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..
Shadley van Schalkwyk.
Read more on South African teams in CL T20…
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..
Read more on Beware !!!!!!!!!…
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 :
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.
Read more on English teams at CL T20…
Oct
6
Champions Trophy: New Zealand set-up a final date with Australia
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New Zealand set-up a final clash with defending champions Australia after defeating Pakistan by five wickets in a thrilling semi-final at the New Wanderers Stadium here Saturday.
New Zealand, who won the title in 2000 when it was known as the ICC Knock Tournament, achieved the target of 234 runs in 47.5 overs by losing just five wickets. Grant Elliot was the top scorer with an unbeaten 75, while skipper and Man of the Match Daniel Vettori scored 41.
Pakistan bastmen failed to covert the good starts they got after captain Younis Khan opted to bat first. Umar Akmal (55) and Mohammad Yousuf (45) played crucial knocks as they put a competitive total on board.
New Zealand made a cautious start but were found struggling at 71 for three by the 17th over. Ross Taylor started the repair act with his patient 38 and Vettori and Elliot played solid innings and with their 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The game looked evenly poised till the 42nd over when New Zealand needed 59 runs from 48 deliveries. But Vettori’s decision to opt for the Power Play in the 42nd over paid rich dividends as 55 runs came off in five overs, paving way for New Zealand’s second final appearance in the tournament.
Fast bowler Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal were erratic in the dying stages of the game and both Elliot and Vettori came out with some big shots to end Pakistan’s hopes.
Earlier in the day, paceman Ian Butler and spinner Vettori shared seven wickets as New Zealand restricted Pakistan to 233 for nine.
Butler had a career-best haul of four for 44, while left-arm spinner Vettori ended with three for 43.
Teenager Umar Akmal hit a solid 55 as Pakistan looked set for a big total. But Vettori and Butler struck in quick succession to reduce them to 198 for nine.
Another teenager Mohammad Aamer (19 not out) and Saeed Ajmal (14 not out) then showed some great fighting spirits adding 35 off 34 deliveries for the last wicket as Pakistan made 233.
Read more on Champions Trophy: New Zealand set-up a final date with Australia…
Oct
5
Trinidad and Tobago
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The name reminds us of only one, the master Lara.….. Home to Queen’s Park Oval which has witnessed marvellous knocks from the master Lara.
Trinidad and Tobago is the only side from the West Indies to have qualified for the Airtel Champions League Twenty20.
Notable players from T & T
Brian Lara
Ian Bishop
Learie Constantine
Wes Hall
Larry Gomes
Gus Logie
Merv Dillon
Deryck Murray
Players still Playing- Darren Ganga, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Dinesh Ramdin
Domestic series is played among
Guyana, Barbados, T&T, Leeward islands, Windward Islands, Jamaica, Combined Colleges and Campuses,
4 day tournament, Carib Beer series, Limited over competitions and Stanford 20-20 league form the domestic set up of the Windies cricket..
19 teams took part in the inaugural Stanford T20 competition, 16 were shortlisted for the actual tournament with 3 being eliminated after a playoff.. The 2nd edition was bigger with 20 teams in the fray..Stanford Twenty20 Cup is a knock-out competition featuring national sides from several Caribbean territories vying for the million-dollar grand prize. The competition was created two years ago and is solely financed by Antigua-based, Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford. This tournament is played on the ground built by Sir Allen Stanford, Stanford cricket ground..
IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CLT20 :
T&T are grouped with Deccan Chargers and Somerset in the Group A..
T&T will play two warm-up matches before playing their first tournament match against Somerset in Bangalore on October 12. They play Deccan on October 14 in Hyderabad.
T&T squad:
William Perkins,
Sherwin Ganga,
Navin Stewart,
Samuel Badree,
Darren Bravo – Lara look alike in a few shots, very promising
Denesh Ramdin (wk)- Can be very useful with the bat
Sunil Narine
Rayad Emrit – has all round capabilities- medium pace and handy bat, plays county cricket.
Dave Mohammed – left arm chinaman, RPO less than 5..
Read more on Trinidad and Tobago…
Oct
5
Lets travel DOWN UNDER to meet the teams qualifying for the Champions league T20 -
New South Wales Blues and Victoria Bushrangers..
Aussie domestic set up is pretty much familiar with most cricket fans.. For starters, though, Aussie domestic cups are simple.. 6 teams, 3 competitions..
New South Wales – based in Sydney
Victoria – MCG, Melbourne
South Australia- Adelaide
Queensland- Gabba, Brisbane
Tasmania – Hobart
Western Australia – WACA,Perth
Pura cup which is now Sheffield Shield cup 4 day matches, Ford Ranger cup – limited overs and KFC big bash T20..
In KFC big bash, each team plays against the other once.. The 2nd and 3rd placed teams play in a semi final, and the winner plays the team which had topped the points table in the round robin stage..
2009 KFC Big Bash T20 Points table
Read more on Australian teams in Champions League -CL T20…
Oct
2
ICC awards
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As part of the ICC’s celebration of the game’s heroes and role models, it stages the annual LG ICC Awards ceremony to recognize the major individual and team achievements in world cricket.
The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its sixth year and in 2009 the Awards took place in Johannesburg. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007) and Dubai (2008).
The LG ICC Awards in 2009 included eight individual prizes, including the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year. The winners of seven of these individual awards were voted upon by a 25-person panel from around the world, made up of renowned former players, respected members of the media, and an elite umpire and elite match referee. Meanwhile, the nominations for the Women’s Cricketer of the Year Award were voted on by a separate 16-person voting academy featuring former players and other experts on the women’s game.
The other three awards were the ICC Test Team of the Year, the ICC ODI Team of the Year and the Spirit of Cricket Award.
Based on the 12 months between August 2008 and August 2009, the LG ICC Awards 2009 – presented in association with FICA – took into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.
Lists of nominees- Individual Awards
Cricketer of the Year
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind)
Gautam Gambhir (Ind)
Mitchell Johnson (Aus)
Andrew Strauss (Eng)
Test Player of the Year
Gautam Gambhir (Ind)
Mitchell Johnson (Aus)
Thilan Samaraweera (SL)
Andrew Strauss (Eng)
ODI Player of the Year
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind)
Virender Sehwag (Ind)
Yuvraj Singh (Ind)
Emerging Player
Ben Hilfenhaus (Aus)
Graham Onions (Eng)
Jesse Ryder (NZ)
Peter Siddle (Aus)
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year
Rizwan Cheema (Can)
Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned)
William Porterfield (Ire)
Edgar Schiferli (Ned)
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year
Shahid Afridi (Pak) for scoring 51 off 34 balls and taking 2-16 against South Africa during the ICC WT20 semi-final in Nottingham on 18 June
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) for scoring 96 not out off 57 balls against the West Indies in the semi-final of the ICC WT20 at The Oval on 19 June
Chris Gayle (WI) – for hitting 88 off 50 balls against Australia during the ICC WT20 at The Oval on 6 June
Umar Gul (Pak) for taking 5-6 against New Zealand during the ICC WT20 at The Oval on 13 June
Women’s Cricketer of the Year
Charlotte Edwards (Eng)
Shelley Nitschke (Aus)
Claire Taylor (Eng)
Umpire of the Year
Aleem Dar
Tony Hill
Asad Rauf
Simon Taufel
Spirit of Cricket
Australia
England
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
This list was arrived at after a long list of nominees was announced earlier.. Surprisingly, South Africans were missing from the short list of nominees.. CSA chairman Gerald Majola was surprised and shocked at the absence of South Africans from the final list especially after having a great year in both the test and the ODI formats and being No.1 in the ICC rankings too..
On October 1, in Johannesburg, the awards were given away..
Cricketer of the Year- Mitchell Johnson
Test Player of the Year- Gautam Gambhir
ODI Player of the Year- Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Emerging Player- Peter Siddle
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year - William Potterfield
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year – Tilakaratne Dilshan
Women’s Cricketer of the Year – Claire Taylor
Umpire of the Year - Aleem Daar
Spirit of Cricket- New Zealand
ICC ODI and Test team captain – MS Dhoni
Johnson - Impressive performances against SA in both home and away series.. Played a hand with both bat and ball, integral part of the Aussie team which is rebuilding after the loss of its stalwarts..
Gambhir- Scored more than 1000 runs, dream run for him. 5 centuries including a double century against the visiting Australia..
Dhoni- Retained his ODI player award, highly consistent.. Averages above 50 and his average increases by 7 when India chase more than 275.. (remarkable to note that in the same period of consideration Sachin’s average dips by 7 when India chase high totals)
Dishan- Has a shot named after him, Dilscoop which he used effectively in the T20s.. Scored 96 of 57 balls in the T20 WC semi final against Windies.. Afiridi’s performance was more effective and it lifted the entire team against the Proteas.. Gayle’s 88 against Aussies deserved an award too..
Siddle- Emerging player of the year award, he had to fill in the gap left by McGrath and an injured Lee. Truly a better choice from the nominees..Never easy to make your debut in the absence of Lee and having to lead the bowling attack and perform so superbly..
Claire Taylor- England woman’s team captain, only in the woman’s cricket have they won a major ICC tournament.. This year they won the 50 over championship and the 20-20 championship in which Taylor played a great role with the bat..
Aleem Daar- First time I have seen Simon Taufel being pipped for the award.. Aleem Daar, Asad Rauf, Taufel have been the better umpires..
William Potterfield- First seen in Ireland’s T20 campaign, made it to the super 8s.. They have also won 9 of the 11 ODIs they played..
Spirit of Cricket- Switched hands from Sri Lanka to New Zealand this year, Vettori was pretty startled as to what this award was for..
Panel:Clive Lloyd, Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar, Stephen Fleming and Bob Taylor
ICC ODI Team of the year-
Virender Sehwag (Ind),
Chris Gayle (WI),
Kevin Pietersen (Eng),
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL),
Yuvraj Singh (Ind),
Martin Guptill (NZ),
MS Dhoni (Ind, captain, WK),
Andrew Flintoff (Eng),
Nuwan Kulasekara (SL),
Ajantha Mendis (SL),
Umar Gul (Pak),
12th man: Thilan Thushara (SL)
The team has one batsman too many.. The line up cannot be determined.. Martin Guptill may be a misfit and the balance is missing..
Oct
1
Hot, Not, Needs a Rethought….so far at the CT 2009
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So after each major tournament, I like to come up with a list of things that are hot, not, and need a rethought. Here’s my list so far for the Champions Trophy.
Hot: ODI Cricket; Pakistan’s bowling; South Africa as a host country for any cricket event;
Not: Indian team spirit; World Cup format; South Africa as a host team;
Needs a Rethought: Strategy for taking batting powerplay; Mohammad Aamer’s haircut; that horrible sounding bugle;
More to come after the tournament is over!
Read more on Hot, Not, Needs a Rethought….so far at the CT 2009…
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