The ICC T20 World Cup 2012

ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2012 Fixtures

2012-02-03T10:12:00.002-08:00

Group A Fixtures - Match Schedule

Group B Fixtures - Match Schedule

Group C Fixtures - Match Schedule

Group D Fixtures - Match Schedule

ICC T20 World Cup 2012 Super Eight Round

ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2012 Semi Finals

ICC T20 World Cup 2012 Final

ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2012 Venues

2012-02-03T10:09:00.002-08:00

The fourth ICC T20 World Cup is happening in three different venues in Sri Lanka.

Hambantota - Mahinda Rajapakshe International Cricket Stadium

Kandy - Muttaiah Muralitharan International Cricket Stadium

Colombo - R. Premadasa Stadium

Teams Playing in the ICC T20 World Cup 2012

2012-02-03T10:06:00.002-08:00

Click on a Country name to see latest ICC T20 World Cup News from your favorite cricket team.

Australia

Bangladesh

Canada

England

India

Ireland

Kenya

Netherlands

New Zealand

Pakistan

South Africa

Sri Lanka

West Indies

Sri Lanka

Law to take over as Bangladesh coach

2011-07-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh have announced that Stuart Law will be their next coach, succeeding Jamie Siddons, whose contract wasn't renewed after the World Cup. Law, currently Sri Lanka's interim coach, will quit that position after the five-match ODI series against England and will join the Bangladesh team in mid-July in Dhaka, prior to their tour of Zimbabwe.

"Stuart Law was far ahead on our shortlist for a new coach. He has been appointed the head coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team for two years starting from July 1," Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) spokesman Jalal Yunus told AFP. "It's not only his experience as a coach - his strong leadership abilities were a factor in our decision to make him head coach."

Law - whose appointment was announced at a press conference in Dhaka on Monday - had served as Sri Lanka's assistant coach under Trevor Bayliss since 2009 and took charge of the team on a temporary basis, specifically for the tour of England, after Bayliss stepped down post the 2011 World Cup.

"I only need to put pen to paper. I have finalised it so the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) can tell you," Law told Dhaka-based daily Prothom Alo. "I asked SLC if they would want me to continue after November but they couldn't confirm anything so I told them that I won't continue after the UK tour. The most important thing for me is job security."

Yunus confirmed that Law would take up the Bangladesh job after Sri Lanka's England tour ended. "After that it will take a couple of weeks to complete the formalities before he joins the Bangladesh team in mid-July," he said.

Earlier during the Test leg of the England tour, Law had expressed his keenness to take over the Sri Lankan job on a full-time basis. "At this stage it's a wonderful opportunity to work with one of the best teams in the world so, yes, I am keen," he had said. "I've got this tour to show what I'm capable of."

However, the uncertainty about his future with Sri Lanka meant that the Bangladesh offer became one he could not refuse. "He told us after the Twenty20 game in Bristol that he was going to Bangladesh," said Thilina Kandamby, Sri Lanka's stand-in captain. "We enjoyed working with him, especially here in England because he played a lot of cricket in this country and gave us good advice."

One of Marvan Atapattu (batting coach), Ruwan Kalpage (fielding coach) and Champaka Ramanayake (bowling coach) was expected to take over from Law on a temporary basis
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WORLD CUP FINAL 2011 -THE CUP OF JOY

2011-03-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

THE CUP THAT COUNTS! there might be many series and events in cricket but nothing is bigger than this,nothing is prestigious than this and nothing is more expected than this.its none other than THE WORLD CUP.the cup that really counts.there might be t20 world cups every year,icc champions trophy,many trination,bilateral series in cricket but 50 over wc is the only series that has been watched by whole world.even people who dont know cricket wont miss it ,many football loving nations also turns in to cricket loving nation till the world cup finishes.the team winning the world cup will be crowned as the WORLD CHAMPION for four years!who hastes to miss such an golden oppurtunity to rule cricketing world for four long years.coming to wc 2011 this has been the most intresting wc so far in the history of the game.usually if u take a look at a world cup you will be talking about one or two close matches but all togather its different story in wc2011.many thrillers and close game even a tie what would you expect more than this in a wc?now we will go in to finals

INDIA or SRI LANKA either one of the two nation are crowned as the world champions! mumbai will be very lucky to host finals as icc cancelled delhi to host finals.never the less it has became an golden oppurtunity for the mumbaikar(tendulkar) to live his unfullfilled dream in his home ground.the 37 year old master who is at the end of his 21 year old incredible carer has almost done all possible achievements except winning the world cup for his country. saturday will be a very special day for sachin and his billions of fans than any one else.its no surprise that sachin is the leading run getter in the tournament.his own form is really good and he is looking forward to his 100th century as well,but what even more important for him is winning the world cup which will most probably his last.another great legend ,one of the all time graetest spinner muralidharan also in a similar stage as he is looking forward for an perfect finish for his carer.looking at the individual battles dilshan,tharanga were among the top run getters foe sl they will face a tough competition from shewag and yuvi.sangakara and dhoni will play a important role (as captain) as it is a pressure game. dhoni will be bit disappointed for the mistake he did against pak despite mananging to win.misreading the pitch and dropping ashwin.indian fans hope he dosent do it again.however dhoni is arguably the person with best man managing skill in the world.mistakes are ment to happen as all are human.in case of dhoni its very rare to see him committing mistakes.so nothing to worry about him.india's feilding looking really good against australia and pakisthan if they can continue that then they are almost half the job done.its a pressure game its all about how you perform under pressure as there is no question of ability as both the teams managed to reach world cup finals in a descent manner.zaheer,ashwin,yuvi will like to continue their good form where harbajan singh will try to be at his best as its a wc final.its good to see somebody like munaf bowling well against pak,that will certainly help in finals in abscenes of injured nehra.zack is just three wicket away from becoming the highest wicket taker in the tournamnet,this shows how good he is and how crucial he will be,india's middle order is too far ahead of sl but they are colapsing at recent times so that should be one area were india will defenitely should concentrate.the pitch curators says the track will be slow turner and they will be using spray to avoid dew which means its a bat first pitch.as both sl and ind has strong spinners in their side it tough to bat second.so toss will be crucial for both the sides.

srilanka will lot depend on dilshan,sangakara,jayawardane to score big.so far two of these two batsman played well and took sl home safely.the middle order is not strong and also dosent exposed much in the tournament which will be a big disadvantage.tharanga might be among the top run getters list but all his big knocks came against smaller nations so its a bit to worry.mathews has been the real hero for sl in finishing the game as about now he is not likely to play due to injury and may be replaced by vass.vass is surely a good bowler but he cant match mathews with bat.muralidaran is in great form even though injury will be a slight worry he will play and try to win wc for his team once again.herath,mendis giving good support to murali from other end they are expected to perform well as usuall.last but not least lasif malinga is one man who can single handedly win match for sl on any given day.event hough indians play him well than any other nation but they can struggle in his bowling especially in power plays.srilanka is generally a good fielding side so no cancern about it.world cup finals is very crucial for both the teams its not easy to play when whole world is watching you.mumbai is about to wittness a history.india is a home team as they will have additonal pressure than sl.if india bats first puts 280 on the board then sl have to chase 280 under lights against 11 players +380000 people.chasing in a fianl is pressure that too against a home team is unimaginable. alls l will pray that it should not happen. on the other side looking back at the history host team never wins a cup,sl has eliminated india in various occasions.who can forget semi final of 1996 world cup.its time for india to take a revenge.after all india have won the world cup in 1983,both 2011 and 1983 has same calender.after reading all this either technically or sentimentally can you guess who is the winner?the game itself is called a game of uncertainity then how come you predict a winner in this contest before its over? As a indian i hope god will surely consider "ONE BILLION HEART'S ONE WISH"

INDIA VS PAKISTHAN WC S/F - MATCH OF THE DECADE

2011-03-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

So a cricket fan cannot expect anything better than this. india vs pakisthan is always the most special and most interesting and big rivalary in cricketing history. can you imagine any thing better than these two teams meeting on wc semi finals ! this is something very special that dont happen even once in a decade.ind vs pak is always considered as a battle and people are very emotional and want their side to win the arch rivals,when ever they played each other.there are many people started saying you win this battle and even if you loose world cup we dont bother.so from this we know how important is this for people of both india and pakisthan. now apart from the big build up ahead of ind-pak clash let us take a close look at who has a edge on whom in this historic battle.

starting with india, they have the most powerful batting line up in the world.its very clear so far.even though they colapsed in their innings they still managed to get 300 almost every time when they bat first.starting from shewag to raina(except dhoni) all the six batsman are in great form.three players among the six have scored over 300 so far in this tournament and two players scored over 200, this clearly shows how good they are in batting.at the group stage of the tournament india looking very weak in their bowling. now after inclusion of ashwin and in form zaheer khan with harbajan and heroics of yuvi with the ball made india a descent bowling line up from a poor bowling side.their looking at the best in fielding at the game against australia.on the negative side mohali is going to be a fast bowlers pitch so team like india who heavily depend on spinners is not going to be easy for them to restrict the opposition.infact india yet to find the right man for the second seamer spot.having played two seamer and two spinner combination india used the second seamer as a fifth bowler and not used him to full quota.yuvi might be consistently picking wickets in all matches but the questiom is how good he is in a fast track ? yuvi is just a part time bowler and he is not a big turner of the ball too so you cant expect him to pick wickets as what he did so far.munaf patel is in poor form and he is targeted by all nations when ever they played against.so in mohali track bringing srree or nehra might be ideal decision.sachin looking for his 100th 100(alteady got two 100s in tournament),shewags top form,yuvi's crucial knocks with excellent all round performance(which yeilded him four man of the match award in wc which is a record) with solidity from gambir and kholi and raina sparkling and resposible knock in q/f means india cannot be taken lightly i would give india 7 out of 10.5 pts to batting and 2 to bowling)

coming to pakisthan they are the best bowling line up so far in the tournament.the moment i saw india winning australia and qualiifying for semi to play against pak,first thing that came to my mind is its going to be contest between world's best batting side vs tournments best bowling side.afridi is a real star for pakisthan with ball.apart from him umar gul,ajaml,rehamn and akhtar were good in picking wickets. not to forget effective part time bowler hafeez.afridi is outstanding throught the series but the big question is can he be effective against india, who play spin very well.pakisthan got wickets through their spinners throught the series.which is a big challenge for them at mohali.umar gul ,wahab riyas ,akthar,razak should bowl to their very best if they have to get indian batsman out.pakisthan must play akthar in mohali against india there must not be any second thoughts on that.if one bowling attack which can challenge india's batting in this tournament it will be pakisthan.coming to batting department its a weak line in pakisthan team.they chased small target with lot of difficulty and when ever they batted first they cant put big total that much easily as other teams do.bating is never a cake walk for pakisthan throught the series.players like umar akhaml,misbah,younis khan,shazads starting well but cannot convert thair starts to big 100s.thats were pakisthan failed miserably.their batsmans are inconsistent and non reliable except umar akhmal.adding to the list is poor form of afridi and razak.if these two batsman fire against india at right time it might well be pakisthan's first ever win against ind in wc.i would rate paksithan 7 out of 10. 2pt to their batting and 5 pt to their bowling.

apart from all this challanges the biggest challenge fo pakisthan is they have never won against india in wc.so it will be recoed if they beat india.if that happens it would have been perfect revenge for their looses in wc against india.either its india or pakisthan semi final against your arch rival is always a pressure. team that handles the pressure well, should eventually ends up in winning side.we may not know who is going to win but its sure that its going to be a very close game.heart patients please dont watch it :)

India Vs Pakistan in Cricket World Cup 2011 Semifinal

2011-03-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

Yuvraj's innings the other night in Ahmadadabad paved the way for what could be the most cracking match of this Cricket World Cup 2011 so far, India Vs Pakistan in the semi finals. We all know any match can go up to the wire when India play against Pakistan. The political rivalry between the two countries, adds fire to the fuel whereas political leaders both in India and Pakistan will want them to win the semifinal match and even to lose final against whoever the opposition.

Every time a Pakistan Vs India match played in a World Cup, India had the better advantage. India has managed to win almost all the important World Cup matches against Pakistan. The all important quarterfinal match in 1996 is a prime example of how crucial a Pakistan Vs India match can be in a World Cup.

Yesterday's Match Summery

An awe-inspiring Ricky Ponting dazzled and Sachin Tendulkar hit a delightful fifty but it was the imperious Yuvraj Singh who stole the show to lead India to an exciting semi-final encounter against Pakistan. On a dry pitch, aiding turn, India couldn't remove a wonderfully solid Ponting, but found a way around him to hold Australia to a competitive 260. Tendulkar set the base and the middle order threatened to choke, but Yuvraj played a blinder to charge India to a famous win.

Sometimes, they say, one four can change things around. That cliché came alive today, in the final ball of the 39th over, with India needing 72 from 67 deliveries, when Yuvraj spanked Shaun Tait for a stunning four over backward point. It oozed of skill, impishness and dare under fire. Until then, in the preceding few overs, India choked and spluttered badly to almost hand the game to Australia. That Yuvraj hit over point sensationally turned the game on its head.

The next over proved to be the game-breaker as Brett Lee was looted for 14 runs: Suresh Raina played the most assured pull of his life to crash the first delivery to the boundary and Yuvraj carved the final delivery over point, but it was a shot in between that really reflected the enthralling contest. It was a screaming yorker from Lee, from around the stumps, and Yuvraj crouched, opened the bat-face and stabbed it through to the third man boundary. Lee looked stunned, and you felt that was the moment when India affected the jail break.

Until Yuvraj took ownership of the chase, the pressure-cooker situation had got to India and they were beginning to choke. In five mad overs between the 32nd and 37th, just after Virat Kohli had swiped a full toss from David Hussey straight to midwicket in the 29th over, it was absolute pandemonium as India looked hell bent on self-destruction. Gautam Gambhir tried to run himself out three times and was successful on the final attempt. In the 33rd over, he ran for a non-existent run after Yuvraj had played the ball towards midwicket but Ponting missed the sticks. In the next over, he got into a yes-and-no situation with Yuvraj and would have been run out had Brad Haddin, who dashed to the short mid-on region, thrown it at the non-striker's end. Gambhir was run out next ball, again running mindlessly after Yuvraj stabbed David Hussey wide of the first slip.

India required 93 runs from 101 balls at that stage, but they slipped further into the abyss as MS Dhoni got out after looking edgy. He nearly got involved in a run out, had a big swing and a miss against Lee and perished next delivery, cutting to point to leave India needing 74 from 75 balls. It was then that Yuvraj decided to play the World Cup innings of his life.

The batting Powerplay was the final hurdle, but Raina, who gave admirable support to Yuvraj after Dhoni's exit, walloped the first ball from Lee over long-on and Australia's fight evaporated with that shot.

Before Yuvraj, India's chase revolved almost entirely around Sachin Tendulkar. It was a slow pitch, but Tendulkar played some shots that defied the nature of the track. Tait v Tendulkar in particular lived up to the billing. Tendulkar punched the first delivery he faced, and the first from Tait, through cover point and, upper cut the next legal delivery to the third man boundary. Tait sledged, Tendulkar stared, and the chase was soaked with intensity from then on. Tait was soon out off the attack but returned to silence the crowd. He gave away six runs in his first over on return, which included two wides and also saw Tendulkar getting to his fifty. He struck with the first delivery of his next over, the 19th of the innings, with a delivery released from a slightly round-armish action that held its line outside off stump. Tendulkar tried to steer it to point but edged it to Brad Haddin.

Spare a thought for the Australian captain, probably playing his last World Cup match and to Australia, who were last eliminated before the finals of a World Cup way back in 1992. Whenever Zaheer Khan threatened to push India in front, Ponting shoved Australia ahead. The knock was a microcosm of Ponting the man. It had skill, grit, bloody-mindedness, and dare; it was Ponting. It will probably be the only knock from him that won't be remembered for many scintillating shots and it will be cherished for how responsibly he curbed his natural strokeplay.

There was tremendous poise in how he dealt with the slow nature of the pitch and a great amount of skill in the way he handled spin. Ponting showed sheer grit in the way he held the Australian innings together, and admirable character to do it when he wasn't in great form, on such a big stage. When he was fresh, he had to face Harbhajan Singh, his nemesis, bowling from around the stumps.

Ponting countered him by shuffling to his right and working the ball with the turn. When he was tired, he had to face the reverse-swing from Zaheer. In the middle, he picked Ashwin's carom ball, and mixed caution and aggression against Yuvraj Singh.

Australia's slide and India's resurgence in the middle overs began with an awful shot from Michael Clarke, who top-edged a slog-sweep against Yuvraj to long-on in the 31st over. Zaheer dismissed Michael Hussey with that knuckled slower one to leave Australia wobbling at 140 for 4 in the 34th over. Ponting and David Hussey took the batting Powerplay in the 44th over and added 44 vital runs without losing a wicket. Ponting must have thought he had done all he could to ensure Australia remained in the competition but he was outdone by Yuvraj.

India Vs Australia - The Best Match in Quarterfinals

2011-03-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

So all the cricket fans were excited about the knock out stages in wc 2011. there is no doubt that among all other quarter finals the one match which is unpredictable will be ind vs aus .In other three matches Pak,Sl,Sa have a good chance of winning against Wi,Eng,Nz. but when it comes to ind vs aus its still big a suspense that who is gonna beat whom? let us take close look at this match.

India vs australia has always been an intresting contest. in last three or four years the rivalary between the teams has developed and now-a-days the expectation for ind vs aus has been similar to ind vs pak or aus vs sa .Coming to world cup 2011 India started as favourites and now they are still in the favourites list but their bowling let them down right from the begining of the tournament.on the other side batting is india's strength and india has the most powerful batting line up than any other team in the tournament.coming to australia this is the weakest aussies team in last decade.apart from winning five games australia lost to pakisthan in last group match.it ended australia's 31 win in a row in world cups.in rest of the matches that australia won in group stages were not one sided games australia were sloppy in either batting or bowling in a match.

for australia batting is looking good in papers but not in scoreboard.ponting is yet to play a good innings his poor form continues with the bat.watson,hadidn,clarke looking good to some extent but not good enough to put strong total against big teams.when all the other teams are relying on spinners australia bowling attack has 3 seamers whom they heavily rely on.bret lee is in top form the other two picking wickets to some extent.kreja dosent seems to made a big effect so far.so australia not looking great in either batting nor bowling which is very unsual.if austrlia has this many problems india not looking better either.weak bowling line up ,poor feilding,sloppy in batting power play adding to india's list.many experts dont hesitate to say that india is not favourite any more after watching india going down to south africa.but im sure that they might have changed their thoughts after watching indias clinical performance against west indies.inclusion of tamil nadu spinner R.Ashwin made a big difference in indian bowling line up but still they are in search for second seamer spot.i strongly feel nehra should be picked ahead of munaf as nehra has lot of experience and bowled well in death overs to some extent for last 2 years.i wouldnt be surprised if dhoni picks chawla ahead of second seamer as he is done well against oz's in warm up match but it is possible only if motera's pitch is similar to banglore pitch which had lot of assistance for spinners.feilding has gradually improved.india's billion dollar question will be to play kholli or raina in playing 11?kholli's form suggest he is a front runner but team composition is not looking good without a specialist at no6(raina).its up to dhoni to take a desicion after having a good look at the pitch.if he feels he need a slogger then he should go with raina or if he thinks he himself can play at good speed then he should go with koli.while india's weakness is slowly sorted out their new head ache is colapsing in batting power play! india lost 7 for 29 against sa and 7 for 50 against wi.sachin,sheawg,yuvi's form with the bat and improved bowling side with ashwin,baji and zaheer means india is looking good comparing australia but they are not too far ahead of ozs thats why it is going to be a very exciting quarter final of all.As nobody can predict clear winner this matches promises another big entertainer in this tournament.Australia might be worrying about lot of things against india but one thing which tops the list will be SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR! the little master is in tremendous from and he has already scored two centuries in big matches.sachin always performed well against oz's.with sachin looking forward for his 100th international 100 and india plays against australia in quarter finals of the world up we can surely expect a sachin show on thursday.In form watson,inclusion of mike hussey means indian bowlers have to be at their beast to pick these two wickets.india improved reasonably well in west indies but they have to be at their best to beat austrlalia.Australi pn the other hand want to beat india and go on to win their fourth successive world cup.Australia dominated world cricket more than a decade.india is the first team to beat australia causing their downfall after their dominance in world cricket.now here is another chance for team india to completely end austrlia's world cup hunt and become new champions in world cricket.will india win? only time has to say...:)

India Will Face Australia in the Quarterfinals of Cricket World Cup 2011

2011-03-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Oh West Indies, they have done it again. For the second match in a row now, they had a chase all wrapped up, but in the face of some desperate inspiration from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, and some mindless cricket from the batsmen that followed Devon Smith, it was made sure that West Indies remained without a win over a Test side other than Bangladesh since June 2009. With Smith playing as well as he has ever played, West Indies almost mocked India for the first 27 overs, getting up to 146 for 2 without a care in the world. Then came a maiden by Harbhajan and a wicked Zaheer slower ball to remove Smith, and West Indies lost the last eight wickets for 34.

That collapse outdid India's own one of 7 for 50, which had threatened to undo Yuvraj Singh's century on a track whose bounce West Indies and Ravi Rampaul exploited, but not to the fullest. The hero of West Indies' last win against a major side, Rampaul took his first five-for in ODIs, on his World Cup debut, to hurt the start, the middle and the end of the Indian innings. However, West Indies' insistence on opening the bowling with Sulieman Benn despite the helpful track, and the obvious plan of trying to bounce India out, meant they couldn't capitalise on a first over that claimed Sachin Tendulkar. Then there was Yuvraj, with his maiden World Cup century, fighting dehydration, vomiting on the field, and then coming back to take two wickets.

The game might have ended in a whimper, but it began explosively. Like they successfully did in the last two World Twenty20s, West Indies came out with bouncers for India. Inside the first 11 overs, two deliveries bounced over the keeper's head for byes, two batsmen got out to deliveries dug in short, one was dropped off another short delivery, but Benn went for 21 off his three overs to ease the pressure. To make matters worse Darren Sammy dropped Yuvraj twice, chances not easy but not impossible, at 9 and 11.

Working with Yuvraj was Virat Kohli, for whom it was almost a homecoming to bat at No. 3 in the absence of the injured Virender Sehwag. In familiar environs of not being expected to go at a strike-rate of 150, Kohli did just what was required on a tough pitch after a tough start, scoring 59 off 76, letting Yuvraj take the majority of the strike in a 122-run partnership, after the two had come together at 51 for 2.

Even after Yuvraj was reprieved twice, the bouncers still kept coming, the odd ball still misbehaved - especially for the left-hand batsman. He got dehydrated and barfed, but nothing seemed to be able to stop the Yuvraj specials in between, shots that kept the scoring rate up in the middle overs. Kohli was smart too: he had played 21 deliveries when Yuvraj came to join him, but so good was the strike manipulation that Yuvraj had played 12 more deliveries than him by the time their partnership ended.

During the partnership, Yuvraj pulled over midwicket, cover-drove for fours along the ground, swept the legspin of Devendra Bishoo, and on-drove Sammy over long-on for a majestic six. It was one of those days when Yuvraj was feeling it, one of those days when he plays one level above the game around him. His mates, though, managed to engineer another collapse from 218 for 3 in the 42nd over.

Buoyed by that good finish with the ball, West Indies came out positive. Like Rampaul stood up in an unwell Kemar Roach's absence, Smith did in the injured Chris Gayle's. He cut furiously - almost every bowler got the taste of his trademark cut - he picked singles straight to infielders, doubles straight to those in the deep. However, R Ashwin, who got his World Cup debut at long last, was difficult to hit with the new ball. He used his carrom ball to remove the potentially explosive Kirk Edwards.

Still Smith and Darren Bravo first, and Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan thereafter kept knocking off the runs calmly. The running between the wickets, and then the odd boundary to break a string of dots, remained a feature. The panic and rush that characterised their effort against England was conspicuous in its absence. With Smith scoring at will, and West Indies needing just 123 in the last 23 overs, only West Indies stood in the way of West Indies.

Turned out, they needed a bit of help from India to kickstart the collapse. It came through a maiden from Harbhajan, who came back remarkably after an uninspiring spell of four overs for 23 with the new ball. Harbhajan and Munaf Patel put together a spell of 19 balls for just eight runs before Zaheer was called upon to provide the exclamation mark.

And how he did, with his new knuckle slower ball, where the middle finger doesn't hold the ball tightly, thus taking the pace off without giving any indication to those who are watching from the front. With that slower ball, he removed Smith's off stump. Smith, who had hardly put a foot wrong in his 81 until then. After that, the procession began. Kieron Pollard holed out to long-on at the first sight of pressure, Sammy was sold down the river by Sarwan, Devon Thomas and Andre Russell fell to the wiles of Yuvraj, and it was all over.

The way West Indies and India collapsed, conspiracy theorists will waste no time in theorising that both teams wanted to avoid Australia in the quarter-final. As it turned out, West Indies now finish fourth in Group B, thus getting Group A leaders Pakistan in Dhaka. And India, well they renew hostilities with Australia in Ahmedabad.

India Vs West Indies - World Cup 2011 Match Preview

2011-03-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

No wonder India play so much cricket without seeming to overly mind it. When MS Dhoni walks out for the toss for this game, it will have been more than a week since they last played in the World Cup. The off days for the Indian team, however, have been days of plenty of buzz and activity for the Indian cricketing public and media. Dhoni has suddenly gone from being Midas to moron for getting Ashish Nehra to bowl the final over; Yusuf Pathan is no longer a good choice to bat in batting Powerplay; heated meetings between selectors, board secretary and captain have been reported and denied ; the moon's proximity to the earth has had its say; the next coach has become a topic of discussion; UDRS blunders and Sachin Tendulkar's impending 100th hundred have been overshadowed; everything that can be debated, even those that cannot be, have been debated.

If you have been watching news channels in India, or reading news publications, doom is not too far. Which is why the players have been asked to stay far away. Which is why it is a good thing that they are back on the field where they can sort out their team combination for the knockouts, and there are issues bothering them. Piyush Chawla's inclusion in the XV, always a bit inexplicable, has so far been exposed as a mistake, a gamble gone wrong, which reduces India's options if they feel that either of Munaf Patel or Nehra is out of form.

And Virat Kohli - this will sound harsh on a young man in the form of his life - has hurt the team balance a bit, forcing Suresh Raina out, who is more suited at the slog end and is a pretty canny part-time offspinner. For this game, though, India might not have to make a choice, for Virender Sehwag is down with an allergic reaction to a painkiller injection.

India's opponents are now assured of a place in the knockouts, but the game is just as big for them. Bangladesh are the only Test team West Indies have beaten in an ODI since June 28, 2009, which hurts them bad. Also painful will be how they didn't trust themselves to play normal cricket and finish a middling chase against England after the explosive start by Chris Gayle. They will dearly love to end that unflattering streak, and in the process finish at No. 2 in Group B, thus avoiding the best two sides from Group A in the quarter-final.

If it provides some comfort, the previous major team West Indies beat was India, in Jamaica, through aggressive bowling. They will rate their chances because they are up against a side that is under pressure, no matter how much it avoids the media and the public. A side that will have done really well if it plays uninhibited, free-flowing cricket. West Indies might think the iron is hot.

Chennai is certainly hot, and its spinner-friendly track and reverse-friendly square have provided the two matches of the tournament so far. The World Cup will want to bid it a fitting farewell before it moves to the flatter, more predictable surfaces.

2011-03-17T01:32:00.000-07:00

England would be favorites to defeat West Indies in that must win knockout match for England to keep their hopes alive for last Eight.They could score 280 plus,batting 2nd might not be easy for Windies against spin while chasing.West Indies only chance if Gail & Pollard fire power timely clicks,particularly Gail, that guy probably could damage England chances in that match otherwise England will be the winner today as per my final analyze & calculations.

India Lose Against South Africa in a Crunch Finishing

2011-03-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

In a fascinating chase, with their choking past hovering over them, South Africa held their nerve to clinch a thriller in Nagpur. Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla set it up, AB de Villiers pushed them close, JP Duminy and Johan Botha pumped in oxygen with big hits, Faf du Plessis held one end up and Robin Peterson shoved them past the line in the final over. They needed 13 to win and there would have been the temptation to give the ball to Harbhajan, who had one over left and had given away just five in his last, but Dhoni plumped for Ashish Nehra. Peterson inside edged the first to the fine-leg boundary, walloped the second over wide long-on for a game-breaking hit, ran madly to get two of the third before sealing it with a scorching cover drive. India were left ruing their sensational collapse in the batting Powerplay, when they lost four wickets for 30 runs, and crumbled from 267 for 1, in the 40th over, to be bowled out for 296. Later, MS Dhoni had strong words about that collapse: "You don't play for the crowd, you play for the country".

The chase had several enthralling moments: Jacques Kallis sweeping from the rough, AB de Villiers' skilful inside-out hits with the turn, Harbhajan Singh giving AB the lip, MS Dhoni's smart run out of Kallis, Gautam Gambhir's dropped catch, du Plessis' calming influence even as the C-word hung in the air, and Petersen's stunning blows.

The game itself swung crazily on each of those moments. South Africa had just lost Hashim Amla to a delivery that reared up alarmingly from Harbhajan when Kallis deployed the sweep and the paddle scoop against the same bowler to settle the nerves. South Africa were 114 for 2 at the end of the 30 overs at the end of those sweeps and the game hung in balance.

Dhoni got into the act to run out Kallis. The throw from Harbhajan was dying away from the off stump when Dhoni lunged across, collected, swiveled to break the stumps. With Kallis' fall, South Africa needed 124 runs from just over 14 overs and de Villiers immediately took the batting Powerplay.

The game turned again in the 40th over, Zaheer's ninth over, when they looted 17 runs. De Villiers dragged a reverse sweep to fine-leg boundary, whiplashed another over point before Duminy walloped a slower one for a straight six to leave South Africa leaving 79 runs from 60 balls. It was then Harbhajan shoved the game into a thrilling climax.

Harbhajan had been giving de Villiers the lip ever since he was hit for a six in the 32nd over. Eyeballs bulged, the motor mouth worked over time and de Villiers would walk away, shaking his head. That contest was consummated when Harbhajan returned in the final Powerplay over, the 41st of the innings. de Villiers struck the first blow, with an audacious reverse whack over backward point but slog swept the next one straight to midwicket to leave South Africa still needing 74 from 57.

Things got too tight in the 43rd over when Harbhajan slipped a quick delivery down the leg side, past the advancing Duminy, and though Dhoni fumbled the take, he recovered to finish the stumping. India tightened the screws further when Munaf trapped Morne van Wyk in the 44th over, just moments after Gautam Gambhir dropped van Wyk at deep midwicket.

In the 48th over, Botha swiped Munaf through midwicket and crashed a six over straight boundary to push South Africa ahead but fell in the next ball, miscuing a slower one over cover where Suresh Raina, the sub, took a tight catch. Zaheer gave away just four runs in the 49th but Petersen settled the issue in the final over.

India lost the game in a manic self-destructive display in the batting Powerplay that they took in the 39th over. India were strolling at 253 for 1 but lost four wickets for 30 runs - their last nine for 29- and collapsed to 296.

In a sweet moment of redemption, it was the pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who bled runs with the new ball, who did the damage during this manic phase. Tendulkar fell to an across-the-line hoick, his first ugly shot of the day, in the 40th over to Morne Morkel. Steyn had a double strike in the next over: Gautam Gambhir backed outside leg and scooped a slower one to mid-off and Yusuf Pathan blasted to cover. Things got worse when Yuvraj Singh swung a full toss to long-on of the final delivery of the Powerplay, and it turned chaotic when Virat Kohli gave a tame return catch to Robin Peterson. In the space of a few minutes, the game had spiraled out of India's control and returned to balance. Steyn even went on to complete a five-for, something that was scarcely believable when he was leaking runs with the new ball, when he cleaned up the tail.

Until that stunning phase of play, it was all India. Until then even 375 seemed a possibility. If Sehwag pumped in the adrenalin, Tendulkar oozed class. There was not a single shot that looked risky and yet he played all the shots, even a hooked six, a shot that he doesn't play too often these days. Tendulkar faced just 20 balls in the first ten overs but had raced away to 35 and his fifty came off 33 balls. It was in the eighth over, from Morkel, that he really got going with an awesome thump through the covers, which was followed by a gorgeous straight drive. Like always, he held his pose even as Morkel was down on the mat. It was a moment that perfectly caught the one-sided battle.

When Steyn fired a bouncer in the 10th over, T endulkar unfurled a stylish hook to deposit it beyond the backward square-leg boundary. When Jacques Kallis bowled a slower one, Tendulkar glided forward and across to whip the off cutter past mid-on. Unlike Sehwag, who kept backing away to the leg to try hit everything to the off, and fell in the process, Tendulkar played the spinners as per the demands of the ball but of course on his own terms. It should have been his night but cruelly it was his shot that triggered a stunning implosion, which proved the difference in the end.

Cricket World Cup 2011

2011-03-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hello All.

On the lounge last night watching in amazement as England lost to a spirited Bangladesh outfit.

Tomorrow night Australia playing Kenya, I expect the Aussies to go out hard against the Kenyans. The will be looking to raise their NRR.

With the finals around the corner they will be looking to fix any last minute bugs.

I expect a BIG win.

Now to watch India & South Africa tonight. Looking forward to an interesting game.

Stay Safe All

South Africa Leading the Contest

2011-03-12T00:56:00.003-08:00

South Africa will likely to the be the winners of today's match ,India could lose that match because of Dhoni's decision to opt choose field instead of batting second.Both Teams are definitely favorites to reach Q/F stages,So that would have been more encouraging for India to chase target rather set the target,he should have taken that risk to chase, same also would have moral boosting for their batting lineup while chasing against top teams,batting 2nd would be helpful & significant in knockout stages.I think Dhoni has missed a real golden chance as per my analyze.

Bangladesh Record a Thrilling Win Over England

2011-03-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

Shafiul Islam raised Bangladesh's World Cup campaign from the dead, as he turned yet another astonishing contest on its head with a breathtaking assault in the batting Powerplay to leave England stunned by their fifth cliffhanger in consecutive contests, and facing their own make-or-break encounter with West Indies in Chennai next week.

In another unbearably tense finale, Bangladesh's ninth-wicket pair of Shafiul and Mahmudullah transformed a futile situation with glorious blaze of strokeplay, as they turned an asking rate of 57 in 62 balls into a glorious victory with an over to spare. The honour of the winning hit went to Mahmudullah, who belted a Tim Bresnan full-toss through the covers for four, to queue pandemonium among the most passionate cricket supporters in the world.

On a sluggish track in which runs had, for the most part, to be grafted, England batted first and were bowled out for 225 - a total that was no better than par, and which owed everything to a chalk-and-cheese stand of 109 between Jonathan Trott and the fit-again Eoin Morgan. In reply, however, and in tricky dew-laden conditions that made the ball tricky to grip - particularly for their cantankerous spinner, Graeme Swann - Bangladesh were on cruise control at 155 for 3 in the 31st over, before a calamitous run-out gifted their opponents a way back into the game.

The man who had the game in the palm of his hand was Imrul Kayes, the less-vaunted of Bangladesh's opening batsman, who slipstreamed Tamim Iqbal during a captivating 38 from 26 balls that put Bangladesh firmly ahead of the run-rate, before settling down to play the holding role with a chanceless 100-ball 60.

Chanceless, that is, except for his sketchy running between the wickets. For it was his ill-advised decision to take a second run to deep square leg that ended a fourth-wicket stand of 72 with Shakib Al Hasan that looked to have broken the back of England's resistance. In the next five overs, as Bresnan and Paul Collingwood applied the emergency brake, Bangladesh were limited to seven singles before Shakib - gasping to lift the tempo after a doughty 58-ball innings - aimed a loose sweep at Swann and was bowled for 32.

Mushfiqur Rahim had been virtually strokeless since the run-out, with two runs from 18 deliveries before the re-introduction of Ajmal Shahzad persuaded him to drive expansively through the covers. But one ball later he edged a beauty on off stump through to Matt Prior, and before another run had been added, he produced another superb delivery to take out Naeem Islam's off stump for a duck.

It was a near-replica of the delivery that had earlier sent Raqibul Hasan on his way in the same manner, and with eventual figures of 3 for 43, Shahzad was England's most successful bowler of the day. In between whiles, however, his line had been all over the shop - a performance that too many of his team-mates had been willing to emulate, not least James Anderson, who had borne the brunt of Tamim's early onslaught, and later served up a dreadful nine-ball first over of the batting Powerplay - including five wides first-ball - to give Bangladesh real belief in the closing stages.

That belief had been ignited by the swinging blade of Shafiul, who turned a bad day for Swann into a dreadful one by leathering his final over for 16, including the only six of the day, over wide long-on. Up until that point, Swann had been more preoccupied with the wet and slippery ball, with Andrew Strauss forced to intervene during a heated row with umpire Daryl Harper, but those blows brought the requirement down to 39 from 48 balls, and brought an abrupt halt to the flow of disgruntled fans who were trooping out of the stadium.

This was the day that Bangladesh had been rehearsing for all through 2010. They got to know England's cricketers and strategies through the course of back-to-back series at home and away, and having ended their run of 20 consecutive defeats with a tight victory at Bristol in their last-but-one encounter in July, they knew they had what it takes to spring a surprise. But, having collapsed in a heap to be bowled out for 58 in their last World Cup fixture against West Indies, the chance to start from the position of rank outsiders seemed to suit their purposes every bit as much as the favourites' tag unsettled their opponents.

With the honourable exception of the fit-again Morgan, England simply did not look comfortable at any stage of the day. After losing the toss and being asked to set the agenda, they shipped three tame wickets in the space of their first 17 overs, as they dribbled along to 53 for 3, and though Trott was admirable in grinding out a 99-ball 67, it was Morgan's departure for 63 to a fine catch by Kayes at backward square that derailed their ambitions of a 250-plus total. Their batting Powerplay once again proved problematic, with 33 runs and two wickets coming in five overs, and from 162 for 3 with 11 overs remaining, England were bowled out for 225 with two balls of their innings remaining.

Via ESPNCricinfo.com

The Pressure is More on India - Amla [India Vs South Africa World Cup Match]

2011-03-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hashim Amla, South Africa's opening batsman, said that the pressure is on India ahead of their marquee clash with South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday. "Being at home comes with a lot of expectation," he said. "I don't think the pressure is on us as much as it is on India."

South Africa and India's match is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the group stage, the juicy steak everyone has been looking forward to after three weeks of appetisers and the occasional chicken dish, still a main, but not the red-meat one. England have served up most of the white-meat, advertising fifty-over cricket with three delicious roasts so far, one where they got burnt by Ireland, one where they returned the favour to South Africa, and that tie with India - cooked just right.

Now it's time to sample one of the dishes that is considered a speciality in this tournament, two of the favourites, blended in one stadium. The teams have been on this menu before, little more than a month ago, when South Africa beat India 3-2 in a closely fought ODI series in South Africa. The ingredients were completely different, with pitches that favoured the local seamers being the biggest change. "We do take confidence from knowing that we've beaten India on our home ground but we are not naïve to think this will be the same," Amla said.

Nagpur's kitchen caters to other tastes entirely, with a pancake of a track that promises runs that will drip like an overflowing pot of honey. South Africa have sipped from those fountains before. Dale Steyn helped himself to 7 for 51 in the Test match and Amla scored his career-best 253 not out in February last year. "The last time I was here I had a good time," Amla said, holding himself back from licking his fingers or lips, which is what he may have needed to do given the aftertaste this venue must have left in this mouth. "We know the scores are generally quite high here, if I can score the same amount of runs I will be very happy."

The same amount may be too much to ask in a quick meal like a one-day international, but the substance of what Amla is saying is there. He hopes to spend as much time at the crease as possible, in keeping with South Africa's philosophy that at least one of their top six chefs must remain in the kitchen to marshal the rest. "You hope somebody in the top six bats a long time so others can bat around him. It is a considered effort. We want the batsmen to score the runs rather than have the tail-enders have to bat."

With the batsmen the ones that are being promised the best of the meal on offer in Nagpur, it leaves little to whet the appetite of the bowlers. India's attack has come under fierce criticism for being undercooked but Amla predicts that they will still bring their fair share of spice for the South Africans to deal with. "We rate their bowlers," he said. "Even though we won 3-2 they bowled very well in that series at home."

Although Amla referenced it himself, the snacks shared between India and South Africa a few weeks ago are still thought to have little bearing on this match. Even the way Yusuf Pathan proved himself, with a commanding innings in Centurion against short pitched bowling, is not something South Africa have pondered to any great detail. "We're not placing too much importance on individuals," Amla said, while explaining that South Africa is enjoying every meal to the fullest, tasting each dish before going on to the next.

They still know that on Saturday, the VCA will be a pressure cooker but Amla thinks that South Africa are not the ones who need to be worried about getting cooked to pulp. "We've played in front of big crowd before, it may take five or six overs to get used to the noise factor but it will be a lovely atmosphere." The dessert, for many, will be if these two meet in the final in three weeks time. It may make all the finger food in between worth it, particularly if they dish out a tasty course this time around.

Who Will Meet Whom in Quarterfinals of Cricket World Cup 2011?

2011-03-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

Make your predictions here as a comment. Take into account the present points table, net run rate, and most likely outcomes of the matches to be played in the group stage.

India v Netherlands - Must Win for India

2011-03-08T21:30:00.000-08:00

India are in no mood to take this game lightly. MS Dhoni made it clear that he wants an easy ride in Delhi compared to the uncertain drives in Bangalore. They remain the only team in their group yet to lose a match. Barring Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan - both of whom have played useful cameos - all their batsmen have got either a century or a half-century under their belts in the tournament. Even if their bowling machine has not operated smoothly, it is being fine-tuned and they could well make a change or two for Wednesday.

The Netherlands is a nation of about 16 million people, mostly a quiet lot, who only bare their emotions when football is on. The cricketers are usually immune to noise, since they play most of their cricket indoors. So there is little doubt that Peter Borren's men will feel intimidated when they walk out in front of a hostile crowd of 42,000, which might sound like a million. But Borren wants his troops to be brave.

More than heart, Netherlands' players need to keep their head, and remain focussed. Ryan ten Doeschate, with his fighting knock against England in their first match, is their only batsman to score a century in this World Cup, while Tom Cooper is the only other player to get past fifty. India might have come out of a tight contest against the spirited Irish, but the reason they have been among the best teams in the world in the last two years is because they do not repeat their mistakes. If Netherlands have to stand strong, they need their collective best.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
India: WTWLL
Netherlands: LLLLL

Watch out for ...

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will be playing in front of their home crowd at the Feroz Shah Kotla, but both Delhiites have poor records at the ground: Sehwag has a highest score of 42 in four innings, while Gambhir has scored 31 runs in two innings. Both have spoken about how each one derives inspiration from the other partner while playing in Tests, and tomorrow they wouldn't mind sharing a good home run.

Pieter Seelaar is best known for his penguin dance after Netherland's historic win against England at Lord's during the 2009 World Twenty20. Since then, he has grown into a stable left-arm spinner. All the attention is likely to be on Ryan ten Doeschate's all-round skills tomorrow, and that can only be good news for Seelaar, who has been the lone spinner Netherlands have played so far in the tournament. He has been impressive in the tournament so far, and the last time Netherlands played in Delhi, against West Indies, he managed figures of 3 for 45, when every other bowler in his side went for more than six runs an over.

Team news

Will R Ashwin play ahead of Piyush Chawla? Will Ashish Nehra finally play his first game of the tournament? No hints were given by MS Dhoni during his pre-match press conference. Considering that India play South Africa on Saturday in an important match, one that could determine the group seedings, India could think of giving Zaheer Khan a rest. But it won't surprise anyone if they stick to the winning unit.

India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (wk/capt), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan/Ashish Nehra, 10 Piyush Chawla/R Ashwin, 11 Munaf Patel

For Netherlands, the missing link has been a second spinner. They have steadfastly stuck to the four-seamers-one-spinner combination. But based on the slowness of the pitch at the Kotla, they could include an extra slow bowler in Adeel Raja, who is one of only two players in the current squad who was in the side that played India in the 2003 World Cup. Raja took two wickets in that game, though India won by 68 runs.

Netherlands (probable): 1 Alexei Kervezee, 2 Wesley Barresi (wk), 3 Tom Cooper, 4 Ryan ten Doeschate, 5 Bas Zuiderent, 6 Tom de Grooth, 7 Peter Borren (capt), 8 Mudassar Bukhari, 9 Pieter Seelaar, 10 Bernard Loots/Adeel Raja, 11 Berend Westdijk.

Pitch and conditions

Big runs are imminent on what should be a flatbed. But the low bounce and the slowness in the track, witnessed in the previous three matches played here, will keep the batsmen on their toes.

Stats and trivia

* India have won one and lost one game in Delhi in World Cups. There have been only three day-night matches in Delhi (all three in the 2011 World Cup) of which two have been won by the side chasing.

* Sachin Tendulkar needs just 18 runs to reach the 2000-run landmark in World Cups. He has scored 1982 runs at 58.29 with five centuries and 13 fifties.

India Vs Ireland Cricket World Cup Match Preview

2011-03-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

A week ago it would have been hard, if not impossible, to countenance the thought of an Ireland win over India. What a difference a week makes. After their stunning win over England, Ireland will believe they have the ability to take on anyone, and while India will undoubtedly be respected they will not be feared.

Ireland are coming up against one of the most formidable batting line-ups in world cricket on a featherbed at the Chinnaswamy stadium, however, and as they prepare to do battle with a top six that packs a whopping 44,503 ODI runs between them (although 17,777 belong to one man) perhaps a little fear wouldn't go amiss. There are significant dangers lurking in India's bowling line-up too. Ireland's XI is likely to have no less than five left-handers in it, and despite the docile playing surface, the challenge of countering multiple offspinners - and possibly Piyush Chawla's googly too - will be a daunting task.

Ireland will insist they're up for it, and after Wednesday night's events, who could argue with them? But if Ireland appear a team transformed, that is only in the eyes of those not close to the setup. Several players, including captain William Porterfield and allrounder John Mooney, have insisted that the result achieved against England is the sort the team go into all their games believing they can pull off.

That may be true, but whether they can convert belief into performance against the World Cup favourites, in the hothouse atmosphere sure to be provided by India's fanatical supporters, remains to be seen. India's fans were always going to pack the stands to watch their heroes, and tickets for this match sold out some time ago, but there is a lustre and sense of anticipation - not to mention the whispers of an upset - now that there might not have been before Kevin O'Brien's giant-killing epic.

There was similar talk before India's World Cup opener against Bangladesh, but the imperious ease of their eventual win made that sound like a misguided fantasy. While India's opinion of Ireland may well have changed in the last week, they will expect nothing less on Sunday.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland: WLWLL
India: TWLLW

Watch out for ...

It's almost superfluous to point out that all eyes will be on Kevin O'Brien when he comes out to bat on Sunday, but it could hardly be any other way after his record-breaking hundred. The burly allrounder was brutally dismissive of both pace and spin against England and there's no reason to think he'll play any differently against India - although this time he won't have the crowd's support when he does so.

It's no secret that international sides have attempted to counter Yusuf Pathan's destructive big-hitting by targeting him with short-pitched fast bowling. Ireland lack the firepower to adopt the same approach and Boyd Rankin, the 6' 6" seamer, is the only bowler who'll come close to troubling him. If Yusuf gets going India could post a total out of the reach of even O'Brien's expansive reach.

Team news

MS Dhoni didn't give anything away when asked about a likely playing XI on the eve of the game, but appeared to confirm the rumour that Ashish Nehra was match-fit once more. India will play to their strength, which is batting, and that's likely to leave four spots up for grabs for the bowlers. The same group that played against England - Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla - is the logical conclusion.

India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (wk/capt), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Munaf Patel

Ireland were forced to make some last-minute changes to their line-up against England, with allrounder Andre Botha's unavailability meaning wicketkeeper-batsman Gary Wilson slotted in at No. 5. Botha is one of Ireland's most accomplished bowlers in the end overs - his accuracy and canny changes of pace brought him three cheap wickets against Bangladesh - and if he is match-fit, he'll play. Otherwise, Ireland have little reason to change the team that beat England.

Ireland (probable): 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O'Brien (wk), 5 Kevin O'Brien, 6 Alex Cusack, 7 Andre Botha/Gary Wilson, 8 John Mooney, 9 Trent Johnston, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Boyd Rankin

Pitch and conditions

The pitch used will be the same one that produced 676 runs in India's game against England. It wore a green and grassy look on Saturday, though that may well change after it's been shaved and rolled, and though a dryer surface might give a little more help to the spinners (and help scuff up the ball and aid reverse swing later on), it's unlikely to be greatly dissimilar to the pitches seen here in recent times. Expect another high-scoring game on what should be a bright, sunny afternoon and a warm, clear evening.

Stats and trivia

The County cricketers in Ireland's team will no doubt have helped them puncture England's aura, but their experience against India is limited to a one-off match in Belfast in June 2007 that resulted in a nine-wicket win for India. There've been extensive changes to both line-ups since, but they will at least have some experience of facing the likes of Sreesanth and Piyush Chawla, although they will not have many happy memories of that experience as Chawla picked up 3 for 29, dismissing Kevin O'Brien for just 3, to rip the stuffing out of Ireland's middle order.

Gary Wilson, who played in the match against England, made his ODI debut in the 2007 game against India.

Kevin O'Brien became Ireland's leading run-scorer in ODIs in the course of his century against England, and now has 1,486 runs at 36.24. He's also hit 40 sixes in ODIs, almost double the number of anyone else in Ireland's squad.

Before this tournament started, the warm-up matches in Bangalore suggested conditions might favour spinners, but the ground has since produced 1,332 runs in just two games. The average score in the last three full internationals played here is 328.

The two men opening the batting for India, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, have scored more runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium than anyone else. Tendulkar leads the way with 496 runs at 49.60, while Sehwag has 323 at 64.60 - although he's never scored an ODI hundred here. Zaheer Khan leads the way with wickets, having taken 11 at 30.18.

England Vs South Africa World Cup Match Preview

2011-03-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

There have been plenty of mismatches so far in this World Cup, but whenever England have taken the field something extraordinary has occurred. Firstly Netherlands pushed them close, then there was the epic tie against India before they were humbled by Kevin O'Brien's stunning hitting. What happens next is anyone's guess, but matches against South Africa are rarely dull affairs.

It's not quite do-or-die for England but it's getting close after they reached the half-way point of their group campaign with three points instead of the expected four. Two wins should take them into the quarter-finals, but that's not an easy task with Bangladesh and West Indies to follow this game. South Africa have far fewer concerns after two clinical victories set up their campaign nicely.

As with every meeting between these two teams there will be the pre-match talk of England's contingent from South Africa. Kevin Pietersen has often lifted his game against the country of his birth, but South Africa have yet to see the best of Jonathan Trott. Despite the strong performances from England's top order there are still issues over the batting, both in terms of soft dismissals like Pietersen's against Ireland and the lack of impact from the middle order which twice cost them dear in Bangalore.

They will be up against the most rounded attack of the tournament. The threat of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel was well known, but the inclusion of Imran Tahir has given South Africa an additional edge. Not that they are short on batting, either, and AB de Villiers has started the World Cup with back-to-back hundreds; the one against West Indies was elegant, the ton against Netherlands brutal.

Under Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower, England have shown an ability to bounce back following shocking defeats. Often the sight of formidable opponents focuses their mind in the way that being favourites against the likes of Netherlands and Ireland doesn't. However, all aspects of their game will have to fire on the same occasion - which it hasn't at any stage of the tournament - otherwise an early flight home will be an even greater possibility.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
England LTWLL
South Africa WWWWL

Watch out for...

Although Steyn and Morkel form the best new-ball pair in the world, it's Imran Tahir that England need to watch out for. He was held back by South Africa as a surprise weapon for the World Cup and so far it has worked perfectly. He started with a match-winning 4 for 41 against West Indies and helped himself to some cheap scalps against Netherlands. An attacking spin bowler, and especially a legspinner, is something South Africa have long lacked and Tahir is making a huge difference. England are better than they used to be against leg spin, and most of the batsmen will have seen Tahir in county cricket, but unlike previous occasions when facing South Africa it's about more than just seeing off the quicks.

Kevin Pietersen has looked in fine form during the tournament which makes his three innings of 39, 31 and 59 even more frustrating. His move to the top order was two-fold; to give England a brisk start and to allow Pietersen to build an innings. At the moment he's only doing half the job. His reverse-sweep against Paul Stirling was just one of many sloppy pieces of cricket England produced at the hands of Ireland and, as much as Pietersen may shrug it off as 'the way he plays', it's a waste of his immense talent to not be building hundreds in such favourable batting conditions. No better place to perform than at the against South Africa.

Team news

Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Paul Collingwood picked up niggles against Ireland but are expected to be fit. However, Collingwood's place could come under pressure from Ravi Bopara with England needing power in the their middle order or Michael Yardy could be replaced. James Anderson continues to struggle so Ajmal Shahzad is an option.

England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson

Morne van Wyk was a surprise selection against Netherlands, prompted by the cloudy morning in Mohali, and ended up keeping wicket with de Villiers having strained his back. Johan Botha was left out against the Dutch but his experience could be useful against England and he may be preferred to Robin Petersen.

South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Morne van Wyk, 7 Francois du Plessis, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Stats and trivia

The last time these two sides met in one-day cricket England secured their first series win on South African soil with a 2-1 success in 2009-10.

South Africa knocked Michael Vaughan's team out of the 2007 World Cup with a crushing nine-wicket victory in the Super Eight clash in Barbados after England were skittled for 154.

Graeme Smith hasn't scored an ODI century for 23 innings

Will Rain Spoil Sri Lanka Vs Australia Match?

2011-03-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

With less than only 18 hours for the start of much awaited Cricket World Cup group A match between Sri Lanka and Australia, torrential rainfalls recorded from Colombo and suburb areas where the match is scheduled to be played.

The match is already sold out and Sri Lanka Cricket expects, around 80,0000 crowd at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on 5^th March. How ever, the rain has created some doubts in the minds of cricket fans.

Later last year, Sri Lanka Cricket decided to abandon a five match ODI series against West Indies due to the torrential rainfall happening in the island. Later in January when West Indies returned for a 3 match ODI series, the first match was again interrupted by rain. Weather experts say there is some series climate change taking place in the region. Normally in February and March, most parts of Sri Lanka experience a heavy drought. However this time around, the climate is much colder and rain has continued time to time throughout February.

At the point of writing this, rain has gone away, but still no signs of clear night skies. This is about 5 Kilometers away from the stadium.

Cricket fans around Sri Lanka are eagerly awaiting the match and everyone is hoping for a bright and sunny day tomorrow in Colombo.

I will keep updating this post about the weather situation in Colombo, throughout Saturday morning until the match begins at 2.30pm local time.

2007 Finalists Contest in Saturday's Big Match

2011-03-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

The last time Australia were scheduled to take on Sri Lanka in a World Cup match in Colombo was in 1996, when Australia pulled out citing security concerns leading to plenty of rancour even before the tournament started. The last time the two teams did meet in the World Cup was in the final of 2007, when a farcical ruling over bad light provided an inept end to a much-maligned tournament.

Saturday's encounter, nestled somewhere midway through the competition, will lack the drama of either of those two events, and given the utter woefulness of the smaller teams in Group A, will have only a marginal impact on the tournament, though it is being billed as a 'big game'. The four Test nations in the group are near certainties to make the quarters, so any time two of them clash in the league phase, the result is more a battle for how high in the top four they end up, which will decide how tough their quarter-final opponent will be.

One reason to look forward to the match is that in a game increasingly dominated by the bat, where 300 is no longer a safe score, two of the best bowling line-ups in the tournament will face up. On the one hand Sri Lanka have their much-trumpeted, freakish trio of Malinga, Murali and Mendis, and on the other is Australia's old-school fast-and-furious trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson.

The match is also a stage for Sri Lanka to justify their billing as one of the favourites, particularly after defeat to Pakistan. And for Australia, the game is the first big challenge to check how healthy their chances of a fourth straight title are.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWWWW
Sri Lanka WLWWW

Watch out for...

Tillakaratne Dilshan has the task of getting Sri Lanka bursting out of the blocks, a job he's accomplished in all three matches this tournament by sprinting to at least 40 each time. Sri Lanka will hope his stand-and-thwack-it method works against the Australian pace battery and takes him to the big score that has eluded him so far.

A few months ago, Brett Lee's international career seemed to be over after being sidelined for a year due to an elbow problem. Not only is he back, but like that other oft-injured tearaway, Shoaib Akhtar, he's showing he's lost none of his pace even in his mid-thirties. He was in cracking form in Australia's previous match, tormenting New Zealand's top order, though he didn't get the handful of wickets his spot-on bowling deserved.

Team news

Australia have had a week's rest since thumping New Zealand, so they will be no need to "manage the workload" of any of their players. They are almost certainly going to stick to the same XI.

Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Steve Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Jason Krezja, 10 Brett Lee, 11 Shaun Tait.

Sri Lanka have a couple of decisions to make regarding their bowling. Do they persist with Nuwan Kulasekara or bring back the pacy Thisara Perera, who also provides a big-hitting option lower down the order? Also, the second spinners slot 'remains a toss-up between Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Silva, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan

Pitch and conditions

It pelted down on Friday evening in Colombo, and there's light rain forecast for Saturday as well. If the weather stays clear, the teams will likely have to deal with a sluggish pitch, the same surface that was used for the Kenya-Sri Lanka match. Malinga's explanation of his array of toe-crushers against Kenya: "This is a slow pitch and bouncers will not work so I decided to go for yorkers." Expect more of the same.

Stats and Trivia

Australia have lost only one of the seven completed World Cup matches against Sri Lanka - the 1996 final
Ricky Ponting has the most number of World Cup catches (27), more than twice as many as any other current player. The next highest tally of a player in the tournament is Paul Collingwood (13)
Lasith Malinga has an astonishing World Cup record: 9 matches, 24 wickets at 13.41

Ireland Records the First Major Upset in Cricket World Cup 2011

2011-03-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Kevin O'Brien stunned England with the fastest hundred in World Cup history as Ireland secured their greatest victory with a monumental three-wicket triumph in Bangalore. O'Brien clubbed a magnificent 113 off 63 deliveries as Ireland earned the highest World Cup run-chase with four balls to spare. After he'd added a match-changing 162 with Alex Cusack, John Mooney joined him to play the innings of his life and help write another famous chapter in Irish sport.

When the partnership was broken with 55 still needed Ireland could have lost their way, especially when O'Brien couldn't get the strike back. However, after struggling to get the ball away Mooney suddenly started locating the boundary, firstly off the outside edge but then with two nerveless drives through the covers, each coming after England had strung together a few dot balls to build pressure. He was the dominant partner in the seven-wicket stand.

Still, though, there was a final twist when O'Brien was run out in the penultimate over. Trent Johnston, however, drove his first ball, a full toss from Stuart Broad, for four as the equation came down to below a run-a-ball for the first time in the entire chase. The final over started with just three needed and off the second ball Mooney clipped Anderson through midwicket to set off epic celebrations that will take over any available Bangalore bar tonight.

O'Brien's innings was breathtaking. He entered when Ed Joyce, seemingly Ireland's last chance of making the chase a contest, was stumped off Graeme Swann to leave their run-chase floundering at 106 for 4, which soon became 111 for 5 when Gary Wilson fell lbw. But O'Brien proceeded to tear the England attack apart. He showed power reminiscent of Kieron Pollard but with a calmer head and better technique, bringing up his hundred off 50 balls with a tuck for two into the leg side to beat Matthew Hayden's World Cup record of 66 deliveries. It led to a reveal of his the purple head-do as part of Ireland's charity fundraising campaign.

He showed his intent early when he thumped Swann through the covers second-ball and the tucked into the offspinner's ninth over with two sixes over midwicket which injected life into Ireland's innings. O'Brien was on 35 off 22 balls when Ireland took the batting Powerplay and it was during those five overs that the chance of the impossible became possible as 62 runs surged onto the total.

As happened against Ryan ten Doeschate's onslaught in their opening match against the Netherlands, England's bowlers started to lose the plot during another wayward, undisciplined display. Michael Yardy went for 16 as did James Anderson whom O'Brien pulled for a huge six to take him to a 30-ball fifty. Anderson's next over went for 17 including another leg-side pull and in between whiles, even the normally reliable Tim Bresnan was dispatched, including the finest shot of O'Brien's innings when he drove a six clean over cover.

Really, though, fielding restrictions meant nothing to O'Brien and he continued on his merry way with another huge blow over midwicket to take him into the 90s. Then the whole of Ireland held their breath as O'Brien's next attempt to clear the rope sent the ball high into the night sky where Andrew Strauss made a lot of ground but then couldn't hold on.

O'Brien needed support to play his incredible innings and Cusack's role can't be understated in the amazing scenes which unfolded. He was almost lost in O'Brien's slipstream but sensibly rotated the strike until, off his 49th ball, he joined the boundary hitting by launching Collingwood over midwicket then thumped Yardy straight down the ground. Even his dismissal, run-out from backward point, was for the team cause as he ensured O'Brien stayed at the crease. Although he wasn't quite there at the end he had written himself a permanent place in Irish folklore.

Even more incredibly this wasn't a run chase built on solid foundations. William Porterfield dragged the first ball of the innings into his stumps and although Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce and Niall O'Brien all played neatly their contributions were seemingly too insignificant in such a huge pursuit. In the final outcome, however, the intent shown by Stirling, in particular, showed Ireland wouldn't take a backward step.

Tellingly, too, Stirling was given a life when Matt Prior shelled a simple chance which set the tone for another shoddy fielding display. However, it looked like England would comfortably emerge unscathed when Swann removed three middle-order scalps with a teasing spell of drift, flight and turn to leave Ireland 111 for 5. Already, though, O'Brien was at the non-striker's end and about embark on one of the great match-winning displays.

There are so many areas England will rue, chiefly another below-par display in the field but they will also look back on the closing stages of their seemingly impressive 327. The final five overs only brought 33 runs as Mooney preceded his crucial batting effort with some smart death bowling and a career-best 4 for 63. It meant, like for India three days ago, the 350-plus that was on the cards when Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell were adding 167 for the third wicket didn't materialise. This tournament is proving that big first-innings scores are no certainty of victory.

It will be largely forgotten because of what followed, but Trott wrote his own place in the record books when he reached 1000 runs in his 21st innings to equal the mark set by Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen. The latter had set up the innings with a sparkling 59 before throwing away his chance of a hundred with a top-edged reverse sweep. It wasn't England's only piece of lazy cricket. Bell's was a lovely, easy, innings as he moved along with smart placement and deft touches to tick off his fifty from 61 balls.

After their problems against India, England actually used the batting Powerplay reasonably well to collect 45 runs and even though the middle order failed to fire once again it appeared fairly insignificant when Ireland's top order was whittled away. One man, though, stood in their way and the rest, as they say, is history.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

In Support of UDRS

2011-03-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

“I am not going to buy a life jacket that doesn't come with a warranty,” said MS Dhoni about the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS). The (in)famous quote leaves the uninitiated baffled and the informed frustrated.

The UDRS has got a lot of flak after the notorious not-out decision that was given in favor of Ian Bell by Billy Bowden in the

India

vs. England World Cup encounter.
A couple of days later, it was again the subject of debate when in Sri Lanka’s match against Kenya, the umpire reversed his decision of “Out” after the review in similar circumstances. Since, in both these cases, the final verdict was “Not Out”, the lesser informed have developed an opinion that the rule stipulates that if the point of impact is more than 2.5m, it cannot be given out; leading many to argue that batsmen can avoid ever being LBW if they were to stand a foot outside the crease to bat.

The Indian Board and some senior players of India including MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar have earlier argued that introduction of UDRS jeopardizes the authority and credibility of the umpires in the middle. What they probably don’t realize is that by disputing Billy Bowden’s decision, they are doing exactly that themselves, i.e., questioning the authority and judgment of the man in the middle.

The rulebook does not state that the batsman cannot be given out if the point of impact is more than 2.5m away from the stumps. All it says is that in such cases, the on-field umpire, armed with additional information from the review, will take the final decision based on his understanding.

Clause 3.2 (i) – iii:

With regard to determining whether the ball was likely to have hit the stumps:

– If a “not out‟ decision is being reviewed, in order to report that the ball is hitting the stumps, the evidence provided by technology should show that the centre of the ball would have hit the stumps within an area demarcated by a line drawn below the lower edge of the bails and down the middle of the outer stumps.

However, in instances where the evidence shows that the ball would have hit the stumps within the demarcated area as set out above but that the point of impact is greater than 250 cm from the stumps, the third umpire shall notify the on-field umpire of:

a) The distance from the wickets to the point of impact with the batsman

b) The approximate distance from point of pitching to point of impact

c) Where the ball is predicted to hit the stumps.

In such a case, the on-field umpire shall have regard to the normal cricketing principles concerning the level of certainty in making his decision as to whether to change his decision.

In India’s match, the umpire, Billy Bowden, upheld his decision because he had the “freedom” to do so, although in my opinion he should’ve given it out. In

Sri Lanka

’s match, the umpire, armed with the additional information from the 3^rd umpire that the ball had hit the batsmen more than 2.5m away from the stumps and that it was predicted to go a foot above the stumps, decided to overturn his decision.

The UDRS is there to avoid the absolute howlers. It does not undermine the authority or the judgment of the on-field umpires. It is only there to assist them. If one were to go through the rulebook, it clearly states that the UDRS will only overturn the decision of the on-field umpire when it can prove, as they say in the legal jargon, “beyond reasonable doubt” that the decision is incorrect. Whenever there is doubt, the decision of the on-field umpire stays.

The UDRS is a tool which is there to assist the umpires. The instances of bad umpiring decisions having a bearing on the match’s result had increased in the recent past making the need to improve the decision making even more critical. Agreed that the UDRS has limitations of its own and could perhaps never be 100% reliable, but when looked at as an aiding device that still depends on the judgment and understanding of humans to come to a conclusion, it is a pretty useful tool to have.

Ireland Ready to Challenge Old Rival England

2011-03-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

With their boisterous, fun-loving demeanour both on and off the pitch, Ireland were always going to be one of the Associate teams that, as AB de Villiers said, make the World Cup "more colourful". When captain Will Porterfield arrived for a pre-match press conference ahead of their encounter with England in Bangalore tomorrow, it quickly became apparent that that description could be applied quite literally too, as he took off his cap to reveal a shock of bright purple hair.

"You're not imagining things," he explained, smiling. "The Irish Cancer Society and Today FM, a radio station back home, they run a 'Shave or Dye' campaign in February. It's just about raising awareness. There's a few interesting lids floating about, five of us dyed and a good few shaved. Boyd Rankin's got his own dyed blue as well, Kevin O'Brien's similar to me own and there's a bit of blonde in there. Anything we can do for the cancer society back home is good, it's for a good cause."

It would be wrong, of course, to interpret the team's jovial attitude as a sign that they're not taking this tournament seriously. They are, and having risen to level on points with Zimbabwe in the ICC's one-day rankings, there's no denying their status at the top of the Associate pile. They're at the threshold of full membership, and the team knows full well what slaying a couple of giants in this tournament would do for their case. More immediately, there's also the small matter of getting one over on the 'old enemy' - England.

"We need absolutely no motivation when facing the old enemy and I know how desperate everyone in the camp is to atone for what we see as our failure on Friday night," Porterfield wrote in his World Cup Diary on Sunday. "In many ways the game is like a local derby, and we know anything can happen on the day."

Shortly after Ireland's mid-morning practice session on a steaming hot day in Bangalore, Porterfield expounded further on what the game means for Ireland: "I think it is [a special occasion]. Any Irish sports team playing an English team is always pretty special for them, and especially to people back home. They always want to see us get one over on the English, so I'm sure there'll be plenty back home watching and hoping for a positive result from the Irish. Anyone can slip up on any particular day, but [England] are playing good cricket and we've just got to be on top of our own game."

Ireland are also under added pressure to take down one of the bigger teams after their 27-run loss to Bangladesh in Dhaka last week - a match they could easily have won. "To go through our group we're going to have to win probably three of our next five games, so every game is kind of a must-win from here on in," Porterfield said. "But we can't look too far ahead in terms of the result, we've just got to look at the process of how we get there and what we've got to put right from the last game and how we've got to go about our own game.

"The day after the game and that night the lads were pretty gutted. It's no lie, anyone that loses a game like that you're going to be pretty down, but that's professional sport. You've got to pick yourself up from the lows like that. It's no secret our batting let us down, there were a few soft dismissals in there. It's just a matter of being a bit tougher on ourselves. You can't afford to give away free wickets like that. It's just being cricket smart, there's nothing dramatic that has to change."

It may well be the bowlers, rather than the batsmen, who are more anxious ahead of Tuesday's game after watching 676 runs being scored in England's game against India at the same venue. Porterfield insisted he had confidence in Boyd Rankin and George Dockrell, perhaps the two most important members of his attack.

"[Rankin] has got all the attributes to be a fantastic bowler. He went for a few in Dhaka. They got a few away and that can happen to anyone on their day. I still think he's one of our main wicket-taking threats. He may go for a few runs but as we've seen in this tournament you've got to take wickets to peg things back and he's one of our main wicket-takers and I'm pretty confident he can bounce back.

"[Dockrell] is pretty new to the game. He only came in last year in the Twenty20 World Cup and was dropped in at the deep end in the West Indies. He hadn't had much experience before then, he had one Under-19 World Cup under his belt. He's taken everything in his stride, he's a pretty level-headed young guy. He's just finished school and he's done pretty well there as well.

They are utterly different species as bowlers, Dockrell a mantis-limbed left-arm spinner and Rankin a towering 6' 6" fast bowler, but they may well end up sharing the new ball. Spin has been introduced very early by several teams in this tournament, and it appeared Dockrell could be given the responsibility of exploiting Kevin Pietersen's much-discussed weakness against left-arm spin.

"Anything is possible, it's definitely an option for us," Porterfield admitted. "He's bowled in the Powerplays for us before, and he's bowled in the first six overs in Twenty20s so that's nothing new to him. He knows how to bowl with the new ball so that's definitely an option as well."

While obviously focussing on the present and the immediate challenge of taking on England, a team Ireland have never beaten, Porterfield is also well aware of his team's duty as pioneers of Irish cricket and the important position they occupy in Ireland's cricketing history.

"Cricket's been played in Ireland for a very long time now, since 1855 we've been playing cricket as a nation. We want to get to the stage where we become a full member ourselves and get into the Future Tours Programme. We want to get to the stage where lads don't have to make that call [to play for England] or have to move on and play that way. We want to be in a position where we can contract 12 to 15 full-time Irish cricketers.

"In an ideal scenario we'd have 15 lads contracted back in Dublin training day in, day out. It's obviously a financial thing, it's a fixtures thing, it's everything, but we're at the stage now where that's where we want to be and everyone's working towards that and hopefully we'll get there."

Author: Liam Brickhill for Espncricinfo.com