Saturday, September 29, 2012
Blues take two points from Shield draw
New South Wales opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the Sheffield Shield cricket ladder after taking first innings points from its draw with Tasmania at Bankstown Oval.
Set 343 to win from a potential 88 overs, the Tigers finished on 7 for 262 with 11 overs remaining when the two teams agreed to end the match.
The Tigers' chase never really moved into serious overdrive though a number of their batsmen made a start.
A 111-run fifth wicket stand between Aiden Blizzard (88) and captain Tim Paine (40) briefly raised hopes of a late charge.
However, they perished in successive overs and James Faulkner (0) also went as the Tigers lost 3 for 6.
In-form Blues all-rounder Moises Henriques was named man-of-the-match.
He followed up his unbeaten first innings 161 not out with a breezy unbeaten 50 off 51 balls and 3 for 41 in the Tigers' second innings.
For the Tigers, opener Mark Cosgrove followed up his first innings 84 with 44.
Test batsmen Ricky Ponting and Ed Cowan scored 34 and eight respectively.
Ponting struck just two boundaries in his 66-ball innings and seemed content to steadily accumulate.
His innings ended when he edged an attempted pull shot to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin off paceman Doug Bollinger (1 for 45).
Haddin, who scored a classy first innings century, was dismissed for seven in his second dig, but also executed a slick legside last day stumping of Alex Doolan (21).
Trent Copeland (2 for 51) passed 100 first-class wickets for the Blues.
Earlier, Blues captain Michael Clarke declared at 6 for 198, with Nick Maddinson (86) top scoring, as the home side added 121 from 22 overs in the morning.
Paceman Jackson Bird (3 for 46) was the Tigers' most successful bowler and finished with six scalps on his old home ground.
The Blues are the only team to have played two Shield matches this season, but they will not have one in October due to Sydney Sixers' participation in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in South Africa.
The Tigers' next Shield engagement will be against South Australia in Adelaide starting on October 9.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, bankstown-2200, hobart-7000 First posted September 29, 2012 19:42:17Southern Stars account for Pakistan
Australia remain unbeaten in the women's World Twenty20 following a 25-run victory over Pakistan in Galle.
The Southern Stars' triumph came courtesy of the Duckworth Lewis method with rain stopping play after nine overs in Pakistan's innings.
Pakistan was 3 for 38, in reply to the Southern Stars' 5 for 146.
First drop Jesse Cameron top-scored with 42 from 28 balls, having helped Lisa Sthalekar make a third-wicket stand of 67.
The Southern Stars next meet England in Galle on Monday.
Tags: cricket, sport, sri-lanka First posted September 29, 2012 20:21:54Watson destroys India in World T20
All-rounder Shane Watson claimed his third successive man-of-the-match award as Australia swept past India by nine wickets in their World Twenty20 Super Eights clash.
Watson (3 for 34) and 19-year-old paceman Pat Cummins (2 for 16) helped restrict India to 7 for 140 before Watson (72 off 42 balls) and David Warner (63 not out from 41 deliveries) thrashed India's bowlers all around Colombo's Premadasa Stadium.
Openers Warner and Watson shared a national-record partnership of 133 as Australia powered their way to 1 for 141 with 5.1 overs to spare.
Watson hit seven sixes, equalling partner Warner's Australian Twenty20 record.
Irfan Pathan was the biggest victim among India's attack with 0-19 from one over.
But it was India's decision to play frontline spinners Ravi Ashwin (0-32 off 3.5 overs), Harbhajan Singh (0-20 off four) and Piyush Chawla (0-14 off one) that backfired in the wet conditions.
It is one that drew immediate criticism from Indian fans on social media especially as destructive opener Virender Sehwag was dropped to accomodate them.
"There was no real grip for them," India captain MS Dhoni said of the challenge faced by his slow bowlers.
"That was the main reason we were unable to put pressure on them."
Watson said the Aussies were prepared for India to play three specialist spinners plus left-arm slow bowler Yuvraj Singh.
"There's also a chance there's going to be some rain around, especially here in Colombo," Watson said.
"You've got to make the most of conditions that you've got."
Watson said Cricket Australia's decision to rest him from the one-day series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in late August left him feeling refreshed mentally.
Watson returned to the national squad for the Twenty20s against Pakistan in Dubai earlier this month, adding 111 for the first wicket with Warner in game three of the series.
"I came off a five-week break. It was a time I was able to get some physical strength and fitness but also have a bit of a mental break as well, to be able to hit this Twenty20 World Cup running," Watson said.
"The games in Dubai were a brilliant lead-up for us to be able to adjust to the heat like we have here.
"At the moment a few things are falling my way nicely.
"We've certainly got the quality of players to be able to have a lot of success in this tournament."
Australia's second of three games in the Super Eights phase is against South Africa on Sunday night (8pm AEST).
AAP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sri-lanka, australia First posted September 29, 2012 07:03:35Windies down defending champion
West Indies edged out defending champion England by 15 runs in an exciting finish to the World Twenty20 Super Eight group one match at Pallekele stadium.
Chasing a daunting 180-run target, England came close with Eoin Morgan (71 not out) and Alex Hales (68) putting on a resolute 107-run partnership for the third wicket but in the end fell short.
England lost Craig Kieswetter and Luke Wright for first-over ducks but Hales, who hit five boundaries and two sixes off his 51 balls, and Morgan's 36-ball knock, with five sixes and four boundaries, defied West Indies's four-pronged spin attack.
England needed 125 runs in its last 10 overs but Morgan and Hales paced the innings well before Marlon Samuels bowled an excellent last over, conceding only eight runs.
West Indian captain Darren Sammy said spinners made the win possible.
"We backed ourselves to set a target and the openers got us going well," said Sammy.
"With (Sunil) Narine, Samuel, Chris (Gayle), we decided to maximise our spinners against England and it worked out."
England skipper Stuart Broad was left disappointed.
"We had to regroup, obviously losing two wickets in that first over hurt us but we showed how good the wicket was. We were quite happy with our effort with the ball and I think we're disappointed not to win tonight," said Broad.
West Indies was set on its way for a big total by openers Johnson Charles and Gayle.
Charles smashed three sixes and 10 well-timed boundaries in his 56-ball 84 while Gayle hit four sixes and six fours in his 35-ball 58.
West Indies had raced to 103 by the 11th over when Gayle was finally out, caught by Steven Finn as the left-hander tried to hit Graeme Swann out of the ground.
Three of his sixes came in one over from left-arm spinner Samit Patel.
But Gayle's dismissal allowed England to pull back as they dismissed Marlon Samuels (two) and Kieron Pollard (one) in quick succession, with Broad claiming one wicket besides bowling a maiden over.
Charles finally holed out at mid-on, missing out on a low Jade Dernbach full toss and was caught by Jonathon Bairstow.
Broad was the pick of the England bowlers with 2-26.
Earlier Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in a sensational super over finish after both teams were tied in the 40-over contest.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sri-lanka First posted September 28, 2012 07:28:25Southern Stars breeze past India
Australia cruised to an eight-wicket win over India in its opening match of the women's World Twenty20 in Galle.
The Southern Stars restricted India to 8 for 104 from its 20 overs, with Erin Osborne claiming the figures of 3 for 13.
Opener Meg Lanning then top scored with 39, helping the Southern Stars reach the victory target in the 18th over for the loss of just two wickets.
The Southern Stars next meet Pakistan in Galle on Saturday.
Tags: cricket, sport, sri-lanka First posted September 27, 2012 22:28:08Gul's rescue act guides Pakistan past Proteas
Umar Gul turned an unlikely hero with the bat as Pakistan survived a middle-order collapse to beat South Africa by two wickets in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20 on Friday night.
Pakistan, chasing South Africa's modest 6 for 133, crashed to 7 for 76 in the 15th over before Gul and Umar Akmal combined to share a match-winning partnership of 49 in 27 balls.
Gul smashed two fours and three sixes in his 32 off 17 balls before he was dismissed off the last ball of the 19th over by fast bowler Dale Steyn with nine more needed.
But Akmal, who remained unbeaten on 43, and Saeed Ajmal steered Pakistan home with two balls to spare; Ajmal edging the winning boundary off Morne Morkel.
Pakistan's openers raced to 24 in 2.5 overs before the innings fell apart after Imran Nazir (14) was caught behind off Steyn.
Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who came to bowl the fourth over, removed skipper Mohammad Hafeez with his second delivery and Nasir Jamshed with the sixth to leave Pakistan reeling at 3 for 31.
Off-spinner Johan Botha also struck in his first over by bowling Kamran Akmal for 1, Jacques Kallis dismissed Shoaib Malik (12) and JP Duminy had danger man Shahid Afridi caught in the deep for a first-ball duck.
But Gul and Umar Akmal launched a blistering attack on the Proteas to earn Pakistan full points in the opening match of group two.
Earlier, Pakistan's spinners revelled on a slow wicket to restrict mighty South Africa to 6 for 133.
Hafeez claimed 2 for 23 and 20-year-old left-arm spinner Raza Hasan conceded just 12 runs in three overs after South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
Seamers Yasir Arafat and Gul shared three wickets as the batsmen tried to hit out against them after failing to play the slow bowlers.
South Africa, the top-ranked side in the Twenty20 format, was reduced to 3 for 28 in 6.1 overs before recovering through skipper AB de Villiers and JP Duminy.
Left-handed Duminy top-scored with 48 off 38 balls, while de Villiers made 25, but no other batsman reached 20.
AFP
Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, sri-lanka, south-africa, pakistan First posted September 28, 2012 23:53:22Male escort fined for Aussie cricketer break-in
A Sri Lankan court has convicted a 21-year-old man who broke into the hotel rooms of two Australian cricketers and offered them sex during the ongoing World Twenty20.
The Sri Lankan, named as Abdul Karim, was fined 1,000 rupees ($7.39) and handed a one-month suspended jail term after he pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking and entering.
The man breached supposedly tight security last Monday at the luxury Cinnamon Grand hotel in central Colombo where the Australian team were staying ahead of their game against India on Friday.
"The man had gone into a player's room offering his services as a male escort," a police officer involved in the case told AFP.
"The player refused and he barged into another room when the Australians alerted hotel security."
The authorities had declared floors occupied by cricketers as out-of-bounds as part of security for players during the September 18-October 7 tournament that was billed as the same level as for visiting heads of state.
"No harm was done, but the intrusion was a serious embarrassment," a senior official coordinating security for the tournament told AFP.
"Since then, we have reviewed the arrangements and taken some new measures."
A source in the hotel told AFP that Karim had worked previously at the Cinnamon Grand while employed for a local auditing firm.
Neither police nor security officials named the players involved.
"It was a minor and isolated incident involving an over-enthusiastic cricket fan, which was reported immediately by the Australian team management," said Sami ul-Hasan, a spokesman for the International Cricket Council (ICC).
"The trespasser has been dealt with by the law and the security for the tournament has been tightened," he added.
The Australian team declined to comment when contacted.
ABC/AFP
Tags: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, cricket, sport, sri-lanka, australia First posted September 28, 2012 22:19:09Warriors beat Bushrangers in one-dayer
Victoria all-rounder John Hastings made an instant splash in his return from injury but it was a trio of Warriors who stole the show, as Western Australia posted a 25-run victory in Friday's one-day cup match at the WACA ground.
Hastings, making his first competitive appearance for the Bushrangers in almost 18 months after recovering from his fourth shoulder operation, finished with 4 for 59 from 13 overs, as the Warriors posted a competitive 9 for 248.
Man-of-the-match Liam Davis was the Warriors' hero with the bat by posting 93 off 104 balls, before Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Coulter-Nile did the damage with the ball to help dismiss the visitors for 223 in 48.4 overs.
Bushrangers all-rounder Will Sheridan briefly threatened to steal the game away from the Warriors by smacking four consecutive sixes, but Coulter-Nile brought an end to his bludgeoning by sending a delivery crashing into the stumps.
Johnson claimed the key scalps of Rob Quiney (5) and Chris Rogers (35) to finish with 3 for 43 off 11.4 overs, while Coulter-Nile snared 4 for 65 to go with two crucial run-outs.
Johnson was fired up from the beginning after copping a barrage of sledging from a rowdy Bushrangers supporter while warming up during the change of innings.
The 47-Test paceman handled the criticism well, and instead channelled his anger towards the Bushrangers batsmen.
Quiney was the first to feel the heat, with Johnson cannoning a speedy delivery into the batsman's stumps.
And after returning figures of 1 for 11 from his first four-over spell, Johnson returned in the 24th over to trap Rogers leg before wicket at a delicate stage of the Bushrangers' innings.
Even Warriors wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt was in the firing line, with the former Tasmanian hurting his hand attempting to control one of Johnson's deliveries.
The Bushrangers struggled to keep in touch with the required run-rate throughout their innings, and needed some big-hitting heroics after slumping to 4 for 108 after 31 overs.
Andrew McDonald (31 off 34 balls), Michael Hill (40 off 47) and Sheridan (25 off eight) did their best, but the Bushrangers' slow start ended up proving too costly.
The Bushrangers entered the match minus five players on international Twenty20 duties, while pacemen Peter Siddle and James Pattinson were also left out in a bid to leave them fresh for the coming Sheffield Shield clash, starting Sunday.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, perth-6000, melbourne-3000 First posted September 28, 2012 21:24:22Friday, September 28, 2012
Sri Lanka beat Black Caps in super over
Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in a one-over eliminator after the 40-over Super Eights contest was sensationally tied at Pallekele stadium on Thursday night.
With both teams inseparable on 174 runs at the end of 40 overs a 'super over' round was played for the result.
New Zealand paceman Tim Southee restricted Sri Lanka to 1 for 13 but Lasith Malinga managed better, finishing the New Zealand innings five short of his team's total.
It was the seventh tied match in all Twenty20 cricket, with New Zealand involved in four of them.
Tillakaratne Dilshan (76) had put Sri Lanka on course for a successful run chase before New Zealand pulled back through some accurate bowling and fielding.
Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother when they lost Kumar Sangakkara (21) and Jeevan Mendis (eight) in quick succession, needing 38 from the last four overs.
With Sri Lanka needing 21 off the final two overs, Dilshan hit James Franklin for a six off the first ball before he was run out off the next, leaving Sri Lanka to make 15 off the final 10 deliveries.
It boiled down to eight off the final over. Lahiru Thirimanne hit a boundary off Southee's penultimate delivery but was run out off the final ball, luckily for New Zealand the ball hitting the stumps after coming off Ross Taylor's knee.
Dilshan hit three sixes and five boundaries during his 53-ball knock.
Mahela Jayawardene, who scored 44 in the match, showed delight at the win.
"It's nice to have a win under your belt so the pressure eases down," said the Sri Lankan captain.
"Judging by Taylor's reaction on the last ball we thought we had won but it needed a super over."
Taylor said he was proud of his team's fightback.
"To lose tight matches is always disappointing," said Taylor. "But from the situation we were in I thought we fought back very hard and never gave up. I am proud of my team."
New Zealand owed their total to a career best fifty by opener Rob Nicol.
Nicol hit Ajantha Mendis for three sixes in the 15th over during his 40-ball 58 after New Zealand won the toss and batted.
The 29-year-old, who in all hit four sixes and three boundaries, put on a brisk 57 for the opening wicket with Martin Guptill (38) and 42 for the second with Brendon McCullum (25) before he fell in the 16th over.
Nicol's previous Twenty20 highest was 56 against Zimbabwe at Hamilton earlier this year.
Mendis, who took 6 for 8 in the first round match against Zimbabwe to register the best bowling figures in all Twenty20 internationals, went for 48 runs for his only wicket in four overs, his last costing 24.
In contrast newcomer Akila Dananjaya took 2 for 32. Taylor chipped in with a brisk 23.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka First posted September 28, 2012 07:43:07Blues hold lead over Tigers
A sporting declaration from Tasmania captain Tim Paine has set up an intriguing final day in the Sheffield Shield cricket match against New South Wales at Bankstown Oval.
Paine declared at 8 for 298 at tea on Friday, handing the Blues a 144-run first innings advantage with four sessions remaining.
When bad light ended play on day three prematurely, the Blues were 3 for 77, giving the hosts an overall lead of 221.
Nic Maddinson (34) and Steve Smith (16) will resume for the Blues on Saturday, when some rain is forecast.
Paine's attacking move paid instant dividends as Peter Nevill (0) was LBW to the first ball of the innings bowled by Luke Butterworth (1 for 8).
Fellow opener Scott Henry (3) also fell for a second single-digit score in the game, caught behind off Jackson Bird (1 for 20) with the total on 10.
Blues captain Michael Clarke (22) looked dangerous in his 21-ball cameo.
He struck four fours before he was caught by wicketkeeper Paine, who dived forward to complete the dismissal of the first ball bowled by James Faulkner (1 for 8).
All-rounder Butterworth spearheaded the Tigers' revival from 5 for 123 with a unbeaten 65.
Three stubborn partnerships helped avoid any risk of being asked to follow on after a difficult morning session in which they lost 3 for 69.
The Blues took control after dismissing Aiden Blizzard (7) and Mark Cosgrove (84) in successive overs.
Paine (23) and Faulkner (28) started the fight-back with a 31-run, sixth-wicket stand before lunch.
Butterworth then added 40 with Faulkner (28) and 88 with Jason Krejza (48).
The Tigers were more enterprising in the middle session, adding 118, with Butterworth and Krejza both playing some fine attacking shots.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, bankstown-2200, tas First posted September 28, 2012 17:44:35CA set to appoint female board member
Company director Jacquie Hey is poised to become the first woman on the Cricket Australia (CA) board.
But former Test captain Mark Taylor was overlooked for a seat.
Hey is one of three unanimous recommendations by the current board to take new independent positions on the restructured board.
She is the former managing director of telecommunications company Ericsson in Australia and New Zealand.
Hey is currently a non-executive director at the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, and holds the same position at public broadcaster SBS.
The other recommendations for the independent seats are Rio Tinto managing director David Peever and former company chief executive Kevin Roberts, who was also a middle-order batsman for New South Wales.
Taylor was also a former Cricket New South Wales board member and he had applied for one of the independent positions.
State associations will vote on the three independent candidates at CA's AGM on October 25, with a two-thirds majority needed.
The new board structure follows a governance review of CA.
State delegates made up the old board of 14 directors, but it is now down to nine - the three independent directors, plus one member from each state.
CA plans to make the board completely independent over the next five years.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, australia First posted September 28, 2012 19:36:30Thursday, September 27, 2012
Aussies ready to renew Harbhajan hostilities
For more than a decade Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has got under the skin of Australian batsmen and Mike Hussey is prepared for more of the same when the teams meet in a World Twenty20 Super Eight clash.
The build-up to the game against India at Colombo's Premadasa Stadium, which begins at 12.00am on Saturday (AEST), has been dominated by the return to form of spinner Harbhajan, who has a long history of antagonising Australian cricketers.
Harbhajan sprung to worldwide fame when he took a hat-trick against Australia in the famous Kolkata Test in 2001, after VVS Laxman's 281 set up India's remarkable victory, but infamously sparked a furore when allegedly calling Andrew Symonds a monkey during Australia's controversial Test victory at the SCG in 2008.
The veteran celebrated his first international appearance for more than a year by taking a national-record 4 for 12 last weekend against England, and Hussey says the Australians are expecting the talkative spinner to engage the Aussies in some verbal duels.
Australia's number three says he tends not to get involved with bowlers but admits combative opener David Warner may take a different approach.
"I prefer to walk away and not worry about it," says Hussey, 37.
"If he (Harbhajan) wants to use his energy up sledging and carrying on, that's fine.
"Some other guys really thrive on it. Davey Warner, he likes a little bit of interaction out there and it gets him going.
"So I don't think there is a right way or wrong way to handle it, but I think it's up to the individual to know he's going to try these tactics so you've got to be ready for it, and be sure it doesn't affect your concentration but handle it in your own way.
"I just think let him (Warner) go, let him play his way. That's what given him success so far."
Australia qualified for the Super Eights with wins in the group stage over Ireland and West Indies but they will find the going tough against India, South Africa and Pakistan.
The ICC has released its latest rankings following the completion of the World Twenty20 group stage, with Australia rising two spots to seventh and all-rounder Shane Watson up four places to a career-best third on the batting list.
Watson is also Australia's highest-ranked bowler at number seven.
AAP/ABC
Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka, australia, india First posted September 27, 2012 11:03:43Ponting, Cowan fail against Blues
Test batsmen Ricky Ponting and Ed Cowan both missed out in their first domestic innings of the season, against a New South Wales team inspired by a career-best effort from Moises Henriques.
Henriques blasted an unbeaten 161 against Tasmania, as the Blues recovered from a sickly 3 for 7 to post 442 in the Sheffield Shield match at Bankstown Oval.
Cowan (17) and Ponting (9) perished quickly, as the Tigers reached 3 for 111 when bad light ended play on day two around 40 minutes early.
Mark Cosgrove (73 not out) headed the Tigers' chase, striking several powerful boundaries.
Fellow opener Cowan, who appeared for Australia A and English county Gloucestershire during the off-season, looked set before leaving a ball from Trent Copeland (1 for 28) that crashed into his stumps.
Ponting received a warm welcome from the home spectators after Alex Doolan (5), was caught in the slips by Steve Smith off Doug Bollinger (1 for 26).
The former Test skipper faced 12 balls and struck a couple of sublime boundaries through cover and mid-on before playing around a delivery from Josh Hazlewood (1 for 36).
Ponting, whose last innings was in the third Test against West Indies five months ago, should get another three first-class hit-outs with the Tigers before the opening Test against South Africa in November.
The Blues were dismissed shortly after lunch, but not before Henriques and Copeland (55) each recorded highest first-class scores.
Their 124-run union represented the Blues' highest Sheffield Shield eighth-wicket stand against the Tigers.
They batted through the entire morning session, but the Blues innings closed when they lost 3 for 17 from the time of Copeland's dismissal.
Henriques, who had made nine first-class half-centuries, almost doubled his previous best first-class score of 82, made for Australia A against Pakistan A in Townsville in 2009.
The Australia one-day and Twenty20 representative smashed 15 fours and four sixes in his impressive 229-ball innings.
Copeland notched his second first-class half century, eclipsing his previous best of 53 against Queensland at Blacktown in the 2010/11 season.
Six bowlers claimed wickets for the Tigers, but only former Bankstown and Blues second XI paceman Jackson Bird (3 for 75) took more than one dismissal.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, bankstown-2200, hobart-7000 First posted September 27, 2012 18:03:53Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Haddin hundred lifts NSW against Tigers
Brad Haddin broke a two-year century drought in first-class cricket to spearhead a New South Wales revival on day one of the Sheffield Shield cricket match against Tasmania at Bankstown Oval on Wednesday.
The Blues were 2 for 1 and 3 for 7, but two fifty-run partnerships and a 168-run sixth-wicket stand between Haddin (114) and Moises Henriques (83 not out) lifted them to 7 for 302 by stumps.
Australian representative Haddin's last first-class century was against England in Brisbane in November 2010 in the opening Test of the Ashes series.
He struggled for form in Australia last summer and returned from the Australian Test tour of the West Indies earlier this year after his young daughter Mia fell seriously ill.
Matthew Wade took over the wicketkeeping duties in the West Indies, but Haddin showed on Wednesday he still had plenty to offer.
In front of a surprisingly big crowd of 1207 including Australian selector Rod Marsh, Haddin displayed his trademark aggression.
He played numerous attractive, well-timed shots around the ground.
Haddin struck 14 fours and two sixes before miscuing a pull shot off Jackson Bird (3-59) to Luke Butterworth at mid-wicket.
In-form Henriques followed up scores of 78 in both the one and four-day fixtures against Western Australia with another fluent innings.
Michael Clarke (37) and Steve Smith (64) started the fightback with a partnership of 57 and Smith and Haddin added 60.
Former Bankstown junior Bird triggered the Blues early batting woes.
Bird had Peter Nevill (1) lbw with his first ball and then caught Scott Henry (0) in the slips off Luke Butterworth.
He then had Nic Maddinson (0) caught in the slips by Ricky Ponting, ending a fruitless 19-ball innings for the highly touted left-hander.
Bird, last season's Sheffield Shield rookie of the year, didn't concede a run until his 21st delivery.
Butterworth, Mark Cosgrove and Adam Maher each chipped in with a wicket.
AAP
Tags: sport, cricket, bankstown-2200, nsw, hobart-7000, tas, australia First posted September 26, 2012 19:22:37T20 organisers ditch water after players get bug
A local drinking water supplier strongly defended its product on Tuesday even as World Twenty20 organisers jettisoned their bottled water after several players, including Australia's Mitchell Starc and Brad Hogg, went down with stomach flu.
LAUGFS Aqua System said they had asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) for samples of suspect bottles of water, but got no immediate response except a statement that their product was off the table.
"We have done our own tests and confirmed that there is nothing wrong with our water," LAUGFS general manager Chaminda Wijesinghe said.
"We asked the ICC to give us water samples but we have got no response yet."
He said players and officials may also have consumed bottles from other suppliers rather than LAUGFS mineral water while staying at Sri Lankan hotels.
"We don't know what caused the problem but I can tell you it is not our water," Wijesinghe said. "I am drinking it all the time."
Several players from New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and Australia have reportedly been treated for stomach bugs since their arrival in Sri Lanka, with Kiwi Tim Southee even requiring hospital treatment for dehydration.
An ICC spokesman said on Monday that the brand of bottled water used by players and officials had been replaced.
Players were supplied with a locally-produced American branded mineral water during training on Tuesday.
Since last Thursday, there had been no reports of any player coming down with stomach flu.
"Although there is no evidence to suggest that water was the cause of any illness, the product supplied for use in the tournament has been replaced," the spokesman for tournament organisers said.
A Sri Lankan source connected with the tournament said public health inspectors had checked the food given to the players and found nothing untoward.
"If an entire team, or at least a majority, go down, we can understand that there is something wrong with the food and beverages department," the source said. "Just a few players have been affected."
No official complaints had been lodged by any of the teams, he added.
Among players who went down with gastro trouble over the past two weeks were New Zealand's Daniel Vettori, Mitchell Starc and Brad Hogg of Australia, and Paul Stirling and George Dockrell of Ireland.
The 12-nation tournament, Sri Lanka's biggest sporting event, opened on September 18 and runs until October 7.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka, australia First posted September 25, 2012 21:36:26Pakistan blast Bangladesh out of T20 World Cup
Pakistan bludgeoned Bangladesh out of the World Twenty20 and successfully reached the Super Eights round with a ruthless batting display.
Imran Nazir's brilliant 72 and skipper Mohammad Hafeez's 45 helped take Pakistan past Bangladesh's challenging 6 for 175 in Pallekele, after already overhauling the target needed to go through on net run-rate.
Shakib Al Hasan had smashed a record 84 for Bangladesh, who needed to win by 36 runs to go through, raising the prospect of a shock upset against the former champions.
But those hopes were quickly dashed by opener Nazir's career-best knock, including nine boundaries and three sixes in 36 balls, which made up the bulk of Pakistan's 124 for the opening wicket with Hafeez.
Even when both fell in one Abul Hasan over, Nasir Jamshed (29 not out) and Kamran Akmal (22 not out) ensured the win was achieved with eight balls to spare as Pakistan wrapped it up with 2 for 178, joining New Zealand in the next round.
"It's a great team effort, the boys have shown the right attitude so far in this tournament," said Hafeez.
"Our bowlers tried well but there is a little bit of a concern about the fast bowlers, still I am very happy as captain because the team are responding to me," said Hafeez, whose pace trio conceded 93 in nine overs.
Rahim was happy with Bangladesh's efforts in a high-pressure situation.
"The pressure was on us but Hasan played very well. We can take some positives out of this and go home and work on a few things," said Rahim.
After Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat, left-hander Hasan hit his second Twenty20 fifty and added 68 runs for the third wicket with skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (25).
Hasan, whose previous Twenty20 best of 57 came against Ireland at Belfast earlier this year, smashed 11 boundaries and two sixes during his 54-ball knock, improving Nazimuddin's previous best of 81, against Pakistan at Nairobi in 2007.
Opener Tamim Iqbal hit five boundaries in his 12-ball 24 before he was unfortunately run out. It was Hasan who punished every Pakistani bowler, with Umar Gul going for 43 runs in his three overs.
Pakistan were sloppy in the field, with Sohail Tanveer dropping a sitter off Rahim and Shahid Afridi failing to hold on to a sharp chance off Hasan - both in one over by Yasir Arafat, who was best bowler with 3 for 25.
The Super Eights, which decide the semi-finalists, start in Pallekele on Thursday, with Sri Lanka taking on New Zealand and England playing the West Indies in Group One.
Pakistan, India, South Africa and Australia are in a highly competitive Group Two, highlighted by the fact that all four teams are unbeaten so far.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, pakistan, bangladesh First posted September 26, 2012 05:59:20Tuesday, September 25, 2012
West Indies through to super eight
West Indies qualified for the World Twenty20 super eight stage without winning a match after its final Group B match against Ireland was abandoned because of rain.
Ireland reached 6 for 129 after the match had been reduced to 19 overs a side before the rain returned in Colombo.
West Indies was then set a revised target of 44 from five overs but the teams were unable to take the field again.
Niall O'Brien top-scored with 25 runs as he shared a 33-run fourth-wicket partnership with Gary Wilson (21). But Chris Gayle dismissed both batsmen and finished with match figures of 2 for 21.
Ireland captain William Porterfield was dismissed off the first ball of the innings for the second time in the tournament when he was bowled by a swinging yorker from Fidel Edwards.
Pace bowler Ravi Rampaul and spinner Sunil Narine ended up with figures of 1 for 23 from three overs each.
West Indies has not had an opportunity to play a full match in the group stage as its fixture against Australia was also stopped by rain.
Australia, who beat West Indies on the Duckworth-Lewis method in the other group match, had already qualified for the next stage.
West Indies will be in group one in the super eights along with hosts Sri Lanka, New Zealand and defending champions England.
It will play England on Thursday.
In group two, Australia, South Africa and India have already qualified with Pakistan and Bangladesh competing for the final place on Tuesday.
Reuters
Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka First posted September 25, 2012 07:21:10Monday, September 24, 2012
Arthur tells bowlers to sharpen up
Coach Mickey Arthur says Australia's bowlers must learn a lesson, believing they panicked in a sloppy World Twenty20 performance against West Indies.
Captain George Bailey's team have moved into the Super Eights stage where the Australians face heavyweights India and South Africa.
But Arthur was unhappy about the way some Australian bowlers strayed from the game plan and warned they must improve after copping stick from the Windies in their final group game.
Australia faced the task of making the fifth-highest successful run chase in T20 International history after the Chris Gayle-inspired Windies belted 8 for 191.
But rain intervened and they won by 17 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis Method after scoring 1 for 100 from 9.1 overs.
Offspinner Glenn Maxwell conceded 17 runs from his only over as Gayle blasted his way to 54 off 33 balls.
Pace bowlers Shane Watson (2-29) and Mitchell Starc (3-35) were Australia's leading wicket-takers but Arthur didn't spare Starc or fellow young speedster Pat Cummins (1-41 off four overs) in a damning critique of the team's bowling efforts.
"I was really disappointed the way we executed with the ball," said Arthur.
"We were just a little bit sloppy and that annoyed me a little bit."
Arthur said he didn't mind a bowler trying to bowl a particular type of yorker and narrowly missing the mark and getting hit for six.
"I've got problems when we're hit both sides of the wicket and I know what plans I want to execute against Chris Gayle," Arthur said.
"When we get it completely wrong, then I really get annoyed.
"Short and wide, back of a length. He just stood (in the fifth over, the second bowled by Cummins) and took 18 runs.
"I don't mind if they bowl a wide with a bouncer, particularly with a guy like Gayle, just to let the batter know. Then you've got to get it head high.
"We wanted to try and cramp Gayle up a little bit, which we did to a certain degree.
"Once he started going, I thought we panicked just a fraction.
"But saying that, we've got Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, young bowlers who can only have benefited from (Saturday night's) experiences.
"I'm not massively disappointed but we need to take from that and learn."
Arthur gave his squad a two-day break before training resumes on Tuesday for Friday night's opening Super Eights clash with the strong Indian battling line-up.
AAP
Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka, australia, jamaica First posted September 24, 2012 17:17:13India, Pakistan claim World T20 wins
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan stayed on course for a highly-awaited Super Eights clash in the World Twenty20 with contrasting wins on Monday morning (AEST).
India demolished defending champion England by 90 runs in a group A match in Colombo after Pakistan had pipped New Zealand by 13 runs in group D in Pallekele.
Both India and Pakistan are almost certain to be drawn in the same Super Eights group, with a match between the sub-continental giants scheduled to be played in Colombo on September 30.
India is already assured of a place in the Super Eights, while Pakistan takes on Bangladesh in its last league match needing a win to advance.
Harbhajan Singh grabbed 4 for 12 on his return after a year in the wilderness as a new-look India outplayed England in front of 20,000 spectators at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 55 off 33 balls as India scored 4 for 170 before England was shot out for its lowest T20 total of 80 in 14.4 overs.
India rested seamer Zaheer Khan, spinner Ravi Ashwin and opener Virender Sehwag for the match that held only academic interest since both teams had already made it to the Super Eights.
Harbhajan, 32, who had been out of favour with the selectors since August last year before being recalled for the World Twenty20, claimed a wicket off his second delivery when he came on in the sixth over.
When his spell finished in the 12th over, England had slumped to 8 for 60 and lost its ninth wicket also at the same total.
England was in danger of falling for the lowest ever total in Twenty20 internationals - 67 by Kenya against Ireland in 2008 - before the last-wicket pair of Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach prevented the humiliation.
But the total still fell below England's previous lowest score of 88 against the West Indies at the Oval last year.
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who was also an unexpected selection for the match, claimed 2 for 13 and seamer Irfan Pathan took 2 for 17 as England faltered against both pace and spin.
Other notable contributions for India came from Gautam Gambhir, who made 45, and Virat Kohli, who smashed 40 off 32 balls.
"It's been a hard year being out of the side," an emotional Harbhajan said.
"Other boys were doing really well, so it was really difficult for me to make a comeback.
"For me this was an important game. Getting a wicket off the second ball gave me a lot of confidence.
"This India shirt is everything for me. I don't know what I would do if not playing for India."
England captain Stuart Broad conceded his team played poorly.
"Poor all round really," he said. "We were okay with 171, but India bowled really well.
"We played across the line too much. I don't agree we can't play spin. Certainly in training we have been learning.
"We have had a very bad day, but that does not affect the rest of the tournament. It does not change where we go."
In Pallekele, another offspinner Saeed Ajmal took four wickets as Pakistan kept its nerve to pull off an exciting win over New Zealand in its first match in the tournament.
Ajmal's 4 for 30 helped Pakistan restrict New Zealand to 9 for 164 after setting the Black Caps a daunting 178-run target on the back of a career-best 56 from Nasir Jamshed.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said he was confident his bowlers would win the game.
"We have good variations in our bowling and Ajmal was once again outstanding," he said.
"Once we got Brendon McCullum out, we were sure of winning."
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sri-lanka First posted September 24, 2012 09:05:46Sunday, September 23, 2012
Australia and South Africa beat the rain
Australia qualified for the Super Eights round and South Africa earned bragging points as rain ruined two key matches in the World Twenty20 on Sunday (AEST).
Australia beat the West Indies by 17 runs according to the Duckworth-Lewis method after rain cut short the group B game that appeared headed for a keen finish in Colombo.
South Africa outplayed hosts Sri Lanka by 32 runs in a group C match reduced to seven-overs-a-side in Hambantota due to rain.
The match held only academic interest since both South Africa and Sri Lanka had already qualified for the next round with wins over Zimbabwe, the third team in the group.
Australia, chasing a challenging target of 192, were 1 for 100 in 9.1 overs when heavy rain forced the match to be called off in front of 18,000 fans at the Premadasa stadium.
The Aussies, who were ahead of the par score of 83 at that stage, recorded their second successive win following a seven-wicket win over Ireland on Wednesday.
The West Indies and Ireland will clash on Monday, with the winner taking the second Super Eights spot from the group.
The weather ruined a keen finish with Australia edging ahead, needing 92 more from 65 balls with nine wickets in hand.
David Warner hit 28 in an opening stand of 30 with Shane Watson, before Mike Hussey joined Watson to add 70 in 42 balls for the unbroken second wicket.
Watson, who was unbeaten on 41 off 24 balls with three sixes and two boundaries, was declared the man of the match.
Hussey made 28 not out with three fours and a six.
Earlier, the West Indies posted 8 for 191 following attacking half-centuries from Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.
Left-handed Gayle smashed 54 off 33 balls and Samuels plundered 50 from 32 balls after the West Indies elected to bat in their first match of the tournament.
Sri Lankan fans were treated to a flurry of strokes as Gayle hit four sixes and five boundaries and Samuels chipped in with four sixes and three fours.
"The weather ruined a very exciting game," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy. "Everybody was looking forward to it.
"The batsmen did what was required of them. We knew Australia would come back hard, but we took too long to respond."
Australian captain George Bailey was relieved at gaining full points from the match.
"There was some good stuff but there was some ordinary stuff as well," he said. "The challenge is to lessen the gap between the good and the ordinary stuff.
"Watson and Warner did the job, Hussey was good too. But we are disappointed with the rain, because an exciting finish was set up."
In Hambantota, South Africa piled up 4 for 78 in seven overs with skipper AB de Villiers smashing two sixes and a four during his 13-ball 30. Hashim Amla (16) and Faf du Plessis (13) were the other main contributors.
Sri Lanka managed only 5 for 46 in reply, having lost the star duo of Tillakaratne Dilshan (0) and skipper Mahela Jayawardene (4) in the first two overs.
Dale Steyn was South Africa's best bowler with 2-10.
Heavy rain had delayed the start by two-and-a-half hours, disappointing a sell-out crowd of 35,000 in the southern port town.
De Villiers said his team was ready for the next round.
"Beating Sri Lanka is nice because they are one of the top teams and now we are ready for the Super Eights," the South African captain said.
"We did not take anything for granted. It was nice to win again."
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, sri-lanka, australia, jamaica First posted September 23, 2012 06:13:16Proteas bowlers may struggle in Tests: Cowan
Ed Cowan sees South Africa as clearly the best Test team in the world but is not convinced its bowlers will be as potent in Australia as they were in England.
Cowan led an Australia A side in two rain-affected, drawn Tests against the England Lions last month, top-scoring for his side in both matches to consolidate his place alongside David Warner in the Test lineup.
The Proteas defeated England's first XI 2-0 at the same time and, though impressed with what he saw, Cowan feels their form in the northern hemisphere gives little indication as to how they will fare in the upcoming three-Test series in Australia.
"They're obviously the best team in the world," Cowan told Grandstand. "I've thought that for a while.
"It was nice to get close hand experience of watching them closely.
"But the conditions are very, very different in Australia than they are in England.
"Their bowlers bowled well in English conditions. The challenge for them is to come here and do the same."
Though the Gabba and WACA pitches would appear suited to Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, Cowan said there is also a high-risk factor, as well as potential great reward, on these tracks.
"They're both wickets that you need to bowl in the right areas," Cowan said. "The margin for error is smaller.
"If you get it right it can be very dangerous for the batsmen but if you get it wrong the ball can go all round the park.
"There's more margin for length error in England than there is on those two wickets.
"The ball spun for (Imran) Tahir which might not happen here - he cleaned up the (English) tail because of it.
"It's a new tour, they haven't seen a lot of our Test cricketers before and I think they're going to be really pushed by an Australian team that's been playing some strong cricket."
Tags: sport, cricket, australia, tas First posted September 23, 2012 13:09:09Australia coming to terms with T20: Bailey
Australia is finally coming to terms with the demands of Twenty20 cricket after failing to take the shortest form of the game seriously, World Cup captain George Bailey has said.
The four-times 50 overs World Cup champions' best performance in the T20 game has been reaching the final of the 2010 tournament against eventual winners England in the West Indies.
Australia lost that final by seven wickets.
"My personal opinion is, I think, is that it has taken a little while for Australia to take Twenty20 seriously," Bailey told reporters.
"For many years we beat teams with guys who hadn't played international cricket. We have changed that team a lot. I think we are trying to get there."
Australia plays Ireland in its opening game on Wednesday morning (AEST) and Bailey says a lengthy pre-tournament campaign has helped his side prepare.
"It's been really good the last couple of weeks just to have that time together," Bailey said.
"It's the longest that we've had this Twenty20 group together and I think we've certainly seen some benefits of that."
With youngsters Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins vying with veterans David Hussey and Clint McKay for a starting role, Bailey says there is plenty of healthy competition for places throughout the squad.
"We've seen individuals contribute, we've seen guys really starting to form some partnerships with bat and ball," he said.
"I think we've got all bases covered and I really like the mix we've got."
Australia is currently ninth in the world rankings and was recently ranked below Ireland after losing back-to-back games to Pakistan.
But Bailey says the rankings will mean little once the competition gets under way.
"I can't imagine teams will be taking it easy against us based on the fact where we are ranked and I can certainly assure you we won't be taking teams based on their rankings as well," Bailey said.
"Particularly in a World Cup, rankings go out the window. What matters is performance."
Reuters/ABC
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sri-lanka, australia First posted September 19, 2012 11:37:28Saturday, September 22, 2012
Ireland confident of causing T20 upset
Ireland captain William Porterfield says his side is well capable of downing a 'transitional' Australian side when their World Twenty20 clash gets underway at 8pm (AEST) tonight.
Ireland are ranked 10th in the world but Australia, runners-up in the previous tournament in 2010, have slipped to ninth themselves and were actually below the Irish earlier this month.
Ireland beat Bangladesh in a warm-up game in Colombo and is full of confidence with a balanced attack led by young spin sensation George Dockrell, 20.
To reach the knockout stages, Ireland will have to defeat either Australia or the West Indies in Group B - something Porterfield feels is not beyond his side.
"Irish cricket has been evolving for the past number of years and in the last five years we have been growing," Porterfield said.
"We want to get wins more regularly and this tournament is no different.
"We think we've got a good as chance as any (against Australia).
"We're coming up against a team that is going through a bit of transition themselves but they're a good team.
"They have a lot of lads who are game-changers especially in this format of the game, but the way we've been playing, we've prepared for this tournament and we're confident in what we can do and we're just looking after our game really."
Australia's high-profile side is led by opening batsman David Warner and Shane Watson, two of several Indian Premier League stars featured in the Aussie line-up.
The Irish in contrast have no IPL players, although they do have former Australia bowling coach Craig McDermott on their books.
"A lot of their players and a lot of their coaches are involved the IPL so that will give them a lot of experience in Twenty20 cricket in their off-season," Porterfield says.
Ireland's former NSW seamer Trent Johnston, who captained the side in their 2007 one-day World Cup upset win over Pakistan, is hoping to bring out his chicken dance again if he can claim an Aussie victim with the ball.
"We've got our plans for them but they've got quality players all the way through and we know we will have to be at our best if we are to cause an upset," the 38-year-old said.
"We're very capable of doing that."
AAP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, ireland First posted September 19, 2012 15:09:09Proteas send Zimbabwe out of World Cup
Jacques Kallis recorded the best Twenty20 figures for his country to inspire South Africa to a convincing 10-wicket win over Zimbabwe in a Group C match at Hambantota on Thursday.
The 36-year-old all-rounder grabbed 4 for 15 and was well supported by Morne Morkel's 2 for 16 as Zimbabwe were kept down to 8 for 93 - their second lowest total in all Twenty20 internationals - after they were put into bat.
Openers Richard Levi then notched 50 not out and Hashim Amla an unbeaten 32 to knock off the low target in the 12.4 overs to cap a comfortable victory for one of the title favourites in this 12-team competition.
The defeat meant Zimbabwe becomes the first team to go out of the tournament after a one-sided match watched by just 1,000 fans in Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium.
Levi hit six boundaries off 43 balls, while Amla hit three off 33 deliveries.
"I am very happy with the start," South Africa skipper AB de Villiers said.
"I back my pace bowlers to do well on this kind of deck and hopefully it's the same for the next game.
"We've improved a lot facing spin in these conditions, so can't wait to take on what's coming our way."
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor said his team was disappointed, but promised to come back strongly in future events.
"It's definitely disappointing and the end of the road," said Taylor. "South Africa showed what a classy bowling line-up they are. We are a team that is going to bounce back sharply."
Zimbabwe failed against a ruthless South African pace quartet, led by Kallis and Morne Morkel.
Craig Ervine top-scored with 37, and added 35 for the fourth wicket with Stuart Matsikenyeri (11), to help Zimbabwe just avoid their lowest total of 84 in all Twenty20 internationals, made against New Zealand in 2010.
Morne Morkel dismissed Vusi Sibanda (nought) and Brendan Taylor (four) in his first two overs before Kallis polished off the middle-order with the wickets of Matsikenyeri and Elton Chigumbura off successive deliveries in his first over.
He then dismissed Graeme Cremer (six) and Ervine to improve on Morne Morkel's 4 for 17 against New Zealand in 2007 which was the previous best bowling by a South African in a Twenty20 match.
Hosts Sri Lanka, who beat Zimbabwe by 82 runs, play South Africa in the final Group C match on Saturday.
The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the Super Eights round.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, south-africa First posted September 21, 2012 06:23:43Akmal, Malik lift Pakistan over India
Kamran Akmal smashed an unbeaten 92 off 50 balls as Pakistan came from behind to defeat India by five wickets in a warm-up match for the World Twenty20 on Tuesday (AEST).
Pakistan, chasing India's commanding 3 for 185, appeared to be out of contention when it lost five wickets by the 12th over with just 91 runs on the board at the Premadasa stadium.
But Akmal and former captain Shoaib Malik turned the game around with a brilliant unbroken stand of 95 off 46 balls that helped Pakistan beat the shell-shocked Indians with five balls to spare.
Akmal plundered six sixes, including the winning shot off seamer Irfan Pathan which sailed over the cover fence. Malik remained unbeaten on 37 off 18 balls.
Virat Kohli had earlier top-scored for India with 75 not out, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets for 23 runs.
Some 3,000 Sri Lankan fans watched the arch-rivals battle out in the middle in the only warm-up match to be beamed live by the host broadcasters of the World Twenty20 that opens on Wednesday (AEST).
"We knew that if India could post a huge total, so could we," Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said.
"Kamran was exceptional, and Malik's experience also helped."
Indian captain MS Dhoni said the batting worked well but the bowlers needed to contain runs on the easy-paced wickets.
"It was not really a bad game for us," he said.
"We have got to work on a few things with our bowling."
India and Pakistan are drawn in different groups for the preliminary league, but are seeded to meet in the Super Eights round in Colombo on September 30.
In other matches, Ireland pipped Bangladesh by five runs, the West Indies slammed Afghanistan by eight wickets and South Africa overcame New Zealand by nine runs.
A middle-order collapse saw Bangladesh go down to Ireland despite Shakib Al Hasan's hurricane 52 from 23 balls that was studded with three fours and five sixes.
Ireland made 6 for 164 after being asked to take first strike, with Paul Stirling hitting a 41-ball 71 with five fours and as many sixes. Ed Joyce scored 39 from 36 balls.
Shakib and Tamim Iqbal (35) took Bangladesh to a comfortable 2 for 105, before four wickets fell for 21 runs to allow Ireland to bounce back.
West Indies opener Chris Gayle warmed up for the tournament with an unbeaten 65 off 48 balls as the West Indies eased past Afghanistan's modest 7 for 122 in the 16th over.
New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor hammered seven sixes in an unbeaten 75 from 42 balls, but could not prevent South Africa from carving out a nine-run victory.
South Africa rode on captain AB de Villiers' 54 to make 6 for 186 before four wickets from Dale Steyn restricted the Black Caps to 8 for 177.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sri-lanka First posted September 18, 2012 08:16:00Afghans deliver scare to India
Former champions India survived a scare from fearless Afghanistan in its World Twenty20 opener before recording a 23-run win in Colombo.
India, sent in to bat, took advantage of their rivals' butter-fingered display to recover from a bad start and post 159-5, with Virat Kohli top-scoring with 50 off 38 balls.
The Afghans, batting fearlessly, raced to a comfortable 75-2 in the 12th over before a late collapse saw the non-Test side being bowled out for 136 with three balls to spare.
Mohammad Nabi was the star batsman with an aggressive 31 off 17 balls with two boundaries and as many sixes, while Karim Sadiq made 26 and skipper Nawroz Mangal chipped in with 22.
Seamer Lakshmipathy Balaji and left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh claimed three wickets each and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took two, but India were fortunate to emerge unscathed from the group A match.
The Afghans continued to attack till the end, but the loss of regular wickets cost them an unlikely win.
Tall left-arm seamer Shapoor Zardan gave the Afghans a superb start when he removed openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag by the fifth over with only 22 runs on the board.
But Afghanistan, playing their second World Twenty20, were let down by a shoddy display in the field, dropping four catches, two of them return catches by Mohammad Nabi.
Yuvraj, who opened his account with a six, put on 46 for the third wicket with Kohli before he was caught at third-man off spinner Karim Sadiq.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit a four and six off the final two deliveries to carry India past the 150-run mark.
India play defending champions England next in Colombo on Sunday. Afghanistan await England at the same venue on Friday.
The top two teams from the group will advance to the Super Eights round.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, afghanistan, india First posted September 20, 2012 07:44:04Clarke makes Warriors pay at WACA
New South Wales captain Michael Clarke capitalised on a costly fielding lapse to help the Blues secure first innings points against Western Australia on the second day of the season-opening Sheffield Shield clash at the WACA ground.
The Blues were 9 for 358 in their first innings at stumps on day two, an overall lead of 141 after the Warriors made 217 on the first day.
Steve O'Keefe was 74 not out and Doug Bollinger was on 5.
Clarke, who made just 1 in the limited overs clash between the sides on Sunday, looked in superb touch as he posted 78 before slashing a Nathan Coulter-Nile delivery to Shaun Marsh in slips.
He fell with just three runs needed to secure first innings points, having put on 87 for the sixth wicket with Moises Henriques, who also made 78.
It could have been a different story if Marsh had taken an earlier chance provided by Clarke from the same bowler.
With the Blues under some pressure at 5 for 151, Clarke got an outside edge from the bowling of the unlucky Coulter-Nile.
The ball carried comfortably to Marsh at second slip, but he grassed the simple catch.
Later in the same over, Clarke top-edged a pull shot to fine leg, where the ball landed just in front of Nathan Rimmington as he charged in off the boundary.
Coulter-Nile (2 for 84) also had opener Scott Henry (39) dropped in slips on 16 earlier in the day.
All-rounder Steven Smith, who made an unbeaten 99 in the one-day match, failed to replicate that form and fell to Rimmington (4 for 70) for a duck.
Veteran Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (2) lasted just 16 balls being falling LBW to Coulter-Nile.
Haddin played right across the line, but did not appear pleased with the decision.
Henriques was also adjudged LBW, to Rimmington, and was another who did not look happy with the verdict.
AAP
Tags: sport, cricket, perth-6000, sydney-2000 First posted September 19, 2012 20:45:22Hayden not returning to Big Bash
Australian Test great Matthew Hayden has decided against playing again for the Brisbane Heat in the upcoming Big Bash campaign, bringing an end to his career at the age of 40.
Hayden top-scored for the underachieving Heat last season hitting 203 runs, but business commitments have forced him opt out of playing in the 2012-13 season.
"I would not have grappled with the decision as much as I did had I not had so much fun last year with the Heat,'' Hayden told the Courier Mail.
"I would have liked a few more runs and for the Heat to go better but I just enjoyed playing a game which is becoming a huge pillar of cricket in this country.
"I loved the fact that (son) Tommy was able to get out and see Dad and realise that playing cricket was something I did very proudly for my family.
"Of course I will miss playing cricket. It has been a big part of my life and it has been a satisfying journey."
Hayden continued his career in the short form of the game with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League after retiring from international cricket in 2009 with 8,625 runs from 103 Tests to his name.
He then joined the Heat for the inaugural Big Bash season and embraced the opportunity to reach out to the audience by speaking to commentators during his knocks at the crease.
Although he failed to recapture his best form he did record Brisbane's highest score with 76 against Hobart in January.
The opener's absence from side means another native Queenslander, Mitchell Johnson, is likely to join Darren Lehmann's side.
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, brisbane-4000 First posted September 20, 2012 10:14:08Blues on top after Shield day one
New South Wales appeared to be on top after a rain-affected opening day in the Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at the WACA Ground.
At stumps, the Blues were 0 for 2 in reply to the Warriors' 217, the visitors having won the toss and chosen to bowl first.
It was the earliest start ever to a domestic first-class season and there were a couple of rain delays before play was abandoned due to bad light with 9.1 overs still to be bowled.
Peter Nevill was on two and Scott Henry was yet to score.
Nevill got an early fright when he edged a Mitchell Johnson delivery in the first over of the innings, but the ball felt short of second slip.
Not surprisingly, Western Australian captain Marcus North was reluctant to leave the field, as the early finish denied his bowlers the chance to utilise the bowler-friendly conditions late in the day.
There were no such problems for the Blues, with captain Michael Clarke having no hesitation inserting the home side when he called correctly at the toss.
Under leaden skies, with a grassy wicket and strong breeze blowing, Clarke gave his seamers first use of the conditions and they made the most of it, with all five bowlers used claiming wickets.
The Blues claimed the key scalps of former Test batsmen Shaun Marsh (one) and Marcus North (12) cheaply in the opening session, and the home side never really recovered after being 3 for 48 before lunch.
The only sustained resistance for the Warriors came from the richly talented Mitchell Marsh, who made 67 in 211 minutes at the crease.
Marsh, coming off a flashy 78 in a one-day match on Sunday, received little support from his teammates, although veteran Adam Voges made 44.
Voges and Marsh added 69 for the fifth wicket to steady the Warriors innings, but the former fell just before tea, trapped LBW by Copeland (2-54).
Marsh was the ninth batsman to fall, trapped LBW by Doug Bollinger, having survived a confident shout earlier in the same over.
Bollinger bowled with good pace and finished with 3-55, after taking four wickets in a man-of-the-match performance on Sunday.
The former Test paceman claimed the important wicket of national hopeful Shaun Marsh, batting at number three, when the left-hander chased a wide delivery and edged the ball to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
North was guilty of sacrificing his wicket cheaply, top edging an attempted scoop around the corner to Bollinger at deep fine leg from the bowling of Josh Hazlewood.
Despite the presence of nine Test cricketers and the Australian captain, a threadbare crowd of 331 was in attendance for the first day of play.
More rain is forecast for the next three days of the match.
AAP
Tags: sport, cricket, perth-6000, wa, sydney-2000, nsw, australia First posted September 18, 2012 16:21:23Arthur urges Aussies to attack Narine
Aussies account for Irish
Shane Watson pounded Ireland with both bat and ball, as Australia began its World Twenty20 campaign with an emphatic seven-wicket victory in Colombo.
Watson (3 for 26) grabbed three wickets, as Ireland was restricted to 7 for 123 and then smashed 51 off 30 balls to help Australia surpass the modest total in the 16th over of the Group B match.
The all-rounder put on 60 for the first wicket with David Warner (26) in seven overs, and 31 off 18 balls for the second with Michael Hussey (10), before he was run out in the 11th over.
Watson, who hit five boundaries and three sixes, was named the man-of-the-match, but praised the intensity shown by all the team in dominating Ireland from the first ball.
"We knew how important it was to really make a statement in this game," Watson said.
"I know by bowling the first over it really starts with me, so I knew how important it was to be able to set the tone.
"It's a bit of a blueprint of the intensity that we need to have as a team.
"We knew going into it exactly where we had to be mentally especially more than anything to know we were going to be at our best.
"We knew if we were really up for it, which we certainly were, that we were going to give ourselves the best chance of not having that tag of getting beaten by Ireland."
Barely 3,000 spectators were present at the 35,000-capacity Premadasa Stadium to watch Australia teach the non-Test nation a cricketing lesson in the first ever Twenty20 clash between the two sides.
Australia, which lost to England in the final of the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, had briefly slipped below Ireland in the Twenty20 rankings earlier this month.
Ireland's slump started with the first ball of the innings, which skipper William Porterfield hooked down fine leg's throat to the great delight of bowler Watson.
In-form batsman Paul Stirling (7) was caught at third man off Mitchell Starc (2 for 20) and Ed Joyce (16) holed out to mid-off against Glenn Maxwell after making 16.
Left-arm spinner Brag Hogg, the oldest player in the tournament at 41, struck with his second delivery when he trapped Gary Wilson lbw for 5.
Kevin O'Brien top-scored with 35, adding 52 for the fifth wicket with elder brother Niall (20) after Ireland had slipped to 4 for 33 by the eighth over.
The O'Brien brothers were dismissed in the space of four balls from Watson.
Australia plays West Indies in its final group fixture in Colombo on Saturday. Ireland takes on West Indies on Monday.
Two teams from the group will advance to the Super Eights round.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, sri-lanka First posted September 19, 2012 23:07:04Wright's 99 helps England thrash Afghanistan
Luke Wright's unbeaten 99 in 55 balls helped holders England crush Afghanistan by 116 runs in their Group A opener at the Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday (AEST).
England's victory means they will advance to the Super Eight stage along with group rivals India because both have defeated rank outsiders Afghanistan.
The defending champions amassed 5 for 196 after being put in to bat, Wright recording his highest Twenty20 score for his country after smashing six sixes and eight fours.
Left-arm paceman Shapoor Zadran bowled opener Craig Kieswetter for a duck but Wright, going in at number three, then shared a stand of 69 for the second wicket with Alex Hales (31).
The Sussex all-rounder also put on 72 for the third wicket with Eoin Morgan (27) as England collected 122 runs in the second half of their innings.
Wright narrowly missed out on his century when he could only manage two runs off the final ball.
"It is always a disappointment not to finish with a hundred," he said.
"I was just tired at the end and I was happy to keep the scoreboard going.
"The most important thing was a big total. I think the scoreboard pressure was important for our bowlers."
Afghanistan, in reply, were bowled out for 80 in 17.2 overs with only Gulbodin Naib (44) reaching double figures.
The Afghanis slumped to 8 for 26 after nine overs but Naib gave their total a respectable look.
Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Jade Dernbach all picked up two wickets for England.
Afghanistan, participating in their second successive Twenty20 World Cup, are now out of the tournament.
"We are very disappointed. The expectations were pretty high back home, everyone was following these games closely," Zadran said.
"Today was a tough day for us. We have learnt a lot and hopefully we can come up with some good results in the future."
Reuters
Tags: sport, cricket, england, afghanistan, sri-lanka First posted September 22, 2012 08:01:51Clinical Blues down Warriors
New South Wales gained a sweet slice of revenge by crushing Western Australia by eight wickets inside three days in the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground in Perth.
The Blues were left licking their wounds in February when they lost to the Warriors by an innings and 323 runs in Perth.
Warriors opener Liam Davis cracked an unbeaten 303 in that match and caused the Blues some nervy moments on Thursday, as he made his way to 73 in the Warriors' second innings.
But it was to no avail, as the Warriors were bowled out for 248 just before tea on day three, leaving the Blues with a meagre victory target of 108.
And with increasing showers forecast for the fourth and final day on Friday, the Blues made sure they knocked off the runs swiftly.
Opener Peter Nevill (65 not out) and Nic Maddinson (30) were the main contributors as the visitors finished at 2 for 108 in 24.1 overs.
Blues paceman Trent Copeland, who returned figures of 2 for 54 and 4 for 57, was named man-of-the-match.
"He (Copeland) summed up conditions really well," Blues captain Michael Clarke told Grandstand.
"We knew in every innings there was enough there at the start of the day, a bit of seam movement and he just bowled well in the conditions, he bowled in the right area."
Despite losing the likes of Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Hauritz, Simon Katich, Brett Lee and Phil Jaques last summer, the Blues encountered few problems in their season-opening trip to Perth.
Clarke scored 78 in the Blues' first innings total of 358, with Moises Henriques (78) and Steve O'Keefe (74) also producing important knocks.
Left-arm paceman Doug Bollinger collected 3 for 55 in the Warriors' first innings, while Copeland ripped through the home side's top order in the second innings.
Copeland, who played three Tests for Australia last year, snared the scalps of Marcus Harris (10), Marcus North (11) and Mitch Marsh (10) to leave the Warriors in all sorts of trouble at 4 for 68.
Davis, who cracked 12 fours and two sixes, and former Tasmania wicketkeeper Tom Triffitt (51) put up stiff resistance for the Warriors, while Mitchell Johnson (28) and Nathan Rimmington (43 not out off 54 balls) provided some fireworks at the death.
But the Warriors' total was not nearly enough to trouble the Blues, who next take on Tasmania in a Shield clash at Bankstown Oval, starting Wednesday.
Johnson, who returned figures of 2 for 88 in the first innings, could not get a breakthrough on Thursday as he finished with 0 for 16 from four overs.
Warriors batsman Adam Voges injured his back while fielding on Wednesday and could be in doubt for the Shield encounter against Victoria in Perth starting September 30.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, perth-6000, sydney-2000 First posted September 20, 2012 20:47:59Mendis magic gives Sri Lanka perfect start
Spinner Ajantha Mendis took a record six wickets for just eight runs as hosts Sri Lanka humbled Zimbabwe in the opening match of the World Twenty20 overnight.
Mendis, 27, marked his international return after an eight-month injury lay-off with the devastating haul to dismiss Zimbabwe for 100 in 17.3 overs in the Group C match in Hambantota.
Zimbabwe could never cope with Mendis's unreadable deliveries and collapsed like a pack of cards in pursuit of the daunting target of 183 set by Sri Lanka at Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium.
Sri Lanka, which lost the toss and was sent into bat, owed its total of 4 for 182 to Kumar Sangakkara (44) and Jeevan Mendis (43 not out), who shared a 94-run stand for the fourth wicket.
"It's tough paying a team like Zimbabwe," Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene said.
"You can't take anything for granted. We had to make sure we played to our potential.
"It's a good wicket, just needed to get used to it a little bit. Our guys batted really well, and the bowlers then did a super job."
Mendis struck two blows in his first over, removing Vusi Sibanda (11) and Zimbabwe skipper Brendan Taylor (0) off successive deliveries. He next had Zimbabwe's top-scorer Hamilton Masakadza (20).
He returned for his second spell and took four more wickets to end any lingering Zimbabwean hopes -- and improve his own international Twenty20 record figures of 6 for 16, set against Australia at Pallekele last year.
Jeevan Mendis took 3 for 24 to cap a great all-round performance.
"We are a better side than what we showed," Zimbabwe's captain Taylor said.
"Credit goes to Sri Lanka. They showed why they are one of the favourites to win the tournament.
"We have played enough cricket to go back from today, rethink and come back a better side."
Sangakkara, the newly crowned ICC player of the year, hit a 26-ball 44, studded with a six and two boundaries, while Jeevan Mendis smashed four boundaries and a six during his unbeaten 43 off 30 balls.
Both the left-handers lifted Sri Lanka from 3 for 82 after the hosts were put into bat.
Tillakaratne Dilshan hit five boundaries during his rapid 39 before he fell caught behind by Taylor off legspinner Graeme Cremer. Jayawardene was run out for 13 while debutant Dilshan Munaweera made 17.
Twelve teams competing in the event are divided in four groups, with the top two teams advancing to the Super Eight stage, which will decide the four semi-finalists.
Sri Lanka is bidding to end its 16-year wait for a second major title after winning the 50-over World Cup in 1996.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, twenty20, sri-lanka First posted September 19, 2012 07:37:25Arthur urges Aussies to attack Narine
Pietersen left out of India tour
Kevin Pietersen has been left out of England's Test squad for the tour of India as the controversial batsman pays the price for the text message scandal that has left his international career in tatters.
Pietersen was dropped for the final Test against South Africa after sending texts to opposition players that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss.
The South Africa-born star has since met England coach Andy Flower for clear-the-air talks, but there are still issues to be resolved and that meant there was no place for Pietersen on the plane to India.
While Pietersen remains in exile at present, England cricket managing director Hugh Morris left the door open for the 32-year-old to return to the fold in the future.
"Both ECB and England team management have had meetings with Kevin Pietersen to address the issues which led to his omission from the final Test match against South Africa," Morris said on Tuesday.
"These discussions remain private and confidential and as there are issues still to be resolved Kevin has not been considered for selection for the India tour."
Strauss retired from all cricket in the immediate aftermath of the Pietersen row and the fall-out from a stormy few months for English cricket continues to be felt.
Distracted by the controversy over Pietersen, England lost their place on top of the Test rankings to South Africa after being beaten by the Proteas in the recent series.
There were also reports that Pietersen's relationship with the rest of his England team-mates had deteriorated over recent months and it has proved impossible to resolve so much conflict in just a few weeks.
Pietersen's omission and the selectors' decision to drop Essex batsman Ravi Bopara after a poor run of form this year paved the way for two uncapped batsmen to be included in Alastair Cook's 16-man squad for the four-match Test series.
Somerset's Nick Compton and Yorkshire's Joe Root have been called up after both enjoyed impressive seasons in English county cricket.
Compton, the 29-year-old grandson of England great Denis Compton, was the top English batsman in the county championship with an average of 99.
Root opened the batting for Yorkshire, averaging 43.41 and winning the Cricket Writers Club Young Cricketer of the Year award on Monday.
The 21-year-old is being lined up to fill the gap left by Strauss's shock retirement.
The squad includes three spin bowlers, Samit Patel, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, as England adapt to the demands of playing on the slow pitches in India.
Speaking about the two uncapped batsmen, national selector Geoff Miller said: "Nick Compton has performed well consistently for Somerset in County cricket this season, made big hundreds and shown that he has the temperament and the technique to play at a higher level.
"Joe Root is a player who has been successful at every level from county cricket through to EPP and England Lions, and he deserves this opportunity to step up to the next level and press his case for a place in the Test side."
The selectors have also named a 17-strong England performance programme (EPP) squad which will undertake a month-long tour of India from mid-November and a seven-strong squad for next month's Hong Kong Sixes tournament which will be captained by Leicestershire batsman Josh Cobb.
England squad for tour of India:
Alastair Cook (cpt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Nick Comptonn, Steven Finn, Graham Onions, Eoin Morgan, Monty Panesar, Samit Patel, Matt Prior (wkt), Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, united-kingdom, india First posted September 18, 2012 21:17:08Tuesday, September 18, 2012
NSW begin cricket season with a win over WA
The best and worst of Mitchell Johnson were on display as New South Wales notched a comfortable victory in their season-opening domestic one-day match against Western Australia at the WACA Ground.
Johnson bowled the Warriors into a strong position early, but then undid that good work late in the innings as fellow national hopeful Steven Smith punished the left-arm quick to start his own season with a match-winning performance with the bat.
Smith, who has played five Tests and 32 one-day internationals, blasted 99 not out from 88 balls as the Blues piled on 115 in the last 10 overs to make 5-281 after a slow start in the earliest ever start to a domestic season.
He had great support from Moises Henriques, who made 78 from 45 balls and hit five sixes.
The Warriors were never in the hunt in the chase and were dismissed for 254 with two balls remaining to lose by 27 runs despite a dashing 78 by youngster Mitchell Marsh.
Former Test paceman Doug Bollinger had three catches dropped off his bowling, but claimed 4-67 from 13 overs.
Opener Scott Henry, on his limited overs debut for the Blues, was solid early with 66, but it was Smith and Henriques who torched the Warriors late.
The pair put on a century partnership in just 66 balls on their way to a 126-run stand.
Johnson, the 2009 ICC Cricketer of the Year, was making a belated one-day debut for WA in his fifth season for his adopted state.
The 47-Test veteran started superbly with the ball despite his first delivery being a wide.
He bounced back to claim the wicket of Test captain Michael Clarke for just one and had the superb figures of 1-12 after seven overs.
Conditions were similar to those when he stunned England in the Ashes Test at the same venue in December 2010, claiming 4-7 in a match-turning spell on his way to figures of 6-38.
However, his last few overs were more akin to the rest of his bowling in that series, being carted for 50 from his last four overs to finish with 2-68 from 12 overs.
He went for 11, 12, 13 and 14 in those final four overs, with Henriques twice pulling him over square leg for six.
Johnson hasn't played Test cricket since November last year, although he was part of the recent one-day international series against Pakistan.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, perth-6000, wa, nsw First posted September 16, 2012 22:03:23Monday, September 17, 2012
World Twenty20 boasts plenty of contenders
The World Twenty20 explodes into action this week in tropical Sri Lanka with no runaway favourite and upsets likely in cricket's shortest and least predictable form.
At least half of the 12 participating nations will consider themselves strong contenders to lift the trophy in Colombo on October 7, with the others hopeful of living up to the event's reputation for shocks.
From defending champions England, the powerful West Indies and formidable South Africa to Asia's top three - former winners India and Pakistan, and Sri Lanka - the field is strong and deep.
The others will not be taken lightly either, if a string of sensational results in the tournament's three previous editions are any indication.
While many purists are unconvinced by Twenty20, and fear its impact on Test cricket, there is no doubting its entertainment value.
India, initially reluctant to embrace the newest format, won the inaugural event in South Africa in 2007 under rookie skipper MS Dhoni after senior pros Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly opted out.
It was in the same tournament that Zimbabwe stunned Australia, Bangladesh upset the West Indies, and India brushed aside England, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in successive games to grab the title.
Pakistan won the second edition in England in 2009, a tournament that made a stunning start when the Netherlands, a non Test-playing nation, upset the hosts by four wickets in front of a packed house at Lord's.
England claimed the 2010 title in the Caribbean, but it was Australia's amazing win over Pakistan in the semi-final that remained the talking point.
With 34 needed from the final two overs, Michael Hussey smashed 38 off 10 balls to take Australia home with one delivery to spare.
Only last week, Australia trounced Pakistan by 94 runs to avenge two successive defeats against the same opponents.
"It's the sort of format where nothing can be taken for granted," said Dhoni.
"We have seen one ball change the whole game. The idea is to do well for all the 40 overs. That is all that matters."
The 12 sides have been divided into four pools for the preliminary league, with the top two from each advancing to the Super Eights round.
If the seedings go to plan, fans can expect high-voltage action in the Super Eights - a week-long race to the one-off semis and final in the Sri Lankan capital.
England, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are seeded to meet in group one of the Super Eights, with the top two teams making it to the semi-finals.
Group two is already being billed as the "Group of Death", with arch-rivals India and Pakistan seeded to face Australia and South Africa.
Sri Lanka's frontline batsman Kumar Sangakkara cautioned rivals not to expect spin-friendly pitches at the three venues in Colombo, steamy hill town Pallekele and Hambantota, site of a major new port.
"Be ready for a stiff breeze in Hambantota, swing and seam in Pallekele and a good batting surface at the Premadasa (stadium) in Colombo," the veteran batsman-wicketkeeper said.
"Each venue will have a different challenge and sides will have to adjust accordingly. It will make the tournament more exciting."
England is out to prove it can defend the title without star batsman Kevin Pietersen, the man of the tournament in 2010 who has been axed from the national team on disciplinary grounds.
The West Indies are touted as potential champions, with explosive batsmen in Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Marlon Samuels, and a wily spinner in Sunil Narine.
The men to watch out for are plenty. Australian spinner Brad Hogg, aged 41, and South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, 37 next month, will look to rubbish the theory that Twenty20 is a young man's game.
Ace Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh is assured of a warm welcome from the stands, having battled cancer earlier this year to return to the big stage.
Also vying for the spotlight will be prolific Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal, dashing Australian opener David Warner, local boy Lasith Malinga, England's Jonny Bairstow and South African Richard Levi.
AFP
Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, sri-lanka, australia First posted September 16, 2012 19:26:13