Showing posts with label Icc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Icc. Show all posts

ICC Cricket World Cup Global Trophy Tour to arrive in England

ICC Cricket World Cup Global Trophy Tour
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will commence on 14 February, with England taking on host Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

The most coveted prize in world cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy is scheduled to arrive at Lord’s on 18 August, where it will be welcomed by England ODI vice-captain Eoin Morgan along with representatives of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the ICC.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will commence on 14 February, with England taking on host Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). With only 180 days to go until the opening matches, Morgan said:  “The focus will be on 50-over cricket between now and the ICC Cricket World Cup once this Test match against India is over. There will be real competition for places in the England set-up and I know that playing in an ICC Cricket World Cup is special. It is the ICC’s pinnacle event and it is an event that really captures the imagination of the entire cricketing world.

“The fact that the World Cup trophy is now here at Lord’s and will tour England and Wales in the next few weeks will help raise not only profile but also excitement around the ICC Cricket World Cup.”

England is scheduled to participate in a tri-series also involving current champion India and four-time champion Australia, in Australia in January. This will be a good opportunity for the team to assess its preparation ahead of the tournament it has never won, but reached the final of three times – 1979, 1987 and 1992.

“Everyone in the England camp is hugely excited about the prospect of competing in Australia and New Zealand – in what is two hugely challenging environments against the very best players in world cricket,” said Morgan, who, having played 78 ODIs for England to date, is aiming to appear in his third ICC Cricket World Cup.

Morgan will be joined in welcoming the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy by Steve Elworthy, the ECB’s Managing Director of Global Events, Derek Brewer, Chief Executive & Secretary of MCC and, Nick Pink, Regional Development Manager- ICC Europe.at the Grace Gates.

Elworthy, who played in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 when it was last held in England, is looking forward to hosting the trophy at Lord’s: “The last time the ICC Cricket World Cup came to Lord’s was at the end of the 2010 season as a part of the build-up towards the 2011 tournament in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It proved incredibly popular with all the visitors to the ground and I am sure that will be the case again – especially the spectators at the Middlesex game against India here at Lord’s on Friday.

“For everyone in England and Wales, the trophy tour will not only add to the awareness of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015 but also mark the build-up to the next round of ICC global events to be held on these shores – the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s World Cup, both in 2017, and, of course, the ICC Cricket World Cup itself in 2019.

Brewer added: “Lord’s has a special affinity with the ICC Cricket World Cup – staging the first three finals in 1975, 1979 and 1983- as well as the 1999 final. All those finals produced some really iconic images and special memories in the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup. On behalf of MCC it is an honour to welcome the trophy to England and Wales.”

The 11th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup will feature a total of 14 teams, which includes the four qualifiers Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Pink said: “The ICC Europe regional office is based at Lord’s and so this is a special moment for us all. ICC’s Associate Members from Europe are again well represented with Ireland and Scotland - where the trophy will travel to after leaving Cardiff - both reaching next year’s tournament through a global qualification pathway that culminated in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand earlier this year.”

Members of the public will be encouraged to take their own photos with the trophy and tweet these using the following hashtags: For the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the generic hashtag is #CWC15, and the trophy tour-specific hashtag is #CWCtrophytour.

The ICC Cricket World Cup trophy will travel to the following locations in the United Kingdom:

Date                Location         What's On

Mon 18-Aug   Lord's              Trophy arrives in England at Lord’s

Thu 21-Aug    Lord's              MCC Museum

Fri 22-Aug      Lord's              India v Middx 50 over match (MCC Museum)

Sat 23-Aug     Edgbaston       NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day

Mon 25-Aug   Bristol             Royal London ODI

Wed 27-Aug   Cardiff            Royal London ODI

Thu 28-Aug                             Trophy departs for Scotland

At each of the venues, legends of the game will be on hand to meet supporters and share their memories of challenging for the ultimate prize in the flagship ODI tournament of world cricket.

The trophy will arrive in the UK from Bangladesh, before which it had toured Sri Lanka, and it’s next stop will be Scotland. After visiting 13 countries over four months, the trophy will arrive in Melbourne on 6 November.

About the trophy

The current ICC Cricket World Cup trophy was created for the 1999 champion, Australia, and was the first permanent prize in the tournament's history. Prior to this, different trophies were made for each ICC Cricket World Cup.

The trophy was designed and produced in London by a team of craftsmen from Garrard & Co over a period of two months. It is made from silver and gilt, and features a golden globe held up by three silver columns. The columns, shaped as stumps and bails, represent the three fundamental aspects of cricket: batting, bowling and fielding, while the globe represents a cricket ball. The trophy stands 60cm high and weighs approximately 11kg. The names of the previous winners are engraved on the base of the trophy, with space for a total of twenty inscriptions.

TROPHY WORLD TOUR SCHEDULE

18-27 August – England and Wales

28-29 August – Scotland

9-10 September – Ireland

12 September – Afghanistan

15-20 September – Pakistan

25-29 September – South Africa

2 October – Zimbabwe

7-14 October – United Arab Emirates

18 October – Jamaica

19 October – Barbados

From 6 November – Australia and New Zealand

1-31 December - India

Source: icc-cricket.com
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ICC say Tests can go day/night if ball alright


London: International Cricket Council (ICC) chiefs believe floodlit, day/night Tests could take place in the next few years but insist more work needs to be done on the ball before they give the go-ahead.

A traditional red leather ball is difficult to see under floodlights, while the white ball used for day/night one-day internationals doesn`t wear at the same rate and so is considered unsuitable for longer formats.

Finding a suitable ball has so far proved the key stumbling block, with David Richardson, the ICC`s general manager for cricket, telling reporters at Lord`s on Wednesday: "We`ve spent a lot of time over the last 24 months trying to develop a ball.

"Now we`ve crystallised that there`s not much difference between the pink and orange balls and it was a question of finding a ball that could retain its colour throughout 50-80 overs."

Richardson was speaking after a two-day meeting of the ICC`s cricket committee at Lord`s, the self-styled `home of cricket` and the headquarters of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), who are still responsible for the sport`s rules or Laws.

Officials at MCC believe they have found a solution to the ball problem by developing a pink ball with a black seam.

This ball was used during their first-class match against England`s champion county, Nottinghamshire, in March -- the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season which for the second successive year took place in the non-traditional setting of Abu Dhabi rather than Lord`s itself.

MCC are convinced the ball can last in Tests and former South Africa wicketkeeper Richardson said: "In the Abu Dhabi match it did but the conditions were fairly benign, the outfield was a good one, there was no dew and the balls stood up well."

The dew factor was emphasised by ICC cricket committee chairman Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, who said: "We were worried by the dew factor. If one side bowls at night, it could be with a bar of soap."

Richardson said: "We decided we needed further trailing in multi-day competitions," adding he hoped the pink ball would be used in at least one round of first-class tournaments such as England`s County Championship or Australia`s Sheffield Shield during the next 12 months.

"If the reports coming back are that the ball keeps it’s condition and colour then I think we will be in a position this time next year to select a couple of venues and trial a day/night Test.”

"The venue still needs to have decent lights, somewhere like Lord’s, Sydney or Abu Dhabi. You also need to play it at a venue, and time of year, where dew isn’t going to come in. You can have the best ball in the world but it would be unfair in those conditions."

With audiences for Test cricket declining in recent years outside of traditional heartlands such as England, floodlit matches have been suggested as a way of bolstering crowds for the five-day game.

But Richardson said: "I`m not as pessimistic as some when it comes to needing to save Test cricket. I do think it (day/night Tests) affords boards the opportunity to play Test cricket when more people are available to watch and also commercially it can be more valuable to play at those times of the day -- the prime viewing time in the evening."

Asked if the first day/night Test would take place by 2014, Richardson replied: "I would hope before then."

Source & picture: cricket.zeenews.com
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Associates future must be decided in June


Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, believes that the the right of the Associate nations to compete at the 2015 World Cup will be established at the ICC's annual conference in Hong Kong at the end of June. His comments came after the board president, Sharad Pawar, requested that the tournament's ten-team composition be reassessed in response to strong and widespread criticism of the decision to limit participation to the ten Test-playing nations.

Following two weeks of silence in the wake of the decision reached in Mumbai on April 4, the ICC confirmed in a press release on Tuesday that a reassessment was on the cards. "I have given this matter further serious thought and will request the board to consider this topic once more," Pawar said. "I can understand the views of the Associates and Affiliates and the ICC will seek to deal with this issue in the best way possible."

Deutrom interpreted the ICC's silence until now as a sign that they knew they could not justify their decision. "The lack of response in those two weeks probably meant they realised they were defending the indefensible," Deutrom told ESPNcricinfo. "The ICC management are a very careful and expert bunch, and they will have done their homework. I know a lot of people have been telling us over the two weeks how strong our position would be if external remedies were necessary, although we don't want to get to that stage, we want it to be the last resort.

"I think the issue would have to be resolved in June," he added. "If there was to be any fudge, it would be completely unacceptable unless the conclusion was that we need a qualifier but we don't know what that qualifier should be. If the principle was established that a qualification tournament was to be reinstated I don't think the Associates could have too much of an argument with that, and we wouldn't necessarily need to be involved in that ongoing discussion. Our argument is purely that there needs to be opportunity for the world to be involved in the World Cup."

Over the past few days, the Associate members had met and discussed among themselves how best to handle the decision; those discussions resulted in a letter being sent to the ICC.

"We've done a great deal of research over the last week, particularly Warren Deutrom of Ireland; we've had a lot of letters of support, we've also had some experienced sports lawyers contacting us offering us help," Richard Cox, CEO of the Netherlands board, told ESPNcricinfo. "On that basis we felt we were at least able to contest the decision around qualification and the opportunity to qualify which is what we've done."

At its meeting on April 4, two days after the World Cup final, the ICC board decided to allow only the ten full members in the 2015 edition to be hosted in Australia. The board had also agreed that the ten-team format would be in place for the 2019 World Cup in England as well, though there would be a qualification process involving the Associates.

Despite the encouraging signs of a rethink, Deutrom was determined not to lose sight of the bigger picture. "We are not regarding it as anything other than a short step in a longer journey," he added. "The fact it is back on the [ICC] board's agenda is a good thing, but it's still the same ten people having the same discussion on the same issue, so there clearly has to be a catalyst. We have to help them reach a different decision.

"Part of that process we would hope would be a face-to-face meeting, which is what we asked for in the letter we wrote to Sharad Pawar," Deutrom added. "That wasn't addressed in his response to us this morning, so we sincerely hope that it will be addressed in the coming days. We would seek a meeting with the president, vice-president and senior ICC management, so that everyone is fully aware of the depth of our resolve on this matter. All of our members are very much as one on this. They completely, unreservedly and wholly condemn the decision, and our elected representatives are mandated on behalf of the 95 non-Test nations to go ahead and seek redress with the ICC."

The recently concluded World Cup, which has been largely hailed as a success, featured 14 teams, and the league stage was played in two groups of seven each, with the top eight teams playing the quarter-finals. The proposal to trim the event meant that a team such as Ireland, which has had two successful World Cups, would not be a part of the next tournament. To compensate, the World Twenty20 was expanded to 16 teams, giving six Associate or Affiliate members a chance to play in a premier world event every two years, but no matter how well they perform there, they did not have a chance to make the cut for the 2015 50-over World Cup. Pawar's intervention could yet change that.

Sourece & picture: http://www.espncricinfo.com
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Official ICC CWC 2011 merchandise goes on sale

ICC Media Release
Supporters following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and general cricket fans around the globe can now ensure they look the part following the launch of the official tournament online store.

The site, which is being managed by international brand management company IVS Group Ltd, will offer a wide range of official merchandise, including T-shirts, polos, caps, key-rings, mini-bats and horns as well as a range of products for children centred around the event mascot, Stumpy.

Visitors to www.icconlinestore.com can shop for official merchandise by product, by team or by range and purchasing is convenient, safe and secure with Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Laser, Maestro and Solo all accepted methods of payment.

Managing Director of IVS Group Ash Kapoor said: "We are proud to be working with such a prestigious international event as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. It is the third biggest sporting event in the world and we are honoured to be providing the merchandising services this time just as we did at the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009 and 2010."

The licensing and merchandise for the tournament is facilitated and managed by Licensing In Motion (LIM), the ICC’s global licensing and merchandising partner, and the online store can be found at www.icconlinestore.com with a worldwide delivery service provided.

In addition, IVS Group will also manage the official onsite event sales and will be present at all 13 venues of the ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup across Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. IVS always uses local suppliers and labour thus generating jobs within the community while minimising environmental impact.

Source: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net
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Watson, Hussey set up emphatic win

Australia v Pakistan, Group A, St Lucia

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin
May 2, 2010

Australia began to right previous wrongs in this format with an emphatic dismantling of the defending champions at St Lucia, a 34-run win serving serious notice to one and all of their intentions in this tournament. They wear a fresh look about them in this tournament, under a new captain in Michael Clarke at a global event for the first time since 1999 and with some very handy specialists in the squad.

They went about their opening game in merciless fashion, echoing their dominance over Pakistan months earlier. Brutal half-centuries from Shane Watson and David Hussey set them up, before equally brutal pace shoved aside Pakistan's batsmen. That the loss was Pakistan's tenth international in a row to Australia is neither here nor there; more relevant, Australia were very hot and Pakistan very cold.

It was that way from the start. Watson feasted hungrily in the summer at Pakistan's expense and his love affair continued in more romantic surroundings. A little luck initially helped him, two tough chances put down. More help came from the bulldozing ways of David Warner, the pair giving Australia a brisk start.

Pakistan very rarely open the bowling with a spinner and very quickly, Shahid Afridi's experiment with Mohammad Hafeez looked an unquestioned failure. Warner lofted him for an effortless six over long-off to end the second over and in his next, the game was blown open as the pair took 17.

Warner fell soon after, as did Michael Clarke, but like a right-handed Matthew Hayden, Watson simply bullied his way forth. The brutality of his batting has grown but so has, slyly, his handling of spin. Hafeez was heaved for three sixes, the last of which brought up his fifty in the 10th over.

He was intelligent against Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, not always picking them, but picking away each bad ball. A couple of full tosses were driven and pulled and one cut was a cross-format shot. Then, Hussey interrupted.

Pakistan's fielding was slowly unraveling and Salman Butt's drop when Hussey was 18 was particularly unnecessary; the reprieve unleashed a violent celebration. To rub it in, he took it out on Mohammad Sami, the unlucky bowler. He had bowled well until the 16th over, when his length and head went, allowing Hussey to loft and pull his way to four sixes and a 28-run over. Amid the mess, Watson's innings briefly forgotten, Hussey's own fifty came up.

Pakistan were schizophrenic with the ball; Afridi was again poor and the decision to bowl Hafeez even poorer. Hafeez and Sami went for 101 runs between them. But Mohammad Aamer and Ajmal were exemplary, pulling back some respect at the very end as seven wickets fell in the last four overs, including a remarkable five-wicket maiden last over.

That was to matter little as Australia's intent carried on through in their bowling. Spin, spin, spin has been the chatter, but Australia believe in pace and with some justification. Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson will trouble all but the very best on any surface. Tait and Nannes were too much for Pakistan's top order and the trio picked up a wicket each in their first spells; Tait in particular was sharp.

Any time the pacemen weren't on, in fact, Pakistan's batsmen looked good. Fourteen came off a Michael Clarke over, 17 off a Steve Smith one. Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq - a little more 2007 than 2009 - kept hope with a 47-run stand but the return of pace extinguished it. Afridi was bowled by Tait, Misbah and Abdul Razzaq slogged out to Nannes and the pace trio ended with eight wickets between them.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/458189.html
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Raina century seals one-sided win

India v South Africa, Group C, World Twenty20, St Lucia

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga
May 2, 2010

Suresh Raina struggled at first, then he sizzled. He overcame a jittery period of mis-hits and short-pitched bowling, scoring 82 off the last 38 balls he faced, en route to only the third century in Twenty20 internationals. Yuvraj Singh came back to form, Graeme Smith's reluctance to attack with Dale Steyn confounded, and India's 186 was always going to be too much on a difficult pitch and a slow and big outfield.

South Africa's reply, in the face of a four-spinner Indian attack - without using Yuvraj - was even more confounding. Jacques Kallis and Smith struggled to flow, and hesitated to take risks. Their run-rate crossed six an over for the first time in the 11th over, and it was too late by then, despite some late hitting from Kallis.

India had got off to a similar start, albeit against seamers, but unlike South Africa they threw away the caution at a more appropriate time. With two early wickets gone and both Raina and Yuvraj struggling to present the middle of the bat, India were 43 after eight overs. There was no mucking around after that. Although the odd mis-hit remained a feature of the partnership, the sweet shots grew in frequency and India got 143 in the next 12 overs. It worked for them that the mis-hits kept bouncing in front of deep fielders, and the sweet ones cleared them easily.

From the time he came to bat in the first over, Raina was given a fair share of back-of-a-length deliveries. By the time India's both irregular openers, in absence of Gautam Gambhir (down with diarrhoea), ended their struggle, Raina had survived a catch off a Morne Morkel no-ball. He would go on to survive run-out attempts from Smith and AB de Villiers, when on 37 and 47.

The introduction of spin, when Raina was 19 off 22 and Yuvraj 5 off 9, was what turned it around. In the ninth over, Roelof van der Merwe's first and only, Raina played two lovely inside-out drives to get six off two deliveries, and Yuvraj slog-swept to get six off one. That was trigger enough to shed away inhibitions. The first ball of the next over, Raina guessed a back-of-a-length delivery, backed away and slogged Kallis for six. His best shot was when he made room against a near yorker from Albie Morkel in the next over and squeezed it wide of point for four.

Yuvraj, meanwhile, had found his timing back, and took the lead in scoring, playing the effortless pick-ups, short-arm pulls, and the inside-out shots. By the time he skied one to hand, Raina, having put in the struggle, the ugly moments, was there in a position to cash in. Steyn, underused in the first half of the innings, came back well, but he was now limiting damage as opposed to causing it.

Rory Kleinveldt, who got M Vijay in the first over and Yuvraj later, was the one who suffered the most. And he was asking for it too, bowling either length or full tosses in the 18th over, and was hit to such varied areas as midwicket, cow corner, extra cover, straight over his head, and over long-off. Twenty-five came off that over, during which Raina moved from 75 to 93. He reached his century with a slogged six in the final over, which went for 19.

Raina will cherish this knock all the more because the pitch interested a variety of bowlers. South Africa had managed to assume a strong position with their hit-the-deck bowlers, India were about to do so with the spinners. Harbhajan Singh bowled the first over, Yusuf Pathan was introduced inside the Powerplay, and Loots Bosman was out of his depth on the slow pitch.

With both Kallis and Smith struggling, by the time the first piece of enterprise came, a slog-swept six from Smith in the 11th over, the required run-rate had reached 13. By the time Kallis reached his fifty, off 45 balls, they were needing 15.5 in each of the six overs to come.

Suddenly Kallis exploded, hitting three sixes in the next two overs. It seemed for the second time in 40 overs a batsman was about to put behind him the struggles and play a decisive knock. Yet, there were just too many risks required, and one of them claimed Kallis, leaving 59 to get off 21. The requirement was comfortable enough for India to be able to experiment: Praveen Kumar bowled just one over, for three runs. With two straight wins, India stormed to the second round as the table leaders.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/458142.html
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An opportunity in upheaval

ICC World Twenty20 2010

Andrew McGlashan
April 29, 2010

Love it or hate it you can't get away from it. No sooner has a six-week IPL concluded in Mumbai - amid huge controversy - that another Twenty20 tournament begins on the other side of world in the Caribbean. The events of the last few weeks in India have swept cricket to the sidelines. The game needs a sparkling tournament in West Indies and, most importantly, a clean and controversy-free event.

Although the two tournaments are very different, it is hardly ideal to have so much cricket of one format in the same period, let alone another World Twenty20 less than a year after the last one in England which Pakistan memorably won at Lord's. However, ICC are trying to get their events schedule back on track, so the trophy is up for grabs again less than a year after it was collected by the now-retired (and suspended) Younis Khan. A lot has happened in nine months.

One advantage of Twenty20 rolling into Twenty20 is that many of the players will be attuned to the format. The preparation factor, though, needs to be balanced against the fatigue factor and possible injuries. Already the tournament is missing Virender Sehwag, Wayne Parnell and Brett Lee through injury. The latter's withdrawal is not a huge surprise, but the absence of Sehwag and Parnell robs the event of two matchwinners. They could have been injured without the IPL, but the timing doesn't help.

And not all the players at the IPL who are now here in the West Indies have been active over the last two months. Eoin Morgan and AB de Villiers were two of the notable stars to be benched by their franchises which just goes to show how pre-tournament status can quickly count for nothing. Morgan's situation in particular shows the problems that can occur: he went to the IPL in the form of his life, but hasn't picked up a bat since March 25. Then there are the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Dwayne Bravo; players who had a forgettable IPL but will be crucial to their team's chances in this tournament

The IPL also highlights another dilemma for Twenty20 cricket. It is played so extensively at domestic level, but sparsely on the international scene. New Zealand's seven matches are the most played by a team since the end of last year's World Twenty20. The Associate teams play it as frequently as anyone with both Afghanistan and Ireland having had six matches apiece. At the other, India and South Africa have played just two since June 2009.

It makes it hard to formulate plans and work out tactics when matches are played so infrequently. Some commentators believe Twenty20 should be purely a domestic event, but ICC have committed to spreading it internationally and there is much merit in doing so. The obvious solution would be to trim the number of ODIs to accommodate more T20s (how about three of each on most tours?) but this would need a global commitment and ODI cricket is still favoured by boards.

Despite the imbalance, in the short history of international Twenty20 the two events, in South Africa and England, have been a resounding success both from a point of view of the cricket on display and the response from the public. The inaugural tournament in 2007 was the tonic the game needed after an awful 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean which managed to completely forget the roots of the game in the region. Instead of a vibrant, colourful, joyous event we had a sanitised, dull and, ultimately, farcical seven weeks.

For that reason alone this World Twenty20 is vitally important and everyone has their fingers crossed that ICC have learnt from their mistakes of three years ago. The pre-tournament hype has sounded promising - fewer restrictions on what can be brought into grounds and fair pricing top of the list - but as ever the real test will be when the action begins.

The notorious unpredictability of Twenty20 makes it almost futile to suggest a favourite (who would ever have imagined Zimbabwe beating Australia or Netherlands embarrassing England) and that is one of the factors that makes for a compelling event. Coupled with it being played over an 17-day period and it is a perfect formula. It's no surprise that the recent events to come out with most praise have been the World Twenty20 and last year's Champions Trophy in South Africa. Quality not quantity.

There should be some fascinating tales to emerge over the next couple of weeks. Afghanistan's fairytale success has already become the stuff of legend and although it's safe to say this is a tournament they won't win, their passion and pride alone means millions of eyes will be on them against South Africa and India.

There's also Bangladesh, for who Twenty20 is perfectly suited to develop on the international stage, and Zimbabwe who can show that they are on the way back up (in cricket terms, at least) having hit rock bottom. Australia have yet to dominate the shortest format as they have all others, but signs are that could change with the emergence of David Warner and maturity of Cameron White.

Don't forget the hosts, either, because any team that includes Chris Gayle, Bravo and Kieron Pollard can be a fearsome Twenty20 outfit. How brilliant it would be for them to perform in front of a home audience.

And then there are the defending champions. What is to be made of Pakistan in the current state? If it was any other team such a chaotic build-up would virtually rule out success, but with Pakistan the case is never so cut and dried. Crucially their bowling resources have remained largely intact which means Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi can have a major influence on the tournament.

Any of the top eight nations can win the tournament - even perennial nearly-men New Zealand or regular under-achievers England if things go their way - but what has been shown in Twenty20 is that there is nothing gained from taking a backward step. A moment of indecision or negativity can prove costly. Whoever comes out on top on May 16, let's hope that it's on the field exploits that have dominated and that the Caribbean has staged a true carnival.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/457760.html
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Hectic schedule will not affect us - Dhoni

ICC World Twenty20 2010

Cricinfo staff
April 27, 2010

Indian captain MS Dhoni has expressed confidence that his team will be fresh and ready to compete in the ICC World Twenty20 despite the tournament starting just days after the conclusion of the IPL. The close proximity of the two major Twenty20 tournaments followed a similar pattern last year, when the then defending champions India failed to qualify for the semi-finals, but Dhoni said his players were experienced enough to manage the traveling and workload.

"It's not that we have not played games. Sometimes you have to just take the schedule, there's no point complaining about it," Dhoni said in Mumbai before the team's departure for the West Indies.

"The IPL was supposed to finish on the 25th. We had one and a half days' rest after that, then one whole day of flying and after reaching we have 2-3 days which is more than enough. We play throughout the year. We are together for almost 250 to 300 days so I don't think that should be a concern at all."

The coach Gary Kirsten backed Dhoni's comments and said he was confident his team could go all the way. "We have got the schedule and can't do anything about it now," Kirsten said. "The Indian players may feel the heat of it more because all of them played in the IPL but our responsibility is to go out there and ensure that we are well prepared. We will do what we can in these circumstances."

It wasn't the best of IPLs for Yuvraj Singh, who managed 255 runs in 14 games for Kings XI Punjab at 21.25. Yuvraj had just returned from injury and didn't have enough time to work his way back to form once the tournament started, but his performance didn't worry Dhoni, who backed him to bounce back in the West Indies.

"Yuvraj is a great player, one of the best in T20 format, one of the biggest hitters of the ball and he can contribute with the ball at the same time," Dhoni said. "He has not scored too many runs in the IPL but at the same time it's not a big worrying factor.

"In the T20 format you need just 5 to 10 deliveries to strike form. He is still hitting the ball well. So we aren't too worried about it."

The only injury blow for India is opener Virender Sehwag, who was ruled out towards the end of the IPL due to a shoulder injury. M Vijay, the Tamil Nadu batsman who had a rewarding IPL, was named his replacement.

Looking ahead to the tournament, Dhoni said the wickets would be on the slower side and he expected his spinners, including allrounders like Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina, to play a big role.

"Both Yusuf and Harbhajan Singh did very well for their teams opening the bowling in the IPL. We also have very good part-timers in the team. Yusuf, Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan have done well in all formats of the game over the years to be called as specialist spinners," Dhoni said. "I don't think bowling should be a problem."

India's problem of facing short deliveries - which was exposed last year in England - was also addressed but Kirsten said the players were prepared to face any challenge.

"Every player is aware of what he plans to do and how he wants to set up his game plan. I'm sure the players themselves would know the bowlers they will be facing and would try to exploit the potential weaknesses of those individuals.

"We will do as much work as we can in the limited time available to make sure we are as well prepared."

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/457556.html
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Brett Lee out of World Twenty20 with arm injury

ICC World Twenty20 2010

Cricinfo staff
April 28, 2010

Brett Lee's hopes of making an international comeback have been dashed by a muscle strain in his right forearm that will force him out of the ICC World Twenty20. Lee suffered the problem during Australia's one-run warm-up loss to Zimbabwe and the team has requested a replacement player, likely to be either Doug Bollinger or Ryan Harris.

The injury is a major blow for Lee, who has not played for his country since October and was making his return from elbow surgery. Lee felt pain after taking 1 for 13 in four overs and later had MRI scans, and a team spokesman said the strain was unrelated to his elbow trouble.

"It's a muscle strain," the team spokesman told AAP. "We have gone to the ICC Technical Committee to ask for a replacement player."

The latest problem will raise further questions over the future of Lee, 33, who retired from Tests in February but wanted to remain a key Twenty20 and one-day player. A broken thumb curtailed his IPL season and although he retained his Cricket Australia contract, his ongoing injury worries must be a concern for the team management.

Australia play their second warm-up game against the Windward Islands on Thursday before their opening match of the tournament proper against Pakistan on Sunday. Bollinger and Harris are the front-runners to replace Lee, having both had strong summers in the shorter formats

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/457618.html
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ICC plans meeting to tackle review system

Technology in cricket

Akhila Ranganna
January 25, 2010

The ICC is planning a meeting with television broadcasters in March to sort out problems arising from the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS). Speaking on Cricinfo's Time Out with Harsha Bhogle show, Dave Richardson, ICC's general manager, said the system - which he said has reduced errors in decision-making since its implementation - would improve with standardisation of technology, and the meeting would discuss the cost implications in this for the member boards and broadcasters.

"The only way for us to successfully standardise the technology specifications and develop protocols is first of all to discuss and determine them," Richardson said. "The first step will be to get together with the broadcasters and the technology suppliers and come up with a more refined set of specifications. And [then] to implement those protocols and practice them.

"The overall consensus across the board, whether from umpires or players or the media, is that the UDRS has worked well; that we should continue to implement it but we should look at ways of improving the technology, refining the technology and certainly as far as possible standardise the technology across all series."

One serious issue is inadequate equipment - there are currently four Hot Spot cameras available worldwide and the technology has not been used in all Test series since the UDRS was made mandatory last October. Richardson admits to the problem but says having less equipment is better than none - at least some errors will still be caught this way.

However, the main hurdle on the way ahead is the cost involved in getting the system up to scratch. Richardson conceded that things were difficult "with existing agreements in place between members and broadcasters" when the system was implemented but disagreed with suggestions that the ICC should take on the cost burden to implement the technology. "When someone says the ICC must pay, in effect what we are asking is for the members to pay. Now some will argue, why should members like Afghanistan, Ireland, Holland - or even some of the other full members who do not have as many Tests - be paying the costs for Tests put on in some other full-member country?"

The misgivings surrounding the UDRS reached a flashpoint during the recent fourth Test between South Africa and England in Johannesburg with umpire Daryl Harper at the centre of controversy. When Graeme Smith, on 15, cut Ryan Sidebottom, England went up for the top-edge. However, Tony Hill, the on-field umpire, turned down the appeal and Andrew Strauss asked for a review. There was no noticeable deflection on the replays so the noise from the stump microphone would have to be the decisive evidence. Harper said he couldn't hear anything and upheld Hill's verdict.

The problem, as David Lloyd, the former England coach, explained on Time Out, was a multiplicity of broadcasters. "The [host] broadcaster, SABC, had a technical glitch in their sound department at that time so the director and the two commentators didn't hear the nick either," said Lloyd, who was on the commentary panel for that series. "So the information fed to Harper meant that he didn't hear the nick, but on Supersport and Sky [who were also broadcasting the game], with different technicians, everybody heard the nick. So there is a real problem there for the ICC and the review system to ensure the broadcasting body has got the right people and the right equipment to hear the nick. Harper was also looking at a totally inadequate monitor. He has got to have the best monitor available."

"[That] was a very good example of how complicated this can all get," Richardson conceded. "Obviously if we had that series again we would make sure that the same levels or specifications that the host broadcaster was using was also being used by the other broadcasters so that there was no room for different feed going out to different people."

One of the key reasons behind the introduction of the UDRS was to reduce the scrutiny on the umpires but the Johannesburg Test showed that the results can sometimes be the opposite. "Obviously the DRS system is going to involve much more scrutiny on the third umpire himself and the role of the third umpire is crucial to the success of the system," said Richardson. "But we are hoping that once everyone gets used to the DRS being used it will be used like it is in tennis. In so doing actually, the end result will be that the umpires won't be blamed necessarily for causing series to be lost or players' careers to be ended and everyone will just accept that the best decision was reached in a majority of the cases."

There is a view that the UDRS should have been trialled at the first-class level before it was introduced at the Test level but Richardson disagreed. "The problem with that is purely a practical one. First, there is very little first-class cricket that is televised. Secondly, if it is even televised, the technology that is available at those matches is very scant. Thirdly, what is needed is for players to get better understanding of when to use the system and when not to. The umpires also need to get practice at implementing the various protocols. I don't think we would have made any progress had we initially trialled it at first-class level."

In the 13 Tests the UDRS had been used in since October 2009, the correct decision percentage had gone up from 91.3% (had the UDRS not been used) to 97.4%. But Richardson conceded that "when it comes to decisions involving thin edges, more often than not in fact, the TV technology that is available does not always help on every occasion".

The answer, he reiterated, is standardisation. "Unless we are able to improve and refine the specifications it may well be that in the end we think this is too complicated and we leave it to the on-field umpires. But I think we have already learnt enough to see that the percentage of decision-making can be improved using the DRS and, yes, it is not going to be perfect 100% of the time, so if we can get correct 97% of the time then it is all worthwhile."
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PCB to lodge complaint with ICC

Indian Premier League 2010

Cricinfo staff
January 22, 2010

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to appeal to the ICC regarding the exclusion of all 11 Pakistani players from the IPL after the auction in Mumbai this week. Since the IPL is a domestic tournament, it is outside the ICC's purview and so it is unlikely cricket's ruling body will be able to do much about it, but the matter continues to rage on in Pakistan.

"We will be lodging a complaint with the ICC and I will personally table this issue at the next meeting of the ICC executive board on February 10," said Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, after a meeting with the country's sports minister in Lahore. "The IPL may be a private and commercial enterprise but this issue involves the pride of a nation and we are going to pursue it with the ICC."

Pakistan's players have reacted with anger and attributed the blackout to politics and Butt had already expressed his disappointment. Echoing these views, Pakistan sports minister Ijaz Jhakrani has now termed the exclusion of Pakistan players "a serious issue."

"How can they [IPL franchises] avoid bidding for players from the world champion team?" he said after meeting the PCB chairman. "It's our unanimous decision to take up this issue at the highest forum and lodge our protest at the ICC." As a sign of protest against the snub to Pakistan's cricketers, the speaker of the lower house had also stopped a parliamentary delegation from traveling to India.

The Indian government was quick to distance itself from the results of the IPL auction, while N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary and owner of the Chennai Super Kings franchise, has said has said the Indian board and government had nothing to do with the player selections.

Butt, however, said these were excuses without substance. "They should tell us if franchises had reservations about signing Pakistani players because they were worried about security issues and availability of the players why were our players included in the auction in the first place," he said. "If IPL franchise have so many issues with signing our players then why did the IPL first approach us to send them government clearances for the players." (www.cricinfo.com)
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ICC hopeful of thawing of India-Pakistan relations

Osman Samiuddin in Hobart
January 19, 2010

The ICC remains hopeful that bilateral contests between Pakistan and India can be resumed in the near future. Ties between the two governments have been rocky since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, which the Indian government blamed on elements based within Pakistan.

Soon after, an Indian tour to Pakistan was cancelled, bringing yet another halt to a brief period of cricketing detente; between 2003-04 and 2007-08, each country visited the other twice for full tours in addition to facing off in a number of ICC and offshore bilateral contests. Since the attacks, however, the two sides have only played one international match, a group game in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.
David Morgan

Subsequently the relationship between the two boards has become strained during the period of impasse. A nadir was reached in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Lahore on the Sri Lankan team, with many officials in the PCB believing the BCCI had somehow engineered the removal of Pakistan as a venue for the 2011 World Cup.

But David Morgan, the ICC president, believes he can broker a resolution between the two. "One of the things I am working on is trying to persuade the BCCI that they should play bilaterally as opposed to in ICC events with Pakistan," Morgan told Cricinfo. "India versus Pakistan, Pakistan versus India is the equivalent of the Ashes in Test match cricket parlance. It is very important for both countries that they renew their rivalries on the field in the five-day game. I am very hopeful they will."

A revival of the rivalry is crucial especially for the PCB, currently battling a financial crunch after the banishment of the country as an international venue. According to Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, the board lost US$40 million as a result of India's cancellation last year; a fair portion of the US$140 million broadcast deal the board has with Ten Sports is believed to have been based on the series against India.

The ICC remains hopeful that bilateral contests between Pakistan and India can be resumed in the near future. Ties between the two governments have been rocky since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, which the Indian government blamed on elements based within Pakistan.

Soon after, an Indian tour to Pakistan was cancelled, bringing yet another halt to a brief period of cricketing detente; between 2003-04 and 2007-08, each country visited the other twice for full tours in addition to facing off in a number of ICC and offshore bilateral contests. Since the attacks, however, the two sides have only played one international match, a group game in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

Subsequently the relationship between the two boards has become strained during the period of impasse. A nadir was reached in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Lahore on the Sri Lankan team, with many officials in the PCB believing the BCCI had somehow engineered the removal of Pakistan as a venue for the 2011 World Cup.

But David Morgan, the ICC president, believes he can broker a resolution between the two. "One of the things I am working on is trying to persuade the BCCI that they should play bilaterally as opposed to in ICC events with Pakistan," Morgan told Cricinfo. "India versus Pakistan, Pakistan versus India is the equivalent of the Ashes in Test match cricket parlance. It is very important for both countries that they renew their rivalries on the field in the five-day game. I am very hopeful they will."

A revival of the rivalry is crucial especially for the PCB, currently battling a financial crunch after the banishment of the country as an international venue. According to Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, the board lost US$40 million as a result of India's cancellation last year; a fair portion of the US$140 million broadcast deal the board has with Ten Sports is believed to have been based on the series against India. (www.cricinfo.com)
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