This is the most difficult decision in my blogging career and it is a heart breaking too. Well, It is quite some time that I have opened a new blog (my own Domain) www.sports37.com as a sports blog. As a result, it has become very difficult for me to write about sports in this blog (Techtainment). So, I have decided to go back to the original topic that I started this blog with- blogging.
I have to apologize strongly to all the Feedburner subscribers (nearly 1300 of them) for this change of direction. I know that most of you subscribed to this blog’s Feedburner for getting sports coverage and I have no other choice but to apologize to you deeply. If you like to unsubscribe from the Feed and Email subscription then please, feel free to do it. However, if you want to get tips and news about blogging and earning money then you can stay here. If you want to get good coverage of Sports then I would like to recommend you strongly to Sports37.
Real Madrid is now all set to bag a David Villa deal as reports out in the media suggest that the Spanish forward has already revealed his desire to stay in Spain next season. Valencia is currently facing a huge financial problem at this moment and it is most likely that the club would sell their biggest asset in Summer transfer window. Valencia has also been in talks with Real Madrid on a possible deal for David Villa who was the leading scorer of Euro 2008, and thus, helping Spain to win the title of the tournament last year.
Chelsea was in the run for clinching Villa’s service, but it is pretty much certain that Chelsea is now out of the race to sign David Villa. Real Madrid is attempting to sign big stars in Summer transfer window and in fact, they have already signed Kaka for a record transfer fee. Moreover, Real’s another record breaking offer has been accepted by Manchester United for their star player Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea recently sent their scout Juan Cruz Sol to meet Valencia president and talk about a possible deal for David Villa, but the club rejected Chelsea’s offer. Now, it is most likely that Real Madrid would be the next destination for David Villa.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play their first Super Eight game of twenty20 world cup 2009 tomorrow (Friday) when they will face each other in an important match at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. The performance of Pakistan and Sri Lanka so far in the tournament has been pretty much contrasting. Sri Lanka reached the last eight after winning both of their group matches against Australia and West Indies, while Pakistan needed to face a threat of early elimination when they were defeated by England in the opening game, but Younis Khan and his team successfully defeated Netherlands to reach the Super Eight stage.
Match: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Group F, Super Eight, ICC World Twenty20 2009
Date: 12 June 2009
Venue: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, England
Kick off: 12:30 GMT (Local Time13:30)
Pakistan is the most successful team in twenty20 international with 14 wins from 18 games. However, their performance so far in the tournament has not very impressive. Moreover, Pakistani players are also suffering from inconsistency, and that is where they need to work on at this moment. They have a number of match winners like Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal etc. They have a strong batting order, but the team management failed to get the best out of the line up. For example, they unnecessarily promoted Shahid Afridi to no. 4 recently, even though the batsman has been struggling for his batting form recently.
Their team selection and combinations have often been controversial. They dropped a match-winner like Sohail Tanvir against England. Shahid Afridi is more effective with the ball these days than with the bat, yet he has ben promoted to No.4. And sending Misbah-Ul-Haq, one of Pakistan's best players and a genuine match-winner, to bat at No. 7 was shocking. They will need to correct these errors.
I also think that Misbah-Ul-Haq, who was instrumental behind Pakistan’s success in the inaugural event of t20 world cup, should be sent much before in the bating order because he can bat through under pressure and keep himself cool. He can rotate the strike by taking singles and doubles, but can also go after the bowlers of opposition side whenever he is asked to do so.
Sri Lanka has been in excellent form of recent. Specially, veteran opener Sanath Jayasuria has once again proved that age can not eat away true class. The player, who is turning 40 next month, smashed West Indies bowling attack as he played a fiery innings of 88 against West Indies in the last match of the group stage. Most importantly, Sri Lanka has got another excellent opening in Tillakaratne Dilshan who is currently the second highest run scorer in the tournament with 127 runs, just 2 runs shy of leading scorer Jacques Kallis.
Though Pakistan’s main bowling strength always lies on their pace attack, now it seems that they have a troublesome spin attack in the presence of Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik. On the other hand, their pace attack includes Sohail Tanvir and Umar Gul. However, it would be a huge boost for Pakistan if all rounder Abdul Razzaq arrives in time before the Sri Lanka match who will be a replacement for pacer all rounder Yasir Arafat. Overall, Pakistan may have a good squad, but they are yet to show their top form so far in the tournament.
Online Live Score and Updates
You can get the live score and updates of the match from several cricket websites including Cricinfo, Cricbuzz and Cricket Next etc.
Given the recent form of both sides, Sri Lanka seems to be ahead of Pakistan to some extend. However, it is twenty20 format where the two teams do not have huge difference between them, and could win any side on a good day. So, I hope that Pakistan and Sri Lanka will live up to the expectation of their fans and present us with a highly entertaining match.
India and West Indies are going to take on each other in their first match of Super Eight round in Twenty20 world cup 2009 on 12 June. The match will take place at the Lord’s cricket ground, London, England. No doubt, it is a big match for both sides. India reached the last eight as the group champion winning both the games, while West Indies make it to the Super Eight as the group runner up as they defeated Australia in the opening game before losing to Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the last match of the groups stage.
Match: India vs West Indies, Group E, Super Eight, ICC World Twenty20 2009
Date: 12 June 2009
Venue: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, England
Kick off: 16:30 GMT (Local Time 17:30)
Well, India’s performance so far has been pretty much satisfactory as the defending champions did not face any big challenge in their first two games in the competition. However, it does not mean that their upcoming assignments will be as easy as it has been so far. In fact, West Indies defeated Australia, who started as one of the most favorites, in their first game, and then came on very close to Sri Lanka’s total of 192 while chasing in the last match of the group stage.
India might have lost their fiery opener Virender Sehwag for the remainder of the tournament as he failed to recover his shoulder injury, but the men in blue have found an excellent replacement in makeshift opener Rohit Sharma who has been pretty much consistent so far following some good shows in the warm up games. Well, to be honest, I do not think that Indian opening pair has been as dominating as it was during inaugural twenty20 in 2007 in South Africa.
The biggest strength of Indian batting line up is their middle order which boasts of the hard hitters like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni as well as two all rounders in Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan. No doubt, the presence of the Pathan brothers increased the depth of Indian batting line up. So, I do not see anything for India to worry about their batting line up. However, I do not like the idea of sending Dhoni at no. 3 because he is not a technically perfect player, even though he is an excellent hitter. It is very important for someone to be technically right while facing the new ball bowlers. I think, Raina should be send at no. 3 because he has no fault in his technique and is capable of scoring big shots as well as taking singles when it is needed to rotate the strike.
Indian bowlers have done their job very well so far. Specially, Pragyan Ojha has been very much impressive so far as the left arm spinner is currently the leading wicket taker along with South Africa’s Roelof van der Merwe with 6 wickets. Moreover, pacer Zaheer Khan performed excellently well against Netherlands as he picked up 4 wickets for 19. Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh are also doing their job successfully. Leg spinner Yusuf has brought a variation in their attack. Overall, India poses a threat for any established side in the tournament.
West Indies, however, should not be worried that much as they know how to knock out the favorites like Australia. The Caribbean side has some hard hitters like Captain Chris Gayle, who scored a fiery half century against Australia in the opening game. Gayle is the only batsman who has century in twenty20 international. Though Gayle missed the second game against Sri Lanka due to injury, he is now expected to be fit enough to feature against India tomorrow. Indian pacer Zaheer Khan is also concerned about the threat posed by Gayle.
"It will be good to take his wicket early. He's definitely a match-winner," said Zaheer, who impressed with 4-19 against Ireland on Wednesday.
"If we can get him out early it will be a great help for Team India."
"Removing Gayle will be a great advantage for us," he added. "I am hopeful because we are clicking as a bowling unit and each bowler understands his role.
"We are chipping in with wickets at the right time."
Moreover, West Indies got an excellent opener in Andre Fletcher who has so far showed the kind of talent he possesses. West Indies middle order is also very strong in the presence of Xavier Marshall, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Moreover, all-rounders like Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have brought a much-needed depth in their batting line up. Their bowling attack features four quality pacers like Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, all-rounder Bravo and Lendl Simmons who picked up four wickets against Sri Lanka conceding only 19 runs in 3 overs. West Indies includes only Sulieman Benn as the specialist spinner in the final eleven.
Online Live Score and Updates
The live score and updates of the match will be found in several cricket websites including Cricinfo, Cricbuzz, Cricket Next etc.
It seems that India is favorite against West Indies, but as you know, twenty20 is a format where everything can change in the space of just few balls and the gap between two teams are very close. The elimination of Australia and Bangladesh from the group stage once again proved that no one is favorite when it comes to twenty20 cricket. So, I think, both sides will have equal chances to have a good start in Super Eight. I am just expecting a breathtaking match between India and West Indies.
Just a day after the announcement of Real Madrid signing Kaka for a record transfer fee came out, now Real Madrid has broken its own record by signing world’s best footballer Christiano Ronaldo for a whopping $131 million. Reports available in the media suggests that Manchester United has accepted an offer worth $131 million from Real Madrid for the Portuguese winger and Ronaldo is now a Real Madrid player.
Well, it has been reported that Real Madrid has had a pre-contract with Manchester United for Ronaldo and by this contract, Real Madrid must confirm the deal by June 30. Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon, whom Florentino Perez succeeded recently, claimed many times that the Portugal international would join Real Madrid and he had worked on his deal during his time at the club. However, the current president Florentino Perez was not very happy with the fee decided for the player and wanted to renegotiate with the English club.
Recently, Real Madrid sent a representative and a doctor to Los Angles, USA to meet Cristiano Ronaldo who is now recovering from his hernia injury. It has also been reported that Real Madrid would pay Ronaldo $400,000 per week, and thus, making him the highest paid player alongside Kaka at Real Madrid.
India’s hard-hitting opening batsman Virender Sehwag has got out of twenty20 world cup 2009 as he failed to get over his shoulder injury. The player took a blow to his shoulder while playing for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2009, but still he was expected to recover in time for the t20 world cup. However, Sehwag sat out for India’s both practice games and the opening match against Bangladesh last Saturday.
India has already called up his Delhi Daredevils teammate Dinesh Karthik, who is a big-hitting wicket-keeper batsman, to deputize Sehwag in the squad. No doubt, it is a big blow for the defending champions. Sehwag is an explosive opener who can take a match out of opposition’s grip and his performance over the last one year has been very impressive.
Dinesh Karthik, who is also capable of playing big shots and generally bats in the middle order, could play an important role for India. In fact, his performance in the recently concluded IPL 2009 was really satisfactory.
Scotland captain Gavin Hamilton did not hide his frustration about the downgrading quality of Scotland cricket. After the 130-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in their first game of twenty20 world cup, Hamilton said that his team was playing against some of the best big hitters in the world, as he was trying to find some excuses for South Africa’s total of 211 for 5. However, the batsman also added that Scotland must improve on their current level if they are to show impressive performance against big teams.
Expressing his concern about the future of Scotland cricket, Hamilton called for setting up a cricket academy in the county and stressed that Scotland needs at least half a dozen full-time player. Here, it is noteworthy that most of the members of the Scotland squad are not full time players and that is why, professionalism has not grown fully in Scottish cricket. Moreover, those who look prominent are called up by ECB to play for England. This has become a big obstacle for Scotland.
Cricket is not yet a popular game in Scotland. So, professionalism is still far away to think about and it is not possible for Scotland to set up a domestic league of their own (at this moment they are part of English county cricket). I agree with Hamilton that setting up a cricket academy would be a viable option for Scotland to improve their cricket in the years to come. If the academy can churn out some big stars of cricket, then cricket would also get much more popularity in the cricket in what would be a huge boost for Scotland cricket.
Ashes 2009 series will start next month and England is waiting for the full recovery of their star all rounder Andrew Flintoff who is currently missing the ongoing twenty20 world cup 2009 which is being taken place in England due to his knee injury. The all rounder was sent home from South Africa, where he was representing his franchise Chennai Super Kings during IPL 2009, having picked up a knee injury.
Andrew Flintoff then underwent a keyhole surgery on his knee, and thus, missed the home series against West Indies. Now, England fans are expecting that the all rounder would regain his fitness ahead of the much-awaited Ashes 2009 series. The player might play for his county team Lancashire in the ongoing CountyChampionship, but Mike Watkinson, the director of Lancashire county team, has said that Flintoff would not play for the county side until he recovers fully. However, it is expected that the all rounder would make a come back in the match against Hampshire that begins on 17 June. So, it is expected that Andrew Flintoff would regain his full fitness before Ashes 2009 kicks off.
Host England stumbled in the first match of the twenty20 world cup 2009 yesterday when Netherlands handed them a shocking defeat at Lord’s. Winning the toss, Netherlands choose to bowl first, but they did not have a good start as England openers put on 102 runs on the board in 11.2 overs. Ravi Bopara departed just 4 runs shy of his fifty, but his opening partner Luke Wright played a fiery innings of 71 off just 49 balls.
However, England middle order failed to build on the momentum given by the openers as England got all out for 162 runs losing 5 wickets. Ryan ten Doeschate picked up 2 wickets for Netherlands. Chasing a wining target of 163, Netherlands did not have a good start as they lost their openers for 23 runs. However, excellent batting from Tom de Grooth, Peter Borren and Ryan ten Doeschate in the middle order helped the Dutch side to clinch a history victory against mighty England. Specially, Grooth’s 49 off just 30 balls was instrumental behind their victory. Borren scored 30 off 25 and Doeschate remained not out on 22 from 17 balls.
In the end, Netherlands reached the winning target on the very last ball of their innings. Ryan ten Doeschate’s all round performance played a big part behind their win, but it was Tom de Grooth who was awarded the man of the match award for his batting display.
India will start their twenty20 world cup 2009 campaign on Saturday (6 June) with the match against Bangladesh at the Trent Bridge, Nottingham. No doubt, this is a very big match for both sides. Defending champion India might be favorite against Bangladesh, but you can not forget the fact India lost to Bangladesh in the opening match of ICC World Cup 2007 which eventually led them to get eliminated from the group stage, while Bangladesh reached the Super Eight round in that tournament.
Match: Bangladesh vs India, Group A, ICC World Twenty20 2009
Date: 6 June 2009
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England
Kick off: 17:00 GMT (Local Time 18:00)
Live TV: Star Cricket Television Channel
Naturally, India can not take Bangladesh lightly this time, considering their previous bitter experience. Bangladesh’s performance in the practice matches was pretty much satisfactory. Bangladesh lost to New Zealand in the first warm up game without showing any significant challenge, but they defeated Netherlands and Scotland with sheer ease before losing to Australia and Sri Lanka in the last two warm up games. Bangladesh may have lost to Australia and Sri Lanka, but their performance was impressive. Against Australia, Bangladesh lost only by 38 runs, while Sri Lanka needed to bat till 18.4 overs to reach the winning target.
For India, they have lost the first practice match by 9 runs, and then defeated Pakistan by 9 wickets in the last warm up match. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that the victory over Pakistan was one of the best in his career. No doubt, there is a significant difference between practice match and competitive match. India has found out some problems in the practice matches.
Most importantly, Indian bowlers, specially pacers, conceded too many runs in the last five overs in both the warm up games. This is where India needs to work on. Moreover, Indian batsmen need to be become much more effective in the dead overs while chasing a fighting total. For example, India was chasing a winning target of around 170 against New Zealand, and Dhoni’s team was very much in the game until 15 or 16 overs, but they lost the momentum when Vettori and Oram delivered two excellent overs towards the end.
I am not sure whether Zaheer Khan will be fit enough to feature against Bangladesh. He is currently recovering from injury and missed the two warm up games. If he is fit enough, then I think, he should be included in the final eleven along with Ishant Sharma to take the new ball. Praveen Kumar did not show enough prospect in the warm up games, but I think, he should be included in the final eleven.
I do not think that India would play Pragyan Ojha, besides off spinner Harbhajan Singh and leg spinner Yusuf Pathan. Whether India would play RP Singh or not, it depends on the fitness of Zaheer Khan and the wicket of Trent Bridge. Indian batting line up is pretty much confirmed, except the opening combination. Rohit Sharma has done very well in the opening slot alongside Gautam Gambhir, and he would continue his job if Virender Sehwag fails to get over his injury. Except the opening slot, Indian batting line up is pretty much confirmed in the presence of Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Yuvraj and Sharma.
Bangladesh got two excellent performers in Mahmudullah and pacer Rubel Hossain in the warm up games. Bangladesh squad boasts of all rounders like Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam and pacer all rounder Mashrafe Mortaza. In batting line up, Bangladesh has some big hitters like opener Tamim Iqbal, Captain Mohammad Ashraful, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam and Mashrafe in the lower down the order. Bangladesh bowing strength relies on their spin attack which includes the spinners like Abdur Razzak, who has just returned from a suspension imposed on him due to suspect bowling action. In pace department, Bangladesh has Mashrafe, left arm pacer Syed Rasel and in-form Rubel Hossain.
Online Live Score and Updates
Here, I am giving some websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:
India might be favorite against Bangladesh, but it does not mean that Bangladesh would not try their best to cause another upset. Bangladesh defeated West Indies in the inaugural twenty20 world cup and reached the super eight and there is no doubt, they would like to replicate their success this time too. India, on the other hand, would be under pressure as defending champion and would have to remain calm and poised, if they are to repeat the success of the previous tournament.
ICC Twenty20 world cup 2009 is now knocking at the door. This prime event of t20 format will go underway with England vs Netherlands match taking place on 5 June (Friday). The match kicks off at 16:30 GMT (17:30 Local Time) at Lord’s, after the completion of the much-awaited opening ceremony. The sad part is that, I could not find enough information regarding the opening ceremony of the tournament after spending few hours in searching about the opening ceremony in internet. It reminds me of the IPL 2009 opening ceremony which was a flop show as there was no information about it prior to the event and millions of cricket fans did not even know when it would take place.
Timing and Venue of Opening Ceremony of Twenty20 World Cup 2009
Opening ceremony will start at 15:30 GMT and at 21:00 IST (Indian Standard Time). The event will take place at Lord’s Cricket Ground where the opening match of the tournament will also take place after the opening ceremony. According to Bangladesh time, opening ceremony will be held at 21:30.
What You Can Expect in the Opening Ceremony of ICC World Twenty20 2009
I am sorry to say that I do not have any exact information regarding the opening ceremony of twenty20 world cup 2009 which I can share with you. However, I can guess that it will be a colorful event in the presence of English prime minister or any other high official from England government. Moreover, there could be some colorful displays by professional entertainers. Cricket fans can also expect that there will have some acrobatic show, but I do not think that you could experience any fire works because the opening ceremony will be held before the sun set. The opening ceremony and the opening game will be shown live on Star Cricket TV Channel. One source suggests that pop-singer Aleesha Dixon will be singing to entertain the cricket fans at Lord’s, which is known as the Mecca of Cricket.
ECB and Opening Ceremony
Well, I am really disappointed to know that the tournament organizers did not pay any heed to inform the cricket fans regarding the opening ceremony of the tournament. It seems that they are following the footstep of IPL organizers.
Twenty20 is the most popular form of the game at this moment and twenty20 world cup is the most prestigious event based on the shortest form of the game. No doubt, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should feel proud that they are assigned to host the event this year ahead of South Asia, the largest market of cricket. Still, ECB does not seem to be very serious about the opening ceremony of such a big tournament.
ECB has the past history to present the cricket fans with flop opening ceremonies. England was the organizer of 1999 ICC World Cup and 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, and on both occasions, ECB was criticized for delivering a poor opening ceremony which irked the cricket fans. I hope cricket fans wouldnot see the repetition of the past this time round, but the way ECB is going, it seems they are determined to stick to their reputation of delivering flop opening ceremonies.
India and Pakistan will face each other in a much-anticipated warm-up match on 3 June 2009 ahead of the upcoming twenty20 world cup 2009. This is a mere practice match where both teams will be focused to test their squad strength in stead of winning the game. Well, it does not mean that the two arch-rivals would not try to win the match. In fact, India and Pakistan are the two big rivals in world cricket and whenever they face each other, cricket fans just expect a classic match. This match is no different as well. So, cricket fans are expecting a highly entertaining match tomorrow at the Kennington Oval, London, England.
Match: India vs Pakistan, Warm up Match, ICC World Twenty20 2009
Date: 3 June 2009
Venue: Kennington Oval, London, Englanddd
Kick off: 16:30 GMT (Local Time 17:30)
Live TV: Star Cricket Television Channel
The interesting thing is that India and Pakistan are the two finalists of the inaugural twenty20 world cup 2007, but both teams lost their first warm-up games against New Zealand and South Africa respectively. So, both teams would now like to win the next match before they start their twenyt20 world cup 2009 mission. There is no doubt that both teams would like to bring some changes in their squad in order to ensure that all the squad members get some practice before the final event kicks off on 5 June 2009.
India lost the first only by 9 runs against New Zealand, even though they were on the right track till the end of the match. Indian bowlers conceded some extra runs towards the end of the New Zealand innings, while Indian batsmen failed to dominate over the Kiwi bowlers when it was needed in the dead overs. However, India’s overall performance was no too bad.
India were well on course to make the 171 they needed for victory during a fourth-wicket stand of 69 between Suresh Raina (45) and Ravindra Jadeja which featured some superb clean hitting to match the top-order fireworks of opener Rohit Sharma (36). Left-arm spinner Vettori, who finished with excellent figures of three for 24 in three overs, had big-hitting rival captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stumped for just six and after Raina holed out to medium-pacer Jacob Oram the innings fell away despite a run-a-ball 41 from Jadeja.
In contrast, Pakistan failed to play according to their potential in all three departments against South Africa as they lost the game by 59 runs. Pakistani bowlers conceded many runs from the beginning of the South African innings as South Africa took 186 runs losing 7 wickets. However, two spinners: Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi- could get some success over the South African bowlers. Pakistan’s batting was most disappointing as they failed to deliver what they were expected to. Pakistan lost wickets pretty regularly and got all out only for 127 runs while chasing the winning target of 187 runs.
So, you can see that Pakistan has a number of things to worry about ahead of the match against arch-rival India. Pakistan cricket has been suffering a lot mainly because of the country’s deteriorating security conditions. Many cricket playing nations are reluctant to tour Pakistan and ICC has recently stripped off Pakistan’s host status for the ICC World Cup 2011 which is supposed to take place in South Asia.
After arriving England, Pakistan captain Younis Khan revealed his excitement as Pakistan would return to international cricket and he vowed to win the ICC World Twenty20 2009.
"It is special to be back on the world stage, especially in Twenty20 and in England, the media are here so lots of hopes are here," the talented batsman told reporters at Lord's here on Sunday.
"We are suffering from not playing regularly, and no-one is coming to Pakistan," he added.
"My confidence is that I'll take this trophy to Pakistan," he said. But such has been Pakistan's relative lack of international cricket that he added: "It will be an achievement for us to finish in the top four."
So, there is no doubt that Pakistan cricket will receive a massive boost if they can win the tournament this time what they failed to do two years back when they were beaten by the eventual champion India in South Africa. That is why, Pakistan is expected to be determined to do well in the upcoming tournament.
Pakistan cricket team has some good players in the presence of a number of hard hitters like Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq. Young opener Ahmed Shehzad showed some prospect against South Africa in the first warm up game, scoring 31 runs from 26 balls. Pakistan’s lower order showed some considerable success in the warm up match, and this shows that Pakistan has a good batting depth which could be pretty much effective if top order batsmen can perform according to their potential.
Well, I think, Pakistan would like to bring some changes in their squad for the match against India. Pakistan should give a chance to their two uncapped players: opener Shahzaib Hasan and pacer Mohammad Aamer because they were absent against South Africa. Moreover, a middle order batsman Fawad Alam also deserves a game before the final event starts next Friday. Pacer Yasir Arafat is also expected to get a game against India.
Defending champion India did not play two key batsmen: Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh against New Zealand in the first practice game. Naturally, they would now like to play the two batsmen against Pakistan before heading to the final tournament. These are the two possible changes you might see in India’s final eleven against Pakistan. Pacer Zaheer Khan is recovering from injury and would not be able to play against Pakistan in the last warm up game.
Online Live Score and Updates You can get the live score and updates of the match from www.cricinfo.com. You can also get updated score with live text commentary in one of our blogs: Sports37. So, be with us and enjoy the live updates of the match in Sports37.
There is no favorite when India and Pakistan play against each other. India seems to be slightly ahead of their arch rivals in terms of recent form and squad strength, but you can not just write off Pakistan yet. They have a very balanced squad and Pakistan has the reputation to bounce back. So, we can expect that we are going to see another classic match between India and Pakistan on Wednesday.
Indian cricket team lost the first twenty20 match against New Zealand by 9 runs at Lord’s on Monday. Overall performance of the defending champions was not bad, but Dhoni’s men lost the game in the last five over. However, it would not be fair to give the due credit to the New Zealand bowlers, especially Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram, who restricted Indian batsmen to play big shots in the dead overs.
Dhoni sent New Zealand to bat first after winning the toss and New Zealand put on 170 runs thanks to Ross Taylor’s 33-ball 41 and James Franklin’s 27 from just 10 balls. Scott Styris also scored 29 runs off 19 balls in the middle overs. However, it was wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum who brought a good start for the Kiwis in his way to play a fiery innings of 31 from just 19 balls. Indian bowlers conceded 31 runs in the last 2 overs and that was proven decisive in the end. Ishant Sharma was the most successful bowlers for India taking 4 wickets for 25 runs in his 4 overs.
Chasing a target of 171, Indian batsmen started off very well as their opening pair Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir added 42 runs in 5 overs. Virender Sehwag were absent in the match. Though Gambhir got out for 14, Sharma played an excellent innings of 36 runs from 20 balls, hitting three 4s and three 6s. Suresh Raina scored a fiery innings of 45 runs off just 24 balls. India was very much in the match until Raina and Ravindra Jadeja were batting. Even after Raina got out in the 15th over, India was in the right track to win the game, but Vettori and Oram delivered two excellent overs towards the end and that was enough to clinch a confidence booster victory for New Zealand. Jadeja remained not out on 41 from 41 balls. Vettori picked up 3 wickets for 24, while Oram and Butler got a wicket each.
India and Pakistan will face each other in a twenty20 practice match on 3June 2009 ahead of ICC Twenty20 world cup 2009 that begins from 5 June. Though it is a practice match, the excitement among the cricket fans from the two arch-rival countries is not less. India and Pakistan has one of the biggest cricketing rivalries in the world. A match between India and Pakistan is always a big attraction for the cricket fans because it is always guaranteed to bring some level of excitement in the match.
Both India and Pakistan lost their first warm up games against New Zealand and South Africa respectively, but it does not mean that India and Pakistan will lack of confidence while taking on each other at Kennington Oval, London. India and Pakistan have not played against each other in 2009 so far. Naturally, excitement around the match among the cricket fans will be huge.
This much-awaited practice match will be telecast live on Star Cricket TV channel. Star Cricket is a 24-hour cricket channel dedicated to Indian cricket. They have a quality commentary team. So, you can expect quality coverage of the match on Star Cricket television channel.
19.4 overs: Pakistan is 127. Saeed Ajmal got out for 11.
19 overs: Pakistan is 119/9
18 overs: Pakistan is 117/9
17.2 overs: Pakistan is 109/9
16.3 overs: Pakistan is 108/9. Umar Gul got out for 13 off Steyn.
16 overs: Pakistan is 106/8
15.3 overs: Pakistan is 103/8. Shoaib Malik got caught and ball off Botha for 11.
15 overs: Pakistan is 98/7
14 overs: Pakistan is 85/7
13.4 overs: Pakistan is 84/7
13 overs: Pakistan is 83/7 Sohail Tanvir got played on off Duminy for 3.
12 overs: Pakistan is 76/6. Afridi got out for 8.
11 overs: Pakistan is 71/5. Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan both got out now.
10 overs: Pakistan is 65/3
9.2 overs: Pakistan is 64/3 Sehzad got out for 33 in the last over.
9 overs:Pakistan is 62/3. Sehzad got out for 33.
8.5 overs: Pakistan is 62/2
7.5 overs: Pakistan is 55/2.
7.2 overs: Pakistan is 48/2 Younis Khan and Sehzad are batting now.
6.1 overs: Pakistan is 41/2 Akmal got out in the previous over for 11, being the catch of Parnell off Kallis.
5.2 overs: Pakistan is 38/1 Sehzad is batting on 22 and Akmal on 11
5 overs: Pakistan is 38/1
4.5 overs:Pakistan is 34/1
4.1 overs: Pakistan 24/1
3.3 overs: Pakistan is 23/1
3 overs: Pakistan is 22/1
2 .4 overs: Pakistan is 17/1 Kamran Akmal and Ahmed Sehzad are batting now.
1 over: Pakistan is 9/1. Steyn bowled this over.
0.3 over: Pakistan is 4/1. Salman Butt got out for 4.
Pakistan needs to score 187 to win the match. We will be back with the live updates of Pakistan innings.
South Africa Innings
20 overs: South Africa is 186/7. Just runs came in the last over of Umar Gul.
19.4 overs: South Africa is 182/7. Morkel got out for 32. Gul is bowling the last over for Pakistan.
19.1 overs: South Africa is 180/1
19 overs: South Africa is 178/6. Boucher got out for a duck off Afridi.
18.3 overs: South Africa is 175/5
18 overs: South Africa is 171/5. Duminy got run out without scoring any run.
17.5 overs: South Africa is 171/4. Albie Morkel hit 3 SIXs this over.
17 overs:South Africa is 150/4. Afridi got the wicket of Gibbs who got out on 42 off 22 balls.
16.4 overs: South Africa is 139/3
16 overs: South Africa is 134/3. Villiers got run out for 2.
15 overs: South Africa is 129/2. Afridi is bowling comparatively better than other Pakistani bowlers as he picked up the wicket of dangerman Smith for 70.
14.3 overs: South Africa is 123/1
14 overs: South Africa is 121/1
13 overs: South Africa is 111/1
12.4 overs: South Africa is 109/1
12 overs: South Africa is 106/1
11.1 overs: South Africa is 92/1. Smith batting on 53 and Gibbs on 9
11 overs: South Africa is 91/1. Umar Gul bowled this over and conceded 8 runs.
10.2 overs: South Africa is 88/1
10 overs: South Africa is 83/1. Ajmal got the wicket of Kallis for 26
9.1 overs: South Africa is 80/0. No success for Pakistan yet.
9 overs: South Africa is 76/0. Smith completed his half century.
8 overs: South Africa is 73/0. Saeed Ajmal bowled his first over.
7 overs: South Africa is 67/0
6.2 overs: South Africa is 63/0
6 overs: South Africa is 61/0
5 overs: South Africa is 50/0. Tremendous start for South Africa.
4.5 overs: South Africa is 43/0
4 overs: South Africa is 36/0 Smith is batting on 20 and Kallis on 14
3.5 overs: South Africa is 36/0
3 overs: South Africa is 30/0. Another expensive over from Sohail Tanvir.
2.4 overs: south Africa is 25/0
2 overs: South Africa is 20/0. Iftikhar Anjum bowled this over.
1 over: South Africa is 10/0 Sohail Tanvir bowled this over.
0.5 over: South Africa is 10/0
0.2 over: South Africa is 3/0
Pakistan and South Africa take on each other in a practice match ahead of ICC world twenty20 2009 today (1 June 2009). Here, you can get the live score and updates of the match with live text commentary. The match starts at 16:30 GMT and 22:00 IST (Indian standard time).
