Praveen Kumar, the Indian fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Twenty20 due to a side strain. His replacement will be Vidarbha and Delhi Daredevils fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who impressed with his pace during the recent IPL.
Yadav, 22, got the call from the Vidarbha Cricket Association earlier in the afternoon and he will leave for the Caribbean on Friday from Mumbai. Yadav, who picked six wickets at 30 in the seven IPL matches, acknowledged the help he got from Eric Simons, the Daredevils’ bowling coach, who is also the Indian team’s bowling consultant.
 “I am completely surprised. And that, too, for a World Cup, I really find it hard to believe,” Yadav told Cricinfo from the Nagpur airport. “But I have been enjoying my bowling especially in the last year so it is bearing the fruits now.” Yadav was not part of the pool of 30 probables but needs a nod from the tournament’s technical committee, which should be a formality.
Praveen had sustained the injury during a practice session at the 3Ws Oval and the Indian team management sent him for an MRI which revealed the injury. He bowled only one over in the victory over South Africa in St Lucia, but his services will be missed in Barbados, where the pitches have plenty of pace and bounce. If India decide to go with three fast bowlers against Australia on Friday, Karnataka seamer Vinay Kumar could make his international debut.
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: ICC World Twenty20
Here is the revised schedule of the ICC Worlcup T20 matches. With only 8 teams remaining now, it will be exciting to see how the teams perform. There will be two matches everyday from June 11th to June 16th and the winners will quality into the ICC Semi finals where they will battle out for the ICC trophy 2009.
Here is the Super eight Worldcup T20 Schedule Matches date :
ICC Super Eight Thu 11
12:30 GMT, 13:30 local – New Zealand vs Ireland
Place – Trent Bridge, Nottingham
16:30 GMT, 17:30 local – England vs South Africa
Place – Trent Bridge, Nottingham
ICC Super Eight Fri 12
12:30 GMT, 13:30 local – Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
Place – Lord’s, London
16:30 GMT, 17:30 local – India vs West Indies
Place – Lord’s, London
ICC Super Eight Sat 13
12:30 GMT, 13:30 local – West Indies vs South Africa
Place – Kennington Oval, London
16:30 GMT, 17:30 local – Pakistan vs New Zealand
Place – Kennington Oval, London
ICC Super Eight Sun 14
12:30 GMT, 13:30 local – Ireland vs Sri Lanka
Place – Lord’s, London
16:30 GMT, 17:30 local – India vs England
Place – Lord’s, London
ICC Super Eight Mon 15
12:30 GMT, 13:30 local – England vs West Indies
Place – Kennington Oval, London
16:30 GMT, 17:30 local – Ireland vs Pakistan
Place – Kennington Oval, London
ICC Super Eight Tue 16
12:30 GMT, 13:30 local – Sri Lanka vs New Zealand
Place – Trent Bridge, Nottingham
16:30 GMT, 17:30 local – India vs South Africa
Place – Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Source: crickethood.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: ICC World Twenty20
Few sides really need to win – or do very well – the World Twenty20 as badly as Pakistan. Few sides will be as rusty as Pakistan. And few sides are as capable of them of pulling off something special, especially in this format.
 Pak Pakistan’s travails on and off the field need no repeating. Suffice to say, on the field, they have lurched closer and closer to what was once thought to be unthinkable: a team you have no particular opinion about, a team that doesn’t set any pulses racing. For Pakistan, that is a fate worse than defeat, or death. So a triumph here – a good run even – would be as significant a boost on the field as winning a battle against militants off it.
It won’t be easy given their rustiness – nobody, not even Bangladesh, has played less international cricket since January 2007 than Pakistan. And they were the only country whose players weren’t represented at the IPL; instead they warmed up with a conditioning camp and a hastily-arranged domestic Twenty20 tournament. But for Pakistan, Twenty20 is like finding yourself back in the galli you have played cricket in all your life. The angles, the run-stealing, the yorkers, the spin, the-poor-fielding-with-crucial-moments-of-quality, the big-hitting, clarity emerging only from chaos; as in South Africa two years ago, there is a natural familiarity and comfort with the format.
Additionally, the draw seems so kind to them, it can only be a trick. You would think England – averse as they are to the format and obsessed in this summer of all summers – and Netherlands should be negotiated (though Dirk Nannes on a bouncy, green pitch has headlines written all over it). And, if all goes to form, they avoid Australia, India and South Africa in the Super Eights. Sri Lanka and New Zealand are proper threats where a semi-final place is concerned, but given their records against them, there is no question Pakistan would face them, rather than any of the big three. Once you’re in the semis, strange things begin to happen.
Strengths
The variety in their bowling attack: Shahid Afridi’s leg-spin is as effective as it has ever been, in restricting runs and taking wickets, and Saeed Ajmal’s strangely-trajectoried off-spin and doosra is an unexpectedly useful foil. In Umar Gul, Pakistan have one of the format’s very best bowlers, pace or slow. Now they only need for Sohail Tanvir to break free from the shackles of indifference that have gripped him since the start of the year.
Weaknesses
Around Pakistan’s batting swarm an uncomfortably high number of question marks. Is Salman Butt really a Twenty20 opener (a strike rate of 94 and one fifty in 13 internationals), given his inability to at least rotate the strike when not finding the boundary? Is Younis Khan cut out for this format – he himself seems unsure about it, hinting recently it may be his last Twenty20 assignment – and if so, what position is best? What is Shahid Afridi’s best position, and Kamran Akmal’s?
X-Factor
Depending on whether or not they play, Shahzaib Hasan and Mohammad Aamer: Hasan is an explosive opener, mostly unseen, but highly recommended by Rashid Latif. Aamer is the whippy left-armer with Wasim Akram’s stamp of approval: a fantastic first-class debut season that has seen his confident rise, his time may come if Sohail Tanvir continues to misfire. Pakistan’s history of thrusting unknown names into the mix is long and established.
Key Players
If Pakistan end up doing well here, a number of things will have to have happened. Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi must’ve taken a fair few wickets, Kamran Akmal must’ve scored some runs, Misbah-ul-Haq must’ve played a few remarkably cool hands and Afridi must’ve played at least one madcap, match-changing innings. Given the form and mood he is in, Afridi could be the real key.
Twenty20 form guide
They looked rusty in the warm-up loss to South Africa but too much should not be read from the defeat. They looked up for it in decimating an admittedly weakened Australia before that, but missing the IPL, crucially, could go either way for Pakistan’s players: they may not be as tired as some, but neither might they be as attuned to competitive Twenty20 as others.
Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Ahmed Shehzad, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Fawad Alam, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Yasir Arafat, Saeed Ajmal, Shahzaib Hasan
Source: Cricinfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: ICC World Twenty20, Pakistan
Ireland have stretched the gap between themselves and the other Associate and Affiliate nations over the past two years, and their presence for the first time in the ICC World Twenty20 is just reward for their perseverance and talent. With a strong development programme from Under-13s, through the age groups, they are beginning to produce cricketers whose aspirations stretch beyond Ireland itself.
 IR Eoin Morgan is the latest to hot-foot it over the water to England, and for all Ireland’s genuine and impressive improvement in the last couple of years, they remain handicapped in losing their best talent to England. In addition, Ireland and Associates simply don’t play enough international cricket against the leading nations to warrant too much optimism heading into this particular event. More prosaically, they have only played four Twenty20s, each of which were against Associate nations, three of which they won comfortably.
Their involvement in the Friends Provident Trophy in England is, on paper, very worth their while. But along with Morgan, who plays for Middlesex, Ireland also lose their best bowler (Boyd Rankin, to Warwickshire), their captain (William Porterfield, to Gloucestershire) and the O’Brien brothers (Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire). A side shorn of experience and talent inevitably struggles against county sides, though they did stun Worcestershire who were rolled for a pathetic 58 last month.
The shorter the format, the greater the chance: that is often the misguided call for hope by Associate followers, and in one sense it is true. There is certainly a greater chance of Ireland causing an upset, and they possess plenty of accurate and nibbly seamers to keep things tight. Trent Johnston, their allrounder with an Australian lilt, is fiercely competitive and not to be underestimated, while Porterfield and the O’Briens can fight tooth and nail to the bitter end. But it is every bit as likely their richer opponents will speed to 50 in three overs or have Ireland chasing scores in excess of 200. As ever, this tournament is as much an exposure to the higher level (and intensity) of cricket for Associates, rather than a chance for glory, though Ireland remain bullishly confident and have Bangladesh in their sights. Whatever happens, they will not be overawed.
Strengths
Accurate and (for the most part) tidy seam-bowling. They’re a fit side and all fear and admire their coach, Phil Simmons, who remains as gym-fit as any coach in the game. They should hold their own as fielders, and while they have a number of attractive strokemakers, they will miss Morgan’s inventiveness. Kevin O’Brien can hit the ball miles, though.
Weaknesses
They simply lack experience. They will believe they can beat a Full Member nation, and even before the ICC World Cup Qualifiers were underway two months ago, they spoke confidently about felling Bangladesh. But as they showed against Australia, Bangladesh might be a weak bowling unit, but they will test Ireland to the limit and should still win.
X-Factor
They might keep losing some of their best players to the old enemy across the water but perhaps, for once, their experience in English conditions will give them a slight advantage over the tourists. Porterfield, the O’Brien brothers and Rankin all play county cricket and, as their determined display in South Africa showed, not to mention their defeat of Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, Ireland will never be overawed by the occasion.
Key player(s)
Boyd Rankin, their sky-scraping fast bowler, is a genuine talent and many in Ireland believe he’ll be the next Irishman to don an England shirt. Whether Twenty20 will suit him is another matter, however. Porterfield has steel and maturity beyond his 24 years and offers stability and class, while Kevin and Niall O’Brien can both tonk the ball miles if it’s in the slot.
T20 form guide
Ireland have played just four Twenty20 matches, winning three, though all four were against Associate nations.
Squad: William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Jeremy Bray, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Trent Johnston, Kyle McCallan, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Regan West, Andrew White, Gary Wilson
Source: Cricinfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: ICC World Twenty20, Ireland
Like Australia a couple years before them, India approached Twenty20 cautiously and perhaps indifferently until they won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007. What happened next – the IPL, Champions League, the surge in interest from the BCCI – is well documented. India are a force to reckon with and where Indian fans have had to lower expectations in the past, they can truly raise them with this unit.
 India Unlike the squad that flew to South Africa two years ago, the one that touched down in London carries way more expectation. Pre-tournament chatter has included talk of India retaining their crown at Lord’s on June 21 and much of it is justified. India’s rise as a Twenty20 force since that epic September evening has coincided with their rise in Test and 50-over cricket and many of the same players have gained in confidence from their exploits in cricket’s shortest format. Some of this squad contributed heavily to the last two IPLs but the test now will be to forget all that and perform against the toughest opposition there is.
The make-up of this squad displays immense talent and the most balanced side of all. A superb opening pair, a trio of three outrageously gifted timers of the ball to follow, a clutch of allrounders, crafty medium-pacers and seamers, tidy spinners and a captain/batsman/wicketkeeper who has balanced the demands of leadership with honing his own game. Every successful team needs a smart leader, and Dhoni has fit into that role with ease. Critics have argued that with Dhoni there’s a certain amount of luck involved, but if its luck that helped India win the last CB Series, the inaugural World Twenty20 and bilateral ODI series over Sri Lanka (twice) and England, then don’t expect it to run out anytime soon.
With a seven-four win-loss record in 13 Twenty20 India’s statistics in this format aren’t too hot but they go into the tournament as favourites. India’s progression to the second round is an easy task given that Ireland and Bangladesh are their group mates. Once in the last eight they will be a threat to every team, not least because of the manner in which they brushed aside South Africa – a critical moment in their successful campaign – and Australia in 2007. India won the last tournament because of their fielding and bowling. They won three matches defending what would be considered sub-par scores in Twenty20. They have the firepower to repeat 2007.
Strengths
The line-up: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Yusuf Pathan, RP Singh, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. These are some of the game’s best players and when packed into the same XI – if at all possible – India are a tough team to beat. The top order is excellent, the middle packs weight, the fielding is athletic, the spin cupboard brimming, and the pace department top-rate.
Weaknesses
Fatigue – both physical and mental. All these players have played a lot of cricket, both domestic, international and in the IPL, and there is a concern that a few are carrying niggles. Zaheer Khan sat out the second half of the IPL and India’s first World Twenty20 warm-up and he will remain the cynosure of medical eyes until the XI is announced.
X-Factor
Pragyan Ojha may not be an automatic starter but he will keep his captain interested and Harbhajan Singh on his toes. Ojha bowled very well all throughout Deccan Chargers’ IPL campaign in South Africa, finishing the tournament with 18 wickets. The stronger the pressure, the better Ojha performed. He came on in leaps and bounds in the IPL, and in his first bowl on English soil this summer he got a lot of deliveries to turn and spit in India’s warm-up defeat to New Zealand. Few sides have seen him in action if confronted with tracks that assist spin, Ojha might turn out to be India’s wildcard this summer.
Key player(s)
In the midst of a powerful batting line-up, Rohit Sharma stands on his own two feet with an air that says he belongs here. Gifted with plenty of time to execute his shots and hit through the line or off the back foot, Rohit can bat anywhere in the order. He’s coming off another successful IPL season, one in which he turned in two match-winning cameos and stunned many with his accurate, effective offspin but, most importantly, showed a flair for leadership and an aptitude to think and evaluate.
Twenty20 form guide
Their form since the World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg reads three losses from four games. Their bogey remains New Zealand, who they have yet to beat in three attempts.
Squad MS Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Yuvraj Singh.
Source: CricInfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: ICC World Twenty20, India
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