TEAM DELHI GILLYTONED

Southpaw Slams 35-Ball 85 To Power Hyderabad Into Final

SWASHBUCKLING KNOCK: Team Hyderabad captain Adam Gilchrist hits a boundary in the IPL-2 semifinal against Team Delhi at Super sport Park, Centurion, on Friday

Centurion: Adam Gilchrist is the new Nizam and Hyderabad are a step away from being the champions of Indian Premier League II.
No, Team Delhi didn’t do anything wrong, just that they were dazzled by an old man’s frenzy that threw them out of the IPL, yet again in the semifinals.
Gilchrist went back in time, probably to March 23, 2003, when he rattled India in an
opening burst to help Australia retain the World Cup.
There was a sense of deja vu as Ashish Nehra ran into bowl, and Gilchrist put him out of the park with effortless ease, just as he had done some six years back. The assualt, though, started with a brutal attack on the best bowler of the tournament, Dirk Nannes.
Chasing 154, he took 21 off
Nannes’ first over, employing all the shots that could have been played. Anything short was hooked or pulled mercilessly, and if the bowler dared to pitch it up, it was driven down the ground.
Spinners came on as early as the fifth over, but there was no shift in momentum. Gilly slammed Pradeep Sangwan and when he hit three sixes off a Virender Sehwag over, the writing was on the wall.
Looking clueless and disspirited, Delhi merely hoped that Gilly would play a wrong shot and get out. He edged one to get out in the 10th over, but by then the score was 102, off which the legend had contributed 85 (35b, 10×4, 5×6).
The rest was child’s play and with the likes of Andrew Symonds around, it took Hyderabad eight more overs to reach the target.
Earlier, Gilly’s decision to play medium-pacer Ryan Harris paid off as he dismissed Gautam Gambhir and David Warner in the first over.
The Hyderabad attack was looking all charged up, but Sehwag knew how important it was for him to stay at the wicket. The Delhi dasher never took
a backward step and kept counter-attacking the Hyderabad attack. Standing tall, he carted Harris and RP Singh around the park and Tillekeratne Dilshan (65, 51 balls), too, gave him excellent support.
The strategy break broke Viru’s rhythm and right after the interval, the skipper missed the line of a Symonds delivery to be caught plumb in front.
But Dilshan carried on with the good work that he had been doing right through the tournament, finding the gaps and keeping the scoreboard ticking.
He was joined by AB de Villiers, who attacked right away and it seemed that a score of 170 was on the cards.
But RP struck right when the game was drifting from them, inducing an edge off AB, and Hyderabad were back in the hunt. Both RP and Harris were excellent in the last few overs, pitching it right up in the blockhole and varying the pace, which made it difficult for a well-set Dilshan to give the final push to the innings.
But with the kind of form Gilchrist was in, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference either.

Brian Lara: ‘Hard to pick winner for ICC World Twenty20’

“A team like India or Pakistan, accustomed to good batting tracks and capable of being very innovative, could be the ones to walk away with the trophy”

Lifting ICC Champions Trophy in 2004 was “a great feeling and definitely one of the greatest moments of my career”

Audio clips from Brian Lara available for free download To Click Here from mid-morning Monday India time; photos available through Getty Images

© Getty Imag

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara lifted the ICC World Twenty20 trophy in Trinidad on Sunday and then admitted it was tough to pick a side that might do the same on 21 June at Lord’s.

But if he had to choose a likely winner the batting legend said the finalists in the inaugural event in 2007, India and Pakistan, might be the ones to look out for because of their batting strength and an ability to innovate.

Lara displayed the trophy to a packed house at the Queen’s Park Oval during the interval of the T20 International between the West Indies and England, part of the promotion of June’s event that will take place in England.

And afterwards he said: “It was a great feeling to pick up the trophy before the winning captain and nice to be part of the build-up but, as for picking a winner, it’s very hard to predict as in twenty20 cricket you never know what will happen.

“In 2007 I supported the West Indies (to win) due to the fact that, as a team, we may have been short in Test cricket but very good over a shorter game and twenty20 was a version of the game, with players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, I thought we would love.

“But then Bangladesh came and beat us and we didn’t win a match so that shows how difficult it is to predict. A team like India or Pakistan, accustomed to good batting tracks, flat tracks and capable of being very innovative could be the ones to walk away with the trophy,” said Lara.

Two years into his retirement from top-line cricket, Lara remains the holder of the highest score in international history thanks to his 400 not out in a Test against England in Antigua in 2004.

And although he said he still loved Test cricket above all the other formats of the game, he also agreed there was an obvious place for the twenty20 version.

“I’m still a connoisseur of Test cricket as the true test of any sportsman,” he said. “But I think twenty20 cricket is a great invention, especially for the spectator. It’s a great addition to the game and I look forward to seeing the ICC World Twenty20.”

Lara also reflected on what it was like to lift silverware at an ICC event, having done that in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy when the West Indies produced a remarkable come-from-behind success in the final against England at The Oval.

“It was a great feeling and this from a captain not accustomed to winning anything,” he said.

“We’d just lost four Tests against England and then came back from deep trouble in the final when we were seven or eight wickets down late on.

“Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw were able to pull it off for us and that was an excellent feeling.

“I’ve never done it (lifted the trophy) in a World Cup but to play against all the other international countries in one tournament and win was a great feeling and definitely one of the greatest moments of my career,” he added.

Photos of Brian Lara displaying the ICC World Twenty20 trophy at the Queen’s Park Oval are available through Getty Images.

Audio of Brian Lara is also available at http://www.icc-cricket.com from mid morning Monday India time.

ICC World Twenty20 trophy facts:

• Designed and manufactured by Links of London
• Made of silver and rhodium
• Weighs approximately 7.5kgs
• Measures 51cms in height with a width of 19cms at the top and 14cms at the base

The ICC World Twenty20 2009 sees 12 of the top men’s teams and the top eight women’s teams competing in a best-of-the-best event at four venues – Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton (women’s matches only).

Each of the men’s and women’s semi-finals and the finals will be played as double-headers at the same venues offering great value to spectators and great exposure to the women’s game.

India won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 in South Africa when it beat Pakistan by five runs in the final in Johannesburg.

Ramdin gets a taste for ICC World Twenty20 glory

”We’ve got a good team going into the ICC World Twenty20”

Photos of Denesh Ramdin and England captain Andrew Strauss with the ICC World Twenty20 trophy available through Getty Images

High-quality audio clips from Denesh Ramdin available at www.icc-cricket.com

West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin got his hands on the ICC World Twenty20 trophy in Trinidad on Saturday – and he enjoyed the experience so much he wants another go at it when the tournament reaches a climax at Lord’s on 21 June.

And the man who is standing in for the injured Chris Gayle as the home side’s captain when the West Indies plays England in a Twenty20 International at the Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday sees plenty of reasons why his wish could come true.

Ramdin and his opposite number for this weekend’s match, Andrew Strauss, posed for photos with the silverware on Saturday morning and afterwards Ramdin said: “Holding that trophy was fantastic, magnificent.

“I hope the guys can come together and play some great cricket and if we do then I can’t see why the West Indies can’t hold that in June.

“We’ve got players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, some young players coming through like Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo’s back.

“We’ve got a good team going into the ICC World Twenty20.”

Success in the event for the West Indies would be in complete contrast to the team’s performance in the inaugural tournament in South Africa in 2007.

Back then defeats to the hosts and Bangladesh resulted in a first round exit but Ramdin said he was sure the side was moving in the right direction to avoid a repeat of that scenario in England.

“We played some good cricket in parts in the tournament in 2007 but it’s a case of putting an all-round game into play,” he reflected.

“We know we need to be more consistent and that’s what we did in the Test series against England (when the West Indies won 1-0 to regain the Wisden Trophy) so hopefully we can go out there, get everything together and go further this time,” he added.

The main obstacle to progress in 2009 will be the two sides in the West Indies’ group, Australia and Sri Lanka, both of them capable of being considered among the teams expected to be challenging for success come finals day at Lord’s on 21 June, as Ramdin acknowledged.

“They are two of the better sides,” he said. “They have got big names and it is not going to make it easy for us but we are capable of beating any side on any particular day.

“We will set ourselves goals so it will be a case of going out there to try and achieve those goals and if we can do that then hopefully we can hold that trophy.”

In favour of Ramdin and the West Indies is the fact the players have had recent experience of playing in England at the time of year when the tournament is taking place (early to mid-June) and they will also be coming off a two-Test and three-match ODI series against the hosts in May.

“The last time we were there at that time, in 2007, it was a bit cold so I think the guys are expecting that,” he said. “A lot depends on the day, the pitches, overcast conditions and things like that but we know we have got to get there, acclimatise quickly and play hard cricket.

“Everyone says it is a batter’s game but anything can happen. A bowler can come along and get you vital wickets, a batter can hit a couple of sixes to turn a match or even a brilliant catch can turn things in your favour.

“It’s on the day and anything can happen,” Ramdin added.

Photos of Denesh Ramdin and Andrew Strauss with the ICC World Twenty20 trophy are available through Getty Images.

High-quality audio of Denesh Ramdin is also available at www.icc-cricket.com

ICC World Twenty20 trophy facts:

• Designed and manufactured by Links of London
• Made of silver and rhodium
• Weighs approximately 7.5kgs
• Measures 51cms in height with a width of 19cms at the top and 14cms at the baseThe ICC World Twenty20 2009 sees 12 of the top men’s teams and the top eight women’s teams competing in a best-of-the-best event at four venues – Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton (women’s matches only).

  Each of the men’s and women’s semi-finals and the finals will be played as double-headers at the same venues offering great value to spectators and great exposure to the women’s game.

  India won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 in South Africa when it beat Pakistan by five runs in the final in Johannesburg.

India announces preliminary WT20 squad

Defending champions India announced the 30-member preliminary list for the second edition of the ICC World TwentyT20 2009, which will be played in England.

The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 competition took place in South Africa in September 2007.

The competition, which lasted for just two weeks, was a thrilling event which culminated in India’s dramatic five run defeat of Pakistan at Johannesburg.

In all probability India will be led by MS Dhoni and Delhi’s dashing opener Virender Sehwag is expected to be his deputy.

R Ashwin, Naman Ojha, Abhishek Nayyar, Ajinkya Rahane and Bengal’s promising wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha were some of the newcomers that were announced in the squad.

Interestingly India’s T20 star, Joginder Sharma, who famously bowled the last over in the semi-final against Australia and also in the thrilling final against arch-rivals Pakistan, was left out of the squad. Also, Srersanth was excluded from the squad owing to an injury.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was not included in the T20 squad, as the 36-year old batsman had made his intentions clear about not intending to play T20 internationals. The Mumbai maestro is of the opinion that India’s T20 is team is well settled and it would not be right to disturb the combination.

The ICC World Twenty20 2009 will have 12 teams in the men’s tournament and eight teams in the women’s competition. It will be staged in June 2009 at Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton.

Squad:

Virender Sehwag

Gautam Gambhir

MS Dhoni

Suresh Raina

Rohit Sharma

Yuvraj Singh

Yusuf Pathan

Irfan Pathan

Zaheer Khan

Ishant Sharma

Munaf Patel

Ravindra Jadeja,

Pragyan Ojha

Harbhajan singh

Praveen Kumar

Dinesh Karthik

M Vijay

Ajinkya Rahane

S Badrinath

Robin Uthappa

Virat Kohli

Manoj Tiwary

Wriddhiman Saha

Abhishek Nayar

Amit Mishra

R Ashwin

RP Singh

L Balaji

Dhawal Kulkarni

Naman Ojha.

ICC World Twenty20 2009 – About the Event

The ICC World Twenty20 2009 will be the second time a world event for Twenty20 cricket has been held.

The event, which feature 12 teams in the men’s tournament and eight teams in the women’s competition, will be staged in June 2009 at Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge and Taunton.

The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 competition took place in South Africa in September 2007.

The competition, which lasted for just two weeks, was a thrilling event which culminated in India’s dramatic five run defeat of Pakistan at Johannesburg.

There were many memorable matches, not least the tie between India-Pakistan in Durban in the group stages which saw the first bowl out at an ICC World Twenty20 event, Bangladesh’s victory over the West Indies and Zimbabwe’s shock defeat of Australia at Cape Town.

Schedule: ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup 2009

Schedule: ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup 2009

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
India	Pakistan	Australia	New Zealand
Bangladesh	England	Sri Lanka	South Africa
Ireland	Netherlands	West Indies	Scotland
Group E	A1, B2, C1, D2	Group F	B1, A2, C2, D1

Date	Lord’s	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Fri, 5 June	Opening ceremonyEngland v Netherlands 22:00 IST
Sat, 6 June		India v Bangladesh 22:00 IST	New Zealand v Scotland 14:30 ISTAustralia v West Indies 18:00 IST
Sun, 7 June			South Africa v Scotland 18:00 ISTEngland v Pakistan 22:00 IST
Mon, 8 June		Ireland v Bangladesh 18:00 ISTAustralia v Sri Lanka 22:00 IST
Tues, 9 June	Pakistan v Netherlands 18:00 ISTNew Zealand v South Africa 22:00 IST
Wed, 10 June		Sri Lanka v West Indies 18:00 ISTIndia v Ireland 22:00 IST

Placement for the Super Eight stage is determined as follows:
The first two teams in each group are placed 1 or 2. They will retain this position for the Super Eight stage, irrespective of whether they finish first or second in their group, unless they are knocked out by the team 3 in their group. In this instance, team 3 replaces the position of the team they knock out.

Date	Lord’s	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Thu, 11 June		D1 v A2 (18:00 IST) B2 v D2 (22:00 IST)
Fri, 12 June	B1 v C2 (18:00 IST) A1 v C1 (22:00 IST)
Sat, 13 June			C1 v D2 (18:00 IST) D1 v B1 (22:00 IST)
Sun, 14 June	A2 v C2 (18:00 IST) A1 v B2 (22:00 IST)
Mon, 15 June			B1 v A2 (18:00 IST) B2 v C1 (22:00 IST)
Tues, 16 June		D1 v C2 (18:00 IST) D2 v A1 (22:00 IST)

The teams finishing first and second in groups E and F, based on points obtained in the Super Eight stage will compete in the semi-finals

Date	Lord’s	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Wed, 17 June	REST DAY	REST DAY	REST DAY
Thu, 18 June		Women’s semi-final A1 v B2 (18:00 IST)Men’s semi-final E1 v F2 (22:00 IST)
Fri, 19 June			Women’s semi-final B1 v A2 (18:00 IST)Men’s semi-final F1 v E2 (22:00 IST)
Sat, 20 June	REST DAY	REST DAY	REST DAY
Sun, 21 June	Women’s final 14:30 ISTMen’s final 19:30 IST Closing ceremony