Pages

Saturday, February 26, 2011

An occasion to test nerves and character


Match Facts
February 27, Bangalore
Start time 14.30 (0900 GMT)
Michael Yardy fields during England's training session, Bangalore, February 26, 2011
Michael Yardy could be recalled by England to bolster the spin-bowling department © Getty Images
Enlarge
Related Links
Players/Officials: Stuart Broad | Virender Sehwag | Michael Yardy
Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup
Teams: England | India
The Big Picture
The build-up and hype ahead of this match has been huge and we are still barely into the second week of the World Cup. This was always going to be one of the marquee clashes of the tournament, and even though it has been moved away from Eden Gardens to the slightly less daunting Chinnaswamy Stadium, that hasn't dulled the anticipation. You only need to see the unfortunate pictures from outside the ground during the week, as locals rushed for tickets, to know how desperate they are to watch their team.
However, there are two sides taking part and England are insisting they can use the expectation being piled on to the hosts in their favour. From a purely cricket view, the stadium switch won't have disappointed Andrew Strauss's team because, both on and off the field in Bangalore, conditions will be slightly less hostile than could have been the case in Kolkata.
Yet England's record against India in their own backyard makes for grim reading. They have won one of their last 13 completed ODIs in the country, going back to the 5-1 drubbing in 2006 and the 5-0 scoreline in 2008, before the series was cancelled due to the Mumbai bombings. In between they were also thrashed at the 2006 Champions Trophy. On one hand the odds say they are due a win, but on the other the statistics make damning reading.
If they want to spoil India's World Cup party the key will be containing the power-packed top order. Virender Sehwag set down the gauntlet with 175 against Bangaldesh and was backed up by Virat Kohli's fine hundred. Sachin Tendulkar was cut short on 25, while Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni didn't even need to bat. It's a daunting prospect, but England have shown they can rise for the big occasion. Whatever happens, let's hope it matches the expectation.
Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
India WLLWW
England WLLLW
Watch out for...
Ahead of India matches, it's the likes of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh who take most of the headlines, but you ignore Gautam Gambhir at your peril. He has become a supremely consistent batsman across all formats and is the perfect foil to his top-order team-mates. He started with a neat run-a-ball 39 against Bangladesh and England will have to ensure they give him as much focus as the mega-star names around him. A one-day average of 34 against England, six runs below his career level, is something he'll want to correct, but the visiting bowlers will want to increase that daylight.
None of England's quicks can be pleased with their efforts against Netherlands, but there were some encouraging signs from Stuart Broad in his first international since the second Ashes Test. Having warmed up with 10 wickets in two games against Canada and Pakistan, he bowled with decent pace against the Dutch and found bounce from a flat Nagpur surface. However, he sometimes got carried away with banging the ball in and forgot to aim at the stumps. His yorker can be effective (he was denied such a wicket when Paul Collingwood forgot to walk inside the circle) and against top-quality batsmen he'll have to be ready to adjust his game plans.
Talking of the quick bowlers, one of the reasons the venue switch isn't all bad news is the bounce that could be on offer. It won't be flying through at shoulder height, but the quick bowlers are likely to find some encouragement especially after the recent heavy rain in the city. One-day cricket is at its best with an even contest between bat and ball.
Team news
Virender Sehwag was struck in the ribs during a net session but is expected to be fine for the match and India have no reason to tinker with the top order. The big question mark comes with Sreesanth, who had a nightmare against Bangladesh when his five overs went for 53. India got away with it that day, but can't afford to carry a bowler in every match. However, Ashish Nehra is not yet at full fitness so India will have to decide whether to stick with Sreesanth or play an extra spinner.
India (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Sreesanth/Piyush Chawla, 11 Munaf Patel.
Broad has been suffering from an upset stomach but is expected to be fit and England's main decision is whether to strengthen their spin-bowling with a recall for Michael Yardy. The current plan is to get 10 overs from Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen but that's a huge risk against India. The problem is, though, that the man most likely to make way for Yardy would be Ravi Bopara, who helped see the team home against Netherlands.
England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson
Try picking the XIs for tomorrow's game by playing Team Selector.
Pitch and conditions
There was torrential rain in Bangalore on Friday afternoon which left large puddles on the outfield. The weather has remained cool and cloudy over the weekend, and there is a chance of more showers, which will make the toss important with the possible intervention of Duckworth-Lewis. The damp weather may work against Yardy, but the pitch turned square in the warm-up matches.
Stats and trivia
  • Despite all the talk about Sehwag, his average against England in India is the lowest of the current top six - 37.70 - but the strike-rate is 100.
  • Sreesanth's performance against Bangladesh was horrid, but he has 10 wickets at 16 each against England in India.
  • Unsurprisingly, Pietersen is England's best batsman in India with an average of 56.08 from 14 matches and the lone century among the team's current top order
  • India and England have met three times in Bangalore and it's the visitors who actually lead the head-to-head 2-1, although the wins did come back in 1985 and 1993.
Quotes
"I don't think it's a case of reinventing the wheel, we just need to play good, smart cricket. In some ways there's more pressure on India than us in this game."
Andrew Strauss turns to the psychological battle as he aims to turn around England's poor record in India.
"We are not celebrating yet, that's for sure. Of course, we had a good start in the opening game, where we batted really well and after that spinners did a good job in the middle overs. Again, I think it's about the team that will start well and hold the nerves for a consistent period of time."
MS Dhoni chooses to play it safe.

Misbah and Afridi sink Sri Lanka


Pakistan 277 for 7 (Misbah 83*, Younis 72) beat Sri Lanka 266 for 9 (Silva 57, Afridi 4-34) by 11 runs 
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Misbah-ul-Haq celebrates after reaching his half-century, Sri Lanka v Pakistan, World Cup, Group A, Colombo, February 26, 2011
Misbah-ul-Haq steered Pakistan through the middle overs and surged at the end © AFP
Enlarge
Anyone out there who still thinks Pakistan are not dangerous contenders for the World Cup? With tremendous poise and skill in the middle overs, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan propelled Pakistan, who were on a tricky 105 for 2 in the 21st over, to a strong 277, before Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akthar produced bits of magic to derail the chase. Chamara Silva threatened to pull off a thrilling heist with a flurry of boundaries, and Nuwan Kulasekara made one heroic last-ditch effort to reduce the equation to 18 runs from the final over. Umar Gul, however, held his nerve to steer Pakistan home and end a mesmeric exhibition of high-quality cricket in Colombo
Pakistan's innings had everything: rapid start, brain fade, tranquil middle overs, fabulous end-over bowling from Muttiah Muralitharan, who gave only five runs from two batting Powerplay overs, and finally a Misbah blitz, with 32 runs flowing from the final three overs, which eventually made the difference.
The chase too nearly had it all: two inspired moments bursting with imagination and skill from Shoaib and Afridi, two failed stumpings, a dropped catch and a late surge from Silva, who woke up too late after a painstaking start.
In the 21st over, Shoaib produced a crafty offcutter, slightly slower and darting in from outside off, to breach the defences of Mahela Jayawardene and leave Sri Lanka stuttering at 95 for 3. In the next, Afridi, who had earlier removed Tillakaratne Dilshan with a skidding delivery, ripped a loopy leg break that dipped rapidly on Thilan Samaraweera, who was sucked out of his crease and left stranded as Kamran Akmal effected a smart stumping. Akmal later missed two leg-side stumping chances to let off Kumar Sangakkara, on 22 and 33, off Abdur Rehman. The first one kicked more than Akmal anticipated and he had no excuse for the second. Rehman, himself, dropped a sitter to reprieve Silva. However, the twin blows had left Sangakkara with too much to do, especially with Silva struggling to get started, and he fell by holing out to long-on. Silva then stirred from his slumber to reduce the equation from 88 from 47 balls to 46 from 24. He slog swept Rehman for two fours and pulled Gul and Shoaib for more boundaries before he was stumped. Kulasekara took over the baton, whipping a 14-ball 24 but the task proved beyond him.
It was the batting that set up the game for Pakistan, as the Premadasa has always been cruel to the team batting second. Pakistan's innings stood out for its handling of the middle overs. Serenity blew across the ground after the fall of Kamran. Mohammad Hafeez had run himself out after a moment of madness and Kamran, who inexplicably withdrew into his shell after that mix-up, soon combusted, going for an ugly slog against Pakistan's bogeyman Rangana Herath. It wasn't quite a crisis but it definitely needed calm heads. Luckily for Pakistan, you can't find better men than Misbah and Younis to handle these moments. What followed was a perfect advertisement for the much-abused middle overs in an ODI.
Two of the oldest members of the side ran beautifully, worked the angles intelligently, pinged the gaps frequently with the nudge-drive-and-sweep routine, and breathed life into an innings that could have, perhaps otherwise, succumbed to adrenalin rushes. If Misbah pressed back to play Murali, Younis leaned forward to tackle him; if Misbah backed to leg to create room, Younis shuffled to off to work to the leg; if Misbah tapped wide of midwicket for the quick single, Younis nudged just wide of backward point; if Misbah deployed the reverse-sweep, Younis stayed conventional. They always ran well. The runs kept ticking over, the opposition grew increasingly restless, and Pakistan secured ownership of the innings.
What further spiced up this partnership was the knowledge that the powerful lower order was waiting in the dressing room. When Younis fell in the 41st over, with Pakistan on 213 for 4, it even seemed like good news for Pakistan - Afridi and co to follow, unleash violence and 300 would be a formality. Or so it seemed. Here is where Sri Lanka sparkled. Here is when that man Murali and Kulasekara stepped in to do damage control.
While Pakistan's handling of middle overs was a treat to watch, Sri Lanka's skill in the end overs was awe-inspiring. Murali ripped his offbreaks, altering the trajectory, pace, and the extent of turn. Kulasekara punctuated his yorkers with slower cutters to keep Pakistan in check. Murali gave only two runs in the 44th over, the first of the batting Powerplay, and only three in the 46th, which included the wicket of Umar Akmal. Kulasekera gave away just five in the 47th, keeping Afridi quiet with a series of yorkers.
Misbah responded to Murali's magic by growing more innovative. He shuffled to the off and whipped Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews for boundaries as Pakistan collected 32 runs in the last three overs to post a match-winning total. Misbah and Younis' presence in the middle overs had raised a few murmurs before this World Cup but there would be only voices of appreciation after tonight.

Monday, February 21, 2011

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 / Fixtures


Date and TimeMatchWeather The Weather Channel
Sat Feb 19           
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local
14:00 IST
1st Match, Group B - Bangladesh v India
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
N/A
Sun Feb 20 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
2nd Match, Group A - Kenya v New Zealand
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
N/A
Sun Feb 20           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
3rd Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Canada
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota
N/A
Mon Feb 21           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
4th Match, Group A - Australia v Zimbabwe
Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
Sunny 16 - 32° C 
Tue Feb 22           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
5th Match, Group B - England v Netherlands
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur
Sunny 16 - 31° C 
Wed Feb 23           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
6th Match, Group A - Kenya v Pakistan
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota
N/A
Thu Feb 24           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
7th Match, Group B - South Africa v West Indies
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Mostly Sunny 12 - 24° C 
Fri Feb 25 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
8th Match, Group A - Australia v New Zealand
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur
Sunny 20 - 33° C 
Fri Feb 25           
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local
14:00 IST
9th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v Ireland
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Sunny 16 - 30° C 
Sat Feb 26           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
10th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Pakistan
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Mostly Sunny 24 - 29° C 
Sun Feb 27           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
11th Match, Group B - India v England
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
N/A
Mon Feb 28 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
12th Match, Group A - Canada v Zimbabwe
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur
N/A
Mon Feb 28           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
13th Match, Group B - Netherlands v West Indies
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
N/A
Tue Mar 1           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
14th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Kenya
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Wed Mar 2           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
15th Match, Group B - England v Ireland
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
N/A
Thu Mar 3 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
16th Match, Group B - Netherlands v South Africa
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
N/A
Thu Mar 3           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
17th Match, Group A - Canada v Pakistan
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Fri Mar 4 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
18th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Zimbabwe
Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
N/A
Fri Mar 4           
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local
14:00 IST
19th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v West Indies
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
N/A
Sat Mar 5           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
20th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Australia
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Sun Mar 6 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
21st Match, Group B - England v South Africa
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
N/A
Sun Mar 6           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
22nd Match, Group B - India v Ireland
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
N/A
Mon Mar 7           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
23rd Match, Group A - Canada v Kenya
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
N/A
Tue Mar 8           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
24th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Pakistan
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Wed Mar 9           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
25th Match, Group B - India v Netherlands
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
N/A
Thu Mar 10           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
26th Match, Group A - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Fri Mar 11 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
27th Match, Group B - Ireland v West Indies
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
N/A
Fri Mar 11           
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local
14:00 IST
28th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v England
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
N/A
Sat Mar 12           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
29th Match, Group B - India v South Africa
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur
N/A
Sun Mar 13 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
30th Match, Group A - Canada v New Zealand
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
N/A
Sun Mar 13           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
31st Match, Group A - Australia v Kenya
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
N/A
Mon Mar 14 
03:30 GMT | 09:30 local
09:00 IST
32nd Match, Group B - Bangladesh v Netherlands
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
N/A
Mon Mar 14           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
33rd Match, Group A - Pakistan v Zimbabwe
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Tue Mar 15           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
34th Match, Group B - Ireland v South Africa
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
N/A
Wed Mar 16           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
35th Match, Group A - Australia v Canada
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
N/A
Thu Mar 17           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
36th Match, Group B - England v West Indies
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
N/A
Fri Mar 18 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
37th Match, Group B - Ireland v Netherlands
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
N/A
Fri Mar 18           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
38th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Sri Lanka
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
N/A
Sat Mar 19 
03:30 GMT | 09:30 local
09:00 IST
39th Match, Group B - Bangladesh v South Africa
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
N/A
Sat Mar 19           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
40th Match, Group A - Australia v Pakistan
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Sun Mar 20 
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
41st Match, Group A - Kenya v Zimbabwe
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
N/A
Sun Mar 20           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
42nd Match, Group B - India v West Indies
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
N/A
Wed Mar 23           
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local
14:00 IST
Quarter Final C - TBC v TBC (A1 v B4)
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
N/A
Thu Mar 24           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
Quarter Final D - TBC v TBC (A2 v B3)
Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad
N/A
Fri Mar 25           
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local
14:00 IST
Quarter Final E - TBC v TBC (A3 v B2)
Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
N/A
Sat Mar 26           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
Quarter Final F - TBC v TBC (A4 v B1)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Tue Mar 29           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
14:30 IST
Semi Final - TBC v TBC (Winner C v Winner E)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Wed Mar 30           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
Semi Final - TBC v TBC (Winner D v Winner F)
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
N/A
Sat Apr 2           
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local
Final - TBC v TBC
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
N/A

LIVE CRICKET

 
Share
ShareSidebar
Up-Coming Matches
Match Date Type
WI V Ind - 3rd ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Sat 11th Jun ODI
WI V Ind - 4th ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Mon 13th Jun ODI
Eng V SL - 3rd Test at The Rose Bowl Thu 16th Jun Test
WI V Ind - 5th ODI at Sabina Park Thu 16th Jun ODI
WI V Ind - 1st Test at Sabina Park Mon 20th Jun Test
More
Recent Matches
ODI Result
WI v Ind at Port of Spain India won by 4 wickets
Ire v Pak at Belfast Pakistan won by 5 wickets
Test Result
Eng v SL at St John's Wood Match drawn
Eng v SL at Cardiff England won by an innings and 14 runs
Twenty20 Result
WI v Ind at Port of Spain India won by 16 runs
WI v Pak at Gros Islet West Indies won by 7 runs
More
Extension Factory Builder