Saturday, April 23, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
IPL 2016
IPL 2016 match in Rajkot will be as much about Pune SuperGirants vs Gujarat Lions as it will be about MS Dhoni vs Suresh Raina.
UPDATED: APRIL 14, 2016 5:48 PM
BOTH PUNE and Rajkot made great first impressions on their respective first dates in the IPL. While Rising Pune Super Giants scored a massive victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions put on a power-packed show to see off former finalists Kings XI Punjab. On Thursday, the Lions will play host for the first-time as the T20 bandwagon lands up in Rajkot. But the meeting will be as much about Pune v Rajkot as it will be about Dhoni v Raina. It will be a contest where a devoted apprentice finally tries to break out of the shadow of his long-standing leader in a head-to-head battle. Speaking of leaders, there’s no dearth of them with both sides possessing a number of international captains in their mix. T20 though is often more about individuals and their contributions than collective endeavours. We look at who was hot and who was not with bat and ball in their previous matches, and also whether any of the reserves is in contention for a call-up.
Also Read: We will play positive cricket: Raina
With bat in hand
Few foreign cricketers in the IPL have been in demand as perennially as Aaron Finch, who is now representing his sixth franchise in seven seasons. And he showed just why, smashing a match-winning 74 off 47 while typically bullying the Punjab bowlers.
Over the last two years, Dinesh Karthik has generally made more news before the IPL begins for his opulent price-tag than for how he justifies it during the tournament. For, he hasn’t. This time around the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman was lapped up by Gujarat for Rs 2.3 crore—a significant reduction in his buying price—but he started the season off in style guiding his new team home with a stroke-filled 26-ball 41.
It’s been an unusual career move for Ajinkya Rahane in the IPL. For years, he was the star shining bright on top of the many unheralded lights at Rajasthan Royals, but is now the more unsung of the superstars that the Giants possess. But he held his own at the Wankhede Stadium scoring an unbeaten 42-ball 66 to down Mumbai.
With ball in hand
Praveen Kumar started the innings off with a delivery that will remain his signature long after he hangs up his boots, a patented in-swinger that curved back in a parabolic path to literally knock Murali Vijay off his feet. He then continued to keep the Punjab top-order in check with a spell that spoke both of vast experience and trademark skill.
In many ways, Kumar had Dwayne Bravo to blame for stealing his thunder as the Trinidadian champion produced two magical yorkers to remove Maxwell and Miller before returning with another two-wicket burst to finish with his best-ever T20 figures of 4/22, that also made him the first bowler to go past 300 wickets in this format.
In many ways, Kumar had Dwayne Bravo to blame for stealing his thunder as the Trinidadian champion produced two magical yorkers to remove Maxwell and Miller before returning with another two-wicket burst to finish with his best-ever T20 figures of 4/22, that also made him the first bowler to go past 300 wickets in this format.
For long, Australian cricket has projected Mitchell Marsh as the man to replace the now-retired Shane Watson as the match-changing all-rounder. So far he’s flattered to deceive mainly. But it was he who stung Mumbai with two quick wickets in his spell to finish with figures of 2/21. Rajat Bhatia and Murugan Ashwin were the chief architects of Mumbai’s demise though as they choked the quick-scoring middle-order, and also struck crucial blows. Their combined figures of 8-1-26-2, were indicative of Pune’s dominance.
News from the Bench
The only disappointment in Pune’s debut show was the ageing RP Singh being taken apart by Harbhajan Singh, which could prompt a call-up for either Ishwar Pandey or Ashok Dinda. Gujarat went in with Sarabjeet Ladda and Pradeep Sangwan, leaving Pravin Tambe and Dhawal Kulkarni on the bench. Sense might prevail on Thursday.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
WORLD CUP T20
England, riding high on Joe Root’s 44-ball 83, gun down 230 to complete record chase in World T20 on Friday. South Africa ticket all boxes – setting a steep total – but didn’t bowl well to defend the mammoth total. Their bowlers, from Steyn to Abbott, were hit to all parts of the park. (Full Coverage||Fixtures||Points Table)
England (230/8) beat South Africa (229/4) by two wickets, complete record World T20 chase
Live Cricket Updates: South Africa vs England, ICC World T20
2300 hrs IST: ALL OVER! Moeen Ali with the winning runs. England complete record World T20 chase, beat South Africa by two wickets
2257 hrs IST: WICKET! WICKET! First Jordan, now Willey. England still need one run for win
2248 hrs IST: WICKET! Root hits the Rabada full toss to Miller in the deep. England 219/6
2240 hrs IST: 200 up for England in the 17th over of the chase
2238 hrs IST: SIX! Root goes straight, goes big. Reduces England’s equation to 32 from 22
2233 hrs IST: WICKET! Twist in the tale? Buttler is out stumped off Tahir. England 186/5
2230 hrs IST: Equation very much under control for England. They need 47 from 30 balls
2228 hrs IST: Root reverse-scoops for a boundary, brings up his FIFTY off 29 balls
2224 hrs IST: We are into the last six overs, England need 60. Game on in Mumbai
2215 hrs IST: Steyn back into the attack for a crucial second spell. He went for 23 in his first over
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