The New Cricket Ranks

Gautam Gambhir is country's uppermost ranked Test batsman at number three position and off spinner Harbhajan Singh, at sixth, is the highest placed Indian bowler in the hottest ICC rankings issued on Thursday.

Gambhir, the Delhi Left-hander with 847 rating points is the only Indian to number in the top 10 batsmen's chart, followed by the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar in 13th position, VVS Laxman in 15th position and the Master Blaster Virender Sehwag in 20th position.

In the bowlers' table, Harbhajan is the distinct Indian in top 10, followed by The Pacer Zaheer Khan in 11th position and Ishant Sharma in 20th position.

In the team ranking, India with 117 points is placed in third behind top ranked Australia with 128 points and South Africa with 119 points.

In the meantime Pakistan, currently in sixth position, will go into their three-Test series in opposition to Sri Lanka preparatory at Galle on Saturday targeting the fourth position, replacing the Lankans.

A 1-0 or 2-1 series win for Younus Khan's team will be adequate to position it on 105 ratings points alongside Sri Lanka but in front of Kumar Sangakkara's team when the ratings are considered beyond the decimal point.

Currently, Younus is the number one batsman in this format, will be aiming to become the 25th batsman in record to achieve the 900-point mark.

The 31-year-old right-handed batsman is just 20 points petite of becoming the second Pakistan batsman following Mohammad Yousuf to achieve the extraordinary distinction.

Chance for Afridi

Ostentatious all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who made Pakistan to the Twenty20 World Cup title in yesterday's final spoken motivation to lead the team at least once before calling it quit, may soon get the chance.

The trance of Afridi, who cracked an unbeaten 40-ball 54 to help out Pakistan to beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets victory at the Lord's, may come true after Younis Khan stepped down as the T20 skipper.

Having regained his magnificent touch with the bat and his bowling already being a strong weapon, Afridi is now most likely to succeed Younis as the T20 skipper.

"For the time being Shoaib Malik is ruled out of controversy for captaincy at any level and the way Afridi has performed and handled new found responsibilities as a superior player, he is certain to become the Pakistan captain for T20 cricket," one Pakistan Cricket Board official told PTI.

If Afridi comes at the controller of country's T20 squad, his first mission will be the one-off match against Sri Lanka on August 12 during their tour to the Sri Lanka.

And indications are that Afridi will also be captivating over as Pakistan's ODI captain if Younis decides to play the Test matches solitarily.

While asked about his aspiration to captain the team, Afridi earlier told a leading Urdu daily, "That is my ambition because it is an honor to lead your country."

Afridi also admitted that at one stage when he was not scoring runs during the last two years, was so irritated that had seriously thought about ending his career.

"But it was my bowling that kept me going because my bowling had enhanced and was a big bonus for the team that is why I hung on. I am happy that I have finally found my batting form in this tournament," he said.

"I told Younis I wanted to bat privileged up because I was not getting adequate time to settle down and play stretched innings.

There was too much stress on me to go and just start striking out. He said if I had confidence I should bat higher up,"

Caribbean on the way to go through assessment for T20 World Cup

A worldwide contingent will shell out a six-day appointment to the Caribbean from Monday to examine venues and measure arrangements being made for the next year's Twenty20 World Cup.

Venue inspections begin in Barbados and will move to Guyana the following day where the team will stay for two days before course to St. Kitts on Wednesday.

They take off to St.Lucia on Friday where part of the examination takes place at Beausejour Cricket Ground during the One-Day International between the West Indies
and India.

The venue inspection tour ends on July 4. The team includes councils of the West Indies Cricket Board, the WT20 2010 project team, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) and ESPN STAR Sports.

"This is the first venue check for ICC WT20 West Indies 2010 and I consider the region is recognizable with this process, particularly building on the experience of 2007 World Cup.

"This time around, we don't have the job of constructing new stadia and that's a major plus. However, there are still several essentials which have to be put in place to host an event of this level and we need to assess what must be done in the four host nations," said Tournament Director Ernest Hilaire.

"We have less than a year prior to the cricketing world comes to the West Indies again and we plan to speed ourselves well in planning and executing cricket' newest showpiece," he added.

Catch This

The Brand New Pitch Vision

T20 Game Rules

Powerplay: The 'powerplay' is six overs in a full match, during which a highest of two fielders can stay outside the 30-yard circle, with two fielders besides the wicketkeeper in catching positions, which is in the close-in fielding positions like slips, silly point, short cover.

After 'powerplay, no fielders are necessary in 'catching positions' but only a maximum of five can be outside the 30-yard circle.

Also, 'powerplay' Changes from just one over to five in rain-affected games.

No ball: This is a most important change from the usual game, with two runs being given for front-foot no-balls with an extra 'free hit'. The 'free hit' is the ball following the no ball, on which the batsman can be out only in the number of ways on a no ball, i.e., run out, hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field or handling the ball.

Bowling limit: Like in ODIs, players can bowl a limit of one-fifth of the total overs, i.e., four in a complete match of 20 overs per side.

Timed out: A batsman have to be in a position to take guard within 90 seconds of the drop of a wicket or he will be timed out. This is two minutes in one day match and in test cricket.

Tied matches: A tie will be busted with a super over method. In this rule each team will be given with one over and 3 wickets i.e. three batsmen can play the team can loose 1 wicket. The opposite bowling team will get one over they can use only one bowler to bowl the particular over. The team gets the maximum runs in that particular over announced as the winner.

Rain: A minimum of five overs each are sufficient to make a decision about that particular match under the Duckworth and Lewis system.

Welcome to Pakistan in Hotel after winning

Next T20 Battle in West Indies

The West Indies will mass the World Twenty20 battle in 2010, the International Cricket Council announced this news.

The event will be apprehended in place of the Champions Trophy that was to be hosted by West Indies in 2010, ICC head executive Haroon Lorgat said at a press meeting.

"With the Champions Trophy set to be hosted by Pakistan in 2009 after its abandonment this year, we determined to have a Twenty20 World Championship instead in April-May 2010 in West Indies," he said.

"Even though World Twenty20 is to be held every second year, we decided to hold it on the trot to set the schedule right and ensure a better stretch of tournaments."

The event, slated to be held from April 23 to May 9, will be staged at three venues to be selected by the ICC in January 2009 following nominations from the West Indies Cricket Board.

"With the ICC Champions Trophy being the closing major ICC event of 2009, and the ICC Cricket World Cup being the 50 over occasion in 2011, it makes just right judgment to have a competition of a dissimilar format in between," Lorgat said.

"It means we will avoid staging the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World Cup close together, as happened in 2002-03 and 2006-07.

Younus Khan announced his retirement from T20 internationals

Pakistan skipper Younus Khan announced his departure from T20 internationals subsequent to leading his side to a success in the 2009 Twenty20 final in opposition to Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Sunday.

Captain’s Talk after the Match :

‘This is my very last Twenty20 game for Pakistan, so I am retiring from T20 internationals.
‘I am now 34, I am aged for this kind of cricket. The good thing is we have a pair of good youngsters like Shahzaib Hasan and Ahmad Shahzad.’

However, talented batsman Younus who has played in 60 Tests and 186 one-day internationals.

So he is set to continue his international career in the longer formats of the game.

Second battle in T2o World Cup 2009

Second Semi Final of World Twenty20 will be played at Oval between Sri Lanka and West Indies. The team get through of this game will join Pakistan for the Final cricket battle to be played on 21st June at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

We previously saw some shocking results in the competition so far with India, Australia and last night competition solid favourites South Africa Pakistan by 7 runs, so no body can tell who is going to succeed this World Cup. One bad day of good team can cost them badly and one brilliant performance from individuals can lift their team.

So far West Indies adore the Oval wicket on which second semi final will take place. They have played two games in this tournament at same venue and on both matches debatably created their two best results, defeating Australia by seven wickets in the group stage and defeating England by five wickets.

Sri Lanka reached the semifinal with the unbeaten tag and now they are the favourites to lift the twenty20 title after South African exit from twenty20 world cup. Sri Lanka will be eager to continue their winning form.

Sri Lanka who played some gleaming cricket in the tournament won their most of their matches’ because of their bowling performance. From Malinga to Mendis all came good when it matter most. South Africa's unbeaten record is the one that has caught the eye for its efficiency but Sri Lanka are also unbeaten in five games out of five, with their only minor scare coming in a spirited display from the Irish.

Battle Between South Africa and Pakistan

Pakistan and South Africa are going to crash each other in the first semi final of twenty20 world cup 2009 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham 18 June. Cricket fans are now ahead to watch a highly-competitive match between two cricket giants. South Africa is the only semi finalists who have not lost any game so far in the tournament, while Pakistan has gone through many ups and downs over the last five games they have played so far in the tournament. It is going to be a great feast for cricket fans all over the world. Indian cricket fans also keen to watch the cricket battle between these teams because of Pakistan’s participant in the match. So it is going to be a nice match.

Business for theaters after exit of India in T20 World Cup 2009

India thrashes out of the Twenty20 World Cup, movie theater complex operators are expecting a boost in footfalls over the coming few weeks.

“The T20 matches starts after 10 p.m., and concerning India in particular, affected late evening and night shows. A Senior Vice-President of a theater told However, he was hopeful that from Monday onwards, night shows would pick energy.

Most multiplex chains generated an unexcited response for the first weekend after the argument between producers and multiplexes was resolved. The Big Pictures-promoted Kal Kissne Dekha, which on the rampage in 510 screens worldwide, did not have a remarkable box office opening. However, Big hopes that the movie would pick up and may even add additional prints from Friday.

“Over the weekend we had occupancies of 30-40 per cent. Now, we think business will pick up over the week,” said Mr Alok Tandon, COO, Inox Leisure.

Few multiplexes even screened the T20 matches to keep the cash catalog ticking. Mr Vishal Kapur, COO, Fun Cinemas, which screened the tourney said, “We clocked over 50 per cent tenancy for both matches – India vs England and India vs West Indies — in almost all six properties we screened.”

Depending on India’s play, Fun Cinemas had kept the options open to show remaining matches. “Now with the Indian team crashing out and a few big-ticket releases in the pipeline, we expect things to be better,” Mr Kapur added.

In the meantime, Hollywood movies such as Bride Wars, 17 Again and Angels and Demons have fared much better than Indian releases. “English movies are doing well as they are released across limited screens. Angels and Demons is doing extremely well in Tier-II cities,”

Pakistan gets through to Semi Finals

Pakistan rubbed the harsh reminiscences of the 2007 World Cup beating Ireland contentedly by 39 runs to make sure passage into the semi-finals of the ICC World T20 Cup at The Oval on Monday. Two year ago in the West Indies, the Pakistanis were knocked out of the quadrennial global event by the unfancied Irish, a devastating happening that led to the death of their coach Bob Woolmer.

However, this afternoon, Pakistani cricketers ensured no repeat of that disaster and batting first on winning the toss piled up a decent total of 159 for 9 in which the major man was wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal with 59 runs with shots of five fours and a six.

Then off-spinner Saeed Ajmal spun his web of trick and controlled Ireland to 120 for 9 claiming his tournament’s first four wickets drag for 39 with only captain William Porterfield providing fight with top score of 40.

Requiring a win to move into the semi-finals, Pakistan accomplished just that with an competent performance. The margin was also sufficient to lift their net run-rate to 1.19, ensuring there’s no way both New Zealand and Sri Lanka can finish with as many points and a higher rate.

Apart from Akmal, none of the other Pakistan batsmen got huge scores, but there were sensible partnerships for almost every wicket, ensuring there was no repeat of the collapse which had knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup.

Akmal held the innings jointly with a measured knock. The self-confidence of having scored runs in the earlier games was clearly on display, and he was decisive with his footwork and generally sound with his shot selection.

Shahzaib Hasan (23) and Shahid Afridi ( 24) promoted up the order to No.3, did not get big scores but they provided the early impetus. Shahzaib kept lofting the pitched-up deliveries over the infield, hitting three fours and six while Afridi had three hits to the ropes as he thrashed Cusack and West through the off side before Kyle McCallan removed him with an off break.

Misbahul Haq made 20 while Razzaq was unbeaten on 15 as Pakistan reached a challenging total.

New ball bowler Trent Johnston had a nightmare game, conceding 20 in his second over and 12 in his third, as the Pakistani batsmen picked him off their legs quite effortlessly. However, he managed to dismiss Akmal with an excellent fourth over, picking up the batsman with a yorker and conceding only four runs.

Target of 160 was always beyond Ireland though Porterfield fought gustily for his 36-ball 40, but hit his first four in the tenth over of the innings, by which time the asking rate had already climbed to nine and a half.

Pakistan struck 13 fours and four sixes; Ireland only managed six fours.
Pakistan’s bowlers were all disciplined, with Mohammad Aamer getting rid of the dangerous Niall O’Brien early. Afridi and Saeed Ajmal offered few scoring opportunities, while Umar Gul continued from where he had left off against New Zealand, claiming two for 19 and took his tally of wickets to 12 .

India Ruled out off

The India captains, Mahendra Singh Dhoni worn out the force of fan and media rage back home after the defending champions were rudely neglected out of the World Twenty20 on Sunday.

Security was increased around Dhoni's home in the eastern city of Ranchi on Monday after scores of fans burnt his model, shouted slogans and accused the captain of underestimating England in a must-win situation.

India, winners two years ago, were installed as one of the favourites this time but a three-run loss to England consigned them to a second straight Super Eights defeat, leaving them with no possibility of reaching the semi-finals.

"Dhoni took the match carelessly, he adopted a casual attitude," Arun Kumar, a young protester in Ranchi, said. "He is captivated by the glamour world more than cricket."

The Indian media also singled out Dhoni who captained the team to victory in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. Dhoni was liable for shuffling the order and failing to shake off his own subdued batting form when a captain's innings was badly needed.

His promotion of young all-rounder Ravinder Jadeja to No 4 in the batting line-up in the place of the explosive Yuvraj Singh was also seen as a strategic disaster after the 20-year-old failed to force the pace and left his team-mates with too much to do in the final overs.

"Why did Dhoni throw Jadeja to the lions," asked one TV channel, while another said: "Dhoni could not hit the ball, got it all wrong with his strategy. Nasty captaining by Dhoni cost us dear."

Dhoni has enjoyed a smooth ride as Test captain since the 2007 triumph but has come under scrutiny at this tournament after parading the entire team in an attempt to quash media reports of disharmony between him and Virender Sehwag.

His relationship with the media worsened after Sehwag was ruled out due to a shoulder injury and Dhoni and his team management were attacked for being less than forthcoming over the nature of the explosive batsman's problem.

Cricket-mad Indian fans are well known for displaying extreme emotions. Angry fans threw stones the homes of some players after the team suffered a shock first round exit in the one-day World Cup two years ago.

However, thousands lined up on both sides of the road from Mumbai airport to the stadium when the victorious Twenty20 team took out a victory parade months later.

Gayle attacks to Australian bowlers

Chris Gayle played a blinder of an innings, a kind of innings that most teams will fret about now, an innings that eluded him in the IPL. His innings of 88 (50b 6×4 6×6) preserved the match for West Indies, leaving Australia in a must win situation against Sri Lanka.

The most special instant of the innings came in Lee’s 3rd over, the 5th over of the West Indies innings. The over read 6,0,6,0,4+nb,4,6. That made it 27 runs from the over, Lee’s figures at this time were not appealing, 3-0-51-0, 17 runs an over is not something you would expect from a leading fast bowler.

Latest Super 8 Match Schedule of T20 World Cup 2009

The Date and Time details of the Super 8 matches:

Date	Lord's	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Thu, 11 June		Ireland v New Zealand (18:00 IST) England v South Africa (22:00 IST)
Fri, 12 June	Pakistan v Sri Lanka (18:00 IST) India v West Indies (22:00 IST)
Sat, 13 June			South Africa v West Indies (18:00 IST) New Zealand v Pakistan (22:00 IST)
Sun, 14 June	Ireland v Sri Lanka (18:00 IST) England v India (22:00 IST)
Mon, 15 June			England v West Indies (18:00 IST) Ireland v Pakistan (22:00 IST)
Tues, 16 June		New Zealand v Sri Lanka (18:00 IST) India v South Africa (22:00 IST)

Collingwood Talks

Playing with a apparent head and without fear helped England to beat Pakistan and enter the super eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup, believes the team’s captain, Paul Collingwood.

In an article for The Sun, Collingwood said: “In the space of 48 hours, we went from the depths of losing to Holland to the thrill and total relief of beating Pakistan. The key was playing with a clear head and without fear. We vowed to enjoy ourselves and not think about the consequences of losing and going out of the World Twenty20. Then there was the small matter of gettin Kevin Pietersen back into the team and a meal of burger and chips on Saturday evening!”

He additionally goes on to say that while playing for England, there can be both highs and lows, and that he had plenty of time to reflect on what in his view was an unbelievable weekend.”The game against Holland on Friday was outrageous. By ridiculous, I mean I still can’t get my head round how they knocked off the runs. But the way we bounced back on Sunday was fantastic. It proved we can play under huge pressure and that should hold us in good stead later in the tournament,”

Shoaib Akhtar's struggle for T20 World cup 2009 England

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar could be skipped from Pakistan's team for the World Twenty20 Championships if he failed to appear for the practice games in Lahore later this week.

A resource in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told IANS that Shoaib will have to play in the three practice games to be played between Patron's XI and Chairman's XI May 20-22. The matches are being set in preparation for the June 5-21 World Twenty20 Championships in England.

Shoaib, 33, is part of Pakistan's 15-man squad for the England but there is a question mark about his chances of featuring in the biennial spectacle as he skipped a five-day conditioning camp held in the hill resort of Bhurban due to a skin problem.

Shoaib has been named in the Patrons XI to be led by Younus Khan but it remains to be seen whether he will feature in the matches.

A source close to Shoaib said that the fast bowler has improved from his skin problem and has resumed his training for the World Twenty20 Championship.

But the bowler could face corrective action from the PCB after opting to get his skin disease treated by a private doctor rather than going to a specialist suggested by the Board.

According to a statement in the Jang newspaper senior PCB officials including the Board chairman Ijaz Butt are miserable with Shoaib's conclusion to consult a private doctor before taking permission from the PCB's medical commission.

According to the central contract that Shoaib has signed with the board, he has to take permission from the PCB before consulting a doctor for any kind of medical condition.

Sri Lankan Team for T20 World Cup 2009

Sri Lanka named uncapped all-rounder Isuru Udana in a 15-man squad for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup in England.

The competition will be the first tour since the team came under a terrorist attack in Pakistan while playing in a test series in March.

Seven cricketers and one coach were injured when their bus was ambushed by gunmen as the team traveled to a match against Pakistan at Lahore. Six police officers and the driver of a van taking match officials were killed in the attack.

Kumar Sangakkara will go in front the Sri Lanka team for the first time as captain in England, which is hosting the Twenty20 World Cup from June 5 2009 to June 21 2009.

Sri Lanka team: Kumar Sangakkara (Captain ), Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana, Farveez Maharoof, Jehan Mubarak, Indika de Seram.

Spinner's Role In T20 World Cup 2009 England

Spinners will play a vital role in the forthcoming World T20 in England as they did in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where they were inventive and did not allow freebies to batsmen, feels former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, He said Twenty20 requires a different set of skills and is a big test of a cricketer’s capability.

“In a short span of time, T20 cricket has become a different ball game. Now batsmen have realized that they cannot play big shots right through the innings. They have to plan their innings. They need to have different skills to make it in T20. Both the batsmen and the bowlers have to be inventive,” Akram said on the sidelines of an ESPN Sports event related to the T20 World Cup starting June 5.

“Spinners are going to play an important role as we saw in IPL, where they have been successful. Batsmen will find them difficult to handle,” said the former Pakistan captain.

Sanjay Manjerekar, who was also present on the occasion, seconded Akram’s view.

The former India player said that the skills required in Twenty20 format were closer to Test cricket.

“IPL in South Africa has tested the skills of a player like Test cricket. The opening edition was played in India where the pitches change only after 50 overs, so it made little difference. In South Africa it was different. With little bit of help from the surface, the spinners were unbeaten. Also you need certain amount of skills to slog a spinner. Good footwork and perception is necessary to attack spinners,” he said.

“When the Twenty20 World Cup was held last time, it was not as big as the 50 over World Cup. India were a hesitant participant. But two years later it has completely changed. Suddenly the importance of T20 has leapfrogged. It is the pinnacle of the game now.

“The unpredictability of T20 makes it exciting. Captains are still learning how to play. They are still working out their strategies,” said Manjerekar.

Manjerekar also said that the tournament will be more aggressive than IPL.

“There will be 11 international players and nation challenging against nation.”