Various teams weigh their chances in World T20, 2010

[Pioneer]

So much for Mohammad Irfan's burst onto the international stage

[abhinav]

From what I have heard, they have lost pretty much all their practice games against Pakistan A. Not the sort of preparation the 'hot favorites' would want.

[Sir john]

pak looks weak this time,

[hari504504]

pak looks weak this time' date='[/quote'] ?? from what angle ? ...its the same side as the previous WC.. very avg/crappy batting and some great T20 bowling resources....and a good captain (considering the alternatives on offer..)

[Roshanrocks]

Self Jinxing in progress :haha:

[mastana]

Depleted India high on MSD Depleted India high on MSD

New Delhi: India expect skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to fire in the upcoming World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. The former champions are already without hard-hitting batsman Virender Sehwag due to a shoulder injury, but wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni is second to none when it comes to striking the ball hard and clean. The 28-year-old captain is known for holding his nerve under pressure and winning matches from hopeless situations with his power-hitting. Leading Chennai Super Kings in a must-win Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Kings XI Punjab in Dharamshala recently, Dhoni proved why he was considered one of the best finishers in the game. Chennai needed 52 to win off the last four overs before the captain guided his team to the semi-finals with an explosive 29-ball 54 not out, which included two sixes and five fours. "It came right down to the wire, and hats off to the skipper for pulling it off," Chennai coach and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming wrote in his newspaper column after the match. "It was an emotional moment for him too, and he is usually such a calm character. Dhoni has had a quiet tournament and it was nice to see him get his confidence back. "This was the last innings for him to deliver and he came good. I am delighted for him and the team." The burden of captaincy has not affected his batting, for he has led his team remarkably well in all formats of the game.India gained the number-one Test ranking in December last year under Dhoni, who has scored 356 runs in 20 Twenty20 internationals with a strike-rate of 105.95 since making his debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006. Dhoni will be keen to excel both as captain and batsman as his last World Twenty20 World Cup campaign ended in failure in England in 2009, when India failed to make it to the semi-finals. Like record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag, Dhoni likes to dominate bowlers with a wide range of strokes and can change the course of a match in a short time. Dhoni's Indians face first-timers Afghanistan and South Africa in their first round group, with the top two advancing to the Super Eights round.

http://cricketnext.in.com/news/depleted-india-high-on-msd/48090-13.html

[hari504504]

Great headline..hahaha

[Roshanrocks]

Virender Sehwag out... and the Indian side is "depleted" ?

[vvvslaxman]

Virender Sehwag out... and the Indian side is "depleted" ?

That is the power of Viru. Mere sight of him will send shivers down the bowlers all over the world. :winky: .

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We can achieve something special: Colly Collingwood believes his side are on the verge of "something special." More... We can achieve something special: Colly Agencies Bridgetown, Barbados, April 28, 2010 Kevin Pietersen is expected to be absent from the England team if the side make the latter stages of the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, with his pregnant wife, Jess, due to give birth in the first weeks of May. Pietersen has been on record for several months that he will not allow cricket, or anything else, to make him miss the birth of his first child. The due date is likely to come towards the end of the World Twenty20, which starts on 30 April and ends on 16 May, but the England Twenty20 captain, Paul Collingwood, is confident that the team can achieve "something special" in the tournament, with or without Pietersen. Collingwood confirmed: "At the back end of the tournament, it could be we may miss him if Jess delivers or shows signs of delivering." Pietersen is currently at home with his wife and is likely to be allowed to miss England's first ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match against Bangladesh but Collingwood remains unconcerned by the batsman's delayed arrival in the Caribbean. "Kevin's going to arrive in a couple of days," said Collingwood. "Obviously Jess is pregnant, so it gives him an opportunity to get home for a couple of days. But that will not be a problem. He's obviously 'cricket-fit' and I think one of the major things is that the guys who have been out in the IPL have certainly got their brains switched on towards T20 cricket," the England captain said. Collingwood believes his side are on the verge of "something special." Pak have 'firepower' to defend title: Raja Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has said that even though some the key players are missing from the squad, it still has enough 'firepower' to defend the ICC World T20 title in the West Indies. According to ANI, Raja said the incumbent skipper Shahid Afridi has been performing brilliantly in the shortest version of the game , and expressed the hope that he would lead from the front during the tournament. "Pakistan has very good players for this format of cricket. Afridi is a very good player and he performed very well in last two editions of World Twenty20. He will be a good captain and can lead from the front. We have good players and our bowling is our strength," The Nation quoted Raja as saying. Hussey confident of Australia's chances Australia's performance at last year's ICC World Twenty20 may have been termed a 'failure', but according to David Hussey, the 'unseeded' squad still has the strength to lift the trophy in the West Indies. Hussey said the response to the failure has been positive, with selectors picking more T20 specialists in the squad. Five members, Ricky Ponting, Nathan Bracken, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and James Hopes, of the 2009 World Cup squad have been dropped, and the new look Aussies under Michael Clarke, feature faces who have done well in the Big Bash.

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‘We have a realistic chance to win this time around’: Vettori An opening stand between Adam Lyth and Joe Sayers of 146 put Yorkshire into a dominant position on the opening day against title-holders Durham. More... ‘We have a realistic chance to win this time around’ Agencies New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori believes spinners will play an important role in the World T20 beginning on Friday and admits his own performance will be the key to his team’s performance in the tournament. “We’re very confident,” Vettori said. “I think spin bowling is going to play a big part, particularly on the slower grounds in the Caribbean. We’re expecting myself and Nathan McCullum to play a big role.” New Zealand, though, are not short on their seam-bowling options. “You throw in Kyle Mills, who’s come back and has been a very successful bowler for us, Tim Southee has done a good job, Ian Butler has come back from injury as well and at times has done a good job for us, so between them I think they’ll be very adequate (in the seam bowling department),” said Vettori. The Kiwis have reached the semi-finals of major tournaments over the past few years, with their last showing in the final four in a major competition being the semi-finals of the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa and the World Cup in the West Indies the same year. “We keep making it to the semi-finals and not going any further, although the Champions Trophy we did make the final,” New Zealand all-rounder Styris said. “What it shows is that we do play well in these big tournaments. We have a history of doing pretty well going right back to the last ten years or so. “If we play well we have a chance, and we’re not just looking for a semi-final spot or a Super Eights, it’s a real chance to win. We go into this tournament with the view that we have to win this tournament. We’re good enough to win it, and if we don’t win it then it has to be disappointing,” he added. Pakistan win warm-up tie PAKISTAN scored a 68-run win over Windward Islands in the first of their warm-up games at Gros Islet. Put in to bat, Pakistan reached 160 for 7, thanks mainly to Mohammad Hafeez’s enterprising half century. Windward Islands were 92 for 4 in reply, with Mohammad Asif the only Pakistan bowler to go for more than four runs an over. Pakistan lost Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal early on but Hafeez steadied the middle order and led a late charge before he was bowled by Keron Cottoy for 57. Captain Shahid Afridi and Fawad Alam both reached the 20s before they were dismissed, and a late flurry by Misbah-ul-Haq, who hit two sixes in an eight-ball 17, boosted Pakistan’s score in the closing overs.

[hari504504]

Wish Tendu would've done the team a favour..since Sehwag isn't there and all... agree that him and Sehwag in the line-up is too much for any opposition

[achilles]

Various teams weigh their chances in World T20, 2010 When was the last time that Cricketnext actually posted something good about Indian cricket? Gideon Haigh and Andrew Hughes do the same thing. But there is atleast a hint of praise somewhere.

[achilles]

Various teams weigh their chances in World T20, 2010 What the heck? I never posted my reply as a topic. :hmmm:

[b555]

put afghanistan into potential winners :bow:

[achilles]

:bow: Afghanistan :bow: :hatsoff: Zimbabwe, who took down Australia again :hehe: :hatsoff:

[Akshat]

Did the hosts say anything about their chances?

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Kiwi pacer Bond says title within team's grasp New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond believes the team is set for ICC World Twenty20 glory in the Caribbean. More... Kiwi pacer Bond says title within team's grasp Yahoonews, ANI, 04 May 2010 Guyana (West Indies): New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond believes the team is set for ICC World Twenty20 glory in the Caribbean. "The challenge is just to play our best cricket on the big days and we've done that so far but there's still a long way to go," stuff.co.nz quoted Bond, as saying. "I guess we've got a well-balanced side, we've got depth in bowling and batting so I suppose that's why other teams recognize us as a threat in this tournament," he added. He said the low and slow pitches meant it was slow-bowlers including Nathan McCullum, Scott Styris and Daniel Vettori who were leading the way. He said the team is aiming to build their attack around these players.

[Lord]

would be awesome if Zimboks knock them out:hehe:

[f2000560]

really early days and add to the fact that rain will play huge huge role in super 8's and later this wc may end up as a bigger farce than 2007 atleast there the best team won