SriLanka Won By Seven Wickets

SriLanka beat Pakistan by seven wickets and claimed their maiden series victory against the reigning Twenty 20 world champions.

Herath and kulasekra took 13 Pakistan wickets in two innings and scripted their teams victory. Kulasekra ransacked Pakistan claiming four wickets in the first innings bundling tourists for mere 90.

Preview: India vs Ireland

India started their title defense with a convincing victory over Bangladesh; who were expected to qualify along the defending champions to the super eights. But fate had some other plans as cricket minnows Ireland showed Bangladesh the exit door.

India's Harbhajan Singh and Skipper MS Dhoni

Though both India and Ireland have qualified for the Super eight but the win will certainly give psychological edge to the winner.

India seems to have quickly adjusted to the English conditions, after patchy show in the warm up match; they raised their level and crushed Bangladesh by 25 runs.

Defending champions have the best batting line up of the format; Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma top the order capable of turning game with their aggressive stroke play.

The team has gifted players like Suresh Raina who can adjust accordingly with the situation in this fastest format of cricket.

Yuvraaj Singh and Skipper MS Dhoni complete the ideal middle order and are a delight to watch when in flow, Pathan brothers provide  additional depth to the side with their all round abilities.

RP Singh, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar have been lethal with pace and swing through out the IPL 2 and are in good touch. Harbhajan Singh and P Ojha made their impact in the recently concluded league.

Ireland’s first foray into the shortest form of the game saw qualification for the World Cup secured with wins over Scotland, Bermuda and Kenya – this Associate tournament domination was achieved, amazingly, without a single IPL veteran.

Attack displaying their full potential against Bangladesh and an unseasonable thunderstorm against India might facilitate an escape from Group A. Further progress will depend on England poaching no more players.

Andre Botha. South African, batting at No4, seems well-suited to T20 – knocking 61 runs in the three qualifying matches.They have the likes of  Niall O’Brien, Northants wicketkeeper and William PorterfielGloucestershire left-hand opening batsman who took the captaincy last year at the age of 23.

Boyd Rankin. Standing 6ft 8in tall the right-armer is capable of achieving serious bounce.

Over all  team India is perfectly balanced, and surely are the favorites not only against Ireland but for the Cup too.

Delhi Dare Devils vs Rajasthan Royals :Preview

After amazing performance in the Inaugural season of IPL, Defending Champions performance has nose Dived at the new venue of Indian Premiere League season two.

AB de Villiers

Led by legend Shane Warne, Royals have so far played four games in the tournament; loosing the opener against Bangalore Royal Challengers by 75 runs,luckily next game against Mumbai Indians was washed and in the battle against Punjab, king’s easily defended their score of 139, restricting Rajasthan to 112.

Their only victory came against the otherwise struggling Knight Riders who too gave them run for the victory, taking the game to super over, thanks toY Pathan who displayed his killer capabilities and won the game for his team.

Batting has been the concern for Rajasthan Royals as apart from experienced G Smith and T Henderson the youngsters S Asondkar, NK Patel have failed to deliver on the tracks favoring technique.

Though Rajasthan is blessed with the likes of Yousuf Pathan, T Henderson and R Jadeja who are a delight to watch when in flow but have so far made no impact.

Bowling has always been the strength of Rajasthan Royals. They have the likes of sensational Kaamran Khan, A Mascarenhas, S African T Henderson and Munaf Patel.

Whereas invincible Delhi Dare Devils have displayed their nerves of steel and are unbeaten so far in the tournament. Devils began their previous IPL campaign with style but their performance nose dived as the tournament progressed and will try hard to carry forward their winning streak.

Dare Devils are blessed with the likes of  G Gambhir, V Sehwag and AB Devillers whose  maiden century of  IPL season Two against Chennai Super Kings kept the team in winning momentum. T Dilshan has proved to be the best buy for Delhi and is a delight to watch capable of doing wonders with both bat and cherry.

Daniel Vettori has been the key to dare Devils Success in South Africa supported by Y Mahesh, AM Salvi and P Sangwan.

Delhi is a perfectly balanced side and will be the favorites against Rajasthan Royals who will go all guns into the game as it would decide their fate in the tournament.

Mallya Desired England As IPL Venue

Liquor baron and owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, Vijay Mallya, has said that he would have preferred England to host the second season of the Indian Premier League.

Vija Mallya and Lalit Modi

The Twenty20 competition was moved out of India because of a clash of dates with general elections and the IPL organisers sealed a deal to organise the event in South Africa.

“To be honest, I would have preferred England to South Africa,” the Daily Express quoted Mallya, as saying.

Mallya agreed that there is a huge possibility of rain disruptions; but he believed the tournament would have drawn bigger crowds in England.

“You could have taken just one flight from five or six cities in India to England and it would have been cheaper. Besides, an average Englishman loves his cricket and the stands there would have been full of spectators. But, I guess the weather conditions clinched the issue for South Africa,” he said.

For Complete news visit : www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2468/Mallya-Desired-England-As-IPL-Venue.htm

Indian Fans Disappointed

The change in venue for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought disappointment to the Indians who were batting for the Twenty20 competition being played in India.

Fans Enjoying Cricket

“It is like imagining Wimbledon in England, Australian Open tennis, or the UFA cups being played abroad. The charm of an Indian event has gone. It has become a television event,” said Diana Edulji, former Indian women’’s Test cricketer.

Jitender Kumar, a cricket coach, said: “It will send out a wrong message to the world that such a big country like ours could not provide security to a sporting event. I believe it would have been better if IPL would have been held in India.”

Disappointment was writ large on the faces of young cricket enthusiasts who felt that IPL should be hosted in India as very few matches are played on Indian soil.

For Complete news visit:www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2463/Indians-Disappointed.htm

TV Rights Not Weather, Took IPL Away

Television rights and not the weather, it appears convinced Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi to chose South Africa instead of England for the second edition of the twenty20 tournament.

Lalit Modi,chairman IPL and(CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola

According to The Independent, Modi did not bother going on to London as initially planned to hear a pitch from the England and Wales Cricket Board for staging the game’s most lucrative competition.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India became less enthusiastic about hosting the event in Britain when they realised that apart from the bad weather in April and May, there may also encounter problems with broadcasting rights and revenue.

For complete news visit:www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2446/TV-Rights-Not-Weather,-Took-IPL-Away.htm

England in line to host IPL

England is most likely to host the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) 2009 edition after South African Chief Gerald Majola revealed that his country is not the first choice for organizers.

Convenor of IPL Lalit Modi is likely to arrive in London on Monday to hold further discussions with England and Wales Cricket Board to draft out ways which will fit twenty20 tournament around the county season.

Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Lalit Modi,Shilpa Shetty and Priety Zinta

England and South Africa are the primary two venues where IPL is likely to be played, but it seems BCCI prefers former for its huge Asian crowd.

“England is a very attractive venue,” Modi told The Daily Telegraph.

Board of Control for Cricket in India, contacted ECB and insisted for a decision to be made as soon as possible to check the practicability of hosting IPL on such short notice.

ECB, chief executive David Collier will fly back to England to meet IPL officials on Wednesday or Thursday.

Speaking to British media giant, Sky Collier clarified, “We have opened up discussions with the BCCI and IPL with the last 36 hours and we’ll be continuing those discussions in the middle of this week-and then we’ll be reporting to our board at the back end of the week.

“Clearly with only three weeks to go to the start of the competition, I think all parties recognize an early decision has to be made.”

For Complete news Visit :www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2383/England-Most-Likely-To-Host-IPL.htm

India End Long Drought

Gambhir finished on 30 not out, while Dravid was on eight after Harbhajan Singh had ripped through New Zealand’s second innings with figures of six for 63 to set up the win.

India's Harbhajan Singh celebrates after dismissing New Zealand's Iain O'Brien on day four of their first test cricket match in Hamilton

The Indian offspinner had taken five wickets before tea and it was only a stubborn 76-run ninth wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum (84) and Iain O’Brien (14) that allowed the hosts to give India the small target to chase.

Needing to make at least 241 to force the Indians to bat a second time, New Zealand collapsed to 216 for eight at tea on the fourth day, still 25 runs short.

Harbhajan ripped through the Kiwis’ batting, capturing five wickets for 45 runs before tea as the tourists closed in on their first test victory on New Zealand soil since 1976.

However, just as it seemed as if they could force the game into an unlikely fifth day, O’Brien was caught in close by Vangipurappu Laxman to give Harbhajan his sixth wicket.

McCullum then decided to hit out and after hitting left arm spinner Yuvraj Singh for four, attempted to repeat the shot two balls later only to top-edge a catch to Laxman to end the innings.

BACK FOOT

New Zealand were always up against it after losing six wickets in the very first session of the match on Wednesday and started the fourth day in deep trouble at 75-3.

Any hopes of a miracle appeared dashed when they lost Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder in the morning to limp to lunch on 146-5 then three more wickets by tea.

For Complete News Visit:.www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2304/India-Triumphant–in-Hamilton-.htm

England gifted first win

England claimed their first international win since August in farcical circumstances when West Indies miscalculated the Duckworth-Lewis target at the end of the opening one-dayer in Guyana on Friday.

stuart-broad-paul-collingwood-andrew-strauss

West Indies, chasing England’s 50-over total of 270 for seven, were offered the chance to go off due to rain and bad light and their Australian coach John Dyson beckoned the batsmen off the field.

However the hosts were one run short of the Duckworth-Lewis target, the method used to calculate results when the full overs are unused, and with no opportunity to return to the field England were declared winners with West Indies on 244 for seven from 46.2 overs.

Dyson left his seat in the pavilion to consult match referee Javagal Srinath and England were soon celebrating their first win since a one-day victory over South Africa at Lord’s.
“I was on the wrong column (on the sheet) … I thought we were ahead of Duckworth-Lewis but in fact we were behind by one run,” Dyson told Sky Sports television. “There was a lot of noise going on and it was my responsibility so that was it. DYSON’S MISTAKE “I accept responsibility for it and I’ve apologised to the team and that’s all I can do. It was my mistake.

For Complete News Visit:www.octansports.com/cricket/cricket-news/2294/England-Finally-Won.htm

McGain debuts as Australia bat in final Test

Ricky Ponting won his sixth toss in a row against South Africa and decided to have a bat on what he contently termed “a good wicket” in Cape Town.

Jacques Kallis has spent the better part of the last couple days trying to put everyone at ease as to how he was made captain in the absence of an injured Graeme Smith, but there was still a fair amount of apparent reluctance. Having to field first against a form line-up is no envious way to start a Test South Africa need to win to avert a whitewash.

Phillip Hughes avoids a bouncer.

Spin has played more of a role at Newlands than any other venue in the country and with Marcus North failing to come up from his illness the journeyman leg spinner Bryce McGain was finally handed a debut. The last few months have not been short of drama for McGain – his first tour with Australia was cut short in October when he was sent home from India with tendon damage in his shoulder and his second trip began with a missed flight. At 36 years and 359 days, McGain has become Australia’s oldest debutant since Bob Holland in 1984.

As expected, South Africa went in with a new-look opening pair of the debutant Imraan Khan and returning Ashwell Prince. The allrounder Albie Morkel makes his Test debut, replacing brother Morne.

It has been a dramatic switch for both teams since the previous series. Australia have turned around their fortunes dramatically, with rookies playing key roles, and in doing so they have managed to pass on the restless, testy cape they wore at home to South Africa. Under a steely blue Cape Town morning sky, the heat is definitely on the hosts.

Australia 1 Phillip Hughes, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 Andrew McDonald, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Bryce McGain, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.

South Africa 1 Imraan Khan, 2 Ashwell Prince, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis (capt), 5 AB de Villiers, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Albie Morkel, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

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