Player Profile
Virender Sehwag
(India)
Full Name: Virender
Sehwag
Born: Oct 20, 1978
Delhi
Current age: 32 years
198 days
Major teams: India,
Asia XI, ICC World XI,
Leicestershire, Delhi,
Rajasthan Cricket
Association President's
XI, India Blue, Delhi
Daredevils
Batting Style: right-
hand bat
Bowling Style: right-
arm offbreak
Test debut: South
Africa v India at
Bloemfontein, Nov
03-06, 2001
Last Test: South
Africa v India at Cape
Town, Jan 02-06, 2011
ODI debut: India v
Pakistan at Mohali, Apr
01, 1999
Last ODI: India v Sri
Lanka at Mumbai, Apr
02, 2011
T20I debut: South
Africa v India at
Johannesburg, Dec 01,
2006
Last T20I: India v Sri
Lanka at Mohali, Dec 12,
2009
Friday, May 6, 2011
Sehwag bom exploded once again ,this time Deccan has destroyed. Take a report-
Delhi Daredevils 179 for
6 (Sehwag 119, Ishant
2-16) beat Deccan
Chargers 175 for 5
(Duminy 55, Sangakkara
44, Agarkar 2-29) by
four wickets
For a large part of his
career, it was tough
being Sachin Tendulkar.
In the IPL, it's tougher
being Virender Sehwag.
After having watched
his bowlers take
wickets off no-balls and
his fielders drop
sitters, the Delhi
Daredevils captain took
his frustration out on
the Deccan Chargers
with a blistering
century, his first in
Twenty20s. The assault
bettered his
masterpiece against
Kochi Tuskers Kerala,
and stunned Deccan
into offering him two
chances. Unmindful of
the complete lack of
support from his team-
mates, Sehwag cashed
in and drowned Deccan
in a flood of boundaries
that took the bite out
of a challenging total.
The next highest score
was James Hopes' 17.
Delhi's bowlers had been
profligate in letting
Deccan surge to 175,
and their top order,
barring Sehwag, let the
pressure get to them.
Aaron Finch, Naman
Ojha and Venugopal Rao
combusted against
seam as Sehwag
watched bemused from
his end. From 25 for 3 in
the sixth over, only
Sehwag could have
taken Delhi home, and
he did it in some style,
moving from 8 off 13
balls to 119 off 56,
pushing Deccan to the
brink of elimination.
Sehwag has made a
career out of sticking
to his guns regardless
of the situation, and his
approach today was no
different. Two balls
after Venugopal Rao
top-edged a pull off
Ishant Sharma, Sehwag
shuffled across and
glanced a boundary
from the middle-stump
line to fine leg. In the
next over, Travis Birt
struggled against Daniel
Christian, getting
beaten three times in
four balls, as the
asking-rate crossed
eleven at by the end of
seven overs.
Sehwag broke free in
the next over, bowled
by IPL debutant Ishan
Malhotra. The first ball
disappeared over deep
square leg, the next
over deep midwicket.
Two more boundaries
followed, as Sehwag
looted 23 off the over.
As if to dispel the notion
that he had targeted
just the newcomer,
Sehwag plundered 13
off the next over, from
Christian.
Sangakkara brought on
spin, so often Sehwag's
strength as well as
weakness. Sehwag
displayed his strength
first ball, dancing down
and launching Amit
Mishra over the
straight boundary. The
weakness was on
display next ball, as he
rushed out again but
ended up slicing to
sweeper cover. That is
when Deccan decided to
return the earlier
favours, substitute
Ankit Sharma clanging a
simple chance. Sehwag
gladly guided the third
ball through third man
for four.
Birt departed in the
11th over, having
contributed four runs
to a partnership of 61
off 28 balls. Sehwag
continued to ignore the
procession at the other
end, dispatching Mishra
for three consecutive
fours. The second of
those boundaries
slipped into the
boundary from Ravi
Teja's grasp, after he
had managed to get
both hands to the
chance.
With 69 needed off 48,
Sangakkara brought
Dale Steyn back. Steyn
dug one in short,
Sehwag got on top of it,
and flashed it past
backward point. A
desperate Sangakkara
turned to Bharat Chipli's
gentle medium pacers.
Mistake. Sehwag
brought up his hundred
off the first ball, and
then creamed the next
two for sixes. Twenty-
seven needed off 30.
Game over. Though
Steyn had Sehwag
caught behind in the
17th over, the
remaining batsmen
managed to complete
the heist.
Victory was looking far
away for Delhi when
they had allowed
Deccan to run amok on
a bouncy pitch.
Sangakkara and Shikhar
Dhawan had chances
grassed, and JP Duminy
and Christian would
have been dismissed
within the space of
three balls, had Yogesh
Nagar not over-stepped
twice in the 15th over.
Two of the four
reprieved batsmen
made Delhi pay dearly.
Sangakkara doubled his
score to make 44, and
Duminy went better,
clattering four sixes on
his way to converting
23 off 18 deliveries into
55 from 31. The no-balls
meant what should
have been 114 for 5 in
the 15th over turned
into 175 for 5 in 20
overs.
Sangakkara's
partnership with
Duminy was a stop-
start affair, with
punchy and edged
boundaries alternating
with swings-and-
misses. More luck was
to come Deccan's way
when Morkel dropped
Sangakkara at short
fine leg off Ajit Agarkar,
and then failed to get
near the ball when
Dhawan top-edged a pull
off the next delivery.
After Dhawan fell,
Sangakkara's
aggression allowed
Duminy to play himself
in before launching into
an onslaught. Duminy,
who had made 77 runs
in five previous games,
hardly looking like the
batsman who had been
struggling for runs. He
added 71 in 33 deliveries
with Christian, as
Deccan made 108 in the
last ten overs. It
counted for little in the
end.
Abhishek Purohit is an
editorial assistant at
ESPNcricinfo
6 (Sehwag 119, Ishant
2-16) beat Deccan
Chargers 175 for 5
(Duminy 55, Sangakkara
44, Agarkar 2-29) by
four wickets
For a large part of his
career, it was tough
being Sachin Tendulkar.
In the IPL, it's tougher
being Virender Sehwag.
After having watched
his bowlers take
wickets off no-balls and
his fielders drop
sitters, the Delhi
Daredevils captain took
his frustration out on
the Deccan Chargers
with a blistering
century, his first in
Twenty20s. The assault
bettered his
masterpiece against
Kochi Tuskers Kerala,
and stunned Deccan
into offering him two
chances. Unmindful of
the complete lack of
support from his team-
mates, Sehwag cashed
in and drowned Deccan
in a flood of boundaries
that took the bite out
of a challenging total.
The next highest score
was James Hopes' 17.
Delhi's bowlers had been
profligate in letting
Deccan surge to 175,
and their top order,
barring Sehwag, let the
pressure get to them.
Aaron Finch, Naman
Ojha and Venugopal Rao
combusted against
seam as Sehwag
watched bemused from
his end. From 25 for 3 in
the sixth over, only
Sehwag could have
taken Delhi home, and
he did it in some style,
moving from 8 off 13
balls to 119 off 56,
pushing Deccan to the
brink of elimination.
Sehwag has made a
career out of sticking
to his guns regardless
of the situation, and his
approach today was no
different. Two balls
after Venugopal Rao
top-edged a pull off
Ishant Sharma, Sehwag
shuffled across and
glanced a boundary
from the middle-stump
line to fine leg. In the
next over, Travis Birt
struggled against Daniel
Christian, getting
beaten three times in
four balls, as the
asking-rate crossed
eleven at by the end of
seven overs.
Sehwag broke free in
the next over, bowled
by IPL debutant Ishan
Malhotra. The first ball
disappeared over deep
square leg, the next
over deep midwicket.
Two more boundaries
followed, as Sehwag
looted 23 off the over.
As if to dispel the notion
that he had targeted
just the newcomer,
Sehwag plundered 13
off the next over, from
Christian.
Sangakkara brought on
spin, so often Sehwag's
strength as well as
weakness. Sehwag
displayed his strength
first ball, dancing down
and launching Amit
Mishra over the
straight boundary. The
weakness was on
display next ball, as he
rushed out again but
ended up slicing to
sweeper cover. That is
when Deccan decided to
return the earlier
favours, substitute
Ankit Sharma clanging a
simple chance. Sehwag
gladly guided the third
ball through third man
for four.
Birt departed in the
11th over, having
contributed four runs
to a partnership of 61
off 28 balls. Sehwag
continued to ignore the
procession at the other
end, dispatching Mishra
for three consecutive
fours. The second of
those boundaries
slipped into the
boundary from Ravi
Teja's grasp, after he
had managed to get
both hands to the
chance.
With 69 needed off 48,
Sangakkara brought
Dale Steyn back. Steyn
dug one in short,
Sehwag got on top of it,
and flashed it past
backward point. A
desperate Sangakkara
turned to Bharat Chipli's
gentle medium pacers.
Mistake. Sehwag
brought up his hundred
off the first ball, and
then creamed the next
two for sixes. Twenty-
seven needed off 30.
Game over. Though
Steyn had Sehwag
caught behind in the
17th over, the
remaining batsmen
managed to complete
the heist.
Victory was looking far
away for Delhi when
they had allowed
Deccan to run amok on
a bouncy pitch.
Sangakkara and Shikhar
Dhawan had chances
grassed, and JP Duminy
and Christian would
have been dismissed
within the space of
three balls, had Yogesh
Nagar not over-stepped
twice in the 15th over.
Two of the four
reprieved batsmen
made Delhi pay dearly.
Sangakkara doubled his
score to make 44, and
Duminy went better,
clattering four sixes on
his way to converting
23 off 18 deliveries into
55 from 31. The no-balls
meant what should
have been 114 for 5 in
the 15th over turned
into 175 for 5 in 20
overs.
Sangakkara's
partnership with
Duminy was a stop-
start affair, with
punchy and edged
boundaries alternating
with swings-and-
misses. More luck was
to come Deccan's way
when Morkel dropped
Sangakkara at short
fine leg off Ajit Agarkar,
and then failed to get
near the ball when
Dhawan top-edged a pull
off the next delivery.
After Dhawan fell,
Sangakkara's
aggression allowed
Duminy to play himself
in before launching into
an onslaught. Duminy,
who had made 77 runs
in five previous games,
hardly looking like the
batsman who had been
struggling for runs. He
added 71 in 33 deliveries
with Christian, as
Deccan made 108 in the
last ten overs. It
counted for little in the
end.
Abhishek Purohit is an
editorial assistant at
ESPNcricinfo
Now ENGLAND have their new One-day and T-20 Captains.
Alastair Cook has been
named England's new
one-day international
captain and Stuart
Broad has been handed
the leadership of the
Twenty20 side in a
major shake-up of the
limited-overs teams.
Andrew Strauss
announced his decision
to stand down as ODI
captain to focus on his
Test career, while Paul
Collingwood's run in the
Twenty20 job is over as
England look to the
future.
It means that England
will have a different
captain for each
format of the game.
Cook has previously led
the team on the tour to
Bangladesh last year
when Strauss was
rested, but for Broad it
is his first captaincy
role at a senior level
and he'll now be at the
helm when England
defend their Twenty20
title in Sri Lanka next
year.
"It has never been tried
before so I am excited
by the opportunity it
provides us with," Andy
Flower, the England
team director said of
the three captains. "We
don't know 100%
whether it will work and
be the most efficient
system but we're going
to give it a try."
On the Bangladesh tour
Cook made scores of
64, 60 and 32 in a 3-0
victory in the ODIs,
before anchoring
England's twin Test wins
with a pair of centuries
at Chittagong and
Dhaka. Despite the
relative paucity of the
opposition, the
challenge he faced in
unfamiliar conditions
was immense, not to
mention the ignominy
he would have faced
had he failed to
complete a clean sweep
of five international
wins out of five.
Despite some doubts
about the speed and
power of Cook's
strokeplay, Strauss's
departure from the
limited-overs scene
creates a vacancy for
an opener who can be
relied upon to bat
through an innings, and
besides, with a powerful
cut and an aggressive
slog-sweep, Cook
himself believes he has
the ability to build on an
ODI record of 858 runs
at 33.00, with one
century against India in
2007.
"I've worked hard on my
limited overs cricket in
recent times - I've
never seen myself as a
Test batsman
exclusively and I know I
have a lot to offer
strategically and as a
top order batsman in
one-day cricket," he
said. "I'm excited by the
challenge of taking our
50-over cricket to new
heights and I believe I
can play an integral role
with the bat as well as
captain.
"I will continue to work
closely with Andrew and
also Stuart as we form
a leadership team
across all forms of the
game. We have the
chance to work
together and share
ideas which will benefit
our cricket in all three
formats."
Collingwood, who
captained England's
Twenty20 side on 30
occasions and oversaw
England's successful
World Twenty20
campaign in 2010,
retired from Test
cricket following the
Ashes earlier this year
but remains available
for the limited-overs
side. Broad will make his
debut as captain when
he leads England's
Twenty20 side against
Sri Lanka in Bristol on
June 25.
"It's a huge privilege to
be named England
Twenty20 captain and
form part of a
leadership team that
I've no doubt will work
well together with a
great deal of synergy,"
Broad said.
"I've always enjoyed
playing the shortest
form of the game and I
relish the opportunity
to develop my
leadership skills as
England's Twenty20
captain. As captain the
chance to work closely
with Andy Flower is an
extremely exciting one
and as current World
Twenty20 champions I
know there is a real
responsibility to
continue the team's
recent success."
Strauss, meanwhile,
has decided that, at the
age of 34 and with four
years to go until the
2015 World Cup, the
time is right to follow
the example of many
leading cricketers of
recent times, and
retire from ODIs to
concentrate on Tests. A
tough home summer
against Sri Lanka and
India is looming, but the
long-term goal is a
repeat of his home and
away Ashes wins, with
the next series coming
back-to-back in
2013-14.
"I've enjoyed my time
as England One-Day
captain immensely and
I'm extremely proud of
the strides we've made
in limited overs cricket
over the past two
years," he said. "We still
have a long way to go if
we're to achieve our
goal of winning ICC global
events and I feel now is
the right time for me
to step aside and
ensure someone else
takes up that challenge.
"Retiring from one-day
cricket will also enable
me to focus solely on
the Test captaincy and
our ongoing
development in the
Test arena as we also
strive to be the top
ranked team in world
cricket.
"I look forward to
working closely with
both Alastair and Stuart
as we work together to
progress England's
development across all
forms of the game.
Both Alastair and Stuart
are proven world-class
cricketers and both
have outstanding
leadership qualities
which will ensure
England's success for
many years to come."
named England's new
one-day international
captain and Stuart
Broad has been handed
the leadership of the
Twenty20 side in a
major shake-up of the
limited-overs teams.
Andrew Strauss
announced his decision
to stand down as ODI
captain to focus on his
Test career, while Paul
Collingwood's run in the
Twenty20 job is over as
England look to the
future.
It means that England
will have a different
captain for each
format of the game.
Cook has previously led
the team on the tour to
Bangladesh last year
when Strauss was
rested, but for Broad it
is his first captaincy
role at a senior level
and he'll now be at the
helm when England
defend their Twenty20
title in Sri Lanka next
year.
"It has never been tried
before so I am excited
by the opportunity it
provides us with," Andy
Flower, the England
team director said of
the three captains. "We
don't know 100%
whether it will work and
be the most efficient
system but we're going
to give it a try."
On the Bangladesh tour
Cook made scores of
64, 60 and 32 in a 3-0
victory in the ODIs,
before anchoring
England's twin Test wins
with a pair of centuries
at Chittagong and
Dhaka. Despite the
relative paucity of the
opposition, the
challenge he faced in
unfamiliar conditions
was immense, not to
mention the ignominy
he would have faced
had he failed to
complete a clean sweep
of five international
wins out of five.
Despite some doubts
about the speed and
power of Cook's
strokeplay, Strauss's
departure from the
limited-overs scene
creates a vacancy for
an opener who can be
relied upon to bat
through an innings, and
besides, with a powerful
cut and an aggressive
slog-sweep, Cook
himself believes he has
the ability to build on an
ODI record of 858 runs
at 33.00, with one
century against India in
2007.
"I've worked hard on my
limited overs cricket in
recent times - I've
never seen myself as a
Test batsman
exclusively and I know I
have a lot to offer
strategically and as a
top order batsman in
one-day cricket," he
said. "I'm excited by the
challenge of taking our
50-over cricket to new
heights and I believe I
can play an integral role
with the bat as well as
captain.
"I will continue to work
closely with Andrew and
also Stuart as we form
a leadership team
across all forms of the
game. We have the
chance to work
together and share
ideas which will benefit
our cricket in all three
formats."
Collingwood, who
captained England's
Twenty20 side on 30
occasions and oversaw
England's successful
World Twenty20
campaign in 2010,
retired from Test
cricket following the
Ashes earlier this year
but remains available
for the limited-overs
side. Broad will make his
debut as captain when
he leads England's
Twenty20 side against
Sri Lanka in Bristol on
June 25.
"It's a huge privilege to
be named England
Twenty20 captain and
form part of a
leadership team that
I've no doubt will work
well together with a
great deal of synergy,"
Broad said.
"I've always enjoyed
playing the shortest
form of the game and I
relish the opportunity
to develop my
leadership skills as
England's Twenty20
captain. As captain the
chance to work closely
with Andy Flower is an
extremely exciting one
and as current World
Twenty20 champions I
know there is a real
responsibility to
continue the team's
recent success."
Strauss, meanwhile,
has decided that, at the
age of 34 and with four
years to go until the
2015 World Cup, the
time is right to follow
the example of many
leading cricketers of
recent times, and
retire from ODIs to
concentrate on Tests. A
tough home summer
against Sri Lanka and
India is looming, but the
long-term goal is a
repeat of his home and
away Ashes wins, with
the next series coming
back-to-back in
2013-14.
"I've enjoyed my time
as England One-Day
captain immensely and
I'm extremely proud of
the strides we've made
in limited overs cricket
over the past two
years," he said. "We still
have a long way to go if
we're to achieve our
goal of winning ICC global
events and I feel now is
the right time for me
to step aside and
ensure someone else
takes up that challenge.
"Retiring from one-day
cricket will also enable
me to focus solely on
the Test captaincy and
our ongoing
development in the
Test arena as we also
strive to be the top
ranked team in world
cricket.
"I look forward to
working closely with
both Alastair and Stuart
as we work together to
progress England's
development across all
forms of the game.
Both Alastair and Stuart
are proven world-class
cricketers and both
have outstanding
leadership qualities
which will ensure
England's success for
many years to come."
Pakistan Cricket Board want clearence cerficate from Danish kaneria.
The PCB has asked
Danish Kaneria to
produce a 'clearance
certificate' from Essex
if the legspinner is to be
cleared by the board's
integrity committee
and allowed to resume
his international career.
Matters between
Kaneria and the board's
integrity committee
had come to a deadlock
in recent days; the
integrity committee
wanted a transcript of
the police interview
Kaneria gave during
investigations into
spot-fixing in a limited-
overs county game.
Kaneria was arrested
before being released
on bail and eventually
discharged as police
didn't file charges.
Another player, Mervyn
Westfield, is due to face
a trial and should the
judge deem it
necessary, Kaneria can
still be called to court
as part of the case.
Kaneria and his lawyers
insisted that the police
transcripts were not
available as the player's
involvement in the case
was over.
"We had asked for
police transcripts but
were told by Kaneria's
lawyers that they
weren't available,"
Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB's
legal advisor, told
ESPNcricinfo. "We need
something to judge
what is happening there
and what happened in
the case, however, so
we've now asked for a
clearance certificate
from Essex who were
his employers in the UK
at the time, in a case
which took place in the
UK."
When asked what
content such a
certificate should
include, Rizvi said, "We
just want an idea of
what Essex say about
him and the case. They
were his employers at
the time. Will they
consider him now?"
Kaneria played for
Essex for four seasons
and picked up over 300
first-class wickets, but
his contract was not
renewed after last
year.
"This is an integrity
issue for us," Rizvi said.
"The committee is not
just made up of board
members or
cricketers, it has an ex-
judge of the Supreme
Court on it and in their
opinion, Kaneria had not
satisfied them so he
has not been cleared.
We can't take a risk so
we have asked for this
clearance now."
Kaneria was unavailable
for comment, though
he did confirm that he
had received the
communication from
the PCB. He hasn't
played a Test for
Pakistan since last
summer, even though
he is the country's
leading wicket-taking
spinner. The issue came
to a head last October,
when he was prevented
from travelling to the
UAE to take part in the
Test series against
South Africa at the last
minute by the PCB. He
had initially been picked
for the series.
Danish Kaneria to
produce a 'clearance
certificate' from Essex
if the legspinner is to be
cleared by the board's
integrity committee
and allowed to resume
his international career.
Matters between
Kaneria and the board's
integrity committee
had come to a deadlock
in recent days; the
integrity committee
wanted a transcript of
the police interview
Kaneria gave during
investigations into
spot-fixing in a limited-
overs county game.
Kaneria was arrested
before being released
on bail and eventually
discharged as police
didn't file charges.
Another player, Mervyn
Westfield, is due to face
a trial and should the
judge deem it
necessary, Kaneria can
still be called to court
as part of the case.
Kaneria and his lawyers
insisted that the police
transcripts were not
available as the player's
involvement in the case
was over.
"We had asked for
police transcripts but
were told by Kaneria's
lawyers that they
weren't available,"
Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB's
legal advisor, told
ESPNcricinfo. "We need
something to judge
what is happening there
and what happened in
the case, however, so
we've now asked for a
clearance certificate
from Essex who were
his employers in the UK
at the time, in a case
which took place in the
UK."
When asked what
content such a
certificate should
include, Rizvi said, "We
just want an idea of
what Essex say about
him and the case. They
were his employers at
the time. Will they
consider him now?"
Kaneria played for
Essex for four seasons
and picked up over 300
first-class wickets, but
his contract was not
renewed after last
year.
"This is an integrity
issue for us," Rizvi said.
"The committee is not
just made up of board
members or
cricketers, it has an ex-
judge of the Supreme
Court on it and in their
opinion, Kaneria had not
satisfied them so he
has not been cleared.
We can't take a risk so
we have asked for this
clearance now."
Kaneria was unavailable
for comment, though
he did confirm that he
had received the
communication from
the PCB. He hasn't
played a Test for
Pakistan since last
summer, even though
he is the country's
leading wicket-taking
spinner. The issue came
to a head last October,
when he was prevented
from travelling to the
UAE to take part in the
Test series against
South Africa at the last
minute by the PCB. He
had initially been picked
for the series.
Outstanding 10 wickets win for WEST INDIES Vs. Pakistan.
West Indies 140 for 0
(Simmons 77*, Edwards
40*) beat Pakistan 139
(Hafeez 55, Rampaul
4-45) by ten wickets
Dead-rubber syndrome
struck with a
vengeance in the fifth
and final ODI at
Providence, as Pakistan
succumbed to a
crushing ten-wicket
victory at the hands of
Lendl Simmons and Kirk
Edwards, who built on a
disciplined bowling
effort on a slow and low
surface to chase down
a moderate target of
140 with more than 26
overs remaining.
Simmons was once
again the star of the
batting display, as he
followed up his vital
half-century in
Barbados with an
unbeaten 77 from 73
balls, while Edwards
played the supporting
role to perfection with
40 not out from 71.
The manner of West
Indies' victory was
every bit as emphatic
as the margin, as they
romped past a
distracted Pakistan
team to record their
second crushing victory
against Test opposition
in the space of two
months, having routed
Bangladesh with more
than 37 overs to spare
during the recent World
Cup. Soon after that
performance, however,
West Indies themselves
were crushed by 10
wickets by Pakistan in
their Dhaka quarter-
final, and so, having
already lost the series
with two games to
spare, there was only a
limited amount of
succour to be had. Still,
a win is a win, and for a
young and remodelled
outfit, it could prove
vital for forging
confidence in the weeks
and months to come.
For Pakistan, only
Mohammad Hafeez
produced a
performance of any
note. He continued his
impressive run of form
with an 83-ball 55, but
the rest of the line-up
succumbed meekly to a
combination of seam
and wrist-spin, as they
were bundled out for
139 in 41.2 overs. Ravi
Rampaul once again
returned the
outstanding analysis of
4 for 45, but it was the
medium-pace of Darren
Sammy, with 3 for 30 in
ten overs, that carved
open the top-order and
laid the foundations for
the win.
Hafeez, who made an
excellent 121 from 138
balls in Pakistan's one-
run D/L defeat in
Barbados earlier in the
week, took advantage
of the chance to bat
first by easing along to
his 12th ODI half-
century, and his fourth
in the last six weeks.
Having launched the
innings with a first-ball
pull for four off
Rampaul, Hafeez added
five more boundaries in
reaching his half-
century from 66 balls,
but his was a lone hand
as his colleagues came
and went.
First to fall was
Taufeeq Umar, back in
the side after sitting
out the fourth ODI. He
made a laboured 3 from
12 balls before snicking
a length ball from
Rampaul through to
Carlton Baugh behind
the stumps.
Ahmed Shehzad proved
to be even less fluent,
as he ground along to 9
from 33 balls, including
a solitary glanced
boundary off the
legspinner Anthony
Martin, who took the
new ball in his second
ODI appearance.
Sammy, however,
double-bluffed him by
calling the keeper up to
the stumps and
immediately sending
down a bouncer.
Shehzad took a wild
swing, but under-edged
the shot onto his
stumps.
At 48 for 2 it was
already proving to be a
one-man show, and
Pakistan's scorecard
got even more lop-sided
when Usman Salahuddin
was nailed lbw on the
sweep by Bishoo for 8,
albeit to a shocker of a
decision as the ball
pitched way outside leg.
One over later, Misbah-
ul-Haq failed for the
second match in
succession, as Sammy
tailed a wicked
inswinger into his back
pad, and this time there
was little doubt about
the lbw.
Umar Akmal, restored
to the team after a
break in Barbados,
reinvigorated the
scoring with a towering
swipe for six over long-
off, but when Hafeez
under-edged a cut onto
his own stumps to hand
Sammy his third wicket,
the innings was in
freefall at 93 for 5.
Umar added one more
boundary in a 27-ball 24
before falling in a
similar fashion,
dragging on to Rampaul
as he attempted a glide
to third man.
Shahid Afridi has found
some tame ways to get
out in recent times, but
he could do nothing
about a brutal lifter
that climbed from
nowhere and flew
through to Baugh, and
three balls later
Rampaul had his fourth
as Wahab Riaz prodded
loosely to slip. The
wicketkeeper
Mohammad Salman
provided some
resistance with an
unbeaten 19 from 30
balls, including a fine
cover drive as Rampaul
over-pitched, but a
brace of Dwayne Bravo
lbws wrapped up the
innings with more than
eight overs to spare.
West Indies' run-chase
was over in a flash.
They eased along to 34
for 0 in six overs
before the mid-match
interval, and though
each man survived a
tough chance behind
the wicket - Edwards on
6 and Simmons on 31 -
the only real
opportunity came when
Edwards was sent back
for a sharp single, only
for an alert Mohammad
Salman to whip off the
bails having noticed
that his bat was over
the crease but still in
the air. The third umpire
decided that there was
too much doubt to give
the decision, and that
was effectively that.
(Simmons 77*, Edwards
40*) beat Pakistan 139
(Hafeez 55, Rampaul
4-45) by ten wickets
Dead-rubber syndrome
struck with a
vengeance in the fifth
and final ODI at
Providence, as Pakistan
succumbed to a
crushing ten-wicket
victory at the hands of
Lendl Simmons and Kirk
Edwards, who built on a
disciplined bowling
effort on a slow and low
surface to chase down
a moderate target of
140 with more than 26
overs remaining.
Simmons was once
again the star of the
batting display, as he
followed up his vital
half-century in
Barbados with an
unbeaten 77 from 73
balls, while Edwards
played the supporting
role to perfection with
40 not out from 71.
The manner of West
Indies' victory was
every bit as emphatic
as the margin, as they
romped past a
distracted Pakistan
team to record their
second crushing victory
against Test opposition
in the space of two
months, having routed
Bangladesh with more
than 37 overs to spare
during the recent World
Cup. Soon after that
performance, however,
West Indies themselves
were crushed by 10
wickets by Pakistan in
their Dhaka quarter-
final, and so, having
already lost the series
with two games to
spare, there was only a
limited amount of
succour to be had. Still,
a win is a win, and for a
young and remodelled
outfit, it could prove
vital for forging
confidence in the weeks
and months to come.
For Pakistan, only
Mohammad Hafeez
produced a
performance of any
note. He continued his
impressive run of form
with an 83-ball 55, but
the rest of the line-up
succumbed meekly to a
combination of seam
and wrist-spin, as they
were bundled out for
139 in 41.2 overs. Ravi
Rampaul once again
returned the
outstanding analysis of
4 for 45, but it was the
medium-pace of Darren
Sammy, with 3 for 30 in
ten overs, that carved
open the top-order and
laid the foundations for
the win.
Hafeez, who made an
excellent 121 from 138
balls in Pakistan's one-
run D/L defeat in
Barbados earlier in the
week, took advantage
of the chance to bat
first by easing along to
his 12th ODI half-
century, and his fourth
in the last six weeks.
Having launched the
innings with a first-ball
pull for four off
Rampaul, Hafeez added
five more boundaries in
reaching his half-
century from 66 balls,
but his was a lone hand
as his colleagues came
and went.
First to fall was
Taufeeq Umar, back in
the side after sitting
out the fourth ODI. He
made a laboured 3 from
12 balls before snicking
a length ball from
Rampaul through to
Carlton Baugh behind
the stumps.
Ahmed Shehzad proved
to be even less fluent,
as he ground along to 9
from 33 balls, including
a solitary glanced
boundary off the
legspinner Anthony
Martin, who took the
new ball in his second
ODI appearance.
Sammy, however,
double-bluffed him by
calling the keeper up to
the stumps and
immediately sending
down a bouncer.
Shehzad took a wild
swing, but under-edged
the shot onto his
stumps.
At 48 for 2 it was
already proving to be a
one-man show, and
Pakistan's scorecard
got even more lop-sided
when Usman Salahuddin
was nailed lbw on the
sweep by Bishoo for 8,
albeit to a shocker of a
decision as the ball
pitched way outside leg.
One over later, Misbah-
ul-Haq failed for the
second match in
succession, as Sammy
tailed a wicked
inswinger into his back
pad, and this time there
was little doubt about
the lbw.
Umar Akmal, restored
to the team after a
break in Barbados,
reinvigorated the
scoring with a towering
swipe for six over long-
off, but when Hafeez
under-edged a cut onto
his own stumps to hand
Sammy his third wicket,
the innings was in
freefall at 93 for 5.
Umar added one more
boundary in a 27-ball 24
before falling in a
similar fashion,
dragging on to Rampaul
as he attempted a glide
to third man.
Shahid Afridi has found
some tame ways to get
out in recent times, but
he could do nothing
about a brutal lifter
that climbed from
nowhere and flew
through to Baugh, and
three balls later
Rampaul had his fourth
as Wahab Riaz prodded
loosely to slip. The
wicketkeeper
Mohammad Salman
provided some
resistance with an
unbeaten 19 from 30
balls, including a fine
cover drive as Rampaul
over-pitched, but a
brace of Dwayne Bravo
lbws wrapped up the
innings with more than
eight overs to spare.
West Indies' run-chase
was over in a flash.
They eased along to 34
for 0 in six overs
before the mid-match
interval, and though
each man survived a
tough chance behind
the wicket - Edwards on
6 and Simmons on 31 -
the only real
opportunity came when
Edwards was sent back
for a sharp single, only
for an alert Mohammad
Salman to whip off the
bails having noticed
that his bat was over
the crease but still in
the air. The third umpire
decided that there was
too much doubt to give
the decision, and that
was effectively that.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
IPL-UPCOMING MATCHES TIME-TABLE
Fixtures
05 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
45th match: KOCHI v
KOLK
Kochi
05 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
46th match: DECC v
DELHI
Hyderabad (Deccan)
06 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
47th match: BLORE v
PNJB
Bangalore
07 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
48th match: KOLK v
CHENN
Kolkata
07 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
49th match: MUMB v
DELHI
Mumbai
08 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
50th match: BLORE v
KOCHI
Bangalore
08 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
51st match: PNJB v
PUNE
Mohali
09 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
52nd match: RTHAN v
CHENN
Jaipur
10 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
53rd match: DECC v
PUNE
Hyderabad (Deccan)
10 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
54th match: PNJB v
MUMB
Mohali
05 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
45th match: KOCHI v
KOLK
Kochi
05 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
46th match: DECC v
DELHI
Hyderabad (Deccan)
06 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
47th match: BLORE v
PNJB
Bangalore
07 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
48th match: KOLK v
CHENN
Kolkata
07 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
49th match: MUMB v
DELHI
Mumbai
08 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
50th match: BLORE v
KOCHI
Bangalore
08 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
51st match: PNJB v
PUNE
Mohali
09 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
52nd match: RTHAN v
CHENN
Jaipur
10 MAY 2011 10:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
53rd match: DECC v
PUNE
Hyderabad (Deccan)
10 MAY 2011 14:30
GMT
Indian Premier League
54th match: PNJB v
MUMB
Mohali
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
IPL-Chennai vs. Rajasthan match preview
Indian Premier League
43rd match
Chennai
Report
MATCH PREVIEW
Battle of spin-heavy
attacks
The Preview by today-in-cricket
May 03, 2011
Match facts
Wednesday, May 4
Chennai
Start time 1600 (1430
GMT)
The invincibles at home
face off in back-to-
back games over the
next five days. Chennai
go in as favourites for
the first leg, but will not
take things for
granted. The Chepauk
pitch has behaved a lot
like the strip at the
Sawai Man Singh - dry,
slow and with lots of
help for spin. The
afternoon start will
recreate the heat of
Jaipur as well, and
Shane Warne's men
might feel at home
playing here. It will be up
to the gladiatorial
stands at Chepauk, and
the vociferous fans
filling them, to remind
Rajasthan that this is
an away game.
Both sides are on the
ascendancy, and will be
keen to extend their
three-game winning
streaks. The game
could be decided by the
respective spin
attacks. Both teams
have used three-
spinner arsenals to
great effect in this
tournament. Johan
Botha has been flexible,
opening the attack at
times and coming in
late at others - much
like R Ashwin has done
for Chennai. Shane
Warne has rolled the
years back in the
middle overs, while
Ashok Menaria has
surprised everyone
including himself with
his guile. Chennai will
look for the same kind
of impact from Shadab
Jakati and - if he plays -
Suraj Randiv. Both have
been inconsistent so
far this year.
Form guide (most
recent first)
Chennai: WWWLL (fourth
in points table)
Rajasthan: WWWLL
(third in points table)
Team talk
Chennai will review
Randiv's role in the side.
MS Dhoni likes to have
three specialist
spinners in the XI for
home games, but
Randiv has only
managed five wickets
in six games, and has
gone at 7.69 runs per
over. Jakati's figures
are worse, but he has
improved dramatically
in the last three games.
Will Faf du Plessis be in
line for an IPL debut? Or
will Nuwan Kulasekara
get another game?
Stuart Binny has bowled
only three overs and
faced 24 balls in five
games. Warne may
consider benching him
in favour of either a
specialist bowler or a
batsman.
Predict the playing XIs
for this match. Play
ESPNcricinfo Team
selector.
In the spotlight
43rd match
Chennai
Report
MATCH PREVIEW
Battle of spin-heavy
attacks
The Preview by today-in-cricket
May 03, 2011
Match facts
Wednesday, May 4
Chennai
Start time 1600 (1430
GMT)
The invincibles at home
face off in back-to-
back games over the
next five days. Chennai
go in as favourites for
the first leg, but will not
take things for
granted. The Chepauk
pitch has behaved a lot
like the strip at the
Sawai Man Singh - dry,
slow and with lots of
help for spin. The
afternoon start will
recreate the heat of
Jaipur as well, and
Shane Warne's men
might feel at home
playing here. It will be up
to the gladiatorial
stands at Chepauk, and
the vociferous fans
filling them, to remind
Rajasthan that this is
an away game.
Both sides are on the
ascendancy, and will be
keen to extend their
three-game winning
streaks. The game
could be decided by the
respective spin
attacks. Both teams
have used three-
spinner arsenals to
great effect in this
tournament. Johan
Botha has been flexible,
opening the attack at
times and coming in
late at others - much
like R Ashwin has done
for Chennai. Shane
Warne has rolled the
years back in the
middle overs, while
Ashok Menaria has
surprised everyone
including himself with
his guile. Chennai will
look for the same kind
of impact from Shadab
Jakati and - if he plays -
Suraj Randiv. Both have
been inconsistent so
far this year.
Form guide (most
recent first)
Chennai: WWWLL (fourth
in points table)
Rajasthan: WWWLL
(third in points table)
Team talk
Chennai will review
Randiv's role in the side.
MS Dhoni likes to have
three specialist
spinners in the XI for
home games, but
Randiv has only
managed five wickets
in six games, and has
gone at 7.69 runs per
over. Jakati's figures
are worse, but he has
improved dramatically
in the last three games.
Will Faf du Plessis be in
line for an IPL debut? Or
will Nuwan Kulasekara
get another game?
Stuart Binny has bowled
only three overs and
faced 24 balls in five
games. Warne may
consider benching him
in favour of either a
specialist bowler or a
batsman.
Predict the playing XIs
for this match. Play
ESPNcricinfo Team
selector.
In the spotlight
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)