Oct

15

Champions league CLT20 stage round recap

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What happened thus far, a look back..

  • Great inauguration, amazing choreography by Shaolin Monks and others.
  • Boring speech which was booed by the audience; started clapping before he could finish. (Mr.Modi)

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Oct

15

trp goes down in champions league clt20

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Ratings point is a measure of viewership of a particular television program.
 
One single television ratings point (Rtg or TVR) represents 1% of viewers in the surveyed area in a given minute.

As an example, say, there are an estimated 100 million television households in the surveyed country. Thus, a single national household ratings point represents 1%, or 1 million households.. When used for the broadcast of a program, the average rating across the duration of the show is typically given. Ratings points are often used for specific demographics rather than just households. For example a ratings point among the key 18-49 year olds demographic is equivalent to 1% of all 18-49 year olds in the country.

In India, television ratings are collected by two main organizations – TAM India and Audience Measurement Analytics Limited (aMap). aMap entered the market in 2005, with more coverage and latest technology from Telecontrol-Switzerland. aMap polls the meters (6000 households) using GSM network and provides ratings overnight. TAM India collects data manually (physical visits) and releases data weekly. aMap also has a stand-alone digital panel (aMapDigital) to measure TV viewing in DTH homes.

The TRP ratings show that T20 is starting to get boring and unknown teams playing only adds to the woes.. The empty stands are also an indication that CL T20 hasn’t yet caught the viewers.. If this is the situation in a cricket crazy country, the situation will only be grim when CL goes around the world..

A comparison of important matches in ICC T20 WC 2009, IPL ,CT 2009 and CL T20 is done below..

For IPL 2009, the reach had increased.. More viewers but they stayed for a lesser time on the channel.. The ratings were 4.3 for RCB vs KKR in 2008 and was 3.6 in 2009 for CSK vs MI…
The 2nd semi final CSK vs RCB had a rating of 6.5 against 5.5 rating for semi-2 in IPL-1..
But 8.8 rating of IPL-1 was far too higher than 8.3 of IPL-2 ..

Having said that, and IPL being too loud being the reason for its reach and talks that IPL and T20 are going to take the world by storm spelling an end to test matches and the ODIs were proved wrong in the ICC world cup, may we say that the timings of the match were a dent to the viewership..

In ICC WC 2009, IND-WI match had highest rating points of 5.4 followed by Ind-Eng game 4.8 ..
The finals had a rating of 3.7 in star cricket and DD had a rating of 3.8 ….

Still we find that an Ind-Pak match garners the same rating as that of T20 finals.. So, a great game of cricket is still appreciated irrespective of whether its a T20 or ODI..  Over 30 million viewed Ind-Pak match.. The knock out stages did not do that well because of the absence of Indian team..
The Champions League has fared even worse with an average of 0.74 so far, according to TV monitoring agency, aMap.. Empty stands also adds to the woes.. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore was full even for the Ind-Aus test match while in the other 3 matches we got to see empty stands.. But now, the same stadium in Bangalore was empty for Trinidad match..
This takes us to the next question.. Will the matches be fixed to let the IPL teams into the league stage ?

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Oct

12

the castrol index

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The Castrol Index looks at a batsman or bowler’s performance in his core skill area.For a Batsman, its the batting that counts and bowling adds on and vice-versa for the bowlers.. For the all rounders though, the indices are added..

For a batsman it’s his Batting Momentum, the combination of runs scored and the rate at which those runs are scored..

For a bowler it’s his Bowling Efficiency, the combination of wickets taken and the economy rate. 

The Castrol Index also factors in each player’s non core skills, such as the Bowling Efficiency for a batsman or the Batting Momentum for a bowler. This is crucial, because in the shorter formats of the game every ball matters.

The Castrol Index also factors in each player’s fielding performance, such as runs saved or conceded, which further adds to the bonus or penalty earned. It’s by looking at all three aspects of the game for every player and not just the runs scored or wickets taken, that the Castrol Index is able to tell you the true impact of every player’s contribution in the shorter versions of the game. 

With a match centre, that previews and reviews every match with the help of the Castrol Index.. It is claimed that this index predicts the outcomes and deduces the player performances in a much more comprehensive way than what a simple statistic of runs scored and wickets taken would do..

The expert fan view would run throughout the Champions League T20 where fans can post questions or answer the ones posted by their peers.. The best post and answer of each day would be picked up by Harsha Bhogle, the famous commentator of the ESPNSTAR group.. And what more there are cash rewards for doing the same..

visit http://www.castrolcricket.com/ for details..

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Oct

9

Champions League T20: Otago Volts

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New Zealand’s Twenty20 champions Otago Volts enter the tournament as a strong contender for the title.

Brendon McCullum is a proven match-winner, while all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas is capable of making a difference with both bat and ball. Nathan McCullum, Ian Butler and Neil Broom are the other players with some international players and would be expected to play stellar roles for Otago.

Squad: Craig Cumming (captain), Brendon McCullum, Nick Beard, Neil Wagner, Greg Todd, Hamish Rutherford, Aaron Redmond, Dmitri Mascarenhas, Warren McSkimming, James McMillan, Nathan McCullum, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Derek de Boorder, Mathew Harvie.

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Oct

9

Champions League T20: Trinidad & Tobago

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The team that the great Brian Lara once played for will be the Caribbean’s sole representation in the Champions League .

The Bravo brothers — Dwayne and Darren — the best talents to come out of the West Indies for a while will no doubt be the star attractions. Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul and Denesh Ramdin are a few young talents that can make headlines in the tournament.

Squad: Daren Ganga (captain), Dwayne Bravo , Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Denesh Ramdin, Samuel Badree, Navin Stewart, Kieron Pollard, William Perkins, Sunil Narine, Dave Mohammed, Adrian Barath, Rayad Emrit, Sherwin Ganga

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Oct

9

Champions League T20: Wayamba Elevens

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Wayamba qualified for the Champions League following their Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament victory over Basnahira South in what could be a big boost for Sri Lankan domestic cricket.

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene will be Wayamba’s main hope with the bat. Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis may have not enjoyed success in the two editions of the IPL so far, but he definitely poses a threat as was witnessed in the ICC Champions Trophy .

Squad: Jehan Mubarak (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Farveez Maharoof, Sameera de Zoysa, Ishara Amerasinghe, Chanaka Welegedara, Mahela Udawatte, Isuru Udana, Thissara Perera, Michael Vandort , Rangana Herath, S Karunanayake, J Kulatunga, K Lokuarachchi.

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Oct

9

Champions League T20: Delhi Daredevils

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Gautam Gambhir leads one of the star-studded line-ups in the Champions League Twenty20 .

The Delhi Daredevils’ line-up boasts of the two most dangerous batsmen in world cricket — Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virender Sehwag .

Daniel Vettori , Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra make up a formidable bowling attack that is capable of running through any batting line-up on its day.

Squad: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Virender Sehwag, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rajat Bhatia, Dinesh Karthik , Mithun Manhas , Dirk Nannes , Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Avishkar Salvi, Pradeep Sangwan, Owais Shah , Manoj Tiwary, Daniel Vettori.

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Oct

9

Groups for 2011 World Cup

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The groups for the 2011 World Cup have been decided. While the format has not been formally disclosed by the ICC, they have indicated that it will be a quarter-final format i.e. top 4 in each group play in the QFs. The tournament is going to be shortened to 49 matches (from 51) and to around 5 weeks (from 6 weeks).

I personally am not a fan of the QF format, but what the hell can I do about it. I think the Champions Trophy is a better deal than the World Cup. My own ideal format for the World Cup is as follows: have 14 teams, of which 4 teams get byes into a Super-8 round (previous champs, most recent CT champs, most recent T20 champs, #1 ODI team, etc). The 10 remaining teams are divided into two groups of 5 each, and play each other. Top two in each group join the other 4 in the Super-8. In the Super-8, everyone plays each other and top 4 go to the semis. It will be 51 matches (same as 2007), but with at least two matches a day, it can comfortably be completed in 5 weeks or less.

Anyways, I’m not the ICC chief so I can’t decide the format. So, without further ado, I present the 2011 World Cup groups:

Group A – Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya.

Group B – India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands.

Read more at: http://www.cricinfo.com/wc2011/content/current/story/428712.html

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Oct

7

South African teams in CL T20

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The Standard Bank Pro20 was used to launch the franchise system at the end of the 2003/04 season and has been a domestic highlight ever since. Like its format of 20 overs per side, it has a short, sharp format of five league matches followed by a semi-final and final.

The No. 1 side after the round robin stages plays No. 4 in the one semi-final and No. 2 plays No. 3 in the second semi-final with the winners going through to the final. In all cases the team with the higher log position has home ground advantage. There is also a reserve day allowed for all knock-out matches in the case of inclement weather conditions.

NASHUA CAPE COBRAS is the brand name for the Western Cape franchise of Cricket South Africa. Its constituent components are the Western Province Cricket Association and the Boland Cricket Board. They  play their home matches at Boland Park, Paarl, and at Sahara Park Newlands.

Current nationally contracted players are Smith, Gibbs, JP Duminy and Monde Zondeki.. Ashwell Prince also hails from this place..

DIAMOND EAGLES is the brand name for the central franchise of Cricket South Africa and has been the most successful franchise in terms of winning trophies. The constituent members are the Free State and Griqualand West Cricket Boards. Their home grounds are the OUTsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and the De Beers Diamond Oval in Kimberley.

They are one of only two franchises – the Nashua Titans are the other – to have won all three domestic trophies in the course of the past four seasons and have altogether had five trophy successes.

IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Diamond Eagles don’t have it easier, grouped with winners of AUS and ENG T20 winners namely, NSW and Sussex..  The South African Pro20 runners up the Diamond Eagles have had some fantastic seasons on the domestic circuit but with no current South African internationals some have suggested the side may struggle against their more fancied opponents. But having said that, no team is to be taken lightly.. 

Dippenaar is a seasoned campaigner, van Wyk’s exploits in IPL2 have gone largely unnoticed as he was a part of KKR, Dillon du Preez had an excellent spell of fast bowling in one game and was never picked again for the RCB, Ryan McLaren would be an asset to the side,

 Boeta Dippenaar (capt),
Dillon du Preez,
Morne van Wyk,
Mthandeki Tshabalala,
Adrian McLaren,
Ryan McLaren,
Victor Mpitsang,
Ryan Bailey,
Jandre Coetzee,
Cornelis de Villiers,
Dean Elgar,
Reeza Hendricks,
Alan Kruger,
Rilee Rossouw,

Shadley van Schalkwyk.  

Cape Cobras along with RCB and Otago Volts make up Group C .. The Nashua Cape Cobras have a particularly tough programme, playing the tournament opening match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore on October 8, with their remaining pool game against New Zealand’s Otago Volts in Hyderabad just two days later.
Cape Cobras will be led by Andrew Puttick, in the absence of Graeme Smith, who was initially left out of the 15 man squad.. Wow !! How quickly can Life change!!

Cape Cobras 
Andrew Puttick (capt) – capt / opener/ keeper
Herschelle Gibbs,
JP Duminy,
Justin Ontong,
Charl Langeveldt- leads the pace bowling
Claude Henderson,
Monde Zondeki,
Vernon Philander -all rounder
Henry Davids,
Ryan Canning- lower order batsman and keeper
Rory Kleinveldt all rounder
Richard Levi
Sybrand Engelbrecht,
Derek Brand,
Francois Plaatjies.

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Oct

7

Beware !!!!!!!!!

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Somerset County cricket club have qualified for the inaugural Champions League to be held in India from the 8th of October..

Champions League T20 is also in short CL T20..

To add the title sponsors in the name, it is now widely called as AIRTEL Champions League or ACL-T20..

Somerset website has gone a step higher and has christened another name to it..

Guess what !!!!!!!!!

As it is gonna be held in India, it is called Indian Champions League T20..

And what is its short form ???????

ICL T20………….

Now, thats inviting trouble.. That is one dreaded short form that BCCI fought against with all its might and wealth.. Yes, ICL or Indian Cricket League which was started by the Zee group was under the scanner right from its inaugural season 3 years back.. BCCI have played all tricks to get rid of ICL, and have almost succeeded..

The last thing Mr.Modi would like to see is his league being called ICL T20..

Beware of some action taken against those who have published that name..

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Oct

7

English teams at CL T20

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Kent’s 145 was not enough to stop Somerset from reaching the finals..
Northants 136 almost proved to be enough to gain access to CL T20 but Murray Goodwin’s steady and calm innings took Sussex past 136 with 2 balls to spare..

Sussex Sharks and Somerset Sabres entered the Final of Twenty-20 cup thereby earning a place in the Champions League T20..

A $6million jackpot is up for grabs – read the news.. The focus from the finals was slowly shifting to CL T20..
2 semis and a final on the same day was some treat to the fans.. But all three matches on the same day robs us of the fun too.. If its played on 2 days or even 3 days, it keeps the excitement and thrill that much longer and makes it a great weekend..

After play started at 11.30 in the morning with the 1st semi final, the action shifted to the final at 7.30pm..

No show from Goodwin this time around, but a late flurry of boundaries from Yasir Arafat and explosive knock from Dwyane Smith ensured a total of 172 for 7.. Chasing 172 itself is a big task, added to it is the pressure of finals.. So, 172, could look like 190.. Somerset saw 2 contrasting innings Marcus Trescothick  33 from 15 deliveries and de Bruyn 22 of 32 deliveries and eventually slumped to 109 all out, losing their last six wickets for just five runs.

IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE :

Somerset Sabres
Placed in group A with Deccan Chargers and Trinidad..
The first game is on Saturday 10th October when the Sabres will take on Deccan Chargers in Hyderbad and the Sabres second game is against Trinidad and Tobago which will be played at Bangalore on Monday October 12th..
Langer would captain the side, Trescothick whose mental and physical condition forced him out of international tours and has  kept him out of the England squad despite being a prolific run getter in the domestic tournaments is lured  by the ????? (money or whatever) to tour India, de Bruyn except for the dismal finals is in good form..Batsman Jos Buttler, who also keeps wicket and who at just 19 is the youngest member of the party. Arul Suppaiah, Malaysian born has been impressive..
TEAM ::: 
Justin Langer (capt),
Marcus Trescothick,
Zander de Bruyn,
Omari Banks,
James Hildreth,
Craig Kieswetter,
Pete Trego,
Arul Suppiah,
Alfonso Thomas,
Max Waller,
Charl Willoughby,
Wes Durston,
Mark Turner,
Jos Buttler,
Ben Phillips.

Sussex Sharks
Placed in a non-IPL group, Group B, with Diamond Eagles and NSW Blues.. 


Led by Michael Yardy, the team has a lot of all rounders and players with experience at the international level too.. This might well be the group to look out for as all the teams are evenly matched.. 

Dwyane Smith has opted to play for Sussex ahead of the Chargers.. Luke Wright, Martin-Jenkins, Yasir Arafat are excellent all round talents.. Chawla has been impressive in both the IPLs, Ed Joyce needs to introduction.. James Kirtley will be remembered for both his swing bowling and for his one handed catch of Ganguly in Natwest ODIs 2001.. A young side, with many players in their early 20s.. 



Michael Yardy (capt),
Dwayne Smith, 
Luke Wright, 
James Kirtley, 
Piyush Chawla, 
Ed Joyce, 
Joe Gatting, 
Robin Martin-Jenkins, 
William Beer, 
Andrew Hodd, 
Christopher Nash, 
Ben Brown, 
Rory Hamilton-Brown, 
Yasir Arafat, 
Chad Keegan.

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