London, June 18: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly backs under-fire skipper MS Dhoni and says the team and country should put behind the humiliation of the T20 World Championship and move on.
Ganguly, who is in London and will turn a new page when he sits behind the camera for ESPN, spoke to CNN-IBN’s associate cricket editor Nishant arora. While he backed Team India, he also said that fatigue can never be an excuse for the young lads in the team.
London, June 18: West Indies are confident of chasing nearly any total in this event; Sri Lanka believe there is no score they can’t defend. Clearly, something will have to give in their World Twenty20 semi-final.
Friday’s match at the Oval sees two exciting sides up against one another and, while Sri Lanka will start favourites, the West Indies have shown that they are not to under-estimated.
Sri Lanka, who have an admirably well balanced side for cricket’s shortest format, have yet to lose a match at this tournament.
Karachi, June 18: Back in the national side after snapping ties with the ICL, Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq said he had a torrid time adjusting to mainstream cricket after playing in the “low standard” rebel League.
“It wasn’t easy getting back into international cricket after a long absence. This is the highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in the ICL and its low standards of cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment,” Razzaq told the ‘Dawn’ newspaper in London.
Karachi, June 18: Former Pakistani Test players Zaheer Abbas and Saleem Yousuf have backed Younis Khan and his team to win the Twenty20 World Cup in England.
“I think the Pakistani players have surprised everyone with their performances after a slow start in the tournament. If they retain their momentum they can go on to win the Cup,” former Test captain Zaheer Abbas said.
Zaheer, who had criticised the performance of the team in the early part of the World Cup, said the batsmen must support the bowlers if they were to win the title.
Nottingham, June 18: An intriguing battle is on the cards when favourites South Africa clash with buoyant Pakistan in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 on Thursday.
The South Africans have showed their all-round prowess during an unbeaten run in the tournament, including emphatic wins in all three Super Eight games against the West Indies, England and defending champions India.
The latest success came at Trent Bridge on Tuesday when the Proteas fought back after being restricted to a modest 130-5 on a slow wicket to keep off-colour India down to 118-8.
London, June 18: West Indies are confident of chasing nearly any total in this event; Sri Lanka believe there is no score they can’t defend. Clearly, something will have to give in their World Twenty20 semi-final.
Friday’s match at the Oval sees two exciting sides up against one another and, while Sri Lanka will start favourites, the West Indies have shown that they are not to under-estimated.
Sri Lanka, who have an admirably well balanced side for cricket’s shortest format, have yet to lose a match at this tournament.
London, June 18: South Africa are confident they can handle Umar Gul’s reverse swing when they clash with Pakistan in the World Twenty20 semi-final on Thursday.
Gul is the main reason the enigmatic Pakistanis have progressed so far in the tournament after a stuttering start, and will be expected to deliver again to see his team through to the final.
The right-arm seamer grabbed a sensational five wickets for six runs against New Zealand in a must-win at the Oval last Saturday, the first ever five-wicket haul in Twenty20 internationals.
London, June 18: Sachin Tendulkar shares an average fan’s disappointment after Team India’s early exit from the Twenty20 World Cup but he strongly disapproves of the backlash it has generated back home.
Tendulkar said he was disappointed with India’s failed title defence but at the same time felt the fans back home needed to show more “responsibility and balance” in their reaction.
Islamabad, June 17: Pakistani police have made their first arrest in the attack on Sri Lanka’s cricket team, and determined that the assailants planned to take the athletes hostage, a senior official said Wednesday.
Pervez Rathore, police chief in the city of Lahore where the March 3 attack occurred, said the arrested suspect, Mohammad Zubair, was a member of a banned militant group, as were six other suspects in the assault.
He refused to name the group.
Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan have been rested from India’s four-ODI to the Caribbean starting on June 26, and Suresh Raina has missed out due to a hairline fracture on his thumb.
Fast bowler Ashish Nehra makes a comeback after his impressive performances for the Delhi Daredevils in this year’s IPL, while the big-hitting Mumbai allrounder Abhishek Nayar gets his maiden call-up to the national squad.
New Delhi, June 17: Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has been signed by Swiss luxury watch company Movado as its brand ambassador.
‘I am honoured to be associated with a brand like Movado. It believes in the art of design and is known for its perfection worldwide. I have strong faith in the pursuit of perfection. I am looking forward to a long association,’ said Harbhajan in a press statement.
Other ambassadors of the brand include tennis player Pete Sampras, jazz master Wynton Marsalis, actors Amanda Seyfried and Kerry Washington and dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.
–IANS
Nottingham, June 17: Criticised by former cricketers for his tactical blunders against England, Mahendra Singh Dhoni faced the wrath of angry fans as he was booed after India’s 12-run defeat to South Africa in their final Twenty20 World Cup Super Eight match here.
Dhoni was booed at the presentation ceremony after the match but the beleaguered Indian captain said it didn’t affect him.
Nottingham, June 17: A hugely confident South Africa will look to continue to unleash their all-round prowess against an unpredictable but resurgent Pakistan in the first semifinal of the Twenty20 World Cup here tomorrow.
South Africa have been on the roll with their five-match unbeaten streak in the tournament, and they are the favourites to win the title after their emphatic wins against the West Indies, England and holders India in the Super Eight stage.
Nottingham, June 17: An intriguing battle is on the cards when favourites South Africa clash with buoyant Pakistan in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 on Thursday.
The South Africans have showed their all-round prowess during an unbeaten run in the tournament, including emphatic wins in all three Super Eight games against the West Indies, England and defending champions India.
The latest success came at Trent Bridge on Tuesday when the Proteas fought back after being restricted to a modest 130-5 on a slow wicket to keep off-colour India down to 118-8.
London, June 17: This is pretty hard to believe, guys: three T20 defeats in a row. If the West Indies fast bowlers proved we cannot play pace, the South Africans showed we cannot handle the turning ball either. So what are we? Just flat pitch bullies?
Though our spinners bowled well in restricting South Africa to 130, I still can’t fathom why we kept Pragyan Ojha out on a spinner-friendly track.
London, June 16:Pakistan skipper Younis Khan called the extra scrutiny of the ball by umpires during their game against Ireland in World Twenty20 as “embarrassing.”
Umpires checked the ball after every over at the Lord’s Monday following the unproven ball-tampering allegations raised by New Zealand against seamer Umar Gul. The Pakistani fast bowler demolised the New Zealanders with his record five for six, getting the new ball to reverse swing, during their first Super Eight game at The Oval.
London, June 16: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday it is yet to decide on the venues of the 2011 World Cup matches that were scheduled to be played in Pakistan, indicating these could be played outside the subcontinent.
ICC had dropped Pakistan as a co-host of the World Cup, to be held in the subcontinent, because of volatile security situation there, following which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initiated legal action against cricket’s governing body.
Nottingham, June 16: South Africa captain Graeme Smith offered his support to under-fire India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday after the defending champions crashed out of the World Twenty20.
India`s three-run defeat to England at Lord`s on Sunday sparked an avalanche of criticism aimed at Dhoni with his tactical thinking coming under fire from the country`s demanding fans.
Taunton, June 16: India booked a semi-final berth in the women’s Twenty20 World Cup after humbling Sri Lanka by five wickets in a rain-marred pool B
match, on Monday.
Poonam Raut hit a patient 30 off 41 balls, while Mithali Raj cracked an unbeaten 22-ball 32 to help India romp home after restricting the Lankans to a paltry 94 for six in a rain-reduced 18 overs per side match at County Ground here.
Chasing 95 to win, openers Poonam and Anjum Chopra (11) made a watchful start scoring 27 in the first seven overs before the latter was sent packing by Udeshika Prabodani.
London, June 16 (IANS) Composed unbeaten knocks from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul took West Indies to the semi-final of the World Twenty20 and shut the door on hosts England with a five-wicket win, via the Duckworth Lewis method, in a rain affected game at The Oval here Monday.
England, despite getting a good start, lost their way once again in the second half of the innings but still managed to post 161 for six in 20 overs after Ravi Bopara hit 55 off 47 balls and Kevin Pietersen scored a fluent 31 (19).
New Delhi, June 16: The Indian players might have heaved a collective sigh of relief when they crashed out of the T20 World Cup on Sunday night: they can finally go home now and actually crash without worrying about a bat or ball for some time.
You could, of course, see the fatigue in Gambhir’s sluggish limbs, in Dhoni’s glazed eyes and Harbhajan’s half-hearted smiles; you could sense the resignation in the team’s body-language too: it was neither anywhere near its peak form, nor burning with intensity or raging for victory.
London, June 15: Scoreboard of the World Twenty20 Group F Super Eights match between Pakistan and Ireland at The Kennington Oval here Monday.
Pakistan:
Kamran Akmal b Johnston 57 (51)
Shahzaib Hasan c McCallan b Cusack 23 (19)
Shahid Afridi c Mooney b McCallan 24 (13)
Younis Khan b West 10 (8)
Misbah-ul-Haq c Niall b McCallan 20 (14)
Abdul Razzaq not out 15 (9)
Shoaib Malik not out 4 (7)
Extras: (lb 3, w 2, nb 1) 6
Total: (for five wickets in 20 overs) 159
London, June 15: Inspiring performances from Kamran Akmal and Saeed Ajmal carried Pakistan into the semifinals of the World Twenty20 after they defeated Ireland by 39 runs in a Group F Super Eights match at The Oval here Monday.
Opening batsman and wicketkeeper Akmal hit a flamboyant 57 as Pakistan made 159 for five in 20 overs after skipper Younis Khan won the toss and elected to bat.
London, June 15: Pakistan beat Ireland by 39 runs at the Oval to increase their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
Ireland’s target of 160 always seemed out-of-reach for the Irish against an ever-improving bowling attack, with Saeed Ajmal (4-19) and Umar Gul (2-19) to the fore on this occasion.
Niall O’Brien (7) top-edged an attempted pull straight back to Mohammad Aamer, who took a steepling catch off his own bowling.
Ireland reached 37-1 at the end of their Powerplay, with just three boundaries, as they struggled to make the most of the period before spin entered the equation.
Bangalore, June 15 : In professional sport the toughest miles are rarely recorded. Never applauded. Over a period of time, they become personal milestones, the place where the will scored over a whim.
On Saturday, Sania Mirza lost both her semi-final matches in the AEGON Classic in Birmingham. In the singles, the 22-year-old went down to the 13th seed Magdalena Rybarikova in a tough three-setter. A few hours later, Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang of Taipei took the exit in the doubles competition too.