Gavaskar says Indians must go back to school

Sunil Gavaskar Interviewed by Reuters on Friday, May 14, 2010

Because India have some serious Test series coming up, we need to go to our National Cricket Academy where there are a lot of young players in camp," said former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar.

India's batsmen should be sent back to the national academy to learn how to deal with short-pitched bowling, former great Sunil Gavaskar said in St Lucia on Friday. India, who lost all three of their Super Eight games and were eliminated from the ICC World Twenty20, struggled in Barbados against the aggressive bowling of Australia and West Indies. "Because India have some serious Test series coming up in the next year and a half... in South Africa, West Indies and Australia, we need to go to our National Cricket Academy where there are a lot of young players in camp," said former captain Gavaskar. "Some of the young fast bowlers could be asked to bowl short stuff from 16 or 18 yards or the batsmen could practice with the bowling machine." Gavaskar, now a television commentator, was known for his ability to play pace bowling and enjoyed an average of 65 against the fearsome West Indian pace attacks of the 1970s and 80s. The former opener said a spell in the academy would drill the right mindset into the modern generation. "It's a matter of preparing yourself mentally and getting physically used to transferring the balance from front foot to back foot, that is what they need to practice," said Gavaskar. "It's not an insurmountable problem, in cricket I don't think there has been a batsman born who has been totally comfortable with the short-pitched ball but it is how you face up to the next ball that is the important thing." "While a lot of people get disconcerted and throw it away, others tend to look to stay at the wicket. Where I think it probably went pear-shaped for India was that instead of looking to bat out the frontline bowlers... that approach was not there and that was a little bit disappointing," he said, noting how many batsmen were out trying to hook or pull. Gavaskar said England and Australia, the two form teams at the tournament, had more options than India and were stronger in the field. "(They have) plenty of options... in terms of batting floaters up and down (the order), options in terms of bowling, that have made both these teams stand out," he said. "I think Australia have the flexibility and both they and England have an outstanding combination in the field and have made it difficult for teams to take easy singles. They put the pressure on that way."

2nd Semi Final Result - New Zealand Women won by 56 runs

GROS ISLET, May 15, 2010 (AFP) - Sara McGlashan saw New Zealand into the final of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 against arch-rivals Australia as her superb innings of 84 set up a 56-run over the West Indies here on Friday.
McGlashan's innings was the cornerstone of the White Ferns' 180 for five, the highest total of this tournament so far.
In reply, the West Indies chaseed gamely but were held to 124 for eight.
Now New Zealand, last year's losing finalists against England at Lord's will face Australia -- a side they've beaten six times in a row -- in Sunday's final at Barbados's Kensington Oval.
The destiny of the match was far from certain when New Zealand were 49 for two but a strand of 93 at nearly 11 an over between McGlashan and Sophie Devine took the game away from the home side.
McGlashan, whose brother Peter has played for the New Zealand men's team, faced just 55 balls with two superb straight sixes and six fours.
The hosts rang the changes with their bowlers but it made little difference and it seemed McGlashan might join West Indies' Deandra Dottin in scoring a century at this tournament until she was run out by Shakera Selman's direct hit from short third man.
West Indies, coached by former Test batsman Sherwin Campbell, made a bold start under the Beausejour floodlightrs with Stafanie Taylor in fine form as she struck two sixes off leg-spinner Erin Bermingham to the delight of home fans.
But Cordel Jack fell when she pulled medium-pacer Nicola Browne to midwicket and Taylor was run out by McGlashan for 40, made at better than a run-a-ball.
The West Indies' collapse continued when teenage sensation Dottin fell for just one, caught by wicketkeeper Rachel Priest off Browne.
That left the home team 76 for four and there was no way back, with Kiwi captain Aimee Watkins benefiting from some desperation shotmaking as the off-spinner finished with figures of three wickets for 26 runs.

2nd Semi Final - Australia won by 3 wickets

Gros Islet: Michael Hussey's latest rescue mission saw Australia beat defending champions Pakistan by three wickets with just a ball to spare to reach the ICC World Twenty20 final on Friday. Set a huge 192 to win, Australia collapsed to 62 for four.
But, initially through Cameron White, who made 43, and Hussey's unbeaten 60, they recovered and will now face old rivals England in Sunday's final at Barbados's Kensington Oval.
Australia needed 18 to win off the last over, from off-spinner Saeed Ajmal. Mitchell Johnson took a single off the first ball and then Hussey took over. The left-hander pulled Ajmal for six, struck him over long-on for six more, brought the scores level with a four and thumped another six for good measure as Australia finished on 197 for seven in pursuit of 192.
The man-of-the-match faced just 24 balls, but hit six sixes and three fours. Hussey had come in after brother David had fallen to leave Australia 105 for five in the 13th over. But the elder Hussey refused to be cowed and together with Johnson, who made a mere five from three balls, put on an unbroken 53 in just 16 balls. "This game of cricket just keeps amazing me every day," Michael Hussey said. "I can't believe it, it's one of the best feelings of my career."
Cameron White sparked the initial revival, with 43 off 31 balls, including five sixes, and Michael Hussey said: "Cameron has batted really well all tournament, we needed someone to change the momentum and he did that really well."
Elated Australia captain Michael Clarke said: "Michael Hussey is an absolute freak...Once Cameron got out I thought it was going to be really tough but with Hussey in you never know."
Defeated Pakistan captain Shahid Afrid added: "It was a very good (Pakistan) total but the way White and Hussey played, they played mature and good innings. We perhaps lost it in the last over but Ajmal has bowled really well in this tournament."
Opener Kamran Akmal's 50 and younger brother Umar's even more rapid 56 not out came against an Australia side, yet to lose at this tournament, which had thrashed them by 34 runs in a first round group match.
Left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer, who led the attack with three wickets for 35 runs, removed Australia openers David Warner (nought) and Shane Watson (16).
And when wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal completed two neat stumpings off left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and leg-spinner Afridi to dismiss Brad Haddin and captain Michael Clarke respectively, Australia were 62 for four inside nine overs.
David Hussey and White staged a brief revival before the former was caught and bowled by Rehman. White though kept swinging away but when he drove an Aamer full toss straight to Mohammad Hafeez, Australia were 139 for six in the 17th over. Australia though, thanks to Michael Hussey, kept going to seal a superb come-from-behind win.
Pakistan, sent in by Clarke after rain delayed the start, saw their innings start with a Dirk Nannes maiden. But Kamran Akmal and left-hander Salman Butt (32) shared a first-wicket stand of 82 as Australia's pace trio of Nannes, Shaun Tait and Johnson failed to make an early breakthrough.
Nannes's second over saw the match's first boundaries when Kamran Akmal, stepping away to leg, lofted him high over the covers. Next ball he drove straight down the ground for another four.
Kamran Akmal was severe on Watson, driving the medium-pacer's first ball back for a huge six. Akmal then took two more boundaries off Watson to complete a fine fifty off just 32 balls with two sixes and six fours.
But he was out for 50 after Warner, running round from the extra-cover boundary, took a fine diving catch off Johnson. Umar Akmal smashed Johnson for two enormous sixes, the second a crunching pull over midwicket that saw him to fifty in just 29 balls, with four sixes and two fours.

Australia not taking Pakistan lightly in semi-final

Gros Islet: Australian captain Michael Clarke can't resist the temptation of facing England in the ICC World Twenty20 final, but for now he is not thinking beyond Friday's semi-final against holders Pakistan.
On the eve of the semi-final, Clarke was candid in admitting that he is looking forward to face England in the final and set the tone for the summer's Ashes series in Australia.
"I'd look forward to that, yeah. If we beat Pakistan and meet England in the final, it would be a good start to what is going to be a very good and interesting summer back in Australia as with the Ashes," Clarke said.
"For me, right now I've got both eyes on Pakistan and I'll worry about everything else after that."
Clarke is wary of a Pakistan side, who have peaked at the right time, having been well beaten by 34 runs by Australia in a first round group match at Beausejour.
"This game Friday is a huge game for us. It's going to be tough. Pakistan have a lot of spinners and they have a lot of class," Clarke said. "Beating them a week ago is irrelevant. If we beat them, it doesn't bother me who we play in the final. We'll keep our fingers crossed. We'd love the trophy."
Australia haven't won the two previous ICC World Twenty20s, but this time they look like a motivated lot with fast bowling trio Dirk Nannes, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait in the wickets and dynamic opener David Warner leading a powerful batting line-up.
"No doubt it has motivated every player, not just throughout this tournament but throughout the last 12 months. We weren't performing as well as we would have liked in this form of the game. We've certainly improved over the last 12 months. We've had to work very hard to get to the position we're in. Even in this tournament there have been no easy games," said Clarke.

2nd Semi Final

Pakistan vs Australia

• T20 match at Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet - St Lucia, Fri 14 May 09:00 PM IST.

New Zealand Women vs West Indies Women

• T20 match at Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet - St Lucia, Sat 15 May 01:30 AM IST.

We're to blame, says Sangakkara after Sri Lanka's exit

Gros Islet: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said the team had no-one else to blame but themselves after a seven-wicket ICC World Twenty20 semi-final loss to England on Thursday.
Last year's losing finalists were all but out of the game after being restricted to 128 for six, having lost their first three wickets inside five overs after Sangakkara won the toss at the Beausejour Stadium.
England then completed a comprehensive victory with four overs to spare as Kevin Pietersen, showing no sign of jet lag after flying back from London following the birth of his son, finished on 42 not out.
Only Angelo Mathews, with 58, made more than 16 and the collective failure of their top order cost Sri Lanka dear. "In the first six overs if we'd got 40 runs with wickets in hand we could have accelerated through the middle but we lost three wickets early," Sangakkara, who himself only made 16, said.
"Angelo Mathews played very well but we didn't bat smartly today."
Sri Lanka were particularly perplexed by the England seamers' use of the slow, looping bouncer. "Everyone has those sorts of deliveries these days but it's how you use them that counts and I thought England did that very well," Sangakkara said.
Veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya made just one on Thursday to complete a poor tournament for the left-hander, who finished the World Twenty20 with just 15 runs from six innings. But Sangakkara refused to say whether the 40-year-old, the oldest player at this event, had represented Sri Lanka for the last time.
"Unfortunately he didn't have a great run but to his credit he stuck with the team through a difficult period and the team stuck with him," Sangakkara said.
"He showed a lot of support and we made sure he felt wanted, unfortunately he didn't deliver but we still had more than enough quality to do better than we did today (Thursday)."
Sri Lanka, the 1996 World Cup winners, have punched above their weight in international competition. They reached the 2007 World Cup final in Barbados, losing to Australia and in last year's World Twenty20 in England were unbeaten until coming up against eventual champions Pakistan at Lord's.
"In the last World Twenty we had one bad game. It's a question of not getting too far ahead of yourself and sticking to your basics," Sangakkara said.
"We bat very well and we defend very well but to defend we need better scores. We've got no one else to blame and we need to take responsibility, both for individual performances and as a team."

England not far off Australia: Collingwood

Gros Islet: Australia may have been the team to beat at the ICC World Twenty20 but England captain Paul Collingwood is confident his side can stay with them should their old rivals reach the final.
England swept into Sunday's tournament finale at the Kensington Oval in Barbados with a dominating seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka, last year's losing finalists, at the Beausejour Stadium on Thursday. They now await the winners of Friday's second semi-final, between Australia and defending champions Pakistan.
Australia, with pace bowlers Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson leading the way and with a deep batting line-up, are unbeaten at the tournament so far. The Kensington pitch, quicker in pace than the one at Beausejour, should suit Australia's fast men.
But the England seamers, who reduced Sri Lanka to 26 for three inside five overs, will relish the extra bounce too. Asked if England were playing a similar brand of cricket to Australia, Collingwood replied: "We are not far off, they are a very powerful side themselves and obviously have a lot of pace in their attack.
"It's going to be a proper head to head that one on Sunday - if we were to play Australia. I think everybody on the outside would want to see an England-Australia game but you've got to be careful, Pakistan are still a very dangerous side, you've got to show them a lot of respect. They are the world champions so no matter who we come up against we are going to have to continue to play the way we have played and hopefully that will be good enough. We are just happy to be in the final but we haven't won anything yet and I am going to keep drilling that into the guys."
Turning to the Kensington pitch, Collingwood added: "We probably put in our best performance of the tournament in against South Africa in Barbados (a 39-run win) and we played four games there, two warm-up games and two in the competition.
"I think the batters do like the ball coming on and obviously the bowlers do like the pace coming through but again we are going to have to look at who we play against."
England have never won a major one-day international trophy -- Sunday's match will be their first final since they lost in the 2004 Champions Trophy to the West Indies at the Oval - and in Twenty20 in particular they have struggled to find a reliable opening partnership.
But it seems it may be a case of 17th time lucky - the number of opening pairs they've used in Twenty20 - in Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb. The duo's selection was not without controversy.
Both men were born and raised in South Africa, with Kieswetter a former South Africa Under-19 international although Lumb's father, Richard, opened the batting for Yorkshire alongside England great Geoffrey Boycott.
However, there is no denying their worth to the side which was proved again on Thursday by a rapid stand of 68 in just more than eight overs which ended any lingering hopes Sri Lanka had of victory.
Neither man had played a Twenty20 international before this tournament but Collingwood said: "Sometimes they are the finishing pieces of a jigsaw. We had some very good players but this is what we needed, a spark at the top of the order. Everybody saw it as a bit of a gamble, but we selected them on potential and we knew exactly what they could do. They've batted fantastically well and really helped the middle order to overcome totals."

Blackwell leads Australia into women's final

Gros Islet: Australia captain Alex Blackwell led from the front as her side advanced into the Women's World Twenty20 final with a seven-wicket win over India on Thursday.
Blackwell's 61 - her maiden fifty at this level - was the centrepiece of Australia's successful pursuit of a target of 120. Her innings was all the more impressive as Blackwell, only leading the side because wicketkeeper/batsman Jodie Fields withdrew before the tournament with a hamstring injury, came in with the score one for one.
But together with left-handed opener Shelley Nitschke (22), she shared a second-wicket stand of 74 that ended Indian hopes. By the time Blackwell was stumped by Sulakshana Naik off leg-spinner Priyanka Roy, Australia were 101 for three and in sight of victory. Blackwell faced 49 balls, including eight fours.
Leah Poulton, unbeaten on 30, ended the match with seven balls to spare with a boundary. Australia, who lost in last year's semi-final to eventual champions England, will face the winners of Friday's match between the West Indies and New Zealand in Sunday's final at Barbados's Kensington Oval.
Their victory also kept alive hopes of an Australian 'double', with the men's side facing defending champions Pakistan in Friday's semi-final.
Australia's reply get off to a stuttering start, when Elyse Villani was bowled off an under-edge for nought to leave her side one for one. But Nitschke, twice pierced the cover field as she drove left-arm spinner Gouhar Sultana for four.
Blackwell was soon into her stride, with three fours in as many balls from Roy as she took advantage of a trio of full tosses. Australia, thanks to tight bowling and fine fielding, restricted India to 199 for five.
Opener Poonam Raut made 44 off 51 balls, with three boundaries, before she became one of three wickets that fell in the 17th over. Raut put on 57 with Harmanpreet Kaur, the best stand of the innings, before she was run out by bowler Ellyse Perry's quick thinking flick onto the stumps after backing up too far.
That same over also saw Goswami run out for nought by opposing skipper Blackwell's direct hit and next ball Raut was caught by Jess Cameron, running in from long-on.
Amita Sharma, who hit a straight six in the final over to the delight of Indian fans in the crowd, chipped in with 17 runs off 11 balls. Earlier India star's batsman Mithali Raj was drawn out of her crease by experienced Australia spinner Lisa Sthalekar and stumped by Alyssa Healy - the niece of former Australia wicketkeeper Ian.

England crush Sri Lanka to reach final

Gros Islet: England cruised into the ICC World Twenty20 final with a seven-wicket thrashing of Sri Lanka at the Beausejour Stadium on Thursday. Set just 129 to win, after tight bowling restricted Sri Lanka - last year's losing finalists - to 128 for six, England finished on 132 for three as they won with four overs to spare.
Kevin Pietersen, on his return to the side after he attended the birth of his son in London, finished on 42 not out and ended the match in style with a six and a four in successive balls off fast bowler Lasith Malinga.
England, who have never won a major One-Day International tournament, are now through to their first final since hosting the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. They will face the winners of Friday's second semi-final at Beausejour between defending champions Pakistan and Australia in Sunday's final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Sri Lanka collapsed to 26 for three in just the fifth over and were unable to recover from that poor start. Only Angelo Mathews, with 58, offered much resistance against England's bowlers before he was run out off the penultimate ball. Sri Lanka's next best score was 16, achieved by both captain Kumar Sangakkara, who won the toss, and Chamara Kapugedera.
"I'm going to sound like a broken record here but full credit to our bowlers again," England captain Paul Collingwood said at the presentation ceremony. "We put them under pressure and I'm delighted with how they performed. The two guys at the top of the order, (Craig) Kieswetter and (Michael) Lumb, are still going at the bowlers and again got us into a good position."
Sangakkara added: "Unfortunately we didn't start too well, losing three wickets in the first six (overs). We didn't make the most of our opportunities - 150 would have been a good total."
Man-of-the-match Stuart Broad led the attack with two wickets for 21 runs off his four permitted overs. Both Ryan Sidebottom and fellow seamer Broad took a wicket first ball during Sri Lanka's top-order collapse. Spinners Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy then ensured runs remained hard to come by with a combined eight overs that cost just 41.
At the start of their run chase, England were confronted by a trio of spinners as Sri Lanka looked to exploit their supposed vulnerability against slow bowling on a pitch offering some turn. But Kieswetter, driving strongly, and left-hander Lumb settled any lingering nerves with an opening stand of 68.
However, that partnership should have ended on 40 when Kieswetter cut the ball to backward point and Lumb set off for a non-existent single. Lumb was almost at the other end of the pitch before he was sent back but Ajantha Mendis fumbled the return to the bowler's end stumps, with Lumb yards out, and the chance had gone.
Kieswetter was eventually yorked by Malinga for 39 and Lumb bowled for 33, walking across his stumps, by seamer Thissara Perera. But the damage had already been done.
Sri Lanka were seven for one at the start of the second over when left-arm quick Sidebottom removed Sanath Jayasuriya for just one after the veteran fended outside off stump and edged straight to Collingwood at second slip. New batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan on nine then miscued a hook off Tim Bresnan and was well caught by a diving Luke Wright, running in from deep backward square leg, to leave Sri Lanka 20 for two at the end of the third over.
Sri Lanka's collapse continued when Broad, as Sidebottom had done, took a wicket first ball. Mahela Jayawardene, the tournament's leading scorer with 302 runs, including a century against Zimbabwe, fell for just 10 when he edged a well pitched up ball outside off stump and was caught by wicketkeeper Kieswetter. Swann and Yardy kept the pressure on and Sri Lanka couldn't break free.

Indian eves confident of upsetting Australia in semis

St Lucia: Indian skipper Jhulan Goswami is confident of stopping the Australian juggernaut when they clash in the first semi-finals of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 at the Beausejour Cricket Ground on Thursday.
India's men's cricket was routed by Australia in the Super Eights stage but the Indian girls are quite confident of derailing Australia and making it to the summit clash, slated for May 16 at Barbados.
The Australian women have had an unbeaten run in the ICC World Twenty20 but Goswami is hardly worried. "We have beaten Australia in the 50 overs ICC Cricket World Cup Down Under. So we are pretty much confident that we can beat them in this format as well," said Jhulan.
Sulakshana Naik (59 vs Sri Lanka, 28 vs New Zealand and 11 vs Pakistan), Mithali Raj (52, 44, 33) and Poonam Raut (54 against Pakistan) have been the hub around which India have made match-winning scores.
And team manager Vidya Yadav said the girls were fit and raring to go. "Our girls have been in good form. We are hoping they will continue to perform. All are fit and fine. They are in great frame of mind and are looking forward to the game against Australia," Vidya said.
Diana David has been the pick of the Indian bowlers, accounting for nine wicket in three matches. She has two four wicket hauls against Sri Lanka (4/12) and New Zealand (4/27).
"Left-arm spinner Gouhar Sultana, leg-spinner Priyanka Roy have also been impressive. Then we have Jhulan and Rumeli Dhar who can perform in big matches," said Vidya.
En route to the semi-finals, India lost to New Zealand by 10 runs while crushing Pakistan and Sri Lanka by emphatic margins.

We need to keep the momentum going

Third time lucky for us as far as making the semi-finals in the ICC World Twenty20 goes. I don't know whether it’s the spirit of the Caribbean, but our entry into the semi-finals has not come with the usual pressure of expectations. We are all just excited at making the last four and want to make the most of this opportunity.

Kevin Pietersen is supposed to land in St. Lucia after going home to be with his wife for the birth of their baby boy. He has been in very good touch so far, and it's wonderful to have him back for the games that count.

As captain, I am particularly proud of the way the boys have adapted to various conditions when other teams have been struggling. We started off on the slow wickets of Guyana and then went to the pacy pitches of Barbados before heading to the slower wickets in St. Lucia.

What has worked for us is the way we have used the first six overs both in batting as well as bowling. Craig Kieswetter has been an absolute asset at the top of the order with Michael Lumb. They have been able to use the power play overs well, and this has ensured that we have always had an above par score when we have batted first.

We first noticed Craig in Abu Dhabi during an England Lions game, and were impressed at his timing and aggression. Fortunately for us, he has been able to carry these qualities into the highest level of the game.

Our bowlers have also been very good, with Tim Bresnan impressing in our last game. They have also done the job for us in the first six overs, restricting all opposition openers and even getting early breakthroughs.

We come up against Sri Lanka, who have a varied attack and a couple of really unusual bowlers in Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis. Malinga has been an exceptional bowler for the last couple of years, but we need to be proactive against him.

The Australian batsmen did not hesitate to use their feet against him and that negated his yorkers as well as his slower ball. We need to try and do the same tomorrow. St. Lucia would suit Mendis, and we must plan well for him.

Our bowlers will also be tested because Mahela Jayawardene has been the batsman of the tournament, with Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan also looking like they are coming back into form. These conditions would suit Sri Lanka more than Barbados did but we can restrict them if our bowlers continue to be in good rhythm.

As mentioned earlier, there is no tension regarding getting into the final or doing well tomorrow. We have a talented unit that is in good form and we just need to keep that momentum going for another two games. (Gameplan)

Sangakkara keeps England guessing over mystery spinner

GROS ISLET: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was giving little away when asked if he would unleash mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis against England in the ICC World Twenty20 semi-final.
Mendis was missing from the Sri Lanka side that beat India by five wickets at the Beausejour Stadium here on Tuesday to book their place in Thursday's knockout match.
England have little experience of playing the unorthodox finger and wrist-spinner, although they coped well enough during last year's ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.
Sangakkara wasn't, though, going to make life any easier for England by letting them know Sri Lanka's side in advance of the toss and, asked about Mendis's possible inclusion, replied: "We'll have to have a think about that, how it works with our combination and our batting.
"We would love him to play. He's a top quality spinner, and England have probably played him once.
"It's a realistic possibility, but we've got other spinners who are pretty good at what they do.
"We've got a lot of variation in our bowling attack and will try to exploit that in these conditions - which, I think, are a bit more suited to us."
Sri Lanka, last year's losing finalists, face an England side who have confounded their mediocre reputation in Twenty20 cricket by reaching the last four in the Caribbean.
"I think they're a very good side," Sangakkara said. "They've got a lot more balance than they've ever had before, a lot more depth.
"We know what they can do but we will be trying to concentrate on how we can get England reacting to us."
Sangakkara is well aware of how important a unifying force cricket can be in Sri Lanka and what it would mean to the island nation to lift the trophy.
"The bottom line is that there is no better feeling than playing for your country. It's paramount we know that as a team and we respect that and I think we do, very, very well. It's a matter of pride we do well."
However, the wicketkeeper/batsman was too experienced to be thinking about the final before playing England.
"We've got to try to win the semi-final first," he said. "If we can win tomorrow it will be good; if we can win the next one it will be great.
"But tomorrow (Thursday) is a big hurdle. We've done well up to now in patches - we've got to do better tomorrow."
- Julian Guyer

USA

History
A complete history of cricket in USA would require a detailed analysis and extensive research in order to accurately identify and provide information regarding the start of the game in USA. Some reports indicate that cricket was started in the American Colonies sometime around 1737 and teams were comprised of officers of the British Army and persons who migrated from England as planters and Barons.

Cricket continued to be played until the American Revolution (1775-1783) which involved 13 British Colonies in North America and their parent country, Great Britain. The American Revolution created some friction with all things British and at the end of the Revolution; cricket which was starting to thrive in certain parts of USA was literally abandoned.

Cricket was partially revived after the American Revolution and the annual Canada vs. USA cricket match which was played in 1840 attracted a crowd of 10,000 spectators. The game of cricket declined in USA during the 20th century since in the late 1800s it remained an amateur elite sport while England and Australia were developing professional systems that allowed compensation to players who participated on a full-time basis.

An Englishman W.P. Pickering initiated discussions for the visit of an English cricket team to USA in 1856; however, financial problems postponed the tour for three years. Mr. Pickering who was captain of the cricket team at Eaton College (England) in 1837 and 1838 immigrated to Canada in 1852 and played for Canada against USA the following year. Plans were finalised for the English cricket team to tour North America in 1859, the first ever overseas tour by an English team.

The English team required a guarantee payment of £750 for the tour and Mr. Pickering secured the amount through the Montreal Cricket Club. The English team comprised six members from the All-England XI and six members from the United All-England XI and Fred Lillywhite as scorer. The twelve players included George Parr as captain and were effectively the best players from the professional ranks during the 1859 English cricket season which had just ended.

The English team played five matches and there were excellent crowds for the first three matches until the weather (in mid-October) turned very cold and attendance at the last two matches was reduced. The general growth of cricket in USA after the pioneering tour by the English team in 1859 was stymied due to the US Civil War which started in 1861, only 18 months after the tour was completed. The enthusiasm for cricket faded during the war and troops from both sides adopted the embryonic game of baseball and when English teams resumed tours to USA in 1868, the task to rekindle the enthusiasm in cricket was great while baseball became a serious rival.

International cricket tours to USA established the game as a popular sport in Philadelphia and several

English and Australian cricket teams visited the city to play matches and during 1884, a team from

Philadelphia visited England to play a series of matches. Cricket was/is played by students attending universities and colleges, primarily by students from cricket playing countries. USA was admitted as an

Associate Member of International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1965 and participated in the first ICC Trophy Tournament in 1979.

Australia Women vs India Women

• T20 match at Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet - St Lucia, Fri 14 May 01:30 AM IST.

Dhoni refuses to blame IPL for India exit

GROS ISLET, May 12, 2010 (AFP) - India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni insisted it was wrong to blame the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his side's failure to reach the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20.
As was the case at last year's edition in England, India were unable to get through to the last four after the bulk of their players came into the event on the back of a congested fixture list in the Twenty20 IPL domestic competition.
India lost all of their Super Eights matches in the Caribbean and bowed out with a five-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka, who ultimately went through to the knockout stages, here on Tuesday.
They needed to win by at least 20 runs to keep their own slim semi-final hopes alive.
But that prize was denied them when Chamara Kapugedera struck a Vinay Kumar full toss for six off the penultimate ball of the 19th over, a shot that effectively knocked India out of the tournament.
And there wasn't even a consolation victory as Sri Lanka, who needed three off the last ball, won the match with Kapugedera's six off Ashish Nehra.
However, Dhoni fought shy of suggestions his players were suffering IPL-induced fatigue.
"If you take care of yourself, 45 days of cricket shouldn't affect you because we play 200 or more in a year," the wicketkeeper/batsman told reporters at the Beausejour Stadium.
"I've had no setbacks because of the IPL but at the same time players need to be smart because IPL is not only about cricket. You have to respect your body and if you don't do that then the IPL is draining," he added.
And Dhoni said the IPL had been beneficial to the development of several young India players.
"If you see the kind of players we have got in the last three years, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, we have players who have done well in the IPL and come in for India. The IPL really has helped us to groom youngsters."
Dhoni was at a loss to explain the form of a team which looked well-placed to challenge for the title.
"We are not performing to our potential that's for sure, apart from that I can't really say much, we certainly didn't come here to loss games that's for certain, we gave 100 percent.
"This is the best (squad of) 15 you can get in India when it comes to the T20 format. At the end of the day, if you are outplayed and the opposition plays really well there is nothing much you can really do."
Australia quicks Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait took six wickets between them as the tournament pace-setters beat India by 49 runs last week and Dhoni admitted how to handle fast, short-pitched, bowling was an issue for his team.
"I think most of us have that problem because we come from a place where we don't have bowlers bowling 145-150kph plus and we don't have wickets that bounce a lot.
"We are good players of spin bowling and that's our strength. You shouldn't be that ashamed of saying we don't play short pitched bowling that well, especially in a format like this where you have 20 overs, you have to play your shots," the big-hitting Dhoni added.
"I think we can always improve but if we have a problem, we have a problem.

Australia knocked hosts the West Indies out of the ICC World Twenty20

West Indies in a match they had to win by 24 runs to reach the semi-finals were bowled out for just 105 at the Beausejour Stadium. Australia, in reply, lost two wickets on 31. But Brad Haddin (42) saw Australia to the verge of victory before he got out with two runs needed to West Indies captain Chris Gayle. The occasional off-spinner then ended the match with a ball that went for five wides, a delivery that summed up his team's performance on the day.
Australia, who finished on 109 for four, won with 22 balls to spare. Their win ensured Sri Lanka, last year's losing finalists, also went through to the semi-finals as Group F runners-up.
England will play Sri Lanka, who earlier on Tuesday knocked out India with a five-wicket win, in the first semi-final on Thursday. The second semi-final will see Australia playing defending champions Pakistan, also at Beausejour, on Friday. The final takes place at Barbados's Kensington Oval on Sunday.
West Indies, who saw Gayle win the toss, suffered a dramatic collapse. From the relative safety of 52 for two, they lost their next five wickets for 25 runs as they slumped to 77 for five. Only Ramnaresh Sarwan (26) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (24) made it past 20.
Australia leg-spinner Steven Smith, the man-of-the-match, took two wickets in two balls on his way to figures of three wickets for 20 runs as West Indies failed to sparkle under the Beausejour floodlights.
West Indies saw star batsman Gayle out second ball, clean bowled by left-arm quick Dirk Nannes, the tournament's leading wicket-taker. Then the experienced Chanderpaul, having flicked Mitchell Johnson's second and fifth balls for four was out to the left-arm quick's sixth.
The left-handed batsman launched Johnson high over the bowler's head but didn't quite time his shot and David Hussey, running back from mid-on, took a superbly judged catch. The slump really took hold in unlucky fashion when all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (six) was run out, backing up, after Johnson touched a Sarwan drive onto the stumps at the bowler's end.
Smith then got in on the act as recalled batsman Narsingh Deonarine holed out for a duck, caught by Michael Hussey at deep midwicket. And he followed up with two wickets in two balls. Kieron Pollard (13) tried to work the ball legside but was beaten by the turn and wicketkeeper Haddin completed a neat stumping.
Next ball Darren Sammy, in front of his St Lucia home crowd, chipped a simple return catch back to Smith. Jerome Taylor survived the hat-trick. Sarwan, the last of the specialist batsmen, tried to clear long-off but simply holed out off part-time spinner David Hussey to David Warner.
In reply, Warner made a typically brisk 25 off 12 balls before he edged paceman Taylor to Gayle at slip. And next ball 31 for one became 31 for two when Watson gloved an intended sweep off left-arm spinner Benn onto his stumps.
Australia captain Michael Clarke helped Haddin add 47 for the third wicket before he was brilliantly run out by Bravo, following an athletic stop and direct hit from short third man. But that was an all too rare highlight for the West Indies.

It hurt to just sit at home and watch: Jadeja

In a chat with The Indian Express, Jadeja spoke about his expectations from the World Cup and the disappointment of missing out on the IPL action.

On the eve of the India's departure to the West Indies for the World T20, one player who can call himself fully fit and fresh is Ravindra Jadeja. After the IPL banned the Saurashtra all-rounder for negotiating with two teams, Jadeja witnessed all 45 days of the tournament from his home in Jamnagar. The 21-year-old is, however, yet to play any competitive game since he played against South Africa in February. In a chat with The Indian Express, Jadeja spoke about his expectations from the World Cup and the disappointment of missing out on the IPL action. Excerpts: Do you consider yourself lucky to be part of the ICC World Twenty20 team? It's hard to say, but I'm really happy to be part of the ICC World Twenty20 team. I was hoping that my name appeared (in the squad). I'm really eager to go out there and perform. I was part of the India U-19 side that won the junior World Cup three years ago and this time I'm hoping to be part of the Cup-winning India team. Are you confident of doing well? I'm just hoping that all goes well. I will try to give my 110 per cent on the field. But the most important thing will be to try and get a winning momentum going for the team. How was it to be out of action for more than 50 days? It was a really hard thing to do to miss the action and sit at home. I had a fixed schedule. Early in the morning I used to have a batting session, then I would run for a short while and in the evening, there was a bowling session along with some fielding. I also played a few T20 matches to try and stay in good touch. Were you disappointed with the situation? Yes, there is no doubt that I was disappointed. There are 14 matches in the IPL and it would have been great preparation for the ICC World Twenty20. You get a better idea of what you need to be doing when you are playing matches. The match situation, the pressure, the crowds, the tips from fellow players, you don't get all that sitting at home. What made you commit the mistake of negotiating with two franchises? There is no point in looking back, at the moment my focus is on the ICC World Twenty20. I didn't play cricket for 45 days, there was frustration but I'm keeping my fingers crossed now. It hurts when you see your colleagues playing and you are practising at home. Do you think your role (in the Indian team) will be restricted to that of a bowler? I'm not sure what the team will need me to do. I just want to perform well, be it bowling, fielding or batting.

Sri Lanka stay alive by knocking out India

Gros Islet: Sri Lanka took a huge stride towards the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals with a five-wicket last ball win over India that knocked their Asian rivals out of the tournament on Tuesday.
Chamara Kapugedera's six off the final ball saw Sri Lanka to a dramatic win after man-of-the-match Angelo Mathews and captain Kumar Sangakkara both made 46 to revive the innings after a top-order collapse.
If Australia beat hosts the West Indies in the day's second and final Group F match, also here at Beausejour, Sri Lanka will go through to the last four. And even if the Aussies are defeated, they would have to lose by 24 runs for the West Indies to get in ahead of 2009 beaten finalists Sri Lanka.
India - who lost all their Super Eights matches - had to win by at least 20 runs to keep their own slim semi-final hopes alive. Having made 163 for five, that meant restricting Sri Lanka to 143 or under.
But their hopes of doing just that ended when Kapugedera struck a Vinay Kumar full toss for six off the penultimate ball of the 19th over. Kapugedera repeated the dose next ball and Sri Lanka needed 13 to win off the last over.
Mathews put them in sight by smashing the first ball of the 20th over, from left-arm quick Ashish Nehra for six. But he was run out off the fifth ball going for a tight single by bowler Nehra's direct hit, having faced 37 balls with three sixes and two fours. However, with three needed off the last ball, Kapugedera carved Nehra over cover for six to finish on 37 not out.
"I had to give a good performance with the bat," Mathews said. "I'm glad I did it at the right time." Sri Lanka were rocked by the early loss of star batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya for a combined total of just four.
"You never want to lose guys early, especially Mahela, who is in top form," Sangakkara said. "But (Tillakaratne) Dilshan got the momentum back for us and we talk about how capable our younger players are and they have shown how they can handle the pressure. Mathews and Kapugedera are going to be around for a long time."
Jayawardene's previous scores this tournament were 81, 101, 98 not out and nine. But he was out third ball for four when he nicked a good length delivery from Nehra and was caught at slip by Yusuf Pathan. Veteran left-hander Jayasuriya was out for a duck when he pulled Vinay Kumar straight to Dinesh Karthik at deep midwicket.
Dilshan, player of the tournament at last year's World Twenty20 in England, made 33 at better than a run-a-ball before he swung Pathan to Yuvraj Singh at deep backward square.
But Sangakkara hit back with a 33-ball innings featuring three sixes and two fours before he was bowled middle stump missing a cut shot against Kumar. Sangakkara's exit left Sri Lanka 105 for four in the 15th over.
Kapugedara was given a reprieve on seven when, looking to guide Nehra through third man he edged behind but a diving Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's captain and wicketkeeper, couldn't hold the one-handed chance.
Suresh Raina top scored with 63 for India on the ground where he made a century against South Africa earlier in the tournament. India were well-placed for a big score at 90 for one at the halfway stage but Sri Lanka, led by unorthodox quick Lasith Malinga (two for 25), restricted them to just 73 runs from the second 10 overs.
"I think the execution of plans from their bowlers was very good, even with set batsmen we couldn't score freely," Dhoni said. "Overall, batting is our strength and we should have done better. We didn't perform to our potential. The last four to five overs they bowled really restricted us. We need to improve in quite a few areas."

India beat Sri Lanka to take last semi-final position

India defeated Sri Lanka to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament on the last day of fixtures at Warner Park while New Zealand rounded off its group stage of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 with a comfortable victory over Pakistan earlier in the day.
India's fixture was the second of the day and saw the higher scoring of the two matches at Warner Park with Sulakshana Naik and Mithali Raj both scoring half-centuries to make the total of 145 for Sri Lanka to chase down.
"It's obviously good to know we've now qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament and we're looking forward to facing Australia next in St Lucia," said India captain Jhulan Goswami.
"I was very pleased with how we performed today, I felt Sulakshana Naik and Mithali Raj along with Poonam Raut all had Sri Lanka on the back foot from the start. We need to carry this good form to St Lucia," she said.
Naik smashed five boundaries on her way to making 59 runs and was mainly assisted in her innings by Raj after Poonam Raut departed for 12 after being bowled by Udeshika Prabodhani. Upon arriving in the middle Sri Lanka never quite matched up to India's batting and made a mere 73 in reply losing a total of nine wickets in its allotted 20 overs.
Diana David was by far the pick of the Indian bowlers taking an impressive 4-12 in a haul that included top-order batters Suwini de Alwis, Chamari Polgampola and Sripali Weerakkody.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand pace bowler Nicola Browne led her side's rout of the Pakistan team in the two teams' final game of Group B in the ICC Women's World Twenty20 to secure the team top place in the pool ahead of the semi-finals of the tournament due to take place in St Lucia later this week.
Browne, who took 4-15, demolished the Pakistan batting line up with Sana Mir's side finishing its 20 overs 65-9. Having won the toss and electing to bat only three of Pakistan's side made it into double figures, Nain Abidi (11), Urooj Mumtaz (14) and Sania Khan (15).
Pakistan's batting performance was disastrous, New Zealand's bowling department including the pace of Browne, was simply too strong for the team from the sub-continent.
"We didn't perform at all well in this tournament," said Mir.
"The only time we did well as a side was during the warm-up fixtures and this was not good enough for a world tournament. We need to go and improve our game as the standard of women's cricket has improved a lot in the last year and all credit must go to New Zealand who played extremely well today," she said.
New Zealand took just 8.2 overs to reach the target set by Pakistan but not before they'd lost four wickets including that of opener Suzie Bates who was caught by Mir and Rachel Priest who departed for just two runs. It was up to Sara McGlashan and Liz Perry to see the White Ferns through to the close and seal the victory for the team.
"It's obviously good to know we've finished top of the group but to be facing West Indies is going to be a challenge in the semi-finals in St Lucia. They are the kind of team that are so unpredictable at Twenty20, one day they could make 80 all out and another 180 for four so I'm not taking the upcoming fixture lightly.
"Hopefully they've watched today's game and seen what kind of a bowling attack we've got in our side," said New Zealand captain Aimee Watkins.

ICC WT20 Match 21: SA vs PAK Statistical Highlights

Kamran Akmal holds the record for most runs by a wicket keeper batsman in ICC WT20 with 362 runs to his credit which includes 37 runs he made in this game. He wrested the record from KC Sangakkara of Sri Lanka who has scored 352 runs. MS Dhoni (302) is the other wicket keeper batsman to score 300 plus runs.
KC Sangakkara of Sri Lanka (649), BB McCullum of New Zealand (620) and Kamran Akmal of Pakistan (560) are the three wicket keeper batsmen who have scored 500 plus runs in T20I. It is interesting to note that all these three batsmen have scored 50 plus boundary fours in their T20I career - KC Sangakkara (67), BB McCullum (58) and Kamran Akmal (50). The last named aggregated 50 boundary fours in this game with three boundary fours in his innings of 37.
AB de Villiers took a catch in this game which gave him an aggregate of 22 catches in ICC WT20. He now holds the record for most catches in ICC WT20. He wrested the record of 21 catches held by LRPL Taylor of New Zealand.
GC Smith became the third batsman in T20I to aggregate 750 plus runs - BB McCullum (1048), KP Pietersen (822) and GC Smith (751). GC Smith with his 751 run aggregate became the first captain in T20I to total 750 plus runs. This game was his 25th appearance in T20I and he became the second captain to appear in 25 T20Is. DL Vettori has appeared in 26 T20Is as captain. GC Smith became the first captain in T20I to play 25 innings.
GC Smith and MS Dhoni share the record for most appearances as captain in ICC WT20 with 16 appearances each. GC Smith (352) became the first captain to score 350 plus runs in ICC WT20. CH Gayle (321) and MS Dhoni (302) are the other two captains to score 300 plus runs.
GC Smith completed 2000 runs of his T20 career when he was on four during his knock of 13 in this game. At the end of this game, his aggregate stood at 2009. He became the seventh batsman to aggregate 2000 plus runs in T20 games. Others are - BJ Hodge (2646), DJ Hussey (2546), BB McCullum (2443), KC Sangakkara (2054), DPMD Jayawardene (2018) and LRPL Taylor (2004).
Umar Akmal's 51 and AB de Villier's 53 in this game provide the 86th and 87th occasion of a batsman scoring fifties in ICC WT20. Umar Akmal's 51 provide the 14th occasion of a Pakistan batsman scoring fifty in ICC WT0. AB de Villiers's 53 provide the ninth occasion of a South African batsman scoring fifty in ICC WT20.
AB de Villier's 53 in this game represent his third fifty in ICC WT20. The other two are - 79* vs Scotland at The Oval on 07.06.09 and 63 vs India at Nottingham on 16.06.09.
AB de Viilers and JH Kallis are the two South African batsmen to score three fifties in ICC WT20. JH Kallis's three fifties read thus - 57* vs England at Nottingham on 11.06.09, 64 vs Pakistan at Nottingham on 18.06.09 and 73 vs India at Gros Islet on 02.05.10.
JH Kallis (64* vs Pakistan at Nottingham on 18.06.09) and AB de Villiers (53 vs Pakistan at Gros Islet on 10.05.10) are the two South African batsmen who have scored fifties against Pakistan in ICC WT20.
Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal became the first pair of brothers to score fifties in IUCC WT20. Kamran Akmal has scored two fifties in ICC WT20 (57 vs Ireland at The Oval on 15.06.09 and 73 vs Bangladesh at Gros Islet on 01.05.10), while Umar Akmal scored 51 vs South Africa at Gros Islet on 10.05.10.
AB de Villiers became the 12th batsman in ICC WT20 to score three or more fifties. The complete list read thus - DPMD Jayawardene (05), G Gambhir (04), CH Gayle (04), ML Hayden (04), KP Pietersen (04), AB de Villiers (03), TM Dilshan (03), ST Jayasuriya (03), JH Kallis (03), KC Sangakkara (03), RG Sharma (03) and Yuvraj Singh (03).
AB de Villiers's 53 in this game was in a losing cause providing the 26th occasion of a batsman's fifty going in vain in ICC WT20. It also represents the 25th half century in a losing cause in ICC WT20. AB de Villers's 53 provide the third occasion of a South African batsman's fifty in a losing cause. Other two occasions are - JH Kallis's 64 vs Pakistan at Nottingham on 18.06.09 and JH Kallis's 73 vs India at Gros Islet on 02.05.10.
The following list shows the batsman's fifties going in vain against Pakistan in ICC WT20 - 71 by Junaid Siddique of Bangladesh at Cape Town on 20.09.07, 65 by Mohammad Ashraful of Bangladesh at Gros Islet on 01.05.10, 64* by KC Sangakkara of Sri Lanka at Lord's on 21.06.09, 64 by JH Kallis of South Africa at Nottnigham on 18.06.09 and 53 by AB de Villiers at Gros Islet on 10.05.10.
CK Langveldt (4 for 19) and Saeed Ajmal (4 for 26) captured four wickets in this game providing the first occasion of rival bowlers capturing four wickets in ICC WT20.
CK Langveldt's 4 for 19 in this game provide the fourth occasion of a South African bowler capturing four wickets in ICC WT20. The four occasions are - 4 for 17 by M Morkel vs New Zealand at Durban on 19.09.07, 4 for 13 by WD Parnell vs West Indies at The Oval on 13.06.09, 4 for 20 vs M Morkel vs Afghanistan at Bridgetown on 05.05.10 and 4 for 19 by CK Langveldt at Gros Islet on 10.05.10.
Saeed Ajmal's 4 for 26 in this game provide the seventh occasion of Pakistan bowler capturing four or more wickets in ICC WT20. The seven occasions are - 5 for 6 by Umar Gul vs New Zealand at The Oval on 13.06.09, 4 for 11 by Shahid Afridi vs Netherlands at Lord's on 09.06.09, 4 for 18 by Mohammad Asif vs India at Durban on 12.09.07, 4 for 19 by Shahid Afridi vs Scotland at Durban on 12.09.07, 4 for 19 by Saeed Ajmal vs Ireland at The Oval on 15.06.09, 4 for 25 by Umar Gul vs Scotland at Durban on 12.09.07 and 4 for 26 by Saeed Ajmal vs South Africa at Gros Islet on 10.05.10.
Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal are the three Pakistan bowlers who have captured four plus wickets on two or more occasions.
CK Langveldt's 4 for 19 was in a losing cause providing the fourth occasion of a bowlers four wicket haul going in vain in ICC WT20. The four occasions are - 4 for 18 by A Cusack of Ireland - lost to Sri Lanka at Lord's on 14.06.09, 4 for 19 by LMP Simmons of West Indies - lost to Sri Lanka at Nottingham on 10.06.09, 4 for 19 by CK Langveldt of South Africa - lost to Pakistan at Gros Islet on 10.05.10 and 4 for 31 by E Chigumbara of Zimbabwe - lost to England at Cape Town on 13.09.07.
HR Gopala Krishna - Cricket Statistician

India have to beat Sri Lanka by 20 runs and more

India's chances were virtually over after their loss against the West Indies, but Sri Lanka's 81-run loss against Australia, later in the day, has again brightened the hopes of the 2007 champions.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels his boys can still bounce back but dismissed suggestions that a lengthy Indian Premier League (IPL) may have contributed to his side's poor performance in the ICC World Twenty20.
'(People) can always come back and say we have played too much cricket in the IPL, but (we) have to do well in tournaments like these,' said Dhoni.
'The IPL is very different from international format. You have four foreigners. You don't have always the best bowling attack. You have to keep your side balanced. Most of the IPL sides have one bowler who bowls really good, really quick, but apart from that you try to target the weak links, that's what happens in IPL.'
'But in international cricket, most of the sides have got at least three bowlers. You can maybe target one or at the most two (bowlers). I think the IPL is very different, so it would be unfair to compare IPL to international cricket. We are on the losing side and that's the fact right now,' Dhoni said.
Dhoni admitted that his team was found wanting against short-pitched bowling against the West Indies.
'We have prepared well. We knew they would use short-pitched deliveries, and we practised against short-pitched deliveries in the net sessions. But until you don't face it in a game you are not match-aware of what is needed in that situation.'
Dhoni admitted that against Sri Lanka it would be tough as progress to the semis depended on too many other factors.
'It's a little bit too much to ask. You need to do well in a tournament like this, and we still have one more game. We would like to do well (in St. Lucia) against a team that looks in good form, and leave the equation to itself, look to do well, whatever is the equation.'
'We can't do much about it. What we can do is win that game, and that can be our consolation prize more than anything else,' he said.

Short bowling India's weakness says Gayle

BRIDGETOWN: Chris Gayle believes that India's batsmen must prepare better for short-pitched bowling in the future, or else face the possibility of opponents exploiting this vulnerability.
The West Indies captain admitted that his side purposely use the short-ball to undermine the Indian batting, and set up a 14-run victory in their Super Eight match in the ICC World Twenty20 on Sunday on a hard, true Kensington Oval pitch.
"They know that every team will bowl short at them, so they just need to work on their mental game and back themselves," said Gayle, whose 98 from 66 balls put his side on course for victory.
"They are capable of handling it, but maybe it's just a mental thing, so if they can overcome that I'm sure they'll be even more dangerous."
West Indies then successfully defended a victory target of 170, when they restricted India to 155 for nine from their 20 overs with lively bowling and purposeful fielding "They are always going to be vulnerable against the short ball," said Gayle.
"Every team has done it against them, and it's something at which they have to look, and for which they have to prepare better."
He added: "They are a very good all-round team, but they do not have my height. They are quite short, and might have a bit of trouble on bouncier pitches.
"They are capable batters and have won games for their team on many occasions. They might struggle in conditions like these, but back home [on slower, lower pitches] they are very dangerous."
India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni bemoaned his side not handling the short-pitched bowling better.
"Its not something that has appeared all of a sudden," said Dhoni. "You are equipped to deal with it.
"In this format, they bowl consistently short stuff at you, and you have to keep scoring."
"It's not easy, but as the players get more experience at international level, they will groom themselves up and be ready for the task.
"Quite a few players, I don't think they have played this kind of bowling on this kind of track. We were slightly on the back foot, but it's only good for Indian cricket to have players get used to this."
India face Sri Lanka in their last Super Eight match on Tuesday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia, where West Indies meet Australia on the same day.
- Paul Mitchell

Batting failure did us in: Dhoni

Bounced out for the second straight game and virtually of the competition, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however, refused to admit the Indian batting's inability to cope with the short stuff, blaming the pressures of the format for the successive defeats instead.
"It's no rocket science, it's not that we have come up against it suddenly. Outside the subcontinent, we always have to face short-pitched deliveries, so we are equipped to cope with them. But the problem in T20 is that if the opposition consistently bowls short, you can't leave too many balls and the pressure to score increases. We had prepared well for the tournament, we knew we will face short-pitched stuff but the execution was not good on our part," Dhoni said.
In a match delayed by 30 minutes due to damp pitch, the Indian skipper defended his decision to bowl first and without an extra bowler, blaming the defeat on batting failure.
"Batting has always been our strength. Chasing 170 wasn't impossible but our batting failed. Our bowlers did well; the opening bowlers are doing extremely well and have given us a good start in the first six overs. Most of the batsmen have struggled against our spinners as well, specially Bhajji. I don't think we were short of bowlers," he said.
Dhoni did admit that and several other India players had requested to be rested from the upcoming Zimbabwe tour after a hectic schedule but denied that the virtual non-stop cricket due to the IPL was responsible for the poor performance.
"I don't blame the IPL. Not getting a break is not an issue, one cannot compare the two tournaments, it's different when you play for your country," he said.
He also admitted that dropping rival skipper Chris Gayle early on proved costly.
A collision between Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan meant Gayle, who was on 47 then, got a life with both fielders dropping the ball off Nehra.
"It was a mistake. I did see Yusuf but he wasn't going for the catch then; and later, when he went for the catch, I didn't see him running. If we had caught him then, may be West Indies would have scored less, or may be Pollard would have scored instead."

Smith in search of South Africa rally

BRIDGETOWN: South Africa captain Graeme Smith admitted it would be a "challenge" for his side to revive their ICC World Twenty20 campaign against champions Pakistan after a crushing 39-run defeat by England.
The Proteas were undone by an England side that produced one of its very best displays in this format as South Africa lost after starting the second round Super Eights with a 13-run victory over New Zealand.
Such are the permutations in Group E that even a win over Pakistan in St Lucia on Monday might not be enough for South Africa to go through to the semi-finals.
But Smith is determined the Proteas give themselves every chance.
"How we bounce back is going to be crucial, Pakistan on Monday is obviously an important game for us," Smith said. "Bouncing back and putting in a good performance on Monday is obviously a challenge."
Fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel conceded a huge 90 runs in eight overs between them as England's South Africa born second-wicket partnership of Kevin Pietersen, man-of-the-match for his 53, and Craig Kieswetter (41) helped their adopted country to a total of 168 for seven.
What made it worse for South Africa was that Morkel had Kieswetter 'caught' off a no-ball for seven.
It was the second time this tournament that over-stepping had cost Morkel a wicket after Suresh Raina made a century in India's first victory against South Africa, having been given a reprieve by a no-ball when on five.
"I think the first six overs was especially disappointing," said Smith. "Basic mistakes, no balls, missed chances up-front proved costly for us.
"We really could have had England three or four down in those first six overs but basic mistakes from us allowed them to get a partnership that has proven to be the difference between the two sides."
Turning to Morkel's no-ball problems, Smith added: "It is very frustrating. It seems to come and go, he goes through phases where he doesn't bowl them and then he goes through phases when he does - I guess it's up to the bowling coach (Vincent Barnes) and Morne to put it right."
One consolation for South Africa was the form of off-spinner Johan Botha.
Opening the attack, Botha took a miserly two wickets for 15 runs from his four overs.
"I thought he bowled really well, we used him up-front against the openers, we thought maybe a change of pace up-front might work and it did," Smith said.
"Under pressure, going at tens, he was really controlled for us."
But England spinners Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy then took five wickets between them as South Africa suffered a top order collapse that effectively ended their hopes of a successful run chase.
"They bowled well, they knew after us not getting a really powerful start that we were going to have to try and attack them... We played right into their hands so it was kind of a snowball effect really," Smith explained.
But it was the dynamic Pietersen, well supported by Kieswetter, which put South Africa on the backfoot.
Smith has had an often fraught relationship with Pietersen, arising from the now England batsman's comments that he left South Africa because a racial quota system favouring non-white players was hampering his progress.
However, the South Africa captain had no doubt about the quality of Pietersen's latest display.
"When he plays like that you have got to be on the top of your game and you can't afford to miss chances, as we did.
"But when he is on song like that he is a difficult guy to bowl at."
Pietersen's major ally was Kieswetter, a former South Africa Under-19 international who has decided to pursue a senior career with England - a move that has led to plenty of comment in both countries.
But Smith, asked if he felt it was "galling" to see Pietersen and Kieswetter scoring runs for England, rather than South Africa, replied: "No, not at all. Come on guys, let's keep it real."
- Julian Guyer