hovered the infamous Duckworth /Lewis rulebook was opened.
I agree it is the fairest method to decide matches affected by the weather but I can't help feeling the number of wickets allowed should be adjusted accordingly.
The Windies adjusted title of 90 from nine overs with ten wickets remaining put them firmly in the driving seat, it was the equivalent of being 70-0 after eleven overs, a position by which they could swing the bat with plenty of wickets in hand. In the end their depth of batting counted, with the experienced pair of Sarwan and Chanderpaul guiding the Windies home after English hopes were briefly raised by a flurry of quick early wickets.
There is no time to be down through as the Australians are lying in wait. The signs were there during this tournament that England are adapting to the pacy nature of Twenty20, offering hope for the future. But that progress needs to be put to one side along with the white balls and coloured strips - the red ball of test cricket is ready to be taken out.
As much as I would have loved to have seen England win this tournament, especially on home soil, victory in the forthcoming Ashes series would eclipse any success in the Twenty/20. And If you push most England fans, I'm sure they would agree with me.
Monday, 15 June 2009
India's Shocking Elimination From The Twenty20 2009 World Cup
India’s elimination from the Twenty20 World Cup 2009 will come as a shock around the world and with anger in India by fans and the media. The other nations and fans will be celebrating India elimination but with the huge fans they have around the world and particular in England, the sponsorships and revenue India generate the longer they last in tournaments is of benefit to all.
Anyone supporting India will be saying only if Yusuf or Yuvraj came in ahead of Jadeja, or they did not leak too many runs, if they only had Sehwag was fit, or the bowlers were on form etc and they may have won the match and may have won the World Cup. But India never looked liked a team that could win this World Cup, there batting, bowling and fielding was poor compared to the standards they have set themselves recently.
Many have to realize that under Dhoni’s captaincy and Kirsten as coach they have had a long successful run in all formats of the game and the elimination is one blip on there cv so far and these two are cricket men and have the brains learn from this. The team still has a lot of talent and promise and should not forget they are challenging for number one in the test and one day rankings. There is always a silver lining and for South Africa who lost 4-0 in the one day series last summer have learnt from there mistakes and come back strongly and have become the team to beat in T20.
For the critics to severely criticize this Indian team need to look at the recent success, test series win in England, T20 World Cup in South Africa, CB Series in Australia, Test and One Day Series in New Zealand and in conditions they would normally struggle. They have come unstuck and players such as Sharma, Raina, Ishant and etc looked poor but they will come back strongly and prove the critics wrong. Dhoni’s captaincy and batting form was a worry as many know Dhoni as a innovative and creative captain but this time around his tactics looked bad and his role as a batsmen is not clear as there are a number of times during the series he should have attacked the bowling but he was happy to take ones and twos which has slowed down and cost India which cannot happen in T20.
The volume of the cricket played by the Indian team over the last 9 months has taken its affect in the World Cup whether some will say that is an excuse but they are humans. Tiredness was a factor which was seen clearly in all three aspects, also one the biggest problem was at the top of the order once Sehwag was sent home due to injury. Whether there was an argument between Dhoni and Sehwag they need to settle there difference as it has shown that India rely on Sehwag as he could have provided them the quick starts they missed, but they also need to find replacements who do a similar role such as Manish Pandey, so building a stronger squad that Dhoni can call on. The form of Zaheer and Ishant was a worry but India do have bowlers such as Munaf, RP, Sreesanth but need to ensure they manage there workloads as fast bowlers are the most vulnerable to injuries.
For the last 10 years or more the pitches in India have been criticized for being flat and this is still a problem even with the success they have had recently. They need to create fast and bouncy pitches that allow batsmen work on there skills and techniques and when they come up against the attacks such England and West Indies who tested them they will be prepared and able to counter attack it.
As we all know the Indian media are going to crucify the Indian team for there elimination and all the players know what to expect once they return home. It will be over the top and it is the most intense pressure from any of the other cricketing nations but they all know the consequences when they win they will be treated as royalty when they lose they will be sold to the highest bidder.
The wounded dog is always at its most vulnerable when down and the West Indies should be warned.
Anyone supporting India will be saying only if Yusuf or Yuvraj came in ahead of Jadeja, or they did not leak too many runs, if they only had Sehwag was fit, or the bowlers were on form etc and they may have won the match and may have won the World Cup. But India never looked liked a team that could win this World Cup, there batting, bowling and fielding was poor compared to the standards they have set themselves recently.
Many have to realize that under Dhoni’s captaincy and Kirsten as coach they have had a long successful run in all formats of the game and the elimination is one blip on there cv so far and these two are cricket men and have the brains learn from this. The team still has a lot of talent and promise and should not forget they are challenging for number one in the test and one day rankings. There is always a silver lining and for South Africa who lost 4-0 in the one day series last summer have learnt from there mistakes and come back strongly and have become the team to beat in T20.
For the critics to severely criticize this Indian team need to look at the recent success, test series win in England, T20 World Cup in South Africa, CB Series in Australia, Test and One Day Series in New Zealand and in conditions they would normally struggle. They have come unstuck and players such as Sharma, Raina, Ishant and etc looked poor but they will come back strongly and prove the critics wrong. Dhoni’s captaincy and batting form was a worry as many know Dhoni as a innovative and creative captain but this time around his tactics looked bad and his role as a batsmen is not clear as there are a number of times during the series he should have attacked the bowling but he was happy to take ones and twos which has slowed down and cost India which cannot happen in T20.
The volume of the cricket played by the Indian team over the last 9 months has taken its affect in the World Cup whether some will say that is an excuse but they are humans. Tiredness was a factor which was seen clearly in all three aspects, also one the biggest problem was at the top of the order once Sehwag was sent home due to injury. Whether there was an argument between Dhoni and Sehwag they need to settle there difference as it has shown that India rely on Sehwag as he could have provided them the quick starts they missed, but they also need to find replacements who do a similar role such as Manish Pandey, so building a stronger squad that Dhoni can call on. The form of Zaheer and Ishant was a worry but India do have bowlers such as Munaf, RP, Sreesanth but need to ensure they manage there workloads as fast bowlers are the most vulnerable to injuries.
For the last 10 years or more the pitches in India have been criticized for being flat and this is still a problem even with the success they have had recently. They need to create fast and bouncy pitches that allow batsmen work on there skills and techniques and when they come up against the attacks such England and West Indies who tested them they will be prepared and able to counter attack it.
As we all know the Indian media are going to crucify the Indian team for there elimination and all the players know what to expect once they return home. It will be over the top and it is the most intense pressure from any of the other cricketing nations but they all know the consequences when they win they will be treated as royalty when they lose they will be sold to the highest bidder.
The wounded dog is always at its most vulnerable when down and the West Indies should be warned.
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Underdogs Produce Shock Wins In The Twenty20 World Cup 2009
Expect the unexpected that is what we have seen over the last couple of days with the underdogs producing outstanding performances and wins which have opened up the whole Twenty20 World Cup for the better.
What we have seen is an outstanding all around performance by Dwayne Bravo with bat and ball to shock the world champions India and a breathtaking bowling spell by Umur Gul to defeat New Zealand.
These performances and victories were out of left field and no one would have predicted that as it puts pressure on the favorites India and New Zealand to qualify for the semi finals. The shock is that both Pakistan and West Indies are so inconsistent that no one would know what to expect from those teams unlike the bigger teams but those two wins have opened up the world cup with who can will qualify for the semi finals or even win the World Cup. The problem is as we have seen West Indies could not produce another similar performance against form team South Africa and for Pakistan they cannot do the same against Ireland but then anything is possible as we have seen this world cup.
The performances of both West Indies and Pakistan were sublime it was the most complete performance for both teams who have had there struggles recently but they have added something extra with there wins and given there passionate fans to look forward to a possible semi final.
The biggest match of the Super 8 stage between India V England at lords is a massive match and a must win for both for them to have a chance to reach the semi finals, what is guaranteed is an electric atmosphere. We have seen over the last two days the underdogs perform shocking results will we see England do the same and knock out world champions India. South Africa win over West Indies was there sixth in a row and the best form of any since in Twent20 emerged in the international arena but there is a sure to be a hiccup up somewhere either against India or more costly in the semi or the final.
Expect the unexpected
What we have seen is an outstanding all around performance by Dwayne Bravo with bat and ball to shock the world champions India and a breathtaking bowling spell by Umur Gul to defeat New Zealand.
These performances and victories were out of left field and no one would have predicted that as it puts pressure on the favorites India and New Zealand to qualify for the semi finals. The shock is that both Pakistan and West Indies are so inconsistent that no one would know what to expect from those teams unlike the bigger teams but those two wins have opened up the world cup with who can will qualify for the semi finals or even win the World Cup. The problem is as we have seen West Indies could not produce another similar performance against form team South Africa and for Pakistan they cannot do the same against Ireland but then anything is possible as we have seen this world cup.
The performances of both West Indies and Pakistan were sublime it was the most complete performance for both teams who have had there struggles recently but they have added something extra with there wins and given there passionate fans to look forward to a possible semi final.
The biggest match of the Super 8 stage between India V England at lords is a massive match and a must win for both for them to have a chance to reach the semi finals, what is guaranteed is an electric atmosphere. We have seen over the last two days the underdogs perform shocking results will we see England do the same and knock out world champions India. South Africa win over West Indies was there sixth in a row and the best form of any since in Twent20 emerged in the international arena but there is a sure to be a hiccup up somewhere either against India or more costly in the semi or the final.
Expect the unexpected
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Australia lacking 20/20 Vision
They came to the tournament saying that this time it would be different, but in the end it wasn't. Australia failed to win one of its two games at the Twenty20 World Cup and suffered the ignominy of not getting past the group stage.
Despite their incredibly competitive nature, Twenty20 cricket and the Australian side have never quite clicked. Maybe it stems from Ricky Ponting and trickles its way down. For someone who is so consistent at Test and One-Day level, his struggles with this game are baffling.
Part of the problem took place at the selection table. In Brad Hodge, Australia has one of the finest Twenty20 players, but he wasn't picked. The woes of Michael Hussey continued and there is no doubt that Hodge should have played in his place.
Who really knows what impact the absence of Andrew Symonds had on the team? He was thrown out of the side just a few days before the tournament began. While it could have affected some of the players, it can't really explain the abject performance of the side.
Was Brett Lee rushed back from injury? From the two games he had figures of 3/95 from 8 overs. Going for 12 an over is something you can not afford from your strike bowler. But should Lee shoulder all the blame when none of the bowlers put their hand up?
The same could be said about the batsmen. David Warner scored the most runs with 63 from two innings. Apart from him, no one batted with any real conviction. They needed someone to hold the innings together, but the regular fall of wickets meant that never happened.
The team just couldn't catch a break. Every time it looked like it was getting back in the game either a wicket fell or the ball found its way to the boundary. Yes it was a tough group, but at the rate it was going, who knows if Australia would have beaten Ireland or the Netherlands?
The big question is if this means anything vis a vis Ashes 2009. There is no way you could compare Twenty20 cricket to Ashes cricket. There is also quite a considerable change in personnel between Australia's Twenty20 team and its side for the Ashes. Australia now has a month before the first Ashes Test. This time off could go either way - we will find out which way it goes at the First Test in Cardiff.
David Wiseman is a sports analyst and journalist for Betfair Australia. Although trying to take an impartial view on the test cricket he is a fan of the boys Down Under.
Despite their incredibly competitive nature, Twenty20 cricket and the Australian side have never quite clicked. Maybe it stems from Ricky Ponting and trickles its way down. For someone who is so consistent at Test and One-Day level, his struggles with this game are baffling.
Part of the problem took place at the selection table. In Brad Hodge, Australia has one of the finest Twenty20 players, but he wasn't picked. The woes of Michael Hussey continued and there is no doubt that Hodge should have played in his place.
Who really knows what impact the absence of Andrew Symonds had on the team? He was thrown out of the side just a few days before the tournament began. While it could have affected some of the players, it can't really explain the abject performance of the side.
Was Brett Lee rushed back from injury? From the two games he had figures of 3/95 from 8 overs. Going for 12 an over is something you can not afford from your strike bowler. But should Lee shoulder all the blame when none of the bowlers put their hand up?
The same could be said about the batsmen. David Warner scored the most runs with 63 from two innings. Apart from him, no one batted with any real conviction. They needed someone to hold the innings together, but the regular fall of wickets meant that never happened.
The team just couldn't catch a break. Every time it looked like it was getting back in the game either a wicket fell or the ball found its way to the boundary. Yes it was a tough group, but at the rate it was going, who knows if Australia would have beaten Ireland or the Netherlands?
The big question is if this means anything vis a vis Ashes 2009. There is no way you could compare Twenty20 cricket to Ashes cricket. There is also quite a considerable change in personnel between Australia's Twenty20 team and its side for the Ashes. Australia now has a month before the first Ashes Test. This time off could go either way - we will find out which way it goes at the First Test in Cardiff.
David Wiseman is a sports analyst and journalist for Betfair Australia. Although trying to take an impartial view on the test cricket he is a fan of the boys Down Under.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Four4
No, it's not the new limited over competition for those with only a short lunch break in which to fit their live cricket watching! However, four-day cricket made a rare appearance in the English summer this week, although weather didn't help it bring in the crowds.
The only clear result of the eight games played was Durham's innings defeat of Hampshire. Graham Onions took match figures of 9-80, ably assisted by Steve Harmison, and poor Michael Carberry suffered two ducks.
There was a promise of a result at Headingley where Sussex gave Yorkshire a generous declaration. However, three quick wickets by skipper Yardy prompted the home side to play for the draw in the end.
Nothing spectacular in the Lancs vs Somerset draw, although Marcus Trescothick came close to a century, stumped off the bowling of Keedy for 95, which sounds like trying and failing to hit the spinner out of the ground! However, Mark Wagh enjoyed scoring 146 for Notts against his old side Warwickshire.
In the second division, Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman each hit hundreds in Gloucestershire's rain-hit match against Derbyshire, Mark Ramprakash scored 138 for Surrey against Glamorgan and Joe Denly nothed his first century of the season for Kent.
At Chelmsford, it was honours evening between rested England Test openers Strauss and Cook. Bowlers were generally on top in the match but the England captain hit 97 for Middlesex and Essex's Cook 84 not out. I can't help feeling that the players getting the best preparation for the Ashes are not those indulging in the twenty-over slogfests but the likes of Strauss, Cook and Onions. And on this week's evidence, they're not doing too badly.
The only clear result of the eight games played was Durham's innings defeat of Hampshire. Graham Onions took match figures of 9-80, ably assisted by Steve Harmison, and poor Michael Carberry suffered two ducks.
There was a promise of a result at Headingley where Sussex gave Yorkshire a generous declaration. However, three quick wickets by skipper Yardy prompted the home side to play for the draw in the end.
Nothing spectacular in the Lancs vs Somerset draw, although Marcus Trescothick came close to a century, stumped off the bowling of Keedy for 95, which sounds like trying and failing to hit the spinner out of the ground! However, Mark Wagh enjoyed scoring 146 for Notts against his old side Warwickshire.
In the second division, Hamish Marshall and Alex Gidman each hit hundreds in Gloucestershire's rain-hit match against Derbyshire, Mark Ramprakash scored 138 for Surrey against Glamorgan and Joe Denly nothed his first century of the season for Kent.
At Chelmsford, it was honours evening between rested England Test openers Strauss and Cook. Bowlers were generally on top in the match but the England captain hit 97 for Middlesex and Essex's Cook 84 not out. I can't help feeling that the players getting the best preparation for the Ashes are not those indulging in the twenty-over slogfests but the likes of Strauss, Cook and Onions. And on this week's evidence, they're not doing too badly.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Pakistan Seal Final Place In Super 8's
Pakistan sealed there final place in the Super 8’s with a compressive win over Netherlands, Younus Khan choose the option to bat first which was odd with the situation they were in it would have be easier to chase a score down in 17 overs. The Pakistan innings started off well but it never had the impetuous that it required knowing they would only qualify if they won by a margin of more then 25 runs. The top three did well but once the third wicket of Shoaib Malik went in the 13th over Pakistan were 99 for 3 and it seemed they would struggle to reach a competitive score.
Captain Younus Khan took the responsibility of scoring 36 from 20 balls and scoring 3 sixes which increased there run rate and was helped once again by Misbah and a brief innings by inconsistent Afridi. Pakistan ended up posting a score of 175 knowing they would have to restrict Ireland to 150 to qualify for the Super 8’s starting on Thursday.
The pressure was always going to be on Netherlands and with every wicket that would fall it would only increase. Pakistan picked up an early wicket and then Netherlands had the biggest partnership of 39 runs till Shadid Afridi removed Zuiderent stumps and from there it was one way traffic. The spinner caused all the problems to Ireland with them bowling 10 over and getting 8 for 49 which is very impressive.
Ultimately it was a relative easy win for Pakistan and deserve there place in the Super 8’s and for some reason I was thinking that Netherlands would be a better team for the Super 8’s but I was proven wrong but this convincing win for Pakistan can not be looked at a turning point as they will come up against more stiffer teams.
With all 8 teams confirmed it will be some interesting matches and you can expect the unexpected.
Group E the hardest which consists of India, England, South Africa and West Indies, it is quite hard to predict which way this group will go. After South Africa’s very impressive low scoring win over the Kiwis they look the best team but for England and West Indies if they can carry on there momentum forward anything is possible and the World Champions India they will be quietly confident even with loss of Sehwag.
Group F which is the easiest consists, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Ireland, you will expect Sri Lanka and New Zealand too have too much for Pakistan and Ireland and reach the semi finals with ease. It is unfair on Ireland to discount them immediately but for them to play to there standards to win two matches could be asking for too much but for Pakistan anything is possible and if they believe they can win and there big players perform either New Zealand or Sri Lanka will be bitterly disappointed to miss out on the semi finals.
It is hard to look past South Africa winning the second edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup.
Captain Younus Khan took the responsibility of scoring 36 from 20 balls and scoring 3 sixes which increased there run rate and was helped once again by Misbah and a brief innings by inconsistent Afridi. Pakistan ended up posting a score of 175 knowing they would have to restrict Ireland to 150 to qualify for the Super 8’s starting on Thursday.
The pressure was always going to be on Netherlands and with every wicket that would fall it would only increase. Pakistan picked up an early wicket and then Netherlands had the biggest partnership of 39 runs till Shadid Afridi removed Zuiderent stumps and from there it was one way traffic. The spinner caused all the problems to Ireland with them bowling 10 over and getting 8 for 49 which is very impressive.
Ultimately it was a relative easy win for Pakistan and deserve there place in the Super 8’s and for some reason I was thinking that Netherlands would be a better team for the Super 8’s but I was proven wrong but this convincing win for Pakistan can not be looked at a turning point as they will come up against more stiffer teams.
With all 8 teams confirmed it will be some interesting matches and you can expect the unexpected.
Group E the hardest which consists of India, England, South Africa and West Indies, it is quite hard to predict which way this group will go. After South Africa’s very impressive low scoring win over the Kiwis they look the best team but for England and West Indies if they can carry on there momentum forward anything is possible and the World Champions India they will be quietly confident even with loss of Sehwag.
Group F which is the easiest consists, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Ireland, you will expect Sri Lanka and New Zealand too have too much for Pakistan and Ireland and reach the semi finals with ease. It is unfair on Ireland to discount them immediately but for them to play to there standards to win two matches could be asking for too much but for Pakistan anything is possible and if they believe they can win and there big players perform either New Zealand or Sri Lanka will be bitterly disappointed to miss out on the semi finals.
It is hard to look past South Africa winning the second edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Australia Dumped Out Of Twenty20 World Cup 2009
Sri Lanka have done what every nation would love to do is dump the Aussies out a major ICC tournament and the Twenty20 crown still eludes the baggy green nation.
In simple the Aussies were awful in all departments where Sri Lanka were magnificent and deserve there win and a place in the Super 8’s. The Aussies batting could not have started off worse with losing Warner in the first over which brought in captain Ponting who is always suspect at the start but looked very good scoring at a strike rate of 166.66 before he bowled by a superb ball by Mendis which brought a clutter of wickets. Next Mendis got the wicket of Watson and Malinga bowled Haddin and Udana removed Clarke leaving Australia reeling at 79 for 5.
Things only got worse for the Aussies with Michael Hussey losing his wicket in the 15th over leaving Australia reeling at 94 for 6 and it seemed impossible for them to post a competitive target that would test Sri Lanka. But Mitchell Johnson had other ideas where he came in and played the type of innings that was required scoring 28 of 13 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes, and he was helped by Brett Lee who scored a quick fire 15 to post a competitive 159.
Sri Lanka had the perfect start apart from losing Jayasuriya with an excellent partnership from Dllshan and Sangakkara who both ended up scoring half centuries. With Sangakkara at the crease the chase was always in control and manageable even when the required run rate kept on increasing but it was helped by cheap wickets of ex captain Jayawardene and Silva. But captain Sagakkara kept his cool head and calmness and he allowed Mubarak to express himself and scored 2 big sixes who took the pressure of his captain and put the pressure back on the Ricky Ponting.
The less that can be said about Australia’s bowling the better it lacked the imagination, the variety, and cricket brain to outsmart batting teams which is sad state of affair when looking at Australian bowling attacks of McGrath and Warne that dominated for long periods. The way the match ended was not the way Sri Lanka would have liked with wide but it is a win over the Aussies but it said more about Australia’s two performances in the tournament.
A lot of credit has to be given to Sri Lanka who in one match look a very good team and should reach the semi finals without breaking a sweat. They have the most balance bowling attack with the creativity, imagination and guile that will trouble any batting line and the top four batsmen have the ability to win matches single handily.
This day may be remembered for Australia being dumped out of the Twenty20 World Cup but it also has to be remembered for Ireland’s fantastic win over Bangladesh that takes them into the Super 8’s which is marvelous effort. It is a another blow to Bangladesh who have not been progressing since the 2007 World Cup and there were a team who could have troubled teams in the next round.
Day four has shown expect the unexpected and that is what we got an Ireland win and the Australians dumped out.
In simple the Aussies were awful in all departments where Sri Lanka were magnificent and deserve there win and a place in the Super 8’s. The Aussies batting could not have started off worse with losing Warner in the first over which brought in captain Ponting who is always suspect at the start but looked very good scoring at a strike rate of 166.66 before he bowled by a superb ball by Mendis which brought a clutter of wickets. Next Mendis got the wicket of Watson and Malinga bowled Haddin and Udana removed Clarke leaving Australia reeling at 79 for 5.
Things only got worse for the Aussies with Michael Hussey losing his wicket in the 15th over leaving Australia reeling at 94 for 6 and it seemed impossible for them to post a competitive target that would test Sri Lanka. But Mitchell Johnson had other ideas where he came in and played the type of innings that was required scoring 28 of 13 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes, and he was helped by Brett Lee who scored a quick fire 15 to post a competitive 159.
Sri Lanka had the perfect start apart from losing Jayasuriya with an excellent partnership from Dllshan and Sangakkara who both ended up scoring half centuries. With Sangakkara at the crease the chase was always in control and manageable even when the required run rate kept on increasing but it was helped by cheap wickets of ex captain Jayawardene and Silva. But captain Sagakkara kept his cool head and calmness and he allowed Mubarak to express himself and scored 2 big sixes who took the pressure of his captain and put the pressure back on the Ricky Ponting.
The less that can be said about Australia’s bowling the better it lacked the imagination, the variety, and cricket brain to outsmart batting teams which is sad state of affair when looking at Australian bowling attacks of McGrath and Warne that dominated for long periods. The way the match ended was not the way Sri Lanka would have liked with wide but it is a win over the Aussies but it said more about Australia’s two performances in the tournament.
A lot of credit has to be given to Sri Lanka who in one match look a very good team and should reach the semi finals without breaking a sweat. They have the most balance bowling attack with the creativity, imagination and guile that will trouble any batting line and the top four batsmen have the ability to win matches single handily.
This day may be remembered for Australia being dumped out of the Twenty20 World Cup but it also has to be remembered for Ireland’s fantastic win over Bangladesh that takes them into the Super 8’s which is marvelous effort. It is a another blow to Bangladesh who have not been progressing since the 2007 World Cup and there were a team who could have troubled teams in the next round.
Day four has shown expect the unexpected and that is what we got an Ireland win and the Australians dumped out.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Hundreds At Last!
Before the World Twenty20 competition launched, and the counties reverted to four-day games - for a fortnight - we finally witnessed the first domestic Twenty20 Cup centuries of the campaign.
On Thursday, Michael Lumb hit an unbeaten 124 in Hampshire's win over Essex. He hit 14 fours and four sixes in a 69-ball innings that ranks third in the English Twenty20 record score table, and shared a second-wicket 170-run partnership with Carberry.
Earlier, Leicestershire's James Allenby crashed 8 sixes and 7 fours to hit 110 in only 58 balls to help his side to a 70-run win over Notts. He then took 3-25 with the ball. Now that's just showing off! He's the competition's top scorer, too.
Most sides have another four matches still to play but only one county is unbeaten. Lancashire have won six out of six so far, and look favourites to qualify from the North division, although Roses rivals Yorkshire are in second place. Sussex lead the South division but have played two more than Hampshire, Kent and Essex who cold catch them. In the other group, Northants lead Somerset and Worcestershire by two points. Champions Middlesex are the only side with no points and will need to win all five remaining games to stand any chance of progressing and defending their title. More proof of the unpredictability of this form of cricket if any was needed!
On Thursday, Michael Lumb hit an unbeaten 124 in Hampshire's win over Essex. He hit 14 fours and four sixes in a 69-ball innings that ranks third in the English Twenty20 record score table, and shared a second-wicket 170-run partnership with Carberry.
Earlier, Leicestershire's James Allenby crashed 8 sixes and 7 fours to hit 110 in only 58 balls to help his side to a 70-run win over Notts. He then took 3-25 with the ball. Now that's just showing off! He's the competition's top scorer, too.
Most sides have another four matches still to play but only one county is unbeaten. Lancashire have won six out of six so far, and look favourites to qualify from the North division, although Roses rivals Yorkshire are in second place. Sussex lead the South division but have played two more than Hampshire, Kent and Essex who cold catch them. In the other group, Northants lead Somerset and Worcestershire by two points. Champions Middlesex are the only side with no points and will need to win all five remaining games to stand any chance of progressing and defending their title. More proof of the unpredictability of this form of cricket if any was needed!
Friday, 5 June 2009
Netherlands Shock England In Opening Match Of Twenty20 World Cup 2009
Courageous, Gutsy, Brave performance by the Netherlands to beat England in the opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup. There are too many superlatives that can be said about the Netherlands but for England it was a poor performance and after the first 10 overs they had no answers in any of the departments and the pressure got the better of hem.
Expect the unexpected was what I predicted and it was exactly what we got and even more in this format it brings all the teams to a closer level and the unexpected can happen.
The typical British weather got the better of the cricket with the opening ceremony being abandoned and play being delayed by 20 minutes. It seemed nerves got the better of the Netherlands and England’s opening pair of Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara started off brightly. With England to have lost there first wicket for 102 in the 11th over and to score only 60 runs in the last 9 overs was the deciding factor in the final result. England’s inability to hit the ball out of the ground raises even more questions about the team selection. With Flintoff already ruled out and Pietersen out to injury not to select Machernas or Napier instead of Robert Key was bizarre and in hindsight it is easy to say.
With a score of 162 England should have had enough but they lost momentum to the Netherlands at the end of there innings even with losing a wicket in the opening over it did not stop them to attack and scored runs quite easily. Reekers, man of the match De Grooth and Borren all played vital innings and between them they scored 4 sixes compared to England 0. At the half way stage Netherlands were ahead of the D/L and the pressure was getting to England as they fielding was shoddy and missed a numerous runs outs but as the end drew closer the pressure also got to Netherlands and they lost wickets but they still continued to play there shots.
Collingwood’s captaincy has to be questioned firstly with the team selection and then his bowling choices where he opted to continue with Rashid who looks very promising but got hit and also with the medium pacers instead of going to his strike bowlers. Netherlands required 7 of the last over and it was Stuart Broad who had the ball and to stop England from facing an embarrassing defeat and in the first three balls they scored three runs and also three chance of runs out which did not materialize. Of the final ball Netherlands needed 1 runs to draw and go to a super over and 2 runs to win and a tumble from Stuart Broad who aimed for the stumps and went for over throws and allowed Netherlands to there first major victory over a major international team.
Group B is wide open with any of the three teams can still qualify and the possibility for England to be knocked out is very much possible like it was in World Cup 1999. This result is a stern warning to rest of the major international teams to be aware and be top of there game otherwise we will be seeing many more upsets.
Netherlands were running around Lords as they had won the Twenty20 World Cup but could we see that on Sunday 21st June, expect the unexpected.
Expect the unexpected was what I predicted and it was exactly what we got and even more in this format it brings all the teams to a closer level and the unexpected can happen.
The typical British weather got the better of the cricket with the opening ceremony being abandoned and play being delayed by 20 minutes. It seemed nerves got the better of the Netherlands and England’s opening pair of Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara started off brightly. With England to have lost there first wicket for 102 in the 11th over and to score only 60 runs in the last 9 overs was the deciding factor in the final result. England’s inability to hit the ball out of the ground raises even more questions about the team selection. With Flintoff already ruled out and Pietersen out to injury not to select Machernas or Napier instead of Robert Key was bizarre and in hindsight it is easy to say.
With a score of 162 England should have had enough but they lost momentum to the Netherlands at the end of there innings even with losing a wicket in the opening over it did not stop them to attack and scored runs quite easily. Reekers, man of the match De Grooth and Borren all played vital innings and between them they scored 4 sixes compared to England 0. At the half way stage Netherlands were ahead of the D/L and the pressure was getting to England as they fielding was shoddy and missed a numerous runs outs but as the end drew closer the pressure also got to Netherlands and they lost wickets but they still continued to play there shots.
Collingwood’s captaincy has to be questioned firstly with the team selection and then his bowling choices where he opted to continue with Rashid who looks very promising but got hit and also with the medium pacers instead of going to his strike bowlers. Netherlands required 7 of the last over and it was Stuart Broad who had the ball and to stop England from facing an embarrassing defeat and in the first three balls they scored three runs and also three chance of runs out which did not materialize. Of the final ball Netherlands needed 1 runs to draw and go to a super over and 2 runs to win and a tumble from Stuart Broad who aimed for the stumps and went for over throws and allowed Netherlands to there first major victory over a major international team.
Group B is wide open with any of the three teams can still qualify and the possibility for England to be knocked out is very much possible like it was in World Cup 1999. This result is a stern warning to rest of the major international teams to be aware and be top of there game otherwise we will be seeing many more upsets.
Netherlands were running around Lords as they had won the Twenty20 World Cup but could we see that on Sunday 21st June, expect the unexpected.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Twenty20 World Cup 2009 - Expect The Unexpected
The second edition of the Twenty20 World Cup kicks off on Friday 5th June England V Holland which is not most entertaining match that will catch the cricket world’s eyes but with the recent success of the IPL we should expect a very high standard in the World Cup.
What can we expect from the World Cup, I think the best to expect is the unexpected because the Twenty20 format can allow a match to change with one mistake, a couple of quick wickets or a huge over. But that is the same of any format but in the Twenty20 format a critical over or mistake can change the game drastically but then you are never really out of the game as we have seen in the IPL with the amount of last over and even last ball wins by the batting and bowling teams.
The World Cup may be played at the right time in England with the weather forecasting being good so we can expect excellent crowds and atmosphere at the big matches. Hopefully no matches affected by the weather or even a super over which is not fair on the teams and even more the fans.
From the warm up matches we have seen that a score of 180/190 can be a winning target where anything up to 150 will be very competitive and it can be anyone’s day. The role of the spinners will play a huge role in the success of the teams as it did in the IPL and we should not be surprised to see the spinner opening the bowling and with success. The team who succeeds in the powerplay will be significant that could ultimately be the decisive factor who goes the furthest and win the World Cup.
Any of the teams have a chance to win, on any day anyone can beat the other but most will be looking at India and South Africa as favorites which would be hard to look beyond those two but you cannot discount New Zealand who will be the outsiders. Any of the 5 team who reach the Super 8’s will be thinking they have a good as chance as any.
England –
The hosts need to put a good show not only for themselves also for the tournament which will keep the interest alive in the country. The winning form they have been on can take them a long way but a lot will depend on Bopara and Pietersen to score bulk of the runs. In the Super 8’s they will need to be on top of there game as they will be in toughest of groups and could be facing two of the favorites.
Pakistan –
After a dismal 18 months and a crushing humiliating defeat to India it is very hard to see Pakistan reach the semi finals. They will require the big players in Younis Khan, Misbah, Shadid Afridi and Umur Gul to carry the team but even that may not be enough.
West Indies –
The most unpredictable team but will they either be hot or cold. They have the hardest group to get out in the first stages and if they get through they will fancy there chances for the semi finals. They have the batting line up that can destroy bowling line ups and a very useful bowling line up, a lot will depend on Chris Gayle and if he is on form as captain and batsmen he is unplayable. With there unpredictability winning the World Cup is a bit too much for them.
Australia –
They have the all around team and motivation to do well which is the only ICC tournament they have not won. You would expect Australia to get out of there tough group in the first round but could struggle in the second round if they have play India, South Africa and hosts England. Players such Ponting, Clarke, Hussey will be key but the all around skills of Shane Watson could be crucial and show his class like he did in the first IPL season. Would do well to reach the semi finals.
Bangladesh –
The form and development has been not been smooth but as they have shown in the last two tournaments they can beat the big boys so beating India is not impossible. Anything is possible in the Super 8’s and if they play with the freedom and enjoyment they can beat anyone but conditions may not suit them and make it too much for them to reach the semi finals.
Sri Lanka –
They have a very good team with the likes of in a very strong batting line up with Murali, Mendis and Maligna in the bowling line up. But they don’t have the best record in England and they have the hardest group in the first round but if they do get through they have a good chance of reaching the semi finals.
New Zealand –
The outsiders of the tournament a very good team lead by a shrewd captain in Vettori. There batting is the strength with there fielding, the bowling may not be the strongest but has the ability to trouble oppositions and have the best Twenty20 bowler in Daniel Vettori. Any of there batsmen have the ability to be the stars of the World Cup and you would expect them to reach the semi finals.
South Africa –
Many favorites to win the World Cup they have an excellent team, batting, bowling and fielding department is top notch and one of the best captains around in Graeme Smith. The English conditions will be perfect for them with there bowling attack and have a very good spinner in Botha. There batting line up has the strength in depth and the power batsmen you need in this format.
India –
The world champions the rock stars of cricket will fell the pressure of performing and doing well this time around. They have the most experience in all departments and any of the eleven they pick has the ability to take India to victory. Two big factors will depend how they perform, firstly the fitness of Zaheer Khan as he gives them the control that will be crucial and how they adapt to the conditions. You would expect them to reach the semi finals but then with India you can never expect too much.
Favorites India and South Africa are impossible to look past in winning the second edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup but dark horses New Zealand have an outstanding chance to cause a shock.
What can we expect from the World Cup, I think the best to expect is the unexpected because the Twenty20 format can allow a match to change with one mistake, a couple of quick wickets or a huge over. But that is the same of any format but in the Twenty20 format a critical over or mistake can change the game drastically but then you are never really out of the game as we have seen in the IPL with the amount of last over and even last ball wins by the batting and bowling teams.
The World Cup may be played at the right time in England with the weather forecasting being good so we can expect excellent crowds and atmosphere at the big matches. Hopefully no matches affected by the weather or even a super over which is not fair on the teams and even more the fans.
From the warm up matches we have seen that a score of 180/190 can be a winning target where anything up to 150 will be very competitive and it can be anyone’s day. The role of the spinners will play a huge role in the success of the teams as it did in the IPL and we should not be surprised to see the spinner opening the bowling and with success. The team who succeeds in the powerplay will be significant that could ultimately be the decisive factor who goes the furthest and win the World Cup.
Any of the teams have a chance to win, on any day anyone can beat the other but most will be looking at India and South Africa as favorites which would be hard to look beyond those two but you cannot discount New Zealand who will be the outsiders. Any of the 5 team who reach the Super 8’s will be thinking they have a good as chance as any.
England –
The hosts need to put a good show not only for themselves also for the tournament which will keep the interest alive in the country. The winning form they have been on can take them a long way but a lot will depend on Bopara and Pietersen to score bulk of the runs. In the Super 8’s they will need to be on top of there game as they will be in toughest of groups and could be facing two of the favorites.
Pakistan –
After a dismal 18 months and a crushing humiliating defeat to India it is very hard to see Pakistan reach the semi finals. They will require the big players in Younis Khan, Misbah, Shadid Afridi and Umur Gul to carry the team but even that may not be enough.
West Indies –
The most unpredictable team but will they either be hot or cold. They have the hardest group to get out in the first stages and if they get through they will fancy there chances for the semi finals. They have the batting line up that can destroy bowling line ups and a very useful bowling line up, a lot will depend on Chris Gayle and if he is on form as captain and batsmen he is unplayable. With there unpredictability winning the World Cup is a bit too much for them.
Australia –
They have the all around team and motivation to do well which is the only ICC tournament they have not won. You would expect Australia to get out of there tough group in the first round but could struggle in the second round if they have play India, South Africa and hosts England. Players such Ponting, Clarke, Hussey will be key but the all around skills of Shane Watson could be crucial and show his class like he did in the first IPL season. Would do well to reach the semi finals.
Bangladesh –
The form and development has been not been smooth but as they have shown in the last two tournaments they can beat the big boys so beating India is not impossible. Anything is possible in the Super 8’s and if they play with the freedom and enjoyment they can beat anyone but conditions may not suit them and make it too much for them to reach the semi finals.
Sri Lanka –
They have a very good team with the likes of in a very strong batting line up with Murali, Mendis and Maligna in the bowling line up. But they don’t have the best record in England and they have the hardest group in the first round but if they do get through they have a good chance of reaching the semi finals.
New Zealand –
The outsiders of the tournament a very good team lead by a shrewd captain in Vettori. There batting is the strength with there fielding, the bowling may not be the strongest but has the ability to trouble oppositions and have the best Twenty20 bowler in Daniel Vettori. Any of there batsmen have the ability to be the stars of the World Cup and you would expect them to reach the semi finals.
South Africa –
Many favorites to win the World Cup they have an excellent team, batting, bowling and fielding department is top notch and one of the best captains around in Graeme Smith. The English conditions will be perfect for them with there bowling attack and have a very good spinner in Botha. There batting line up has the strength in depth and the power batsmen you need in this format.
India –
The world champions the rock stars of cricket will fell the pressure of performing and doing well this time around. They have the most experience in all departments and any of the eleven they pick has the ability to take India to victory. Two big factors will depend how they perform, firstly the fitness of Zaheer Khan as he gives them the control that will be crucial and how they adapt to the conditions. You would expect them to reach the semi finals but then with India you can never expect too much.
Favorites India and South Africa are impossible to look past in winning the second edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup but dark horses New Zealand have an outstanding chance to cause a shock.
Monday, 1 June 2009
England hope World Cup success can provide springboard for Ashes
As the cricket calendar gets ever more crowded it must be getting confusing for players as to which form of the game, and for which side, they are playing next.
After the one-sided test win over the West Indies England gained a similar convincing victory over the same opponents in the 50-over international series. After a brief stop-off with their counties for the first half of the domestic Twenty/20 Cup the England players have now joined up again in time for the start of the Twenty/20 World Cup – keeping up?
There is no Andrew Strauss in England’s squad of course so you're going to miss out if you fancied placing a bet on Andrew Strauss. As Chris Gayle so eloquently pointed out, Strauss' game isn’t perhaps suited to the smash and grabs style of 20/20. So in his absence the responsibility falls once again on Paul Collingwood to steer his side through the tournament and a form of the game which began in England but has seen them under perform in it in recent years.
Collingwood will hope those players, who were involved in the test side, the likes of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ravi Bopara, can take the confidence gained from those victories over the West Indies into this tournament and give his side the momentum. Much hope will rest however on the performance of the so called Twenty/20 specialists, such as Essex wicketkeeper James Foster and all-rounder team-mate Graham Napier, Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid and Middlesex batsman Eoin Morgan.
But as great as success in the T20 would be, we all know that the real focus is on the forthcoming Ashes series.
As Ricky Ponting sat in his news conference the day after his Australian squad arrived on English soil last week he knew the talk would not venture far from the old tussle that recommences in July. And true to his prediction most of the questions asked by journalists were about the Ashes rather than the Twenty20 World Cup.
But that is only to be expected after such a thrilling series in England in 2005 and the embarrassing white-wash in 2006/07. In many senses the contest starts now, with mind-games and psychological blows ready to be delivered. If England can find success in the 20/20 tournament and harness the support of the home crowd they could try and claim a small psychological victory ahead of the first piece of Ashes cricket action in Cardiff on July 8th. In a series that is predicted to be close, it could make all the difference.
After the one-sided test win over the West Indies England gained a similar convincing victory over the same opponents in the 50-over international series. After a brief stop-off with their counties for the first half of the domestic Twenty/20 Cup the England players have now joined up again in time for the start of the Twenty/20 World Cup – keeping up?
There is no Andrew Strauss in England’s squad of course so you're going to miss out if you fancied placing a bet on Andrew Strauss. As Chris Gayle so eloquently pointed out, Strauss' game isn’t perhaps suited to the smash and grabs style of 20/20. So in his absence the responsibility falls once again on Paul Collingwood to steer his side through the tournament and a form of the game which began in England but has seen them under perform in it in recent years.
Collingwood will hope those players, who were involved in the test side, the likes of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ravi Bopara, can take the confidence gained from those victories over the West Indies into this tournament and give his side the momentum. Much hope will rest however on the performance of the so called Twenty/20 specialists, such as Essex wicketkeeper James Foster and all-rounder team-mate Graham Napier, Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid and Middlesex batsman Eoin Morgan.
But as great as success in the T20 would be, we all know that the real focus is on the forthcoming Ashes series.
As Ricky Ponting sat in his news conference the day after his Australian squad arrived on English soil last week he knew the talk would not venture far from the old tussle that recommences in July. And true to his prediction most of the questions asked by journalists were about the Ashes rather than the Twenty20 World Cup.
But that is only to be expected after such a thrilling series in England in 2005 and the embarrassing white-wash in 2006/07. In many senses the contest starts now, with mind-games and psychological blows ready to be delivered. If England can find success in the 20/20 tournament and harness the support of the home crowd they could try and claim a small psychological victory ahead of the first piece of Ashes cricket action in Cardiff on July 8th. In a series that is predicted to be close, it could make all the difference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
