Cricket Tournaments

South Africa always start as favourites whenever they take on England. But, on Saturday, the latter side reigned supreme as they comfortably outsmarted the hosts by 39-runs at the Kensington Oval. With this win, the Englishmen headed one step closer to the semi-finals.

Yet again, Kevin Pietersen was the chief architect of the triumph. He smashed a scintillating 53 from 33 balls and also featured in a 94-run stand with Craig Kieswetter, as England put up a challenging total of 168 for 7, batting first. The bowlers then did the rest, bowling out South Africa for a measly 129, to romp home by a comfortable 39-run margin.

Spin did the trick for the bowling side as Graeme Swann picked up three crucial wickets and Michael Yardy. Ryan Sidebottom then demolished the tail in no time to cap an extremely impressive performance by England.

Pietersen, who will be returning back home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, played an impactful knock that took the sting out of South Africa’s bowling. The Proetas depended heavily on their paces, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, but both came a cropper on this day.

The duo was torn apart by Pietersen and Kieswetter’s, in a partnership which perceptibly hurt the psyche of the bowling side. Steyn was smashed for three boundaries in his very first over while Morkel gave away two free hits in his opening over.

The momentum was with England, though South Africa had a chance when Pietersen edge one of Morkel, but neither Mark Boucher nor Jacques Kallis went for the catch.

Charl Langeveldt’s introduction only made matters worse. He conceded wides, sprayed the ball all over and was taken for plenty as England hit their way to 65 for 1 at the of the Powerplay. If South were able to restrict England to well below 200, which looked eminently possible at one stage, it was due to the efforts of experienced hands like Johan Botha and Kallis.

While the former conceded a stingy 15 runs in his quota of overs, Kallis ensured he bowled a tight line as well. But, Botha it was who ended Pietersen’s whirlwind knock, having him caught at short fine-leg.

Kieswetter also fell soon trying to up the ante. Wickets kept falling in the pursuit of runs as Paul Collingwood and Luke Wright also perished. Langeveldt came back well in the death overs, his yorker length deliveries came in handy in resisting England’s charge.

Slog over specialist Eoin Morgan also couldn’t provide the requisite finishing touches to the innings as the Proteas recovered reasonably well from an unimpressive start.

South Africa should have been buoyed by the comeback by their bowlers. But, it hardly reflected in their batting effort. Opening with Graeme Smith and Kallis chose to play it safe in the Powerplay overs, a ploy which backfired big time. As the pressure built up, Kallis miscued a drive to mid off. And when, England introduced spin, the match turned even more in their favour.

Herschelle Gibbs missed his chance to stand up being the senior pro, as Yardy removed him with his first ball; a mention has to be made of Sidebottom, who took a stunning catch running backwards.

If Yardy put in a notable effort, Swann was lethal. After troubling Smith on a number of occasions, he had him caught off an attempted sweep that was top-edged. Swann also got rid of the dangerous AB de Villiers cheaply as a pull shot was lapped up skipper Collingwood. South Africa were not helped by the fact that Albie Morkel could not repeat the heroics of his previous match.

He was cleaned up Yardy and soon the South Africans were struggling at 53 for 5. Sidebottom’s aggressive mop-up job meant, England were well on their way to secure a semi-final birth. Speaking of birth, the Englishmen would also hope that Pietersen returns in time for the semis, following his wife’s delivery.

The T20 world cup is the next big international tournament. The world cup follows the domestic Indian premier league which will have players from most part of the world cup. Just like the 2009 T20 World cup the IPL will provide a perfect foil for players playing in the T20 World cup. Players would get perfect match practice and would be in the right frame of mind before they head to the Caribbean to take on one another. Although T20 goes against prediction and the line of reputation we’ll have a look at the main contenders…

Australia— The aussies are looking absolute giants in this form of the game. In face the aussies are currently looking giants in all forms be it Test, ODI or T20 cricket. This is largely due to the fact that they have specialized squads for the different forms of the game. Talking about the T20 format the re-emergence of perhaps the fastest bowler in the world currently, Shaun Tait is a huge bonus for the aussies as he comes with not just raw pace but off late; he seems to be finding the right spots as well. He will come in very handy and has been in tremendous form ever since his return to the Australian national side.

Another of their T20 expertise is the small and compact power house, David Warner—the man has the second fastest fifty in T20 history and is capable of blowing away any bowling attack in the world. He has done so in the past and as far as the aussies are concerned they will be hoping he continues to do it for them. There is no better player who can build an innings in T20 cricket better than David Hussey.

Second only to Victorian team mate Brad hodge in terms of runs he at number 4 will be vital if Australia have to reach the knockout stages of the tournament. Australia have a perfect number 5 in Cameron white, his explosive batting with an uncomplicated technique is of great bonus and is one of their more experienced players at this form of the game. In Watson, Australia have the perfect all rounder they could ask for who could provide them with an explosive start. Along with them the aussies have Mitchell Johnson, their skipper- Michael Clarke, Hauritz and wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.

Australia also have the pacey left arm seamer dirk nannes who is one of the skiddiest customers the game has ever seen. And IF, only IF, ace pace man Brett Lee is fit and raring to go—the aussies will have absolutely nothing to worry about as his experience and his class will be a big boost under a big stage like the world twenty 20. Australia have a very well knit unit under a new captain. They will be pressing hard to get their hands on the title they never have.

South Africa— The South African’s rest assured will play very good cricket and are probable to do well and reach the knock out stage. But, the problem with South Africa is and has always been once they get to that stage, they choke. They will be itching to prove all of that wrong and change how they are looked at in the cricketing world. They have a very good combination of both talent and experience.

In Graeme smith they have a crafty batsman who could pull out the long handle if need be. They have the young and electric bosman right at the top who could help the south Africans to a flyer. They have the ever dependable Kallis if they choose to pick him. The mercurial gibbs who due to his unpredictability could prove to be exactly what the Africans need on a big match stage. They have the best ODI bowler in the world in Steyn. But for me if South Africa have to get far into the tournament and far enough to win the tournament they need a particular man to shine and that man is ‘Abraham De Villiers’.

De Villiers has been in tremendous form over the last couple of years and he is now in the phase of entering the peak of his life as far as his batting is concerned. South Africa really need him to be firing on all cylinders if they have to stand any chance of putting up an impressive performance at this year’s World T20. South Africa seem to have a good combination but it’s important that they keep their past behind them and hope that De Villiers plays at his best.

India— India have a very good side and with Virender Sehwag in great nick at the top; they seem unstoppable. They also have the T20 man Yuvraj Singh who is as dangerous as T20 is to test cricket. The Indian team have one of the best batting line ups in the competition with Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Raina and pathan forming their top 6. However, it is their bowling that is a cause of worry. Presumably it would be Zaheer khan, Ishant Sharma, harbhajan singh and perhaps Nehra.

The Indians have a very unsettled bowling line up with Zaheer being the only formidable option after having good success over the past couple of seasons. India have bowling and fielding concerns. However, they are still in good stead mainly due to their batting. If India needs to make it to the final four they will have to dig deep and do something about their lack luster bowling and fielding as the latter is what primarily matters in a T20 game.

Sri Lanka— They made the finals last time round but were beaten by a very determined Pakistan team. They have a very good side with a devastating opening combination capable of tearing any bowling attack. Dilshan and jayasuriya on their day could win Lanka the match single handedly; if either one of them have a good tournament, it can be said that Sri lanka would make the final cut. They have two of the most elegant players in the modern era to follow in skipper Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Angelo Mathews a very promising all rounder and a future prospect for sure to look forward to. Their bowling is a good one too as they have the best spinners in the tournament—Muttiah Muralidaran and Mendis. Malinga, the slinger is capable of bowling 6 consecutive Yorkers and the opposition should be vary of that. Sri Lanka seem strong on the fielding department as well with Mathews and Dilshan right up front.

The others New Zealand, Pakistan (Although champions), West Indies and England do not seem to have the fire power and the lack of “consistent” game breakers seems to be their undoing. The above favourites are favourites only on paper and nothing can be portended as T20 is indeed a game of thrills and spills.

Starting Sunday, India and Australia will battle it out in what is expected to be yet another engrossing series. While the Tests between the two sides have produced more entertaining cricket in recent times, Australia would not be complaining too much as they have an excellent one-day record in India. They beat India 4-2 during the last one-day series between the two sides, which was held in 2007.

Australia had also clinched the one-day contests in 2003 (tri-series involving New Zealand) and 2001 (bilateral). More importantly, they go into the clash with a huge amount of confidence and good form behind their back. Post losing the prestigious Ashes, they trounced England 6-1 in the one-dayers that followed and defended their Champions Trophy crown without much trouble.

In the process, they also regained the numero uno ranking, which they had lost briefly India, on the other hand, have had a rather torrid run. They suffered a major setback, losing to Pakistan in their Champions Trophy game and were thus knocked out of the major tournament. Earlier in the year, they failed in the T20 World Cup as well, losing in the first round itself. In addition to that, none of the IPL teams, which feature players who will take part in this tournament, made it past the Super 8 stage in the Champions League T20. Of course there were series wins in West Indies and more recently Sri Lanka. However, they were rather hollow and only helped in hiding the deficiencies that existed in the Indian team.

That said, they are dangerous side at home, no matter who the opposition. And Australia are fully well aware of that. The fact that three big names of Indian cricket – Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and paceman Zaheer Khan – have returned from injury will be a major boost to the team. But it would be unfair to expect them to fire straightaway as some amount of rustiness is bound to creep in.
A lot will thus depend on the other big three of the team – Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and the skipper MS Dhoni himself. They will have to fire for India to do well in this tough contest as the bowling remains India’s weakness. As mentioned before, the comeback of Zaheer is a plus and while Ashish Nehra has been good on his return to the international scene, his consistency can only be measured over a longer period of time. Also, Harbhajan Singh needs to do some serious soul-searching to be return to his ‘Turbanator’ ways.

Following some eye-grabbing domestic performances Munaf Patel gets another opportunity to resurrect his international, while Sudeep Tyagi has a deserved chance to show that he is ready for big-time cricket. And with Yusuf Pathan being shown the door, Ravindra Jadeja can stake his claim to being the batting all-rounder in the side. India cannot afford to take too long to find the right combination though.

Conversely, Australia are looking strong in both the departments. After years of struggle, Shane Watson has finally emerged as the all-rounder which the selectors always searched for in him. He has been in sensational form with the bat, and considering his love affair with India courtesy IPL 1, Indian bowlers are likely to get some headaches. And after being out of the game for a reasonable amount of time, Brett Lee has only come back stronger and fitter. With Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Johnson in form and youngsters like Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine and Peter Siddle having already proved their worth, Australia undoubtedly look the better of the two sides and India will have to exploit their potential to the hilt to put it beyond the number one team in the world.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting made an apt point at a press conference held prior to the start of the one-day series against India when he said that ‘seven games in a bilateral series are too many’. Even if we take away this one-day series, it can still be said that there has been an overdose of cricket in recent times. We first had IPL 2, which was immediately followed by the T20 World Cup, then the Champions Trophy and the Champions League T20. Three of these four tournaments were 20-20 versions of the game, so it was surprising that Ponting did not mention this aspect with reference to ‘too many’.

We all know where the money lies in the modern cricket. Even so, an excess of anything, no matter how successful it is, will only prove harmful in the longer run. The disappointing television ratings for the Champions League T20 is a case in point; a strong indicator that organizers of such tournaments should know where to draw the line. As it is, the 50-over version is under threat from a number of quarters, so why give it a chance to be criticized further by having such a long, drawn-out tournament.

Also it is clear that too much money is corrupting the game as well as players. We are now beginning to hear terms like freelancers in cricket too. The likes of Andrew Flintoff and Jacob Oram have sacrificed their Test careers to prolong their stay in the shorter format of the game. But are the players to be blamed for making the choice? Not really. It is the organizers and the various cricket boards who have come forward and made tournaments like IPL and Champions League a reality and opened up a new option for cricketers.

While there is no denying that they provide entertainment, the quantity of time it absorbs is just too huge for comfort. The players thus are being forced to make a choice between playing for their country and playing for a franchise. The injury-hit Oram was honest enough to admit that he was looking to secure his and his family’s future before he hangs his boots. And he has possibly set a precedent for other cricketers who are going through a similar dilemma.

Modern-day cricket has become like a daily TV soap, being played out day in and day out. Thus, there is a possible danger of it getting worn out over a period of time. Also, if players are seen more in ‘club’ teams as opposed to country colours, the patriotic factor will be lost over a period of time. And if the crowds begin to go away, the money too will automatically vanish. The thought might seem rather premature and audacious, but not the danger signals.

It would have been heartbreak for the Pakistani supporters, present at Lord’s this Sunday, had Pakistan lost another T20 final. It would have been a big shock for all Pakistani Cricket fans worldwide. However, history did not repeat itself as Pakistan shrugged of last T20 World Cup defeat to notch up a convincing win against Sri Lanka, who had through the whole tournament not lost a single match. In fact, Sri Lanka had the better of Pakistan in a Super 8 Game in this tournament. Pakistan played the role of giant killer, as they beat South Africa in the Semifinals and then steam rolled over Sri Lanka in the Men’s T20 World Cup Final.

It has been a sort of remarkable turnaround for Pakistani cricket, after so many incidents happening in their country and cricket being banned in their soil. Pakistan thus became the only team to have beaten both Sri Lanka and South Africa in this World Cup. A remarkable achievement indeed, considering the fact that both these teams have been in prime form and played magnificent cricket, except during the crunch time when they faced Pakistan in a do or die encounter. Perhaps the moral of the story for this edition of T20 World Cup will be that, to win some you need to loose some and play well when it matters.

Winning the toss Sri Lanka opted to bat first, as they wanted to set a decent total for the Pakistani team and put them under pressure. Their tactic soon backfired as the Pakistani youngster Mohammad Aamer got the better of Dilshan in the very first over of the match. With their best batsman in the tournament gone for a duck, Sri Lanka lacked ideas to come back into the match. The change in the batting line up also backfired as Jehan Mubarak was snapped up by Abdur Razaq, ex-ICL player for the second duck of the innings.

Pakistan now had a firm control on the match. Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan veteran with a whole lot of experience, tried to steer away Sri Lanka from this position but failed to do so after scoring just 17 runs to become Razaq’s second victim. Things got worse as Jayawardene got out in quick succession to Razaq. The only person left defending the Sri Lankan fort was their captain Kumara Sangakara. The Pakistani bowlers were unrelenting and did not loose focus in the match as Sri Lanka were left tottering at 70-6 after 13 overs.

The rescue act for Sri Lanka started with the partnership between Sangakara and Angelo Matthews, as they took the fight back to Pakistan. Sangakara remained unbeaten on 64 and Matthews scored valuable 35 run with both standing their ground until the end of this innings, as Sri Lanka managed to score 138 runs with an unbroken 68 runs partnership between these two Lankan lions. The score seemed a little less for the high profile Pakistani batting line up, but it still gave hope to Sri Lanka for putting up a fight in the second half of the match.

Coming into bat with a target of 139, the Pakistani openers started cautiously. With the total well entrenched in their minds, the Pakistani openers played normal cricketing shots as Sri Lanka were left searching for answers to get a break through. Sangakara tried six different bowlers in the first six overs of the innings to find a break through that never happened. Pakistani openers on the other hand did not spare an inch for the Lankans to come back into the match. It was then left to the experience of Jayasuriya to get the first wicket for Sri Lanka and affect a batting collapse for Pakistan.

However, the duo of Mallik and Afridi played a brand of cautious cricket unlike to their reputation, to take Pakistan closer to the target as Pakistan reached the 100 mark within the 15th over. With things, getting out of control Sangakara tried to use the experience of Malinga, Muralitharan, and Menids to restrict the flow of runs. However, nothing seemed to work this time as some magnificent hitting from Afridi and an unbroken partnership between both of them saw Pakistan to their second major title, the first one coming in 1992 when they won the 50 over version in Australia.

The win was dedicated to Bob Woolmer, the former Pakistan and South Africa coach, as Pakistan did not get twice unlucky. The Lankans had themselves to blame, as they never looked in control of the match. Pakistan with this victory has proved once again that they cannot be taken for granted in International Cricket. When Pakistan plays good cricket the world has to stand up and salute them.

The Sri Lankan team has exhibited great form throughout the Men’s T20 World Cup tournament and has remained unbeaten thus far. However, after what happened to South Africa yesterday nothing can be ruled out from this spicy encounter, which pits the Lankan lions against the Windies warriors. In the group stages both the teams have already faced each other and can clearly imagine what is in store for them when they meet again in this crucial semifinal encounter. Sri Lanka got the better of the West Indies team in the group stages, which will give them that crucial edge in this match. However, the Windies have never looked back from that defeat as they got the better of India and England to reach the semifinals.

The West Indies started the tournament by notching a great win over the Aussies to put a nail in their coffin before they were stopped by the Lankan lions, who notched up a convincing victory against them. The South African team added insult to injury as they comfortably beat West Indies in a Super 8 game to leave them in a spot of bother. Since then this Windies team has shown strength and character with the help of their players like Bravo, Gayle, Simmons, Taylor, Sarwan, and Chanderpaul to get the better of India and England while making it to the semifinals. West Indies are no longer a one-man show of Chris Gayle, they are now a solid unit of players who can put in performance and win against any opposition they face. Things have changed a lot since they met the Lankan lions in the group stages.

However, Sri Lanka is not bothered by the sudden return of form of the West Indian players. The Lankan players are in the best form of their life and hungry for success. Since their 1996 World Cup win the Sri Lankans have not achieved much success in International cricket. Perhaps the time is once again in their favor to achieve glory for the second time. Sri Lankan players like Dilshan, Jayawardena, Sangakara, and Jayasuriya are in prime batting form whereas the 4 M combination of Mendis, Murali, Matthews, and Malinga form a very potent bowling attack that can rip open any batting line up and tear it to shreds. The Sri Lankans have the necessary armory in place to blow up any opposition they face.

The result will only be known after the match ends but it will surely be an encounter that will keep worldwide cricket audiences glued to their TV sets. Certain factors like Gayle factor, Bravo factor, the unknown Sarwan and Chanderpaul factor, and short ball factor will keep the Sri Lankan’s on their toes. If any of these factors click then West Indies will run away with the match. However, if these factors fail miserably then do not expect any mercy from the Lankan lions because they know what is best for them and they know how to win.

India suffered their third consecutive defeat in the Super 8 round of the Men’s T20 World Cup competition, after they lost by 12-runs to South Africa. It was a disastrous campaign for the Men in Blue, as they could not win a single match in the second phase of the tournament. The defending champions India looked out of sorts throughout the tournament, and matches against minnows Ireland and Bangladesh did not help their cause towards gearing up for the next round. The IPL fatigue for the Indian players might have also been the reason that forced the players to come up with this kind of lackluster performance.

The South African batting got of to a sedate start before RP Singh got the better of Gibbs. This did not stop AB de Villiers from piling up the runs as he looked in supreme control throughout his innings. South African’s were looking to post a challenging total, when Indian captain MS Dhoni introduced spin into the attack. The Indian spinners especially Jadeja bowled magnificently on a slow spinning track to restrict the South Africans to a low total.

The main contributions for South Africa came from AB de Villiers, who scored 63 runs and Graeme Smith, who scored 26 runs. The rest of the South African batting line up looked fragile on the slow turning wicket. Albie Morkel, hit two boundaries in the final over as South Africa posted a score of 130, a challenging one on this slow turning track.

The Indians started the run chase in a confident manner as both Gambhir and Sharma took charge of the innings and hammered the South African pacers to all parts of the ground. India was well placed at 47 runs without the loss of any wicket after the fifth over of the innings. Things were looking in control and Indian fans expecting their team to win comfortably. However, this was short lived as South Africa introduced spin in the sixth over itself. Johan Botha then got the better of Gambhir to open up the Indian batting lineup. Botha struck a further blow to India as he removed Raina, and Duminy completed the assault by getting rid of Sharma in quick succession.

The Indian innings headed for a disaster with the dismissals of Dhoni and Pathan, as the South African spinners started to outclass the Indian batsman. The only resistance was provided by Yuvraj Singh as he scored 24 runs to keep the Indian hopes alive in the match. However, India was left to do too much in the end as they lost by 12 runs to the Proteas. The only other notable contributions were from the openers Gambhir, who scored 21 runs and Sharma, who scored 29 runs. The otherwise shaky Indian batting line up lived up to its reputation once again as they went down tamely to the South Africans. The best bowler for South Africa was J Botha as he picked up three crucial Indian wickets to turn the match in South Africa’s favor.

With this win, the Proteas remain unbeaten in the tournament. They would now be hoping to take their tally to six consecutive victories, when they take on the in form Pakistan in the First Semi Final clash. Pakistan, last year’s losing finalist will not spare an inch as they look to head for an interesting battle against South Africa.

The T20 Cricket has it roots in England where it was introduced for the first time in professional county cricket tournament. The shortened version of oneday cricket played for only 20 over each side has drawn audiences worldwide and is extremely popular as compared to other versions of cricket. This form of cricket was to provide a short version of the game to worldwide audiences. It was never meant to replace or degrade other forms like oneday and test match cricket. However, to ICC’s surprise, the governing body found that this form of cricket can help introduce the game to many more nations across the world.

The first International T20 match featured the likes of Australia and New Zealand played at the scenic Eden Park stadium in Auckland. The game has made rapid strides since then with the inaugural T20 World Cup Men’s competition being held in South Africa during September 2007. The competition played over duration of two weeks show very entertaining cricket from all the teams. It was the first time that T20 had made it this big and all the teams were uncertain about their performance in the tournament. The first bowl out in the history of T20 cricket was played between India and Pakistan in Durban after the teams were tied in the mandatory 20 over’s period.

Bangladesh proved once again that they are no longer the minnows in World Cricket with their shock defeat of the West Indies; Zimbabwe had also contributed their bit to make the tournament exciting by defeating the Australians in Cape Town. The group stages itself had laid the foundation for the tournament ahead. A young Indian team led by their inspirational captain MS Dhoni, steam rolled over England, South Africa, and title favorites Australia to set up the summit clash against arch rivals Pakistan. The final was an exciting affair with Misbah Ul Haq almost ensuring victory for Pakistan with a big six in the last over of the tournament. However, his miscalculated shot helped India achieve a dramatic 5-run victory over Pakistan and be crowned the T20 champions of the World.

The highlight of the tournament was an over in which Yuvraj Singh of India hammered Englishman Stuart Broad for six sixes of consecutive balls in that over. The most number of runs in the tournament was scored by Gautam Gambhir of India, while Umer Gul of Pakistan snapped up the maximum number of wickets. The Highest strike rate of 183.68 was achieved by Yuvraj Singh and the highest score in a T20 match was 117 scored by Chris Gayle of West Indies against South Africa. Daniel Vettori of New Zealand had the best economy rate amongst the bowlers conceding only 5.28 runs per over in a competition that favored the batsman. The highest score in a T20 match of the tournament was achieved by Sri Lanka when they amassed 260 against the minnows Kenya.

The second edition of the T20 World Cup is currently underway in England with 12 teams making it to the Men’s competition. The tournament is scheduled to be conducted after every two years except for West Indies hosting the tournament in 2010. The matches are being played in locations such as Lord’s, Trent Bridge, The Oval, and Taunton. The group stages have recently finished with Ireland and Netherlands being the surprise package of the tournament. The Dutch had raised their hopes of qualification into the Super 8 round of the tournament with an emphatic victory over England in one of the group games. However, Pakistan steam rolled them and ended all their dreams in the competition.

Ireland has been constantly improving since they first entered the big stage, a memorable win against Pakistan in the Oneday International World Cup held in West Indies, they also went on to beat Bangladesh to qualify for the Super 8 round of the competition. The in form teams of this tournament South Africa and Sri Lanka are playing solid cricket to keep their hopes alive of a summit clash, but West Indies, Pakistan, and New Zealand along with the Defending champions India will not make things easy for them. The last half of the tournament promises to be as exciting as the first half, which will throw many surprises and entertain the audiences with display of exciting cricket.