V/S
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Edwards likely to miss semi-final
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Fidel Edwards could miss West Indies' crucial World Twenty20 semi-final against Sri Lanka on Friday, after failing to recover from the same back injury that forced him to miss Monday's five-wicket victory over England at The Oval.
Edwards, who has been West Indies' outstanding bowler of the past few months in all formats of the game, has been diagnosed with an irritation of the nerve root in his lower back. He sat out the team's practice session on the eve of the game, but according to a spokesman, they were "very optimistic" that he'll be available for Friday's match.
Chris Gayle, West Indies' captain, admitted that his absence would be a big blow for West Indies, especially against a team that has already beaten them once in the tournament already, by 15 runs at Trent Bridge in the group stages.
"He has been good for us throughout the tournament," said Gayle. "He's the sort of bowler who can actually win you games and pick up crucial wickets at crucial times. Sometimes he can go for runs, but he's a wicket-taker and can change games. He'd be missed, because he was missed for the last game even though we won."
So far in the tournament, Edwards has picked up six wickets in four games, at an economy rate of 9.21 and with a best of 3 for 24 in the memorable victory against India at Lord's. If he fails to recover, Darren Sammy is likely to step in, as he did against England.
Spinners make all the difference, Pak in the final again
Pakistan did everything right from the start to book their place in the finals of the ICC T20 Championship for the second time in a row. They batted first, scored a par score at the Trent Bridge and then the spinners choked the South Africans to script a historic win.
Opting to bat first – a wise decision given the fact that the track at Trent Bridge slows down considerably over 20 overs – Pakistan, powered by Shahid Afridi Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan, scored 149 – the average score at the venue. Then, just as Jacques Kallis (64 runs off 54 balls and a Batting Momentum or BM of 76) and Jean Paul Duminy were threatening to run away with the match, the Pak bowlers kept a tight leash to choke the South Africans in the end to win by 7 runs and proceed to the finals.
The Pak spinners were able to check the runs and also pick up crucial wickets. Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Malik bowled 9 overs between them and conceded only 44 runs, at less than 5 runs per over, and picked up 3 valuable wickets to keep the Proteas’ chase at bay. Afridi was the pick of the lot capturing 2 wickets for 16 to earn a Bowling Efficiency (BE) of 100. He was also instrumental with the bat, scoring 51 runs off 34 balls to attain a Batting Momentum of 77 and was deservedly adjudged the “Man of the Match”. Umer Gul bowled two crucial overs during the death and his perfect swinging yorkers had a telling effect on the South African batsmen, who couldn’t flex their muscles to muster 51 runs in the last 5 overs.
Earlier, South African bowlers, especially the spinners gave away too many runs – 66 runs in 8 overs, at more than 8 runs per over – which made all the difference in the match. Roelof van der Merwe, Johan Botha and Duminy were unable to restrict the Pak batsmen, especially Afridi, Malik and Younis Khan.
It was the first loss for South Africa in the tournament, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time as they again played true to their tag of “Chokers” in World Cricket.
Graeme Smith's 'new' SA keen to beat semi-final hoodoo against Pakistan
If any side can tame 20-over cricket, it is South Africa. Throughout the World Twenty20 they have been clinical and intimidating, proving their mastery over a supposedly unmanageable game. But today it is semi-final time and semi-finals are when South Africa's attempts to bring order to the world cp
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
worldcupt20semifinal
Pakistan's Shahid Afridi hits out on his way to 51 watched by South Africa's Mark Boucher (R) during the ICC World Twenty20 cricket semi-final match at Trent Bridge cricket ground in Nottingham June 18, 2009.
Science v art in clash of cultures
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more than a semi-final. Here is truly man against machine, the art of cricket against the science of it, cricket's future and cricket's past. South Africa's progress to this point has been smooth, well-planned, calculated and inevitable, as if their players were born to do this. Pakistan have got here in shambles - losing games, winning some, treating it all as a bit of fun - and the players not so much born to do this are struggling to discover why they are doing it at all.
South Africa lack nowhere and nothing. If Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith are the efficient drones at the top, there is heart in the middle, with the ever-frail skills of Herschelle Gibbs and the creativity of AB de Villiers. Even Albie Morkel, in whom there are glimpses of Zulu, thankfully smiles more. They've always had pace, but now they even have spinners, who are not batsmen forced to bowl. Sure, they are a little one-dimensional (watching videos of Umar Gul's yorkers?), but they are spinners - South African and successful; how often have we said that in the past?
The whole machinery is intimidating, determined to iron out all kinks, the mission pre-programmed; with seven consecutive wins in this format, they have apparently also taken the inherent unpredictability of this format out of the equation. They are well-trained, well-oiled, and their psychologist talks about 120 contests and of processes over outcomes and how choking is not really an issue anymore. They win even warm-up matches and the dead games because every game counts. They are cricket's future.
Pakistan are the past. They are wholly dysfunctional, but just about getting along, though unsure where they are going. They don't control their extras, they don't run the singles hard and they field as if it were still the 60s. They are least bothered about erasing the flaws because any win will be in spite of them. They did hire a psychologist though, and you can only imagine what those sessions were like and how much they actually talked about sport and cricket. There are permanent mutterings of serious rifts. They may not bat, bowl or field well all the time, but sometimes, they do what can only be described as a 'Pakistan': that is, they bowl, bat or field spectacularly, briefly, to change the outcome of matches. You cannot plan or account for this as an opponent because Pakistan themselves don't plan or account for it.
It can come from any person, any discipline, but on evidence, it is likelier to come from the bowling. The batting needs Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq to really get their show going. A piece of fielding brilliance cannot be discounted, but generally both Pakistan and West Indies have happily disproved the dictum that in T20 cricket you have to be Jonty Rhodes to get anywhere. Heroes will likely be found among the Umar Guls, the spinners and maybe even Mohammad Aamer, who is a throwback to the late 80s and early 90s, when Pakistani fast bowlers were born ready to play international cricket.
The pressure on South Africa however, will be greater. They are expected to win this and anyway they will always have the whole 'chokers' tag to deal with until the day they actually lift a big trophy. It doesn't help that they look as good as they did during the 1999 World Cup, though they are easier on the eye. Pakistan, as Younis Khan said before leaving for England, won't much mind a semi-final spot; Kamran Abbasi rightly noted that they may have had an easier ride to the semis than most but no country has had a rougher two years. Clearly they'd love to win it, but they have already achieved more than many thought and a loss wouldn't be the end of the world. But importantly, as the only side to make it to the last four in 2007 and 2009, they have underscored their significance in this brave new, T20 world, a world in which they absolutely cannot be ignored.
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first) Pakistan WWLWL
South Africa WWWWW
Watch out for...
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Albie Morkel has been a quiet, steady ever-present through South Africa's tournament. But he is capable of bigger, more explosive things especially with the bat and this match - and potentially the next - are the best platforms for it.
Shahid Afridi's moment turned the tournament for Pakistan, an outstanding catch hastening New Zealand's collapse, and possibly himself - at least with the bat. Since then he has batted with rare sense, as everyone has wished him to, and at little expense to his strike rate. He will be a factor with the ball anyway, but if he gets going with the bat, then South Africa will panic.
Team news
Pakistan have finally settled upon what they feel is their best line-up, more by chance than design. Barring injury, there are unlikely to be any changes.
Pakistan: (probable) 1 Shahzaib Hassan, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Fawad Alam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal
Jacques Kallis will come back in for Morne Morkel after being rested for the dead game against India.
South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Herschelle Gibbs, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 A Morkel, 7 M Boucher, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Wayne Parnell, 11 Dale Steyn
Pitch and conditions
The surface for this match is two along from the one that turned square for the South Africa-India match and is expected to be harder and offer less help for the spinners. However, the slow bowlers have had an impact throughout so are still likely to be key. Steady rain arrived in Nottingham on the practice day, but is due to clear overnight and the forecast for Thursday is fine.
Stats and Trivia
- Pakistan and South Africa have six bowlers in the top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament, though Pakistanis occupy the top two spots.
- Three of the top 10 run-scorers of the tournament are from South Africa and Pakistan, with AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis at numbers two and three.
Click here for more stats.
Quotes
"Our bowling has been great and all of them are now bowling in rhythm. The batsmen have to support the bowlers if we are to win this cup."
Younis Khan points out the areas of improvement.
""I think we've come past that. This team has come a long way and I think we've proven that. Hopefully we can show that on Thursday, that's what is exciting about it. "
Graeme Smith dismisses talk of being 'chokers'.
"It's great to be in a position where you can rock up to a ground, look at the wicket and know you have all the bases covered. We aren't really worried what the wicket will be."
Mark Boucher believes South Africa can cope with any conditions that are thrown at them.
Science v art in clash of cultures
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| Related Links Analysis: Battle of the best bowling teams Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Pakistan | South Africa | ||
Big Picture
It's first a clash of ethos, of philosophies and even of time, more than a semi-final. Here is truly man against machine, the art of cricket against the science of it, cricket's future and cricket's past. South Africa's progress to this point has been smooth, well-planned, calculated and inevitable, as if their players were born to do this. Pakistan have got here in shambles - losing games, winning some, treating it all as a bit of fun - and the players not so much born to do this are struggling to discover why they are doing it at all.
South Africa lack nowhere and nothing. If Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith are the efficient drones at the top, there is heart in the middle, with the ever-frail skills of Herschelle Gibbs and the creativity of AB de Villiers. Even Albie Morkel, in whom there are glimpses of Zulu, thankfully smiles more. They've always had pace, but now they even have spinners, who are not batsmen forced to bowl. Sure, they are a little one-dimensional (watching videos of Umar Gul's yorkers?), but they are spinners - South African and successful; how often have we said that in the past?
The whole machinery is intimidating, determined to iron out all kinks, the mission pre-programmed; with seven consecutive wins in this format, they have apparently also taken the inherent unpredictability of this format out of the equation. They are well-trained, well-oiled, and their psychologist talks about 120 contests and of processes over outcomes and how choking is not really an issue anymore. They win even warm-up matches and the dead games because every game counts. They are cricket's future.
Pakistan are the past. They are wholly dysfunctional, but just about getting along, though unsure where they are going. They don't control their extras, they don't run the singles hard and they field as if it were still the 60s. They are least bothered about erasing the flaws because any win will be in spite of them. They did hire a psychologist though, and you can only imagine what those sessions were like and how much they actually talked about sport and cricket. There are permanent mutterings of serious rifts. They may not bat, bowl or field well all the time, but sometimes, they do what can only be described as a 'Pakistan': that is, they bowl, bat or field spectacularly, briefly, to change the outcome of matches. You cannot plan or account for this as an opponent because Pakistan themselves don't plan or account for it.
It can come from any person, any discipline, but on evidence, it is likelier to come from the bowling. The batting needs Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq to really get their show going. A piece of fielding brilliance cannot be discounted, but generally both Pakistan and West Indies have happily disproved the dictum that in T20 cricket you have to be Jonty Rhodes to get anywhere. Heroes will likely be found among the Umar Guls, the spinners and maybe even Mohammad Aamer, who is a throwback to the late 80s and early 90s, when Pakistani fast bowlers were born ready to play international cricket.
The pressure on South Africa however, will be greater. They are expected to win this and anyway they will always have the whole 'chokers' tag to deal with until the day they actually lift a big trophy. It doesn't help that they look as good as they did during the 1999 World Cup, though they are easier on the eye. Pakistan, as Younis Khan said before leaving for England, won't much mind a semi-final spot; Kamran Abbasi rightly noted that they may have had an easier ride to the semis than most but no country has had a rougher two years. Clearly they'd love to win it, but they have already achieved more than many thought and a loss wouldn't be the end of the world. But importantly, as the only side to make it to the last four in 2007 and 2009, they have underscored their significance in this brave new, T20 world, a world in which they absolutely cannot be ignored.
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first) Pakistan WWLWL
South Africa WWWWW
Watch out for...
| ||
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Albie Morkel has been a quiet, steady ever-present through South Africa's tournament. But he is capable of bigger, more explosive things especially with the bat and this match - and potentially the next - are the best platforms for it.
Shahid Afridi's moment turned the tournament for Pakistan, an outstanding catch hastening New Zealand's collapse, and possibly himself - at least with the bat. Since then he has batted with rare sense, as everyone has wished him to, and at little expense to his strike rate. He will be a factor with the ball anyway, but if he gets going with the bat, then South Africa will panic.
Team news
Pakistan have finally settled upon what they feel is their best line-up, more by chance than design. Barring injury, there are unlikely to be any changes.
Pakistan: (probable) 1 Shahzaib Hassan, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Fawad Alam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal
Jacques Kallis will come back in for Morne Morkel after being rested for the dead game against India.
South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Herschelle Gibbs, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 A Morkel, 7 M Boucher, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Wayne Parnell, 11 Dale Steyn
Pitch and conditions
The surface for this match is two along from the one that turned square for the South Africa-India match and is expected to be harder and offer less help for the spinners. However, the slow bowlers have had an impact throughout so are still likely to be key. Steady rain arrived in Nottingham on the practice day, but is due to clear overnight and the forecast for Thursday is fine.
Stats and Trivia
- Pakistan and South Africa have six bowlers in the top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament, though Pakistanis occupy the top two spots.
- Three of the top 10 run-scorers of the tournament are from South Africa and Pakistan, with AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis at numbers two and three.
Click here for more stats.
Quotes
"Our bowling has been great and all of them are now bowling in rhythm. The batsmen have to support the bowlers if we are to win this cup."
Younis Khan points out the areas of improvement.
""I think we've come past that. This team has come a long way and I think we've proven that. Hopefully we can show that on Thursday, that's what is exciting about it. "
Graeme Smith dismisses talk of being 'chokers'.
"It's great to be in a position where you can rock up to a ground, look at the wicket and know you have all the bases covered. We aren't really worried what the wicket will be."
Mark Boucher believes South Africa can cope with any conditions that are thrown at them.
Tendulkar and Zaheer rested for West Indies tour
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As expected, injuries and fatigue concerns mean India will be four short of their first-choice squad for the four ODIs in the West Indies. While Virender Sehwag (shoulder injury) and Suresh Raina (hairline fracture on the thumb) were rendered unavailable, Sachin Tendulkar opted to rest due to a finger injury picked up during the IPL and Zaheer Khan, recovering from his shoulder injury, was given some rest. The selectors, who met via a teleconference between Mumbai and England, also dropped Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan, who went to New Zealand as part of the 16-man ODI squad.
M Vijay, India's third opener in Tests, took Sehwag's place. Ashish Nehra, who did well for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, returns after a four-year absence, and RP Singh, another bowler making a comeback through the IPL, replaced Munaf. Raina's place went to Chennai Super Kings team-mate S Badrinath. The vacancies created by Tendulkar and Irfan were filled by allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Abhishek Nayar.
This selection committee was handed a mostly settled team, and this is the first time in their tenure that they have had to make so many decisions. Most of it, coming on the heels of an ordinary World Twenty20, is necessitated by injuries. The make-up of the newcomers to the squad suggests equal importance was given to performances in traditional domestic cricket, and in the IPL. If Nehra, who missed of the domestic season, is selected on the back of his performances in South Africa (19 wickets, economy-rate of 7.68), Badrinath and Vijay have been in contention for quite a while, thanks to their performances in the Ranji Trophy. Vijay is the opener in a more conventional sense, and will free Rohit Sharma for his usual middle-order role. Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey, other candidates for the batting slots, won't have much to complain about at this point.
This selection is also an important show of faith for Ravindra Jadeja, who drew a lot of flak for his 35-ball 25 in the game that India got knocked out of the World Twenty20. Nayar has been a consistent performer for Mumbai in both forms of Ranji Trophy, and showed glimpses of his ability during the IPL too. The biggest success stories from the IPL, though, are Nehra and RP.
But more interesting are the choices that the selectors made, not the ones they were forced to make. Munaf and Irfan were dropped from what has been a successful ODI side, and that should worry them. Munaf's form veered from the effective to the ordinary during the ODIs and the Tests in New Zealand, and accordingly he was not taken to England despite his impressive work for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Munaf's Test spot will also be on the line, especially if RP starts doing well. Irfan, though, played in the World Twenty20 but was not included in the final XIs for India's last two games.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sri Lanka march to semi-finals in style
Sri Lanka 158 for 5 (Dilshan 48, Jayawardene 41*, Sangakkara 35) beat New Zealand 110 (Guptill 43, Mendis 3-9, Udana 2-17) by 48 runs
Sri Lanka's bowlers once again made up for their batsmen's inability to post a large total by slicing through New Zealand at Trent Bridge, securing a 48-run victory to cement their spot in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20. New Zealand challenged the target of 159 briefly but Ajantha Mendis turned the game Sri Lanka's way by dismissing Ross Taylor and Scott Styris within the space of four balls.
New Zealand began their chase brightly with Aaron Redmond biffing 20 runs off Sanath Jayasuriya's first over, the second of the innings. He blasted the ball past mid-on, carved it over cover, blazed another through extra cover before smacking the final over the long-off boundary. The versatility of the bowling, though, meant New Zealand's batsmen had to keep their wits about them and no one was able to stay long enough to cause significant damage.
Isuru Udana struck first, inducing a top-edge from Brendon McCullum to point before Lasith Malinga suckered Redmond into chipping a slower full toss to square leg. New Zealand, however, were decently placed at 64 for 2 after eight overs. Their position deteriorated rapidly in the next over. Mendis first delivered a wide ball from well behind the crease and had Ross Taylor stumped, he then beat Scott Styris' bat with a carrom ball and knocked off stump out of the ground. New Zealand had slipped to 66 for 4 and never recovered. Only Martin Guptill offered resistance, hitting the ball sweetly down the ground, during his innings of 43. The New Zealand challenge ended when he flat-batted Jayasuriya straight to the fielder at deep square leg.
Sri Lanka's bowlers had once again proved that they could make a fight of what ever total their batsmen gave them to defend. They were given 158 today, thanks to a curiously conventional innings from Tillakaratne Dilshan and substantial contributions from the experienced pair of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.
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Daniel Vettori emphasized the importance of separating Sri Lanka's explosive openers early and he sought to do that by opening the bowling with the offspinner Nathan McCullum. The ploy worked immediately for Jayasuriya top-edged an attempted sweep to short fine leg, leaving Sri Lanka on 3 for 1. New Zealand's start grew better when Chamara Silva, who was promoted to No. 3, was caught at mid-on off a leading edge as he tried to close the face against Kyle Mills. Sri Lanka were losing direction at 25 for 2 when Sangakkara joined Dilshan for a 62-run stand for the third wicket. Sangakkara took the initiative, driving Ian Butler to the cover boundary off the front and back foot to begin his innings with consecutive fours. He added a third in the over by edging Butler to third man. Dilshan, who had made a scratchy start, ensured that Sri Lanka cashed in during the last over of the Powerplay. He pulled Mills to the midwicket boundary before cutting him twice through backward point for fours. Sri Lanka scored 24 off the last two Powerplay overs and got the innings back on track, reaching 51 for 2 after six overs. Dilshan, however, played neither the scoop over the wicketkeeper not the reverse swats past short fine leg, shots that have mocked the opposing captain's field placements in this tournament. Instead he resorted to more orthodox strokes - driving Scott Styris' first ball to the cover boundary - before he was caught at cover by Brendon McCullum off Vettori for 48 off 37 balls.
Sri Lanka, however, did not lose momentum after Dilshan's wicket because Jayawardene continued batting as fluently as he did against Ireland. He played his trademark inside out drives over cover, lofted a free hit from Vettori over the press box, and elegantly raced to 41 off 29 balls. His most unique shot of the day was a reverse paddle of Jacob Oram. What made it special was that Jayawardene hit the ball with the back of the bat and sent it speeding past short third man.
The result ensured Sri Lanka finished first in Group F, winning all three matches in the Super Eight. New Zealand, whose World Twenty20 campaign was blighted by a bizarre succession of injuries, exit the tournament having beaten only Ireland in the second round.
de Villiers helps South Africa stay unbeaten
South Africa 130 for 5 (de Villiers 63) beat India 118 for 8 (Rohit 29, Botha 3-16, Steyn 2-25) by 12 runs
On a spin-friendly Trent Bridge surface, South Africa's slow bowlers rubbed salt and some spices into India's gaping World Twenty20 wounds, defending a modest total of 130 with consummate ease. The real difference between the sides though was AB de Villiers, who batted quite magnificently for a 51-ball 63 on a pitch where no other batsman excelled. With the ball, Johan Botha took 3 for 16, and was superbly supported by Roelof van der Merwe (1 for 13) as India stumbled from 47 for 0 at the end of the Powerplay overs to 69 for 5.
The two Punjabis, Yuvraj and Harbhajan Singh, briefly floated some hope, but Botha and Dale Steyn snuffed out the challenge to send South Africa through to the semi-final undefeated. They will face Pakistan at the same venue on Thursday. In conditions that could have been anywhere in the subcontinent, India will wonder just how they were so well beaten.
They had started with some panache, as Gautam Gambhir creamed both Steyn and Wayne Parnell through the covers. Soon after, Rohit Sharma took over, clipping both Parnell and Albie Morkel through midwicket to keep well ahead of the asking rate. But as soon as spin was introduced, India fell apart.
Gambhir spooned Botha to deep cover, and Suresh Raina clubbed one straight to long-on. Rohit then miscued a big heave off JP Duminy to point as South Africa restricted the Indians to just 17 from six overs. But the calamity didn't end there. MS Dhoni scratched around for 5 before deciding on a headless-chicken charge down the pitch with Yuvraj not remotely interested. Morne Morkel gathered Mark Boucher's throw and removed the bails.
Yusuf Pathan may have been the scourge of spin in the IPL but he made no impression on this match, popping a van der Merwe delivery to short cover. Yuvraj pulled Steyn for four and went down on bended knee to swipe van der Merwe for six, while Harbhajan wound up and thumped Morne Morkel straight down the ground, but it was all a little too late.
South Africa's innings had followed a similar sort of pattern. None of the other batsmen looked remotely at ease once the pace was taken off the ball, and India's pace bowlers were left to watch from the outfield until Zaheer Khan was called on to complete the innings.
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Despite losing Herschelle Gibbs to a inside-edged mow off RP Singh, South Africa had made a dominant start, racing to 44 from the first five overs. Both Graeme Smith and de Villiers cut powerfully, and there was one magnificent straight drive from de Villiers when Ishant Sharma pitched too full. That was enough for Dhoni to decide that his pacemen weren't the answer. Ravindra Jadeja came on and conceded only three in the last of the Powerplay overs, and thereafter Dhoni rotated his slow bowlers rapidly. Rohit, a bit of a bowling star in the IPL, came on, as did Yuvraj, but the breakthrough came courtesy the specialist as Smith top-edged a heave off Harbhajan to square leg. After that, it was a struggle.
De Villiers scored with pushes and nudges, but only 36 runs came in the eight overs after the pace bowlers were taken off. Something had to give, and the push inevitably came from de Villiers, who lofted Yuvraj over cover before swiping one down to the midwicket rope. That stroke also took him to his half-century from 41 deliveries.
When he then clipped Raina neatly for four more, a charge seemed imminent. But it wasn't to be. Duminy was stumped of Raina and the extremely accurate Jadeja shone again, taking a steepling return catch after a big miscue from de Villiers. Zaheer snaffled Mark Boucher in an 11-run final over, but with the resources in hand, India were favourites to chase down the 131 needed for a consolation victory. But in keeping with the rest of their Super Eights displays, they just weren't good enough. On this evidence, South Africa most certainly are.
Monday, June 15, 2009
New Zealand, India cement semi-final spot
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| Related Links Player/Officials: Susan Benade | Cri-zelda Brits | Saskia Bullen | Rumeli Dhar | Mithali Raj | Poonam Raut | Gouher Sultana | Aimee Watkins Series/Tournaments: ICC Women's World Twenty20 | ||
New Zealand booked a spot in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 with a convincing six-wicket victory over South Africa at Taunton. New Zealand are now placed at the top of Group A, winning all three matches they have played.
A consistent batting display from New Zealand, coupled with a disciplined bowling effort ensured they were too good for the bottom-placed South Africans. There was no single match-winning effort from New Zealand, instead, all of their batsmen contributed in near equal measure to help them ease past the target.
Put in to bat, South Africa were soon in a spot of bother at 30 for 3 before Cri-zelda Brits was joined at the crease by Susan Benade. The duo put on a vital partnership of 91 runs, holding the South African innings together with sensible batting. Susan Benade departed for 44 in 46 balls, while Brits remained unbeaten on 57 to guide South Africa to a respectable 124 for 4.
Slow left-arm spinner Saskia Bullen, playing her second Twenty20 international, impressed with figures of 2 for 20 for New Zealand.
In reply, New Zealand lost opener Lucy Doolan with the score on 26, but the in-form Suzie Bates scored 24 to steady the ship. Bates and Amy Satterthwaithe fell in quick succession, but contributions from Aimee Watkins(35) and Nicola Browne(24) ensured New Zealand coasted home by six wickets and almost two overs to spare.
India sealed a semi-final spot after defeating Sri Lanka by five wickets in a rain-affected match at Taunton. Mithali Raj and Poonam Raut took India past a modest target, but Sri Lanka stayed in the contest by picking up wickets regularly.
Sri Lanka batted first after the match was reduced to an 18-over contest, but never really got going against a tight Indian bowling unit. Deepika Rasangika top scored for Sri Lanka with 24, as her team mustered a modest total of 94 in its allotted 18 overs.
Medium pacer Rumeli Dhar led the Indian attack with miserly figures of 2 for 4 in four overs, supported by left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana, who also picked up two wickets.
India did not have the best of starts in their reply, finding themselves in a spot of bother at 33 for 3. Opening batsman Poonam Raut made a cautious yet vital 30 from 41 balls before being dismissed, but Mithali Raj at the other end was more aggressive, scoring an unbeaten 32 from just 22 balls. The duo ensured the required rate hovered around at the 6-per-over mark, before Raj finished the match in the 17th over.
England play Pakistan in the final Group B league match, which will decide who tops the group. England are already through to the semi-finals, but a Pakistan win could affect England's net run-rate, giving India an opportunity to finish in first place.
Windies hold nerve to reach semis
West Indies 82 for 5 (Sarwan 19*, Chanderpaul 17*) beat England 161 for 6 (Bopara 55, Pietersen 31) by five wickets (D/L method)
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| Related Links Matches: England v West Indies at The Oval Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: England | West Indies | ||
The experience of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul guided West Indies into the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals after the top order threatened to lose their heads in a reduced chase of 80 in nine overs. A succession of wild shots meant West Indies were 45 for 5 in the sixth over, but Sarwan and Chanderpaul calmly added 37 to complete the victory with four balls to spare and send the hosts out.
Chris Gayle wanted to have the final say in the extended duel between these two teams which dates back to February. He briefly threatened to carry the chase on his own but was yorked by a beauty from Ryan Sidebottom and he was grateful for calmness of his two senior batsmen. A second brilliant piece of glovework from James Foster to stump Dwayne Bravo had put England on top, but Sarwan and Chanderpaul showed there is room for sensible batsmanship even in a nine-over thrash.
When Sarwan hit the winning boundary with four balls to spare the rest of the team - apart from Gayle who strode out at his own pace - sprinted onto the outfield in scenes reminiscent of their 2004 Champions Trophy victory on the same ground. Weeks of moping around England for the Tests and one-dayers were long forgotten.
A heavy thunderstorm after England's innings concluded on 161 for 6 meant Duckworth-Lewis came into use. It would have been understandable if West Indies were nervous at the prospect after John Dyson's embarrassing error during the one-day series, when he handed England victory, but the calculations benefited West Indies as much as they knew what was needed and could attack hard.
However, they almost went too hard. Andre Fletcher bagged his third duck in a row when he top-edged a pull off James Anderson, although Gayle was only going to play one way. He slammed Sidebottom's first ball over midwicket and then cracked him over cover, but the bowler responded in fine style as he speared a yorker under Gayle's bat.
Stuart Broad struck with his first ball when Lendl Simmons carved to third man and there was a manic nature about the run-chase that threatened to unravel West Indies' hopes. Paul Collingwood used his bowlers in one-over spells and when the three-over Powerplay was finished he brought Graeme Swann into the attack. The offspinner responded with five excellent deliveries that yielded three runs, but the sixth ball was lofted over long-off for six by Kieron Pollard.
Collingwood then gambled by tossing the ball to Adil Rashid - preferred in this game to Dimitri Mascarenhas - and his first delivery was magnificently driven over extra cover by Bravo. In two shots, West Indies were back in front and the pressure was on a young spinner. That Rashid responded with a top-spinner to bowl Pollard is a huge credit to him and shows great promise for the future.
Then came what looked a pivotal moment as Bravo was beaten by Swann's flight and Foster made a split-second stumping as the batsman raised his foot. At that moment West Indies needed 35 from 22 balls, but this time Foster wasn't a match-winner.
Sarwan drove Anderson through cover and whipped him behind square for a second boundary and that was to prove the final twist. Chanderpaul nudged, nurdled and responded to his partner's screams to run hard (despite an injured thigh) and swung a priceless boundary past fine leg that meant Sidebottom would have little to work with in the final over.
England will look back and think the reduction in overs was harsh on them, but once again the batting had failed to build on a solid start against an attack lacking Fidel Edwards who was forced out moments before the toss with a back injury.
As Ravi Bopara and Kevin Pietersen added 56 all was looking good, but once Pietersen picked out deep square-leg with a top-edged lap the innings stalled and nearly went backwards. There wasn't a boundary from the 11th over until the penultimate ball of the innings, when Broad swept Sulieman Benn and followed it up with a clean straight six as the bowler struggled with a wet ball.
Bopara's 55 from 47 balls was full of elegance and class, with two on-drives as perfect as you could wish to see, but at times it seemed as though others were playing with hollow bats. Bopara and Pietersen managed 10 of the 13 fours between them and a lack of power in the middle order was cruely exposed. It is that absence of brutal hitting that was decisive, not the rain.
Kirsten blames IPL fatigue
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Related Links News: India need to work on playing the short stuff, Srikkanth admits News: Sehwag, Gambhir have to shed fatigue - Tendulkar Player/Officials: Gary Kirsten Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: India | ||
Gary Kirsten, the India coach, has said players' fatigue levels and the minor injuries they carried from the IPL to the ICC World Twenty20 contributed to the champions' early exit. He felt India never reached the "intensity that you need at the international game" where the standard of cricket is much higher than it was in the recent IPL.
"Fatigue was definitely a factor, as were many other things," Kirsten said the day after India's defeat against England. "I don't want to use that as an excuse but it was a factor. We weren't an energetic team, like we were in New Zealand where the levels of energy were really good. We didn't get up to the same level on this tour." This is not the first time that Kirsten has brought up this issue. In an interview to Cricinfo last month, the India coach had pointed out that the team had been on the road for a long while and said that mental fatigue was its biggest challenge for the World Twenty20.
All the members of India's World Twenty20 squad were part of the IPL and they arrived in England for the warm-up games which began on June 1, after playing a tightly scheduled five-week tournament in South Africa that ended only on May 24. Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan picked up serious injuries during the IPL. Sehwag's shoulder problem eventually ruled him out of the World Twenty20 while Zaheer, who admitted he was lucky to sit out for only four weeks, recovered just in time after missing most of Mumbai Indians' campaign and the practice games in England.
Prior to the IPL, the BCCI had scheduled five ODIs and a Twenty20 international in Sri Lanka between January 28 and Febuary 10 to fill the gap after the two-month tour of Pakistan was cancelled in December following government advice that it was not feasible "in the prevailing circumstances" after the Mumbai terror attacks. India then flew to New Zealand to play two Twenty20 internationals, five ODIs and three Tests in March and April. There was a mere 11-day gap between the end of the final Test and the first match of the IPL. "We were a relatively tired team when we arrived here [in England], Kirsten said. "We've been on the road since the end of January and hadn't really been at home much."
As a result, India decided against strenuous training during the World Twenty20. Many net sessions were optional and players often didn't practice if there was only a day's gap between matches. This was because they were "trying to work out whether we should increase the levels of training or ensure the guys have enough rest".
Kirsten also said that the short gap between the IPL and the World Twenty20 didn't give India enough time to prepare as a team, something that all other sides were able to do even though they had a few players involved in the IPL.
"If we go back to the Australia series, we had 17 days' preparation and then we played unbelievable cricket for seven months," Kirsten said. "That was a great foundation for us in many respects that allowed us to achieve what we did. Here the players have two days to go home, and then we come into the tournament without being able to connect with the players at all. We also had players who were carrying niggles into this tournament. We performed well below our potential and we've got to take the rap for that."
There has been a lot of debate during the tournament whether teams with players with more IPL experience had an edge over those that didn't. Players involved in the Twenty20 league have insisted that the IPL had been fabulous preparation but India's performance didn't seem to back that up. All their players were key members of their franchises but they failed to perform against the stronger sides in the World Twenty20. Kirsten said there was a difference in quality among the two tournaments. "Absolutely, that's a domestic competition, a club competition in many respects. I sense that there's a reasonably big gap between what's happening at IPL level and what's happening internationally. It's only natural, when you're picking your best XI out of each country the quality is going to go up substantially."
Kirsten was at pains to clarify that the demanding schedule was not an excuse but said "the bottom line is that it does affect teams physically and mentally" and hoped for a better lead-up into the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies. He even said that some players could be rested from the IPL ahead of international assignments if that was possible. India's next assignment is a four-match ODI series in the Caribbean and Kirsten said they would begin preparing for that by giving the players some time off before regrouping and chalking out plans.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Familar foes fight for semi spot
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England could still reach the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20. It's almost worth repeating, so implausible does it sound. After beating the defending champions, India, at a packed Lord's on Sunday, a straight play-off between England and West Indies beckons south of the Thames, the winner of which will be confirmed semi-finalists. The defeat to the Dutch suddenly seems an awfully long time ago.
At the halfway point, few who witnessed England's staccato innings of 153 for 7 would have believed it could be defended against a side containing Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. But, like West Indies did in their seven-wicket win, England bowled aggressive lengths and exposed an alarming technical weakness in India's top-order, namely their fear of anything short. England's overall superior fielding - bar a horrible fumble by Stuart Broad in the penultimate over, not for the first time - also made a difference, as it could against West Indies too.
Tomorrow's match, as crucial as it is, pits arguably two of cricket's most deceptively inconsistent teams against one another. Who honestly knows which West Indies side will wake up tomorrow? Outstanding with the bat to beat India two days ago, they were shocked into submission against South Africa 24 hours later, aggrieved and petulant, perhaps understandably, at playing a crucial match just 15 hours after their last.
England, beware. Chris Gayle is, predictably, in terrifying form in a format he actually enjoys, but it's one of their youngsters, Lendl Simmons, who is offering exuberance and raw talent with the bat, as well as improving their fielding. He top-scored with 77 in their defeat to South Africa; the next highest score came from Sulieman Benn with 13 hacked runs at No.10. For all West Indies' undoubted ability at one-day level, they remain a side as brittle as glass but who, on their day, play like champions.
On an Oval pitch that has offered scores of 183, 185 and 211, runs ought to flow, but whether England can maintain the intensity they showed with the ball could decide who prospers tomorrow. With Ryan Sidebottom suddenly rediscovering the venom which made him so dangerous, England's attack looks the tastier on paper. It is a scenario as mouth-watering as it is unlikely.
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)England WLWLL
England keep winning when they have to, following the insipid performance against South Africa with their impressive show against India. Now they need to string two performances together.
West Indies LWLWW
West Indies' form has almost been as up-and-down as England and they came unstuck against the red-hot South Africa. The last time the two met in a Twenty20 international in Trinidad, West Indies won easily.
Watch out for...
West Indies' batting line-up is about more than just Chris Gayle but he is the focus of most of the attention. Since his 88 off 50 balls against Australia he hasn't fired, having sat out the game against Sri Lanka and struggled against India and South Africa. On Saturday he revealed he needs ankle surgery, but is battling through the pain for his team. He isn't a fan of running at the best of times, so it could just motivate him to hit more boundaries. England beware.
Ryan Sidebottom wasn't going to play against India before a late change of plan had him replacing Adil Rashid, yet he walked away with the Man-of-the-Match award. It has been a long battle for Sidebottom to get his place back after an injury-hit year, but his pace is up at decent levels again and England's attack certainly looks stronger with him as one of the fast-bowling trio.
Team news
There doesn't seem much need for England to change a winning team, although the batting order will be interesting after Dimitri Mascarenhas was promoted with limited effect. Picking four specialist, experienced bowlers is the way to go with a semi-final place up for grabs.
England (probable) 1 Ravi Bopara, 2 Luke Wright, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood (capt), 6 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 7 James Foster (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Ryan Sidebottom, 11 James Anderson.
West Indies have a settled line-up after the successful return of Lendl Simmons at the expense of Xavier Marshall in recent games. Making up the overs for the fourth and fifth bowlers can prove an issue, but Kieron Pollard's all-round skills should keep him in the side.
West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Fidel Edwards.
Stats and Trivia
- Familiarity could breed contempt for the two sides as this will be their 18th meeting (including the T20 warm-up) since February.
- England and West Indies have played two previous Twenty20s in this country, both at The Oval, and it finished 1-1 in 2007.
Jayawardene saves Sri Lanka's blushes
Sri Lanka 144 for 9 (Jayawardene 78, Cusack 4-18) beat Ireland 135 for 7 (Malinga 2-18) by nine runs
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Mahela Jayawardene saved his team's blushes with 78 from 53 balls, as Sri Lanka moved a step closer to the semi-finals with an awkward but ultimately comfortable nine-run victory over the unfancied Irish at Lord's. After winning the toss and batting first, Sri Lanka were restricted to a modest total of 144 for 9 by a disciplined Ireland bowling performance in which the medium-pacer Alex Cusack excelled with 4 for 18 in three overs. In reply, Will Porterfield and Niall O'Brien raised the prospect of a famous win by adding 59 for the first wicket, but the variety and experience of Sri Lanka's attack eventually proved overwhelming.
At Trent Bridge on Thursday, Ireland had been no match for New Zealand as they slumped to an 83-run defeat, but this time they remained competitive even after a damaging double setback in the 15th over of their reply, when Ajantha Mendis removed both the dangerous O'Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, in the space of four deliveries. Ireland carried on swinging until the bitter end, even as Lasith Malinga further undermined their chase with consecutive yorkers to bowl Trent Johnston and Andre Botha, but their final requirement of 18 runs from Malinga's final over of the innings unsurprisingly proved too much.
For Sri Lanka, Ireland's challenge came as an unpleasant but timely jolt after their impressive progress in the tournament to date. Their aspirations of a 200-plus total were knocked as early as the second ball of the match, as Tillakaratne Dilshan - their batsman of the tournament so far - top-edged the recalled Boyd Rankin into the safe gloves of Niall O'Brien, running round to square leg.
Rankin, who had been rested during Ireland's 83-run drubbing against New Zealand, caused problems galore with his extra lift off a good length, and when Johnston at the Pavilion End removed Kumar Sangakkara for 3 from 10, courtesy of another smart catch from O'Brien, Sri Lanka had been restricted 28 for 2 in their six Powerplay overs - second only to England's 25 for 3 against South Africa as the slowest start to any innings in the tournament so far.
Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya pieced together the innings with a third-wicket stand of 67 in 49 balls, but it was a becalmed performance by their usual pyrotechnic standards, and it wasn't until the 11th over of the innings that they finally scored their first and only six, as Jayawardene cracked Cusack over midwicket.
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Jayasuriya, so dangerous when offered width, didn't clear the ropes once in his run-a-ball 27, an innings that came to an end when he went down on one knee to slog-sweep the spin of McCallan, and was adjudged lbw much to his chagrin. McCallan, who bowled with guile and deception, then added a second wicket one over later, when Chamara Silva this time connected as he swung across the line, but picked out Rankin on the square-leg fence.
With overs running out, Sri Lanka squandered their wickets with a puff of aggressive smears. Jehan Mubarak skied Cusack to Niall O'Brien, running round to short cover, and Cusack followed up three balls later with the key scalp of Jayawardene, who gave himself too much room for the cut, and was bowled with 12 deliveries remaining. Nuwan Kulasekera clobbered his third delivery, from Rankin, to John Mooney at long-off, before Angelo Mathews stepped outside the line to sweep and was bowled behind his legs by Cusack.
One delivery later, and Cusack had four when Muttiah Muralitharan charged down the track to be stumped, and he could even have claimed an incredible fifth from the last ball of the innings, had Kevin O'Brien at long-on managed to intercept an Ajantha Mendis slog that bounced away for four.
With a manageable target of 145 in his sights, Ireland's captain, Will Porterfield, took it upon himself to launch their reply in style, as he hoisted Mathews through midwicket for four, before milking Kulasekera for three boundaries in six balls, including a guided cut through a packed off-side field and a sweetly timed sweep from consecutive deliveries.
At the other end, however, disaster very nearly struck when Niall O'Brien backed up too far as Porterfield belatedly turned down a quick single to short cover, and ricked his troublesome right ankle as he stopped, slid and flung himself on all fours back into his crease. During a lengthy delay it appeared as though O'Brien's tournament might be over, but eventually he returned to his feet and, without the aid of a runner, set about taking the attack back to Sri Lanka.
Although he was hobbling visibly, O'Brien's first shot in anger after his injury was a spectacular reverse pull off Mendis that belied any apparent lack of mobility, and he followed up with two fours in two balls as Mathews returned to the attack in the ninth over - the first a crisp cover-drive, the second a more fortuitous inside-edge. Though Porterfield was caught behind two balls later off Muralitharan, his 31 from 29 balls had given Ireland a platform to attack, with 86 still required from the final 10.5 overs.
Murali, however, proved typically tough to get away, as did Jayasuriya, whose solitary over went for seven runs. When Malinga served up a brilliant second over of yorkers, bouncers and genuine pace, Ireland's requirement had leapt to exactly ten an over. Andrew White made good on that demand when he pulled Kulasekera over backward square for six before drilling him through the covers for four one ball later.
But before the over was finished, White's aggression brought about his downfall as Kumar Sangakkara snaffled a top-edged scoop off the pads, and Ireland's hopes were extinguished in the next over when both O'Brien brothers fell in the space of four balls. Kevin O'Brien attempted a wild slog through midwicket but steepled a swirling catch to Tillakaratne Dilshan, before Niall charged at a short ball that tweaked past his blade, and Sangakkara completed a regulation stumping.
After that bodyblow, Ireland's challenge fell away, although Mooney kept them fighting to the bitter end with 31 not out from 21 balls. After their disappointing performance against New Zealand, this was a timely display against one of the acknowledged tournament favourites, but now there will only be pride to play for in their final Super Eight fixture against Pakistan later this week.
Resurgent England bounce India out
England 153 for 7 (Pietersen 46, Harbhajan 3-30, Jadeja 2-26) beat India 150 for 5 (Pathan 33*, Sidebottom 2-31, Swann 2-28) by three runs
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'You're not Singh-ing anymore,' chanted some English fans, and India certainly weren't as they were dumped out of the competition that they won two years ago, with one Super-Eight game still to be played. With Lord's bathed in brilliant sunshine, a capacity crowd watched as England held their nerve for a three-run victory which ensured that new champions would be crowned on June 21. Around half of them would have gone home happy. Kevin Pietersen shared a 71-run partnership with Ravi Bopara, before Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann picked up two wickets apiece to derail India's chase. MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan added 63 from six overs at the end as the game wound to a frenetic finish, but India had simply left themselves with too much to do.
The turning point was the dismissal of Yuvraj Singh, superbly stumped by James Foster as he reached out to drive Swann. Yuvraj had smashed 17 - including two sixes - from eight balls prior to that, but Foster's quicksilver glovework ensured that India were left a Snowdon-sized peak to climb without their most explosive batsman. They whittled it down to 19 from Sidebottom's final over, but though Yusuf clubbed the fourth ball for a straight six to induce palpitations amongst the English support, a single off the next ball sealed India's fate.
Much of the credit needs to go to Pietersen, who came to the crease after Luke Wright had ballooned a pull to short fine leg. With Bopara rotating the strike, the runs didn't come in a torrent but they came steadily enough. There were some eye-catching strokes too. Bopara played a stunning pull for four off RP Singh, while Pietersen said hello to Ishant Sharma with a contemptuous flick for four over midwicket. When Ishant followed up with a short delivery, Bopara deposited him into the stands behind square leg.
With Pietersen then smearing RP down the ground for four, 40 came from the six overs of Powerplay. The entry of Yuvraj, who made a habit of dismissing Pietersen in India last winter, gave India no respite, as 20 came from his two overs. The cause wasn't helped by some poor fielding on the rope from Zaheer and a general air of listlessness. Harbhajan Singh managed to rein in the scoring rate, but by halfway, England had 71 on the board and nine wickets in hand.
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The complexion of the game changed with the introduction of Jadeja right after. Bopara was bowled going for the cut after a run-a-ball 37. Pietersen continued to scamper between the wickets with real energy, and when he hit a massive six over midwicket off Jadeja in his next over, England seemed poised for a late onslaught.
It proved a bit of a false dawn though. The next ball arrowed into his pads, ending a 27-ball knock of 46, and Dimitri Mascarenhas and Owais Shah weren't quite Pietersen's match in the big-hitting stakes. Though Ishant proved expensive, Jadeja went through his spell for 26, and Harbhajan chipped in with the wicket of Shah to further stymie progress.
The final flourish never came. Paul Collingwood clipped Zaheer Khan for one four, but was then leg before trying to be too cute. And with Harbhajan picking up both Foster and Swann in the final over, it took five wides to take England beyond 150.
It was one of those in-between totals, and India's hopes took a hit early when Rohit Sharma played on while attempting a pull. By then, the English method was obvious, with nearly half the deliveries dropped short and directed at the body. And when Suresh Raina miscued a hook of Sidebottom minutes later, the tactics were further vindicated.
What followed effectively basted the Indian goose and put it in the tandoor. Neither Gautam Gambhir nor Jadeja could seize the initiative, and by the time Gambhir paddled Mascarenhas to short fine leg, the 38-run partnership had taken seven overs. Yuvraj tried to inject some life into the innings, and there was a late flurry from the impressive Yusuf, but it was all a bit too late.
Two years ago, Indian fans taunted Misbah-ul-Haq with chants of "Miss-ba five runs". On Sunday, it was their team that fell three short. No Singh-ing, no glory. Just time to go home, after playing the next game - against South Africa - for formalities' sake.
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