Wednesday, February 11, 2009

PATHAN BROTHERS CLINCH THE THRILLING 20-20 FOR INDIA


It seems that it was a day of brothers, earlier in the day, two Hussey brothers helped Australia to beat New Zealand and level the series and in the late evening, the power hittings from two Pathan brothers- Irfan and Yusuf helped India to register a thrilling three wickets victory over the Sri Lankan in twenty20 international in Colombo.


Earlier Sri Lankan Captain Dilshan won the toss and decided to bat first.
Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan's 61 off 47 deliveries had helped Sri Lanka to 171 for four.


Dilshan was standing like a spectator at the start of the Sri Lankan innings as his opening partner, Sanath Jayasuriya, smashed 33 off only 17 balls in a stand of 59, which ended when the left-hander got out to a fine catch at mid-on by Ishant Sharma off Irfan.
Jayasuriya had earlier smashed India's new-ball bowlers Zaheer Khan and Ishant .
Dilshan, dropped on nought by Irfan, collected 15 off Zaheer's third over.
He took 18 off Ishant's second over - including two sixes, one over cover and the second over midwicket.

Dilshan raced past his 50 with a flurry of boundaries, before falling to Ishant, and Chamara Silva chipped in with some handy late hitting.


Part-time off-spinner,Yusuf Pathan was the most successful bowler for the India as he bowled four tidy overs and manages to pick up two wickets. While I.Sharma and Irfan Pathan picked up one wicket each.


In reply to Sri Lanka’s challanging 171 runs, India lost openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir with only 14 runs on the board. Virendra Sehwag was run out by C.Kapugedara for 1 run and G.Gambhir out on very next ball for 13 runs caught on the bowling of T.Tushara.
Then Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina steadied the innings with a 67-run stand for the third wicket.


Yuvraj hammered 32 off only 21 deliveries before he was caught behind, while Raina got out shortly after for 35.


Then Sri Lanka's spinners - Bandara in particular - tightened the screw of the Indian innings and brought back Sri Lanka right back in to the match by picking up crucial wickets.Leg-spinner Malinga Bandara had claimed three wickets in his four overs as India slipped to 115 for seven in chasing the target of 172.


India were down and out at 115/7 needing another 57 runs in the last five overs with just three wickets in hand.


Then came the late twist in the evening, when Yusuf Pathan smashed M.Bandara for two huge sixes and one fast furious boundaries to collect 17 runs of five balls in the 16th over of Indian inning to minimize the pressure mounting on the Indians.


Thereafter it was Irfan Pathan who took the responsibility of scoring runs and hit two huge sixes and two fours to snatch the unbelievable victory from the hands of Sri Lanka. He first scored 13 runs in the 19th over bowled by Dilhara Fernando with one flat six over midwicket and then a crsip boundary over extra cover. Needing just five in the last ,Irfan Pathan smashed second ball of the over for six to registered a thrilling victory over Sri Lanka by three wickets.


Pathan brothers put on 59 runs off only 25 deliveries in an unbroken stand for the eighth wicket as India reached the target with four deliveries to spare.
Irfan, who brought up victory with a six, hit 33 from 16 balls, while Yusuf made 22 from 10.

Y.Pathan is declared Man of the Match for his superb bowling spell of 23/2 and blistering knock of 20 runs of 10 balls to guide India to the victory by three wickets.

Match Summary
Sri Lanka – 171/4 in 20 Overs
T.Dilshan- 61
S.Jayasurya –33
Y.Pathan- 4-0-23-2
I.Pathan-4-0-34-1

India – 174/7 in 19.2 Overs
S.K.Raina-35
I.Pathan- 33*
M.Bandara- 4-0-32-3
T.Thusara-3-0-27-1




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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

INDIA-NEW ZEALAND CRICKET SERIES SCHEDULE

India Vs New Zealand Series 2009(All timing are mentioned in GMT+05:30)
Timing Teams Venue
Wed 25 Feb (D/N)
12:30 PM 1st T20I - India v New Zealand AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Fri 27 Feb (D/N)
12:30 PM 2nd T20I - India v New Zealand Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Tue 3 Mar (D/N)
07:30 AM 1st ODI - India v New Zealand McLean Park, Napier
Fri 6 Mar (D/N)
07:30 AM 2nd ODI - India v New Zealand Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Sun 8 Mar (D/N)
07:30 AM 3rd ODI - India v New Zealand AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Wed 11 Mar (D/N)
07:30 AM 4th ODI - India v New Zealand Seddon Park, Hamilton
Sat 14 Mar (D/N)
07:30 AM 5th ODI - India v New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland
Wed 18 – Sun 22 Mar
04:00 AM 1st Test - India v New Zealand Seddon Park, Hamilton
Thu 26 – Mon 30 Mar
04:00 AM 2nd Test – India v New Zealand McLean Park, Napier
Fri 3 – Tue 7 Apr
04:00 AM 3rd Test – India v New Zealand Basin Reserve, Wellington

RAHUL DRAVID'S CRICKET PROFILE


Full Name : Dravid, Rahul
Date of birth: 11/01/1973
Country: India
Role : Batsman
Batting style : R
Bowling style : Off break
Career summary
-Rahul Dravid is one of the top-ranked batsmen in world cricket and the current captain of the Indian cricket team.
-He made his Test debut against England at Lords in 1996 and his ODI debut at Singapore in the Singer Cup tournament against Sri Lanka.
-Dravid averages over 50 in Test cricket and became only the 4th Indian batsman to score more than 20 Test Centuries.
-Dravid's only Test wicket was that of Ridley Jacobs in the fourth Test against the West Indies during the 2001/02 series.
-He was involved in the largest batting partnership in ODI history, when he and Sachin Tendulkar scored a World Record 331.
-During his international career he scored four centuries in successive innings, and hit four double-centuries in the space of 15 Tests.
- Whilst renowned for his long Test innings, was the Top Scorer in the 1999 World Cup with 461 runs in 8 innings.
* In the 2005 ICC Awards Rahul Dravid was the only Indian to be named to the World one-day XI.
* Rahul Dravid is the only other Indian to be the top scorer (first one is Sachin Tendulkar - twice - 1996,2003) in a World Cup. He amassed 461 runs in the 1999 World Cup, the first World Cup he played.
* Rahul Dravid led India to a historic Test series win, against the West Indies in their home soil in 2006.
* Under Rahul's captaincy the Indian team tied the previous record of most consecutive One-Day International wins for an Indian team thus equalling the record run that the Indian team had achieved under Sourav Ganguly in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
* During Rahul captaincy the Indian team broke the 14 match West Indies record for most consecutive won matches in One-Day Internationals while chasing a total. For this 17 match run, Dravid was the captain for 15 matches and Sourav Ganguly was the captain for the other two.
* Rahul Dravid is the first captain to lead India to a Test match victory against South Africa on South African soil.
* Rahul became only the third captain from India to win a Test series in England. This feat was achieved after 21 years. The other two captains being Kapil Dev (1986) and Ajit Wadekar (1971).
* Rahul has hit 10,000 runs in both tests and one day internationals, making him only the third batsmen after Tendulkar and Lara to achieve this feat. Ponting is the only other man to have done this.

Test Matches
Batting
Career Span: 1996 - 2008
Matches: 131
Innings: 227
Not outs: 26
Runs: 10509
Highest Score: 270
Average: 46.5
50s: 53
100s: 21
Ducks: 8
Pairs: 0
Catches: 178
Stumping: 0
Bowling
Innings bowled: 8
Overs: 20
Maidens: 4
Runs conceded: 39
Wickets: 1
5 Wicket Innings: 0
10 Wicket matches: 0
Average: 39
Economy Rate: 1.95
Best bowling in Innings: 1/18
ODI Matches
Batting
Career Span: 1996 - 2007
Innings: 306
Not outs: 40
Runs: 10531
Highest Score: 153
Strike-rate: 71.28
Average: 34.42
50s: 81
100s: 12
Ducks: 13
Catches: 189
Stumping: 14
Bowling
Innings bowled: 8
Overs: 31
Maidens: 1
Runs conceded: 170
Wickets: 4
4 Wicket Innings: 0
Average: 42.5
Economy Rate: 5.48
Best bowling in Innings: 2/43

SOURAV GANGULY'S CRICKET PROFILE


Full Name : Ganguly, Sourav
Date of birth: 08/07/1972
Country : India
Role : All Rounder
Batting style : L
Bowling style : Right arm medium
Career summary
-Sourav Ganguly is a left-handed batsman and a right-handed medium-pace bowler.
-He made his one-day international debut in 1992 against the West Indies at Brisbane.
-Ganguly talent was first noticed when he scored a century in his Test debut against England at Lord's in 1996, becoming the third person ever to score a century on their debut at Lord's, he then followed that with a century in his second Test.
-Sourav scored 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in the 1999 cricket World Cup, the highest by an Indian in World Cup cricket.
- Became captain in 2000.
-Led India to the World Cup Final in 2003 where they were beaten by Australia.
-Is the only Indian captain to win both the One Day and Test Series in Pakistan.
-Was left out of the side for a period when a loss of form coincided to differences with coach Greg Chappell and did not play ODI cricket for over a year before returning in the build-up to the 2007 World Cup.
Test Matches
Batting
Career Span: 1996 - 2008
Matches: 113
Innings: 188
Not outs: 17
Runs: 7212
Highest Score: 239
Average: 38.36
50s: 35
100s: 15
Ducks: 13
Pairs: 0
Catches: 72
Stumping: 0
Bowling
Innings bowled: 127
Overs: 519.3
Maidens: 109
Runs conceded: 1681
Wickets: 32
5 Wicket Innings: 0
10 Wicket matches: 0
Average: 52.53
Economy Rate: 3.24
Best bowling in Innings: 3/71
ODI Matches
Batting
Career Span: 1992 - 2007
Innings: 297
Not outs: 23
Runs: 11275
Highest Score: 183
Strike-rate: 73.71
Average: 38.22
50s: 71
100s: 22
Ducks: 15
Catches: 100
Stumping: 0
Bowling
Innings bowled: 169
Overs: 754.1
Maidens: 29
Runs conceded: 3804
Wickets: 100
4 Wicket Innings: 2
Average: 38.04
Economy Rate: 5.04
Best bowling in Innings: 5/16
Twenty20 Matches

Sunday, February 8, 2009

MAHENDRA SINGH DHONI'S CRICKET PROFILE



Full Name: Dhoni, Mahendra
Date of birth: 07/07/1981
Country : India
Role : Wicketkeeper/Batsman
Batting style: R
Bowling style : Unknown
Test Debut : Sri Lanka vs. India at Chennai – December 2-6, 2005
ODI Debut :Bangladesh vs. India at Chittagong – December 23, 2004
Affectionately called ‘Mahi’, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the avant-garde cricketers to have rocked the Indian cricket scenario. Noticeable for his shoulder length hair, Dhoni is increasingly becoming a popular youth icon in India. He has made a big impact in and outside the cricketing world. His power-packed performances, on-field agility, panache for bikes, et al have had fans, especially girls, swooning all over.
Hailing from the state of Jharkhand, Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his debut in the end of 2004 and has since been a regular in the Indian national team. An aggressive batsman and secure wicketkeeper, Dhoni has changed the perception of ‘gentleman’s game’. He, along with a few other new-age cricketers, has shown how to give an eye for an eye.
Having played 120 one-day internationals, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has an impressive average of 47 and a swashbuckling strike rate of 92. His capability of audacious strokeplay at the time of need have made him one of the key players in Indian team. Dhoni has ravaged the reputations of the world’s best bowling attacks with his powerful and daredevil hits. This is the only way he knows of playing cricket
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s moment of reckoning came in a match against Pakistan, where he scored a dazzling 148 runs. He then went on to crack a superb 183 not out against Sri Lanka at Jaipur. These knocks are simply unforgettable for all those who witnessed them. His wicketkeeping has won him accolades of late. Dhoni has displayed exemplary skills when keeping wickets to world-class bowlers.
In Afro Asia Cup 2007 when AsiaXI is struggling at 72-5 in 3rd ODI M.Singh Dhoni shows his capability and powerhouse shots to the world 139 Not Out that he can bat under any circumstances with sizzling sixes.
Test Matches
Batting
Career Span: 2007 - 2008
Matches: 20
Innings: 32
Not outs: 5
Runs: 1101
Highest Score: 92
Average: 34.41
50s: 11
100s: 0
Ducks: 3
Pairs: 0
Catches: 40
Stumping: 8
Bowling
Innings bowled: 2
Overs:
Maidens: 0
Runs conceded: 1
Wickets: 0
5 Wicket Innings: 0
10 Wicket matches: 0
Average: 0
Economy Rate:
Best bowling in Innings: -
ODI Matches
Batting
Career Span: 2007 - 2009
Innings: 58
Not outs: 15
Runs: 2250
Highest Score: 139
Strike-rate: 132.67
Average: 38.79
50s: 18
100s: 1
Ducks: 3
Catches: 69
Stumping: 26
Twenty20 Matches
Batting
Career Span: 2007 - 2008
Innings: 8
Not outs: 2
Runs: 172
Highest Score: 45
Average: 21.5
50s: 0
100s: 0
Ducks: 0
Catches: 1
Stumping: 2

DILSHAN PREVENTS SRI LANKA FROM A WHITE WASH

Finally Sri Lanka prevented their first 5-0 series whitewash, and stopped India at nine ODI wins in a row with a 68-run consolation success in 5th one-day international in Colombo.
A turnaround began at the first toss Sri Lanka won in the series. Mahela Jayawardene chose to bat first - and Tillakaratne Dilshan (97) and Kumar Sangakkara (84) set up a big score of 320 for Sri Lanka.
Earlier, Dilshan and Sangakkara had put on 143 for the second wicket in Sri Lanka's 320 - and Maharoof gave an important contribution with some pinch hitting.
Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya (37) made a sound start.
Jayasuriya was fortunate to survive on 19 when Ravindra Jadeja put him down at point off Irfan Pathan - but soon he was caught at mid-off off the same bowler .Sangakkara was quickly into his scoring and reached his half-century off just 46 deliveries.
He eventually was caught by Rohit Sharma at long-on off Yuvraj. He scored valuable 84 runs.Thilina Kandamby had made 26.
Ishant claimed two wickets in his sixth over. Dilshan was run out by a direct throw from Rohit in the same over.He got out at 97 runs,missing his century by 3 runs. But Maharoof's power pushed his team past 300.
finally,Sri Lanka reached 320 at the coast of 8 wickets.
Dhoni bowled everyone in the team except himself and Gambhir - and Ishant was the pick of the bowlers with three for 60.

India, chasing for the first time in the series, soon lost Virender Sehwag and Raina. Gambhir was then caught behind, making room to cut.
Nuwan Kulasekara picked up the wickets of Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina as India struggled in chasing 321.
Muttiah Muralitharan took important wicket of Yuvraj Singh (73) and got Yusuf Pathan cheaply - and although Mahendra Singh Dhoni (53) and Ravindra Jadeja (60no) kept India in the race with a 55-run seventh-wicket stand.
Ajantha Mendis also picked up two late wickets, and Farveez Maharoof bowled last man Ishant Sharma as his second wicket.
India were bowled out for 252 in the 49th over.

TOP 5 TEST BOWLERS

TOP 5 TEST BOWLERS
Player Team Matches Wkts
M Muralitharan SL 122 756
SK Warne Aus 145 708
A Kumble Ind 132 619
GD McGrath Aus 124 563
CA Walsh WI 132 519

TOP 5 TEST BATSMEN

TOP 5 TEST BATSMEN
Player Team Matches Runs
SR Tendulkar Ind 155 12413
BC Lara WI 131 11953
AR Border Aus 156 11174
RT Ponting Aus 168 10927
RS Dravid Ind 130 10373

TOP 5 20-20 BOWLERS

TOP 5 20-20 BOWLERS
Player Team Matches Wkts
Umar Gul Pak 13 20
Shahid Afridi Pak 15 19
Abdur Razzak Ban 10 18
CRD Fernando SL 12 15
NSM Pollock SA 12 15

TOP 5 20-20 BATSMEN

TOP 5 20-20 BATSMEN
Player Team Matches Runs
Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 14 398
RT Ponting Aus 12 391
Shoaib Malik Pak 16 383
GC Smith SA 12 364
KP Pietersen Eng 14 363

TOP 5 ODI BOWLERS

TOP 5 0DI BOWLERS
Player Team Matches Wkts
M Muralitharan SL 311 503
Wasim Akram Pak 356 502
Waqar Younis Pak 262 416
WPUJC Vaas SL 322 400
SM Pollock SA 303 393

TOP 5 ODI BATSMEN

TOP 5 ODI BATSMEN
Player Team Matches Runs
SR Tendulkar Ind 419 16422
ST Jayasuriya SL 421 12785
Inzamam-ul-Haq Pak 378 11739
SC Ganguly Ind 311 11363
RT Ponting Aus 301 11113