This is a highly anticipated match for the both sides as this will most set the direction in which they will tend to progress. [liveblog]
T20 World Cup 2014 – Group 2 – India vs Pakistan, Mirpur – India win by 7 wickets
The M S Dhoni led Indian T20 cricket team defeated the Pakistani team in the T20 World Cup 2014 today with 7 wickets. It was a brilliant show of overall cricket by the Indian team. India excelled in all departments of the game. The Pakistan side was limited to just 130 runs with 3 wickets in hand at the end of the 20 overs.
India vs Pakistan WC T20 – Greatest cricketing rivalry
This is the first match of the second round with the two arch-rivals playing each other for the fourth time in World T20 cricket. Interestingly, India has never lost to Pakistan in either World Cup or World T20 cricket, having played them on eight occasions before this. The world cup rivalry between these two countries is always intense. It is very important match for both the teams. “The focus is not the opposition team, the focus is on playing good so that winning the first match will build momentum for us” said Rohit Sharma.
Pakistan has won just one of their five T20 clashes against India and they have never beaten India in eight clashes in the World Cup (5 in ODIS and 3 in T20s). Thus India will try to maintain their record while Pakistan with better T20 side will try to break that record. Pakistan with all-round spin strength will attack Indian batsman and that game will once again be about Pakistan’s bowling vs India’s batting. With the return of Dhoni in team will boost up the squad, MS Dhoni leadership quality is the key factor for the side.
Players to watch out for –
- Saeed Ajmal is the second highest wicket-taker in the World T20.
- Indian openers got going during the 2012 World T20. This time, though they can hope for better with an in-form Shikhar Dhawan & Rohit Sharma capable of tearing into any attack in the world.
- Ashwin and Jadeja, control the middle of the innings superbly, and aren’t shy of bowling a high-pressure overs in the end either.
- Sharjeel Khan is the key man at the top order for Pakistan.
- Kamran Akmal, who has played all the previous World T20s, is back in the team after an year in the wilderness.
When it comes to an India-Pakistan match in world cups, how can one forget some of the most memorable clashes these teams have provided? Right from the world cup in 1992 to World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012. One of those was the epic encounter in Bangalore in the quarter final of 1996 world cup when Ajay Jadeja smashed Waqar Younis for 40 runs in his last 2 overs which changed the course of the match and threw Pakistan out of the tournament. The epic encounter of 2003 world cup in Centurion where Sachin played a world class innings of 98 to see India through against one of the most fearsome attacks in world cricket in the form of Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar.
When it comes to T20, the mind straightway recalls the most epic encounter between these 2 teams – the final of the 1st World Cup T20 2007. Who can ever forget that Misbah scoop of Joginder Sharma which went straight into the hands of Sreesanth and India became champions of the 1st ever T20 world cup.
Pakistan, right now, is in better form after winning some crucial encounters in recently concluded Asia cup. This is probably Pakistan’s best chance to beat India in a world cup game which they have never done before. As far as India is concerned, past few months have been very difficult for them especially because of the under-performing fast bowling department. They have come really close to winning some of those matches but have fallen short in the end. But T20 is a game of glorious uncertainties. An over can change the course of a match in minutes. We have to wait and watch if India continues their dominance against Pakistan in world cups or Pakistan finally breaks their losing streak.
PS: The article in written by CricBol.com intern Aakash Arora.
Cricket Quiz – Identify the cricketer 8
Use your cricketing brains and identify the player !! Leave your comments below.
T20 World Cup 2014 – Updates and summary – Match 1 – Bangladesh v/s Afghanistan
In the opener of the World T20 2014, Bangladesh stepped up and delivered a professional performance.
An easy win against Afghanistan, a team that had defeated them in the recently concluded Asia Cup, will make life easier for the Tigers who had been under pressure coming into the big tournament.
Afghanistan found themselves on the back foot right from the first ball as Mohammad Shehzad was dismissed by Mashrafe Mortaza, giving Bangladesh the perfect start after Mushfiqur had won the toss and put Afghanistan in to bat.
A few lusty blows by Gulbadin Naib and Najeeb Tarakai were not enough for the Afghans as the Bangladeshi spinners maintained a firm grip on proceedings. Tight spells by Shakib Al-Hasan, Mahamadullah and Abdur Razzak ensured that Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals and were not able to score quickly.
Mushfiqur’s decision to bowl first paid dividends as Bangladesh bowled Afghanistan out for 72, their best ever performance in a T20 game.
The bowling effort made the chase a formality as Bangladesh coasted to victory led by Anamul Haque’s unbeaten 44 off 31 balls. Another encouraging sign for them was that Tamim Iqbal looked in good touch which should hold them in good stead for the rest of the tournament.
Interestingly this was Bangladesh’s first international win since the 3rd of November, 2013.
World Cup T20 – 2014 – Preview
After the recently concluded Asia Cup, there is already a growing buzz about cricket at Bangladesh this season. With a total of 16 teams participating in this edition of the world cup and consisting of new entrants like Nepal and Hong Kong along with a completely new format, the ICC T20 World Cup 2014 is rearing to jump start. Following is the schedule of the tournament: 
Sri Lanka after convincingly wining the Asia Cup are firm favorites. West Indies will look to gain some momentum after the bumpy run that they have had in the past three series and retain the championship. After a bad run by India at the Asia cup, the return of skipper MS Dhoni would be a big boost as they try to find their winning ways. On the contrary, one can have no doubts about how menacing Australia can be considering the performances in the past few months having completely outclassed England at the Ashes.. They are definitely a big hurdle for the other teams. With the departure of Graeme Smith, South Africa has a huge hole to be plugged. But they can never be underestimated as they are known to be exquisite at this format of the game. New Zealand and England will be very confident coming into this tournament having beaten India and West Indies fair and square.
Bangladesh has also shown some gutsy performances in the Asia Cup and with home support they are likely to provide an upset. On the whole, we have a wonderfully set tournament with fairly bifurcated groups having equal potential with England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa in Group A and Australia, India, Pakistan and West Indies ready to battle it out in the other group with an additional team in both the groups from the initial groups. They consist of Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Nepal and Afghanistan in Group A and Zimbabwe, Ireland, Netherlands and UAE in Group B.
Let the cricket begin!
PS: The article is written by CricBol.com intern Aditya Sastry.
IPL 7 – 2014, The Million Dollar Show
The countdown begins for World’s Top billed Cricket League i.e. Indian Premier League.
The Premier League is generally considered to be the highest-profile showcase in the world for Twenty20 (T20) cricket; this will be the seventh season of the IPL. There will be eight teams playing this year, one less than 2013 after the withdrawal of Pune Warriors India. IPL 2014 is already in news because of alleged involvement in the betting scandal; the Chennai Super Kings had set up a benchmark as a team but there are serious question marks on team’s integrity.
We might think billion times before worshipping a cricketer, before praising a team and before choosing our role models. Cricket lovers are hurt, the trust factor is lost. Has Cricket lost its innocence?
There is also a Good News for the Indian Cricket Fans that 60-70 percent of matches will be held in India only, as the election commission announced the date of Lok Sabha polls which will be held from April 7 to May 12. There is also a possibility of shifting the initial leg of the tournament to UAE or Bangladesh and the rest of the tournament will be held in India after the Lok Sabha elections are over.
There are major surprises in auction this year both with capped and uncapped players like Yuvraj Singh leading the front with INR 14 crores, sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dinesh Karthik auctioned to Delhi Daredevils for INR 12.5 crores, Kevin Pietersen sold to Delhi Daredevils for INR 9 crores, Mitchell Johnson sold to Kings XI Punjab for INR 6.5 crores.
Karn Sharma bagged the highest among the uncapped players as Sunrisers Hyderabad paid 3.75 crore to retain him, while Rishi Dhawan was the second best with 3 crore paid for him by Kings XI Punjab.
The IPL auction definitely made a few more millionaires 🙂
Top Picks of the season:
Royal Challengers Bangalore- Yuvraj Singh (14 crore), Starc (5 crore), Morkel (2.4 crore)
Kolkata Knight Riders- Kallis (5.5 crore), Piyush Chawla (4.25 crore), Uthappa (5crore)
Kings XI Punjab- Johnson (6.5 crore), Sehwag (3.2 crore), Bailey (3.25 crore)
Chennai Super Kings- Faf Du Plesis (4.75 crore), Dwayne Smith (4.5 crore), McCullum (3.25 crore)
Delhi Daredevils- Dinesh Karthik (12.5 crore), Pietersen (9 crore), Murali Vijay (5 crore), Coulter-Nile(4.24 crore)
Rajasthan Royals- Steve Smith (4 crore), Brad Hodge (2.4 crore)
Mumbai Indians- Mike Hussey (5 crore), Ojha (3.25 crore), Zaheer Khan (2.6 crore)
Sunrisers Hyderabad- Warner (5.5 crore), Amit Mishra (4.75 crore), Finch (4 crore)
The following is a list of some top players who went unsold in the IPL 7 auctions.
IPL has had its fair share of controversies. Sometimes so much that it takes away the beauty of the gentlemen’s game. The fixing controversies have tarnished the image of not just IPL but Indian cricket as well. IPL and controversies are like politics and corruption. Hopefully it won’t be the case in 2014.
PS: The article is authored by CricBol.com intern Aakash Arora.
Graeme Smith – Career Review
“The starting point of all achievement is desire”, said Napoleon Hill and Graeme Smith did desire. He desired, he believed and he definitely achieved it! 33-year-old Smith, the most successful South African captain post Apartheid era and one of the grittiest batsmen of his generation bid adieu to international cricket at the conclusion of the final Test against Australia in Cape Town.
Smith sprang a shock when he informed team-mates after the third day’s play, startling everyone including Cricket South Africa (CSA) chiefs. Smith’s departure from the sport comes after his former team mate and perhaps the world’s finest all-rounder Jacques Kallis exit from the South African Test team in December.
At the age of 22, Smith was appointed the youngest captain in South Africa’s history and had played only 8 tests and had the experience of just a year of international cricket when he was given the responsibility, following the 2003 World Cup. He kept his job as well as performed his part in élan till he walked off the field on March 3 at Newlands in Cape Town. He has helped South Africa win 52 from his 108 Tests as skipper, and has led his nation to more triumphs than any other cricketer.
Smith made his Test debut against Australia at Cape Town on Mar 8-12, 2002 and subsequently made his ODI debut on March 30, 2003 at Bloemfontein versus Australia and was unexpectedly handed over the national captaincy the year next. He is the most capped Test captain in the history of world cricket with a winning percentage of 48.62. He has amassed 9265 Test runs at an average of 48.49, his highest Test score being 277 at Edgbaston in 2003.
He has scored 27 hundreds and 38 half-centuries, with an impressive statistic that not one of his Test centuries resulted in a loss for his side. He scored three consecutive 100s in the West Indies, becoming the first captain since 1977 to finish a Caribbean tour undefeated. His record included two away series victories against both Australia ns England- a feat achieved by no other captain. He was named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2004. He has also played 197 ODIs and 33 Twenty20 internationals.
Under Smith’s commendable leadership; the South African team has reached the zenith which no other
captain had ever achieved for the country and has helped restoring South Africa’s high levels on the international stage and becoming one of cricket’s most dangerous batsmen. He once showed great guts and played with a broken hand and almost prevented defeat against Australia: Kallis plays with a broken hand against Australia
Here’s hoping that SA will be able to find a worthy successor to Smith!
PS: The article is written by CricBol.com intern Tulika.
Boom Boom Afridi – The Show Man
30*, 2, 0, 4 and 6 were Afridi’s past batting scores in One Day matches before playing the most awaited match of Asia Cup : Pakistan Vs India. Undeterred by the past, he scored a match winning innings against India – their arch rivals. Yes we are talking about ‘The Showman – ShahidAfridi’. His fiery knock of 34*of just 18 balls in a crunch situation against the World No. 2 side India not only proved to be match winning innings but also proved to be reason for India’s ouster from this year’s Asia-Cup. The match as expected didn’t disappoint the viewers as it ended in the last over with Afridi hitting two big sixes to take Pakistan home.
The story didn’t end here. After having regained his lost form from the previous match against India, he again proved his mettle in the next league match against the host nation Bangladesh. Chasing a stiff target of 327, an aggressive knock of 59 off 25 balls by Shahid Afridi paved way for a relatively easy win for Pakistan, the chase at one stage looked to be a difficult one against the host nation. This is what he does. Though his bowling has been more consistent than his batting over the past years, his 2 out of 10 innings of batting are the match winning ones. His aggressive style of batting and bowling as well, is the reason why he is called ‘Boom Boom Afridi’ by his fans.
Relive some of Afridi’s Asia Cup heroics: Afridi murders Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2014
Coming out of conditional retirement in the year 2011, which he announced in May of the same year due to the ill-treatment given to him by the PCB as he says, this man has slowly rediscovered his golden touch. This resurgence by him is shown by the records he has achieved up till now since his conditional retirement. The Show-Man having hit most number of sixes in ODI’s and also his recent glory run has certainly raised the chances of Pakistan regaining the World T20 title which is hosted in the same country just a week after Asia Cup.
PS: The article has been contributed by CricBol.com intern Sushant Telang.
Asia Cup Review – India prespective
After the deplorable performances in South Africa and New Zealand, a lot was expected from Team India at the Asia Cup as it was being played in the favorable conditions of the sub-continent.
However, two heartbreaking losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan meant that India was eliminated without reaching the final of the tournament. It cannot be said that the team paid poorly, but costly errors at important times in the two games proved to be the difference in the end.
In the game against Sri Lanka, Kumar San
gakkara was dropped on 30 by Dinesh Karthik and he went on to make a match wining ton. DK was the culprit against Pakistan too as he got out at an inopportune time and he made errors in the field too. DK also missed a critical stumping in the match against Pakistan which proved to be a game changer. The other players didn’t cover themselves with glory too as we witnessed several collisions in the field, Varun Aaron was forcibly removed from the attack and the batsmen could never really get going and the team posted below par scores in both the matches.
In the dead rubber match against Afghanistan an unchanged side was named and this decision met with a lot of criticism, especially from Sunil Gavaskar. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishwar Pandey were not given an opportunity to play and some have called these reserve players as ‘glorified travelers’.
Yet, there are a few positives to take away from the Asia Cup. Most importantly, Virat Kohli proved yet again that he will prove to be a worthy successor to MS Dhoni as captain as he showcased his captaincy skills as India almost defended two below par scores against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Also, Amit Mishra proved to be lethal as well as economical and his performance adds another dimension to the bowling attack. Shikhar Dhawan cemented his place as first choice opener as he was India’s best batsman in the tournament.
The Asia Cup performance is a wakeup call to all concerned with Indian cricket that if India wishes to do well at the World Cup in 2015, some serious work has to be put in to ensure success in Australia.
PS: The article is contributed by CricBol.com intern Arnav Jain.