World Of T20 Cricket

Umar Gul took a wicket first ball, Shahid Afridi took two in his first two balls, and Australia imploded bizarrely after a flying start from Shane Watson. From 42 for 0 in four overs Australia went to 73 for 5 and 108 all out, a target Pakistan chased down easily after an early wobble. Australia had fielded almost a second XI, and played like that.

The first innings of the match was as frenetically eventful as the second was assured and sedate. Gul’s 4-0-8-4 was just one run off the best-ever figures in Twenty20 internationals. Afridi followed his double-wicket maiden with another wicket and nine more runs in the next two overs, as the Australian batsmen kept playing for the non-existent spin. The collapse was just as spectacular as Watson’s onslaught on Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir. It was ironically a missed inside edge by Aleem Dar that started the slide.

Umar Gul became the highest wicket-taker in Twenty20s, and his 4-0-8-4 was just a run off the best-ever figures in the format

No less a bizarre innings would have been fit for a day when the match started one-and-a-half hours after the toss while waiting for Dubai’s Sheikh, an esteemed guest for the match. A day when Younis Khan pulled out at the 11th hour because of fever. A day when Misbah-ul-Haq, the stand-in captain, said at the toss that Younis stepped down to give Fawad Alam an opportunity.

The delayed start didn’t affect Watson, who seemed to be carrying on from his century in the final one-dayer. He started the match with an outside-edged boundary off Shoaib, didn’t get much strike for the next three overs, and exploded in the fourth. He carted Tanvir for back-to-back boundaries through midwicket, and pulled the next to deep backward square leg. In four overs, Watson had reached 33 off 13 deliveries, with Misbah seeming out of sorts.

He was in complete control, though, hurrying the introduction of perhaps the best Twenty20 bowler in international cricket. With his first ball Gul went level with Daniel Vettori, with most wickets in Twenty20 internationals. The ball swung in late, hitting Watson in front, but for the inside edge that Dar missed. Gul would soon go past Vettori.

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written by Swapnil \\ tags: Australia, Pakisthan, T20, Twenty20, Twenty20 Cricket

The Indian board has announced an “amnesty” for all Indian players associated with the ICL, who can return to official cricket provided they cut all ties with the unofficial league by May 31. The players who choose to return to the official fold will be eligible to play international cricket after a one-year ‘cooling period’ but can play domestic cricket from June 1, when the ICC’s new rules on official and unofficial cricket come into force.

“A lot of cricketers and support staff with the ICL met us and told us that they committed a mistake by joining the ICL and they want to return to the BCCI,” Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said after a meeting of the board, where the decision was taken. “They will be allowed to play domestic cricket immediately. ”

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written by Swapnil \\ tags: BCCI, Cricket, ICC, ICL, T20, Twenty20, Twenty20 Cricket

Both Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders came into this 10th Match of IPL T20 season 2 with one loss each in their belt. Both of them are owned by Bollywood stars in the form of Shilpa Shetty and Shahrukh Khan respectively. Both of them had one more thing in common in IPL 2 which is that both teams had one of their matches affected by rain. While Rajasthan Royals last match was a rain washout, Kolkata Knight Riders won their last match on D/L method. In today’s match, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and put Rajasthan Royals to bat. Rajasthan Royals’ batting did not impress enough and they managed only 150/6 in their 20 overs with a 42 off 21 balls from Yusuf Pathan. Kolkata had two of its main batsmen firing with Chris Gayle (41 off 33 balls) and Sourav Ganguly (46 off 30 balls) playing quite well. The match was the most interesting match of IPL 2 bettering the previous Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils match of the day. The whole Kolkata Knight Riders innings was favorite both the sides at different positions. Even in the last over, Knight Riders needed just 7 off 6 balls. But in the second last ball, Sourav Ganguly got out and it became 2 needed from 1 ball. Then Ishant Sharma got run out in the last ball but he had already run the first run and so the match was a tie. Then came the first Super Over of IPL season 2 to decide the match outcome. In the first Super Over, Kolkata Knight Riders took the bat while Rajasthan Royals took the ball. The batting responsibility for the Kolkata Knight Riders were taken by Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Sourav Ganguly while new rookie Kamran Khan was trusted by Warne for the over. Kamran Khan also bowled the crucial last over of the Knight Rider innings which resulted in the Super Over. Through Chris Gayle hit a few boundaries but Kamran bowled a good line and KKR managed only 15 runs in their Super Over. Then the Rajasthan Royals Super Over came where Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja and Dimitri Mascarenhas were chosen to take the batting responsibility by Warne while Kolkata Knight Riders gave the bowling to Sri Lankan medium pacer Ajantha Mendis. Yusuf Pathan hit the first ball for a 6 setting the momentum for the Royals. He took 2 runs from the next ball and then again hit a huge 6 from the following delivery. Chasing the 16 runs target set by KKR for the Super Over, Yusuf Pathan hit 4 runs off the fourth ball making their Super Over tally to 18 runs and surpassing the target easily. From the Rajasthan Royals squad, Kamran Khan took 3/18 while Shane Warne took 2/25. Yusuf Pathan was declared the Man of the Match for his blistering knocks during the Rajasthan Royals innings as well as the Super Over.

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written by Swapnil \\ tags: ajantha mendis, brendon mccullum, Kamran Khan, KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Shahrukh Khan, Shane Warne, Shilpa Shetty, T20, Yusuf Pathan

 IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has backed ’strategy breaks’ in the IPL, saying it is actually aimed at expediting the matches , Modi denied views that the breaks were meant to boost advertising revenues.In yet another deviation from tradition, the second edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza would see teams getting a five-minute ’strategy break’ after 10 overs apparently to get their acts right.

Even though many feel the move was aimed at increasing advertisement revenue, Modi insisted it was just to speed up proceedings.

“I absolutely disagree with that,” Modi said.

“We did a calculation last year and 100 per cent matches went over an hour beyond their schedule time. It was just delays and delays. We had enforced extremely high penalties but majority of the time teams were ready to pay the money because they were back and forth talking to the players, strategising.

“So we have given them a time-out after every 10 overs and enforced high penalty like USD 3000-4000 in case of delay. The objective here is to fasten the game in fact and not slow down the game and at the same time, giving time and opportunity to the managers and teams to regroup and discuss their strategy,” Modi told a news channel.

Asked for his reaction to the war of words between Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, also an IPL Governing Council member, on KKR coach John Buchanan’s controversial multiple-captain theory, Modi said it was completely the team’s prerogative to do whatever it deems fit.

“Whoever owns a team has a right to do whatever he thinks. I think Sunil is right in his way and Shah Rukh is also right.

“I think Shah Rukh has thought out his strategy. It’s actually a prerogative of the team,” Modi said.

The IPL chief conceded it would not be the same after the event was shifted out of India but was confident that the razzmatazz would prove a success.

“It’s Indian Premier League and we should be having it in India. But circumstances forced us to move out.

“But I’m looking at the positives. The tickets were exhausted within a couple of hours of opening and people told me this is the fastest selling event in South Africa’s history,” Modi added.

written by Swapnil \\ tags: Cricket, IPL, T20