Cric Talks

Category: Format

  • ICC World Twenty20 Super8 [Schedule and Fixtures]

    clip_image002Pakistan has managed to qualify for the Super8 after defeating Netherlands quite handsomely. The teams were to retain their seeding for the Super8s stage, irrespective of whether they finish first or second in their group. The fixture details of the Super8 stage are already very clear.

    Just to remind you, the rule is that if any of the 3rd seeded team from a group qualifies for the Super8, it will get the seeding of the team that they knock out for the purpose of deciding the Super8 matches.

    Thus, Ireland and West Indies now get seeding of Bangladesh and Australia respectively for deciding their matches for the Super8 stage.

    The group wise team seeding now stands as given below:

    GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D
    India – A1 Pakistan – B1 West Indies – C1 New Zealand – D1
    Ireland – A2 England – B2 Sri Lanka – C2 South Africa – D2
    Bangladesh Netherlands Australia Scotland

    Super8 – Groups

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

    Schedule and fixtures for Super8

    Super 8s GROUP E GROUP F
    11 THU England vs South Africa

    (B2 vs  D2)

    10:00 PM IST

    		 New Zealand vs Ireland

    (D1 vs  A2)

    6:00 PM IST
    12 FRI India vs West Indies

    (A1 vs C1)

    10:00 PM IST

    		 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

    (B1 vs  C2)

    6:00 PM IST
    13 SAT West Indies vs South Africa

    (C1 vs  D2)

    6:00 PM IST

    		 New Zealand vs Pakistan

    (D1 vs  B1)

    10:00 PM IST
    14 SUN India vs England

    (A1 vs B2)

    10:00 PM IST

    		 Ireland vs Sri Lanka

    (A2 vs  C2)

    6:00 PM IST
    15 MON England vs West Indies

    (B2 vs  C1)
    10:00 PM IST

    		 Pakistan vs Ireland

    (B1 vs  A2)

    6:00 PM IST
    16 TUE India vs South Africa

    (A1 vs D2)

    10:00 PM IST

    		 NewZealand vs Sri Lanka

    (D1 vs  C2)

    6:00 PM IST
    18 THU Semifinal – E1 vs F2
    10:00 PM IST
    19 FRI Semifinal F1 vs E2

    10:00 PM IST 2030 hrs BST
    21 SUN Final

    7:30 PM IST

  • Preview: India Vs Bangladesh

    image

    Match Details

    Group A | Match No 4

    Date: June 6, 2009

    Time: 10:30 PM IST

    TV Coverage: On Star Cricket in India

    Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

    Playing Conditions

    Weather: High: 27°C, Low: 17°C, Partly Cloudy

    Teams Form

    In chronological order from left to right

    India: WLWLL

    Last two T20 Internationals that India played were against New Zealand and they lost both the matches. After a big win in the warm up match against Pakistan, India is looking good for this match.

    Bangladesh: LLLLL

    They scored 206 against Netherlands in the warm up match and Australia piled 219 against them in another match. Their batting looks good in patches but bowling is the weak link.

    Team News

    India

    There is still uncertainty over fitness of Sehwag and Zaheer to be in the playing XI for today’s match.

    Rohit Sharma has impressed everyone with his knock in the warm up matches replacing unfit Sehwag.

    Bangladesh

    Shakib Al Hasan shall be the key player to watch out for from the Bangladesh side. He gave a fighting performance against Australia in the warm up match.

    Possible Eleven

    India

    1. Gautam Gambhir
    2. Rohit Sharma
    3. Suresh Raina
    4. Yuvraj Singh
    5. MS Dhoni (capt./wk)
    6. Yusuf Pathan
    7. Ravindra Jadeja / R P Singh
    8. Harbhajan Singh
    9. Irfan Pathan
    10. Praveen Kumar
    11. Ishant Sharma

    Bangladesh

    1. Tamim Iqbal
    2. Junaid Siddique
    3. Mohammad Ashraful (capt.)
    4. Shakib Al Hasan
    5. Mahmudullah
    6. Raqibul Hasan
    7. Mushfiqur Rahim
    8. Mashrafe Mortaza
    9. Rubel Hossain
    10. Shahadat Hossain / Naeem Islam
    11. Syed Rasel / Abdur Razzak

  • Can India Retain the World Cup?

    clip-imageThis time when the Indian team starts its campaign in the World T20 Cup, there are two major differences more than any other.

    First, the team looks stronger and better prepared for the shortest form of cricket.

    Second, the expectations from the fans are way more than expected.

    Given the balance and experience of the side, fans have all the rights to demand nothing less but retain the cup.

    Pick any playing 11 out of the 15 member squad and you will have around 8 batsmen and 9 bowlers, courtesy – a big bunch of the all-rounders… A world class seam attack, superb spin attack, very successful part time spinners, a great opening pair, a solid middle order and a super cool minded captain!

    If the trophy was to be given based on the cumulative talent of the players on papers, India would have already won it. J No doubt, they start the tournament as the favorites. With a very narrow margin loss to New Zealand and a huge win over Pakistan in the warm-up matches, India has announced that they are in England to win the title.

    The line-up

    Opening

    Be it Shewag and Gambhir OR Rohit and Gambhir (in case Sehwag is not fit) both the pairs have the potential to make the opposite team’s captain run out of ideas. Gambhir got back his form in the match against Pakistan and Rohit looked good filling in Sehwag’s place in his absence during the warm-up matches.

    Middle Order

    Raina, Dhoni, Yuvraj and Yusuf

    All of them are so good in hitting the ball outside the stadium and rotating the strike at almost every ball other than that. The middle order of the team is like a big fort wall and any team playing against India will have to work really hard on their strategy to stop them.

    Batting Depth

    Jadeja, Irfan, Zaheer and Harbhajan

    Jadeja got some good practice in the warm-up match against New Zealand and has placed his candidature well to be in the playing eleven, but then who will sit out to give him space? Not at least in first few matches.

    Spin Attack

    Harbhajan and Ojha

    Both are in good form and have the potential not to allow opposition take middle overs easily.

    Pace Attack

    Zaheer, Ishant, RP Singh, Praveen and Irfan

    Ishant looked good on English pitches during the warm-up matches… good to see him getting over the IPL non-performance in a quick time. The only question that remains is who amongst these five will sit out from the playing eleven?

    Part-time Bowlers

    Yuvraj, Jadeja, Rohit, Raina, Sehwag and Yusuf

    Plenty of options for Dhoni… he can comfortably use them to complete at least one bowler’s quota of 4 overs.

    The overall balance of the side displays an immense talent and energy required to defend the title. But, the format of the tournament is such that a single ‘off’ day can put the team out of the contest.

    Overall, it should be exciting to see how team India plays and progresses during the tournament to defend its title.

  • ‘Catch the Spirit’ – WT20 India vs Pakistan warm-up match

    clip_image002The International Cricket Council (ICC) has designated the World T20 2009 warm-up match between India and Pakistan as a ‘Catch the Spirit’ match. The match is scheduled to be played at the Oval on June 3 from 10:00 PM IST.

    ‘Catch the Spirit’ highlights the respect with which the game is played around the world and is one of the themes of the ICC’s ongoing centenary year of 2009.

    As per ICC media release, the funds raised by this match will go to support the families of the victims of the attack on the Sri Lankan team and match officials in Lahore in March.

    Though, complete details are still not available but the funds will be raised primarily through requests for contributions from spectators inside the ground, appeal for donations from the spectators outside the ground via television broadcasts and internet coverage of the match and contributions from other parties having direct or indirect interest in cricket.
    This stands out as a testimony of a great spirit that sport events can show to support a noble cause. I wish all the success to the organizers and hope spectators and cricket stakeholders across the globe contributes wholeheartedly during the match.

    The match will be broadcasted live in India on TV on Star Cricket.

  • The Indian Squad for WT 20

    india-cricket-teamThe young Indian team with an average age of 24.6 years looks pretty balanced and much stronger than the team that won the last title.

    The suspense around Zaheer’s fitness and availability still continues. In case he is not able to join the squad, he could be replaced with Ashish Nehra who did well at this IPL or perhaps Munaf Patel. If Nehra is included in the squad, it will be his first international match after 2005.

    image

    Though Sehwag and Gambhir seemed a little out of touch during the IPL, but they need just one match to get back into the demolishing form again and promise a solid fort at the top of the order. Part time bowlers have proved that they are more than a utility option and with any combination from the playing eleven, Dhoni will have a choice of 9 players whom he can ask to bowl.

    No doubt, the defending champions will start their campaign being the tournament’s favorite!

  • ICC World Twenty20 2009 Women’s Tournament [Schedule]

    clip_image002The second edition of ICC World Twenty20 will feature two parallel tournaments – the women’s tournament featuring 8 teams and the men’s tournament featuring 12 teams.

    The groupings and schedule of the women’s tournament is given below:

    Group A Group B
    Australia India
    New Zealand England
    West Indies Sri Lanka
    South Africa Pakistan

    Warm-up matches

    JUNE 2009
    08 MON NZ vs ENG
    4:30 PM IST    		 RSA vs SL
    4:30 PM IST
    08 MON AUS vs IND
    8:30 PM IST    		 WI vs PAK
    8:30 PM IST
    09 TUE RSA vs PAK
    4:30 PM IST    		 NZ vs IND
    4:30 PM IST
    09 TUE WI vs SL
    8:30 PM IST    		 ENG vs AUS
    8:30 PM IST

    Group Stage

    JUNE 2009 GROUP A GROUP B
    11 THU WI vs RSA
    4:30 PM IST    		 IND vs ENG
    8:30 PM IST
    12 FRI AUS vs NZ
    4:30 PM IST    		 PAK vs SL
    8:30 PM IST
    13 SAT WI vs NZ
    4:30 PM IST    		 IND vs PAK
    8:30 PM IST
    14 SUN AUS vs WI
    4:30 PM IST    		 ENG vs SL
    8:30 PM IST
    15 MON NZ vs RSA
    4:30 PM IST    		 IND vs SL
    8:30 PM IST
    16 TUE AUS vs RSA
    4:30 PM IST    		 ENG vs PAK
    8:30 PM IST
    18 THU

    Women’s S/F – A1 v B2
    5:30 PM IST
    19 FRI

    Women’s S/F – B1 v A2
    5:30 PM IST
    21 SUN

    Women’s Final
    3:00 PM IST

    This is a welcome decision by ICC to hold Women’s T20 World Cup along with Men’s T20 World Cup as this will surely bring extra media attention and a definite boost to women’s cricket, the otherwise ignored aspect of international cricket.

    With so many matches happening every day during the World Cup, it sure is going to be absolute delight for the cricket fans!

  • ICC World Twenty20 2009 Men’s Tournament [Schedule]

    clip_image002[6]The second season of ICC World Twenty20 will start from June 5, 2009 in England. This time the ICC World Twenty20 will also feature a parallel competition between 8 women’s teams, along with the men’s tournament in which 12 teams are participating.

    The groupings and schedule of the men’s tournament is given below:

    Groups

    GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D
    India – A1 Pakistan – B1 Australia – C1 New Zealand – D1
    Bangladesh – A2 England – B2 Sri Lanka – C2 South Africa – D2
    Ireland Netherlands West Indies Scotland

    Group Stage

    JUNE 2009 GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D
    05 FRI ENG vs NED
    10 PM IST
    06 SAT IND vs BAN
    10:30 PM IST    		 AUS vs WI
    6:30 PM IST    		 NZ vs SCO
    2:30 PM IST
    07 SUN ENG vs PAK
    10:00 PM IST    		 RSA vs SCO
    6:00 PM IST
    08 MON IRE vs BAN
    6:00 PM IST    		 AUS vs SL
    10:00 PM IST
    09 TUE PAK vs NED
    6:00 PM IST    		 NZ vs RSA
    10:00 PM IST
    10 WED IND vs IRE
    10:00 PM IST    		 SL vs WI
    6:00 PM IST

    Super 8’s – Groups

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

    The teams will retain their initial seeding for the Super 8’s, irrespective of whether they finish first or second in their group. In case they are knocked out by team 3 of their group, then team 3 will replace the seeding of the team that they knock out.

    If India qualifies for Super 8’s, even if it comes second, India will still be A1. If for example, Ireland qualifies instead of India, Ireland will become A1.

    Super 8s GROUP E (A1, B2, C1, D2) GROUP F (B1, A2, C2, D1)
    11 THU B2 vs  D2
    10:00 PM IST    		 D1 vs  A2
    6:00 PM IST
    12 FRI India (A1) vs  Australia (C1)
    10:00 PM IST    		 B1 vs  C2
    6:00 PM IST
    13 SAT C1 vs  D2
    6:00 PM IST    		 D1 vs  B1
    10:00 PM IST
    14 SUN India (A1) vs  England (B2)
    10:00 PM IST    		 A2 vs  C2
    6:00 PM IST
    15 MON B2 vs  C1
    10:00 PM IST    		 B1 vs  A2
    6:00 PM IST
    16 TUE India (A1) vs South Africa (D2)

    10:00 PM IST

    		 D1 vs  C2
    6:00 PM IST
    18 THU

    Semifinal – E1 v F2
    10:00 PM IST
    19 FRI

    Semifinal F1 v E2

    10:00 PM IST 2030 hrs BST
    21 SUN

    Final

    7:30 PM IST

    India will play a warm-up match against New Zealand at 10 PM on 1 June.

    For those of you who are interested in watching a T20 match between India and Pakistan, which otherwise will not happen in the Group matches or Super 8’s, then watch out for a warm-up game on 3 June at 10 PM when both the teams play against each other.

    All the matches (including the warm-up matches) will be broadcasted live in India on ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket.

  • Champions League to be held in October and this time with 12 teams!

    clip_image002The Champions League Twenty20 tournament has expanded the participation window from 8 to 12 teams now. The additional teams will be the domestic champions from West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. India will now have the participation from the top 3 teams of the IPL.

    Last year the first Champions League had been scheduled to feature two teams each from India, Australia, South Africa and England. However, it was later postponed after the terror attacks in Mumbai.

    The $6 million prize money tournament will now be held from October 8 – October 23 in India.

    1. All 12 teams will be divided into four groups of three each to play on a league basis.
    2. The top two teams from each group will move on to the second stage.
    3. The four top teams from the second stage will play the Semifinals.

    From India, the league topper Delhi Daredevils will participate along with the two finalists of IPL-2.

    The teams for the Champions League include:

    #

    Team

    From
    1 Victoria Australia
    2 New South Wales Australia
    3 Cape Corbas South Africa
    4 Eagles South Africa
    5 Otago New Zealand
    6 Trinidad and Tobago West Indies
    7 Wayamba Sri Lanka
    8 Deccan Chargers India
    9 Royal Challengers India
    10 Delhi Daredevils India
    11 To be decided England
    12 To be decided England

    The two English teams will be decided after the domestic Twenty20 championship in August.

  • IPL to be held twice in a year?

    In an interview to Daily Telegraph, the IPL commissioner – Lalit Modi has dropped a hint that the IPL could be held twice a year.

    In Modi’s own words:

    “The IPL will be based in India, but the second season (of a year) that we are planning gives us the chance to see if a market exists and we are seriously looking at what we can do with it”

    The response that IPL-2 got from cricket fans in South Africa has definitely encouraged Modi to think bigger now and he is looking at various possible opportunities.

    imageNow the big question that arises is whether or not there is any scope for another IPL within the same year? We already have the World Cup T20 happening every alternate year, annual Champions League starting this year, other ODI series and Test matches that happen all the year around… wow, isn’t  that a lot of cricket?

    Do you think it could end up being too much of T20 to handle? How will it impact the audience of test matches and ODIs, I wonder…?

  • A Quick Recap of IPL Season 2

    Winner: Deccan Chargers

    League Topper: Delhi Daredevils with 20 points

    Best Indian under-23 player: Rohit Sharma (DC)

    Player of the tournament: Adam Gilchrist (DC)

    Fair play award winner: Kings XI Punjab

    Orange Cap: Matthew Hayden (CSK)

    Purple Cap: R.P. Singh (DC)

    Top 5 Batsmen

    Batsman Innings Runs Balls 100’s 50’s Avg HS
    Matthew Hayden 12 572 395 0 5 52.00 89
    Adam Gilchrist 16 495 325 0 3 30.93 85
    AB de Villiers 13 465 355 1 3 51.66 105
    Suresh Raina 14 434 309 0 2 31.00 98
    TM Dilshan 13 418 341 0 4 41.80 67

    Top 5 Bowlers

    Bowler Matches Overs Maidens Wickets Eco Avg 3 Wickets
    Rudra Singh 16 59.4 1 23 6.98 18.13 2
    Anil Kumble 16 59.1 1 21 5.86 16.52 2
    Ashish Nehra 13 51 1 19 6.78 18.21 1
    Pragyan Ojha 15 53.3 0 18 6.50 19.33 2
    Lasith Malinga 13 49.3 2 18 6.30 17.33 3

    Highest Individual Score

    Player Runs Balls 4s 6s SR Team Opposition
    MK Pandey 114* 73 10 4 156.16 Bangalore vs Deccan
    AB de Villiers 105* 54 5 6 194.44 Delhi vs Chennai
    SK Raina 98 55 10 5 178.18 Chennai vs Rajasthan
    ML Hayden 89 58 8 6 153.44 Chennai vs Punjab
    AC Gilchrist 85 35 10 5 242.85 Deccan vs Delhi

    Maximum Sixes

    Player Matches Innings Number of sixes
    AC Gilchrist 16 16 29
    ML Hayden 12 12 22
    SK Raina 14 14 21
    RG Sharma 16 16 18
    Yuvraj Singh 14 14 16

    Maximum Catches

    Player Team Catches
    AB de Villiers Delhi Daredevils 13
    Dinesh Karthik Delhi Daredevils 12
    Herschelle Gibbs Deccan Chargers 11
    Adam Gilchrist Deccan Chargers 10
    Virat Kohli Royal Challengers Bangalore 9

    Highest Partnership

    Partners Runs Wicket Team Against
    Naman Ojha, Graeme Smith 135 1 RR K XI P
    Sanath Jayasuriya , Sachin Tendulkar 127 1 MI KKR
    Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa 126 2 RCB MI
    Parthiv Patel, Matthew Hayden 106 1 CSK RCB
    Ajinkya Rahane, JP Duminy 104 3 MI RCB

    Fastest 100 by a Team

    Team Against Date Overs
    Mumbai Indians Kolkata Knight Riders 27 April 8.4
    Chennai Super Kings Royal Challengers Bangalore 20 April 9.2
    Chennai Super Kings Delhi Daredevils 23 April 9.3

    Highest Team Score

    Team Score Overs Versus Venue
    Rajasthan Royals 211/4 20 Kings XI Punjab Kingsmead
    Kolkata Knight Riders 189/3 20 Chennai Super Kings SuperSport Park
    Delhi Daredevils 189/5 20 Chennai Super Kings Kingsmead