It took Yuvraj Singh 18 balls to undo 10 overs' hard work by Bangladesh that had pulled India back after another solid start from Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma. It took Pragyan Ojha five balls to undo their eight overs of keeping pace with a stiff total and eventually India became the first side in this tournament to successfully defend.
The crisp sound from Yuvraj's bat resonated regularly at Trent Bridge, with sixes flying here and there as India managed 59 runs in their last four overs. Ojha came on and removed Junaid Siddique and Shakib Al Hasan in his first over, after which a promising chase stumbled.
If the defining moments of this Group A match were easy to identify, it was hard to not recognise the hard work Bangladesh put in to stay in the match and force India to come up with something special. The match started with Gambhir and Rohit continuing to ensure that India didn't miss the injured Virender Sehwag.
Rohit batted like a seasoned Twenty20 opener and took charge after Gambhir had got off to a quick start with a square-cut boundary off the second ball of the match. The first ball he faced today, he leant into a good-length and creamed Mashrafe Mortaza through extra cover. Bangladesh were apprehensive about using their spinners in the Powerplays, and Rohit capitalised on the medium-pace coming on to his bat. He drove well off either foot, clipped off his pads, and played only one slog shot.
Although Gambhir slowed down, India reached 54 in the first six overs, with Rohit scoring 32 off 18. Mohammad Ashraful immediately introduced spin, and Rohit got out trying to dominate them.
MS Dhoni came out first drop, but at the same time Shakib slowed things down, giving the batsmen no pace to work with. Shakib was exceptional with his control, making sure India stayed in that consolidation mode for a considerable period.
Shakib's three-over spell went for 17 and included Rohit's wicket, and India managed only 44 - with one seix and one four - between the seventh and 13th over. Mortaza came back to bowl one more tight over, and the pressure resulted in Dhoni's wicket in the next over. With Shakib finishing off strongly, India had got only 62 runs in the middle 10 overs. Gambhir managed a laboured 50 off 46 balls.
But Yuvraj carried out an assault that broke Bangladeshi hearts - and resistance. Just like lightning he struck after seven quiet deliveries. He took an impressive Naeem Islam for back-to-back sixes, and one more two balls later. He welcomed Rubel Hossain back with a six and consecutive boundaries before being dismissed for 41 off 18.
Bangladesh then clawed their way back, keeping Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan quiet. Rubel had bowled a superb first half of the 20th over, giving away only two and cleaning up Raina. But in walked Irfan Pathan and smote a six and a four to post a challenging total.
That final assault wasn't enough to deflate Bangladesh's confidence. Tamim Iqbal and Siddique came out swinging, tasting some success against the left-arm opening bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan. Both the bowlers bowled length, and that's where most Bangladeshi batsmen love it. Especially spectacular was Siddique's approach - he pulled the first ball he played for six.
In the first two overs Bangladesh got 20, and although Tamim fell to Yusuf in the third, Siddique didn't slow down. He hit Zaheer for back-to-back boundaries, and then Yusuf for a six before Ashraful got out in an unfortunate manner in the sixth over. He played a crunching cover-drive off Ishant Sharma, backing away, but found Gambhir at cover.
Out came Bangladesh's best player, Shakib, but it was Siddique who kept the pace up even as Shakib looked to rebuild. He set the agenda by stepping out and hitting Harbhajan Singh for a six in his first over. Once again, just when it seemed Bangladesh had done well to stay with India, the defending champions produced another game-breaker: Ojha, making his Twenty20 international debut.
Shakib looked to pull the first ball he bowled, but it skidded on, and took the top edge. Siddique chose an inopportune time to hit Ojha out of the ground, and holed out to wide long-on four balls later.
India could sense from there on that the chase had died, and so it turned with the inexperienced lower-middle order. Ojha took two more wickets and Yuvraj took two diving catches. Bangladesh managed only 81 runs from the time that Ojha came on to bowl, and India closed the game out professionally.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Dutch Shock England in Cricket's World Twenty20 Tournament
Labels:
dutch wins
LONDON — Convention holds that a successful World Cup needs two things: shocking results and the host nation sticking around for the duration, or very close to it. Cricket’s World Twenty20 tournament certainly got one, but it may be at the expense of the other.
Skip to next paragraph
Tom Hevezi/Associated Press
The Netherlands' Edgar Schiferli, left, and Ryan ten Doeschate celebrate after scoring the winning runs against England in their World Cup cricket match at Lord's cricket ground.
The Netherlands, 500-1 to win the 12-team tournament, defeated England by four wickets from the last ball of Friday’s opening match at London’s Lord’s ground. England must beat Pakistan on Sunday to avoid elimination.
The Dutch have a cricket tradition, though it is played by only about 6,000 enthusiasts. The Netherlands has beaten major cricket nations — Australia in 1964 and England in 1989. Both of those, though, were friendly matches.
The Netherlands’ captain Jeroen Smits hailed the result as “without doubt the biggest day in Dutch cricket history.” Most of his team are part-time cricketers.
“It cost me a lot of money to come here because I had to take days off,” Smits said. “But I don’t really mind at this moment.”
England’s captain, Paul Collingwood, said the Dutch had played with “‘freedom and belief”’ and that they had surprised England with their batting and running between the wickets.
The match was decided in a tumultuous final six-ball over, the last of the 20 the Dutch had to chase down England’s total of 162. At the beginning they needed seven runs. It became a nightmare for the bowler Stuart Broad. He is one of the brightest young players in cricket, but appears ill-fated at this tournament. The last time it was played, in South Africa in 2007, he was struck for six sixes — cricket’s equivalent of a home run, with the ball hit out of the playing area — in a single over by India’s Yuvraj Singh.
Broad had chances to throw out a Dutch batsman running to his end from the first two deliveries, but failed both times. Then he dropped a catch.
From the final ball the Netherlands needed two runs from the bat of Edgar Schiferli, who is picked for his bowling skills.
Schiferli struck the ball back towards Broad, who picked up and threw toward the stumps at his end of the pitch. Had he hit, England would have won by one run. Instead he missed, and his throw went so far past the stumps that the two exultant, disbelieving Dutch batsmen were able to turn for the second run that gave them their victory. Their teammates poured from the dugout and formed an orange-clad pileup in the outfield.
Earlier, England had looked set for the expected victory as its opening batsmen Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara scored 102 runs before they were parted. Teams are expected to score faster in the second half of an innings, but instead England slowed. The batsmen who followed showed too little aggression in both stroke-play and running. England did not hit a single six.
The Dutch showed clear intent when the opening batsman Darren Reekers hit two sixes. He and his partner Alex Kervezee were soon dismissed, but the Dutch batsmen continued to hit hard and run aggressively — frequently turning single runs into twos.
England helped it by conservative field placing, with men too deep to prevent those second runs. It also fielded badly at vital moments.
Cricket does not record fielding errors. If it did, England would have piled up an embarrassing total even before Broad’s last-over horrors.
The Dutch closed in calmly on their target. The middle-order batsman Tom de Grooth struck 49 runs before he was caught trying for his personal half-century.
At the end it was the highly paid full-time international players of England who panicked and made basic mistakes, while the outsiders kept their nerve for a famous victory.
Skip to next paragraph
Tom Hevezi/Associated Press
The Netherlands' Edgar Schiferli, left, and Ryan ten Doeschate celebrate after scoring the winning runs against England in their World Cup cricket match at Lord's cricket ground.
The Netherlands, 500-1 to win the 12-team tournament, defeated England by four wickets from the last ball of Friday’s opening match at London’s Lord’s ground. England must beat Pakistan on Sunday to avoid elimination.
The Dutch have a cricket tradition, though it is played by only about 6,000 enthusiasts. The Netherlands has beaten major cricket nations — Australia in 1964 and England in 1989. Both of those, though, were friendly matches.
The Netherlands’ captain Jeroen Smits hailed the result as “without doubt the biggest day in Dutch cricket history.” Most of his team are part-time cricketers.
“It cost me a lot of money to come here because I had to take days off,” Smits said. “But I don’t really mind at this moment.”
England’s captain, Paul Collingwood, said the Dutch had played with “‘freedom and belief”’ and that they had surprised England with their batting and running between the wickets.
The match was decided in a tumultuous final six-ball over, the last of the 20 the Dutch had to chase down England’s total of 162. At the beginning they needed seven runs. It became a nightmare for the bowler Stuart Broad. He is one of the brightest young players in cricket, but appears ill-fated at this tournament. The last time it was played, in South Africa in 2007, he was struck for six sixes — cricket’s equivalent of a home run, with the ball hit out of the playing area — in a single over by India’s Yuvraj Singh.
Broad had chances to throw out a Dutch batsman running to his end from the first two deliveries, but failed both times. Then he dropped a catch.
From the final ball the Netherlands needed two runs from the bat of Edgar Schiferli, who is picked for his bowling skills.
Schiferli struck the ball back towards Broad, who picked up and threw toward the stumps at his end of the pitch. Had he hit, England would have won by one run. Instead he missed, and his throw went so far past the stumps that the two exultant, disbelieving Dutch batsmen were able to turn for the second run that gave them their victory. Their teammates poured from the dugout and formed an orange-clad pileup in the outfield.
Earlier, England had looked set for the expected victory as its opening batsmen Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara scored 102 runs before they were parted. Teams are expected to score faster in the second half of an innings, but instead England slowed. The batsmen who followed showed too little aggression in both stroke-play and running. England did not hit a single six.
The Dutch showed clear intent when the opening batsman Darren Reekers hit two sixes. He and his partner Alex Kervezee were soon dismissed, but the Dutch batsmen continued to hit hard and run aggressively — frequently turning single runs into twos.
England helped it by conservative field placing, with men too deep to prevent those second runs. It also fielded badly at vital moments.
Cricket does not record fielding errors. If it did, England would have piled up an embarrassing total even before Broad’s last-over horrors.
The Dutch closed in calmly on their target. The middle-order batsman Tom de Grooth struck 49 runs before he was caught trying for his personal half-century.
At the end it was the highly paid full-time international players of England who panicked and made basic mistakes, while the outsiders kept their nerve for a famous victory.
We are a superbly united team: Dhoni
Labels:
Mahender Singh Dhoni,
virender sahwag
Nottingham: Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a unique and unprecedented statement — that his team stood united — here on Friday.
On the eve of the India versus Bangladesh duel in ICC World Twenty20, the Indian skipper left the media stunned during the pre-match captain’s press conference.
It was not skipper Dhoni alone but the entire Indian team, including the support staff, that made an appearance during what was expected to be a routine media interaction between the press and the skipper.
Then, Dhoni, flanked by his men, read out a statement. “This message is for the people of India, and for Indian cricket fans worldwide and comes from the whole team. That is why we are all here.”
Making a statement
Dhoni added: “As we prepare for the Twenty20 World Cup, we are a superbly united team. The team spirit is as good as it has ever been, with each individual supporting each other, both on and off the field.
“Recent reports in the Indian media of a rift between myself and (Virender) Sehwag amount to nothing but false and irresponsible media (reporting),” he said.
The Indian captain further said: “Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist in the team. We thank our fans for their continued support and look forward to entertaining you during this tournament, into which we go into as a well-prepared, confident and unified Team India.”
Dhoni had been, “hurt”, as team coach Gary Kirsten revealed, by reports in a section of the media that spoke about differences between the skipper and senior batsman Sehwag.
Shoulder tear
Sehwag, Kirsten said, was suffering from a grade 1 tear in his right shoulder. He said Sehwag was progressing well but was not willing to commit himself to a time-frame for his complete recovery. Sehwag has been ruled out of the first game.
Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan, another cricketer recovering from fitness concerns (strained bowling shoulder), bowled at the nets at Trent Bridge on Friday. But then, the team-management is unlikely to risk a prime bowler in the early stages of the competition.
Apart from Sehwag and Zaheer, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja may not figure in the eleven for Saturday’s game. It could, however, be a toss-up between Jadeja and Irfan Pathan for the final spot. Left-arm spinner Ojha has been bowling well but Harbhajan’s greater experience and the ability to clear the ground in the end overs is expected to clinch him a place.
No complacency
Despite being a strong and balanced side with explosive strikers of the ball and an incisive attack, India will not take Bangladesh lightly. The memories of the debacle against Bangladesh in World Cup 2007 will ensure against any complacency.
India has a healthy blend of right and left-handers, the power hitters and those who can rotate the strike. It is a line-up that can disrupt the rhythm of an attack.
It is an outfit of exemplary energy and intensity levels. Importantly, the side is not daunted by adversity.
The team could, however, have to grapple with chilly conditions at night in a game that begins at 6 p.m. local time (10.30 p.m. IST).
It is becoming increasingly cold in these parts at night and spells of icy winds will not make the players’ job easier. Dew could be a factor during the chase and defending may be a better ploy.
There, traditionally, is a measure of assistance for the pacemen at Trent Bridge. Ishant Sharma & Co. could probe the Bangladesh line-up.
Bangladesh is an enthusiastic fielding side and has in skipper Mohammad Ashraful and paceman Mashrafe Murtaza — despite his IPL misadventure — men who can swing games.
Given that an innings is limited to 20 overs, individual performances can impact a match more in this format.
Shakib Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim have pulled their weight for Bangladesh in the past.
But then, the odds are clearly in favour of the defending champion.
The teams:
India (from): M.S. Dhoni (captain), G. Gambhir, R. Sharma, S. Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Y. Pathan, I. Pathan, P. Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, R. Jadeja, P. Ojha, Zaheer Khan.
Bangaldesh (from): M. Ashraful (captain), Shakib Hasan, Roqibul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Tamim Iqbal, Naeem Islam, Mahmud Ullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqar Rahim, Shamsur Rehman, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Zunaed Siddique.
Umpires: S. Taufel & B. Bowden. Third umpire: N. Long.
Match referee: C. Broad.
Match starts at 10.30 p.m. IST.
On the eve of the India versus Bangladesh duel in ICC World Twenty20, the Indian skipper left the media stunned during the pre-match captain’s press conference.
It was not skipper Dhoni alone but the entire Indian team, including the support staff, that made an appearance during what was expected to be a routine media interaction between the press and the skipper.
Then, Dhoni, flanked by his men, read out a statement. “This message is for the people of India, and for Indian cricket fans worldwide and comes from the whole team. That is why we are all here.”
Making a statement
Dhoni added: “As we prepare for the Twenty20 World Cup, we are a superbly united team. The team spirit is as good as it has ever been, with each individual supporting each other, both on and off the field.
“Recent reports in the Indian media of a rift between myself and (Virender) Sehwag amount to nothing but false and irresponsible media (reporting),” he said.
The Indian captain further said: “Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist in the team. We thank our fans for their continued support and look forward to entertaining you during this tournament, into which we go into as a well-prepared, confident and unified Team India.”
Dhoni had been, “hurt”, as team coach Gary Kirsten revealed, by reports in a section of the media that spoke about differences between the skipper and senior batsman Sehwag.
Shoulder tear
Sehwag, Kirsten said, was suffering from a grade 1 tear in his right shoulder. He said Sehwag was progressing well but was not willing to commit himself to a time-frame for his complete recovery. Sehwag has been ruled out of the first game.
Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan, another cricketer recovering from fitness concerns (strained bowling shoulder), bowled at the nets at Trent Bridge on Friday. But then, the team-management is unlikely to risk a prime bowler in the early stages of the competition.
Apart from Sehwag and Zaheer, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja may not figure in the eleven for Saturday’s game. It could, however, be a toss-up between Jadeja and Irfan Pathan for the final spot. Left-arm spinner Ojha has been bowling well but Harbhajan’s greater experience and the ability to clear the ground in the end overs is expected to clinch him a place.
No complacency
Despite being a strong and balanced side with explosive strikers of the ball and an incisive attack, India will not take Bangladesh lightly. The memories of the debacle against Bangladesh in World Cup 2007 will ensure against any complacency.
India has a healthy blend of right and left-handers, the power hitters and those who can rotate the strike. It is a line-up that can disrupt the rhythm of an attack.
It is an outfit of exemplary energy and intensity levels. Importantly, the side is not daunted by adversity.
The team could, however, have to grapple with chilly conditions at night in a game that begins at 6 p.m. local time (10.30 p.m. IST).
It is becoming increasingly cold in these parts at night and spells of icy winds will not make the players’ job easier. Dew could be a factor during the chase and defending may be a better ploy.
There, traditionally, is a measure of assistance for the pacemen at Trent Bridge. Ishant Sharma & Co. could probe the Bangladesh line-up.
Bangladesh is an enthusiastic fielding side and has in skipper Mohammad Ashraful and paceman Mashrafe Murtaza — despite his IPL misadventure — men who can swing games.
Given that an innings is limited to 20 overs, individual performances can impact a match more in this format.
Shakib Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim have pulled their weight for Bangladesh in the past.
But then, the odds are clearly in favour of the defending champion.
The teams:
India (from): M.S. Dhoni (captain), G. Gambhir, R. Sharma, S. Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Y. Pathan, I. Pathan, P. Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, R. Jadeja, P. Ojha, Zaheer Khan.
Bangaldesh (from): M. Ashraful (captain), Shakib Hasan, Roqibul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Tamim Iqbal, Naeem Islam, Mahmud Ullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqar Rahim, Shamsur Rehman, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Zunaed Siddique.
Umpires: S. Taufel & B. Bowden. Third umpire: N. Long.
Match referee: C. Broad.
Match starts at 10.30 p.m. IST.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
