23 February, 2011

Turning point from England vs Netherlands WC match - ICC World Cup 2011




The turning point in England versus the Netherlands World Cup match has to be England skipper Andrew Strauss's fine batting. He no only put a fast paced 88 on board but also forged a 105-run first wicket partnership with Kevin Petersen.

It was that partnership that eventually took the game away from the Dutch despite Ryan ten Doeschate scoring a career-best 119 and scalping two English wickets on the day.
Man-of-the-Match

Though The Netherlands lost the games but Ryan ten Doeschate earned the Man-of-the-Match award for his all round impressive performance. Apart from score 119 on the day he even claimed important wickets of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell. 

22 February, 2011

Australia vs. Zimbabwe: Australia Beats Zimbabwe – ICC World Cup 2011



 

“Australia vs. Zimbabwe: Watson and Johnson shine in 91-run victory”
 In their first match in the 2011 World Cup, defending champions Australia have defeated Zimbabwe by decisive 91 runs.

Batting first, Australia put up a total of 262/6 in 50 overs. Though, the Zimbabwean spin bowlers bowled well, the Aussie batsmen rose to the occasion riding on half centuries by Shane Watson and Michael Clarke. Watson, who scored 79 with 8 boundaries and a six, was the highest scorer of the match. Clarke (58), Ponting (28) and Haddin (29) were other notable contributors.

Chasing 262, Zimbabwe batsmen faltered mid way to the lethal bowling of Australia’s pace battery. Zimbabwe was bowled out for 171 in 46.2 overs. Graeme Cremer (37) and Sean Williams (28) were the chief scorers. Mitchell Johnson was the pick of the bowler grabbing 4 wickets for just 19 runs. Mitchell was complemented by Shaun Tait and Jason Krejza who took two wickets each. Brett Lee and David Hussey got a piece each.

Shane Watson was awarded the Man of the Match.

Zimbabwe bowled and fielded impressively but while batting, at no stage, looked to threaten the Aussie total. Australia may not have won the match with too big a margin but their sharp fielding and top-class pace bowling has proven that they would be a force to reckon with in the later stages of the tournament. The likes of India, Sri Lanka and South Africa need to watch out!
                

Sri Lanka vs Canada- Srilanka Beats Canada- ICC World Cup 2011


"Sri Lanka (2pts) beat Canada by 210 runs"

Sri Lanka
332-7 (50 ovs)
Canada
122 (36.5 ovs)

Match Report
Mahela Jayawardene's century helped Sri Lanka on the way to an easy 210-run victory over Canada in their opening World Cup Group A match.
Batting first, the Lions amassed 332 for seven in 50 overs thanks to Jayawardene's ton and a 179-run third-wicket stand he shared with skipper Kumar Sangakkara (92).
In reply, Canada slumped to 53 for five and Rizwan Cheema's quickfire 37 only served to delay the inevitable as Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara took three wickets each to bowl their opponents out for 122 with 13 overs to spare.
Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 63 for the opening wicket before a horrible miscommunication left Tharanga run out for 19.
Dilshan notched his fifty in 58 deliveries but Cheema forced a mistimed drive from the right-hander to have him caught by John Davison at deep cover.
Jayawardene steadied the innings alongside Sangakkara and reached his own 50 with a boundary off Davison.
The pair frustrated Canada's bowlers with their patient strokeplay while Sangakkara too crossed the fifty mark with a boundary that took the partnership past 100.
The Sri Lankan skipper fell eight short of his 100 in the 42nd over, caught and bowled tamely off Davison before Jayawardene reached his hundred with a single.
Te too was showing signs of fatigue and a hopeful sweep off Davison only found Balaji Rao at short fine-leg.
Canada's start was in stark contrast to Sri Lanka's as Davison (nought), Ruvindu Gunasekara (one) and Zubin Surkari departed in successive overs with just 12 on the board, Perera and Kulasekara doing the damage between them.
Canada's woes were compounded when Jimmy Hansra (nine) was deceived by Thillan Samaraweera's flighted delivery to be stumped, while captain Ashish Bagai - who had survived two UDRS reversals - became Perera's third victim caught behind for 22.
Cheema showed flashes of brilliance but Kulasekara snapped up the wickets of Tyson Gordon (four) and Khurram Chohan's (four), both caught behind.
Cheema worked hard for his 37 off 35 balls, even hitting Muralitharan for two sixes, but the spinner finally had his man caught off a wild slog by Jayawardene, with the last two wickets then falling for just 19 runs added.

21 February, 2011

Fielding an area of concern: Dhoni- ICC World Cup 2011




“India may have got off to a rousing start in the World Cup, crushing Bangladesh by 87 runs at Dhaka on Saturday, but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is far from being satisfied and pointed at fielding as a "big" area of concern.”

The Indians were sloppy on the field while defending their 370 for four and Dhoni made no bones in saying that they need to save atleast 5-10 runs while competing against the top sides.

"Fielding is a big area of concern for us. We need to save 5-10 runs and contribute some more on the field. While fielding, we have to save around 10 runs. All good sides will do that," Dhoni said.

Dhoni, however, was happy the way India batted after losing two wickets in quick succession.

"When you have lost a couple of wickets, you need to stabilise, and it was nice to see Sehwag and Kohli do that. As a team we fight injuries, so it is good to have a long break before the next game."

Man of the match Virender Sehwag, who smacked a blistering 175, was happy to win the "revenge" game. India had lost to Bangladesh in the previous edition.

"It was a good start for the team, I have said this is a revenge game and we have won. I have said before Bangladesh are not good in Tests, but they can compete in ODIs, and they showed it here. Hopefully, they will be able to do better in the tournament," Sehwag said.

"I was looking to bat long, maybe get a 100 in 30 overs and then go on. Special thanks to my physio for helping me, I was carrying a couple of injuries and they got me ready for this game."

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan said while they could take positives from the batting, it is the bowling that let them down.

"We bowled too many bad balls, too many boundary balls. I thought the bowlers were rusty and did not execute the plans. It cost us the game. Virender Sehwag played a great innings and took the game away from us. Hopefully the bowlers will comeback in the next match," Shakib said.

"There were many positives in the batting front. We batted sensibly and most of the top order batsman played cricketing shots. The crowd was superb."



World Cup 2011: New Zealand win by 10 Wkts



“New Zealand crushed Kenya by 10 wickets here at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.”
New Zealand achieved the moderate target in 8th over. Martin Guptil made 39 while B McCullum scored 26.
New Zealand pacers bundled out minnows Kenya for 69 runs in the first match of Group ‘A' at the World Cup on Sunday.
Electing to bat first, inexperienced Kenyan side collapsed like a house of cards in the 24th overs.

Young fast bowler Hamish Bennett's blistering spell of four wickets in 10 deliveries saw New Zealand bundling out Kenya for just 69 runs in 23.5 overs in a Group A match of the ICC Cricket World Cup here Sunday.

The 23-year old Bennett, who made his international debut last year, may not make for a pretty sight with his open-chested action, but he generated good pace and bounce to flummox the Kenyan batsmen none of whom looked comfortable at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

Jacob Oram and Tim Southee picked up three wickets each. Oram got his three wickets in 17 balls while Southee completed the annihilation in his second spell with a double strike that left him on a hat-trick. But Oram picked up the last wicket of Elijah Otieno that robbed Southee of a chance to get the feat.

The Kiwis opted for a pace-spin attack with the new ball. Nathan McCullum with his fastish off-breaks and seamer Tim Southee kept the Kenyan openers, Seren Waters (16) and Alex Obanda (6) on a short leash.

So much so that the Kenyan openers struggled to put the ball away and desperation led to the dismissal of Obanda who was trapped in front and had the batsman opted for a referral, he might have stayed on as replays indicated the ball missing the stumps.

The dismissal opened the doors for the Kiwis to achieve further inroads as Bennett's introduction triggered a rash of wickets and Kenya stumbled, staggered and then fell.

Collins Obuya (14) and Rakep Patel (16 not out) were the other two players who could get to double figures.

Kenya's 69 is the fifth lowest in World Cup 

Kenya's total of 69 all out here Sunday against New Zealand at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium was the fifth lowest in the history of ICC Cricket World Cup and the team's worst ever batting display in the event.

Kenya's previous lowest total in the World Cup was 104 against the West Indies eight years ago when the tournament was played in South Africa.

Top-10 lowest scores in World Cup:

36 - by Canada vs. Sri Lanka (2002-03)
45 - by Canada vs. England (1979)
45 - by Namibia vs. Australia (2002-03)
68 - by Scotland vs. West Indies (1999)
69 - by Kenya vs. New Zealand (2010-11)
74 - by Pakistan vs. England (1991-92)
77 - by Ireland vs. Sri Lanka (2006-07)
78 - by Bermuda vs. Sri Lanka (2006-07)
84 - by Namibia vs. Pakistan (2002-03)
86 - by Sri Lanka vs. West Indies (1975)

Earlier, Kenyan skipper Jimmy Kamande won the toss and elected to bat against New Zealand in a group ‘A’ match of World Cup 2011.
Kenya has won the crucial toss as the track is expected to get deteriorate later in the day.

There's no Kyle Mills for this match. Hamish Bennett and Tim Southee are the two frontline seamers. We'll get you the XIs in just a bit.

Team:
Kenya: SR Waters, AA Obanda, CO Obuya, SO Tikolo, MA Ouma, RR Patel, JK Kamande, TM Odoyo, NN Odhiambo, SO Ngoche, E Otieno
NZ: BB McCullum, MJ Guptill, JD Ryder, LRPL Taylor, JEC Franklin, SB Styris, DL Vettori, NL McCullum, JDP Oram, TG Southee, HK Bennett
NZ vs Ken: Match preview
Off colour New Zealand (NZ) will start their World Cup campaign against minnows Kenya (KEN) at MA Chidambaram, Chepauk stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
However, it is expected to be one-sided match but the present form of Kiwis side can be a reason for Kenya to smile.

JK Kamande-led Kenyan side is known for major upsets at the World Cup. Kenyan side surprised everyone when they stormed into the semifinals of 2003 World Cup.

Kenya has already defeated Sri Lanka in the 2003 World Cup by 53 runs. This would be second encounter between New Zealand and Kenya at the World Cup. In 2003, Kenya declared fortified winner after New Zealand refused to play due to security reason.

However, New Zealand had thrashed Kenya by 143 runs in the 2007 World Cup.

As far as New Zealand team is concerned, their confidence level has been dented following 4-0 defeat against Bangladesh, 5-0 defeat against India and 5-2 series lost against Pakistan before the World Cup.

New Zealand’s fate will run on the experience of newly appointed coach John Wright. On the other hand, Kenya will try to stun the Kiwis with their spirited performance.

Veteran Kenyan batsman Steve Tikolo, who is appearing in his 5th World Cup, will be key player for his side.

Series: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
Match: NZ vs KEN
Venue: MA Chidambaram, Chepauk, Chennai
Timing: 9.30 AM (IST)

20 February, 2011

New Zealand vs Kenya, 2nd Match, Group A- Live ICC World Cup 2011

New Zealand vs Kenya, 2nd Match, Group A


Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Toss: Ken won the toss and elected to bat

Kenya: 49/5 (15.3 Ovs) 

Batsmen R B 4s 6s SR

R Patel 4 6 0 0 66.7

J Kamande 0 3 0 0 0.0

New Zealand:


Bowlers O M R W ER

D Vettori 3 1 6 0 2.0

H Bennett 4 0 13 4 3.2





Curr P'ship: 0(3)
Last Wkt: Maurice Ouma lbw b Bennett 1(6) - 49/5 in 15.3 ov.
Prev Ovs: . . . . . .   |  2 W Wd . L1 W .   |  . 1 . . . 3   |  1 . W . . .


India Vs Bangladesh: Man of the Match Virender Sehwag – ICC World Cup 2011




Virender Sehwag en route to his 175 on Saturday

India beat Bangladesh by a massive 87 runs in the opening match of World Cup Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.

India put on a mammoth 370 runs of board thanks to superlative batting performances by Man-of-the-match Virender Sehwag, who scored 175 and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 100.

But contrary to the expectations of the Indian fans Bangladesh managed to deliver under pressure and scored 283/9 before they ran out of balls. 

Bangladesh got off to a fine start with Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal chipping away at the mammoth 271 target. But, the inevitable was bound to happen sooner or later and Bangladesh lost their wicket in the form of Kayes.

Kayes attempted a cut off a widesh ball off Munaf Patel, but the surprise drop in pace foxed him and an inside edge crashed into his stumps. He was forced to walk back on 34. when he team total was 56/1.

Finally, Harbhajan Singh got the better of Junaid Siddique on 37. Junaid batted on for an hour and pushed the Bangladesh score from 56-1 to 129, before Harbhajan's ball sharply moved away from him and caught him off guard as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni removed his bails in a second from behind the stumps. 

Then Munaf Patel struck back to claim the wicket India desired the most. A good length ball from Patel saw Tamim Iqbal shoot towards the leg side, but the ball fails to go past Yuvraj Singh who claims a low catch to send the opener back on 70. Munaf claimed the wicket on first ball of his second spell and Bangladesh go down to 188/3.
Then it was Yusuf Pathan's turn to display his bowling prowess and he did it by claiming opposition skipper Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib got out on 55 as Bangladesh slumped to 234-4 in the 40th over.

At this sage the pressure started having an effect of the Bangladesh batters as they found it difficult to concentrate in the face of a mammoth target. Mushfiqur Rahim was next to depart with caught Suresh Raina (the substitute), bowled Zaheer written against his name. He scored 25 and the Bangladesh score read 248-5.

Soon, it was all over for the Bangladesh batters as the India bowlers, even though not up to the mark on the day banked on the huge 371 target to press for a win and that they did with a 87-run win. 

Munaf Patel proved to be the wreaker-in-chief claiming four wickets on the day.

India innings 

India opener Virender Sehwag went all guns blazing against Bangladesh as India posted a record 370/4. The opener remained at the crease for most part of the innings and rained boundaries even as the Bangladesh bowler tried hard to curtail his onslaught.

He equalled Kapil Dev's record of 175 that the former India captain had scored against the Zimbabweans way back in 1983, when the team won the World Cup.

However, like Dev's innings he could not carry on till the end and fell to opposition skipper Shakib Al Hasan's turner. A fullish ball angling into Sehwag took the bottom edge of his bat and crashed into the stump. He departed, but not before doing the damage.

His 175 that came off just 140 was decorated with 14 boundaries and five over the fence shots. When he fell the team total was 355/3. 

But Sehwag's second-wicket partner Virat Kohli was still at the crease and continued to pound the Bangladeshi camp. He scored an unbeaten ton off 83 balls as India scored 370/4 in their stipulated 50 overs.
On the last ball of the innings Shafiul Islam claimed Yusuf Pathan on 8.

Earlier, Gautam Gambhir fell to Mahmudullah on 39. The ball entered his bat-pad gate and crashed into his stumps as India slumped to 152/2 in the 24th over.

Still earlier a mix-up saw Sachin Tendulkar run out on 28 as the India score read 69/1 in 10.5 overs. 
The last time India met Bangladesh in the World Cup in 2007, India were bowled out for 191, and Bangladesh had chased it down easily.

India beat Bangladesh by 87 Runs in the World Cup Opener - Live Score World Cup 2011



India Win the Match……. Hip Hip Hurreeeyyyy!!!!!!!

Although Bangladesh batsmen made a brave show of their towering drive a total of 371 released in India, trying not enough to avoid a 87-run defeat in their opening match of the World Cup at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. Virender Sehwag was previously released a ruthless attack on the hapless Bangladesh bowler to break the 175 India piled up 370 groups of four.

Put into bat, Sehwag played with bowling almost tasteless, not only to harvest his 14th ODI century with an incredible range of motion, but also guide India to a dominant position virat  Kohli who completed his century in the penultimate ball sleeves .

Kohli has also had his moment of glory run deluge hit his fifth ODI century, Delhi duo stitched a rollicking 203 runs third wicket with a run quieter than Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

It was a virtual carnage Sehwag, who defied cramps and hit with a runner after completing his century, and Kohli gave a superb exhibition of strokeplay to leave the hosts in a dream.

Sehwag hammered below 14 boundaries and five sixes during his 140-ball 175, while Kohli undefeated 83-100 balls contained eigtht boundaries and two sixes.

Sachin Tendulkar (28) and Gautam Gambhir (39) is started but could not exploit it, even if Tendulkar was unlucky to get distrinctly short.

Bangladesh has become a challenge to score on a rigid application at 7.40 runs an over to snatch a surprise victory, as if they had done in the 2007 series in the Caribbean.

Sehwag set the pace by spanking the first ball paceman Shafiul Islam through the cover boundary to start the sleeves on a high note. It has also undermined the last ball of the border as the first of more than 12 times.
In his opening partner Tendulkar also had to act quickly by hitting another ball pen Rubel Hossain, and a delightful touch of a limit of square meters.

The two new players Bangladesh lost ball on line and length and were punished for both Tendulkar and Sehwag gave India a good start.

When races come quickly, Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh captain presented a left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak the fifth inning to give an advantage and control the flow of execution.

Razzak has failed to stop the flow of unease that runs as a clean line and length before Sehwag and Tendulkar initially used their feet to attack.

As the two openers seemed to be cruising along comfort, Tendulkar (28) was executed after a terrible mess with Sehwag. He pushed the ball across the middle and a drummer known only Sehwag, but New Delhi has not responded.

Both batsmen ended up in a bowler Shakib ends Bangladesh skipper stopped the ball very well and threw to the wicketkeeper, who ousted the bails, sparking celebrations in the stands.

Gautam Gambhir was his usual confident self, and was based on individual and groups of two to accumulate innings with Sehwag, and soon brought his 50-run partnership.

Chakib tried all their players slow, but nothing could stop the duo from India. The ploy worked well to introduce Mahmudullah while cleaning Gambhir (39) with a faster delivery.

Another Indian does not make a good start, but had no effect on Sehwag, who held the other end of players take to the task.

Virat Kohli, who has been in good form in recent times, has joined Sehwag in the middle and the duo Delhi must strengthen India's position.
Sehwag had a window Mahmuddullah notching his 14th ODI century and his second in the World Cup, receiving a standing ovation from his teammates and support staff in the dressing room. The 100 came out 94 balls.

After Sehwag century ended, the two drummers chosen the power play at bat and nearly plundered runs at will, picking Shafiul Islam for special treatment by the demolition for 18 points in a more.
Abdur Razzak was also in the fight against Sehwag smashed him for two boundaries and six in a course to accelerate the pace of scoring.

Although Sehwag fired their shots, Kohli played orthodox plans at the other end and completed his half century taking 13 ODI singled Rubel Hossain.

Sehwag set of records during his brilliant career batting. It was the best result by a drummer for India against Bangladesh, Sourav Ganguly's 135 in 2000 and also topped 141 so far Tendulkar was the highest individual score in ODIs in Bangladesh.

Sehwag fell to the same score as the legendary Kapil Dev had made 28 years ago. Chakib fishing played a ball in fullish Sehwag has a bottom edge of his stumps.

Kohli was able to reach his century, the penultimate ball innings when the ball last seen Yusuf Pathan caught by wicket keeper off Shafiul Islam.

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