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Showing posts with label West Indies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Indies. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Run-rate dipped in absence of mighty Sehwag….

 

ASehwagHe made his debut for India as a middle-order batsmen and scored century against South Africa at Bloemfontein in his debut game. Looking at his batting style Sourav Ganguly who was captain of Indian team during that period asked Sehwag to open the innings and after that move history of Indian cricket changed many times  and new chapters added to the history of Indian cricket.

Currently Sehwag is the most ballistic opener in world cricket, in all forms of the game. His sheer presence in the middle, creates nightmarish situation for the bowlers around the world. Nobody expected this success of Sehwag considering his unique hand-eye co-ordination technique in which footwork is minimum. But lack of footwork did not  affected Sehwag’s progress in international cricket, especially in test cricket where technique is considered above everything.

Indian team won many test matches in last decade only because of Sehwag’s quick start at the top and it is Sehwag’s brilliance Ashewagwhich helped Indian team in becoming the king of World Cricket. Sehwag is a completely unique batsmen in world cricket not because of his style of playing but also because of his views and thinking about his own batting. There is no complication theory in his batting as ‘ball is there to hit he will hit it’ and in doing so sometimes he dispatches good balls out of the ground as well. He is having clear mind and simplistic approach which makes him stand out above all the cricketers.

Why did I wrote so much about Sehwag. Answer is simple Indian team is missing him badly  So far in 3 innings of two test matches,  Indian opening pair of Vijay and Mukund AVSehwagstruggled badly and their pair didn’t survive for even 5 overs. So in the absence of Sehwag Indian team is missing some zing at the top but good starts are not only the factor, Indian team’s run-rate also dipped badly in the absence of Sehwag. Indian team with Sehwag at top, scored at an average rate of 3.70 runs in last decade in the test matches they played and in first session of the test match, team India scored at an average rate of 4.60 runs in last decade.

But in West indies, now , run-rate of Indian team shattered badly as their average run-rate in two test match is paltry 2.20 runs and in first session it is worst as it dipped to 1.80 runs which clearly shows what impact Sehwag has on the game when he bats. Looking at other aspect of this, Sehwag, with his blitzkrieg batting dented the psyche of the opposition bowlers which helped middle-order batsmen to play comfortably without any pressure. Hence Sehwag factor made batting  easy for the great Indian middle-order. Credit for much of the Indian middle-order success in last decade goes to Sehwag and now we can see easily how Team India’s batting and run-rate is struggling without Sehwag and that too against weak bowling line-up of West Indian team.

So Sehwag is the man for all season for Team India and lets hope he returns to cricket with England series next month and increase the run-rate once again. His batting is like rock music which force bowlers to dance on its tunes

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Saturday, April 23, 2011

New look West Indies will take on mercurial Pakistan

 

PWAfter success in one off T20 game new look West Indian team will take on mercurial Pakistan in 1st ODI at St. Lucia. Many big names will be missing from this ODI series which reduces its glamour but its a chance for new players to showcase their talent and establish themselves in their respective sides.

SammyBisshoWest Indies will not feature Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo in this ODI while Pakistan has not included  Umar Gul, Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal. After loss in one off T20 game Pakistan will look to start this ODI series with a win while West Indies will be hoping of good performance from its youngsters. This series lost in hullaballoo of IPL but it is important series for West Indies and Pakistan. West Indies dropped players like Gayle, Sarwan Chanderpaul while Pakistan rested Younis Khan and Umar Gul.

SASAPakistan reached the semis of World Cup 2011 and playing very good cricket so far. While West Indies had disastrous World Cup campaign where they managed to reached the quarter-finals but couldn’t progress further. West Indian cricket  also got involved in controversy by dropping its star players especially Chris Gayle, who showed his form other night at Edens. It is important match and series for few youngsters from both the teams. From Pakistan Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Salman(WK) will be under radar. From West Indian perspective all eyes will be on Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edward, Devendra Bishoo and Andre Russell.

Pitch at St. Lucia will be slower and certainly help the spinners, Saeed Ajmal and Devendra Bishoo will certainly play big role in this game. Pakistan got out of the controversy of match-fixing and now Afridi will certainly look to take this young Pakistani team  to new heights. While West Indies is building the side for future. Pakistan won 3 matches from last 5 they played while West Indies won 2 matches out of last 5. West Indies lost their last ODI against Pakistan in World Cup 2011 quarter-final at Mirpur and that give little edge to Pakistan but win in T20 game certainly given little hope to Darren Sammy and his boys.


Squads:

WI Logo

 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kirk Edwards, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Ravi Rampaul


Pakistan Cricket1 Taufeeq Umar, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Tanvir Ahmed, 11 Saeed Ajmal.


Friday, April 22, 2011

West Indies vs Pakistan series kicked-off yesterday with T20 game. Schedule and Squad.

 

SimmonsImportant series between West Indies and Pakistan kicked-off yesterday with T20 game at Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. New look West Indies team won this game and Pakistan failed to open the account with a win. Pakistan lost to the completely reformed West Indian team. It was great game of T20 which lost in hype of IPL.

PakisIt's just one match, which will fade into obscurity by the end of the next, but West Indies began their latest New Era impressively, beating Pakistan by seven runs in the first ever Twenty20 match between the teams. Lendl Simmons made 65 to help West Indies set a competitive total before Devendra Bishoo's four wickets brought them victory. It was Ottis Gibson's desperation for renewal after a disastrous World Cup campaign that five fresh players were included in the squad. Chris Gayle, the former captain, who vented his frustration with Gibson and the WICB by joining Royal Challengers Bangalore and issuing a withering assessment of both in a radio interview. The off-field wrangling dominated the build-up to the match and is likely to rumble on for some time to come but West Indies fans could at least enjoy a moment of win.

Such drama is familiar to Pakistan but of late they have been alarmingly stable. Their last game was a passionate spectacle against India in the World Cup semi-final in Mohali, so they could be forgiven for looking a little underwhelmed by St Lucia. Very few spectators showed up but those who did were on the ground, treated to an entertaining opening from Simmons. Filling the big hole left by Gayle's absence he scored 65 from 44 balls and shared a 99-run stand for the second wicket with a fluent Darren Bravo, who made 42.The pair struck 15 boundaries between them, which proved crucial as West Indies collapsed in familiar fashion after they were separated.

Darren Sammy ensured Pakistan's chase got off on the wrong foot as he had Mohammad Hafeez caught at fine leg for 3 before Ahmed Shehzad spooned Ravi Rampaul to mid-on for 12. Asad Shafiq tried to revive the Pakistan innings with Umar Akmal before Bishoo picked up  two wickets in his first over. Shafiq was nicely caught for 25 by Danza Hyatt at  midwicket, before Misbah-ul-Haq was dismissed for a golden duck while treading on his stumps a ball later.  Mixing his pace and flight nicely Bishoo got his third wicket when Shahid Afridi played a cut to point on 12 to leave Pakistan in sorts of trouble

Having reached a run-a-ball 41, Umar was victim to his own misunderstanding. The previous delivery he had alerted the umpires to a no-ball caused by West Indies not having the required three men in the ring but, thinking the following ball was a free-hit, swung Rampaul to Marlon Samuels on the square-leg boundary. Umar lingered but the umpires this time knew better.What should have been a doddle from there for West Indies became tense, as Rampaul's no-ball-ridden penultimate over cost 15, but Andre Russell held his nerve in the final over to seal victory.

The lacklustre showing from Pakistan's batsmen was in sharp contrast to Simmons and Bravo. Happy to use their feet, both were proficient against the pace and spin and used the small boundaries to good effect. West Indies passed 100 in the 13th over and looked set to post a really significant total but a trademark collapse punctured the optimism. Bravo holed out to long-on off Abdur Rehman before Simmons was run out by Samuels two overs later. Samuels, on his comeback after serving a two-year ban for alleged involvement with illegal bookmakers, endured a torrid time as he laboured to 4 from 11 balls before running past a Saeed Ajmal doosra. Sammy followed quickly for 1 and it needed a last-over boundary to take the total past 150. Pakistan looked to have the edge but Bishoo ensured otherwise.

It was indeed a great performance by new look West Indian team which proved selectors decision correct atleast in this match.


Pakistan have to play 5 ODIs and 2 Test Matches on this tour. ODIs will star from April 23, 2011.

Detailed Fixtures are as under:

Date

Time

Match

Venue

Mon Apr 18
10:00 local
19:30 IST

Uni. of WI Vice Chancellor's XI vs Pakistan

Mindoo Phillip Park, St Lucia

Thu Apr 21 09:30 local
19:00 IST
T20I - West Indies v Pakistan

Beausejour Stadium,  Gros Islet, St Lucia

Sat Apr 23

 

09:30 local
19:00 IST

 

1st ODI - West Indies v Pakistan

 

Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia

 

Mon Apr 25

 

09:30 local
19:00 IST

2nd ODI - West Indies v Pakistan

 

Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Thu Apr 28

 

09:30 local
19:00 IST

 

3rd ODI - West Indies v Pakistan

 

Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Mon May 2

 

09:30 local
19:00 IST

 

4th ODI - West Indies v Pakistan

 

Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Thu May 5

 

09:30 local
19:00 IST

 

5th ODI - West Indies v Pakistan

 

Providence Stadium, Guyana

 

Sun May 8 - Mon May 9

 

10:00 local
19:30 IST

 

TBC v Pakistanis

 

Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana

 

Thu May 12 - Mon May 16

 

10:00 local
19:30 IST

 

1st Test - West Indies v Pakistan

 

Providence Stadium, Guyana

 

Fri May 20 - Tue May 24
10:00 local
19:30 IST
2nd Test - West Indies v Pakistan Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

ODI Squads:


Pakistan Cricket

Shahid Afridi(Captain), Abdur Rehman,Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azam, Junaid Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman(Wicket- Keeper), Sadaf Hussain, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Usman Salahuddin, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema.


WI LogoDarren Sammy(Captain), Carlton Baugh, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Devnedra Bishoo, Kirk Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Anthony Martin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas.