KP had the X-Factor. He knows this because his mate Piers Morgan told him so.
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
Couch Talk 196 with Simon Taufel
6 years ago
Showing posts with label T20 world cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label T20 world cup. Show all posts
England win a World Cup and Billy returns
Australia's super run was finally broken, and what a time for it to happen - at the final hurdle. England did everything right - they got the early wickets, and Clarke's edginess didn't help Australia one bit. Once he was gone, their three best batsmen - Cam White and the Husseys - hit some quick runs to add some respectability to the score.
This wasn't enough, of course - England's batsmen have been on song, and despite Lumb going early, the chase proved facile enough. Kieswetter finally converted his starts into a bigger innings, full of eye-catching strokes, while Pieterson smashed a commanding 47 and was deservingly named the Player of the Tournament.
That's England's first major ICC tournament win, and this side certainly has the talent to add to that. The 50-over World Cup starts in half a year, yay.
And on that note ("yay"), it's time to throw down a new Billy strip. This one's a tad shorter than all my other ones, but hey, it's a comeback issue, I was rusty, and it's tough (for amateurs) to make these.
As always, clicking on it makes it bigger. Technology.
Preview: England v Australia (kinda)
At last, this the match we've been waiting for.
Not because it is the final of a world cup.
Not because it is England versus Australia and has some (but no) semblance to the Ashes.
Okay, it is for those reasons and more, but for me, it is because it's the last high-profile T20 match for a while. The next test match (WI v RSA) begins on June 10th, and I will be watching. You know, except when Kallis and Chanderpaul are batting or when Harris is bowling.
So here's hoping that today's final lives up to the billing. Maybe we'll see something special, like the Aussie Men and Aussie Women play each others' match to see if they can win by as high a margin.
I may be a neutral, but that's no way to enjoy, so I'll be rooting for England, the underdogs. Which means I think Australia should wrap up their World Cup collection.
I will be getting my commentary from Test Match Sofa, and there's a live chat at The Baggy Green, if you want to be in a room full of Aussie supporters.
Hmm, yeah, that's it.
Michael Hussey reaches the finals
At 105/5 in the 13th over, chasing 191, one Hussey replaced another.
At this point, with 87 required in 45 balls, it seemed that Pakistan had one foot in the final.
Cam White departed four overs and only 34 runs later, leaving 53 to get in 21 balls.
And with 34 needed in two overs, you could sense that Pakistan were now sitting on the final and dangling both feet in it, while talking about how lovely the weather was.
At around this point of time Mike Hussey started to creep up behind them with a taser. And eleven balls later, he dragged them away, kicking and screaming, and took their place.
By the way, Ajmal is still an awesome spinner, though his T20I economy rate just went up from an amazing 5.96 to a little less amazing but still great 6.24.
Preview: Australia v Pakistan
England have now qualified for the final, having thrashed the Lankans soundly. Australia are almost certain to join them, unless Pakistan decide they want to be in their third successive final and step it up massively. It won't be easy, the Aussie pace attack has breathed fire all tournament with no signs of letting up. All the batsmen (even Clarke) have played their parts perfectly to boot. What could happen is that Australia peaked early and Pakistan are peaking at the right time, but I wouldn't really call their current form 'peaking' at all.
Pakistan's fortunes lie with the Akmals, each of whom will need to provide firepower at separate ends of the innings. Salman Bottom has been the best batsman for them, while Afridi, as always, will be a double threat - with ball and mouth. Had to take that shot, I'm still a little peeved.
Aamer has been consistent, and his five-wicket maiden will not be forgotten by Australia. Ajmal has also been terrific, he's just so hard to get away! None of Pakistan's other batsmen or bowlers (besides the mentioned ones, duh) have shown decent form and Abdul Razzaq needs to backed, he can never be discounted.
Having said all that, this shouldn't be too hard for Australia. I'm rooting for a classic final.
Preview: T20 World Cup 2010 Semifinal 1
After that disappointing end to India's World Cup, we now move on to the semis. Two unbeaten in-form teams are taking on two teams that haven't looked their best, but have managed to win at the right times to progress.
England take on Sri Lanka today in what should be an enthralling clash. England's batting unit looks in top shape - power hitters at the top (Lumb, Kieswetter, Pieterson), followed by Collingwood and Morgan, two batsmen who can consolidate as well as turn it on later in the innings. Then come the hard-hitting all-rounders starting with Luke Wright and followed by Bresnan, Yardy and Swann. The pace attack of Broad and Sidebottom is also solid, while Yardy has been an exceptional second spinner, overshadowing Swann for once.
The problem for England will be the slowness of the pitch, something that will certainly favor the Lankans. Suraj Randiv has been great but he is no Murali, and Mendis may be brought in to assist him. Jayasuriya may be retained for his bowling though he could shift back down the order. He seems to be ending his career the same way it began, in the lower order, doing more bowling than batting. Let go, dude.
Sri Lanka may have started the tournament being kept afloat by Jayawardene, but gradually the top order has looked in form. Dilshan and Sangakarra are scoring again, and Mathews and Kapugedera have been handy finishers. Malinga and Welegedara are leaking runs though, that will worry them, and the latter may lose his place if Perera is to play.
This looks like an evenly matched game, but I'm going to go with England on this, if only to see a team that isn't afraid of the pace play Australia in the final.
Stuff that's happened
The T20 World Cup has gone exactly as expected, no surprises have been sprung. The big 'uns have all progressed to the next round. The minnows showed some fight and, being minnows, were overpowered before bowing out. The Afghans were spirited in the field, and despite their pre-tournament fearlessness at facing Steyn, were butchered by the Saffa pace attack before Graeme allowed them a go at Albie. Also, this would have been the perfect time for Dean Jones to be back in the commentary box, but apparently no one saw the opportunity but me. Why am I not an ICC official?
Suresh Raina and Mahela Jayawardene showed us that the IPL is good for something, as both smashed hundreds for India and Sri Lanka respectively.
Sachin Tendulkar joined twitter, and verified his account by posting some geeky pictures of himself to prove that he's human (he's tricking us, don't believe a word of it!). He also already has more than 178,000 followers, and is literally gaining more than one follower every second. Keep refreshing his twitter page to see for yourself. (I am also on twitter)
India and Australia play today in what has the potential to be the biggest game of the tournament so far, though we will be missing Sreesanth, Hayden and Symonds. Harby alone just isn't enough drama. Hopefully Gambhir's stomach isn't runny anymore, so we don't have to open with Karthik again. Seriously, Rohit Sharma is a better option!
The other match is between Sri Lanka and the Windies. It may or may not be a close match, but it'll definitely be boring if Gayle and Dilshan don't score some runs.
I'm also brainstorming for more usage of Billy. Not much else.
T20 World Cup Preview - Group D (slightly more brief) (OK, very short)
It seems a bit redundant to do a Group D preview, since one match within it has already taken place - between the Windies and Ireland. And Ireland have been virtually knocked out, and their only chance lies in England losing both their games by huge margins. England are in good form, as seen in their warm-up victory over the Saffers, so this is quite unlikely. Oh wait, Ireland have something else up their sleeve - < insert leprechaun / pot o' gold joke here >.
So the Windies are currently top of the group, their star player so far being Darren Sammy, who top-scored, top-bowled and top-caught in that match.
The Windies' key players are Gaylestorm, Bravo and Big Benn, while you should continue watching out for Sammy. No one else. And I predict a semi-final spot for them. NOT. Second round it is.
If England play to their potential, they'll be utter failures. They need to play out of their skins to be able to win the Cup, and their key players will be KP, Morgan and Swansong. Watch closely the progress of new imports Lumb and Kieswetter. Yardy is turning out to be very useful, so England may be with two spinners. Yardy is also more than handy with the bat. Dangerous England can definitely make the semis.
Ireland, like I mentioned earlier, are mostly out, but anyway, their key players (or just names that I've been hearing for a while now) are the hard-hitting Kevin O' Brien, the skipper William Porterfield and Trent Johnston. And obviously you should be watching out for 17 year-old lefty spinner George Dockrell, Man, I hate it when kids younger than me do well for their clubs/countries and earn a lot. Last year Ireland fielded a schoolteacher (Kyle McCallan) and this year a high school kid. I'm not really making a point here.
That's it, then. Onwards. India beat the Afghans comfortably, Pakistan survived a Bangla scare, and the Kiwis relied on a McCullum for victory. Snooze. India v South Africa and Australia v Pakistan is where it's at.
T20 World Cup Preview - Group C
Group C should be interesting. Indians and South Africans have played a lot of cricket recently, starting from the Test and ODI series before the IPL. They haven't had a lot of time to rest, and the rapidly growing up Afghanistan will hope to take advantage of this.
South Africa
Squad - Graeme Smith (c), Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Rusty Theron, Roelof van der Merwe.
Key Players - Kallis was the second highest run-getter in the IPL, but he tapered off towards the end and his low strike rate began to hurt BRC. He's a classy player and can definitely bounce back, though. Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman at the top can win matches single-handedly if they get going. Dale Steyn has been superb in the IPL and will play a crucial role as the spearhead of the bowling attack. The spin attack of van der Merwe and Botha will be important in controlling the middle overs and as lower-order batsman.
Watch out for - JP Duminy had a see-saw time with the Mumbai Indians. When he came out as a finisher, he played a couple of aggressive innings, but when he was needed to bat longer in the middle overs he struggled on slow pitches. Gibbs was never in top form either, but he scored a few. With two openers in Smith and Bosman and another possible one in Kallis, will he get a chance to play? Albie Morkel has always saved his best efforts for his country and he will be a key-figure in all departments.
How far they will go: Can definitely make the semis, but they are also likely to struggle against spin. They will need great starts throughout the tournament. They also wouldn't like to hear the C word. Yes, "choke".
India
Squad - Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Murali Vijay, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, R Vinay Kumar, Rohit Sharma.
I've been itching to do this one for sometime now, but I resisted the urge to skip the order and spew. Anyway, I don't have a lot of spewing to do now, I've decided low expectations is the way to go. I'll still be watching every game and criticizing them in my head (and possibly here) but in the end I won't be too disappointed, unless they lose to the Afghanis and get knocked out in the 1st round or something.
Key Players - Gautam Gambhir has been in good form and as the sole experienced opener, he will be extremely important at the top - both for his ability to score big and do it quick. Dhoni is also in fine form, and I'm talking about both the batting and the captaincy. Yuvraj Singh is an immense power-up in the middle and late overs so he needs to fire. Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra are the bowlers who can get early wickets and bowl yorkers at the death. Harbhajan is the lone spinner (I don't count Yusuf / Jadeja as spinners).
Watch out for - Suresh Raina was fantastic in the IPL, but he needs to convert that into better performances for India. Ditto, Murali Vijay and Rohit Sharma. Yusuf wasn't great in the IPL, so I don't expect much from him. Vinay Kumar may have done well at home, but better batsman may well make him disappear. I do think Chawla has it in him to perform (not just the International Cricket Captain talking). That is, if he plays.
How far they will go - Without Sehwag, with the under-performing Yuvraj and Yusuf and with my low-expectations idea, the second round is what I think.
Afghanistan
Squad - Nawroz Mangal (c), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Rais Ahmadzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Sayed Nasrat, Shafiq Shafaq.
They've had a fairytale rise in international cricket and will want to get atleast one win against a major side. Y'know, just for fun. And since they're in the same group, why not against South Africa? Unlikely, but it would be a hoot nevertheless.
Key Players - Hmm? I'll probably learn more after watching their game against India.
Watch out for - Dawlat Ahmadzai. Just a wild name I threw out there. Possibly because he took four wickets against the Irish. Or was that someone else? Anyway, his first name means 'wealth'. Everyone loves wealth.
How far they will go: Group stage. Maybe second round, but not at India's expense. Of course I'd say that.
One to go.
T20 World Cup Preview - Group B
Group B contains two teams that are usually considered as dark horses. Or in New Zealand's case, sheepguys. No, not really, but they are the teams that are always said to have a chance of winning, but are never the favourites. There, I just defined 'dark horses'.
Zimbabwe is also in this group. (it had to be on a new line or no one would pay attention. I barely did)
Sri Lanka
Squad - Kumar Sangakkara (c), Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Thissara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Chanaka Welagedara, Chamara Kapugedara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chinthaka Jayasinghe.
Sri Lanka were the runners-up last year (it was just last year!) and they will want to go one better this time around, and they definitely have the players to pursue it. India and Pakistan are the cup's past winners, so it has been subcontinental teams that have been the best, the Lankans will be inspired by this. They also play their best cricket on islands, so the Caribbean may feel like home to them (superb logic, innit?).
Key Players - The bowling attack is enviable, some would call it scary. They have M&M&M&M, three of which are lethal and two of which are in superb form and one of which used to have an awesome afro. Mahela Jayawardene was fantastic in the second half of the IPL, but the question is, will he get to open? Sangakarra looked like he had found his touch in the last few games he played and will be a crucial player in whichever position he plays.
Watch out for - Sanath Jayasuriya. He hasn't had the best of times; his once super-quick reflexes seem to have slowed down. He was dropped from the Mumbai Indians side after failing to make contributions, and with Mahela doing well his position could be at risk. His opening partner Dilshan also struggled in the IPL and looked very mojo-less. Thissara Perera barely got a game for Chennai and served up several full-tosses, but he has done better for his country and will be a lower-order threat. There are some newbies in the squad - Dinesh Chandimal is a backup keeper and Chintakha Jayasinghe is a medium-pace bowling all-rounder. Hmm.
How far they will go - Should surely make the semis, though their batting needs to be able to support their bowling.
New Zealand
Squad - Daniel Vettori (c), Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Aaron Redmond, Jacob Oram, Gareth Hopkins, Rob Nicol, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Shane Bond, Ian Butler.
You see the first five names in their squad and you know that they have a great batting lineup capable of big things. They didn't do very well last year - as usual, they thrashed the minnows Ireland and Scotland, and didn't win any other matches against the better sides. The batsmen like a bit of pace to smack, and they may not get this in the Carribbean. They'll probably cream Zimbabwe and lose to Sri Lanka, but I'm not making any predictions.
Key Players - Jesse Ryder and B-Mac at the top have provided many a blazing start, not many against quality attacks. Ross Taylor looked out-of-sorts in the IPL, but feed him in his legside arc and you will disappear. Dictator Dan is the man for a collapse and the lone spinner. In my opinion, he's definitely among the top 3 T20 bowlers, and everyone's favourite member of the fuzz, Shane Bond, is around too.
Watch out for - Does anyone else think Scott Styris and Jacob Oram are past their sell-by-date? Rob Nicol, the other all-rounder who bowls medium-pace, has a great T20 record, though he may have limited chances to impress.
How far they will go - History suggests they will reach the second stage and bow out. Knowing New Zealand, I would be wise to ignore history. They haven't won a world cup before (ODI included) and they will see this as a good opportunity to win one
Zimbabwe
Squad - Prosper Utseya (c), Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Andy Blignaut, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu, Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, Chamu Chibhabha, Chris Mpofu, Timycen Maruma, Craig Ervine.
The minnows of this group will be looking to spring a surprise. They really won't.
Key Players - Their spinners have been effective of late, and in the Caribbean too. Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Ray Price and Greg Lamb will look to choke their opponents. Elton Chigumbura is very handy with ball and bat.
Watch out for - Andy Blignaut, the hard-hitting all-rounder, is making another comeback. Yay. Timycen Maruma, is another 'International Cricket Captain' pick, I doubt he'll get to play though.
How far they'll go - New Zealand and Sri Lanka always thrash the minnows, they're not the choking sort and will try to rack up as much as possible. Group stage exit.
Two down, two to go.
T20 World Cup Preview: Group A
Right. So the T20 World Cup is only a week away, and with this mini-break from the IPL, it only seems appropriate to start posting about it. Rather than do the 'one team a post' thing which would take ages, I'll be doing it group-by-group. And staying true to the alphabet, I begin with Group A, which consists of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia. This being the only group to have three test teams, you could somewhat call it the "group of death", or "Qu'est-ce que c'est, le cricket?" as the French say.
Pakistan
Squad - Shahid Afridi (c), Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Fawad Alam, Hammad Azam, Kamran Akmal, Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammed Aamer, Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Hafeez, Mohammed Sami, Saeed Ajmal, Salman Butt, Umar Akmal.
The defending champions are one of the most unpredictable teams - they could play like champs one day and chimps the next, but in this format they are always in the game. Umar Gul, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved may be missing, but this squad is full of talented players, many of them suited to T20. Shahid Afridi may be a total nutjob, but he seems to be able to inspire his team.
Key players - Afridi stepped up with the bat to help Pakistan win the cup last year - will he retain his maturity or switch back to crazy-mode? His bowling will be effective either way. Abdul Razzaq is a top all-rounder, and Misbah's experience is invaluable. The pace trio of Aamer, Asif and Sami (should he play) is good enough to contain any team upfront, while Ajmal is miserly in the middle overs.
Watch out for - Hammad Azam featured for Pakistan in the U-19 version of the tournament and was considered to be talented enough to make the cut. His first-class record doesn't reveal too much, but he is a medium-pace bowling all-rounder who also opens the batting. Umar Akmal has begun his career well (cricket-wise, that is) but we haven't seen him in a while. Will he continue his good run?
How far they will go - Provided there are no hiccups against Bangladesh, they should make the second round. May struggle to go beyond that.
Bangladesh
Squad - Shakib Al-Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed, Imrul Kayes, Jahurul Islam, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammed Ashraful, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Syed Rasel, Tamim Iqbal.
They have improved vastly, there's no doubt about that, but they still lose to other test nations regularly. Regardless, this is T20 and the Banglas have a reputation of being giant-killers. One such victory in the group stage and they could be through to the second round, so it would be unwise to count them out.
Key Players - Shakib is one of the best all-rounders in the world, and he is currently Bangladesh's best batsman and bowler. Add that to the captaincy and you have all the ingredients for immense pressure, especially for a 23-year old. Will he crack or flourish under it? Time will tell. Tamim Iqbal is their most consistent batsman, and he can provide great starts for Bangladesh if he gets an opener who will stick around with him. Mahmudullah has been a consistent lower-order batsman, but he may have to be moved up the order to have more of an impact.
Watch out for - Mashrafe Mortaza was leading the pace attack not too long ago, and was even named captain, but he was then out for a long time, so it has to be seen how well he'll do on his comeback. Also, the interestingly named Suhrawadi Shuvo should be observed. He's 21, and may seem like just another of Bangladesh's fafillion lefty spinners, but he was the most successful bowler for Bangladesh in my International Cricket Captain game, so he's good. According to the game Piyush Chawla took over a 1000 test wickets and scored around 10 test hundreds, so maybe not the best way to judge player abililty.
How far they will go - Their only option is to beat Pakistan to progress to the second round, I can't see them doing any better than that.
Australia
Squad - Michael Clarke (c), Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Dirk Nannes, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
This a team full of match-winners. This is the only world tournament that they haven't won, so they'll be itching to add the trophy to their overflowing cabinet (which I sometimes wish would fall on the entire team). They are vulnerable though, everyone is in T20.
Key Players - The pace attack. Brett Lee is in doubt (yeah, that damn IPL), but the super quick trio of Tait, Nannes and Johnson should be tough to handle for any team. They are weak in the spin department, so Hauritz and Steve Smith will both be under scrutiny. Shane Watson and David Warner will be crucial at the top, because the middle order may be susceptible to choking.
Watch out for - Michael Clarke's T20 batting. He has never looked cut out for this format, and his "slug, not slog" approach can put the other batsmen (Husseys, White) under pressure to play the big shots from the word go. Something they are very good at, I may add.
How far they will go - If the batsmen hit their stride they could well be the champs, as the bowlers are capable of defending smaller scores as well. However, the middle order bowlers could let them down - Watson has been whipped in the IPL and the spinners are inexperienced and untested.
One down, three to go.
