Injured Muralitharan to go home

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka suffered a major blow to its World Twenty20 campaign when veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was sidelined with a groin injury, officials said on Monday.

Muralitharan, 38, who is also the team's vice-captain, was injured during Friday's opening match against New Zealand in Guyana, which Sri Lanka lost by two wickets.

“Clinical tests revealed a grade one strain of his right adductor muscle,” team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek said in a statement — AFP

Zaheer enjoying mentor's role

St Lucia: When he made his international debut, he was a tearaway fast bowler, raring to hit the deck to extract pace and bounce.

Ten years on, Zaheer Khan has emerged successful, matured, intelligent seamer who uses the conditions to the hilt to get maximum results.

Along the way, he has shouldered the responsibility of spearheading the Indian attack and mentoring young fast bowlers. But Zaheer is enjoying every moment of his responsibility.

“I am at a stage in my career where more responsibilities keep me motivated. It is very important for one to enjoy the pressure of spearheading the attack and playing at the highest level,” said Zaheer.

He is happy to mentor young fast bowlers in the national team, reflected in Ishant Sharma's success in Australia (2007).

“My role as senior pacer has not changed. It is always good to have youngsters coming along and share some of your experience and at the same time learn a few things from them.

“Learning never stops,” said the 31-year-old, who has 488 international wickets under his belt, including 11 in the Twenty20 format.

Quick learner

Zaheer has always been a quick learner, though former India coach John Wright might have loathed his diffidence when he had just about broken into the national team in 2000.

“In the Twenty20 format the first six overs are very crucial where the batsmen are looking to score off every ball. The pressure is always on the batters to hit the ball right from the start. That is the reason captains are eager to try out new things.” — PTI

The adverse impact of the IPL on kids

Kids and parents are mesmerized by the fantastic display of the stars in IPL

Either shut all the coaching courses at the NCA or ban T20 for teenagers

The BCCI has to act quickly before the rot of T20 makes the base of the game brittle, writes Makarand Waingankar

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It's summer and all roads lead to the nearest maidan to enjoy a game of cricket. Those who can afford enrol themselves in cricket academies. Others play with tennis balls but what is worrying is the adverse impact of the IPL on kids.

One of the prestigious clubs in Mumbai organized a T20 tournament for under-14 and 16 teams took part. Before the tournament, coaches of these teams were getting boys to practice fancy shots and the boys, even while in the ‘Q' at the bus stand, were seen practicing those shots while returning home.

A genuine 10-year-old Prithvi Shaw, who leads his under-14 team and scores hundreds at will, says playing T20 sharpens one's cricketing IQ! Credit to him for an equally sharp answer, but a boy who even Tendulkar feels is a genius may be lost to the game if he and other under-14s play T20.

Business module

To the mushroomed coaches and their academies, T20 helps them generate more funds in fewer days to get more boys to play. For them it's a business module. Enjoyment and entertainment are the keys for everyone playing in the tournament.

Some excited parents urge the media to propagate IPL for teenagers also. Reason? More money in fewer days for the kids, who will get more time to study. Amazing logic.

Kids and parents are mesmerized by the fantastic display of the stars in IPL and possibly dream that their kids hit the jackpot. Why prepare for a three-day tournament where money is less, is what they feel.

This scene is in contrast to what the NCA has been wanting to do. For most of the year the faculties of the NCA tour various associations to conduct coaching courses. None of the level courses talk about T20 coaching. Yet, quite a few qualified coaches in order to attract boys for their camps have devised methods that help kids hone skills required for T20.

There are two ways of looking at the problem. Either shut all the coaching courses at the NCA or ban T20 for teenagers. A teenager participating in T20 shouldn't be considered for the State if at all the BCCI is serious about the problem.

It took years of systematic hard work for the Tendulkars, Dravids, Gangulys, Kumbles and others to reach the top and maintain the level of consistency at the international level for more than a decade. It's because they worked on the basics of the game they could sustain the pressure and perform. That is their success formula. But sadly, neither the coaches nor the teenagers are able to understand this.

The Lalit Modi saga will continue. But the BCCI has to act quickly before the rot of T20 makes the base of the game brittle. Cheerleaders and late night parties are not the only factors that detracts the teenagers but the plethora of T20 tournaments can easily change the mental make up of young players.

Watson stars in Australia's big win

S. Dinakar

Pakistan pays heavily for its fielding lapses; five wickets fall in one over

Gros Islet (St. Lucia): Australia's comprehensive 34-run win over holder Pakistan at the Beausejour Stadium here on Sunday reflected its firepower. This Australian team can make a serious bid for the title.

First, Shane Watson — adjudged Man of the Match for his 49-ball 81— and David Hussey (53 from 29 deliveries) launched into the Pakistani bowling to propel the score to a daunting 191 after skipper Michael Clarke won the toss.

Then, the hostile trio of blistering pace — Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson — made things very hot for the men in the middle.

These are strike bowlers who attack the batsmen even in the shortest form of the game. Tait and Nannes picked three wickets each and Johnson scalped two. Pakistan was dismissed for 157 in this Group ‘A' clash.

Despite a fighting 41 from Misbah-ul-Haq and a typically entertaining 33 from Shahid Afridi, Pakistan was never in the hunt. While the Aussie attack was on target, the swift fielders held to the catches.

Sensational

Earlier, left-arm paceman Mohammed Aamer sent down a sensational last over. The Australians, wickets in hand, went for runs in the final over and Aamer lifted his bowling.

He scalped three and the precision in his bowling produced two run-outs. Incredibly, the final over was a five-wicket maiden.

Brad Haddin was held at third man by Mohammad Sami off the first ball. With his second delivery, Aamer yorked Mitchell Johnson. On a hat-trick, he denied Steven Smith's flashing blade with a full length delivery outside off and 'keeper Kamran Akmal beat Michael Hussey's bid to get to the striker's end.

Then, Nannes attempted a bye after Aamer flummoxed him with a yorker length ball outside off. Akmal, standing closer to the stumps and giving lesser time for the batsmen to cross over, was on the mark again to run out Steven Smith. Australia had lost four wickets in as many deliveries.

Then, it was Shaun Tait's turn to miss one. Wisely, the batsmen did not set out for a run. With his final delivery, though, Aamer castled Tait with his line and cut. It was an extraordinary last over in a Twenty20 game.

Despite Aamer's heroics, the innings was dominated by Australia.

Brutal attack

Watson whipped up a powerful innings of substance. This right-handed all-rounder, a brutal striker of the ball, launched into the Pakistan spinners.

The Pakistanis missed an opportunity early —Watson was on 11 when Misbah-ul-Haq put him down at mid-wicket off Hafeez — and paid the price.

Watson appeared set for an hundred when offie Saeed Ajmal, the pick of the Pakistani spinners, prised him out with a quicker delivery.

The aggressive David Warner promised much before miscuing a pull off Mohammed Sami. Australia appeared in some bother when skipper Michael Clarke, attempting a cut off Hafeez, was castled.

Batting with panache

David Hussey (53) batted with panache though to support Watson. The partnership took the game away from Pakistan.

Once again, Pakistan suffered after David Hussey — the batsman was put down at long-off off Sami — was given a reprieve. The batsman waded into Sami in a dramatic 16th over, responding with four sixes. A sledge-hammer straight hit stood out among Hussey's meaty blows.

Australia: D. Warner c U. Akmal b Sami 26 (18b, 4x4, 1x6), S. Watson lbw b Ajmal 81 (49b, 7x4, 4x6), M. Clarke b Hafeez 2 (3b), D. Hussey c Alam b Ajmal 53 (29b, 2x4, 5x6), M. Hussey (run out) 17 (8b, 1x4, 1x6), C. White c Alam b Ajmal 9 (7b), B. Haddin c Sami b Aamer 1 (2b), M. Johnson b Aamer 0 (1b), S. Smith (run out) 0 (1b), D. Nannes (not out) 0 (1b), S. Tait b Aamer 0 (2b), Extras (w-1, nb-1) 2, Total (in 20 overs): 191.

Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-64, 3-162, 4-164, 5-181, 6-191, 7-191, 8-191, 9-191.

Pakistan bowling: Aamer 4-1-23-3, Hafeez 4-0-47-1, Sami 4-0-54-1, Afridi 4-0-33-0, Ajmal 4-0-34-3.

Pakistan: K. Akmal c Smith b Nannes 0 (1b), S. Butt c D. Hussey b Tait 15 (10b, 3x4), M. Hafeez c M. Hussey b Johnson 12 (14b, 3x4), U. Akmal c M. Hussey b Smith 18 (14b, 1x6), Misbah c Clarke b Nannes 41 (31b, 1x4, 2x6), S. Afridi b Tait 33 (24b, 3x4, 1x6), A. Razzaq c Warner b Nannes 1 (2b), F. Alam c Clarke b Johnson 16 (11b, 1x4, 1x6), M. Aamer c Smith b D. Hussey 2 (3b), M. Sami (not out) 5 (5b), S. Ajmal b Tait 4 (6b), Extras (lb-1, w-8, nb-1) 10, Total (in 20 overs): 157.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-28, 3-34, 4-70, 5-117, 6-120, 7-132, 8-146, 9-151.

Australia bowling: Nannes 4-0-41-3, Tait 4-0-20-3, Johnson 4-0-21-2, Watson 3-0-24-0, D. Hussey 2-0-12-1, Clarke 1-0-14-0, Smith 2-0-24-1 .

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Oz wary of Pakistan backlash

Clinical India cross Afghan hurdle

St Lucia, May 1: India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the teams’ World Twenty20 opener here on Saturday but the outsiders were far from disgraced on their tournament debut.

Set 116 for victory, India finished on 116/3 with more than five overs to spare.

Earlier, Afghanistan’s 115/8 featured an impressive 50 (48 balls) from opener Noor Ali, well supported in a fourth-wicket stand of 68 by the hard-hitting Ashgar Stanikzai, whose 30 featured three sixes.

Ashish Nehra led the Indian attack with three wickets for 19 runs, his pace and bounce proving too much for several batsmen.

Murali Vijay, making his Twenty20 debut in place of injured opening batsman Virender Sehwag, made 48 before holing out when Indian were in sight of victory.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field. The former champions did not have long to wait for wickets, Karim Sadiq caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Dhoni off left-arm quick Nehra for a four ball nought as he tried to pull a short ball.

But Ali gave Afghan fans something to cheer by leg-glancing the first four of the innings, off Praveen Kumar in the third over.

However, Mohammad Shahzad fell in similar fashion to Sadiq and Afghanistan captain Nowroz Mangal fell cheaply to Ravindra Jadeja.

Stanikzai though gave Ali good support and smote some impressive boundaries, including a six over midwicket off Harbhajan Singh.

The duo’s stand was ended when Ali, whose fifty came off 47 balls with four fours, gave the returning Nehra a third wicket when he too failed with a pull, Dhoni once more taking the catch.

Then 97/4 became 97/5 when Stanikzai, whose runs came from just 33 balls, holed out to midwicket off Kumar. Next ball Mohammad Nabi skied Kumar to Dhoni.

But Afghanistan got past the hundred mark — a fair achievement in itself and all the more impressive given that less than two years ago they were playing in Division Five of the World Cricket League.

“Their middle order batting was really good. The wicket was on the slower side. The slower bowlers were bound to get a bit of bowling,” Dhoni said after the match.

Scoreboard

afghanistan

Noor Ali c Dhoni b Nehra 50, Karim Sadiq c Dhoni b Nehra 0, Mohd Shahzad c Dhoni b Nehra 6, Nowroz Mangal c Gambhir b Jadeja 5, Asghar Stanikzai c Khan b Kumar 30, Mohd Nabi c Dhoni b Kumar 0, Raees Adhmadzai n.o. 5, Samiullah Shenwari run out 7, Hamid Hassan c Nehra b Khan 6, Shapoor Zadran n.o. 0,
extras (lb-3, w-3) 6
Total (in 20 overs) 115/8
FoW: 1-6, 2-22, 3-29, 4-97, 5-97, 6-97, 7-107, 8-114.
Bowling: P. Kumar 3-0-14-2, A. Nehra 4-0-19-3, Z. Khan 3-0-24-1, R. Jadeja 4-1-15-1, Yuvraj 1-0-4-0, Harbhajan 4-0-24-0, Y. Pathan 1-0-12-0.
india

Gautam Gambhir c Mohd Nabi b Dawlat Ahmadzai 4, Murali Vijay c Shapoor Zadran b Hamid Hassan 48, Suresh Raina lbw Shenwari 18, Yuvraj Singh n.o. 23, M.S. Dhoni n.o. 15
Extras (lb-1, w-3, nb-4) 8
Total (in 14.5 overs) 116/3
FoW: 1-19, 2-46, 3-101.
Bowling:Ahmadzai 2-0-21-1 (1nb), Zadran 2-0-6-0 (1w), Nabi 3-0-33-0 (1nb), Shenwari 2-0-11-1 (1w), Sadiq 2-0-22-0 (2nb, 1w), Hassan 3-0-8-1, Mangal 0.5-0-14-0

Virendar Sehwag to Miss T20 World Cup 2010

Virendar Sehwag, the opening batsman for India, has reportedly suffered a shoulder injury and will miss the T20 World Cup 2010. He has been advised rest for 4 weeks, which means he has next to no chance of playing in the T20 World Cup 2010, which is starting on the 30'th of April in the Carribean, with India having their first match on the first of May.

Virendar Sehwag, opener for both the Indian team and the Delhi DareDevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been replaced by Murali Vijay in the Indian team, who otherwise plays for the Chennai Superkings in the IPL. Vijay will take on the role of opener, though whether Gautam Gambhir opens with him or someone else, its still not very clear. Gambhir opening with him can be a nice combo, considering the kind of aggression and form Murali Vijay has shown in IPL 2010. On the other hand, Gambhir might be pushed down the order to provide more stability to the middle order.

Sehwag sustained a similar injury prior to the 2009 T20 World Cup as well, and he missed that tournament as well. The Indian team was knocked out in the second round, in which they didn't win a single game, however it can be attributed to the fact that Sehwag wasn't the only one who was injured at that time and many other key players were unable to participate.

With the kind of explosive batting Sehwag packs, he can put pressure on the bowling side and turn the game around even in the tightest of spots. He'll be definitely missed in the Indian team, and we hope Murali Vijay will try and perform, if not more than, than at least equal to the level Sehwag has set for the opener's spot.

T20 World Cup 2010

April 30 2010 will be eagerly awaited by all Cricket Lovers. ICC World Twenty20, popularly known as T20 World Cup will kick start on this day. The third edition to be held in West Indies, is organized by International Cricket Council (ICC). Twelve teams will clash with each other to win the coveted trophy. The tournament has three stages viz., Group Stage, Super Eight Stage and Knock Out Stage.

In the group stage twelve teams, divided into four groups as given below, will clash with each other. Group A - Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh. Group B - Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Group C - South Africa, India and Afghanistan. Group D - West Indies, England and Ireland

The top two teams in each group will qualify for Super Eight Stage. In this stage the eight teams are further divided into two groups. Each team will play three matches in this stage. The top four teams will qualify for the knock out stage viz., Semi Finals and Final.

On the whole 27 matches will be held in this event across three stadiums viz a) Kensington Oval, Barbados b) Providence Stadium, Guyana c) Beausejour Cricket Ground, St. Lucia. The final is scheduled on May 16 2010.

It will be tough to predict the results, as the course of game can easily change either way at any point of time. The general overview of each team is given below.

India, the 2007 Champion, lead by Captain Cool M S Dhoni, is among the list of favorites to lift the trophy. Indian Team has some big hitters like Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag, M S Dhoni, Yousuf Pathan. The bowling department has the experienced Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. India will try to repeat its 2007 performance.

The defending Champion, Pakistan after its disastrous Australia Tour, is now lead by Shahid Afridi. They will look to repeat their last years performance. Sri Lanka last years runners up will look to lift the trophy which they missed last year.

Australia which was knocked out in the group stage last year will look to perform better this year. The team is led by Michael Clarke and has a mix of young and experienced players. Brett Lee who recently retired from Test Cricket is included in the side.

West Indies will have the advantage of playing in their home ground. South Africa, a tough side to beat, will look to win the trophy. New Zealand and England are expected to reach the Super Eight Stage and has the ability to win the trophy if they perform well on their day.

Zimbabwe and Bangladesh though not expected to reach Group Eight stage can surprise the opponents on their day and hence should not be taken lightly. Afghanistan and Ireland are the qualifiers for this event and it will be great experience for them to play against the top teams. It will be a miracle if they reach the Super Eight Stage.

As said earlier Cricket can be any body's game if they perform well on their day. So expect a great tournament with close finishes.

For schedule and other details see the linkshttp://vaartaahaa.blogspot.com/2010/03/icc-twenty20-t20-world-cup-2010.html and http://vaartaahaa.blogspot.com/2010/03/icc-twenty20-t20-world-cup-2010-live.html

India vs Afghanistan Live Streaming: Watch ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Score

India vs Afghanistan Live Streaming: Watch ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Score. 3rd Match, Group C: Afghanistan v India at Gros Islet May 1, 2010 (09:30 local, 13:30 GMT). India will be playing their 1st T20 Match. They will be looking to win this match and start off their campaign on a high. Afghanistan will be there on the field against one of the best team in T20 Cricket. It’s obvious that they are new to this international league, though, they will stand hard at their opponent under the skipper Nowroz Mangal.




If you are looking for the Live Streaming Video Of ICC World Cup T20 So you can watch it on crictime.com or you can also watch it on Channel ESPN so just on your TV Sets Now and tune ESPN.



For ICC t20 World Cup Schedule Click Here



For Live Score : CLICK HERE



TO WATCH LIVE STREAMING : CLICK HERE

Bids were transparent, say Royals

The champions of the inaugural Indian Premier

 League — the Rajasthan Royals — hit back

 at the Board of Control for Cricket in India 

(BCCI) on Tuesday claiming that the consortium

 had neither flouted norms or hidden their 

share-holding pattern.

Amin promises a better IPL-4

Indian Premier League’s interim chief Chirayu Amin on Tuesday    
said efforts are on to clean up the scandal-hit Twenty20 event and
 promised a “bigger, better and transparent” IPL next year.http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/fatigue-not-concern-says-dhoni-031

Fatigue not a concern, says Dhoni

Mumbai, April 27: After leading the Chennai Super Kings to the
 Indian Premier League title, Mahendra Singh Dhoni faces a bigger 
challenge as Team India prepare for the World Twenty20