Afridi desires to make it third time fortunate

Shahid Afridi is desperate not to end up on the losing side for the third time in a row when he turns out for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2009 final at Lord’s on Sunday.

Afridi still remembers the hurt he felt as a teenager 10 years ago when his team was mauled by Steve Waugh’s all-conquering Australia in the World Cup final at the same venue in 1999.

The pain returned two years ago when India won the inaugural World Twenty20 title with a five-run win over Pakistan the final in Johannesburg, even though Afridi was named the most valuable player of the tournament.

Afridi is the prodigal cricketer who does the unexpected and is never to be underestimated. Get all the individual T20 world cup 2009 Records in batting, top bowling performance, best fielding performance, most sixes in ICC 20-20, etc on Indyalive.

Afridi raise Pakistan into T20 World Cup final

It was one of those days for Shahid Afridi. A day where everything he tried, worked. He first regained his touch with the bat and then, continued his fine run with ball. It was Afridi’s 51 off 34 balls that set up Pakistan’s total of 149/4 in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup and his two wickets in four balls that put the brakes on South Africa’s reply.

Pakistan won the game by seven runs to make their second successive World T20 final. South Africa ended their 20 overs on 142/5. However, while Afridi might have played an all-round hand in stopping the South Africans, the age-old theory of the Proteas choking on the big stage seemed to play a role too.

Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis started off in a vein much similar to Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi, adding 40 in the six powerplay overs. Pakistan had made 47 in the same period. Before Mohammad Aamer held a skier off his own bowling to remove Smith, the SA chase was well on track.

However, once Smith fell for 10, the wheels began coming off the innings. Herschelle Gibbs lost his wicket playing for the turn off a straight, fast Afridi delivery, and then the big fish of the line up, AB de Villiers, dragged Afridi on to his stumps. 40/0 had deteriorated to 50/3 in a matter of 16 deliveries, and the South Africans seemed to be choking again. Get all the individual T20 world cup 2009 Records in batting, top bowling performance, best fielding performance, most sixes in ICC 20-20, etc on Indyalive.

Four squad and four exciting fiction

Four teams, four intriguing tales, and one charge to the top. The battle to the top of the T20 World Cup planet starts at Trent Bridge on Thursday, when South Africa take on Pakistan in the first semifinal, with Sri Lanka try to get past the West Indies at the Oval a day later.

For the players, these semifinals provide an opportunity to bring a smile to their countrymen’s faces, an opportunity to be almost part of their country’s folklore. Cricket in Pakistan, post Lahore, has been reduced to a distant dream. The country has become the pariah in the international game, with no team keen on touring. While it is not hard to see why teams have adopted this hands-off strategy with Pakistan, the players have been bearing its brunt.

South Africa has always come in to major tournaments as hot favorites, often billed as a team that possesses everything. And yet, somehow, it just doesn’t happen for the Proteas. ‘Chokers’ is a term that has been used liberally with them. It is undoubtedly a mental block, and a win in England would help this bunch, and possibly even the future, to get over it.

The West Indies’ tale has a very different take to it. Led by the cool and carefree Chris Gayle, the players have often taken on the WICB over a sponsorship row, even threatening to sit out international games. Not one to be overly bothered after a defeat, after all they happen so regularly, the title of world champions could be the start of another strong period of Caribbean teams. But, then again, that’s a long shot. Get all the T20 world cup 2009 Records in batting, top bowling performance, best fielding performance, most sixes in ICC 20-20, etc on Indyalive.

Mendis show the way Sri Lanka into semifinals

Ajantha Mendis hardly got a game in the IPL. Left out of most of John Buchanan’s plans, the Sri Lankan spinner was seen warming the Kolkata Knight Riders’ bench.

It, however, has been a different story in the T20 World Cup. He has had the opposition in all sorts of trouble with his unique variations. And he continued on Tuesday, picking up three Kiwi wickets in a 48-run win for Sri Lanka in their last SuperEights game.

With this win, Sangakkara’s side booked their place in the semis, with the West Indies being their likely opponents at the Oval on June 19.

Set a target of 159, New Zealand never looked like being in with a shout. Sri Lanka have one of the best attacks in the tournament, and it was the variety in their attack that stifled the Kiwi chase. New Zealand’s innings folded at 110 in the 17th over.

Mahela Jayawardene, on the other hand, is not your quintessential T20 batsman. More in the classical mould, the former Lanka skipper is often underrated in the shortest version.

On Tuesday, though, he showed just how good players can adapt themselves to every situation, playing some of the most outrageous shots, including one of the back of his bat, in his 29-ball 41. Though Martin Guptill tried his best to get New Zealand to victory, his 43 wasn’t enough.

Kirsten guilt IPL for India’s failure in T20 World Cup 09

India’s coach Gary Kirsten pointed fingers at the cash-rich Indian Premier League for his team’s ouster from the T20 World Cup 2009, saying it had left the players tired.

India, who won the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa two years ago, lost both their Super Eight matches to the West Indies and hosts England to be knocked out before the semi-finals.

Kirsten, the former South African opener, said his team was physically and mentally unprepared to defend the title because the cricketers were involved in the IPL.

He also did not rule out asking his main players to withdraw from next year’s edition of the IPL in March so that they will be fresh for the next T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in April.

India smashes into out of T20 World Cup

The champions have worn-out. A three-run loss at Lord’s to England on Sunday sealed India’s fate in the World T20 and made sure that there will be new T20 world champions come June 21. Chasing 154, they ended their innings on 150/5.

Chasing on a wicket that was helping the fast bowlers, the well-documented inadequacy against the rising ball were exposed by an England attack that showed intent. The West Indies’ pacers had shown on Friday just how extra pace and bounce can trouble this much-vaunted Indian line-up, and that seemed to be the English game plan on Sunday.

Opting for the extra pacer in Ryan Sidebottom, Paul Collinwood’s team did remarkably well in containing, and removing the Indian batsmen.

The fall started as early as the second over when Rohit Sharma dragged Sidebottom on to his stumps while attempting a pull. Suresh Raina went in identical fashion, though he was caught at deep square leg while pulling.

The Lord’s wicket has not been the kindest to the Indians on this T20 World Cup, and it was no different on Sunday.

There was a fighting 58-run stand between MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan in the end, perhaps the only period of the game where the Indian batsmen showed real intent, but it wasn’t enough. It might have gone down to the last ball, but India was always second best. Get all the individual performance in batting, top bowling performance, best fielding performance, most sixes in ICC 20-20, etc on Indyalive.

Sri Lanka bang Pakistan by 19 runs

Sri Lanka had a lot to cheer about on a bright day at Lord’s as everything they touched seemed to turn into gold. With a tempest start to their innings, regular wickets from their bowlers and a lively fielding display, Sri Lanka capped off a 19-run win over Pakistan on Friday in T20 World Cup 2009. Pakistan had no answers to fiery spells from Lasith Malinga (3/17) and Muttiah Muralithan (2/28).

Earlier Sri Lanka’s openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya flayed the Pakistan attack. Dilshan played the aggressor’s role, using his newly-patented “Dilscoop” shot over the wicketkeeper to good effect.

Jayasuriya also looked strong in his 24-ball 26. Sri Lanka’s fifty came up off 36 balls, and the stage was set for a big score.

However, things took a U-turn for Sri Lanka when the spinners – Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal came on. Afridi struck in his first over, removing Jayasuriya and followed it up with Dilshan’s wicket. With the regular fall of wickets Sri Lanka managed only 150/7.

After the spinners bowled Pakistan back to contention their chase got off to a disastrous start with Salman Butt falling off the third ball. Shoaib Malik played a brief, stroke-filled innings hammering Angelo Mathews for three consecutive fours in his 3rd over.

Younus pleased by sea-change

Pakistan skipper Younus Khan reflected after his side’s victory over Netherlands on the slings and arrows of outrageous T20 World Cup 2009 fortune.

Younus was philosophical about defeat in the opening match against England and was no less laidback about the shortest form of the game following the 82-run win over the Dutch.

Younus said that We lost to England and now we are in the Super Eights so we must take it easy about this cricket. It’s good entertainment. Everybody follows Twenty20 these days and the good thing about it is it is changing every single over. If you lose a couple of wickets in an over you could lose quite easily. But if you get 20-25 runs from an over you can be on your way quite easily. You need energy whether you are batting, bowling or fielding.

Pakistan needed to not only win but win well to qualify for the Super Eights at the expense of the Dutch. After making 175-5, they needed to restrict the Netherlands to 150 in reply � a feat that was rarely in doubt once spin twins Shahid Afridi (4-11) and Saeed Ajmal (3-20) got to work. We wanted to be positive and so we batted first. The spinners Afridi and Ajmal bowled really well and they were given excellent support by Kamran Akmal behind the stumps.

The Pakistan captain hopes his team have got their worst performance of the tournament out of the way first up – the 48-run loss to England – and can carry on their improved form against Sri Lanka in their opening Super Eights match at Lord’s on Friday.

Sangakkara reverse Sanath to blaze

The expert opener struggled during the recent Indian Premier League, for Mumbai Indians, and was not at his most fluent during Tuesday’s T20 World Cup 2009 warm-up match against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge.

Sangakkara said that Jayasuriya is still very important to us, I think he is just working his way into the tournament. His job for us is to go out there and be Sanath. If he wants to hit the first ball out of the park then that’s what we want him to do. Everyone in the team has the fullest confidence in him – that’s why he’s here and that’s why he’s going to be part of our side in the near future as well, looking forward to the 2011 World Cup.”

Question marks may be raised about the left-hander’s ability to still cut it as he approaches his 40th birthday (on June 30) but his captain does not believe age is a barrier when you are as fit of body and mind as Jayasuriya.

“He’s changed his game over the years? Fine-tuned it? but Sanath is still Sanath,” Sangakkara stressed. “He keeps it very simple, watches the ball and if it’s in his areas then he gives it his maximum effort and hits the boundary. And still his role hasn’t changed and for us that is what we are looking for him to do. The fact he is always going to be in our starting XI is because we have that confidence in him. In our fitness tests he is still up among our top eight so age or fitness is not going to be a problem � he just needs to work his magic when the opportunity presents itself.”

Sangakkara has been reasonably happy with his side’s performances during their warm-up matches so far, including their most recent four-wicket victory in Nottingham.

“All of the bowlers have had a good run and most of the batsmen have had a good outing so we need to make sure we pick the right guys to handle those pressure situations at the right time [once the tournament begins].

Sri Lanka continues their warm-up campaign with a match against South Africa at Lord’s on Wednesday.

Pak team gone for T20 World Cup without dopes trial

The Pakistan cricket team has proceeded to England for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup without any of the players having undergone dope tests as has been the practice in recent times.

A senior official of the board confirmed on Sunday that no out-of-competition tests were carried out by the board this time prior to the World Cup.

“The reason is that we have already been educating and informing the players about the anti-doping policy and regulations of the ICC,” the official said.

He pointed out that the Pakistan Cricket Board had conducted out-of-competition tests few months back and all the players tested negative.

The official, however, confirmed that the ICC would pick nine players from each man’s team and two from women’s teams in the Twenty20 World Cup for the tests.

“We are confident there will be no problems with doping issues,” he added.

Two of the Pakistani players, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who have faced doping issues in recent times, are not in the Pakistan squad for next month’s tournament.