Top commentators for ICL 20-20 Cricket

CHANDIGARH:The Indian Cricket League, an Essel Group venture, announced an impressive line up of commentators and experts for the ICL Twenty-20 Tournament starting at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula from November 30. The commentators names announced include Tony Greig, Dean Jones, Pat Symcox, Jeffery Thomson, Mike Whitney and Ayaz Memon. Additionally Kapil Dev will be seen dawning a new role and be the co-commentator to provide expert insights and opinions on the matches.

Commenting on the line-up ICL Chairman-Executive Board Kapil Dev Nikhanj League said “to deliver the live experience to the audience, commentator’s role is of absolute importance and can’t be ignored. We have signed on some of the world’s best commentators and their vast cricketing experience will add a lot of value in providing a perspective to our cricket fans.”

Commenting on his association with ICL, Tony Greig, said, “I am excited to team up with Zee Sports for the upcoming ICL 20-20 Tournament and look forward to joining Kapil Dev with whom I have had lot of exciting, on-field rivalry. I am personally very happy to be a part of this initiative and I hope to add value through my understanding of the game. “

Renowned opening batsmen of Australia and cricket commentator Dean Jones said, “I am delighted to join ICL panel and team up with my old pals to share exciting, live update with the fan following across the world.”

TONY GREIG: England’s cricket captain from 1975 until 1977, Tony Greig led his country 14 times. He retired young, and immigrated to Australia, where he has had a successful career as an executive in the Packer organization and as a television commentator. Today one of the most recognizable and respected voices on Cricket broadcasts, Tony has the brilliant knack of bringing alive the furious excitement of live cricketing action.

JEFF THOMPSON: Initially a soccer player, ‘Thommo’ took a liking to cricket and went on to become a legend with his furiously fast bowling. He collided with team mate Alan Turner on the field when both went for the same catch and he was seriously injured, and plates and bolts were fitted into his shoulder, but despite the injury he fought his way back into the Australian team and along with Lillie hunted as one of the most lethal pair of fast bowlers of all time!

DEAN JONES: Jones one of Australia’s most successful batsmen of winning team, and was noted for his electric running between the wickets, outstanding out-fielding and aggressive batting especially against. With his positive, aggressive and flamboyant style of play he became a crowd favourite. He played a significant part in the ‘87 World Cup and ‘89 Ashes wins for the team. Turbulent stints as captain of Victoria and Derbyshire followed and he remained devoted to the game and since retirement has been a Commentator.

PAT SYMCOX: Symcox played first class cricket for South Africa for 21 years, having played in a staggering 20 Tests and 80 one-day internationals. He retired from cricket in 1999. Former South African cricketing great is a well-known critic of the ‘quota system’ that was introduced into South African cricket to benefit previously disadvantaged players.

MIKE WHITNEY: He is former Australian from 1981 to 1993.He was a commentator for The Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, and the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

KAPIL DEV: Arguably India’s greatest all-rounder and recently recognised as India’s greatest Cricketer with the Wisden Indian Cricketer of The Century award, Kapil Dev has charted the course of many famous Indian victories. Captaining India to win the Prudential Cup in 1983 was the highlight of his career. He also led India to a 2-0 series win to beat England in 1986. And, of course, at the top of his most spectacular unbeaten innings ranks his knock of 175 against Zimbabwe when India was on the route to the World Cup win in 1983.

Schedule Nov 30: Chandigarh Lions v Delhi Jets Dec 1: Chennai Superstars v Kolkata Tigers; Mumbai Champs v Hyderabad Heroes Dec 2: Delhi Jets v Hyderabad Heroes; Chandigarh Lions v Kolkata Tigers Dec 3: Mumbai Champs v Chennai Superstars Dec 5: Hyderbad Heroes v Chandigarh Lions Dec 7: Mumbai Champs v Delhi Jets Dec 8: Chennai Superstars v Chandigarh Lions; Delhi Jets v Kolkata Tigers Dec 9: Hyderabad Heroes v Chennai Superstars; Mumbai Champs v Chandigarh Lions Dec 10: Mumbai Champs v Kolkata Tigers Dec 12: Chennai Superstars v Delhi Jets; Hyderbad Heroes v Kolkata Tigers Dec 14: Semi-final I Dec 15: 5/6 classification; Semi-final II Dec 16: 3/4 classification; Final.

India won its first 20/20

India won its first 20/20 (Twenty20) match against South Africa

Finally India played its first ever 20/20 match and won the same in Johannesburg.

India beat South Africa by six wickets with a ball to spare in a thrilling finish to the day/night Twenty20 match. I was lucky enough to watch the match.

Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in the United Kingdom for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2003. India was away from Twenty20 for a long time but finally on 1-Dec-2006 India played its first Twenty20 game.

South Africa won the toss and decided to bat. India beat South Africa by 6 wickets. Karthik’s last-over six all but assured victory. Final score:
=> India (127-4) bt South Africa (126-9) by six wickets

So India made its first debut in Twenty20. So what makes it different than regular ODI?

(a) Apart from dancing girls and boys (or cheer leaders), each team bats for a maximum of only 20 overs
(b) The Laws of cricket apply to Twenty20 but there are some exceptions such as:

• Should a bowler deliver a no ball by overstepping the popping crease, it costs 2 runs and his next delivery is designated a free-hit, from which the batsman can only be dismissed through a run out, as is the case for the original “no ball”.
• Bowlers may bowl a maximum of only 4 overs per innings
• Umpires may award 5-run penalty runs at their discretion if they believe either team is wasting time.

(c) The following fielding restrictions apply:

1. No more than 5 fielders can be on the leg side at any time.
2. After the first 6 overs, a maximum of 5 fielders can be outside the fielding circle.
3. During the first 6 overs, a maximum of 2 fielders can be outside the fielding circle.

(d) If the match ends with the scores tied and there must be a winner, the tie is broken with a bowl-out (similar to a penalty shootout in football), with 5 bowlers from each side delivering 2 balls each at an unguarded wicket. If the number of wickets is equal after the first 10 balls per side, the bowling continues and is decided by sudden death.

Australian 20/20 cricket league

Tribal cricket

Cricket is quite an odd sport in that it has massive global appeal, but relatively little economic power. The principle reason for the unusual mix is that there are few successful domestic leagues around the world and without domestic leagues, each country only has one team (the national team) to extract money. This is particularly the case in Australia. Arguably, cricket is Australia's most popular sport, but it is also one of Australia's most economically vulnerable and one with little market power compared to football, rugby league and even soccer.

20/20 cricket is likely to change the situation. If the new version develops as many commentators expect, there will be a proliferation of domestic leagues around the world, and cricket may end up being the most powerful sport in the world. 20/20 cricket is the first version of cricket that is suitable to a home and away format run along the lines of a football competition. A typical game starts at 5.30pm and is over by 8pm. Fans could watch the game after work, or as part of their weekly routine.

Like baseball in America, 20/20 is also a version of sport that can be played more than once a week. Potentially, a team in a domestic 20/20 cricket league could play 3 to 4 times a week, and pull annual crowds three times more than that of the football codes.

At present, Australia has been relatively inactive on the 20/20 front. It is in India and the West Indies where most of the revolutions are going on. In the West Indies, an American, Alan Stanford, has seen the potential 20/20 to form a bridge between South and North America. With more than 20 countries involved, Stanford's 20/20 tournament is numerically the largest tournament in the Americas. Admittedly, the largest countries of the region, such as Brazil and the United States, are not represented. However, teams could be contrived relatively simply and if so, both would be fertile markets for television. If so, a small sport could grow in a very rapid pace.

In India, two rival leagues have long-term plans to create a league format similar to America's NBA or major league baseball. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is sanctioned by boards around the world. The ICL is a "rebel" league that is not sanctioned by cricket boards. Both leagues are bidding for players from around the world.

The Indian leagues are going to set cricket in Australia on a path of turmoil. In the short term, Cricket Australia will find that it won't be able to sell India television rights to its state cricket competition that is traditionally used to train Australian players for test cricket. Furthermore, more Australian players will play in India and forget about state cricket. Inevitably, state cricket, as it is played today, will no longer be economically viable.

Even if state and test cricket were able to survive in Australia, the Indian developments are going to weaken Australia's competition to such an extent that Australia just won't have teams to play against. International cricket against New Zealand will be one of the first casualties. New Zealand's cricket team was never strong to begin with, and now it has lost half of its players to India. It is unlikely the New Zealand public will tolerate Australia regularly thrashing it even more than it does already, and test cricket in New Zealand will further decline in popularity.

How Cricket Australia reacts to this period of turmoil will ultimately determine whether cricket grows in popularity or falls into insignificance. If Cricket Australia does nothing, there is a small chance that soccer could exploit the chaos in its ranks to become a dominant force in the Australian summer. The only real option available to cricket is to create a national domestic 20/20 league run along the lines of a football competition. Such a competition would not leave much room for training players for test cricket or even one-day cricket. Furthermore, it probably would not have much scope for paying tribute to cricket Australia's traditions and heritage.

Understandably, not everyone in Australia is enthused by 20/20 cricket. That said, these critics are not bothered by the completely empty stadiums that Australia's state cricketers play in front of. Ultimately, the voices of 40,000 spectators paying to watch a game, whatever its format, mean more than a bitter old fogey complaining about traditions being disrespected.

If Cricket Australia maintains its traditionalist position, it may end up suffering the same fate as traditionalists in other industries that put them offside from market pressures. Cricket could die, or their control of cricket could be taken away from them.

In regards to Cricket Australia losing control, it is quite possible that a "rebel" Australian league could be established by the players who want to expose themselves for greater riches in India or the Americas. At present, only a very limited number of players get Cricket Australia contracts, and most are underpaid for what they do. Furthermore, many players have been unfairly overlooked for selection, or dropped from the team. Such players would welcome a new cricketing format that would not only provide them with more remuneration, but also give them some bargaining power. They would also welcome the opportunity to show themselves in the format where the big money is.

If a domestic league is established, soccer's niche in summer time will close. Furthermore, oval stadiums that can also be used by football will become more viable.

Potential cities for a cricket league

1. Brisbane
2. Cairns
3. Gold Coast
4. Sydney
5. Newcastle
6. Melbourne
7. Geelong
8. Hobart
9. Adelaide
10. Auckland
11. Wellington
12. Canberra

IPL T20 2008 Batting Performance

The Teams predicted to be the best largely kept their ranking given by this site. Only 3 team deviated by more than 2 spots. They were Delhi who surprised largely due to the sudden form of Virender Sehwag. 2 Teams who failed their rankings were Hyderabad who failed despite having Symonds and Gilchrist followed by Rohit Sharma. Though Mumbai explicably without Sachin did not retain their batting ranking, and Jayasuriya’s continued loss of form after the Australian tour didn’t help their cause.
Current Batting Rank Original Batting Rankings
Chennai Hyderabad
Mohali Mohali
Delhi Chennai
Jaipur Mumbai
Hyderabad Kolkata
Kolkata Jaipur
Mumbai Delhi
Bangalore Bangalore

Improvement of Cricket

(A) Popularise cricket!

1. Restructure Current test teams.

For Cricket to improve first the quality of the current test teams should be improved. Teams like England and West Indies need to be more competitive. Here are some suggestions:

• Introduce cricket in schools and colleges.
• More cricket competitions should be held.
• Cricket telecasts should be shown on free to air channels.
• Short forms of the sportlike twenty20 should be played to capture public imagination.
• Improvement of cricket stadiums and fields.
• Increase the competiveness of domestic competition.
• Selection based only on merit NOT on quotas.
• Encouraging native peoples such as coloureds, Aborigines & Maoris to represent the national squad.

2. Restructuring Current ODI Teams.

It is disheartening for the current ODI status teams to play only during world cups. Such an unfair policy would never see new teams improve. Teams such as Canada, UAE, Scotland, Namibia & Holland should be given permanent ODI status and official tournaments should be played amongst themselves and the 3 bottom ranked test teams. An age limit of 35 yrs should be imposed to encourage youngsters.

Kenya should be given Test Status.

3. League Format

All teams Test and ODI should be ranked in groups of 5. The top 5 will be grp A. Next 5 B and so on. Teams in a particular group are allowed to play with teams in their own group as well as adjacent groups only. eg. Group A cannot play group C teams. [Except Tests & World Cups] Every year, the groups are restructured.

4. Improve quality of Upcoming teams

To ensure that debutants in ODI competitions have an international exposure to cricket before their debut, international tournaments should be held. Here's what should be done.

• Two international annual tournaments should be held. Two teams should be selected from each country. 1. Team that has won the domestic competition and 2. A mixed bag composed of the best players of the other teams. This would give budding players the required international exposure. Venues rotated annually.
• An auxillary domestic competition should be held. At least 5 local teams and 3 international teams (best players) compete in ODI and test matches. Any ODI status country can participate.
• Teams wishing to improve their game can learn from the following countries on tour:
  • Batting: India, Australia
  • Spin Bowling: India, Sri Lanka
  • Fast Bowling Australia, South Africa
  • Seam Bowling: England, New Zealand.
• The ICC must have a clear process for teams obtaining ODI and test status. This is what it should do.

  To get associate status, local boards should ensure:

  • A cricket education program is introduced in schools
  • Cricket equipment is readily available
  • Adequate playing grounds are available
  • International matches are telecast on free to air TV channels and radio.
  • A well maintained website of the national cricket authority.

  To get permanent ODI status teams should:

  • Be placed 1,2 or 3 in the ICC Associate World Cup.
  • Have at least one accredited (C grade --see gradings below) stadium.
  • see pt 4 above.

  To get Test Status teams should:

  • Have a waiting period of 5 years after ODI status
  • Have at least a B grade stadium
  • Toured all test playing nations & played first class matches there.
  • Won at least 10 ODI matches against Test nations.

5. Introduction of cutting-edge technology

I feel that technology should be introduced to cricket. This is what cricket needs.

1. Helmet cams.
2. Use of tracking technology for LBW decisions.
3. Use of high frame rate cameras to ascertain run-outs and stumpings.
4. Use of lasers to compliment run out decisions.
5. Use of sensors in bails and in the boundary rope to determine if the batsman is out OR hit a 4.
6. Use of stump microphone to determine close catching decisions.
7. Use of yellow & red cards to suspend players from the game of repeatly flouting rules.
8. Use of 'Eye-Vision' technology to enhance TV viewing.
9. Use of 'True Track' technology to give the distance the ball carried (6's)
10. Use of biodegradable paint to colour the infield and outfield.

6. The ICC.

Here are some reccomendations to the ICC

1. Change its name to something more representative like Global Cricket Federation (GCF).
2. No veto rights to member nations.
3. Be a part of the International Olympic Commitee.
4. Strive to make Cricket an Olympic sport.
5. Increase penalties for drug offences & racial abuse.
6. Play the National Anthem before the start of each match in the World Cup.
7. Playoff for 3rd place in the WC
8. Gold, Silver or Bronze Medals given to each player in WC. (like in football)
9. Have at least 24 teams play in the WC.
10. For the World Cup international icons should be made chief guests. eg UN Sec. General, Monarch of England, sportstars, premiers etc.

ICC Online

1. Obtain the domain names like cricket.com, .org, etc.
2. In the site have detailed info like player and team stats, current news, player profiles, how the sport is played, links to national boards, online telecast of matches, history, facts and stats, rankings etc.
3. Provide software to calculate the Duckworth Lewis results.
4. Use latest programming languages like XML, SQL, ASP etc. for website.
5. Setting up of blogs and bulletin boards.

7. Taking on the Globe.

To encourage more countries to take up cricket, cricket must be marketed well. Teams like Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore have a good program and must be encouraged to obtain ODI status.

For cricket to succeed regional sporting giants should be given top priority. These countries are regional giants and act like a catalyst to spread the sport to neighbouring countries. The countries are: China, USA, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Nigeria Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morrocco, Sweden, Fiji, Argentina and Brazil.

Have a brand ambassador for cricket. People who know about the sport and are internationally famous should be selected. Names such as Russel Crowe, Shaggy, Christian Vieri (footballer ITALY) make good ambassadors.

Cricket should be introduced equally to all races and women should also be encouraged to take up the sport.

Marketing Blitz

If I were the president of the ICC, this is what I would do to promote the sport in a country.

• See that major sport shops stock up cricket gear.
• Pitches are readily available.
• Cricket is shown on free to air channels.
• A cricket program is introduced in schools and universities.
• Well known directors should be requested to make cricket themed movies starring well known actors.
• Introducing the sport to famous sportmen, politicians, actors, directors, media personalities, businessmen and making them enjoy the sport.
• The next step would have a advertising blitz in famous newspapers, magazines, top internet sites, TV, radio. The ads should be run for a month or so. Promos showing the country's top personalities supporting cricket should be aired. _ Nothing like having the country's premier in the promo.
• The marketing blitz should cummulated with top international teams playing along with the host nation in a tournament.

(B) Rules that have to be changed:

1) Elimination of the Leg-bye rule.

The Lb rule is pretty unfair to the bowler. By elimination such a rule would allow the batsman to play at the ball, instead of getting runs of the deflection of his clothing.

2) Direct Hit on the stump renders the ball dead.

At present if a fielder hits the stumps directly when the batsman is taking a run & he is safe, if it deflects of it, the batsman can run overthrows (extra runs). By enabling the ball 'dead' it would encourage the fielders to hit the stumps more often. If the batsman ran after this, the extra runs would be overruled.

3) Leg-side LBW decision

At present, if the ball is pitched outside the leg-stump, but is a clear LBW decision, the batsman is not out. Due to advances in technology today, we can predict an LBW. Hence LBW decisions should be simplified by this method, if the trajectory appears to hit the stump the Batsman is OUT.

4) Correct Nomenclature

Terms such as leg-spin and off-spin are outdated. Better terms would be wrist spin and finger spin.

(C) Accredation to stadiums

The ICC must start rating stadiums. The better the rating of the stadium more matches it is allowed to hold. Here are my parameters. Points are shown alongside in y/n format.

Lights 40/5

Capacity (in 1000's)

Pitch invasion history? 0/20

Smooth Entry/Exit 30/5

Crowd Management history good/bad 30/5

Match history 1st & 2nd inn win ratio (40-60 range) 50/10

Grassy field 10/5

Facilities (practice, media, parking, toilets, food) 35/10

Replay screen 20/0

Electronic Scoreboard 15/5

Sightscreen moving needed? 0/10

PITCH:

Bounce (good/low) 30/10

Support for bowlers 20/5

Ave. Runs in the range (240-280) 50

200,>280 20

<200>

Pitch plays true till the end? 60/20

Divide the stadium pts by 4 to get the percentage.

90+=A, 80-90=B and so on. Pitch points should be above 70 for AA accred.

IPL Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist ignited the DY Patil Stadium with the fastest century of the tournament as the Deccan Chargers raced to their first win. The battle between the two bottom-ranked teams was a no-contest once Gilchrist teed off, and Deccan charged to an emphatic ten-wicket victory in the first major game at the stadium.

Andrew Symonds had got a century off 47 deliveries the previous game but Gilchrist needed only 42 as he decimated the weak Mumbai Indians' attack on a small ground. The intent was aggressive right from the word go, and Gilchrist made use of short deliveries in the first over from Ashish Nehra, dispatching one over square leg and the other through cover point.

Pulls and cuts were played with ease as Mumbai's quicker bowlers erred in their length, and after six fours, Gilchrist hit his first six, lofting Sanath Jayasuriya over deep midwicket. Siddharth Chitnis, the off-break bowler making his Twenty20 debut, was spared by going only for 12 in the last Powerplay over, but Shaun Pollock, leading Mumbai in Harbhajan Singh's absence, was taken apart once the field restrictions were off.

Gilchrist savagely pulled Pollock over the deep backward square-leg boundary for consecutive sixes, the first bringing up his first Twenty20 fifty. The shot that followed pierced the off-side boundary, and Gilchrist then nonchalantly moved across the stumps to launch one over long leg, making it 23 for the over.

Abhishek Nayar's arrival was greeted with three sixes, the third over midwicket brought up the hundred, and more astonishing was the fact that he had reached the mark as early as on the stroke of the tenth over. From then on, victory was just a formality, and Deccan reached their target with 44 balls to spare, both indication of the fury that had been unleashed. At the other end, VVS Laxman scored just 36 in a stand of 155, easily the highest of the tournament. Mumbai might have been at the receiving end, but the home crowd too cheered what had been an enthralling innings. Ninety-six of Gilchrist's 109 came through boundaries, making it a busy day for the Deccan cheerleaders, who were sporting a new outfit.

A new home ground and a new captain surely didn't bring about a turn of fortunes for Mumbai, and Deccan justified Laxman's decision to field first by restricting them to 154. Laxman's captaincy had come under the hammer after three consecutive losses, but on Sunday he was right on the ball. He was quick to shuffle around his bowlers, who to their credit, backed up their captain's decision with some good bowling.

It was only the string of 30s from the middle order that helped Mumbai reach 154. Pollock made a run-a-ball 31 to revive the innings, but it was the quickfire 34s from Abhishek Nayar and Dwayne Bravo that ensured the Mumbai bowlers had a decent total to defend.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Luke Ronchi had failed to make an impression in earlier games, and they were kept quiet once again, despite the short boundaries, by RP Singh and Nuwan Zoysa. Ronchi hit three fours, but fell attempting to slash a wide delivery angled across from RP, edging straight to Laxman at slip.

Sanjay Bangar was brought on in the fourth over, perhaps to help Zoysa change ends, and Ajinkya Rahane, another Twenty20 debutant, pulled straight into the hands of Pragyan Ojha at deep square leg. The next move from Laxman though was a masterstroke. Shahid Afridi was brought on in the final over of the Powerplay, and he had Robin Uthappa caught behind. At the end of six overs, Mumbai were tottering at 27 for 3.

Jayasuriya had made only 4 of his first ten deliveries, and one pitched short from Zoysa fetched him his first boundary, which came off his 14th. But, once again Afridi did the damage, Jayasuriya got a top edge as he tried to power a googly through the leg side. The onus was then on Pollock to hold the innings together, but he too couldn't stay till the end.

Nayar smashed three sixes in his 19-ball innings, as 45 runs came in the overs 14 to 16. But he top-edged to Gilchrist while trying to hook Zoysa. Bravo too managed to find the gaps, and was out for 34 off the last ball of the innings as Mumbai finished on 154. However, with the form Gilchrist was in, even 254 would have been tough to defend for Mumbai, who now have four losses after four games, and sorely need Sachin Tendulkar to return.

IPL Changing Cricket

When Lalit Modi introduced the IPL to cricket, the world knew that the bat-and-ball game would never be the same again. Gone were the slow and steady Test days, the fast and furious T20 dhamaal was taking over. New rules, new teams, new entrants, new controversies. And new problems. Like loyalty towards the domestic team versus loyalty to the national team.
Take the recent Sreesanth-Bhajji spat. While Team India stuck to one another like glue through the racial slurs and cheating during their last tour Down Under, with the entire team siding with the much-troubled Harbhajan Singh, what happened between two of Team India's best bowlers in Mohali on Friday was an eye-opener. Will the 'altercation' between Bhajji and Sreesanth cost them their friendship? Will the slap Bhajji supposedly gave Sreesanth be a slap on Team India's spirit of togetherness?
Scenario number two. Remember the aggression Team Punjab's Sreesanth displayed when he took Team Rajasthan's Mohammad Kaif 's wicket in the sixth match of the series? Yes, a bowler feels good when he claims a wicket, but wasn't his PDA (Public Display of Aggression) a little too much for Kaif ? Hello, this wasn't Symonds, it was poor, semi-retired, fellow Indian Mohammad Kaif ! Consider this. When former captain Sourav Ganguly clashes with current captain MS Dhoni who in turn will clash with would-be captain Yuvraj Singh, will equations change? Will juniors prefer one's captaincy over the other's? Will that reflect in the game when Team India plays an international series again? Only time will tell...
But it's not all war, there's also place for friendship... sometimes, even with the enemy! Yes, the same Ishant Sharma who hated Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's guts in Australia, was seen taking advice from Ponting during a match. That's team spirit, no doubt. That's also a sign of things to come in the following one month of the IPL season — soured relationships will get a fresh start, old enemies will turn new friends, Australia and India will, perhaps, not be as aggressive towards one another as before. Then again, the teams are sharing locker rooms... wonder if locker room secrets will also be shared? A classic case of unity in diversity.
Move over from the cricketers to the spectators. Will their favourites suddenly become unfavouritised? Will fans acquire new favourites? Going by the way the Hyderabad crowd refused to cheer Virender Sehwag on his 50 just because he wasn't part of the home team, Team Deccan, shows that loyalties everywhere are going for a toss. As Sunil Gavaskar had commentated at that instant: Sehwag may be a Delhi Daredevil now, but he's still an Indian. And his innings deserved an applause from all the Indians in the stands! Likewise, in Jaipur, the crowd was rooting for Shane Warne and Shane Watson, over their Indian teammates. So, is the IPL changing more than just the rules of cricket? Will it change player's attitudes and loyalties too? Will Team India be divided like the country's many states, or will national pride overrule the IPL?

Funny ipl teams

Mumbai Indians:

Named with the intent of gathering support from across the country, the Mumbai Indians soon suffered from an early identity crisis. Within the first few days itself, star players such as Sanath Jayasuriya were often found roaming the streets of Mumbai confusing Breech Candy with the Sri Lankan city of Kandy. The supporters of the Mumbai Indians were equally confused showing up for matches in the hope of a raunchy exhibition and were treated to the batting of Luke Ronchi instead. Missing their inspirational captain for most of the season, the team relied heavily on the Innocent Sledging school of thought which was vociferously championed by the stand-in skipper, Harbhajan Singh. Being versatile in Hindi, English, Punjabi and possibly Greek he later added Marathi to his repertoire of languages which enabled him to proclaim his innocence by saying "F%$@ the bowlers" and then claiming it was Marathi for "only bowlers" (Phakt: Marathi for 'only'). Unfortunately, given the ICC's strict stance against sledging, this tactic soon fizzled out and the players left for more lucrative contracts in the Zimbabwe league leaving cricket star of yesteryear, Vinod Kambli to shoulder the captaincy. As of now, he is planning to revive attendance levels for the IPL matches by displaying his different hair colors.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Armed with jazzy uniforms and jazzier cheerleaders instead of a sword and lance (not to be confused with Lance Klusener) the Kolkata based team soon made a favorable impression on the IPL scene. However, there was soon a rift in the lute as the team management decided to rope in David Hasselhoff as brand ambassador since their market surveys showed a favorable recall of Hasselhoff in the TV series Knight Rider apart from his stellar role in Baywatch. Kolkata captain, Sourav Ganguly however took exception to this move considering Hasselhoff a threat to the bare chested antics he was planning to unleash on the unsuspecting crowd. Unable to handle two bare chested men at the same time, the team desperately looked towards banned Pakistani player Shoaib Akhtar for providing the much needed team spirit and unity. With the aid of a cricket bat, if necessary. This unfortunately did not provide any succor to the team and the team owner, Shah Rukh Khan was forced to employ them as extras in his movie tentatively titled "Kehna Kya Kricket Ka" with Karan Johar as the director (obviously!). Affectionately shortened to 4K, we hope this movie will teach Shah Rukh the 4Ks of movies since he evidently hasn't learned the 4Ps of marketing.

Deccan Chargers:

Birds flock. Cows herd. Bulls charge. But after the initial euphoria, the Deccan Chargers neither charged nor were they heard of. This was primarily attributed to the deficiencies of their main non-iconic player Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman who was an early supporter of nicknames on the back of cricket shirts. Despite not having played 20-20 cricket before and on the fringes of the one day team for India, VVS led the Hyderabad side with great vigor and vim only to be vanquished with vindictiveness by visiting teams. In his autobiography - "East of Eden" (after his inspirational knocks there and 'inspired' by the John Steinbeck novel of the same name), Laxman however attributes the failure of the team to external sources and maintained that "the boys played really well", subconsciously repeating the favorite line of his idol and former India captain, Mohammad Azharuddin. When questioned on the failures of the batting stars such as Andrew Symmonds, Adam Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi, Laxman replied "Taare zameen par" in an enigmatic fashion before disappearing into the boardroom of the Deccan Chronicle (owners of the Deccan Chargers) where he still currently holds the post of independent director for previous loyalty to the company.

Bangalore Royal Challengers:

Given the amount of alcohol sales that went into building the team, it is ironical that Bangalore had the most watered down team for the 20-20 format. Full of veterans of the domestic game such as Sunil Joshi and coached by express pace bowler Venkatesh Prasad the team looked hopelessly out of sorts from the very beginning of the tournament. The notable exceptions were Rahul Dravid (in brilliant form as usual. No sarcasm here) and Jacques Kallis (of "Who the F$#@ is Kallis" fame, see previous post) who soldiered on in a dignified manner for the entire duration of the tourney. Sorely missing strike bowler Anil Kumble to a sore shoulder and Wasim Jaffer who's batting is definitely not a sight for sore eyes, Bangalore could never really muster enough strength to beat legendary tennis player Thomas Muster let alone any of the other IPL teams. The presence of the cheerleaders of the Washington Redskins however, was enough to guarantee 100% attendance for their matches thus proving owner Vijay Mallya's foresight into the actual interest behind the hype of the IPL.

Delhi Daredevils:

One of the rare teams to start with a mistake. The mistake of making Sehwag an icon player instead of choosing "Sehwag ki Maa" as the iconic figure. Despite this flaw, Delhi boasted of an extremely well balanced side consisting of strike batsman Gautam Gambhir and top class bowlers such as Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori. This balance though made it extremely difficult to pin the blame of repeated losses on any single player and post match team meetings soon degenerated into a series of brawls causing Gautam Gambir to lose his customary seriousness. They were also one of the first teams to declare bankruptcy as the team owners, GMR claimed that the fine print was too fine thus successfully obtaining tax breaks for the ridiculous Delhi airport.

Kings XI Punjab:

"One king to rule them all,

One king to market them all,

But the day you have more than one king,

Heralds a disaster with no inkling,

And down will come kings, kingdom and all"

So goes the famous Swa-Hillee limerick (shamelessly flicked from a number of sources). Though the true import is lost in translation. Much like the Pink Floyd song. These words of wisdom were unfortunately given a miss by the Mohali team owners with a deft "Bah!" and dimpled smile (pause to reflect on the Herculean task of saying Bah and smiling at the same time). Mohali, led by their non-playing captain (in a manner of speaking. And in a manner of playing), Yuvraj Singh soon began to dominate the bottom of the league and was soon competing with Mumbai for the bottom rung of the IPL. When questioned about the uninspired performances, Yuvraj replied "We need to pull up our socks", thus once again effortlessly changing the topic from cricket to his sartorial habits. "Practice makes a man perfect", he said. However, no amount of sock pulling could change their fortunes, but Sreesanth did receive an extra sock from fellow Indian team mate Harbhajan Singh for his efforts.

Chennai Super Kings:

There are kings and there are emperors. But Chennai decided to introduce a caveat emperor - the Super Kings. This was probably due to the heavy Chennai slang influence (sooper). Chennai Super Kings lorded over the first few rounds of the IPL routing the Royal Challengers, the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab (Note: This is a highly regal statement. Not in stature though). Ably led by stalwarts of the game such as Stephen Fleming who did not play a single match and M S Dhoni who played all matches they soon established themselves at the top of the league. Things began to go horribly wrong after that when star batsman, Matthew Hayden (of the 'obnoxious weed' fame) left the team for greener (weedier?) pastures of the international arena. Dhoni too had his hands full by trying to mediate between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth with an eye on the future harmony of the national team. His feelings on the matter were beautifully summed up in his classic hit song "Weed didn't start the fire". This diversion of focus due his role as mediator and wannabe rock star soon left the team in the lurch from which they were unable to recover.

Rajasthan Royals:

Yet another alliterative name. Yet another bunch of unfit players. But the levels of fitness (or lack of it thereof) would have put anyone to Shane....err, shame. Owned by the least media savvy owners among the 8 teams (ironically named Emerging Media), the cricket was to do the talking for the team. Bad move. Shane Warne had lesser wickets than press conferences, Graeme Smith scored lesser than he spoke (yes, scored runs!). It did not really augur too well for the team as they constantly moved from nerve wracking close defeats to unmitigated disasters and they perennially failed to emerge from the shadows of the Emerging Media.

BCC Vs. IPL

For a long time now one associates Indian cricket with the BCCI and vice versa. However, with the advent of the IPL this association may soon become outdated.

Consider this, we have seen IP, Lalit Modi and the slap –gate’ controversy ignite passion and take over public imagination. So much so, in the last fifteen days Harbhajan –Sreesanth disciplinary proceedings is the only occasion the BCCI has been in the limelight. Interestingly, this controversy originated in the IPL

Granted the IPL is a matter of 45 days, nevertheless, with discussions of Champions League in incubation, it has the wherewithal to become a year long jamboree.

If IPL sustains the current level of interest, it will be more alluring and powerful even for the cricket administrators. A stage will come when the BCCI officials, will be politicking and jockeying for positions in the IPL.

Ultimately, the BCCI will find its patronage and power diminish. Its future will depend on how it reconciles itself to the growing popularity of IPL.

Will it have the maturity to let it grow or will the renowned ‘crab culture’ destroy one of them?

IPL Rajasthan Royals

Mumbai mauled Rajasthan Royals

Mumbai Indians crushed Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets to register third straight victory while Rajasthan succumbed to first defeat in six matches. Robin Uthappa and Yogesh Takawale played well for hosts to reach Jaipur’s small total. Richest team in IPL is showing scintillating performance after losing first four games and Harbhajan Singh. Despite absence of their icon Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians defeated three top IPL teams i.e. Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in the last three matches under the inspirational leadership of Shaun Pollock. Mumbai Indians outplayed Rajasthan Royals in all departments.
Toss: Mumbai won the toss and choose to field first. Sachin Tendulkar will play in the next match. This is the last IPL match in the newly built DY Patil stadium. Remaining home matches will be played at Wankhede stadium.

Analysis of Jaipur Batting:

Ashish Nehra bowled a sensational spell in the initial overs to contain Rajasthan top order which is in top form in the recent matches. Shane Watson and Asnodkar tried to resurrect Jaipur Innings but Bravo took the vital wicket of Shane Watson to change the tempo of match. Young Asnodkar impressed everyone with his stroke play along with all-rounder Shane Watson.

Rajasthan batting: 74/3 in 8.4 overs and 103 all out in 16.2 overs. How can you explain such a dismal performance by Rajasthan Batsmen? Youngman Raje took the crucial wickets of dangerous Asnodkar to change the match course. Mumbai bowlers collectively bowled well to restrict Rajasthan to such a low total. Dismal of Graeme Smith illustrated the carelessness of Jaipur Batsmen. Have you seen it?

Note: Only two Jaipur batsmen reached double digits. Extras are their third highest score. They performed in similar manner in their first match against Delhi.

Basic Rules of 20-20

The basic rules of Twenty20 Cricket

The fast, thrilling and exciting version of Cricket in form of Twenty 20 has derived its basic rules from one-day and test matches, but there are few exceptions. Twenty Twenty Cricket has been designed with new and interesting rules making it more funny and entertaining.

Check out here the basic laws of Twenty 20 Cricket :

- A no ball (overstepping) is penalised with a free-hit on the following delivery in which the batsman can be dismissed only by run-out, hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field or handling the ball. Also no change in the field settings are allowed during free-hit.

- Each bowler can bowl maximum 04 overs per innings.

- Umpires have power to award 05 runs in case of wastage of time by any team.

- During first 06 overs only two fielders can remain outside the 30 yard circle and for the remaining overs only 05 fielders can be outside the ring.

- There can be only 05 fielders on leg side at any time.

- The batting team will get bonus of 06 runs if the bowling team does not start their 20th over before 75th minute. The main purpose of this strict rule is to make the bowling team complete their innings within the allotted time of 75 minutes.

- The very special rule of Twenty 20 Cricket is the bowl-out rule that applies in case of the tie. As per this rule 05 bowlers from each side delivers one delivery each with no batsman at the crease. The side with one extra wicket is declared the winner and if the number of wickets remains the same then the process is repeated and winner is decided by sudden death.

Indian Premier League

The Indian Premier League (also known as the "DLF Indian Premier League" and often abbreviated as IPL), is a Twenty20 cricket competition created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The first season of the Indian Premier League commenced on 18 April 2008, and ended on 1 June 2008 with the victory of the Rajasthan Royals in the final at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.

Fixtures

Teams play each other two times in a round robin system, with equal number of home and away matches. The top four ranking sides will progress to the semi-finals. The eight teams taking part are Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, and Kings XI Punjab.

The inaugural 2008 tournament started on 18 April 2008 in Bangalore and lasted for 45 days, with 59 matches scheduled, out of which 58 took place and 1 was washed out due to rain.

The IPL 2008 tournament was won by the Rajasthan Royals on 1 June 2008.


Television rights and sponsorship

The IPL will bring the BCCI income of US$1 billion, over a period of five to ten years, reinforcing its status as the richest board in world cricket.

All of these revenues are directed to a central pool, 40% of which will go to IPL itself, 54% to franchisees and 6% as prize money. The money will be distributed in these proportions until 2017, after which the share of IPL will be 50%, franchisees 45% and prize money 5%.[3]


Television rights

On 15 January 2008 it was announced that a consortium consisting of India's Sony Entertainment Television network and Singapore-based World Sport Group secured the global broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League.[4] The record deal has a duration of ten years at a cost of US $1.026 billion. As part of the deal, the consortium will pay the BCCI US $918 million for the television broadcast rights and US $108 million for the promotion of the tournament.[5]

20% of these proceeds would go to IPL, 8% as prize money and 72% would be distributed to the franchisees. The money would be distributed in these proportions until 2012, after which the IPL would go public and list its shares.[6]

Sony-WSG then re-sold parts of the broadcasting rights geographically to other companies. Below is a summary of the broadcasting rights around the world.

Rules

The official rules for the tournament are here. Some of the Team composition rules are:

• Total squad strength of 16 players plus one physio and a coach.
• No more than 8 foreign players in the squad and at most 4 in the playing XI.
• A minimum of 4 local players must be included in each team.
• No fewer than 4 players from the BCCI under-22 pool in each team.

The players accorded "icon" status are: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag. The total spending cap for a franchisee in the first player auction was US $5m. Under-22 players are to be remunerated with a minimum annual salary of US $20,000 while for others it is US $50,000. Icon players are to be paid 15% more than the highest paid player in their respective teams.

India win India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match in Twenty20 cricket World cup

India win the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match in the Twenty20 cricket world cup

A incredible India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match saw the Twenty20 cricket match first tied at 141 runs, and then the result of the India Vs Pakistan match decided by the bowl-out rule

Exciting India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket bowlout results in a victory for the Indian cricket team

The Indian bowlers selected for the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 tiebreaker bowlout were Sehwag, Harbhajan, Uthappa, Pathan and Sreesanth. Pakistan selected Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and more

Shoaib Malik won the toss of the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 World cup tiebreaker bowlout and asked the Indian cricket team to bowl first

Sehwag bowled first in the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 world cup bowlout and knocked over the stumps

Farhat then tried to bowl a full toss on the stumps and missed! The India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 World cup bowlout score read 1-0 in India’s favour

Harbhajan then came on to bowl in the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 World cup bowlout and bowled a normal off spinner to rattle the stumps. Umar Gul tried using the cross seam but missed and India led Pakistan 2-0 in the Twenty20 World cup cricket bowlout

Uthappa ensures India win in India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 World cup bowlout

Incredibly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s Twenty20 cricket captain selected Uthappa to bowl third in the Twenty20 cricket bowlout against Pakistan and Uthappa knocked over the stumps. Shahid Afridi then amazingly tried a googly and missed the stumps by a mile and India won the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match by a bowlout score of 3-0

Mohammed Asif, Misbah Ul Haq and Uthappa were the heroes of the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match

During the actual twenty over India Vs Pakistan World cup cricket match,Mohammed Asif bowled an incredible spell to prove once again that he is among the best in world cricket today. Mohammed Asif had a spell of 4-18 off 4 overs to leave India tottering at 53 for 4

Uthappa then played beautifully in the company of a sedate Dhoni to knock 50 runs including a couple of huge sixes off Yasir Arafat to give India a fighting chance in the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket World cup by scoring 141/7 off 20 overs

The India Vs Pakistan World cup Twenty20 cricket match saw the Indian bowlers Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh make an incredible comeback

Irfan Pathan actually bowled a maiden over with a wicket in the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket World cup match to bring the Indian cricket team back into the match.

Harbhajan Singh also bowled a mean stingy line especially against Shahid Afridi in an engrossing one on one encounter in this India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match at the Twenty20 cricket World cup

Misbah Ul Haq played a great cameo with a fifty off just 35 balls and soon the Pakistan cricket team needed just 1 run to win off the last two balls in the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match

Misbah Ul Haq however couldn’t get Sreesanth away and got run out off the last ball of the India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match for the match to end in a tie and that incredible bowlout that India won

In summary, this exciting India Vs Pakistan Twenty20 cricket match at the Twenty20 cricket World cup probably ensures that Twenty20 cricket is here to stay and be popular. Watch out Test and one day cricket

"I.P.L 20/20

The "I.P.L 20/20 Cricket" has emerged as the biggest box-office success for International sports let alone India, where "Cricket" has a fanatic fan base akin to Soccer in Latin America.
All the major International betting companies have legalised betting accepted on the "I.P.L" matches proving the fact that unlike "W.W.E" wrestling these Cricket matches are genuine and not "FIXED" as "TELIVISION ENTERTAINMENT" for the masses.
Prior to "I.P.L 20/20", "Idiot Box Entertainment" was dominated by "Sas/Bahu Serials and 'Tasn type films", with various other specialised programmes on the "Pay-Channel".
Post "I.P.L 20/20", other sports in India might rethink their strategy of saving their sport from "CRICKET CONVERTS!".
Kerry Packer, the father of "50/50 Cricket" might be turning in his grave at the liberties taken on his "COPYRIGHT", his own "Frankenstein Monster".
Who is the father of "20/20 Cricket"?

20/20: Mockery in the name of cricket

FOURTH UMPIRE

July 20, 2006: To argue against Twenty 20 cricket is a bit futile, now that the BCCI has been forced to agree to participate in the world championship in South Africa next year. From the board’s point of view, the only thing to do is to prepare its team well for the tournament. Of course, the financial whiz kids can also think of various ways of milking money from the new slap-dash format.

But the fact remains that the ‘shortest’ variety leaves you with a lot of doubts. First of all, why is it that cricket should be the only outdoor game with a normal, shorter and shortest versions? Take football, hockey, volleyball or basket ball. You name the game and they have standardised the playing time and the rules and regulations. Why can’t cricket alone do this? The obvious answer is that the game by its very nature is slow and a bit dragging. Chess is another which has a ‘rapid’ format. But while rapid chess games have their place, normal chess is considered the real thing.

What the ICC could have done is to keep 20/20 variety for exhibition purposes and to draw crowds. Charge the same ticket rates or even more but don’t give official status. And don’t consider them as ‘records’. In cricket, we already have a problem remembering all the ‘world records’ in both Test cricket and ODIs. Now, once the latest variety comes in, who can remember these records as well?

It was Australia that successfully introduced separate teams for Tests and ODIs. Well almost. They had one-day specialists being flown in once the Test series was over. The level of competition being such, teams can now be expected to bring 20/20 specialists. While all this is good for youngsters aspiring to play the game at the highest level and make money out of it, not to mention journalists who specialise in covering the game, it is bound to leave the spectator confused on what constitutes real cricket genius.

In all probability, someone like the Indian skipper Rahul Dravid may find himself all at sea in the new brand of cricket. Every delivery will have to be sent screaming to the fence and traditional values of cricket like patience or temperament will have no place. Somebody like Atul Badade who had a reputation for hitting sixers before he came into the Indian team, only to leave in a bit of a disgrace, will rue the fact that he was not born a little later.

Also, be rest assured that 20/20 will hasten the end of Test cricket. Once you get used to this 3 hour games, the ODIs which take half a day will become the longer, legitimate version and Tests a thing of the past. And, nobody in the Test team may figure in the 20/20 side at all. For one, it will take a different set of skills including good biceps and secondly, how can the same set of players play so many matches?

It doesn’t take a pundit to predict that bowlers would suffer some ignominy. It won’t matter what kind of a spinner or swinger you are. Taking wickets won’t be that much of a concern as much as stopping the boundaries and sixers. Fielding will reach newer heights and another fallout could be that 400 plus scores will become the norm in ODIs.

Twenty 20 cricket archives & match schedule

Twenty 20 cricket archives- All past Twenty 20 cricket international matches

Past Twenty 20 cricket matches- All the Twenty 20 International matches

Twenty 20 cricket official international cricket matches

Australia Vs NewZealand Twenty 20 cricket match, at Eden Park, Auckland

Australia beat New Zealand by 44 runs , 17 Feb,2005

England Vs Australia Twenty 20 cricket match, at Southampton.

England beat Australia by 100 runs,13 June 2005

New Zealand Vs South Africa Twenty 20 cricket match, at Johanneesburg.

New Zealand beat South Africa by 5 wickets

Australia Vs South Africa Twenty 20 cricket match,at Brisbane

Australia beat South Africa by 95 runs.

West Indies Vs New Zealand Twenty 20 cricket match at Auckland,at Auckland

New Zealand beat West Indies 3-0 (bowl-out)

Australia Vs South Africa Twenty 20 cricket match,Johanneesburg

South Africa beat Australia by 2 runs.

England Vs Sri Lanka Twenty 20 cricket match,Southampton

Sri Lanka beat England by 2 runs

Pakistan Vs England Twenty 20 cricket match,Bristol

Pakistan beat England by 5 wickets

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Twenty 20 World cup cricket match schedule-An exciting fortnight of Twenty 20 cricket


Twenty 20 World cup cricket match schedules and fixtures

The Twenty 20 cricket World cup match schedules features twelve Twenty 20 international cricket including India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Kenya

The Twenty 20 cricket World cup match schedules include fixtures in three Twenty 20 locations in South Africa- the Wanderers in Johaneesburg, Kingsmead, Durban and Newlands,CapeTown.
Detailed Twenty 20 cricket World cup match schedule

Tue 11, 1st Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group A - South Africa v West Indies

Wed 12, 2nd Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group C - Kenya v New Zealand

Wed 12, 3rd Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group D - Pakistan v Scotland

Wed 12, 4th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group B - Australia v Zimbabwe

Thu 13, 5th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group A - Bangladesh v West Indies

Thu 13, 6th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group B - England v Zimbabwe

Thu 13, 7th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group D - India v Scotland

Fri 14, 8th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group C - Kenya v Sri Lanka

Fri 14, 9th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group B - Australia v England

Fri 14,10th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group D - India v Pakistan

Sat 15,11th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group C - New Zealand v Sri Lanka

Sat 15,12th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group A - South Africa v Bangladesh

Sun 16,13th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group E - India v New Zealand

Sun 16,14th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group F - Australia v Bangladesh

Sun 16,15th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group E - South Africa v England

Mon 17,16th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group F - Pakistan v Sri Lanka

Mon 17,17th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group E - England v New Zealand

Mon 17,18th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group F - Australia v Pakistan

Tue 18,19th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group F - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka

Tue 18,20th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group E - South Africa v New Zealand

Tue 18,21st Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group E - England v India

Wed 19,22nd Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group F - Australia v Sri Lanka

Thu 20,23rd Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group F - Bangladesh v Pakistan

Thu 20,24th Twenty 20 World cup cricket Match, Group E - South Africa v India

Thu 20, 1st Twenty 20 World cup Semi Final - TBC v TBC

Sat 22, 2nd Twenty 20 World cup Semi Final - TBC v TBC

Sat 24, World cup Twenty 20 cricket Final - TBC v TBC

The Twenty 20 World cup cricket tournament match schedule packs a lot of

punch in just two weeks with fixtures in just 3 venues of South Africa

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Upcoming Twenty 20 cricket international matches-India Vs South Africa

India Vs South Africa / Bangladesh Vs Zimbabwe

Upcoming Twenty 20 cricket international matches

India to play South Africa in Twenty 20 cricket international.

India is set to play its first international Twenty 20 cricket match against South Africa during India's tour of South Africa in November-December,2006.groupism. India's Twenty 20 cricket match against South Africa will be played on December 1st 2006 at the Wanderers.

In this forthcoming Twenty 20 cricket match between India and South Africa,India are obviously at a disadvantage,since India currently does not even have a domestic Twenty 20 tournament. South Africa of course has the Pro20 Twenty 20 domestic cricket tournament .

The Indian cricket team's only experience of Twenty 20 cricket matches is limited to Dinesh Mongia's experience in the Twenty 20 cup cricket tournament in England and the exhibition Twenty 20 cricket game played by the Indians against New Zealand a few years back. Sachin Tendulkar won the man of the match award in that Twenty 20 cricket match and he should be hoping that his heroics and records will include Twenty 20 cricket.
Upcoming Twenty 20 cricket match - Bangladesh Vs Zimbabwe

Bangladesh take on Zimbabwe in another Twenty 20 international cricket match at the Khulna cricket ground, on November 28,2006. This Twenty 20 cricket tussle between the minnows of world cricket,Bangladesh and Zimbabwe should make for an interesting match since the two teams are pretty close in ability, with the Bangladesh spinners holding the upper hand.

Twenty 20 World cup cricket match live scores,fixtures schedules,Twenty20 World cup


Twenty 20 World Cup Cricket matches-More exciting than the one day international cricket World Cup
An exciting South Africa Twenty 20 World cup cricket tournament sets South Africa on fire

The Twenty 20 World cup cricket match tournament in South Africa has already thrown up more surprises such as the Zimbabwe Vs Australia Twenty 20 World cup match and nail biting finishes such as the India Vs Pakistan Twenty 20 World cup match.

The Twenty 20 World cup cricket match international tournament has also seen amazing bowling displays by bowlers such as Mohammed Asif whose 4-18 spell against the Indian cricket team was the stuff of legends

The Twenty 20 World cup cricket matches have seen outrageous batting displays such as the century by Chris Gayle, the demolition man, of the West Indies cricket team,against a strong South African bowling attack
Twenty 20 World Cup cricket match schedule, fixtures

The Twenty 20 World cup match schedule includes twenty seven Twenty 20 World cup matches between September 11 and September 24. The Twenty 20 World cup match schedule includes Twenty 20 cricket match fixtures in three locations, New Wanderers Stadium Johanneesburg,Kindsmead Durban and Newlands Cape Town

The Twenty 20 World cup schedule ensures an exciting 27 Twenty 20 World cup international cricket matches including three Twenty 20 World cup international cricket matches on most days. Also, on a commercial note, the Twenty 20 World cup has ensured an India Vs Pakistan Twenty 20 World cup cricket match in the league phase itself, to prevent the debacle of the one day international cricket World cup,which was a commercial failure after the early exit of the India and Pakistan cricket teams
Dont miss the seeing the live cricket telecasts of the Twenty 20 World cup cricket matches

With three live Twenty 20 World cup cricket matches every day, the live Twenty 20 cricket World cup promises great excitement for all the fourteen days of the Twenty 20 cricket tournament

The live cricket telecast of the Twenty 20 World cup cricket tournament begs one to spare a thought for the better halfs of the cricket fans who are expected to forget their families and indeed themselves for the entire duration of the Twenty 20 cricket World cup

Origins of Twenty 20 cricket-How Twenty 20 cricket began

Why the origin of Twenty 20 cricket was absolutely necessary for World cricket.

Twenty 20 cricket has been a Godsend to world cricket. Before the arrival of Twenty 20 cricket, the world cricket scene has been recently smirched by allegations of match-fixing,bias,racism and groupism. The biggest problem for world cricket is however, that of spectator boredom.

Before Twenty 20 cricket came in, the Americans have been making fun of the cricket loving population for ages. The typical rant against cricket is that it is boring and sometimes,you play an entire five days worth of cricket with no result.
Twenty 20 cricket origins- Invented and popularized in England

Twenty 20 cricket was apparently originated by a person named Nick Borcich in England. The ECS (England and Wales Cricket Board) introduced a Twenty 20 cricket tournament (The Twenty 20 cup cricket tournament) between the various counties.

The true origins of Twenty 20 cricket can be traced to the Twenty20 cup county cricket tournament in England which turned out to be a huge success. In fact, one particular match between Middlesex and Surrey had the highest audience in England for a county cricket match since 1953. This successful Twenty 20 cricket match set the seal on this latest format of world cricket- It was now only a matter of time before world cricket took up the natural evolution of the cricket game.
The origins of Twenty 20 cricket-Twenty 20 domestic cricket tournament across the world.

Having its origins in the Twenty 20 cup county cricket tournament in England, Twenty 20 cricket has rapidly spread throughout the world.The success of the Twenty 20 cup county cricket tournament in England sparked off a huge interest in this new form of cricket and exhibition matches for Twenty 20 cricket were held throughout the world. One such exhibition Twenty 20 cricket match was between India and New Zealand where Sachin Tendulkar played a hand and was the man of the match.

Soon, Twenty 20 cricket was adopted by every cricket board on earth and Twenty 20 domestic cricket tournaments are now played all over the world.Some of the popular Twenty 20 cricket tournaments include the ABN-Amro Twenty 20 cup in Pakistan, the State Twenty20 cricket tournament in New Zealand, the Twenty20 cup in England,the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash in Australia and the Pro20 series in South Africa - each of these Twenty 20 tournaments have been hugely popular in their home countries.
A tribute to the originators of Twenty 20 cricket- Twenty 20 World cup in 2007 in South Africa

The Twenty 20 World cup will be held in South Africa in 2007. India has formally also announced its intention to participate in the Twenty 20 world cup and declared its commitment to the Twenty 20 cricket format.

Twenty 20 cricket-Cricket is no longer boring

TheTwenty20.com- The World of Twenty 20 cricket

Twenty 20 cricket is set to revolutionize the world of cricket. Twenty 20 cricket is the natural evolution of the sport of cricket. The dull dreary world of test match cricket was slowly replaced by one day international cricket matches. But now, Twenty 20 cricket seems set to replace both forms of cricket.

Twenty 20 cricket - No turning back anymore!

Domestic Twenty 20 cricket tournaments are being announced by almost every cricket team in the world on their annual cricket calendars. Twenty 20 cricket is exciting and fun and the Stanford 20/20 cricket tournament was probably the key tournament in bringing back West Indies fans to cricket stadiums and perhaps a factor in the rejuvenation of West Indies cricket.

Twenty 20 domestic cricket tournaments such as the State Twenty 20 cricket tournament in New Zealand, the Twenty 20 cup in England,the Twenty 20 Big Bash in Australia and the Pro20 series in South Africa have been huge cricketing successes

Twenty 20 World Cup- The uncorking of the champagne for Twenty 20 cricket.

The Twenty 20 World cup cricket tournament for all leading world cricket teams will be held in South Africa in 2007. Though the Twenty 20 world cup immediately follows the official cricket one day international world cup in the West Indies, one can be rest assured that the timing will not take the sheen off the Twenty 20 World cup.

A comparison of the Twenty 20 world cup cricket tournament in South Africa and the cricket one day international World cup in the West Indies, will make it clear that Twenty 20 cricket tournaments are here to stay and the Twenty 20 cricket format is the future of world cricket.