T20 Final Report

Again I was 50 percent wrong. I expected a South Africa- Srilanka final, but Pakistan knocked out South Africa in a clinical performance, and further, went on to win the championship without much trouble. It was a fight between two of the best bowling sides in the tournament, and Pakistan, just like one of their star players Abdul Razzaq made a fairy tale comeback and won the championship that evaded them by 5 runs in 2007.

Semi-final #1: South Africa vs Pakistan

The tournament favorites were rocked early despite capturing wickets. Kamran Akmal's 12 ball 23 set the tone and South Africa's impeccable seam attack was under pressure for once. Afridi, promoted to No. 3 in the batting order played a mature hand to everyone's surprise, by scoring 51 off 34 balls with 8 fours. South Africa came back strongly with some fantastic death over bowling to restrict pakistan to 149. During their chase they got off to a reasonable start through Kallis and Smith. Young seamer Aamer removed Smith while Afridi sent Gibbs and Devilliers back quickly. Some brilliant containment by Gul, Afridi and Ajmal left South Africa needing 23 off the last over. Despite Kallis scoring 64 and Duminy scoring an unbeaten 44 pakistan qualified for the finals for the second time in a row.

Semi-final #2: Srilanka vs West Indies

An astonishing solo from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a clinical bowling performance booked Srilanka's final ticket. Put into bat, most Srilankan batsmen struggled to get going, but Dilshan didn't. With a fine unbeaten 96 off 57 balls he carried Srilanka to 158. He didn't get enough strike towards the end of the innings to complete his 100. Jayasuria's painstaking 24 off 37 balls was the next best score for Srilanka. But the runchase was off to a nightmare of a start. Windies lost Xavier Marshall, Lendl Simmons and the in-form Dwayne Bravo for ducks in Angelo Matthews' first over itself. They never got back and were blown away for 101 runs, out of which skipper Chris Gayle made an unbeaten 63. No other batsmen reached double figures as the Lankan bowlers were at their miserly best.

Final: Pakistan vs Srilanka

Labelled as firm favorites the Islanders won the toss and choose to bat. Aware of Pakistan's middle over and end over bowling strength they went hard at the new ball, a move backfired horribly. Srilanka were reduced to 34/4 after the 6 powerplay overs, with come-back man Abdul Razzaq picking up three wickets and young Aamer bouncing Dilshan out for a duck in the very first over. Srilanka found themselves in an even more deeper hole at 70/6 but their inspirational captain Kumar Sangakkara combined forces with young all rounder Matthews to carry his team to 138/6 in 20 overs, with the pair plundering 59 runs in the last 5 overs. Pakistan's chase was so un-Pakistan. They were, for a change, very professional. Kamaran Akmal was again in good form and smacked 37 off 28 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixers. Despite loosing the second wicket at 63, Afridi, promoted again to No.3 and Shoaib Malik played mature hands in seeing Pakistan through with 8 balls to spare. Afridi's 40 ball 54 included 2 sixers and 2 fours and was the most mature innings of him ever. He was named man of the match, and Dilshan just pipped Afridi for the Man of the Series Award.

After the incidents at Lahore, where the touring Srilankan team was attacked by gunmen, Pakistan has been starved of cricket with teams refusing to tour. With the 2011 World Cup 50 over competition moved away from Pakistan, this is a very very very important victory for Pakistan as a Nation. Cheers Pakistan, Well Played.

For more news, statistics and photos please visit Cricinfo

ICC T20- Super 8's Report

Ooops..My prediction was only 50% right. In my previous post I predicted India, South Africa, Srilanka and New Zealand to be the semi-finalists but India and New Zealand didn't make it. They've been replaced by Pakistan and West Indies. Let us take a deeper look into how the Super-8s went on:

Group-E (India, England, West Indies, South Africa)

It was a tough group and close games were expected. But it was not the case. South Africa out bowled England, out batted West Indies and out played India to enter the semifinals as the Winners from this group. South Africa bowled out England for 111, Scored 183/7 against West Indies and atlast defended a moderate 130 against a down and out India. AB Devilliers, Kallis, Gibbs and Smith in patches were the stars with the bat, while the 19 year old Wayne Parnell was the star with the ball ably supported by Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe. They were brilliant in the field as usual. West Indies pace bowlers blew away the match fancied Indians with Bouncers. Dwayne Bravo with an unbeaten 66 of 36 balls and 4 wickets was the star, but Fiedel Edwards set the tone with Aggressive pace bowling. The Windies also beat England in a rain-shortened chase. Chasing 80 in 9 overs Windies top order lost their heads, collasping to 45-5 with 22 balls remaining. But the Guyanese pair of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shiv Chanderpaul put on 37 off 18 balls with just 4 boundaries to see them through to semi-finals. England, the hosts had the consolation of beating defending champions India. Taking a leaf out of the Windies book the Englishmen also bowled hostile bouncers at Indian batsmen to come out on top by 3 runs. India failed to win a single game and already Indian fans are demanding for Skipper MS Dhoni's head. They even failed to overhaul South Africa's dismal 130 in an attempt to get a consolation win.

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
South Africa	3	3	0	0	0	6	+0.787
West Indies	3	2	1	0	0	4	+0.063
England	3	1	2	0	0	2	-0.414
India	3	0	3	0	0	0	-0.466

Group-F (Ireland, Pakistan, Srilanka, New Zealand)

New Zealand began convincingly with a 83 run win over Ireland and Pakistan started with a loss against Srilanka. But in the end the table turned. Srilanka, with tremendous middle over bowling strength won all their three matches comprehensively. Yes, their batting and opening bowling looked not so great, but Muralitharan, Mendia and Malinga is a combination any team would dream of in a T20 match. Mendis and Malinga took wickets while Murali tied the batsmen down. Tillakaratne Dilshan tops the run charts for the tournament ably supported by Mahela Jayawardane. Pakistan, after the loss against Srilanka, some how found the desire to win. Abdul Razzaq returned to the side after two playing in the unofficial Indian Cricket League for 2 years. But it was the brilliant bowling of Shahid Afridi and Umer Gul that helped Pakistan. Gul's 3-0-6-5 against New Zealand was a fantastic T20 spell (Best T20 bowling figures and the first ever 5 wicket haul). Pakistan beat New Zealand and Ireland with comfort. The Kiwis had their chance of making it to the Semis ahead of Srilanka based on Net Run Rate, but they failed miserably in a chase of 158. Ireland showed some fight against Srilanka where they lost by 9 runs, but were beaten comprehensively by New Zealand and Pakistan.

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Sri Lanka	3	3	0	0	0	6	+1.267
Pakistan	3	2	1	0	0	4	+1.185
New Zealand	3	1	2	0	0	2	-0.232
Ireland	3	0	3	0	0	0	-2.183

Semifinal Line-up

South Africa vs Pakistan
Srilanka vs West Indies

Given the form shown by the teams it should be a final between South Africa and Srilanka. But the other two mercurial sides can sprang in a surprise anywhere along the line. So, adios from me until the finals.

ICC T20- First Round Report.

ICC T20 has reached the second stage, the Super-8 stage. How teams have fared so far? Has everything gone as expected? Any upsets? Lets see:

Group- A (India-A1, Bangladesh-A2, Ireland)
India and Bangladesh were expected to make it to the second round. But Ireland sprung in a surprise by kicking an abject Bangladesh out of the competition with a 6 wicket victory, fashioned by Trant Johnston and the O'Brien brothers, Niall and Kevin. Bangladesh had lost their first game against a classy Indian out-fit. So Ireland replaced Bangladesh as the A2 in the second round. India's swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag has been deemed unfit and Dinesh Kartik replaces him.


Group-B (Pakistan-B1, England-B2, Netherlands)
Netherlands almost caused an upset. They beat England in the tournament opener to put the hosts on the verge of a defeat. Pakistan turned in an abject performance against England that made sure the hosts were through to the next round. Pakistan, the last years finalists needed a convincing win over Dutch to qualify for round-2, which they achieved through useful batting contributions and excellent spin-bowling. Despite England topping this group on Net Run Rate, Pakistan are the B1 and England are B2 in the Super-8s. For more details on how the tournament works please refer the end of the article.


Group-D (Australia-C1, Srilanka-C2, West Indies)
Termed as group of death, this group lived up to the expectations. 50 Over World Champions Australia were Chris Gayled and Genocided out of the competition with the Lankans topping the group table with two wins out of two. The Lankans probably have the best T20 bowling attack. Their middle order is brittle but the top order always makes up. Windies are far more dangerous when their captain, 'Calypso King' Gayle, fires, as he did against the Kangaroos. Since West Indies were replacing Australia, they are the C1.


Group-D (New Zealand-D1, South Africa-D2, Scotland)
As expected South Africa and New Zealand qualified. The match between the top two was a classic as South Africa defended a modest 128 to win by a run. South Africa, under the Impressive Graeme Smith, looks the hot favorites. Even from the Warm-up matches they are playing the same XI something none of the other 11 teams didn't even come close to doing. With Smith leading 'his' team like a colonel, they are on course to win a first cricket WC Silverware. Despite topping the group South Africa are D2.


The Super-8 Groups
Group E: India (A1), England (B2), West Indies (Replaced C1), South Africa (D2)
Group F: Ireland (Replaced A2), Pakistan (B1), Srilanks (C2), New Zealand (D1)
The A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2 Confusion.
These were the rankings before the tournament.

India - A1	Pakistan - B1	Australia - C1	New Zealand- D1
Bangladesh - A2	England - B2	Sri Lanka - C2	South Africa - D2
Ireland	Netherlands	West Indies	Scotland

As the tournament progressed, the teams that qualify for the second round were divided onto two groups based on the following rule:

Group E	Group F
A1	B1
B2	A2
C1	C2
D2	D1

The top two ranked teams in each group are seeded 1 and 2. They will retain this seeding for the Super Eights stage, irrespective of whether they finish first or second in their group, unless they are knocked out by team 3 in their group. In this instance, team 3 replaces the position of the team they knock out. For example, if Bangladesh wins Group A and India comes second, for the purposes of the Super Eights, India will still be A1 and Bangladesh will be A2. If for example, Ireland qualifies instead of India, Ireland will become A1. (Source: ICC)

My Semifinal Predictions:
India, South Africa, Srilanka and New Zealand

For Scores and other tournament features: Cricinfo

Let's enjoy the entertainment version of the great Game. I'll be back after Super-8s. Untill then Adios......

Symonds does it again!!!!

Andrew Symonds is believed to be contemplating retirement after being ordered home from the ICC World Twenty20 for an "alcohol-related incident" that has thrown Australia's tournament plans into disarray.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland announced Symonds' contract was under review, but Cricinfo understands the allrounder may jump before he is pushed. The developments come after the Australian team's leadership group - consisting of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Tim Nielsen and Steve Bernard - recommended to Cricket Australia's board that Symonds be withdrawn from the World Twenty20 for drinking while watching the State of Origin rugby league match on Wednesday morning.

While not a serious offence in isolation, Symonds' alcohol consumption contravened the conditions of a personal contract struck with Cricket Australia following a string of behavioural infractions. It is understood the terms of the contract have left Symonds feeling restricted and, according to one confidante, "no longer knowing how he can fit into the Australian team".

Ponting, speaking at a hastily convened press conference at The Oval, said Symonds had let down his employers, his teammates and himself.

"There's no doubting Andrew's capabilities as a player, but there are other things happening around him that made the decision we've come to a relatively easy one," said Ponting. "This is not wholly and solely about Andrew Symonds. This is about the Australian cricket team. We've got some young guys who are just finding out what international cricket is all about. This is about the bigger picture and bringing on the next generation of Australian players."

Though Symonds is not disputing the decision to withdraw him from the World Twenty20, he is apparently keen to tell his side of the story, and is expected to wait until he lands in Australia before speaking.

Various reports have suggested Symonds' drinking became problematic during Australia's recent limited overs tour of the UAE, and again after the Twenty20 warm-up match against New Zealand on Tuesday. But it was the "several beers" imbibed in the company of several teammates while watching the State of Origin that is believed to have prompted Australia's leadership group to act, and push Symonds' career to the brink.

Symonds attended a PCA dinner with the Australian Twenty20 squad at a Kensington hotel on Wednesday night, but was a notable absentee at Australia's training session at The Oval on Thursday. He was due to return to Australia on Thursday night, and a source close to the player told Cricinfo a retirement announcement could be imminent.

"He is feeling like a square peg in a round hole," the source said. "It got to a stage where he had to make these commitments if he wanted to be selected for Australia. He knows he has put himself in this position, but there is no doubt he is struggling with it."

Following a series of misdemeanours in the past 12 months, Symonds was on a final warning from Cricket Australia. Senior figures within CA pushed for his contract to be torn up after the "gone fishing" incident in Darwin last year, and Sutherland yesterday told reporters in Melbourne the allrounder's contract was "under review".

"Tonight we have also advised him that we will take the [contract] offer off the table at this stage," Sutherland said. "In isolation, the breaches that I am talking about are not serious, but in the scheme of things, in the scheme of history, they are enough for it to be the final straw. I'm disappointed in Andrew, but I'm also disappointed for Andrew. I'm sad about it."

Symonds has been involved in numerous off-field incidents in recent seasons, most notably a pre-match drinking session in Cardiff in 2005 which led to him being stood down from Australia's limited overs team barely an hour before a match against Bangladesh. He also missed a team meeting to go fishing during a one-day series against Bangladesh in Darwin last year, which prompted team management to send him home and CA to arrange psychological counselling.

An altercation with Clarke on last year's tour of the West Indies further frayed tensions between Symonds and the team management, and a drunken radio interview in January - in which he referred to the New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendan McCullum as "a piece of s..." - resulted in him receiving a fine and further disciplinary action. Symonds apologised, having admitted that alcohol was a problematic influence in his life, and he subsequently stated that he was "entering the final chapter of his career".

Despite retaining his central contract only last month, Symonds was omitted from Australia's Ashes squad in favour of Andrew McDonald and Shane Watson. After 26 Tests and 198 ODIs dating back to November 1998, it is hard to see how his career can possibly recover from this latest episode.

Cricket Australia confirmed that they had applied to the ICC technical committee to see if a replacement for Symonds is permitted. Should their application be successful, Moises Henriques and Cameron White are the likeliest candidates for a call-up.

Source: Cricinfo

Tendulkar tips seamers to shine

Sachin Tendulkar has said he is confident about India defending its World Twenty20 title and expects the pace attack to come good in English conditions. "It is on par with the best," he told Daily News and Analysis. "Zaheer [Khan], Ishant [Sharma] and RP Singh form a lethal combination, particularly in English conditions. Our seam attack has a lot of variety and would come handy in such conditions. On our day, we can demolish any batting side."

Tendulkar, who will not take part in the World Twenty20, had stressed the need for the Indian players to get adequate rest ahead of the competition after an intense IPL. He had singled out India's opening combination, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, which had struggled in the IPL, to fight fatigue in the lead-up to the tournament in England.

When asked about Sehwag's poor run, Tendulkar said: "Every player has ups and downs in his career and Viru [Sehwag] is no exception. But an on-song Viru is a delight to watch. If he gets one cover drive right, he'll mesmerise everybody and will again be back to his best. The bowlers will be at his mercy then. He is a superb striker of the ball ... on his day, he can do anything."

Tendulkar tipped India as the favourites for competition, for he felt that rather than just some individuals making the difference, the team is the best balanced outfit around. "We come as a package," he said. "I am certain this package is the best in business at the moment. This package has everything which is necessary to make us world champions once again.

"India is the most balanced side in the world and there is no doubt we can defend the title. We have very good cricketers in our side and we have proved that this combination is the deadliest."

source: www. cricinfo.com Tendulkar tips seamers to shine

India's T20 Stars in IPL-2 Report Card

Dhoni's army is ready to go to England to defend their crown as the T20 world champions. And as a matter of fact they had a long preparation camp for 37 days in South Africa. Yes, I'm talking about IPL Season 2. Here is an analysis of how the Members of India's T20 World Cup Squad Fared in IPL-2

1.Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicket Keeper & Captain, India & Chennai Super Kings)
332 runs in 14 games 13 innings. Avg: 41.50, SR: 127.20 H.S: 58* vs Deccan Chargers, 2 fifties. Took 4 catches and stumped 4 batters.
It was a typical Dhoni show. His team weren't in the best of form, especially his bowlers and fielders were so poor. The skipper himself looked a bit inconsistent at times, but somehow he was able to lead and inspire his team to a semifinal berth as the second placed team in the league stages. Played couple of magnificient innings against Deccan and Kings XI and was at his elements as a captain in close games against Delhi, Rajastan Royals and Kings XI. Had a 24% dot ball ratio as a batsman, lowest among all batters. Was off-colour in the semifinal both as a skipper and a batsman in the Semifinal loss against Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Marks out of 10: Dhoni the Captain 7/10, Dhoni the Player 6/10; Average 6.5/10

2.Virender Sehwag (Vice Captain, India & Captain, Delhi Daredevils)
198 runs in 11 games 11 innings. Avg:19.80 SR:143.47 H.S: 50 vs Mumbai Indians, 1 Fifty. Bowled 1 over and was taken for 25 by Gilchrist. Took 3 catches.
Sehwag started the tournament with a bang. Scored 38 off 16 balls against Punjab Kings XI to lead his team to a 10 wicket win in a Rain Shortened Game. Then he went off the boil, played too many shots and got out early. Missed 4 gamed due to a broken finger. Found form with a 50 off 27 balls against Mumbai in the last league game. Delhi Dare Devils were the most balanced team of IPL 2. So despite the failure of Sehwag and his famous opening partner Gambhir, Delhi made their way to semifinals, living up to the pre-tournament favorites tag. A magnificient assault from Deccan Chargers Skipper Adam Gilchrist denied them of a final birth.
Marks out of 10: Sehwag the Player 3/10, Sehwag the Captain 4/10; Average 3.5/10

3. Gautam Gambhir (Opener India & Stand-in Captain, Delhi Daredevils)
286 runs in 15 games 15 innings. Avg:22.00 SR: 102.87 H.S: 71* vs Kolkatta Knight Riders, 1 fifty. Took 2 catches in the tournament.
India's best batsman in the first T20 World Cup in South Africa. India's Leading Run Scorer in all forms of cricket in the past 18 months. 534 runs in IPL-1. A devestating opening partnership with Sehwag. All pointed towards some sensational performances. But it was not the case. Despite a scratchy 71* (he was reprived by the umpire on 45) and a near convincing 47 against Mumbai Indians, Gambhir was an utter failure. Lead his team well when Sehwag was nursing an Injury.
Marks out of 10: Gambhir the Player 3/10, Gambhir the Captain 4/10; Average 3.5/10

4. Harbhajan Singh (Off Spinner, India & Mumbai Indians)
84 runs in 13 games 10 innings. Avg: 10.50 SR: 158.49. H.S: 20 vs Deccan Chargers. 12 wickets in 13 games. SR: 22.00 Avg: 21.33 ER: 5.81 BB: 4/17 vs Delhi Daredevils. Took 3 catches
In a tournament dominated surprisingly by Slow bowlers, Harbhajan was not at his best. Not so well used by his skipper Sachin Tendulkar at times, Bhajji's 4/17 in a loosing cause against Daredevils and a magnificient spell of 4-0-9-1 against Kings XI Punjab were standouts. He bowled economically but always lacked creativity.
Marks out of 10: 5/10

5.Ravindra Jadeja (All-rounder, India & Rajastan Royals)
295 runs in 13 games 13 innings. Avg: 26.81 SR: 110.90 H.S: 42 vs Mumbai Indians. 6 wickets in 13 games. SR: 23.30 Avg: 25.16 ER: 6.47 BB: 3/15 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore. Took 4 catches.
Jadeja was his teams top run scorer. He came up with useful contributions to a medicore batting line up, without really making a huge contribution. Took 6 wickets with his left arm spin and was brilliant on the field. Failed miserably to live up to the reputation he created during 2008/09 Indian Domestic season where he was the best all rounder by a fair margin with 739 runs and 42 wickets.
Marks out of 10: 5/10

6. Zakeer Khan (Fast Bowler, India & Mumbai Indians)
8 runs in 6 games. 6 wickets in 6 games. SR: 21.00 Avg: 23.66 ER: 6.76 BB: 3/31 vs Kolkatta Knight Riders. Took 2 catches.
Zak, India's pacebowling spearhead these days had steady 6 games before injuring his left shoulder in a game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. His absense made a huge impact in Mumbai's semifinal hopes since He and Malinga bowled some good opening and death spells. Although his tally of 6 wickets including 3 in one game was not up to the high standards he sets for himself.
Marks out of 10: 3/10

7. Praveen Kumar (Seam Bowler, India & Royal Challengers Bangalore)
65 runs in 13 games 8 innings. Avg: 13.00 SR: 141.30. 13 wickets in 13 games. SR: 22.9 Avg: 30.30 ER: 7.93 BB: 3/30 vs Delhi Daredevils. Took 1 catch.
The angry young man got his team off to a great start with a magnificient opening spell against Rajastan Royals taking two crucial wickets. With Kumble taking 5 wickets for 5 runs BRC got off to a dream start by bowling the defending champions out for 58. BRC won only 2 out of their first 6 matches under Kevin Pietersen, but made it to the finals by winning 9 out of the 7, including the semifinal, after Kumble became the captain. Praveen was trusted by Kumble but he was brilliant one over and ordinary in the next. His 20 run over in the final against Deccan proved to be the difference in the end as BRC fell short by 6 runs.
Marks out of 10: 4/10

8. Pragyan Ojha (Left Arm Spinner, India & Deccan Chargers)
1 run in 15 games 4 innings. 18 wickets in 15 games. SR: 17.8 Avg: 19.33 ER: BB: 3/21 vs Mumbai Indians. Took 2 Catches
Ojha was the best Indian spinner on show. (Barring Anil Kumble). His three wickets in the final were good but his 3 wickets against Mumbai Indians, including the prized wickets of Sachin and JP Duminy was one of the spells of the tournament. Missed a match due to injury. The way he lured right handers out of the crease to have them stumped by Gilchrist and the celeberation after that were common sights in this IPL and are sights to behold for a hardcore Indian fan.
Marks out of 10: 6/10

9. Irfan Pathan (All-rounder, India & Kings XI Punjab)
196 runs in 14 games 12 innings. Avg: 19.60 SR: 124.05 HS: 39 vs Rajastan Royals. 17 wickets in 14 games SR: 17.7 Avg: 22.94 ER: 7.74 BB: 3/35 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore. Took 4 catches.
Not flattering numbers, but weren't bad either. Formed a good bowling combination with Yusuf Abdulla and Brett Lee and was Punjab's highest wicket taker. Got his famous swing back but the pace was in the mid 120's and early 130's. Played couple of crucial innings down the order against Rajastan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, both turned out to be match winning contributions.
Marks out of 10: 5.5/10

10. Yusuf Pathan (All-rounder, India & Rajastan Royals)
243 runs in 13 games 13 innings. Avg: 20.25 SR: 132.78 HS: 62* vs Delhi Daredevils, 1 fifty. 7 wickets in 13 games. SR: 30.00 Avg: 34.71 ER: 6.94 BB: 3/34 vs Deccan Chargers Took 2 Catches.
Pathan Sr was a mere shadow of the entertainer who took the inaugural IPL by Storm, with 435 runs at a strike rate of 179 and 8 wickets. Played couple of Match winning hands with a brutal 62* off 30 balls vs Daredevils and a 21 ball 42 followed by a 4 ball 18 in the superover against Kolkatta Knight Riders. His skipper put extra pressure on him by asking him to come down the order and hit at a rate of 10 an over, and Yusuf struggled. Did a respectable job with the ball, at times opening the bowling.
Marks out of 10: 4/10

11. Suresh Raina (Batsman, India & Chennai Super Kings)
434 runs in 14 matches 14 innings. Avg: 31.00 SR: 140.90 H.S: 98 vs Rajastan Royals, 2 fifties. 7 wickets in 14 games. SR: 23.70 Avg: 23.42 ER: 5.92 BB: 2/17 vs Kings XI Punjab. Took 7 catches.
Raina was one of the Sucess stories of the last IPL and he didn't dissappoint this season too. Scored valuable runs at the top of the order to back up Matty Hayden, who smacked 572 runs, and was a surprise package as a bowler with his off spinners, bowling some tight death overs. A magnificient 98 vs Rajastan Royals (the scoreboard flashed he was on 100 and Raina played a careless shot next ball and got out thinking he was the first Indian to score an IPL ton) was an innings to remember.
Marks out of 10: 7/10

12. Ishant Sharma (Fast Bowler, India & Kolkatta Knight Riders)
16 runs in 11 games. 11 wickets in 11 games. SR: 23.4 Avg: 27.00 ER: 6.90 BB: 2/15 vs Bangalore Royal Challengers. Took 1 catch.
His agression and committment was the only positive for the Wooden Spoon winners Kolkatta Knight Riders. Still lacked consistency and was poor at the death. Easily KKR's best bowler by miles and was rested for the last 2 games. Surprisingly KKR won both matches. (They won only 1 out of the 11 he played). His spat with Yuvraj was one of the not so good incidents of the season.
Marks out of 10: 3.5/10

13. Rohit Sharma (Batsman, India & Deccan Chargers)
362 runs in 16 games 16 innings. Avg: 27.84 SR:114.92 HS: 52 vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, 1 fifty. 11 wickets in 16 games. SR: 12.5 Avg: 14.63 ER: 7.00 BB: 4/6 vs Mumbai Indians. Took 5 catches.
Has Rohit atlast arrived at the Big Stage?? May be not. But was the most sensational player of the IPL. Runs a plenty, useful wickets, a match winning Hattrick, brilliant fielding...what else you want. Rohit provided everything. Hit 26 off the last over in a tight chase against KKR to win the match. He almost did it again vs Punjab in a 1 run loss when he hit 42 off 26. Was tidy with his off-spinners and bowled a dream 2-0-6-4 spell against Mumbai Indians, which included a hattrick. Rightly named the City Under-23 Sucess of IPL2
Marks out of 10: 7.1/10

14. Rudra Pratap Singh (Fast Bowler, India & Deccan Chargers)
8 runs in 16 games 6 innings. 23 wickets in 16 games. SR: 15.5 Avg: 18.13 ER: 6.98 BB:4/22 vs Kolkatta Knight Riders. Took 7 catches.
RP was a front runner for purple cap in last IPL. Was the key figure in India's test series win in England, T20 Worldcup and perth test. But injuries and loss of form found him out of India's best 16 of late. Boy did he make a come back like a pheonix. With 23 wickets he won the purple cap. despite some slip ups in the middle part of the tournament, he was the best active Indian Bowler on show. (A close contender may be Ashish Nehra). It was apt that this come-back king added the finishing touches to Deccans Rise from the Ashes of last year (Last in 2008, Winners of 2009) with a nerveless final over. Hope RP improves his fielding, inspite of the 7 catches he took.
Marks out 10: 6.9/10

15. Yuvraj Singh (Batsman, India & Captain, Kings XI Punjab)
340 runs in 14 games 14 innings. Avg: 28.33 SR: 115. 64 HS: 58* vs Chennai Super Kings. 2 fifties. 6 wickets in 14 games. SR: 20.00 Avg: 23.66 ER: 7.10 BB: 3/13 vs Deccan Chargers. Took 5 catches.
A satisfying return for any others but not for Yuvraj. Scored just 299 runs with 1 fifty last season. Was always angry as a leader and had reasons too. Took a hat-trick and scored a 50 vs Bangalore Royal Challengers only to see his team loose by 8 runs. Took another hat-trick and took his team to victory over Deccan but in a must win game against Chennai, chasing a modest 117, he and his glamorous team wilted under the guiles of MS Dhoni. Hit 16 sixers, and hit the longest off'em all, a 119 meter monster of Albie Morkel.
Marks out of 10: Yuvraj the Player: 6/10 Yuvraj the Captain 6/10; Average 6/10

Warne vs Dhoni.

IPL season 1 and 2 gave us the chance of watching two of the best captains of our Era. Season 1 Final saw both of them in action and Warne's just put it past of the last ball over Dhoni's Super Kings and won the finals. Even in the couple of games they met at League stages saw Warne ruling over Dhoni. Warne led a relatively moderate team to a remarkable win. But Dhoni and his team were not far behind. Dhoni also had to deal with a fairly moderate squad, which lost form midway through. Furthermore Dhoni was just one year old as a captain. IPL 2 again gave us the opportunity two watch these two charismatic gentle men locking horns again.

CSK started their tournament in a bumpy way. They were beaten by Mumbai Indians, Delhi Dare Devils and Deccan Chargers; They beat Bengalore Royal Challengers; They had a game against Kolkatta Knight Riders Washed out. So after 5 games, they were languishing at the bottom Just above Kolkatta Knight Riders. Rajastan's start was even more disastrous. They were bowled out for 58 against Bangalore Royal Challengers. They had only a win over KKR and their game against MI was also washed out. Then they met for the first time. Hayden was in great form for CSK, tearing into all seam attacks. Warne opened with Yusuf Pathan's off-spin and got Hayden out for 1. Suresh Raina's magnificient 98 and some impressive bowling meant CSK beat Royals for the first time in 4 meetings, by 38 runs. Not much of a tactical war there. Dissappointed? Dhoni and Warne were back to business for the second league meeting with their respective teams and they both now had 11 points in 9 games. Dhoni's team beat tournament favorites Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils where Dhoni was at his best, both as a player and captain. While Royals also beat Delhi Daredevils through Yusuf Pathan's brute power and they kicked Kings XI Punjab by 78 runs, achieving IPL-2's first 200+ score. And on May 09, 2009 they met again. And we saw a classic battle of two outstanding leaders.

The battle started off-field. Warne won the toss and chose to bat. And he had a go at Dhoni and CSK saying they were not the best chasers. Dhoni retorted, saying given his strong batting line-up, the Rajasthan batsmen would be under immense pressure to set a defendable total. And they exchanged blow after blow. Dhoni was impeccabel with his bowling changes and field placings. Warne came up with a 11 ball 21 that took Rajastan Royals to 140/7 in 20 overs. Moderate. Isn't it?? With Hayden, Raina and Dhoni in great form, it's a cake walk for CSK. Isn't it? No way, Warne came up with Ideas. After 8 overs CSK were 49/2. Murali Vijay and Raina back in the hut. Hayden was given only 14 balls to face. Warne bowled a great over where Badrinath hardly put Bat to Ball. In the ninth over Warne bowled to Hayden for the first time, throwing the first ball wide, which was called wide despite big turn. The next one was flighted wide again, and Hayden decided to reverse-sweep late but perfectly. He then walked down to Warne, as if the keeper was standing back, and got to the pitch and hit him flat over long-on. That over may have got Chennai only 12 runs, but the statement that Hayden made was huge. But Warne was not the one to back off. He kept rotating his bowlers and with Badrinath struggling CSK needed 44 in 5 overs. But there was the Dhoni effect. Dhoni had kept faith in Badri and even had promoted him above himself in such a tricky chase. Like his captain Badri stayed calm and hit Shane Harwood for 20 runs in the 16th over. Runrate came to managable proportions. Warne again didn't back-off. He had Hayden brilliantly stumped down the legside. But, Badri saw CSK home with 10 balls to spare.

This game may seem like a one sided game. But it was a brilliant battle between two charismatic leaders. Warne never captained his country but he has played top level cricket for 16 years. Dhoni didn't even cement his place in the team when he was made captain. But, man he has come off age. Experience wise, Dhoni is a child compared to Warne. But, his tactics as effective as Warne. As it turned out, Dhoni has a better team in this IPL than Warne's. But still it takes some cool head to counter Warne's tactical brilliance. Both are charismatic and have their own ways of leading the side on the field. Warne is like a colonel in action while Dhoni is the macho man. Both have one common aspect. They have strong believe in their ability as well as their teams' ability. On the night Dhoni may have been leading the better side, but as far as the battle of captains goes, Warne and Dhoni are locked. May be in 5 years time, with experience at international level, Dhoni may have his nose ahead of Warne. But for the moment Dhoni = Warne

Faces of Indian Cricket

Since Playing their first test against England in 1932 at Lord's London, India's contribution to World Cricket is Immense. Up to today India has seen some highs and lows as a cricket team. Legends like Lala Amarnath, Tiger Pataudi, Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Bagawath Chandrasekar, Erapalli Prasanna, Bishen Bedi, Srinivas Venkatraghavan, Mohinder Amarnath, Kapil Dev. Dilip Vengsarkar, Kris Srikanth, Ravi Shastri, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Javaghal Srinath all added colour to cricket. A fiesty new Indian team of present adds the much needed glamour. But India has become a nation which loved Field Hockey to a nation that hates everything except cricket. This transition took place gradually. These are the 5 main factors that influenced that transition in my point of view.

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar Explodes as India conquers West Indies :

West Indies during those days wasn't the place for a 5 ft 5 inch guy to make a debut. They boasted of pace bowlers who were hunting in packs. Although the West Indian attack of Gavaskar's first series wasn't that devestating compared to some other attacks they've had, it was a formidable. Gavaskar, made his debut in the second test at Port-of-Spain in Trinidad. And what a debut it was, Sunny made 65 & 67* as India, led by Ajit Wadekar beat the West Indian cricket team for the first time in Carribean Soil. Gavaskar was in awesome form all through out the series with 774 runs in 8 innings at an average of 154.80 with 4 hundreds and 3 fifties. It included 124 and 220 in the last test at Port-of-Spain again. Gavaskar ended his career with 10,122 test runs at an average of 51.12 in 125 tests with 34 hundreds and 45 fifties. His record of 34 test hundreds stood untill 2005, before deservedly overtaken by Sachin Tendulkar. Sunny, inspired more and more kids to take up to batting. His most famous follower is none other than Sachin Tendulkar. Known as Little Master, Sunny did master the art of batting and did take batting to another level.

Kapil Leads his devils to World Cup Success in 1983:

1975 World Cup Final: Australia vs Westindies, Australian team that included Dennis Lillie, Jeff Thompson, Rodney Marsh and Greg Chappel lead by Ian Chappel was beaten with minimum fuss. 1979 World Cup Final: England vs West Indies. England were hammered badly. 1983 final, somehow Kapil Dev lead his team to the finals. But up against them was, you guessed it, the mighty Windies team lead by Clive Lloyd. A hattrick of World Cups for West Indies?? Off course it looked like that when India finished their batting. 183 all out. Blown away by Westindian Pace Battery. With a batting line up of Grreenidge, Haynes, Richards, Lloyd, Gomes, Bachchas and Dujon ahead of him, Malcolm Marshall was begging the team management to allow him to go out for shopping. Most fans turned off their Radio Sets. Almost everybody resigned to the fate except Kapil and his Devils. In 52 overs of Inspired and Intelligent bowling and fielding effort, India bowled out West Indies for 140 and lifted their most significant world trophy todate. The portrait of Kapil holding the trophy aloft in Lord's pavalion became a household item in India. Kapil, who hails from a modest background in Haryana, inspired many poor, not so gifted youngsters to become cricketers. He is the only true all-rounder produced by India, and untill overtaken by Courtney Walsh, he held the world record for Highest Number of Wickets in Test Cricket with 434 scalps.


Sachin: Little Master version 2

Off course, Sachin is Little Master version 2. He also hails from Mumbai as Sunny Gavaskar. He also is a complete batsman. His height is also the same as SMG. But Sachin made his debut as a baby. Yes, he was just 16 then. In an exibhition match Pakistan legend Abdul Kadhir did ask Sachin, "What are you doing here baby" or something in that lines. Reply was, three sixers in one over. Gavaskar and Kapil brought General Public towards cricket. But Sachin made cricket a cult in India. Anything less than a 100 from his bat was considered a failure. He continues to revel even today. Cricinfo says "Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon as well. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses, anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient in each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will. Tendulkar's considerable achievements seem greater still when looked at in the light of the burden of expectations he has had to bear from his adoring but somewhat unreasonable followers, who have been prone to regard anything less than a hundred as a failure. The aura may have dimmed, if only slightly, as the years on the international circuit have taken their toll on the body, but Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world." With 12, 773 test runs with 42 hundreds at 54.58, and 16,684 one day runs with 43 hundreds at 44.37, Sachin has scaled almost every batting record that is available. (stats as of 09 May, 2009). And the image of him celebrating a hundred would be etched in the memories of all who follow cricket.

Sehwag: Say Whack

Sehwag idolized his batting on Sachin. His major breakthrough also came as a replacement of his Idol, when he smacked a memorable 69 ball 100 vs Newzealand in a One Day Match at Colombo. Eversince, despite some minor hiccups here and there, Sehwag hasn't looked back. Despite a 100 on test Debut in South Africa, Sehwag was not considered a permanent fixture in Indian test team, especially in the middle order because of his Audacity. Sehwag was asked to open in a test match in England, and there started a career that changed the face of test match opening. Asked to open the innings in Tests on the tour of England in 2002, Sehwag proved an instant hit, cracking an 80 and a 100 in the first two matches. Regularly thereafter, he kept conjuring pivotal innings at the top of the order, none as significant as India's first 300 (which he bought up, characteristically, with a six), at Multan against Pakistan in early 2004. He became only the second batsman in test history, after Sir.Don Bradman and Brian Lara, to score two triple centuries in test cricket when he smacked a strong South African attack to all corners of the ground at Chennai Chepauk on his way to a blistering 319. His triple was brought up off Just 278 balls, a world record. This "freak" continues to entertain crowds all around the world.



M.S. Dhoni: The Macho Man

This article about MS, sums it up nicely: "The spectacular arrival of Virender Sehwag was bound to inspire others to bat with the same mindset. But the odds of a clone emerging from the backwaters of Jharkhand, whose state side has consistently scraped the bottom, was highly remote. That was until Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived. He can be swashbuckling with the bat and secure with the wicketkeeping gloves. His neck-length hair adds to his dash. Though Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999-2000 season, it was only in 2004 that he became a serious contender for national selection with some stirring performances when the occasion demanded. With his two centuries against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, that he established himself as a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks. In just his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, he cracked a dazzling 148 - putting even Sehwag in the shade - and followed that up with a colossal 183 not out at Jaipur against Sri Lanka in November, when he broke Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs. He made an instant impact on the Test level too, pounding 148 at Faisalabad, in only his fifth Test. He was elevated to the vice-captaincy of the one-day squad for the tour of England and Ireland in 2007 and, soon after, was appointed captain of the Twenty20 squad for the World Championship in South Africa. A heady title triumph marked him out as a leader for the future and was handed over the reins of the one-day side in September 2007 after Rahul Dravid decided to step down as captain. It didn't take too long for him to enhance his reputation, claiming India's first tri-series triumph in Australia. He captained Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, losing out to Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in a tense final. As a stop-gap Test captain, he was credited with leading India to their biggest ever win in terms of runs (320), against Australia in Mohali."

Giving due respect to legends like Pataudi, Wadekar, Azhar, Dada, Jumbo and Dravid, I feel these are the 5 faces that gave Indian cricket the Glow they've got now.

Sources used: www.cricinfo.com