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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Bowling With Cool Mind is The Key Of Success For S Sreesanth – Venkatesh Prasad


In the World Cup opening match versus Bangladesh Virender Sehwag & Virat Kohli played some attacking cricket that was really appreciable. Opening match of World Cup is really important for and the performances like this is good to see. But India Needs to work on his bowling and think upon his bowling action plan. Pitch was slow and not helping the fast bowlers in movement in air and for “Off The Wicket Side”.

Indian Fast Bowler S Sreesanth with his well known aggressions
Munaf Patel’s bowling performance was the biggest plus point for India to win the match against Bangladesh. He surprised the batsman & showed variations & did time to time slow bowling

So many news and talks about Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth who given 53 runs in 5 overs spell. But we have to still keep in mind that in Indian sub-continent pitches any best bowler can see this bad in his life. He is still highly rated bowler according to me because the ability to take the ball away from the right hander batsman & seem position. Although he does not quite bowl at the pace of a Mithcell Johnson or Brett Lee, he has that ability to rush batsman. What’s more, the edges will carry to the keeper and slips even on life-less tracks. The key to S Sreesanth is keeping calm and thinking clearly about what he would like to do.

In the last game you saw early on that some edges went past the stumps to the boundary and a confident lef-before shout was turned down. Sreesanth should not be disheartened when this happens. Rather he should think about the kind of deliveries he bowled. If they were good balls and somehow still went for runs, it’s ok, back yourself and repeat them, the rewards will come. I think it’s equally important fir the team to back Sreesanth and keep the faith in him If Indian team do that, I’m sure he will produce the kind of spells the team need in this world cup.


Related Posts  Now, Viru questions Sreesanth's game      
           S SREESANTH Eager To Take Chance In ICC Cricket World Cup 2011               



Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Cricket World Cup Records


Team Records

Highest Score : 413/5 India Vs Bermuda, Port of Spain in 2007
Lowest Score :  36 Canada Vs Sri lanka,  Parle in 2003

Most World Cup Champions   : 4 Times Australia in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007


Batting Records

Highest Individual Score : 188* Garry Kirsten South Africa Vs UAE, Rawalpindi in 1996

Most Runs in Single World Cup : 673 Runs by Sachin Tendulkar (India)  11 Matches of 2003 WC

Most Centuries in All World cups- Sachin Tendulkar (6)

Most Runs in all World Cups : 2175 Runs by Sachin Tendulkar (India) 43  Matches with the Avg. of 57.93

Most Centuries in Single World Cup :  Mathew Hayden 3 Centuries in 2003

Fastest Century : Kevin O'Brien (Ireland): 50 balls vs England (2011)


Quickest Half Century : on 20 balls Brendun MCcullum (52 runs) New Zealand Vs Canada, Grase Iseland, 2007

Bowling Records

Best Bowling Figures : Glen Mc Grath 7/15 Australia Vs Namibia  2003 at Pochefrustum

Most Wicket taking Bowler in Single World Cup : 26 Wickets by Glen Mc Grath (Australia)  in 11 matches of 2007


Most Wicket taking Bowler in All World Cups : 71 Wickets by Glen Mc Grath (Australia)  in 39 matches with the Avg of 18.19


Best World Cup Partnership Records : 318 Runs for second wicket partnership between Saurav Ganguly & Rahul Dravid Vs. Sri Lanka at Tauntan in 1999

World Cup Captainship Records

Most Wins in Single World Cup : Ricky Ponting(Australia) – 11 matches in 2003 & Ricky Ponting(Australia) – 11 matches in 2007

Most Wins in Overall World Cups :  22 Matches Ricky Ponting(Australia)

As A Captain Most Played Matches : 27 Matches by Stephen Fleming from 1999 to 2007

Fielding Records

Most Catches in Single Inning :  Mohhamad Kaif  4 Catches, India Vs. Sri Lanka Johansburgh in 2003


Note : 2011 icc cricket world records is also included


Related Posts  Top 10 Lowest World Cup Totals


Sri Lankan Team Records in ICC Cricket World Cups


Why Sri Lankan Team is Strongest Contender To Win ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

In the Successuful and experienced leadership of Kumar Sangakkara Sri lankan team is ready to show his talent in this Icc Cricket World Cup 2011. Strong Batting Line up & Allrounders like Kumar Sangakkara & Dilshan Tillakaratne are strongest points of Sri Lankan Team.

Sanagakkara is the soul of team because he is playing as a captain of team  and wicketkeeper & Opening Batsman to lay the foundation big score.  In the successful captainship of  Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lanka played the finals in  2007 world cup.

In recent times under Kumar Sangakkara’s captainship won the one day international series against West Indies. Before this Australia team also saw the face of defeat in their home grounds against Sri Lanka.

 
Sri Lankan  team have  to play  5 leagues matches out of 6 on his home soil.  And Sri Lankan team is almost invincible in his home grounds. With the help of Kumar Sangakkara’s &  Dilshan Tillakaratne strong batting, fast bowling attack of Lasith Malinga & no. 1 Off Spinner of World Murlitharan is in the side and they can get easy entry in Quarter Finals.

  • Strong Opening Partnership


Kumar Sangakkara, Dilshan Tillakaratne & Upal Thranga are the three batsman which can destroy any bowling attack of world. Any two can open the innings & how to pace the innings to score bg total. They also how to know the play in different climate conditions when ball is new moisture is present in pitch. This is why this team is successful in most of matches.  Kumar Sangakkara & Dilshan Tillakaratne played around 475 ODI matches themselves. If we add both players scores  
Will cross the Thirteen thousand mark.

  • Mahela Jayardane is the Base of Sri lankan Batting

Mahela Jayardane is very intelligent & smart batsman who scores runs in no time. He know how to pace the innings and how the team gets a big total to fight in match. He is one of the strongest middle order batsman because of  his techniques and experience. He doesn’t take too many risks in his innings and change his gears to score of runs in death overs by his blistering batting.

  • Trusted Allrounders
  • Muttiya Murlitharan best offspinner of World


Top 3 World Cup Performers of Sri Lankan Team

Top 3 Batsman

 Batsman
Matches
Runs
HS
Mahela Jayardane
 24
 671
115
Sangakkara
 21
526
76
Chamara Silva
 11
350
64

Top 3 Bowlers

Bowlers
Matches
Wickets
Best
M. Murlitharan
31
53
4/19
L. Malinga
8
18
 4/54
D. Fernando
16
16
 3/41


Sri Lankan Team World Cup Records

v      Sri Lanka Played all 9 World Cup from 1975

v      Sri Lanka total 57 matches played in World Cup. In those 25 Won & 30 Lost & 1 No Result
v      1996 World Cup Winner

v      Runners Up in 2007 World Cup

v      Played Two Finals in 1996 & 2007

v      Sri Lankan team one Final won 1996 & one lost in 2007

v      Sri Lanka Played 3 Semi Finals of  1996, 2003 & 2007

v      Sri Lanka Won 2 Semi Finals in 1996 & 2007 out 3 & one lost in 2003


Highest Score 398/5 VS Kenya in Candy (sri lanka) 1996 WC
Lowest Score 86 Vs West indies Manchester ( England) 1975 WC
Highest Batsman innings   Arvind De Silva 145 VS Kenya in Candy (sri lanka) 1996 WC

Most Sixes in an innings Sanath Jayasuriya 7 Sixes against Bangladesh in Port of spain 2007 WC
Most Runs - 1165 runs Sanath Jayasuriya  in 38 matches

Most Centuries – 3 centuries by Sanath Jayasuriya  in 38 matches
Most Half Centuries - 9 halfcenturies by Sanath Jayasuriya  in 38 matches
Most Sixes - 27 by Sanath Jayasuriya  in 38 matches
Best Bowling Figures -  6/25 Chaminda Vaas VS Bangladesh in pietermaritzburg in 2003 WC
Most Wickets – 53 by M.Muralitharan  in 31 matches




England Won By 6 Wickets Vs Neitherlands World Cup 2011 League Match

Netherlands 292/6 (50 ov)

England 296/4 (48.4 ov)

England won by 6 wickets in World Cup League Match (with 8 balls remaining)

    * ICC Cricket World Cup - 5th Match, Group B
    * ODI no. 3104 | 2010/11 season
    * Played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur (neutral venue)
    * 22 February 2011 - day/night (50-over match)

                           
    Netherlands innings (50 overs maximum)  

Match details
Toss Netherlands, who chose to bat
Points England 2, Netherlands 0
ODI debut BA Westdijk (Netherlands)
Player of the match tba
Umpires Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and BNJ Oxenford (Australia)
TV umpire HDPK Dharmasena (Sri Lanka)
Match referee RS Madugalle (Sri Lanka)
Reserve umpire SJ Davis (Australia)
Match notes

    * Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 10.0 (Mandatory - 47 runs, 1 wicket)
    * Netherlands: 50 runs in 10.1 overs (61 balls), Extras 0
    * Powerplay 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0 (Bowling side - 18 runs, 1 wicket)
    * Drinks: Netherlands - 82/2 in 18.0 overs (TLW Cooper 25, RN ten Doeschate 12)
    * Netherlands: 100 runs in 22.5 overs (137 balls), Extras 0
    * 3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 73 balls (TLW Cooper 28, RN ten Doeschate 23, Ex 0)
    * RN ten Doeschate: 50 off 59 balls (4 x 4, 1 x 6)
    * Over 31.6: Review by England (Bowling), Umpire - Asad Rauf, Batsman - B Zuiderent (Struck down)
    * Netherlands: 150 runs in 33.3 overs (201 balls), Extras 4
    * Drinks: Netherlands - 162/4 in 35.0 overs (RN ten Doeschate 62, TN de Grooth 3)
    * 5th Wicket: 50 runs in 49 balls (RN ten Doeschate 25, TN de Grooth 25, Ex 0)
    * Netherlands: 200 runs in 41.1 overs (247 balls), Extras 4
    * Powerplay 3: Overs 42.1 - 47.0 (Batting side - 50 runs, 1 wicket)
    * RN ten Doeschate: 100 off 98 balls (7 x 4, 3 x 6)
    * Over 45.3: Review by England (Bowling), Umpire - Asad Rauf, Batsman - PW Borren (Struck down)
    * Netherlands: 250 runs in 45.4 overs (276 balls), Extras 7
    * 6th Wicket: 50 runs in 31 balls (RN ten Doeschate 32, PW Borren 17, Ex 4)
    * Innings Break: Netherlands - 292/6 in 50.0 overs (PW Borren 35, Mudassar Bukhari 6)

    * Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 10.0 (Mandatory - 53 runs, 0 wicket)
    * England: 50 runs in 8.1 overs (49 balls), Extras 0
    * 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 49 balls (AJ Strauss 21, KP Pietersen 29, Ex 0)
    * Powerplay 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0 (Bowling side - 39 runs, 0 wicket)
    * AJ Strauss: 50 off 34 balls (9 x 4)
    * England: 100 runs in 16.6 overs (102 balls), Extras 9
    * 1st Wicket: 100 runs in 102 balls (AJ Strauss 52, KP Pietersen 39, Ex 9)
    * Drinks: England - 105/1 in 17.4 overs (AJ Strauss 57)
    * England: 150 runs in 27.2 overs (164 balls), Extras 10
    * 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 60 balls (AJ Strauss 26, IJL Trott 23, Ex 1)
    * Drinks: England - 197/2 in 36.0 overs (IJL Trott 46, IR Bell 14)
    * England: 200 runs in 36.6 overs (222 balls), Extras 10
    * IJL Trott: 50 off 58 balls (3 x 4)
    * 3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 59 balls (IJL Trott 29, IR Bell 21, Ex 1)
    * Powerplay 3: Overs 40.1 - 45.0 (Batting side - 34 runs, 2 wickets)
    * England: 250 runs in 44.2 overs (266 balls), Extras 13
    * 5th Wicket: 50 runs in 33 balls (PD Collingwood 24, RS Bopara 26, Ex 1)

ten Doeschate takes Dutch to 292 England vs Netherlands World Cup 2011 Match



Feb 22  - Netherlands scored 292-6 in their Group B match against England on Tuesday.

Netherlands 292-6 (R. ten Doeschate 119) v England






 The Netherlands batting line-up blended obdurate resistance with a measure of flair on an easy-paced wicket to push along to a solid 119 for 2 at the halfway mark of their World Cup opening fixture against England at Nagpur. After a lively cameo from the rookie wicketkeeper, Wesley Barresi, it was left to the established pair of Tom Cooper and Ryan ten Doeschate to keep the scoreboard ticking in an unbeaten 61-run stand for the third wicket.

Two years on from his side's shock victory in the opening match of the World Twenty20 at Lord's in 2009, the Dutch skipper Peter Borren won the toss and trusted the men at his disposal to post a competitive total. They started with some aplomb, as Barresi and Worcestershire's starlet Alexei Kervezee picked off a boundary apiece as James Anderson and Stuart Broad strayed onto the pads in their first overs, before Kervezee launched Anderson over mid-on for another four.

Broad showed good pace and aggression in his first proper international for two months, having sustained a stomach injury during the Ashes, but his third over was dispatched for 13 as Barresi fenced a lifter through the clutches of Matt Prior behind the stumps, before giving himself room outside leg to pick off two more off-side fours in the same over.

It was Tim Bresnan, recovered from the calf injury that curtailed his one-day campaign in Australia, who made the first breakthrough, as Kervezee got underneath an attempted pull and top-edged a looping chance straight into Prior's gloves for 16. Cooper was then gifted a leg-stump half-volley to get off the mark first-ball, as he and Barresi marked the start of the end of the bowling Powerplay by taking Netherlands to a comfortable 57 for 1 after 11.

Graeme Swann, back with the squad following the birth of his son Wilfred, and thrust straight back into the starting XI, did as he invariably does and struck in the first over of his spell, as Barresi dragged his back foot out of the crease as he was beaten outside off, and Prior whipped off the bails to end a 25-ball innings of 29.
Ten Doeschate, the kingpin of the Dutch batting line-up, was greeted by the nagging medium pace of Paul Collingwood, whose canny offcutters could have a big role to play in this tournament. He used his wrists well to pick off a pair of boundaries in a three-over spell, before Andrew Strauss returned to the pace of James Anderson in a bid to break the stand. But he was unable to do so, as the Dutch pair extended their stand with a succession of easy singles.

In the absence of the second spinner, Michael Yardy, Kevin Pietersen was tossed the ball to give his offspin an airing, but Cooper cut a short ball through third man to bring up the hundred in the 24th over, before Collingwood's fourth over was greeted with a one-bounce four from ten Doeschate over wide mid-on.

England 1 Kevin Pietersen, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson.

Netherlands 1 Alexei Kervezee, 2 Wesley Barresi (wk), 3 Tom Cooper, 4 Ryan ten Doeschate, 5 Bas Zuiderent, 6 Tom de Grooth, 7 Peter Borren (capt), 8 Mudassar Bukhari, 9 Pieter Seelaar, 10 Bernard Loots, 11 Berend Westdijk. 

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Now, Viru questions Sreesanth's game



After hitting a magnificent 175 to kick start India's campaign in the 2011 World Cup Virender Sehwag has taken a dig at his mercurial teammate S Sreesanth. Sehwag, who was named the Man of the Match, quipped about the Kerala pacer, whose five overs cost India 53 runs and allowed Bangladesh to get off to a flying start in pursuit of a 371-run victory target at Mirpur.

Interestingly, India's latest problem child Sreesanth has come under fire from a number of his rival captains for his on field antics and even drew flak from his own captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the same. While speaking to the media after the match, the swashbuckling opener said that it was a good start for India and everybody had a good match except Sreesanth.

New Zealand Won By 10 Wickets With 252 Balls Remaining, Kenya vs New Zealand World Cup Match


Kenya vs New Zealand World Cup Match Chennai . New Zealand won by 10 wickets (with 252 balls remaining)Kenya won the toss chose to bat first. All out on 69 in 23.5 over SR Waters and RR Patel 16 was the top run scrore for Kenya, HK Bennett took 4 /16 in 5 overs for New Zealand, JDP Oram took 2/3 in 2.5 over. New Zealand openers hit all the required run within 8 overs

Match Preview
Under the guidance of new coach John Wright New Zeland will attempt to regain the lost confidence.New Zealand would like to go back in rhythm by win against Kenya in their first match. New Zealand has lost 14 of 17 matches last ten matches in the subcontinent , which proves that even her great upheaval comes at the turning wickets. Since arriving here on February 10 the situation in the subcontinent, especially against spin New Zealand weakness is exposed. They suffered heavy 117-run defete in Warm-up match against India. Even before the first match against Kenya in the dilemma. After warmp match against India BB McCullum wicketkeeper-batsman said on Friday, team is struggling with a lack of confidence.

Kenya v New Zealand, World Cup 2011, Chennai Match details
Kenya Squad
JK Kamande*, T Mishra, JO Ngoche, SO Ngoche, AA Obanda, CO Obuya, DO Obuya†, NN Odhiambo, TM Odoyo, PJ Ongondo, E Otieno, MA Ouma†, RR Patel, SO Tikolo, SR Waters
New Zealand Squad
DL Vettori*, HK Bennett, JEC Franklin, MJ Guptill, JM How, BB McCullum†, NL McCullum, KD Mills, JDP Oram, JD Ryder, TG Southee, SB Styris, LRPL Taylor, KS Williamson, LJ Woodcock
Toss Kenya, who chose to bat
Points New Zealand 2, Kenya 0
Player of the match HK Bennett (New Zealand)
Umpires M Erasmus and RJ Tucker
TV umpire Aleem Dar
Match referee RS Mahanama
Reserve umpire S Asnani


Kenya vs New Zealand World Cup Match Highlights

Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 10.0 (Mandatory - 33 runs, 1 wicket)
Powerplay 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0 (Bowling side - 15 runs, 3 wickets)
Over 13.5: Review by Kenya (Batting), Umpire - RJ Tucker, Batsman - CO Obuya (Struck down)
Drinks: Kenya - 49/5 in 15.3 overs (RR Patel 4)
Kenya: 50 runs in 16.3 overs (100 balls), Extras 6
Innings Break: Kenya - 69/10 in 23.5 overs (RR Patel 16)
Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 10.0 (Mandatory - 72 runs, 0 wicket)
Over 2.5: Review by Kenya (Bowling), Umpire - RJ Tucker, Batsman - MJ Guptill (Struck down)
New Zealand: 50 runs in 5.2 overs (32 balls), Extras 3
1st Wicket: 50 runs in 32 balls (MJ Guptill 37, BB McCullum 10, Ex 3)







Kenya v New Zealand - World Cup Group B League Matches Scoreboard,

Scoreboard in the World Cup Group A match between Kenya and New Zealand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Kenya innings A. Obanda lbw b Southee 6 S. Waters lbw b Bennett 16 C. Obuya lbw b Bennett 14 S. Tikolo b Bennett 2 M. Ouma lbw b Bennett 1 R. Patel not out 15 J. Kamande c B McCullum b Oram 3 T. Odoyo c Ryder b Oram 2 N. Odhiambo b Southee 0 S. Ngoche lbw b Southee 0 E. Otieno c Styris b Oram 0
Extras (b-4, lb-3, w-2, nb-1) 10
Total (all out; 23.5 overs) 69
Fall of wickets 1-14 2-40 3-42 4-44 5-49 6-59 7-63 8-68 9-68 10-69
Bowling: T. Southee 6-0-13-3 (1nb), N. McCullum 4-0-15-0 (1w), H. Bennett 5-0-16-4 (1w), D. Vettori (6-1-16-0), J. Oram 2.5-1-2-3
New Zealand innings M. Guptill not out 39 B. McCullum not out 26
Extras (b-2, lb-1, w-3, nb-1) 7
Total (0 wickets; 8 overs) 72
Did not bat: J. Ryder, R. Taylor, J. Franklin, S.Styris, D. Vettori, N. McCullum, J. Oram, T. Southee, H. Bennett
Bowling: T. Odoyo 3-0-25-0 (1w), E.Otieno 2-0-18-0, J. Kamande 2-0-21-0 (1w), N Odhiambo 1-0-5-0 (1nb, 1w)
Result: New Zealand won by 10 wickets.
Kenya won the toss and elected to bat.


Kenya's 69 is the fifth lowest in World Cup

Read here for  Top 10 Lowest World Cup Totals



Top 10 Lowest World Cup Totals

Chennai: After India and Bangladesh fought till the last ball to script a high scoring drama in the World Cup opener on Saturday, Kenya stole the limelight on Sunday with the fifth lowest World Cup team total. They singlehandedly manged to get themselves out for 69 in just 23.5 overs in their New Zealand outing. The Kiwis defeated Kenya by 10-wicket in the Group A match played in Chennai.
The following is the list of 10 lowest World Cup totals:
(Team, total, opposition, venue, World Cup edition):
Canada - 36 - Sri Lanka - Paarl – 2003.
Canada - 45 - England - Manchester – 1979.
Namibia - 45 - Australia - Potchefstroom – 2003.
Scotland -- 68 - West Indies - Leicester – 1999.
Kenya - 69 - New Zealand - Chennai – 2011.
Pakistan - 74 - England - Adelaide – 1992.
Ireland - 77 - Sri Lanka - St George's – 2007.
Bermuda - 78 - Sri Lanka - Port of Spain – 2007.
Namibia - 84 - Pakistan - Kimberley – 2003.
Sri Lanka - 86 - West Indies - Manchester – 1975.

INDIA WON BY 87 RUNS in of 1st ODI of ICC World Cup 2011 : India vs Bangladesh

INDIA WON BY 87 RUNS in 1st ODI – India vs Bangladesh – 1st ODI ICC World Cup 2011 ,Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh, 19 February

Shere Bangla National Stadium




One of the bigger stadiums of Bangladesh with a seating capacity of 25000 was established in 2006. The first test was played a year later between Bangladesh and India from May 25-27, 2007 and the first ODI was played between the home team and Zimbabwe on December 8, 2006. Although the shift from Bangabandhu to Mirpur was met with much anger, but Bangladesh needed a stadium reserved exclusively for cricket. The ground has excellent drainage facilities and the grassless plot next to the stadium is a ground for children to play with a tape-tennis ball every evening and morning.

Match Information

    * Series: ICC World Cup 2011
    * Umpires: Steve Davis (Aus) & Kumar Dharmasena (SL)
    * Third Umpire: Billy Doctrove (WI)
    * Match Referee:

Toss Won By Ranjan Madugalle (SL)

Bangladesh and Elected to Field first

India Batting : 370/4 (50) Run Rate: 7.4


Virender Sehwag 175 (140 balls )

A tired Sehwag departs! A scintillating knock comes to an end. 175 off just 140 balls. He raises his bat while returning back as the Bangladeshi crowd applauds his effort. Fullish delivery outside off, he just plays it back onto his stumps off the inside edge. Kohli makes it a point to pat his Delhi team-mates back. Brilliant innings!


Sachin Tendulkar 28 (29 balls)

That is disaster for India! The Mirpur crowd is up on their feet, seeing the Little Master walk back. Tendulkar just plays it towards mid-wicket and charges to the opposite end, Sehwag is ball-watching and doesn’t even move. Both the openers are stranded at the same end and the bails are off. Tendulkar doesn’t even bother watching back as he makes his way out of the center. India one down!

Gautham Gambhir 39(39 balls)

Mahmudullah strikes in his first over! Gambhir departs after a steady knock. It was the straighter one, came in a touch after pitching, Gambhir tried whipping it away but missed after getting an inside edge and the ball went on to disturb the wooden framework. India lose their second wicket.

Virat Kohli 100 (83 balls)

Yusuf Pathan 8 (10 balls)

Mahmudullah strikes in his first over! Gambhir departs after a steady knock. It was the straighter one, came in a touch after pitching, Gambhir tried whipping it away but missed after getting an inside edge and the ball went on to disturb the wooden framework. India lose their second wicket.

Fall of Wickets: 1-69 (Sachin Tendulkar, 10.5 Over) 2-152 (Gautam Gambhir, 23.2 Over) 3-355(Virender Sehwag, 47.3 Over) 4-370 (Yusuf Pathan, 50 Over)

Bangladesh Batting : 283/9 (50) Run Rate: 5.70

Tamim Iqbal 70(86 balls)

Munaf strikes as Iqbal departs! A steady innings, unlike Iqbal, comes to a soft end. Length ball on the middle, the left-hander swats it straight to the man at mid-wicket. Yuvraj takes the catch and the Indians celebrate. Bangladesh three down!

Imrul Kayes 34(29 balls)

Bowled ‘em! Kayes chops it on. Patel is delighted. The cameo was short-lived. Length ball wide outside off, Kayes cuts and gets an inside edge onto the stumps. This is a big wicket for the Indians.

Zunaed Siddique 37(52 balls)

Siddique is smartly stumped by Dhoni. Bangladesh lose their second wicket. Harbhajan is rewarded for his fine bowling effort. Flighted delivery, lands outside off and turns away to beat the outside edge. Dhoni collects the ball and whips the bails off in a flash. They appeal but Dhoni didn’t seam confident as it was referred upstairs. Though, the backfoot was on the line and hence OUT was flashed on the giant screen. Pin drop silence in the stands.

Shakib Al Hasan 55(50 balls)

Shakib departs! The party is over, says Ravi Shastri (on air). Length ball, the left-hander slogs it straight down the throat of Harbhajan at deep mid-wicket. He takes the catch, turns to the crowd, keeps the ball inside his pocket and bows to the audience! Pathan is ecstatic as the crowd is stunned in silence!

Mushfiqur Rahim 25(30 balls)

Rahim exits in his attempt to accelerate in the powerplay. A cleverly bowled slower delivery by Zaheer, outside off, Rahim plays it uppishly through the covers but fails to get the desired elevation. Raina takes a simple catch leaping up. Bangladesh look completely out now.

Roqibul Hassan 28 (28 balls)

Mahmudullah 6 (6 balls)

Naeem Islam 2(8 balls)

Abdur Razzak 1(5balls)

Shafiul Islam 0 (1 ball)

Rubel Hossain 1 (6balls)

Fall Of Wicket: 1-56 (Imrul Kayes, 6.5 Over) 2-129 (Zunaed Siddique, 23.1 Over) 3-188(Tamim Iqbal, 32.1 Over) 4-234 (Shakib Al Hasan, 39.4 Over) 5-248(Mushfiqur Rahim, 42.3 Over) 6-261 (Mahmudullah, 44.3 Over) 7-275(Naeem Islam, 46.3 Over) 8-279 (Abdur Razzak, 48 Over) 9-280 (Shafiul Islam, 48.3 Over)

RESULT: INDIA WON BY 87 RUNS in 1st ODI

India Batting : 370/4 (50) Run Rate: 7.4
Bangladesh Batting : 283/9 (50) Run Rate: 5.70

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Bangladesh v India, Group B, World Cup 2011, Mirpur


Bangladesh spirited in improbable chase


Junaid Siddique was stumped off Harbhajan Singh's bowling as the spinners reined in Bangladesh's scoring rate to put India in front in Mirpur

Virat Kohli scored a century in his first World Cup game

Bangladesh did not go quietly. Their batsmen revived a Mirpur crowd reeling from the Indian onslaught with a spirited chase, but despite their swinging approach, their chances of overhauling the target of 371 were remote. The pitch quickened under lights, making shot-making easier, and the dew made the outfield slick and the ball harder to grip, but Bangladesh's bowlers had conceded far too much ground for their batsmen to make up.
It was Imrul Kayes, and not their leading batsman Tamim Iqbal, that kickstarted Bangladesh's innings. He carved Sreesanth over point and pulled Zaheer through square leg and those shots, combined with a few glances and inside-edges to fine leg, had boosted the score to 28 after four overs. And then Kayes exploded, and Sreesanth lost the plot.
During his first spell, Sreesanth had bowled inswinging yorkers, which both the left-handers somehow survived. The first ball of his fifth over, though, was a wide one that Kayes slashed at and bottom-edged past MS Dhoni to the fine-leg boundary. Sreesanth changed his line of attack, going round the wicket, and over-stepped while bowling a full delivery that Kayes flicked for four. A free-hit followed, and Kayes rocked back to pull towards the boundary, after which he drove a length ball through cover for four more. Sreesanth responded by slanting one so far down leg side that Dhoni couldn't reach it, resulting in five wides. He had conceded 24 off the over and Bangladesh were 51 for 0 after five.
While Zaheer had control over the run-rate at his end, Dhoni had had no option but to take Sreesanth off and bring Munaf Patel into the attack, a move that had immediate results. Kayes tried to force the slower pace of Munaf through the off side and played on, ending the opening partnership at 56.
The momentum, however, did not abate immediately as Junaid Siddique laid into the bowling, hoisting Munaf over the square leg boundary. Yusuf backpedalled, trying to catch it, and ended up crashing into the advertisement hoardings after tripping over the boundary skirting. Yusuf also failed to hold on to a tough chance after Siddique, on 10, had skied Munaf towards midwicket. Tamim then found his fluency and lofted Munaf over mid-on and punched him through cover.
Dhoni brought spin into the attack and Harbhajan Singh and Yusuf slowly but surely reined in the Bangladesh batsmen. Though Tamim and Siddique kept their wickets intact, the rise in dot balls heaped pressure on them. Siddique's dismissal - he was caught short of his crease by Dhoni's quick gloves in the 24th - for 37 further dampened Bangladesh's hopes. The lack of boundaries steadily forced the asking-rate up and at the half-way stage it was 9.36 per over.


50 overs India 370 for 4 (Sehwag 175, Kohli 100*) v Bangladesh


With a withering drive off the back foot, Virender Sehwag slammed the first ball of the 2011 World Cup to the cover boundary and, silencing a boisterous Mirpur crowd, recorded his maiden one-day international century against Bangladesh. He and Virat Kohli, who justified his captain's decision to leave out Suresh Raina with a century of his own, gave evidence of the havoc India's batting line-up can create, as Bangladesh's bowlers failed to maintain composure in the grandest match of their lives.
There was wisdom in Bangladesh choosing to chase - the previous 12 day-night matches at the Shere Bangla were won by the team batting second - but the bowlers offered abundant scoring opportunities on a slow pitch that kept low and had loopy bounce not conducive to shot-making. Shakib Al Hasan had said he wanted keep India below 260 when he put them in because of the dew factor later in the evening. He watched the target swell past that as Sehwag and Kohli dismantled the attack in front of a shell-shocked crowd.
Sehwag bookended the tournament's first over, from Shafiul Islam, with powerful drives to the cover-point boundary. Shafiul was guilty of giving Sehwag too much width, and in his second over he erred by straying twice on to Sachin Tendulkar's pads, and watched one ball disappear behind square and the other in front. His day would not get better and he conceded 69 off seven. In between Shaiful's first two overs, Rubel Hossain conceded two boundaries as well, and India raced to 36 after four.
Shakib turned to his premier spinner, Abdur Razzak, in the fifth over and he brought a semblance of control over the run-rate. Razzak looped the ball into Sehwag from round the wicket, following the batsman and cramping him for room as he tried hit inside out through the off side. Sehwag had scored 12 off his first six balls and 13 off his next 24.
Bangladesh were listless, though, as Sehwag regained his touch and drove the first ball off the bowling Powerplay to the long-on boundary, before finally making powerful contact with an inside-out drive. And then they had some good fortune. A mix-up, during which both Tendulkar and Sehwag were ball-watching, left both batsmen at one end and the Mirpur crowd found its voice again.
Sehwag, however, continued piercing gaps and hit the tournament's first six by hoisting Razzak over wide long-on to bring up his half-century off 45 balls. With his regular opening partner, Gautam Gambhir, Sehwag added 83 to build on the opening stand of 69. But while Sehwag used muscle on a sluggish surface, Gambhir played with surgical precision, dabbing, pushing and chipping into gaps to score at a run-a-ball without fuss. His dismissal for 39, bowled after missing a straight one from Mahmudullah, brought the crowd to life momentarily.
The stand out feature of Kohli's innings was his driving. On a surface this slow, he got to the pitch of the ball, gathering momentum with a forward thrust of his body, and drove the ball crisply through the off side with a whip of his wrists. He did it repeatedly against pace and spin, scoring effortlessly at more than a run a ball.
In the 32nd over, Sehwag reached his century off 94 balls with a nudge through midwicket. In the 33rd, Kohli drove Naeem Islam twice to the cover boundary and pulled him behind square as well. India took the batting Powerplay soon after the mandatory ball change and began to toy with the bowling. They would the boundary at will, the inside-edges missed the stumps and the lofted mis-hits fell into gaps. India scored 48 for 0 during the last block of fielding restrictions.
At one stage in seemed as though Sehwag, who had Gambhir running for him because of an injury, had a shot at a double-century. He ran out of steam, though, in the 48th over, almost making good his pledge to bat through the innings.
Kohli, however, moved seamlessly towards a hundred in his first World Cup match. He got there off the penultimate ball of the innings and leapt in celebration, possibly having secured his spot for the rest of the tournament.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Brendon McCullum laments New Zealand's confidence loss


Brendon McCullum admitted New Zealand have forgotten how to win after the team were hammered by India in their second warm-up match before theWorld Cup

New Zealand recently slumped to a 3-2 defeat in an ODI series at home to Pakistan, and before that were on an 11-game losing streak. They lost by 117 runs to India on February 16, with dreadful bowling in the last 10 overs and a poor run chase underpinning another sloppy defeat.

They open their campaign on Sunday against Kenya and are in dire need of a confidence booster. "We have to face up to the fact that under pressure we aren't performing well. We just aren't getting it done under pressure," McCullum told Radio Sport.

Asked if the team had forgotten how to win, McCullum, who was a sole bright spot during the warm-up game, top-scoring for his team with 58, replied: "That's probably a fair summation. Someone has to flick the switch, somewhere along the line we have to get ourselves across the finishing line and with a W [win] in the column. If we can do that it will start to breed the confidence that we need.

"Until such time that we do that, we are going to somehow have to borrow some confidence to stare down those situations and dream that we are capable of achieving success in those moments."

New Zealand have a reputation for punching above their weight in global tournaments and have reached the semi-final stage five times in the World Cup without ever progressing further. In 2007 they were defeated by Sri Lanka in the semis but to repeat even that performance McCullum insists they need to up their game.

"[The India loss] has definitely dented our confidence a little bit, there's no doubting that. But we can't have that mental blockage or mental baggage heading into this World Cup. We have to ditch that quickly."

The team conceded 114 in the final 10 overs against India and McCullum was less than impressed with the showing. "It's unacceptable. I guess the effort is there but we have to be better than that and that's the brutal truth. We need to turn it around very quickly."

Captain Daniel Vettori missed the match with a hamstring worry but McCullum is confident he will be back in action soon. "It was more precautionary. I saw him running around after the game tonight [Wednesday] and doing a bit of fielding. It looked like he was moving freely."