Cornered tigers roar once again by Andrew Miller

A Pakistan with momentum is a beast that cannot be contained. England discovered that fact to their cost in 1992 at Melbourne, when Imran Khan's cornered tigers sprung at their throats to seize the country's first major global title. And now, a generation later but in a campaign of distinct and glorious parallels, Sri Lanka have also sampled the unstoppable alchemy that occurs when cricket's most emotional and temperamental participants find a way to meld their ambitions to their deeds.

It doesn't always end up this way. Two years ago against India, in the inaugural World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg, Pakistan blew their chance for glory when Misbah-ul-Haq choked on his emotions at the end of a stunning match-turning counterattack, and chose the wrong ball to flick over fine leg. And then, of course, there was Pakistan's last appearance in the 50-over World Cup final, against Australia right here at Lord's in 1999, when the conviction in the performance and the margin in the result - eight wickets - exactly mirrored today's effect and upshot.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 21, 2009

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 Younis retires from Twenty20 with a plea by Alex Brown

Younis Khan used cricket's grandest stage to announce his retirement from Twenty20 internationals, and make an impassioned plea for teams to once again tour his country. The Pakistan captain, speaking after Sunday's emphatic eight-wicket World Twenty20 victory over Sri Lanka, hoped the result would go far to saving cricket in his homeland, which is struggling to attract the interest of younger generations with no international matches being played within its borders.

Younis' final act in Twenty20 international cricket was to lift the trophy that so narrowly evaded Pakistan two years prior. No immediate announcement was made as to the identity of his successor as 20-over captain, but it is likely Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal will be the leading candidates.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 21, 2009

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 Afridi fifty seals title for Pakistan by Andrew McGlashan

Pakistan 139/2 (Afridi 54*, Akmal 37) beat Sri Lanka 138/6 (Sangakkara 64*, Mathews 35*, Razzaq 3-20) by eight wickets

It wasn't the edge-of-the-seat final that would have signed off the ICC World Twenty20 in style, but that won't matter to Pakistan who gave their nation a something to savour amid troubled times. From the moment Tillakaratne Dilshan, the tournament's top-scorer, fell in the opening over Pakistan had a grip on the match. Shahid Afridi, who emerged as their trump card, guided his team home in the 19th over with an unbeaten 54, and it was left to Younis Khan to raise the trophy in what he later announced would be his final Twenty20 international, in front of a sea of delirious Pakistan supporters.

Pakistan won't be playing at home for the foreseeable future, but the following they have had at this event has reinforced the notion that England can be a surrogate home. The masses were cheering from early on as Abdul Razzaq - a great individual comeback-story among the team's resurgence - claimed three key wickets in his opening burst to leave Sri Lanka on 32 for 4. They never looked back despite the best efforts of Kumar Sangakkara.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 21, 2009

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 Journey a triumph of human spirit by Andrew Miller

Big Picture: On the morning of March 3 in Lahore, the world of cricket was shaken to the core. The horrific attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, as it pulled into the Gadaffi Stadium ahead of the third day of the second Test against Pakistan, was the moment a thousand preconceptions were destroyed. Cricket's presumptions to diplomatic immunity had been mocked by the forces of evil, and as Pakistan spiralled into sporting exile and Sri Lanka's traumatised players rushed home to the bosom of their families, the obvious reaction was to wonder "what now?" for the great game.

Three and a half months later, and sport's great gift for reinvention has delivered a contest that flicks two fingers at the perpetrators of the Lahore atrocity, and proves that - without wishing to overload the sentiment - the human spirit cannot be crushed by cold calculation. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take center stage at Lord's on Sunday for the final of the most joyful international tournament the game has arranged in years. Twenty20 may be cricket for hedonists, but after everything these two teams and their respective nations have been through of late, the need to lay on a party suddenly feels like the only serious obligation.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 20, 2009

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 I'm playing like I always do - Afridi by Osman Samiuddin

At the very heart of Pakistan's invigorating run to a second successive World Twenty20 final has been a player you might think was put on the planet to play Twenty20 cricket. A three-four over bash with the bat, a quick four-over spell hustled through the middle overs and some adrenaline-fuelled cheerleading in the field: thanks very much, Shahid Afridi.

Having been the Player of the Tournament in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, Afridi was expected to be a key component again this time. His form in the immediate run-up to the tournament, especially with ball in hand, had been outstanding and even with the bat, against Australia, a brief vigour had re-emerged. And with ten wickets, 122 runs, potentially the catch of the tournament and a semi-final all-round performance to match any, Afridi has again staked his claim for top individual honours.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 20, 2009

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 End of the run for Gayle show by Andrew Miller

Chris Gayle's West Indians have finally left the building. Their chaotic campaign ranks second only to Pakistan's in terms of its unpredictability, but for the English audiences who have charted their form and performances ever since the Caribbean Test series in February, the manner of their parting was fitting in the extreme. Gayle is the rock upon which their fortunes, good and bad, have been built. Today he remained standing while his team was swept away.

"This is a real farewell to Chris Gayle … full house!" said the man himself, as he strode into his last press conference before the team's departure for the Caribbean. His mood in defeat was jovial but resigned, after an extraordinary match in which only three players turned up for duty. Unfortunately for West Indies, two of those were Sri Lankan - Tillakaratne Dilshan with the bat, and Angelo Mathews with the ball. "They say any one particular person can win a game of Twenty20," said Gayle, "but it's not a one-man game to be honest with you."

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 19, 2009

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 Dilshan powers Sri Lanka to final by Andrew McGlashan

Sri Lanka 158/5 (Dilshan 96*) beat West Indies 101/10 (Gayle 63*, Mathews 3-16, Muralitharan 3-29) by 57 runs

It will be an all-Asia final at the ICC World Twenty20 after Sri Lanka maintained their unbeaten record by crushing West Indies by 57 runs at The Oval. Tillakaratne Dilshan added another installment to his breathtaking tournament with an unbeaten 96, the highest score of the event, as his team-mates struggled for momentum. Angelo Mathews then stunned West Indies with three wickets in the opening over before the spinners strangled the middle order, leaving Chris Gayle forlornly unbeaten on 63, carrying his bat as no one else reached double figures.

After everything the two countries have been through, it is fitting that Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan in the final. However, unlike Pakistan's campaign which has burst into life after a slow start, there has been a sense of destiny about Kumar Sangakkara's team reaching the Lord's showdown. Sri Lanka's run has been a triumph of mental strength and character and they now have the chance to mark their return to the international scene following the Lahore terror attack with a trophy.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 19, 2009

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 Afridi's brilliance worth all the heartbreaks by George Binoy

Eleven supremely fit and ruthlessly efficient cricketers, on top of their game, had their dreams of a first-ever world title ended by one audacious man. That cricket is a team game is an oft repeated cliché but South Africa were eliminated from the World Twenty20 at Trent Bridge solely because of Shahid Afridi's intensity and all-round skill.

Pakistan were yet to win a game against significant opposition in the tournament because of a team performance. They lost to England and Sri Lanka, beat minnows Netherlands and Ireland, and relied on Umar Gul to rout New Zealand. Their players hadn't contributed collectively and so it was unlikely all 11 players would maximise potential against opponents as able as South Africa. To have a hope of playing at Lord's on Sunday, Pakistan needed individual brilliance from one of their matchwinners: probably Gul, possibly Younis Khan, or perhaps Misbah-ul-Haq.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 18, 2009

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 Defeated Smith plays down 'chokers' tag by Andrew McGlashan

Surely it wouldn't happen again? This South African team was primed, ready and in-form. They had all the bases covered and had come through unbeaten to the semi-final. They had countered pressure on numerous occasions in the past two years and had even employed a psychologist who had helped them counter the mind games. Once again, though, it all came to nothing.

The look on Graeme Smith's face as he sat in the dug-out during the closing stages of South Africa's failed run chase was worth a thousand words. History was repeating itself as the favourites were dumped out of another tournament before the final that seemed destined to be theirs. It took until about the half-way mark of the press conference for someone to use the inevitable 'c' word, but Smith was ready for it; after all he's had practice.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 18, 2009

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 Hurt South Africa fall short again by Dileep Premachandran

It won't haunt a generation like Edgbaston in 1999. There won't be the same pain that accompanied going out of a home World Cup in 2003. There wasn't the embarrassment of St Lucia in 2007 when Glenn McGrath and friends had the game sewn up inside half an hour. But yet again, South Africa fell short in a game that mattered. It would be unfair if the C word was trotted out this time though, because it was Pakistani brilliance rather than South African faint-heartedness that decided this game.

What can you do when Shahid Afridi suddenly remembers how to bat, when he abruptly flails Johan Botha thrice over cover in the same over? What can you do when he produces a magic delivery to Herschelle Gibbs? What could Graeme Smith and his team have done about Umar Gul, the prince of death bowling who bowls his yorkers as unerringly as Waqar Younis once did? Younis Khan spoke afterwards of the team's inconsistency and of how it mirrored the unstable situation back home, but when it came to the crunch, Pakistani technicolour easily overshadowed South African sepia.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 18, 2009

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 Afridi on song as Pakistan enter final by George Binoy

Pakistan 149/4 (Afridi 51, Malik 34) beat South Africa 142/5 (Kallis 64, Duminy 44*, Afridi 2-16) by seven runs

The South African juggernaut was brought to a screeching halt by Shahid Afridi who, with a little help from his team-mates, dumped the tournament favourites out of the World Twenty20 and secured Pakistan's place in the final. Afridi put in an all-round performance of tremendous intensity, lifting Pakistan to a defendable total with an aggressive yet methodical half-century, before bowling a spell that left the South Africans winded at Trent Bridge.

The clinical South African side, unbeaten in the competition, were favourites going in to the semi-final and their bowlers fought admirably to restrict Pakistan to 149 when, at one stage a total of 170 seemed on the cards. With the exception of Jacques Kallis, though, their batsmen failed to give the chase any sort of direction. They were suffocated by Afridi and the offspinner Saeed Ajmal and their inability to score enough runs during the middle overs left them with too much to do against the pinpoint accuracy of Umar Gul's yorkers.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 18, 2009

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 Sri Lanka ahead by a nose by Andrew Miller

Big Picture: The Oval is shaping up as West Indies' lucky ground. In years gone by, it was the team's natural home-from-home, a place where the expat communities of Brixton and Lambeth could flood into the stands and watch the likes of Viv Richards and Michael Holding make England grovel. In more recent times, the venue has produced sharp spikes of achievement to atone for the team's general malaise, and the manner in which they dispatched England on Monday bore uncanny similarities to their twilight triumph over the same team and on the same ground in the 2004 Champions Trophy.

After that victory in a frenzied nine-over run-chase, Chris Gayle said he hoped his team would return here for their semi-final, regardless of their opponents. He has got his wish. After a tour in which West Indies did not record a single victory in any form of the game until their Twenty20 preparations got underway at the beginning of the month, they are now just two wins away from a turnaround so stunning it begs the question, was their early-tour apathy just a ploy? If so, they've caught their rivals superbly unawares so far.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 18, 2009

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 Gul's reverse swing is an art, says Aaqib by Nagraj Gollapudi

Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler and current bowling coach, has hit back at suspicions of foul play in Umar Gul's spectacular spell of reverse swing last week when his five-for demolished a frail New Zealand batting order at The Oval. The suspicions - that he got the ball to reverse earlier than usual - simply don't wash, says Aaqib, because reverse swing is an art that even Gul's team-mates have not perfected.

After the game, Daniel Vettori expressed some curiosity about how Gul managed to get reverse swing as early as the 12th over, and the matter was put to rest only after the match officials said there was no wrongdoing.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 17, 2009

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 'We aren't scared of losing' - Arthur by Andrew McGlashan

Ten years on from that semi-final at Edgbaston, South Africa are ready to bury the ghosts of the past once and for all. The country's record when it comes to the crunch at world events isn't one of the nations' prouder sporting achievements but there is a feeling that this generation of players can make amends.

South Africa's only 'global' title came in 1998 when they won the first mini World Cup in Bangladesh and the following year came their most harrowing tournament exit when they tied with Australia. The pressure told again in 2003 when a misread Duckworth-Lewis chart sent them out of their own World Cup and twice in 2007 - against Australia at the 50-over World Cup and against India at the World Twenty20 - batting collapses ended their campaigns.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 17, 2009

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 Sri Lanka take unorthodox route to success by George Binoy

Cricket lovers everywhere haven't had enough of Tillakaratne Dilshan's audacious scoop over the wicketkeeper yet and they are already being treated to a second unconventional shot from another Sri Lankan batsman. Mahela Jayawardene took innovation in batting to a higher plane by playing a reverse sweep with the back of his bat against Jacob Oram during the Super Eights match versus New Zealand at Trent Bridge. He bent down low, got into position to play the shot, and just when we expected him to switch his bat around, he simply let the ball go off the back, placing it fine enough to beat the man at short third man.

"It's something I have been trying for a while," Jayawardene said. "I have actually been trying to hit the reverse-sweep with the other side of the bat but found it a bit difficult to time it, sometimes it's a bit quick for me and I get top edges. This is something I've worked with Trevor [Bayliss] on. He was saying that [John] Dyson used to do that in Australia. He used to tap it with the other side because he couldn't sweep.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 16, 2009

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 de Villiers helps South Africa stay unbeaten by Dileep Premachandran

South Africa 130/5 (de Villiers 63) beat India 118/8 (Rohit 29, Botha 3-16, Steyn 2-25) by 12 runs

On a spin-friendly Trent Bridge surface, South Africa's slow bowlers rubbed salt and some spices into India's gaping World Twenty20 wounds, defending a modest total of 130 with consummate ease. The real difference between the sides though was AB de Villiers, who batted quite magnificently for a 51-ball 63 on a pitch where no other batsman excelled. With the ball, Johan Botha took 3 for 16, and was superbly supported by Roelof van der Merwe (1 for 13) as India stumbled from 47 for 0 at the end of the Powerplay overs to 69 for 5.

The two Punjabis, Yuvraj and Harbhajan Singh, briefly floated some hope, but Botha and Dale Steyn snuffed out the challenge to send South Africa through to the semi-final undefeated. They will face Pakistan at the same venue on Thursday. In conditions that could have been anywhere in the subcontinent, India will wonder just how they were so well beaten.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 16, 2009

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 Sri Lanka march to semi-finals in style by George Binoy

Sri Lanka 158/5 (Dilshan 48, Jayawardene 41*, Sangakkara 35) beat New Zealand 110/10 (Guptill 43, Mendis 3-9, Udana 2-17) by 48 runs

Sri Lanka's bowlers once again made up for their batsmen's inability to post a large total by slicing through New Zealand at Trent Bridge, securing a 48-run victory to cement their spot in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20. New Zealand challenged the target of 159 briefly but Ajantha Mendis turned the game Sri Lanka's way by dismissing Ross Taylor and Scott Styris within the space of four balls.

New Zealand began their chase brightly with Aaron Redmond biffing 20 runs off Sanath Jayasuriya's first over, the second of the innings. He blasted the ball past mid-on, carved it over cover, blazed another through extra cover before smacking the final over the long-off boundary. The versatility of the bowling, though, meant New Zealand's batsmen had to keep their wits about them and no one was able to stay long enough to cause significant damage.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 16, 2009

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 South Africa look to maintain winning run by S Rajesh

Big Picture: When the fixtures were drawn up for the ICC World Twenty20, few would have thought that the last match of Group E would be an inconsequential one. But that's how the results have panned out, thanks to India's insipid display and some outstanding planning by their opponents. South Africa will now look to implement the same tactics and ensure that they enter the semi-finals with an all-win record in the tournament.

South Africa have been mighty impressive in all aspects so far, handling the pressure moments better than most other teams. Their line-up for this game will be slightly weakened, though, by the absence of Jacques Kallis, who has been magnificent at the top of the order but will be rested ahead of bigger matches. His replacement won't make things any easier for the beleaguered Indian batsmen, however: Morne Morkel walks in for his first game of the tournament, and you can be sure he'll give the Indians another examination of short-pitched bowling. Kallis being rested will also give more batting opportunities to some of the others in the line-up, specifically JP Duminy, Albie Morkel and Mark Boucher, all of whom have played less than 30 balls in the tournament.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 16, 2009

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 Kirsten blames IPL fatigue by George Binoy

Gary Kirsten, the India coach, has said players' fatigue levels and the minor injuries they carried from the IPL to the ICC World Twenty20 contributed to the champions' early exit. He felt India never reached the "intensity that you need at the international game" where the standard of cricket is much higher than it was in the recent IPL.

"Fatigue was definitely a factor, as were many other things," Kirsten said the day after India's defeat against England. "I don't want to use that as an excuse but it was a factor. We weren't an energetic team, like we were in New Zealand where the levels of energy were really good. We didn't get up to the same level on this tour." This is not the first time that Kirsten has brought up this issue. In an interview to Cricinfo last month, the India coach had pointed out that the team had been on the road for a long while and said that mental fatigue was its biggest challenge for the World Twenty20.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 16, 2009

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 Batting absentees worry Vettori by George Binoy

Daniel Vettori captured the plight of New Zealand's World Twenty20 campaign in a single line on the eve of their knockout Super Eights game against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge. He had said at the start of the tournament that New Zealand's strength was in their top order and now "potentially three of those top four [batsmen] might not play one of our most important games" in the competition.

Vettori was referring to the loss of Jesse Ryder from the entire tournament because of a groin problem, and the possible absences of Ross Taylor, who strained his hamstring, and Brendon McCullum, the latest addition to the casualty ward, from a game New Zealand must win to keep their semi-final hopes alive. McCullum sustained a broken bone and damaged ligament after a collision with Neil Broom off the last ball during the defeat to Pakistan. He hasn't been ruled out of Tuesday's game, though, and his team-mates are hoping that he responds well to an injection.

To read complete article CLICK HERE.

 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 15, 2009

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 Kallis to be rested against India due to back injury

South Africa will rest Jacques Kallis from Tuesday's "dead rubber" Super Eights encounter against India due to a back complain. Kallis' omission will pave the way for Morne Morkel to play his first match at the World Twenty20, and resume the short-pitched strategy that so unsettled India's batsmen during Sunday's loss to England.

"It gives us an aggressive bowing option," captain Graeme Smith said. "A few other guys slide up the order and get more batting chances. This is our last week of what has been a great season so we want to make it count.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 15, 2009

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 Windies hold nerve to reach semis by Andrew McGlashan

West Indies 82/5 (Sarwan 19*, Chanderpaul 17*) beat England 161/6 (Bopara 55, Pietersen 31) by five wickets (D/L method)

The experience of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul guided West Indies into the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals after the top order threatened to lose their heads in a reduced chase of 80 in nine overs. A succession of wild shots meant West Indies were 45 for 5 in the sixth over, but Sarwan and Chanderpaul calmly added 37 to complete the victory with four balls to spare and send the hosts out.

Chris Gayle wanted to have the final say in the extended duel between these two teams which dates back to February. He briefly threatened to carry the chase on his own but was yorked by a beauty from Ryan Sidebottom and he was grateful for calmness of his two senior batsmen. A second brilliant piece of glovework from James Foster to stump Dwayne Bravo had put England on top, but Sarwan and Chanderpaul showed there is room for sensible batsmanship even in a nine-over thrash.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 15, 2009

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 Akmal, Ajmal take Pakistan to semi-finals by S Rajesh

Pakistan 159/5 (Akmal 57) beat Ireland 120/9 (Porterfield 40, Ajmal 4-19) by 39 runs

Requiring a win to move into the semi-finals, Pakistan accomplished just that with an efficient performance, easing past Ireland by 39 runs at The Oval. The margin was also sufficient to lift their net run-rate to 1.19, ensuring there's no way both New Zealand and Sri Lanka can finish with as many points and a higher rate.

Pakistan's last World Cup game against Ireland had ended in grief, but here they seemed aware of the threat posed by their feisty opponents: after winning the toss Pakistan played within themselves but yet managed 159, thanks largely to a well-paced 57 by Kamran Akmal. Ireland's batting is clearly their weaker suit, and considering their highest in the tournament so far is only 138, a target of 160 was always likely to be a tough ask. And so it proved, as they finished on 120.

To read complete article CLICK HERE.

 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 15, 2009

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 Dhoni defends batting order by Nagraj Gollapudi

India captain MS Dhoni accepted the blame for India's exit from the ICC World Twenty20 but called it an overall team failure. "We stand up and say we didn't perform well as a team," a dejected Dhoni said after the defending champions crashed out following a three-run defeat to England.

This was India's second straight loss at Lord's in the Super Eights, the previous one coming against the West Indies. Dhoni sent England in to bat and, though the hosts set a par target of 154, India's batting failed to cope with the pressure and the asking rate. "We stopped them at a decent score. But we don't have a practical excuse. Our performance was not up to the mark," he said.

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 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 14, 2009

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 Pakistan out to "crush" Ireland by Osman Samiuddin

Big Picture: Revenge will be one theme for sure. But bigger than that will be Pakistan's opportunity to advance to the semi-finals; Sri Lanka's narrow win over Ireland now means that any kind of Pakistan win against the Irish almost certainly sends them through to the semis (barring some outlandish scenarios) on net run-rate.

If they do get there, it will be some achievement given that they have yet to hit their peak and that nobody is really sure where that peak may be. But their bowling was always a threat and once they got the England game out of the way, it has mostly lived up to its reputation. The return of Abdul Razzaq has livened things up and with Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, they were lively in any case.

To read complete article CLICK HERE.

 Source: www.cricinfo.com, June 14, 2009

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