India on top despite Kirk Edwards' ton
India edged a day of fluctuating fortunes to take complete control of a rain-marred third Test in Dominica and closed in on a 2-0 series victory despite a century on debut from Kirk Edwards. His confidence and composure while approaching his landmark was a contrast to his edginess and uncertainty early in his innings, and he was guided along by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who fought his own battles and survived to take the game into the fifth day. However, the loss of three wickets in the final session, made possible by an improved spell from Harbhajan Singh, meant the game was still India's.
Edwards had big boots to fill when he was picked for this Test ahead of Ramnaresh Sarwan. He was left out of the West Indies squad for the final two ODIs against India and would have been under some pressure coming in to this game, then being dismissed early in his first outing and given the responsibility of rebuilding the innings after the early loss of the openers in the second. The nerves were on show against a testing spell by the Indian seamers on a track offering some assistance early on, and against the turn and bite Harbhajan was able to extract. Munaf Patel roughed him up with a couple of bouncers that he failed to keep down - Edwards had succumbed to the short ball in the first innings - and Harbhajan produced a half-chance towards short leg with his line from round the wicket.
Edwards, however, overcame the tough initiation. He was a beneficiary of a packed off-side field against spin, being able to comfortably work the straighter ones around to rotate the strike, and an overdose of short deliveries from the seamers, who perhaps helped him conquer his weakness. He pulled Munaf twice to the midwicket boundary, inflicted the same treatment on Ishant Sharma and in the session after tea, having reached his half-century, confidently stepped out to Harbhajan when he'd been playing back to him for much of the day. A pulled six off Abhinav Mukund and a delightful straight drive off Ishant later, he joined an illustrious list of West Indians including George Headley and Lawrence Rowe in freakish fashion, surviving a run-out chance when Harbhajan missed a direct hit and completed the ton on an overthrow.
Harbhajan eventually got Edwards, however. India had expected more from him on a spin-friendly track in Barbados where West Indies managed to save the game, but he stepped up in conditions with lesser, but adequate, assistance today. He bamboozled a set Darren Bravo with a vicious turner that zipped from leg to beat the outside edge, and trapped him next ball with a flighted delivery that Bravo, sensing a release, miscued to mid-off. Edwards seemed to have fought off the threat, but when Harbhajan came round the wicket and got some extra bounce, he edged a tired cut to MS Dhoni to trigger India's fightback.
Indian seamers make inroads in rain-marred day
West Indies 75 for 3 (Bravo 22*, Chanderpaul 17*, Ishant 2-23) v India
Steady rain blighted a promising start under clear skies and bright sunshine in the first ever Test in Dominica - the 106th Test venue - to reduce the opening day to just 31.1 overs. In that time, India had made good use of their only opportunity to bowl first this series, removing three top-order batsmen on a good batting track. India's decision to bowl was prompted by the moisture in the pitch, but it didn't play a significant role; instead the seamers were persistent against the inexperienced batting that included two debutants. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo then added 40 runs in a rebuilding effort before the rain swooped in.
It was a day of landmarks for West Indies today: Chanderpaul became the most-capped West Indies Test cricketer, overtaking Courtney Walsh, and he fittingly handed out the maroon caps to the two debutants, Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards. There was wobbly swing for Praveen Kumar early on and, barring a couple of misdirected balls down the leg side, he set about working at the openers outside off stump. Powell left the ball well, and solidly kept out the odd ones that nipped back in. A tall opener from Leeward Islands with a sound defence, Powell had gone along patiently but couldn't resist stabbing at Praveen, who teased him into edging an inducker to second slip.
Barath had negotiated the deliveries bowled in the channel but offered hope to the bowlers with his constant shuffles towards off stump. Ishant had bowled a couple of shortish deliveries at Barath and following a change of ends, in the 13th over, continued hitting that length. Barath hooked a bouncer, played at the next one down the leg side and saw it clip his thigh pad, and then opted to attack again when Ishant delivered a third consecutive short ball. He walked across to swivel and pull one behind square, only to drag it off his glove onto the stumps. Ishant had won the battle.
Sarwan dropped for final Test
Struggling West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan has been dropped for the third and final Test against India in Dominica. Kieran Powell, a 21-year-old batsman from Leeward Islands, has been named as his replacement. Sarwan, 31, back in the Test side for the ongoing home season after nearly one-and-a-half years out, has struggled for form right through, starting with the Pakistan Tests. He managed only 54 runs in four innings against Pakistan, and his form nosedived further in the series against India, where he managed only 29 runs over the first two Tests. Sarwan seemed to have been informed of his axing soon after the second Test in Barbados. An hour after bad light ensured a draw, Sarwan tweeted: "Wishing the guys all the best in Dominica! Miami here I come." Warner Park in Dominica is the venue for the third Test.
Srikkanth backs Yuvraj for Tests
Kris Srikkanth, chairman of the Indian selection committee, has backed Yuvraj Singh to come good in Test cricket. Despite being a fixture in India's limited-overs plans for many years, Yuvraj has not managed to seal a permanent Test spot, but has forced his way back into the squad for England on the back of his starring role in the World Cup.
"We all know that Yuvraj has quality," Srikkanth told the Indian Express. "Yes, I agree that he has so far failed to carry forward his ODI form into Test cricket. But he still has many years of cricket left in him. If he can cement his place in the Test squad, then that will surely augur well for Indian cricket."
Sehwag, Warner star in Delhi win
Delhi finally feels like home for Delhi Daredevils. With players such as Virender Sehwag, David Warner and Morne Morkel in the side, they had been frustrated by lifeless home tracks that made stroke-play and pace bowling difficult. Before this game Sehwag demanded pace, and then in the company of Warner showed just why. They added 146 for the first wicket in 11.4 overs, an ideal platform for a comfortable win despite an equally remarkable innings by Shaun Marsh, and despite the continuing good luck of Kings XI Punjab's openers who were both dropped on nought.
With the ball coming on well on this green pitch, Warner and Sehwag let the bowlers feel their wrath. They were like beasts who had been uncaged after years of confinement, gorging on anything remotely loose. It is a scary thought to imagine what Sehwag would have managed had he not got out for 77 off 35, trying a fourth successive six off the fourth delivery of a David Hussey over. Sehwag even dived into his crease, one of the very few times he has committed that unbecoming act while batting, to bring up his half-century off 28 deliveries, one fewer that Warner took to reach his.
Warner got to his landmark with a trademark pull deep into the stands, his second pulled six and third overall. Sehwag was on only 36 then. It takes some special hitting to dominate the strike and still not frustrate Sehwag. Warner managed that nicely. He began in earnest in the first over, pulling and cutting Praveen Kumar for fours. Ryan Harris managed to trouble him for a bit with the extra bounce, but Warner's comeback was emphatic: a huge pull over midwicket to end Harris' spell of 2-0-13-0 in a score of 35 for 0 after four overs.
The floodgates had just begun to open then. Sehwag tucked into Praveen with three fours in the fifth over, Warner went down on a knee and lofted Shalabh Srivastava's medium-pace over the sightscreen. The middle overs and spread fields mattered little as both batsmen moved to 59 each by the end of the 11th over. Enter Hussey, Punjab's expensive signing, playing his first game this IPL. Sehwag showed his famous disdain for spin through sixes over long-on, cow corner and midwicket. A mis-hit off the fourth ball brought some decorum to the proceedings, with only 38 coming in the next 5.2 overs.
That phase included Warner's wicket for 77 off 48 balls. Temporary relief. Lull between storms. Harris came back to have his figures rearranged, ending with 48 off four to join two other colleagues with 40-plus aggregates to their names. Venugopal Rao and Naman Ojha took 47 off the last three overs to post the third-highest total in IPL history, and Delhi's biggest.
Gayle's century in IPL is a special one
Chris Gayle has arrived. He smashed his way to his first IPL century, the second-fastest in this edition of the competition, and was the architect of Bangalore's victory over his former team, Kolkata. Gayle formed powerful partnerships with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli as Bangalore were untroubled in their chase of 172, winning by nine wickets. The pitch was proving to be tricky for the quicks and Kolkata opted to start with a spinner after having posted 171. Yusuf Pathan, who was battling a knee niggle, opened the bowling. After three good deliveries, Yusuf strayed on the leg stump and Dilshan cashed in with four through square leg. With that, the flood gates were opened.
In the fourth over, Gayle had scored just three singles - while Dilshan had notched up 19 - when he was offered a full toss. He drove it down past the non-striker for the first of his 17 boundaries. It didn't matter what Bangalore tried after that. Jaidev Unadkat was dispatched with disdain as Gayle went down on one knee, smacking him for six over long-on. Shakib Al Hasan was tossed around like a limp ragdoll, slogged over midwicket and mowed over deep square. Yusuf was smoked through the covers. Gayle even showed a touch of deftness, playing one fine to the third man boundary.
It didn't matter who was given the ball, even though spin proved difficult to get away during the Kolkata innings. Manoj Tiwary was slapped over long-on and even mishit for six. Medium pacer Rajat Bhatia was hit for 17 runs in his second over, 16 off Gayle's bat. At the end of 12 overs, Bangalore were cruising on 123 for 1 when Dilshan was bowled by L Balaji, who controlled the swing admirably.
The Gayle force blew on though. Together with Kohli, he brought the required run rate down to less than a run a ball. Kohli was given some room to express himself too, taking advantage of full balls offered by Balaji and showing off his wrist work against Bhatia. Kohli almost had too much fun and denied Gayle a century with a boundary off the first ball of the 18th over, that left Bangalore with just two to win. He blocked out the rest of the over to make amends.
Even a wide from Iqbal Abdulla couldn't stop Gayle, who ended the innings with a smashing shot through the covers, winning the match with 11 balls to spare. Gayle, who was picked up by Bangalore as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes, wore a jersey with 333 - his highest Test score - on the back and made light work of a total that Kolkata should have been able to defend.
Paul Valthaty gives Punjab comprehensive win
Don't shake Paul Valthaty's hand any time soon. You might just turn to gold. He followed up his century in Kings XI Punjab's previous game by surprising everybody with his split-finger slower balls, in the Dilhara Fernando mould, taking 4 for 29, the best figures by any Punjab bowler, and then - with a 47-ball 75 - made a mockery of a target he had himself kept down to 165. The turnaround for Punjab began with a good piece of fielding, and then a fortuitous lob off what should have been a leg-side wide. Until then Kumar Sangakkara and Shikhar Dhawan had put up a fine display of driving in a 75-run second-wicket stand, Deccan's best for any wicket this season, but both fell within three runs to send the hosts into rebuild mode for the best part of the second half of their innings.
Deccan Chargers had reached 88 for 1 in the 11th over, and the set batsmen were just looking to open up further when a diving Shaun Marsh at extra cover made sure Sangakkara stayed on strike. Sangakkara slog-swept the next ball to deep midwicket where Ryan McLaren took a good, low catch. In the next over, Valthaty's slower ball went wrong, and was going way down the leg side until Dhawan decided to try and clear short fine leg. Instead, the ball landed in the fielder's lap. Two starts had been wasted, Deccan had to become circumspect.
Valthaty's next over featured two similar slower balls. Bharat Chipli escaped long-off off the first, but the other was picked up near long-on. Daniel Christian's 30 off 14 threatened a major assault towards the end, but Valthaty once again pulled Deccan back with two wickets in two balls: Christian was bowled attempting a slog, and Amit Mishra then missed a scoop over the keeper's head and was trapped lbw.
Valthaty didn't get a chance to finish a hat-trick: the wickets came off the last two deliveries of the 19th over. However, he would get a chance to make the match his own when opening the innings. And how he owned the game. Carrying the confidence that he could do no wrong, Valthaty upper-cut and flicked Dale Steyn, then cut Ishant Sharma for a six, and took Manpreet Gony apart with some merciless hitting in the fifth over, which went for 23 runs.
Gambhir, Kallis set up outstanding win
Kolkata Knight Riders won by nine wickets and with nine deliveries to spare. It shouldn't have been that easy but Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis starred in a supremely well-paced chase as Kolkata successfully hunted down a potentially tough 160-run target on a sluggish track in Jaipur.
The first game-seizing moment of the chase came in the sixth over, bowled by Amit Singh. Kolkata were 44 for 1 from five overs and it was obvious that they had to fully utilise the new ball and the Powerplay on this slow track. It was an over that could have tilted the game either way: Amit tried to keep it tight, Gambhir took risks, two shots eluded palms of fielders in the off side but not by much, and Gambhir looted 18 runs. He flat-batted the first ball past the diving Ross Taylor at extra cover, slashed the third past the diving Abhishek Raut at point, glanced the fourth to fine-leg, and crashed the final delivery over mid-off.
The second turning point was Gambhir's contest with Shane Warne, who introduced himself in the seventh over. Gambhir cut his third delivery through the covers, and slog swept the first ball of the 10th over to collect another four. When Warne gave himself another over, to try and pick up a wicket, Gambhir sashayed down the track and scythed a flighted delivery through extra cover. By the end of that over, Kolkata only needed 58 runs from 48 balls and Gambhir and Kallis stayed till the end to achieve a comfortable win.
Gambhir found great support in Kallis, who was instrumental in starting the chase in a positive fashion. He lifted Ashok Menaria's left-arm spin for a four and a six over long-off in the third over, whipped Shane Watson to midwicket and slashed Nayan Doshi through backward point. He dropped anchor once Gambhir took over the batonSachin's first IPL Century
Two weeks ago, the crowd at the Wankhede was delirious though a fervently anticipated Sachin Tendulkar century didn't materialise. On Friday, the same crowd went home dejected despite Tendulkar crafting his first Twenty20 century, as Kochi Tuskers Kerala busted their party with one of the most memorable chases in IPL history. Two of the world's finest Twenty20 batsmen, Brendon McCullum and Mahela Jayawardene, constructed chalk-and-cheese half-centuries to power Kochi's pursuit of 183. Both perished to Lasith Malinga's deadly deliveries but Kochi, who had stumbled in the final stretch of their first two games, didn't slip up this time as Ravindra Jadeja and Brad Hodge muscled boundaries to finish the game with an over to spare.
Tendulkar's effort checked off another item on his ever-shrinking to-do list, and Mumbai ran up a tall total without needing contributions from Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds and Kieron Pollard. It was then assumed that the bowlers would make the rest of the game a formality, but McCullum firmly put that assumption to rest by muscling three boundaries between mid-off and cover in Malinga's second over. The next big jump came in the sixth over from Pollard as McCullum swatted a four past midwicket and Jayawardene eased boundaries behind square on either side of the wicket.
The Mumbai fielding made things worse for the home team. Rohit Sharma dropped McCullum at first slip off the first ball, and Jayawardene was given a life by Ali Murtuza at backward point.
McCullum kept skating out of the crease and lashing the ball through the off side right through his innings, while Jayawardene was content shuffling across and using the bowler's pace, rarely powering the ball. The difference between the two batsmen's innings was highlighted in the ninth over as McCullum smashed the first ball over long-off, and Jayawardene reverse-paddled the fifth ball off the back of the bat for four.
Paul Valthaty ton stunned Chennai Super Kings to clinch a maiden win for Kings XI
The IPL's northernmost franchise found a hero with roots in the south, as Paul Valthaty stunned Chennai Super Kings to clinch a maiden win for Kings XI Punjab this season after a disappointing performance in their opening game. Valthaty was a surprise promotion to the opening slot, instead of the regular Shaun Marsh, and he answered the call with a blistering start, keeping his team on par with the required-rate in the middle overs and surging again at the death to complete victory after achieving a spectacular century.
At 27, with just one List A game and 13 Twenty20 matches, Valthaty had been on the sidelines of the Mumbai team on India's domestic circuit. His previous highest in the IPL was 6, but whatever he must have done at the practice sessions ahead of this game sparked a potentially career-changing turn of events. Punjab had been deflated at the end of the Chennai innings, after they had squandered the perfect start of two wickets off the first two balls to concede 188. The sight of an unfamiliar face walking out with Adam Gilchrist raised eyebrows, but it didn't take too long for Valthaty to justify his promotion.
Sachin Tendulkar named Wisden's leading cricketer in the world for 2010
The master batsman, who began this month with what he described as his proudest moment when he helped India win the World Cup on his home ground in Mumbai, is the seventh recipient of the Wisden award.
Unlike the winners of Wisden's coveted five cricketers of the year, it is possible to be named the world's best in the almanack more than once - and Tendulkar made it an Indian hat-trick, after Test opener Virender Sehwag took the honour in each of the last two years.
Tendulkar's citation concludes: "Wisden acknowledges his greatness by naming him as the leading cricketer in the world for 2010."
Rajasthan Royals surge to second win
"I am used to facing all these fast bowlers." Sehwag's emphatic declaration before the game set up the confrontation with Tait. The encounter was, however, was short. Sehwag cracked his first ball through point but Tait hit back immediately with sheer pace. Taking guard after Sehwag's sizzle and fizzle, Finch barely saw the three thunderbolts - one of them touching 157 kph - that burst through his defences. One over of high impact - one spell out of the way.
Botha and Siddharth Trivedi were not so menacing with the ball, and Tait returned for the fifth over. Finch promptly succumbed to another pacy bouncer, and Tait was off the attack again. Warne struck twice in his first over, nailing Unmukt Chand with a quick dipping legbreak, and Naman Ojha with a slower, looping delivery. Thereafter, Rajasthan let the pressure ease, allowing Warner and Rao to find an escape route. Rao checked in with a couple of controlled boundaries against spin before Warner preyed upon Trivedi's poor lines.
Warner plundered Tait's indiscretions in length for three boundaries in his third over. He reached his 50 by cutting Warne in front of square before handing over the baton to his partner. Rao launched two successive slower balls from Trivedi for sixes over the off side, before Irfan Pathan slugged boundaries off Tait's closing over to hustle Delhi to challenging total.
Dravid ignited the chase with a series of boundaries off Ashok Dinda, but Amit Paunikar missed a wild slog to gift him a wicket. Pathan had shown signs of regaining his famous inswinger in Delhi's first game. Today, however, he resorted to listless offcutters that Dravid pounced upon. With his seamers disappointing, Sehwag resorted to Roelof van der Merwe's spin in the sixth over, and Dravid greeted him with two elegant boundaries. Fifty-seven had come off the Powerplay, and the game was heading Rajasthan's way.
van der Merwe gave Delhi an opening by getting Dravid to edge behind, but Botha and Menaria carried on without a fuss. With a stance and swagger reminiscent of Yuvraj Singh, Menaria camped on the back foot and looked to muscle anything too short or too full over midwicket. He thumped sixes off three consecutive overs before carving Pathan straight to cover. Botha was relentless though, in his new No. 3 avatar, executing paddle sweeps at will and keeping things under control. Rahane kept the flag flying, and though Morne Morkel uprooted his stumps in the 16th over it was too little too late.
who has hit maximum number of sixes in an ODI?
Shane Watson knocked Bangladesh's bowlers senseless with a world record tally of sixes as the Australians galloped to a nine-wicket victory in the second limited overs match in Mirpur to seal the series.
The target of 230 had appeared a possible banana skin on a slow pitch offering some turn, but Watson made such light work of it, that his unbeaten185 from 96 balls now stands as the highest ODI score by an Australian, overtaking Matthew Hayden's 181 against New Zealand in 2007.
Xavier Marshall's 2008 mark for most sixes fell when Watson swung his 13th over the rope, the second six in as many balls off the bowling of Abdur Razzak. Watson added two more for good measure, laying claim to one of ODI cricket's more enduring records, for the highest individual percentage of runs in a completed innings. His 79.74% bested Viv Richards' 69.48% in his momentous 189 not out, out of 272 for 9, against England in 1984.Mushfiqur Rahim's unbeaten 81 helped Bangladesh to score 229
A significant rally by Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, with the help of the lower order, allowed the hosts to set Australia a target of 230 in order for the visitors to seal the limited-overs series in the second match in Mirpur. Australia dropped Cameron White for Callum Ferguson as they sought a second victory in three days and were in total command when Bangladesh slid to 88 for 5. But Rahim, allrounder Mahmudullah and left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo pushed Bangladesh to 229 for 7, a total that will require a diligent pursuit on a slow pitch that offers turn.
Shahriar Nafees had done his best to keep the first half of the innings from petering out entirely but he was not helped by the funereal approach of opener Imrul Kayes, who lingered 41 balls to gouge out five runs. Mitchell Johnson and Steve Smith shared five well-deserved wickets, while Brett Lee was short of luck during a spell that was damaged after he leaked 17 runs in his final over.
Seeking parity at 1-1 after Shakib Al Hasan won the toss, Tamim Iqbal offered a flashy drive at Johnson in the second over and sliced to the left of the solitary slip where Shane Watson held an excellent catch.
In the next over Lee and the rest of the Australians were convinced they had Imrul gloving a well-directed short ball behind, but a vociferous and sustained appeal went unheeded, decision reviews not being used during the series. Australia's disgust at not claiming the wicket would be alleviated across the next eight overs, as Imrul crawled to five from 41 balls, draining the innings of all momentum and then compounded his sin by swinging unwisely at Johnson to sky a legside catch.
The next man in, Raqibul Hasan, played down the wrong line at Hastings and was bowled for a duck, before Smith ripped a leg break between Shakib's bat and pad in his first over, leaving Shahriar to attempt to repair the damage. He had reached 56 when Smith flighted a leg break and was rewarded with the tamest of return catches, as the hosts slid to 88 for 5.
IPL SCHEDULE 2011
| Date | Local/IST | No. | Match Details | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 1st | Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 1st IPL | Chennai |
| 9-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 2nd | Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals, 2nd IPL | Hyderabad |
| 9-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 3rd | Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3rd IPL | Kochi |
| 10-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 4th | Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians, 4th IPL | Delhi |
| 10-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 5th | Pune Warriors vs Kings XI Punjab, 5th IPL | Navi Mumbai |
| 11-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 6th | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers, 6th IPL | Kolkata |
| 12-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 7th | Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils, 7th IPL | Jaipur |
| 12-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 8th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, 8th IPL | Bangalore |
| 13-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 9th | Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings, 9th IPL | Mohali |
| 13-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 10th | Pune Warriors vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 10th IPL | Navi Mumbai |
| 14-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 11th | Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 11th IPL | Hyderabad |
| 15-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 12th | Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 12th IPL | Jaipur |
| 15-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 13th | Mumbai Indians vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 13th IPL | Hyderabad |
| 16-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 14th | Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 14th IPL | Chennai |
| 16-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 15th | Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab, 15th IPL | Hyderabad |
| 17-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 16th | Pune Warriors vs Delhi Daredevils, 16th IPL | Navi Mumbai |
| 17-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 17th | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 17th IPL | Kolkata |
| 18-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 18th | Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Chennai Super Kings, 18th IPL | Kochi |
| 19-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 19th | Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers, 19th IPL | Delhi |
| 19-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 20th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, 20th IPL | Bangalore |
| 20-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 21st | Mumbai Indians vs Pune Warriors, 21st IPL | Mumbai |
| 20-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 22nd | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 22nd IPL | Kolkata |
| 21-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 23rd | Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals, 23rd IPL | Mohali |
| 22-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 24th | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 24th IPL | Kolkata |
| 22-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 25th | Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, 25th IPL | Mumbai |
| 23-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 26th | Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, 26th IPL | Delhi |
| 24-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 27th | Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians, 27th IPL | Hyderabad |
| 24-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 28th | Rajasthan Royals vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 28th IPL | Jaipur |
| 25-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 29th | Chennai Super Kings vs Pune Warriors, 29th IPL | Chennai |
| 26-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 30th | Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 30th IPL | Delhi |
| 27-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 31st | Pune Warriors vs Chennai Super Kings, 31st IPL | Navi Mumbai |
| 27-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 32nd | Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Deccan Chargers, 32nd IPL | Kochi |
| 28-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 33rd | Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 33rd IPL | Delhi |
| 29-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 34th | Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, 34th IPL | Jaipur |
| 29-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 35th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors, 35th IPL | Bangalore |
| 30-Apr-11 | 16:00 | 36th | Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Delhi Daredevils, 36th IPL | Kochi |
| 30-Apr-11 | 20:00 | 37th | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, 37th IPL | Kolkata |
| 1-May-11 | 16:00 | 38th | Rajasthan Royals vs Pune Warriors, 38th IPL | Jaipur |
| 1-May-11 | 20:00 | 39th | Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers, 39th IPL | Chennai |
| 2-May-11 | 16:00 | 40th | Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, 40th IPL | Mumbai |
| 2-May-11 | 20:00 | 41st | Delhi Daredevils vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 41st IPL | Delhi |
| 3-May-11 | 20:00 | 42nd | Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 42nd IPL | Hyderabad |
| 4-May-11 | 16:00 | 43rd | Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, 43rd IPL | Chennai |
| 4-May-11 | 20:00 | 44th | Pune Warriors vs Mumbai Indians, 44th IPL | Navi Mumbai |
| 5-May-11 | 16:00 | 45th | Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 45th IPL | Kochi |
| 5-May-11 | 20:00 | 46th | Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils, 46th IPL | Hyderabad |
| 6-May-11 | 20:00 | 47th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab, 47th IPL | Bangalore |
| 7-May-11 | 16:00 | 48th | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, 48th IPL | Kolkata |
| 7-May-11 | 20:00 | 49th | Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, 49th IPL | Mumbai |
| 8-May-11 | 16:00 | 50th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 50th IPL | Bangalore |
| 8-May-11 | 20:00 | 51st | Kings XI Punjab vs Pune Warriors, 51st IPL | Mohali |
| 9-May-11 | 20:00 | 52nd | Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, 52nd IPL | Jaipur |
| 10-May-11 | 16:00 | 53rd | Deccan Chargers vs Pune Warriors, 53rd IPL | Hyderabad |
| 10-May-11 | 20:00 | 54th | Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 54th IPL | Mohali |
| 11-May-11 | 20:00 | 55th | Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 55th IPL | Jaipur |
| 12-May-11 | 20:00 | 56th | Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils, 56th IPL | Chennai |
| 13-May-11 | 20:00 | 57th | Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Kings XI Punjab, 57th IPL | Indore |
| 14-May-11 | 16:00 | 58th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 58th IPL | Bangalore |
| 14-May-11 | 20:00 | 59th | Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers, 59th IPL | Mumbai |
| 15-May-11 | 20:00 | 60th | Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, 60th IPL | Dharmasala |
| 15-May-11 | 20:00 | 61st | Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Rajasthan Royals, 61st IPL | Indore |
| 16-May-11 | 20:00 | 62nd | Pune Warriors vs Deccan Chargers, 62nd IPL | Navi Mumbai |
| 17-May-11 | 20:00 | 63rd | Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 63rd IPL | Dharmasala |
| 18-May-11 | 20:00 | 64th | Chennai Super Kings vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 64th IPL | Chennai |
| 19-May-11 | 20:00 | 65th | Pune Warriors vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 65th IPL | Navi Mumbai |
| 20-May-11 | 20:00 | 66th | Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, 66th IPL | Mumbai |
| 21-May-11 | 16:00 | 67th | Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers, 67th IPL | Dharmasala |
| 21-May-11 | 20:00 | 68th | Delhi Daredevils vs Pune Warriors, 68th IPL | Delhi |
| 22-May-11 | 16:00 | 69th | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, 69th IPL | Bangalore |
| 22-May-11 | 20:00 | 70th | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, 70th IPL | Kolkata |
| 24-May-11 | 20:00 | 71st | TBC vs TBC, Qualifier 1 IPL | Mumbai |
| 25-May-11 | 20:00 | 72nd | TBC vs TBC, Eliminator IPL | Mumbai |
| 27-May-11 | 20:00 | 73rd | TBC vs TBC, Qualifier 2 IPL | Chennai |
| 28-May-11 | 20:00 | Final | TBC vs TBC, Final IPL | Chennai |
Fastest Century in World Cup by Kevin O'Brien
Man of the match Kevin O'Brien lashed 13 boundaries and six sixes in his memorable One-day century to silence the spirited, in majority, English supporters at the Bengaluru stadium. The stadia were all on their feet after witnessing a stunning display of sportsmanship by the Irish team over their old enemy.
Kevin, a lookalike of Andrew Flintoff from the stands, played his strokes fearlessly on a wicket where the ball came nicely on to the bat. The destructive middle-order batman played a typically attacking innings, racing to his century with a flick towards the mid-wicket. The crowd and Irish box went up in roar to celebrate Kevin's second One-day hundred.
O'Brien alongwith Alex Cusack (47) made the most of an ordinary English attack to bring the match from a no-contest zone to a winning one in a roller-coaster day-night match.
The pair added 162 runs for the sixth wicket with much ease and exposed the limitations of English bowlers in containing runs on a track like Chinnaswamy. Kevin and Alex gave an outstanding exhibition of power-hitting under extreme situation to remind England team of their strength.
Ireland lost their five top-order batsmen cheaply but O'Brien and Cusack dug in to lend firmness and force an improbable win.
Chasing 328 runs to win, Ireland got off to forgettable start when they lost their most experienced campaigner and skipper William Porterfield in the first ball of the second innings. Jimmy Anderson, who has had a tough time in India, bowled the opposition skipper in the first over to spark some doubts about the huge chase.
Paul Stirling tried to up the ante after losing his skipper early with some forceful boundaries before falling to Tim Bresnan. Stirling smacked five fours and a six during his 32-run stay at the crease.
England poor fielding contributed in their defeat as they manage to drop at least six catches in the middle. Generous England bowlers also helped with 33 extras.
Paul Stirling (32), Ed Joyce (32) and Niall O'Brien (29) were the other main contributors in Ireland's stunning victory.
Earlier, Jonathan Trott (92) and Ian Bell (81) propelled England to 327 against Ireland in their Group B World Cup match at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The experience duo added an invaluable 167 runs for the third wicket to help England to an imposing total.
Skipper Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen continued from where they left last Sunday at Chinnaswamy against India. The English openers, electing to bat first, got off to a flourishing start scoring seven runs per over. Pietersen, in his opening role, looked rather impressive today with some exquisite strokes to light up the afternoon.
The former England captain took the Irish bowling to the cleaners with some lusty hits to the fence and over it. The naturally aggressive player completed his 22nd half-century, fourth in World Cups, off just 41 deliveries. Andrew Strauss was more than happy to give the strike to Pietersen, who was having a beautiful time with the willow. The duo shared a first-wicket stand of 91 runs before Ireland fired the first salvo.
Seeing his pace bowlers being smacked all over the park, skipper William Porterfield introduced spinners in the 12th over. Teenager George Dockrell in his second over obliged his captain by claiming Andrew Strauss with a beauty. The England skipper was bowled out for 34 on his 34th birthday.
Three overs later, a confident Pietersen tried to do something unusual with disastrous results. Offie Paul Stirling pitched the ball outside off-stump and KP, itching for a switch-hit, tried a reverse sweep but miscued it completely for an easy catch to keeper Niall O'Brien. His 59 runs included seven fours and two huge sixes.
England's run-rate dropped from 7 to 5 once England had lost their openers but Trott and Bell overcame a subdued start once they got the feel of the pitch. The Englishmen dominated Irish attack with impressive strokeplay from 17th over to 43rd over before Bell's stay was cut short by John Mooney during a batting powerplay.
Trott and Bell both fell within sight of a century; however the former equalled the record for the fastest 1,000 runs in ODI's. He needed 64 runs at the start to equal the record of Vivian Richards and Kevin Pietersen, when he came to bat. Trott struck nine fours before being dismissed by Mooney.
England lost some quick wickets at the end before posting a huge target for Ireland. John Mooney finished with the best figures claiming four wickets in nine overs for 63 runs.
Why Ponting break LCD during World Cup
Box broke TV, not bat, says Ponting
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said it was his box, employed to protect a batsman's most sensitive area, and not his bat which damaged a World Cup dressing room television set.
But he insisted on Thursday that the incident had been blown wildly out of proportion.
"Just to clarify, the television wasn't hit by me with my bat at all, it was hit by my box that I'd thrown down at the end of cricket kit," said Ponting, ahead of his team's clash against New Zealand on Friday.
"I'm not sure where a lot of those stories have come from but I have accepted what the ICC have come up with as far as a reprimand is concerned from the incident."
"There was some small damage to the TV set and I went and reported it to the team manager straight away. They actually replaced the television set there and then."
"Some of the stories I have been hearing the last couple of days have been a little bit different to what the list of events actually were."
"Hopefully we can put this all behind us and start worrying about a big game of cricket. There's a limit I guess (to how much) you can let off steam in a dressing room. It is a pretty sacred sort of place in international cricket."
"But there's a line you can't over-step. I accept responsibility for that happening, albeit by total accident and with no malice involved whatsoever."
"What's happened has happened, I'd like to be able to take it back but I can't."
As far as Friday's match is concerned, Australia, despite their overwhelming win against Zimbabwe, found batting tricky when left-arm spinner Ray Price took the new ball.
Ponting said his side were ready for more of the same from either Vettori, also a slow left-armer, or off-break bowler Nathan McCullum.
"We know New Zealand will probably have two good spinners in their side and we know as tournament goes on we are going to have to play spin well if we want to be there when the big games come around. I've got total confidence in the players that they can all do that."
"Our record in the subcontinent over a long period of time shows we can do that. We are also prepared for New Zealand opening the bowling with spin and we are ready for that."
Ponting is bidding to win his third straight World Cup as a captain and Australia their fourth in a row, both unprecedented achievements.
Yet with stars such as Adam Gilchrist, Mattew Hayden and Shane Warne having retired, many feel now is the best time for another team to topple Australia.
"We haven't been spoken about much as being contenders for this World Cup, which sits pretty well with me," Ponting said.
"We can just go along and get our work done and prepare well and hopefully play well."
"We'll let the other teams such as India worry about the pressure of being favourites for a tournament like this."
"All I can do is prepare well and prepare the team well and hopefully go out and play and we'll see how far our talent takes us."
"But I think we've got a talented enough team here at the moment to be able to give the World Cup a really good shake."
Sehwag fit despite ribs blow
India's in-form opener Virender Sehwag will be fit for the crucial World Cup clash with England despite receiving a painful blow to the ribs in the nets on Friday.
"A thorough examination has been done and a scan is not required. There is no major worry and he is fit enough to play," Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal said.
India, who meet England in the day-night match on Sunday, defeated Bangladesh by 87 runs in their opener in Dhaka last Saturday.
Sehwag was instrumental in setting up his team's victory, hammering a blazing 175 off 140 balls with the help of five sixes and 14 fours.
He has so far scored 7,555 runs in 229 one-day internationals.
India had already been sweating over the fitness of fellow opener Sachin Tendulkar who needed a scan of his left knee after the win against Bangladesh where he made 28.
Tendulkar, 37, had only recently recovered from a hamstring strain which forced him to miss three games of the recent five-match one-day series against South Africa.
Sehwag, Kohli set up strong Indian win in World Cup opener
Bangladesh's famed spin attack bled before a stunned Mirpur crowd as Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli plundered hundreds to set up a strong 87-run win to begin the World Cup. The home fans had little to cheer today except Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan's brisk fifties, the dismantling of Sreesanth's five wayward overs and Sachin Tendulkar's clumsy run-out.
On a slow wicket at a venue where sides chasing under lights are significantly advantaged, India were inserted by Shakib Al Hasan. They had to out-bat Bangladesh because of the dew and they did by posting a mammoth 370-4.
Sehwag batting with a runner threatened to score the second ODI double hundred. He eventually fell on 175 in the 48th over before the consistent Kohli completed an 83-ball hundred on World Cup debut. Munaf Patel (4-48) and Zaheer Khan (2-41) bowled tidily but there had to be only one result today.
Sehwag has stated his desire to last the full 50 overs. He came out in a mood to attack, and it didn't seem he'd last the course. The first ball of the tournament --- a short, wide ball from the young Shafiul Islam, was slashed through point for four. Sehwag was in a mood to bash everything, and Bangladesh's seamers seemed nervous.
Shafiul and Rubel Hossain bowled trash in the first three overs --- short and wide to Sehwag, and on the shins to Tendulkar --- and 32 runs were quickly added. Shakib then brought on spin and the inevitable slow down occurred.
Sehwag wanted to attack them too but Abdur Razzak and Shakib initially gave him no room to free his arms. Sehwag kept making room or stepping down to them, getting the odd ball away for four, and it seemed this risky approach would cost him soon. It was only after Tendulkar's wicket that Sehwag settled down for a long innings.
Tendulkar fell trying to steal a single to Shakib's throwing hand at midwicket. The veteran playing his sixth World Cup ran blindly down the pitch only to see Sehwag remaining firmly behind his crease. Gautam Gambhir then joined Sehwag for a quick 39, but this was the sideshow compared to what was follow.
Kohli quietly moved to a fifty (46b) while Sehwag led the show, frequently going aerial against the spinners. As Kohli's innings blossomed, the two attacked the straight boundary and midwicket with scary regularity.
Kohli later said Sehwag was egging him on to hit a bigger six than him. "He was teasing me that I was just clearing the ropes and he was hitting sixes into the stands," Kohli said after the innings.
Bangladesh's bowlers had no degree of control during the 203-run partnership for the third wicket. Even the cool-headed Shakib seemed so freaked out at the thought of bowling at the batsmen, he began bowling wide outside off-stump and got penalised three times for wides.
Sehwag had to call Gambhir to run for him after being struck on the knee. He was on course for a double-hundred but the blow softened him up. Thereon, his one-point agenda became bashing every delivery in his arc. He played on to Shakib and seemed quite tired by then.
Imrul Kayes gave Bangladesh the ideal start, tearing into Sreesanth who went for 24 in his third over. Bangladesh moved to 51 in five but Kayes fell as soon as Munaf Patel replaced Sreesanth.
Munaf operated within the stumps and was difficult to hit. Kayes played on trying to force him through the covers and Tamim pulled a straight ball to midwicket.
There will be better days for Bangladesh in the World Cup, but India's campaign as hot favourites couldn't have begun better.
Sehwag hits first century of World Cup
The dashing opener played a typically attacking innings, racing to his half-century with a six that sailed over the long-on boundary into the packed stands.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
He reached the three-figure mark with a single to the mid-wicket against off spinner Mohammad Mahmudullah. It was his first century against Bangladesh and second in World Cups.
Sehwag's attacking knock made light of the dismissal of his more accomplished opening partner Sachin Tendulkar, who was run-out after a crazy mix-up in the middle, for 28.
Sehwag is one of the most devastating openers in the world with more than 7,000 runs in one-day internationals scored at a strike rate of over 100.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
His record in Tests is no less impressive, having aggregated 7,694 runs from 87 matches at an average of 53.43.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Before the start of the World Cup, Sehwag had revealed his secret desire to bat out the entire 50 overs.
"I think I have never played 50 overs in one-day cricket. The maximum I have played is 43 or 44 overs."
"But this time, I will try to bat 50 overs and give a good start to the team. I have been unsuccessfully trying this for the past 10 years, but the effort is still on.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Tendulkar returns as World Cup looms
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Superstar batsman Sachin Tendulkar returns to bolster India's batting line-up on Wednesday as the World Cup favourites play their last warm-up game ahead of the much-anticipated tournament opener.
India take on New Zealand in their second and final practice match in Chennai ahead of the first World Cup clash against co-hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
The other top team in action on Wednesday is England, playing minnows Canada as the three-time finalists look for a confidence boost after a 6-1 mauling at the hands of Australia, the top-ranked ODI side.
As teams finalise their preparations, on Tuesday strongly fancied Sri Lanka comfortably beat the West Indies, South Africa thumped three-times defending champions Australia and Pakistan crushed Bangladesh.
Tendulkar, who has a record 17,629 runs in a stellar ODI career, missed Sunday's win over Australia, a legacy of the hamstring injury that forced him to cut short his participation in the recent ODI series in South Africa.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
But he came through a long net session on Tuesday and is poised to open the batting against the Black Caps in what will be only his third one-dayer since his historic double-century against South Africa in Gwalior a year ago.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, disappointed with the batting against Australia, issued a rallying call on Tuesday, saying India "need to pick up intensity as we progress into the World Cup."
"We have a very good side," said Dhoni. "That is what I have said always. I don't believe in comparisons. We have a mix of players who are very good. But obviously what we have on paper is not important, it is what we do on the field which matters. We need to see what the conditions are and pick our best 11 accordingly."
Dhoni said bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan would be rested for Wednesday's warm-up to allow him to be fresh for the tournament opener.
Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke dismissed his team's disappointing form in the warm-ups after defeats to South Africa and India and vowed to shape up in time for the main event.
"A practice game is a practice game. So it's important to maximise the chance to give everybody the opportunity to bat and bowl, and more importantly, to get used to the conditions," he said.
The World Cup is being hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
India, winners in 1983, are placed in Group B with England, South Africa, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, the West Indies and Ireland.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Group A features Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Teams will face sudden-death after the preliminary league. The second round format was revived to ensure a team plays a minimum of six matches even if they do not make the next round.
Meanwhile, England off-spinner Graeme Swann has urged officials not to make the World Cup a closed shop for cricket's elite nations.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is trying to slim down the existing 14-team tournament which will stretch to a stamina-sapping six weeks, to a 10-team contest in 2015.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
But as there are 10 Test playing countries, the second-tier sides believe they will be frozen out as none of the major teams will accept a change to a system where they all now qualify as of right.
"Why would you want to take the world out of the World Cup? Shocks can happen," the England off-spinner said in an interview with the March edition of the Wisden Cricketer magazine.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Superstar batsman Sachin Tendulkar returns to bolster India's batting line-up on Wednesday as the World Cup favourites play their last warm-up game ahead of the much-anticipated tournament opener.
India take on New Zealand in their second and final practice match in Chennai ahead of the first World Cup clash against co-hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
The other top team in action on Wednesday is England, playing minnows Canada as the three-time finalists look for a confidence boost after a 6-1 mauling at the hands of Australia, the top-ranked ODI side.
As teams finalise their preparations, on Tuesday strongly fancied Sri Lanka comfortably beat the West Indies, South Africa thumped three-times defending champions Australia and Pakistan crushed Bangladesh.
Tendulkar, who has a record 17,629 runs in a stellar ODI career, missed Sunday's win over Australia, a legacy of the hamstring injury that forced him to cut short his participation in the recent ODI series in South Africa.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
But he came through a long net session on Tuesday and is poised to open the batting against the Black Caps in what will be only his third one-dayer since his historic double-century against South Africa in Gwalior a year ago.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, disappointed with the batting against Australia, issued a rallying call on Tuesday, saying India "need to pick up intensity as we progress into the World Cup."
"We have a very good side," said Dhoni. "That is what I have said always. I don't believe in comparisons. We have a mix of players who are very good. But obviously what we have on paper is not important, it is what we do on the field which matters. We need to see what the conditions are and pick our best 11 accordingly."
Dhoni said bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan would be rested for Wednesday's warm-up to allow him to be fresh for the tournament opener.
Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke dismissed his team's disappointing form in the warm-ups after defeats to South Africa and India and vowed to shape up in time for the main event.
"A practice game is a practice game. So it's important to maximise the chance to give everybody the opportunity to bat and bowl, and more importantly, to get used to the conditions," he said.
The World Cup is being hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
India, winners in 1983, are placed in Group B with England, South Africa, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, the West Indies and Ireland.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Group A features Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Teams will face sudden-death after the preliminary league. The second round format was revived to ensure a team plays a minimum of six matches even if they do not make the next round.
Meanwhile, England off-spinner Graeme Swann has urged officials not to make the World Cup a closed shop for cricket's elite nations.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is trying to slim down the existing 14-team tournament which will stretch to a stamina-sapping six weeks, to a 10-team contest in 2015.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
But as there are 10 Test playing countries, the second-tier sides believe they will be frozen out as none of the major teams will accept a change to a system where they all now qualify as of right.
"Why would you want to take the world out of the World Cup? Shocks can happen," the England off-spinner said in an interview with the March edition of the Wisden Cricketer magazine.
For Latest Cricket Scorecards,News,Videos Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Ton-up Dhoni fires India to victory
For More news on cricket Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.comMahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a blazing century to set up India's crushing 117-run victory over New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match on Wednesday.
The Indian skipper cracked three sixes and 11 fours in a 64-ball 108 not out to help his team post an imposing 360-5 and virtually bat New Zealand out of the day-night match in Chennai.
New Zealand were bowled out for 243 after a brisk 94-run stand for the opening wicket between Brendon McCullum (58) and Martin Guptill (38) to suffer their first defeat in two practice matches.
Jesse Ryder (32), Nathan McCullum (29 not out) and Scott Styris (20) were the other main contributors.
Indian spinners, who played a big role in their team's win over defending champions Australia in a warm-up match on Sunday, again struck it rich as they shared seven wickets.
For More news on cricket Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh each took two wickets, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged one.
"It's a difficult task for any side when they have to chase six or seven runs an over. This is the way we should play all the time," said Harbhajan Singh, who took 2-17.
"When you set that total, teams have to chase and it gives you the chance to get wickets as their batsmen look to do something."
"We have won our two warm-up games, but we are not taking anything for granted. It's up to us now to keep it simple and stick to the basics."
Dhoni and Suresh Raina (50) earlier gave a superb display of power-hitting to help their side set a stiff target, plundering 124 runs for the fifth wicket off just 56 balls. Raina hit three sixes and four boundaries in a 26-ball knock.
For More news on cricket Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Dhoni's best came when he smashed paceman Jacob Oram for five successive fours, while Raina also punished the same bowler as he hit three sixes in an over. Oram conceded 70 runs in his nine overs.
Dhoni said India were able to achieve "a total that was above par".
Speaking about his own game, he said: "In the past few games I have been in a hurry, but my game is different. I take my time and then like to stay until the end for the slog overs. You have got to remind yourself of your strengths."
New Zealand stand-in skipper Ross Taylor said Dhoni had taken the game away from his side, adding: "Spinners are going to be a big part of the World Cup, and we have got to improve against them."
The stage for the closing-overs onslaught was set by Gautam Gambhir (89) and Virat Kohli (59), who put on 106 for the third wicket after India lost openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar for 42 runs.
Record-breaking batsman Tendulkar, who recently missed the last three one-day internationals in South Africa due to a hamstring injury and was rested against Australia, contributed just 17.
His eagerly awaited return lasted 23 balls before he was deceived by a slower one from paceman Tim Southee and bowled.
For More news on cricket Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
India suffered another blow when hard-hitting Sehwag (23) was bowled by an Oram delivery that kept low, but Gambhir and Kohli steadied the innings with their sensible knocks.
Gambhir hit 11 fours in his 85-ball stay while Kohli hit seven boundaries in a 68-ball innings.
India open their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday, while New Zealand take on Kenya in their first match the following day in Chennai.
For More news on cricket Visit http://crick4all.blogspot.com
Windies depend on seasoned trio at World Cup
Dogged by poor form and repeated squabbles with their cricket board over the last few years, West Indies are striving to rediscover the magic that won the Calypso charmers back-to-back World Cup titles in the 1970s.
Pooled in Group B, along with tournament co-hosts India and Bangladesh, England, South Africa, besides minnows Ireland and Netherlands, the Darren Sammy-led West Indies are a far cry from the all-conquering team of "Super Cat" Clive Lloyd.
Still a passage into the last eight, at the very least, remains within their grasp. However, for this to happen their top three batsmen - former skipper Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan - need to fire consistently.
The left-handed Gayle is capable of giving the Caribbeans the flying start. Sarwan and Chanderpaul - with their vast experience and ability to play spin well - should provide the solidity in the middle overs for players such as Dwayne Bravo and the hard-hitting Kieron Pollard to take advantage of.
Gayle, who a few years ago, waded into controversy by showing his disinterest in playing Test cricket, is cherishing the dream of taking the Cup back to where it belonged in the infancy of the championship.
"I'm looking forward to the tournament and the dream is to see the West Indies come out on top," he said during the team's open media session after arriving in Colombo.
For more updates on cricket http://crick4all.blogspot.com/
Pooled in Group B, along with tournament co-hosts India and Bangladesh, England, South Africa, besides minnows Ireland and Netherlands, the Darren Sammy-led West Indies are a far cry from the all-conquering team of "Super Cat" Clive Lloyd.
Still a passage into the last eight, at the very least, remains within their grasp. However, for this to happen their top three batsmen - former skipper Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan - need to fire consistently.
The left-handed Gayle is capable of giving the Caribbeans the flying start. Sarwan and Chanderpaul - with their vast experience and ability to play spin well - should provide the solidity in the middle overs for players such as Dwayne Bravo and the hard-hitting Kieron Pollard to take advantage of.
Gayle, who a few years ago, waded into controversy by showing his disinterest in playing Test cricket, is cherishing the dream of taking the Cup back to where it belonged in the infancy of the championship.
"I'm looking forward to the tournament and the dream is to see the West Indies come out on top," he said during the team's open media session after arriving in Colombo.
For more updates on cricket http://crick4all.blogspot.com/
Afridi banking on Akhtar to lead bowling attack
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is banking on ageing fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar to come up trumps for his side in their bid to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time in nearly two decades.
Afridi said Akhtar is working hard on his fitness and hoping to give his best in what could be his last World Cup.
"Let me tell you that Shoaib Akhtar is working really, really hard because he wants to be at his best in the World Cup. In terms of fitness, Shoaib may be a bit down but he is totally committed and is improving day by day," Afridi said.
"I won't be surprised if he is back at his brilliant best at the World Cup," he said ahead of Pakistan's first warm-up game against Bangladesh at Mirpur tomorrow.
The sub-continental tracks are known to assist slow bowlers and Afridi said his side could go with an extra spinner in the World Cup, starting here on February 19.
"The playing conditions would be quite different to what we encountered during our tour of New Zealand. Here we can explore the idea of playing an extra specialist spinner," Afridi said.
Along with two specialist spinners in Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman in the 15-member squad, Pakistan can also rely on Afridi and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez to add variety to their spin attack.
Afridi, however, rubbished the notion that Pakistan are going to the World Cup with a weakened pace attack and said his fast bowlers are capable of coming out with flying colours.
Pakistan's pace-attack, to be spearheaded by Akhtar, includes Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq and rookie pacer Junaid Khan, who replaced an unfit left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir in the 15-member squad.
"Besides Akhtar, we have Umar Gul who is a valuable player and match winner. I don't think that there is any cause for concern. Our team is shaping up well and the boys are all highly motivated to give their best in the World Cup," he said.
Although Pakistan are going into the World Cup with a morale-boosting ODI series victory over New Zealand but the spot-fixing scandal has left them shaken.
However, a confident Afridi said that he had full faith on his teammates and the side would just need to click together.
"I have complete confidence in my boys because each and everyone of them is a match-winner. They need to click and I'm sure they will do that in the World Cup," he said.
Pakistan play England at Fatullah on Friday in their second warm-up game before starting their World Cup campaign against Kenya in Hambantota, Sri Lanka on February 23.
Strauss backs England to win World Cup
England captain Andrew Strauss has said his side has an excellent chance of winning the World Cup in the Indian sub-continent despite a 6-1 defeat to Australia in the recent One-day series.
Strauss said England were not tired despite playing for over three months at a stretch and his boys were now "motivated and excited" to play the International Cricket Council's showpiece event starting on Saturday.
"We have had a lot of very good one day cricket for the last 18 months or so. We did not play so well in Australia, which is disappointing to us. But we've got a solid squad, a settled side," Strauss said in the Bangladeshi capital.
"We really feel we can do very well in the tournament. We are excited about it," he said, adding: "We here to win it, obviously - no doubt about that. I think we feel like we have got excellent chance."
The English captain said triumph in last year's World Twenty-20 cricket has boosted the team's confidence even though the side has not won a World Cup despite appearing in three finals since the event begun in 1975.
"I think that the guys took a lot of confidence from the fact that we won the World Twenty-20. And so the guys know that they can do it on the big stage under pressure, which is an important hurdle to overcome as a side," he said.
"I think we got some pretty firm ideas on the type of cricket we want to play. But the batsmen need to get themselves in form."
Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad and Ajmal Shahzad, all members of the World Cup squad, plus Chris Tremlett, who is a reserve, missed all or part of the One-day series in Australia.
But Strauss said he'll have a fully-fit side ahead of their first World Cup fixture against the Netherlands in Nagpur on February 22. "Our injury situation is getting better every day. We don't have got any real long term concern for the players we have here," he said.
He said Eoin Morgan, ruled out with a broken finger would be missed as he was a "standout performer" for the side in recent series but his replacement Ravi Bopara can fill up the gap as he played in the Indian Premier League and knows the conditions in Sri Lanka.
England's collapse in the One-dayers took the shine off their Ashes triumph but Strauss said instead of being "tired" due to the gruelling schedule, the series had given some players to get fit.
"The conditions here are very different. I think we got a lot of in-built confidence from the cricket we played for the last 18 months, not just One-day cricket, but Test cricket as well," he added.
The 33-year-old batsman, who started his international career in Bangladesh, said any team which qualifies for the knock-out stage has the chance of winning the World Cup.
"So the first step along the route is to get through the group stages. Play some good consistent cricket during that group phase and then it's about handling the pressure," he said.
He said India and Sri Lanka - co-hosts along with Bangladesh - are the favourites. "I don't think there is a huge amount of expectation on our shoulders. I think most of the expectation falls on the shoulders of the Indian team, maybe Sri Lanka," he said.
