ICC World T20, 2012 SriLanka

[1983-2011]

[the_indian_fan]

it will either be india v pakistan or a afghanistan v bangladesh. no in-between things will happen

[gaurav92]

Kohli's sperm will come to bat next and finish the match in 4 balls :cantstop:

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Crookbond]

Twenty20 Cricket: no more the distant cousin http://www.wisdenindia.com/twenty20-cricket-no-more-the-distant-cousin

Years from now, when cricket-lovers look back on the gameÃÔ evolution, they might identify a competition that the International Cricket Council staged almost as an experiment as being responsible for a seismic shift in how we view the sport. The 2007 World T20 was an attempt to embrace the newest format, with a view to spreading the cricket gospel worldwide. Few had any idea what lay in store. India, who had played just one Twenty20 international before the event, rested the senior trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. Australia lost to Zimbabwe in their opening group game, prompting Ricky Ponting, the captain, to say: ŸeÃ×e got to start respecting the game a bit more. The skepticism was not unfounded. The format devised by a team at the England and Wales Cricket Board led by Stuart Robertson, their marketing manager, had been in existence just four years, and it was only in 2005 that Australia and New Zealand had played the first Twenty20 international. In its report of the game, the Wisden Almanack says: ''Neither side took the game especially seriously, and the sizeable crowd might have been excused for thinking they had been transported back in time. Both teams wore garish body-hugging kits last seen in the 1980s, while the New Zealanders went one stage further and sported all manner of outmoded facial hair, creating a cabaret feel that helped camouflage the fact that with no senior 20-over competitions in either country few players had experience of the new format. Ponting scored a 55-ball 98 in that match, but said afterwards, Ū think it is difficult to play seriously. If it does become an international game, then IÃÎ sure the novelty wonÃÕ be there all the time. We hear a very different tune now, and for that, you have to go back to the inaugural World T20. The Indian audience had been lukewarm about the event, but all that changed after a gripping first-round encounter against Pakistan that finished in a tie. By the time the tournament ended less than a fortnight later, millions of Indians were converts. The open-top-bus parade that greeted the victorious team in Mumbai stopped traffic for hours. Within months the first Indian Premier League, a cash-rich franchise-based competition that derived inspiration from both American and European sport, had been developed. A number of the worldÃÔ leading cricketers were contracted, and the event has gone on to establish a firm foothold in the five seasons since. In Australia, the domestic Twenty20 event has shifted from being contested by state sides to being run along franchise lines. Similar versions have sprung up in other countries, and the winners now have the carrot of the Champions League Twenty20 an event in which the boards of India, Australia and South Africa are stakeholders to aim for. More importantly, these competitions have invigorated domestic cricket. Where once a few hundred people, at the most, watched games, IPL and Big Bash matches are often played in front of packed stadiums. The ICCÃÔ events have seen a similarly enthusiastic response. After South Africa, England was the host. Despite it not making the semi-final, the atmosphere for the knockout matches was electrifying. At Trent Bridge, after Pakistan had knocked South Africa out to win a place in the final, fans celebrated outside the venue till past midnight. The Caribbean provided a carnival-like ambience for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010, where England finally rid themselves of their jinx on the global stage, inspired by dashing performances from Kevin Pietersen. It may have started out as something of a lark, but Twenty20 is now far more than the distant cousin invited to the party. The gameÃÔ greats have also changed their views. Australia may have been having fun in 2005, but by the time he gave the Spirit of Cricket lecture at LordÃÔ in 2009, Adam Gilchrist was convinced that the format was here to stay. Ūt is a great challenge, but what a great and worthwhile challenge. It would be difficult to see a better or more effective way to spread the game throughout the world, he said.

[adi B]

no bcoz both ind and pak will lose to eng,nzl respectively,thus finish 2nd in thier respective groups... india will win the wc , i have a feeling

[Crookbond]

Kohli's sperm will come to bat next and finish the match in 4 balls :cantstop:

:haha:

[GautiMaan]

We want to be giant-killers: Afghanistan batting coach, Umesh Patwal http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/52577/we-want-to-be-giant-killers-afghanistan-batting-coach,-umesh-patwal

Afghanistan batting coach, Umesh Patwal spoke to Cricbuzz about how his job has been with the cricketing minnows, what he expects from them during the T20 World Cup and why he's is glad his team have been clubbed with the World T20 and ODI Champions instead of other relatively weaker teams. The general perception of Afghanistan is that it is a war-torn country. How has your experience been so far? The perception is wrong in many ways. The warmth of the people when I arrived at Afghanistan took me back. The are really crazy about cricket.Also, they seem to be more comfortable and friendly around Indians than around people from Pakistan. Afghanistan is a cricket crazy country. They have nothing much to look forward to other than cricket and the people are crazy about the sport. You have taken up a coaching job with another country now. How long did it take for you to warm-up to the job? The communication wasn't much of a problem because they speak Urdu, which is similar to Hindi. But I think in any sport, language matters little; it is the actions that matter. All the players are very keen on learning and that makes my job a lot easier. What has your role mainly been. Grooming young players or working with the main team to fine-tune their skills? The first focus is on doing well in the World Cup. Grooming the youngsters and helping players understand international cricket is an integral part of the job as well. You will have to make the players understand that scoring runs is not only about hitting the ball hard. That was one of the specifics I was working on, helping players understand the basics right. Afghanistan had a bad outing in the last T20 World Cup, failing in the first round. Surely the team will be more optimistic about performing better this time around, especially since they will be playing in more or less similar conditions. It's better to go into a tournament as the underdogs as there will be less pressure on us. Last WC was the first time the team qualified, so the pressure and the hype was high and the team failed. Emotionally also, the team was pumped up, which didn't really work in our favour. This time we are sure to perform better. The skill level has also improved and hence we are sure to do well. The conditions also puts them in a kind of familiar zone and gives them that comfort to play to their potential. The group you have been drawn in hasn't been too kind. You have been drawn in with the World T20 Champions, England and the World ODI Champions, India... It's the best thing that could have happen for us. If you give me choice as to hunt down a lion or hunt down a pigeon, I would definitely go for the lion. So that way, it is better for Afghanistan cricket if we were to upset some top team instead of posting wins over teams that are more or less similar to us... Such a win would give us a lot of press as well and be a major boost to the entire team. We'd love to become giant-killers in the tournament and I'm hoping for the same. How keenly was the U-19 WC followed? I was very keen on following the U-19 World Cup as it gave us an opportunity to identify talent. I have spoken to a couple of them already and we have identified a few good batsmen. Playing in an international tournament like that gives the youngsters quality exposure to the international arena at a very young age. You had mentioned in an interview elsewhere that your long-term ambition is to make Afghanistan a Test playing nation... That is the key for any cricketer - To play tests at the top level. But what are the major challengers or obstacles for you, to achieve your goal? I think the most important thing right now is for our the Asian Test playing nations to help us out. Ireland and Scotland receive a good amount of support from England, and countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to should pitch in a similar kind of support for us. A few years ago, the England Lions squad was asked to play in India. Instead of that, India could look at inviting teams like Afghanistan to give us the much-needed exposure. Playing against some top players in India will give the Afghan players great exposure and confidence. Even getting the team to play as a foreign team in a domestic tournament will count for a lot.

[Number]

India are giants in T20 format for sure. oh wait..

[Iconoclast]

England, Soviet Union, USA ... now its India's turn :P

[Trichromatic]

7 runs on a legal delivery - has this happened before?

17.2 Malinga to Vitori, 7 runs, nicely pish-driven, although he did back away to stay away from the line of it. Places it wide of cover, and gets three by the time deep point gets around. And his throw reach points, and Dilshan shies at non-striker's end to allow four overthrows. I don't remember ever seeing seven off one ball

[skindia]

ireland vs south africa final

[mhr123]

7 Runs in 1 Ball.. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUMaC91_1Nc]Seven Runs in 1 ball, no six, no noballs - YouTube[/ame]

[Executioner]

Agree Ireland is definitely more professional than Sri Lanka.

dont say it mate Indian posters will come to troll and say: "More prof. than test playing nations like SL"

What i meant

[Tiger-Don]

No worries my Indian bros...i'll make sure u kick the pakis out :D MMW

[Executioner]

:umm: what are the odds of BD beating Pakistan? 1 out of 5 :(( we may be able to beat NZ

[Number]

:umm: what are the odds of BD beating Pakistan? 1 out of 5 :((

I don't think your batting will be able do anything spectacular against Pak bowling, so all the chances of upset depend upon how well your bowlers do. Usually Pakistanis struggle against left arm spinners. But I think should be some decent fight, BD were quite close to beating them in the Asia cup both games.

[Tiger-Don]

:umm: what are the odds of BD beating Pakistan? 1 out of 5 :(( we may be able to beat NZ

COMPLETELY WRONG. Everyones blabbing about how BD will take down NZ and all that but I think differently! We have more chances of taking down Pak than NZ! Just cuz we took them down once dont mean we can do it again! Heres my prediction...NZ gonna mellast us and then we're gonna harras pak and take revenge from Asia Cup!:--D:yay:B->:weights::weights:

[Square Drive]

What i meant

Lol they are so predictable aren't they? Just like their bowling attack :phehehe:

[saket123]

"What has your role mainly been. Grooming young players or working with the main team " I thought they aren't allowed to shave their beards.

[vvvslaxman]

Giant killer? lol In T20 more appropriately bug killer