The best cricket

Pakistan Blind Cricketers Win World Cup

2008-09-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Guest Post by Deeda-i-Beena

Yes, that is correct!

They are Blind. They are Team Pakistan. They too are cricketers. They have made the Finals in three previous showings. Now they have won the World Cup second time running.

The last couple of weeks, venues in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have seen cricket matches played by the Blind for the World Cup. Teams from seven countries participated in this tournament. They were: Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies. (See another video news clip here).

This World Cup tournament received scant media coverage (although on winning the World Cup did get them a picture on the front page of Dawn) and even less public knowledge or participation. The opening games were played on the League-basis, followed by semi-finals and the final was played on Saturday December 16th between India and Pakistan.

The Pakistan team lifted the World Cup after beating India by six wickets.

I confess to not knowing much about this genre of cricket. I understand the ball rattles, it is bowled under-hand and the batsmen sweep it across the playground. Otherwise, the scene is unmistakably of a cricket ground and the players every bit look and act like cricketers.

Here are some interesting facts picked from The News which provided good coverage, probably because the Jang Group and Geo TV were among the major sponsors of the event:

Ã¢â‚¬Å“Pakistani (Blind) fielders exhibited outstanding work as six Indian batsmen were run out.Ã¢â‚¬Â? Any such feat or expectation from the sighted team?
PakistanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s entire winning team received Rs. 200,000 as WIN BONUS. All the best players (of the tournament?) in their categories were awarded $200 each. What modest players and team winning the World Cup and settling for a fraction of the sighted teamÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s largesse.
Scores of 360, over 200 etc. were made in several matches.
Pakistan set FIVE World Records during a 10 wicket victory against New Zealand team.

We all know what fortunes are made when just one sighted player breaks World Records. Here a blind team set 5 new records and nothing moved in their favour. Is it discrimination against the visually challenged, or what??? One wonders, also, what incentives are provided to our women cricketers?

Deeda-i-Beena is a former graduate teacher, has international experience and background in social, environmental and human developement issues.

1992 Cricket World Cup

2008-09-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Rule changes

The 1991-92 World Cup saw several changes from previous tournaments:

the first World Cup to have day/night matches^[1]
the first World Cup to use white cricket balls and coloured team uniforms^[1]
A controversial system of recalculating team totals for a reduced number of overs for matches affected by rain was introduced.^[1]
the first World Cup to feature an African Test nation - South Africa.
the first World Cup held in the Southern hemisphere.
New techniques were used
- pinch-hitters (Batsmen sent in the early stages (higher order) to hit the ball over the infield to ensure a good start to the innings)
- New Zealand opening with spin bowlers to confuse the higher order batsmen who are used to fast bowlers trying to extract speed and bounce with the new ball

The format was changed from the 1987 World Cup to accommodate South Africa. Nine countries participated in the event and, for the first time, the teams were not divided into groups. The first stage involved a complete round-robin and required 36 matches. The top four teams qualified for the semi-finals.

Overview of the tournament

The countries participating were all Test nations, with the exception of Zimbabwe:

Australia
England
India
New Zealand
Pakistan
South Africa
Sri Lanka
West Indies
Zimbabwe

The 1992 World Cup was won by Pakistan, captained by Imran Khan, who beat England by 22 runs in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), to see the "Cornered tigers" and Imran Khan lift the trophy. Pakistan won just one of their first five matches and only qualified for the semi-finals by beating the previously undefeated New Zealand side in their final round robin game. In one of the games Pakistan looked set to lose with England on 24-1 chasing Pakistan's score of 74 all out, but were saved by a spell of rain, which left the game as a no-result, the sides taking one point each. Without that point Pakistan would not have qualified for the semi-finals. New Zealand and South Africa were the losing semi-finalists.

South Africa's semi-final against England ended in controversial circumstances when, after a rain delay, the rule in use for revising target scores in rain-affected matches revised their target from 22 runs from 13 balls to an impossible 21 runs from one ball. This rule was replaced for One-day International matches in Australia after the World Cup, and it was eventually superseded by the Duckworth-Lewis method for the 1999 World Cup onwards. The revised D/L target for the match would have been four runs to tie or five to win from the final ball. ^[2]

A notable feature of this World Cup was the innovative tactics employed by New Zealand captain Martin Crowe, who opened his team's bowling with a spin bowler, Dipak Patel, rather than with a fast bowler, as is usual practice. Another innovation was the opening of the New Zealand batting by pinch hitters.

New Zealand lost only two matches in the tournament, a Group match and their Semi-final, both against Pakistan.

ICC Cricket World Cup 1979

2008-09-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Cricket World Cup 1979, also known as the 'Prudential Cup' was the second edition of the series. The host nation was England and the event took place from June 9 to June 23. Total eight teams participated in this mega event who played the preliminary matches in 2 groups of 4 each. The top two teams from each group contested in the semifinals. The winners played the final match.

Then, the matches were played in a traditional fashion. Same white uniforms, red balls and played only during the day-light. The match use to start early and consisted of 60 overs.

West Indies and England played the final at the Lord's cricket ground in London. West Indies won by 92 runs. The Prudential Cup was lifted by the captain of West Indies, Clive Lloyd. This was the second consecutive time the West Indies won the World Cup. The other two semifinalists were New Zealand and Pakistan.

Venue : England
Date : 9 June 1979 to 23 June 1979
Teams Played:
Group A : England, Pakistan, Australia, Canada.
Group B : West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India.
Winner: West Indies (Beated England By 92 Runs).
Man of The Match: Vivian Richards - Scored 138 runs.

Summary :-
Group A: Canada v Pakistan - June 9, 1979 at Leeds
Pakistan won by 8 wickets.
Canada 139-9 (60 ov); Pakistan 140-2 (40.1 ov).

Group A: England v Australia - June 9, 1979 at Lord's
England won by 6 wickets.
Australia 159-9 (60 ov); England 160-4 (47.1 ov).

Group B: India v West Indies - June 9, 1979 at Birmingham
West Indies won by 9 wickets.
India 190 (53.1 ov); West Indies 194-1 (51.3 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v Sri Lanka - June 9, 1979 at Nottingham
New Zealand won by 9 wickets.
Sri Lanka 189 (56.5 ov); New Zealand 190-1 (47.4 ov).

Group A: Australia v Pakistan - June 13, 1979 at Nottingham
Pakistan won by 89 runs.
Pakistan 286-7 (60 ov); Australia 197 (57.1 ov).

Group A: England v Canada - June 13, 1979 at Manchester
England won by 8 wickets.
Canada 45 (40.3 ov); England 46-2 (13.5 ov).

Group B: India v New Zealand - June 13, 1979 at Leeds
New Zealand won by 8 wickets.
India 182 (55.5 ov); New Zealand 183-2 (57 ov).

Group B: Sri Lanka v West Indies - June 13, 1979 at The Oval
Match abandoned.

Group A: Australia v Canada - June 16, 1979 at Birmingham
Australia won by 7 wickets.
Canada 105 (33.2 ov); Australia 106-3 (26 ov).

Group A: England v Pakistan - June 16, 1979 at Leeds
England won by 14 runs.
England 165-9 (60 ov); Pakistan 151 (56 ov).

Group B: India v Sri Lanka - June 16, 1979 at Manchester
Sri Lanka won by 47 runs.
Sri Lanka 238-5 (60 ov); India 191 (54.1 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v West Indies - June 16, 1979 at Nottingham
West Indies won by 32 runs.
West Indies 244-7 (60 ov); New Zealand 212-9 (60 ov).

Semi-Final: England v New Zealand - June 20, 1979 at Manchester
England won by 9 runs.
England 221-8 (60 ov); New Zealand 212-9 (60 ov).

Semi-Final: Pakistan v West Indies - June 20, 1979 at The Oval
West Indies won by 43 runs.
West Indies 293-6 (60 ov); Pakistan 250 (56.2 ov).

Final: England v West Indies - June 23, 1979 at Lord's
West Indies won by 92 runs.
West Indies 286-9 (60 ov); England 194 (51 ov).

1996 Cricket World Cup win sri lanka

2008-09-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

The 1996 Cricket World Cup (aka Wills World Cup) was won by Sri Lanka who beat Australia by 7 wickets at the final in Lahore.

The 1996 World Cup was played in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Controversy dogged the tournament before any games were played, however, when Australia and the West Indies refused to send their teams to Sri Lanka following the Central Bank Bombing by the Tamil Tigers in January, citing security concerns. Sri Lanka, in addition to offering maximum security to the teams, questioned the validity of citing security concerns when the International Cricket Council had determined it was safe. After extensive negotiations, the ICC ruled that Sri Lanka would be awarded both games on forfeit. As a result of this decision, Sri Lanka automatically qualified for the quarter-finals without having played a game.

Three teams made their World Cup debuts in 1996: the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Kenya. The Netherlands lost each of their five matches while the U.A.E. only beat the Dutch. Kenya, however, recorded a surprise victory over the West Indies in Pune.

The Sri Lankans, coached by Dav Whatmore and captained by Arjuna Ranatunga, used Man of the Series Sanath Jayasuriya^[1] and Romesh Kaluwitharana as opening batsmen to take advantage of the fielding restrictions during the first 15 overs of each innings. At a time when 50 or 60 runs in the first 15 overs was considered adequate, Sri Lanka scored 117 runs in those overs against India, 123 against Kenya, 121 against England in the quarter-final and 86 against India in the semi-final. Against Kenya, Sri Lanka made 398 for 5, a new record for the highest team score in a one-day international that stood until April 2006.

Sri Lanka won the first semi-final over India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in front of a crowd unofficially estimated at 110 000. Chasing Sri Lanka's innings of 251 for 8, India had slumped to 120 for 8 in the 35th over when sections of crowd began to throw fruit and plastic bottles onto the field. The players left the field for 20 minutes in an attempt to quieten the crowd. When the players returned for play, more bottles were thrown onto the field and fires were lit in the stand. Match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the match to Sri Lanka, the first default ever in a Test or One Day International.

In the second semi-final in Mohali, Australia recovered from 15 for 4 to reach 207 for 8 from their 50 overs. The West Indians had reached 165 for 2 in the 42nd over before losing their last 8 wickets for 37 runs in 50 balls.

Sri Lanka won the toss in the final and sent Australia in to bat despite the team batting first having won all five previous World Cup finals. Mark Taylor top scored with 74 in Australia's total of 241 for 7. After Australia had put down no fewer than five catches, Sri Lanka won the match in the 47th over with Aravinda de Silva following his 3 for 42 with an unbeaten 107 to win the Player of the Match award. It was the first time a tournament host or co-host had won the cricket World Cup.

Australia crush India to win World Cup

2008-09-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

593 runs were scored in what, after bowlers had ruled the roost till date, ended up as a batsman's final -- and despite that, defending champions Australia kept its grip on the World Cup by a whopping margin of 125.

The game was characterized by some spectacular batting -- but the really fascinating part of the final contest between a resurgent India and a rampant Australia was the tactical cut and thrusts, the moves and countermoves that this game was full of.

Australia made one change, omitting the all-rounder Ian Harvey and bringing in Damien Martyn into the number four slot. India, for its part, kept an unchanged line-up.

Ricky Ponting called wrong and Sourav Ganguly elected to bowl first. It is a decision that is going to come in for some analysis; ditto flak. At this same ground, on April 16, 2000, Australia had made 205 batting first, and lost to South Africa.

In 71 matches since then, Australia has never failed to defend any score in excess of 200; in that period, it has lost only 14 times and on 11 of those occasions, it lost chasing. Looked at another way, India, after its famous 1998 triumph in Sharjah chasing a big Australian score, had won only four of 15 encounters -- and on each occasion, India had batted first and put up scores of 307, 265, 315 and 279.

Precedent, thus, dictated that India's best chance lay in batting first -- but Ganguly had his own reasons. He pointed out that the pitch was moist, which it was -- thunderstorms late last evening and a bit of rain early this morning meant the covers were left on too long, the pitch had a few damp spots as a result (in fact, the ground staff attempted to blow-dry it ahead of start of play) and there were clouds overhead. All of this meant that there was something in it for seam bowlers -- and Ganguly backed his resurgent pace attack to exploit the conditions.

On balance, it was a good call from Ganguly -- you wouldn't want to blame the captain for the fact that his bowlers lost the plot.

First 15 overs: On such tracks, you want your bowlers to bowl line and length and let the pitch do the rest. It was doubly important to get off to a good start. Zaheer Khan, bowling the first over, however got excited and sprayed it around -- the first over, punctuated by wides and no balls, went for 15 runs; that set the tone for a first spell that produced 28 runs in 3 overs from Khan.

Srinath began with an over costing just two runs. Gilchrist seemed to decide that it was important to knock Srinath off his length as well -- and went after him with a vengeance, knocking him around for 16 runs in his 4^th over.

Ashish Nehra and Harbhajan Singh were forced to come in earlier than Ganguly would have wanted to introduce them, to try and reduce the carnage. No matter -- the first 15 overs produced 107 runs, for the loss of one wicket.

It was a parade of spectacular strokes --- a superb off drive by Hayden off Khan in the first over, a smashing off drive by Gilchrist off the same bowler in the third, a pull by Gilchrist off Srinath in the fourth over, a superb square drive off Srinath and then an upper cut over point fours in the 6^thover. All that was prelude to the 8^th over, when Srinath went around the wicket and was square driven for four off the first ball, then pulled, twice -- the second ending up well over midwicket for six.

Nehra's introduction changed things around -- both Gilchrist and Hayden found themselves unable to pick the ball coming in to the left-hander from the one going away. Harbhajan, meanwhile, made the ball turn dramatically from ball one -- and Gilchrist, in some strife, attempted to swing his way out of trouble, mishit once, repeated the shot, and holed out with a second top-edged sweep to deep midwicket.

During this period, Australia carried out its gameplan to perfection, battering the Indian new ball attack and ensuring that it never managed to gain the upper hand. India, meanwhile, missed a bit of a bet: at Centurion, a similar opening by the Aussies had been checked momentarily with the introduction of spin; more to the point, Stephen Fleming had against the Aussies brought on Daniel Vettori as early as the fourth over and caused problems to the openers, who like the ball coming on to them and seem a bit uneasy against the turning ball.

16-30 overs: This was the only period in the first innings when India got a look in. There was the dismissal of Gilchrist; Hayden, clearly off form, was playing within himself and struggling to move up the gears; Ponting looked very ill at ease at the start of his innings, and Nehra and Harbhajan combined beautifully.

In the 19^th over, Nehra (6-0-25-0, a beautiful spell of seam bowling in which he, unlike his colleagues, concentrated on the right length and line) went off and Srinath (4-0-33-0 in the first spell) came back on. In the very next over, Harbhajan Singh floated a ball just short of driving length, pushed Hayden back on the back foot, spun the ball from leg across the left hander, and took the edge for Dravid to hold.

That brought Martyn and Ponting together -- and Martyn, starting off with a back foot square drive off Srinath in the 21^st over, hit his straps. Working the ball around beautifully, pulling and driving with precision, he took on himself the onus of scoring at speed. This allowed Ponting to steady his nerves and settle down to working the singles.

The 25^th over brought up the 150 of the innings. Ganguly, meanwhile, began to face a few problems -- he needed to take Harbhajan off as the off spinner ran out of overs (7-0-35-2); Sehwag came on in his place and bowled a controlled line and length, going for a mere 14 in his three overs; he was replaced by Dinesh Mongia who did equally well. Tendulkar went for 20 in three, and was clearly rusty from not bowling, as he mixed good deliveries with full tosses -- surprisingly, Sehwag who bowled with great control and even caused a few problems to both batsmen, wasn't brought back as replacement.

Australia, without taking any chances, moved to 184/2 in 30 overs; the period also saw the 50 of the partnership off just 50 deliveries with Martyn being the engine (25 off 24 deliveries).

Overs 30-40: Ganguly needed to squeeze in his main bowlers somehow. He figured on bringing Zaheer Khan back in the 31^st over -- and the move proved costly. Ponting and Martyn went after the bowler who was clearly off colour -- 13 came in the 33^rd over and Khan had gone for 46 in his first five overs.

The 35^th over saw Yuvraj Singh coming on -- and Martyn pulled to wide midwicket to bring up his 50 off just 48 deliveries; an innings of extraordinary quality as it allowed his captain to bide his time. The structure of the innings can be judged from the 19 dot balls and 18 singles, plus five twos, he had scored at that point besides the boundary hits.

India's faint chance, in the 38^th over, came when Ponting, looking to swing Mongia over midwicket, missed and was hit on the pad in front of middle stump. The batsman had come down the track; on the other hand, the ball was clearly heading for middle stump, but umpire Bucknor turned the appeal down; the over also brought up the 100 of the partnership off 106 deliveries.

The 39^th over was worth noting, as it signaled the passing of the baton from Martyn to Ponting. Till then, it was the former who did the scoring while Ponting played the percentages; Harbhajan came back on in the 39^th and Ponting opened out. Off successive balls, he came down the wicket and deposited the off spinner high over wide midwicket -- a calculated assault that paid off big time as Ganguly took his off-spinner off at once (Singh never bowled again, and you had to say that was an oversight).

Australia, at the end of 40 overs, had 250/2 on the board.

Overs 41-50: This period was pure Ponting. In the 41^st over, Nehra lost control of an attempted slower ball; Ponting swung the resultant full toss one handed over square leg. In the next over, Ponting went down the track and got under a Dinesh Mongia delivery, striking it superbly over long on fof another six. Zaheer Khan was brought back in the 44^th over -- and Ponting promptly wound up and blasted him back down the track for four; Khan replied with a full toss and Ponting smashed him over long on for six.

Martyn produced a lovely shot in the 47^th over when he stepped away and square drove Mongia for six, but the end overs were all Ponting -- it has been a long, long time since anyone ever drove the ball so well, so hard, and in so many different directions. Bowlers came and disappeared; others (Sehwag, Bajji, Singh) weren't tried. Zaheer Khan kept coming back on -- in the 44^th over, which went for 12, in the 49^th, which went for 13. Srinath, whose slower pace was meat and drink to batsmen in overdrive, went for 10, 12 and 18 in the 46^th, 48^th and 50^th respectively and when the dust settled, Australia had posted a mammoth 359/2.

Interestingly, though Martyn was approaching his 100, Ponting refused to take his foot off the pedal. He was the one striking the ball harder, so he kept the strike; Martyn, too, took singles and let his captain have it rather than look for his own landmark.

Nehra alone among the seam bowlers came off with honors; Khan went big time each time he came on to bowl, Srinath had a disastrous last three overs. Harbhajan produced the star turn -- strangely, he was taken off after Ponting went after him in that one over, and never got the ball again.

Overall, the Australian batsmen held on to their nerve; the Indian seamers failed to locate their own. Ponting's innings encapsulated Australian cricket -- he was shaky at the start but hung in there grimly in the shadow of his partner; the Indians failed to press home that advantage thanks to over-excited bowling, and Ponting, once he found his feet, made them pay.

The statisticians will come up with the records -- first hundred by a captain after Clive Lloyd, in a Cup final; highest partnership, and so on. Never mind the figures -- it was, quite simply, magnificent.

The Indian chase: It was a huge, almost impossible, ask; it was made more complicated by looming thunderclouds. But then, India knew about the weather going in; the wicket remained good for batting. What was needed was a firm start.

Tendulkar took first strike, and the clear intention was to go after McGrath. In the first over, he pulled one savagely from outside off through the on side for four; then, as in the earlier meeting between the two sides, took to floating across his stumps. There was premeditation in the move -- Tendulkar clearly expected McGrath to bowl outside his off stump. The bowler, instead, made one bounce on middle; Tendulkar was too far to off as he went for the pull, found himself cramped, and put it in the air for McGrath to hold at short mid-on.

That brought Ganguly to the wicket -- and from the outset, he kept dancing down to McGrath, much to the latter's bemusement. In between, Sehwag flicked Lee off his pads for four, then repeated the shot in the 4^th over and was caught by Martyn at square leg off a no ball.

In the fifth over, Ganguly top edged an attempted pull over Gilchrist for four, then stepped to leg to make room and carve McGrath over point for six. Sehwag in his turn upper cut the last ball of that over for six over point. Ganguly then looked to step to leg to hit Lee through the off and, after failing once, pulled it off in the sixth.

Sehwag drove a yorker length delivery from Lee in the eighth over, showing great footwork to make room; Ganguly in the next over went down the track to cover drive McGrath for four, and the 50 of the partnership came up off 47 deliveries.

It was desperate stuff -- and it came to an end in the 10^th over as Ganguly, after three failed attempts to swing Lee to leg, finally landed the shot and hit it down the throat of mid on (57/2).

The next over produced more disaster -- Mohammad Kaif, without moving his feet, swung a drive at McGrath and edged to the keeper.

By now, a cloud burst threatened. Ponting, in an attempt to race through a few overs, brought on Brad Hogg and Darren Lehmann -- and Sehwag went into over drive. The 14^th over saw Lehmann clubbed through the on side for three successive fours; the 15^th saw him loft Hogg over cover for four, then hit even harder and further, over wide midwicket, for six.

Ponting promptly took Lehmann off and brought on Andy Bichel -- and Dravid joined the party, flicking off his hips for four through mdiwicket in the 16^th over. The 17^th over produced the 100 of the innings, off 106 balls -- the fact that India was going along at that pace despite the loss of three wickets indicating how good the track was to bat on, and how rank bad shots by Tendulkar, Ganguly and Kaif was costing the team. At the end of that over, the rains prompted the umpires to take the players off.

Play resumed after a hold up of around 20 minutes -- and Sehwag began to pile up the pressure on the Aussies. McGrath bowled the 19^th, and went for 6 runs; Bichel bowled the 20^th, and went for 7 including a superb short arm pull for four; Hogg bowled the 21^st and Sehwag smashed him through midwicket for four; in the 23^rd over, Hogg watched in bemusement as Sehwag went on his knee and swung a delivery from off over midwicket for six, then got under a delivery and elevated it over cover for four.

At the end of 23 overs, India had made it to 145/3; Australia, at that point, were 144/2 – the chase was on.

Ponting by then had problems -- McGrath had gone for runs; Lee had only four overs left; Bichel was being played with ease, Brad Hogg was being massacred. That meant three of four regular bowlers were proving costly; he couldn't even think of using his fifth bowler. A few more overs of this, and India would have been right back in the game.

Superb fielding -- and an unfortunate slip -- brought Australia back into the game. Sehwag drove firmly to mid off. Bichel slipped on his follow through, then got up again and spun around to see what was happening. Sehwag, meanwhile, was running with the shot; he found Bichel in his way and had to run around him. Lehmann at mid off attacked the ball, picked up, and hurled the stumps down in one fluent move, and Sehwag was gone -- and unfortunate end to a great knock.

At the 25 over mark, India had made 154/4; Yuvraj and Dravid tried to make a match of it by working singles and occasionally, managing the fours -- but the impetus Sehwag provided was clearly beyond the scope of these two batsmen, and Australia clawed back into the game.

It could still have turned interesting, though -- Ponting was clearly delaying his fifth bowling option; had the Indian batsmen bided their time, they would have faced a situation where non-regular bowlers would have to bowl nine full overs.

Pointing gambled by preferring to bowl out his third and fourth bowler, despite the fact that they were going for runs -- and the gamble paid off big time. In the 32^nd over, Dravid under-edged a cut onto his stumps; a mode of dismissal he has perished too quite often; the shot ended a controlled, composed innings after coming to the wicket at a time of strife.

Mongia came to the wicket and in the 34^th over, played two successive square drives off Bichel. But in the next over Yuvraj, who was clearly uncomfortable against Hogg who turns the ball both ways with equal felicity, swung out once too often. A similar shot earlier had seen Martyn dropping him at wide long on -- this time, Lee was the fielder there and he made absolutely no mistake to the steepling, swirling catch.

The situation here underlines what might have been, had the batsmen managed to hold their nerve. At the end of 35, Bichel and Hogg were both bowled out. McGrath's seven overs had proved costly. Lee alone had bowled with fire and control, but he only had four overs to go.

Of the remaining 15 overs, thus, fully nine had to be bowled by the combination of Lehmann and Symonds; India at 209 after 35 were, in terms of runs, close to Australia which had made 217 at the same point.

The situation was one the chasing team could have capitalized on – unfortunately, though, it had thrown away too many wickets by then.

Martyn hammered the last nail into the Indian coffin. Mongia looked to chip over Symonds' head in the 36^th over; it was a well conceived and executed shot but it reckoned without Martyn who, from mid off, spun around, raced back and dived to hold the ball as it came from behind him, dropping over his right shoulder. The brilliant catch made up for his earlier lapse; more importantly it underlined why this team is so good – its fielding and catching make even the most ordinary bowling assume lethal dimensions.

With Mongia gone, Harbhajan and the rest of the tail folded with token resistance, and India succumbed by the margin of 125 runs.

India fought better, and harder, than it had in the first encounter between the two sides; but in the final analysis it made too many errors, both when bowling and batting -- and against a side like Australia, one mistake is all it takes.

Australia ended the tournament unbeaten, taking its winning streak to 17. More to the point, it emphasized that as a team, it plays its cricket in a different zone from the rest of the world.

Earlier in the competition, an Aussie fan held aloft a banner that read: No Waughs; No Warne; No Problems. Shortly thereafter, the side lost Gillespie as well.

You cannot think of any other contemporary side that could have suffered those setbacks and yet pulled through -- and that, more than anything else, underlines the amazing class, courage, of this all-conquering side.

Post Script: It has been fun, bringing you the match reports, Panix Station and columns; fun (well, for the most part) to get feedback, much of which taught me things I needed to know. It is over now -- and after three successive Cups and six straight years of reporting on every game India played, I get a chance to move on to other things (though I guess I'll still contribute the occasional column). On my way out this particular door, thank you all for reading.

Champions Trophy postponed till 2009

2008-09-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

The eight-nation Champions Trophy tournament has been officially postponed until October next year amidst serious security concerns in Pakistan, the host of the tournament, at present time.

While many of the Australian players have expressed their concerns for travelling to Pakistan and had been blamed for potentially jeopardising the tournament, it was actually the South African cricket board that drew first blood by refusing to send their team. Other countries considering pull-outs over security worries were Australia, New Zealand and England.

Therefore, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was forced to put off the eight-nation biennial tournament - due to start on September 12 - until October 2009. However, Pakistan has kept the hosting rights.

Pakistan cricket officials also expressed how they 'felt let down' by Australia, South Africa and non-Asian teams after their security fears led to the postponement until 2009.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said: "We are definitely disappointed by Australia because they have not toured us for 10 years."

Can the Pakistan Cricket Board really 'feel let down' by Australia for the postponement of the tournament? Despite looking likely that Cricket Australia would withdraw players like their South African counterparts, things were yet still to be confirmed. Cricket Australia has the responsibility to look after their players and if, in any way, the safety of the players maybe jeopardised on tour, then they have to act, which they have done or would have done in this case.

World Cup Score

2008-09-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

World Cup Score To Keep You Constantly Connected With The Game!

World Cup 2007 is just round the corner and all cricket fans can think of is how to be in constant touch with the latest world cup score of all the matches. World cup is one cricketing event that every cricket fan looks forward to. Once every four years during the cricket world cup, fans put a hold to all their schedules just to be able to catch up with live and latest updated world cup score. Australia had won the last two world cup and they will for sure want to score a hatrick by winning it in 2007 as well. So need one say that this is going to be a very competitive world cup?

Making prior arrangements is good if you want to be in touch with all the matches that will be played during the world cup. These days, time constraint is a common factor for all people and this makes it difficult for cricket fans to catch up with all the ongoing action in a tournament. But thanks to technology that keeping track of any tournament has become very easy these days, no matter in which corner of the world the event is taking place. So when your team will sweat it out in the West Indies in 2007, you will be well aware of what is happening there.

The internet has revolutionized the way we see and come to know about events. So simply by sitting in the comfort of your bedroom, you can easily know the latest that is happening anywhere in the world as far as the cricket field is concerned. There are several online sites which work dedicatedly towards providing information about world cup score and all other information related to the event. In fact, such websites can become a one stop source for all world cup cricket related information.

That is not all, most of these online sites run several games where visitors can participate and win great prizes. So it is a great way for cricket fans to keep their cricket knowledge updated and also win great prizes. Records about all the past world cup events can be found in these sites. Well it is very much possible that fans know who the higher century maker is and who is the highest wicket taker in the world, but how many of us actually know who the highest run scorer in the world cup is. So all these sites have information on everything you want to know about the world cup.

In this World Cup, sixteen teams will be vying for the title and there is bound to be some great matches there. We will all have to wait and see what action unfolds in the ground and who actually goes about winning the tournament this time. Being informed about the world cup will surely help fans in understanding the game much better. After all, we would all love to know what things will be at stake when our favorite teams and players take the field in World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.

Cricket World Cup: A Lot Is At Stake!

2008-09-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

The next world cup is scheduled to begin in March 2007, but the buzz and the excitement can be already seen everywhere. Every Cricket lover eagerly waits for this mega event that is conducted after every four years. It is the battlefield for supremacy in the cricket world and cricketers all over the world look forward to this event to stamp their authority. The current world champions Australia are favored by many to win the coveted title again. But there are many more contenders to this title. The world cup is organized every four years by crickets governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The 2007 world cup will be held in West Indies and cricket fans can expect some real fireworks from their favorite players during the event. On current form, Australia appears to be the favorite to lift the world cup, especially after their convincing win in the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 which as titled as Mini World Cup. But cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and this is the beauty of the game. No one actually knows who will win the cup and everyone is busy with their own theories and guessing games.

Australia has won the world cup thrice, the highest number of times among all the teams that will be competing. So they will surely be looking forward to continue the winning streak. Host West Indies have won it twice and they would love to make it a hat-trick this time, especially when they will be playing in front of the home crowd in and also in the conditions that would suit them. Perhaps this is the best chance for the windies to bring back the cup. Other than these two teams. there are many serious contenders for the cup this time, so competition is going to be really tough this time. And whichever team is able to handle pressure well, will come up triumphs in the world cup.

South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand all have bright chances of winning the world cup. Preparations are in full swing by all the teams to take a shot at winning the cup. For many players, this world cup could well be their last appearance in any world cup. Some of the player’s aged above 30 and this may well be their last shot at winning the world cup for their country. The Australian team has many players who are above not only 30, but also above 35 years of age. Some see this as the main disadvantage, but the Aussies are a real hard nut to crack especially when they face adverse conditions.

Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and several other leading batsmen will try their outmost to lay their hands on the world cup. It is difficult to predict who will win the world cup, due to the emergence of new players. These new and upcoming players have completely changed the face of the game. For Shaun Pollock, Glen McGrath and Anil Kumble (if selected) this may well be their last world cup. So many players and many teams have lots of things at stake during this world cup. One thing is for sure, fans will be entertained with good cricket all around, during the world cup cricket 2007.

The World Cup History

2008-09-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

Every Cricket Fan Wants To Know The World Cup History

World cup tournament has a tremendous history. It started in 1975 in England. It’s the biggest tournament in the world of cricket. The first three tournaments in the world cup were known as Prudential Cup with the sponsorship of prudential plc, a known pecuniary services company. It’s a privilege for the players to play for the world cup and players feel proud and lucky to be a part of world cup tournament. They put their best effort to win the glorious cup and hence to be called world champions.

World cup history says that the earlier matches consisted of 60 overs per players and it was played in white uniform with red balls. Earlier the matches were held only during day. Till 1992 World Cup, only 8 teams participated in the tournament.Afterwards, cricket became more and more famous and gradually it was considered a good sport by many countries. Now, in world cup 2007, 16 teams have participated to battle for the cup. In 1975, England, New Zealand, India, East Africa, Australia, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka participated in world cup tournament.

In 1979, East Africa was part of the world cup team while in 1983, Zimbabwe made an entry. The same teams took part in the 1987 World Cup. In 1992, South Africa entered in the group to play the world cup and that year 9 teams took part in the tournament. By 1996, the number of teams have increased to 12 with the participation of three more teams in the group. They were UAE, Netherlands and Kenya. But in 1999 world cup, UAE and Netherlands played for the world cup.

As we all know that cricket was born in England and the first three world cup was played here. In 1987, for the first time in the world cup history the tournament was held outside England. World cup 1987 introduced impartial umpires to give more fair decision. World cup matches have contributed more and more records in the cricket’s History. The records in the world cup history consist of most excellent batting strike rate, most run-scorers, top bowlers, best bowling, finest bowling strike rate, main wicket-takers, team totals, lowest team totals, all major catches and maximum individual scores, and actually the most dismissals.

Initially the world cup confined the attention of only few spectators, but gradually it has mesmerized millions of viewers who keenly wait for the tournament. Australia has won the world cup thrice, West Indies twice and India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have won once. Ever since in the world cup history, Australia has been one of the toughest contenders for the world cup. World cup history has many fascinating records. This is the ninth world cup being held in a caribbean nation called West Indies. Many arrangements have been done to welcome the teams who will again make some new records.

The history of cricket has many more things to unveil which is yet to be known by the fans. You can find many more interesting facts and figures about world cup history from the various sources. Some sources are cricket dedicated sites which will provide you the complete information of this tournament’s history. This history contains many achievements and landmarks made by the players. Some players like Brain Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, Imran khan etc are the best players in cricket and the records made by them are very fascinating.

1999 ICC Cricket World Cup

2008-09-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

WC Remembrances - 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup

In 7th version of the ICC cricket world cup, Australia emerged victorious, comprehensively beating Pakistan in the finals by a whooping 8 wickets. Pakistan, which throughout the world cup looked in great touch, lost it when they needed the most. While the Australians who just cleared every stage to enter next stage, produced a major setback in the finals when they bowled out the Paks for just 132 and chased it in just 20.1 overs loosing just 2 wickets.

Desperately needing a win to enter the super sixes, Australia won their last group stage game against the West Indies after they had score of just 12 runs in 10 overs, chasing 110. Similarly needing a win to enter the semi-finals, they won the last super six encounter against South Africa. In the semifinals the situation was die-hard when the match was tied because Lance Klusner, the last man left, was run-out with 1 run needing from 3 balls with only 1 wicket remaining, but given the advantage of winning their super sixes match against them. But whatever it is, the Aussies bid farewell to their captain in an ideal way.

The format this time was a bit confusing. The 12 entrants were split into two groups, and the top three in each group went into the Super Six, carrying with them the points they had earned against the two teams who had also qualified from their group. They then played the qualifying teams from the other group, creating a final all-played-all league table, with the top four going into the semi-finals. Confused? Most people were.

Also there were some matches/statistics, which can't be forgotten. The first one is the team in form, Pakistan, loosing to minnows Bangladesh in the group stage. Also at the end of the group stage they had won all except match against Bangladesh. Quite debatable! Also once again the Proteas lost a berth in the finals when they deserved it, because of their semi-final match tied with a Australia. And another, Zimbabwe firstly got a place in the super sixes leaving behind the Lankans and the British and after that was placed at the top among the teams which qualified for the super sixes before its start.

The players who bid farewell to world cup cricket include many high profile names. It includes the duo of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose (who topped the list of most economical bowlers), Arjun Ranatunga and Arvinda de Silva (last world cup heroes) and not to mention the Waugh brothers. But there were three people besides them, Shane Warne (after failing drugs test during 2003 world cup), Mohammad Azharuddin and Hansie Cronje (due the match fixing scandal).

As for India, they were somewhat unfortunate. They entered the super six matches with empty pockets as both the countries against whom they had lost the group matches also qualified for the super sixes. In the super sixes they were ruled out even after securing a comprehensive victory over the then world cup favorites, Pakistan. But the present India captain, Rahul Dravid got his name enshrined in the world cup history when he topped the most runs table with 461 runs.

Cricket World Cup Final AusVs.Sri

2008-09-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 28. 2007
Cricket World Cup Final - Rain Delays Start of Play as Australia Wins the Toss and Elects to Bat. Update: Australia Wins the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Rain delays start of play in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup Final match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. The final match may be played on the reserve day tomorrow, in case the rain persists and doesn't allow any play today.

This post was last updated at 9:22pm IST on Sat., April 28, 2007.

Update: 9:25pm IST. It's going to be a 38-overs-a-side final. Let's wait for the match to start.

Update 2: 9:38pm IST: Play starts at 9:45pm IST.

Update 3: 7:51am IST. 29-04-2007. Australia wins the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Read the scorecard. Congratulations, Adam Gilchrist. That was a fabulous innings (149 runs, 13 fours, 8 sixes, 72-ball hundred, Strike Rate: 143.26 and in the finals of the cricket world cup). Gilly played the innings of his lifetime. What a magical knock! Wow, well played, Gilly. Congratulations, Australia.

Update 4: 9:52am IST 29-04-2007: Congratulations to the unbeatable Australians. Third successive World Cup win for Australia. Is there a challenger in site? Doesn't seem so.

Many congratulations to Australia on winning the 2007 cricket world cup.

There needs to be a better system than Duckworth Lewis for playing rain-shortened one day matches.

It was boring world cup after the exit of India and Pakistan. This year's world cup didn't have the flair or enthusiasm.

Australia is an unbeatable team. Congratulations to the captain, coach and team members of the Australian cricket team. Cheers for the World Cup Winners.

Well played Sri Lanka. They were the 2nd best team. Australia, by far, occupies the top slot in world cricket by a long way. It will be some time before a team really challenges Australia. New Zealand did this Feb, however that was when the Aussies were without Gilchirst.

Adam Gilchrist is a class act. What a player! What a team!

Ranking

2008-09-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

ICC Top 10 Cricket Batsmen Ranking-ODI Championship

RANKING	NAME	COUNTRY	RATING	CAREER BEST
1	K.P. Pietersen	ENG	827	834 vs Australia, 08/04/2007
2	R.T. Ponting	AUS	799	805 vs South Africa, 12/03/2006
3	M.E.K. Hussey	AUS	766	863 vs New Zealand, 28/01/2007
4	S.T. Jayasuriya	SL	763	838 vs Bangladesh, 14/02/2003
5	R.R. Sarwan	WI	746	798 vs India, 23/05/2006
5	M.L. Hayden	AUS	746	854 vs India, 15/02/2003
7	G.C. Smith	SA	740	784 vs India, 25/11/2005
8	M.S. Dhoni	IND	739	806 vs West Indies, 18/05/2006
9	A.C. Gilchrist	AUS	729	820 vs Sri Lanka, 20/02/2004
10	M.J. Clarke	AUS	728	749 vs South Africa, 26/02/2006

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ICC Top 10 Cricket Allrounders Rankings-ODI Championship

RANKING	NAME	COUNTRY	RATING	CAREER BEST
1	S.K. Pollock	SA	459	483 vs Pakistan, 14/02/2007
2	J.H. Kallis	SA	396	505 West Indies, 09/05/2001
3	S.T. Jayasuriya	SL	387	462 vs Pakistan, 05/11/1997
4	C.H. Gayle	WI	380	510 vs Zimbabwe, 30/11/2003
5	A. Flintoff	ENG	373	543 vs Sri Lanka, 18/09/2004
6	S.B. Styris	NZ	317	348 vs Australia, 10/12/2005
7	J.D.P. Oram	NZ	308	328 vs Bangladesh, 02/04/2007
8	P.D. Collingwood	ENG	300	316 vs Australia, 11/02/2007
9	Shoaib Malik	PAK	298	403 vs West Indies, 19/01/2005
10	Shahid Afridi	PAK	294	353 vs South Africa, 18/08/2002

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ICC Top 10 Bowlers Rankings-ODI Chamionship

RANK	NAME	COUNTRY	RATING	CAREER BEST
1	S.M. Pollock	SA	897	920 vs Pakistan, 14/02/2007
2	N.W. Bracken	AUS	794	806 vs Sri Lanka, 16/04/2007
3	S.E. Bond	NZ	790	811 vs South Africa, 14/04/2007
4	W.P.U.J.C. Vaas	SL	764	861 vs South Africa, 20/08/2004
5	M. Muralidaran	SL	752	913 vs New Zealand, 09/04/2002
6	D.L. Vettori	NZ	697	767 vs England, 30/01/2007
7	M. Ntini	SA	694	782 vs West Indies, 25/01/2004
8	B. Lee	AUS	686	853 vs South Africa, 03/02/2006
9	Abdur Razzak	BAN	673	711 vs England, 11/04/2007
10	A. Nel	SA	662	666 vs England, 17/04/2007

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ICC Top 10 Batsmen Ranking-Test Championship

RANKING	NAME	COUNTRY	RATING	CAREER BEST
1	R.T. Ponting	AUS	936	942 vs England, 01/12/2006
2	Mohammad Yousuf	PAK	915	933 vs West Indies, 27/11/2006
3	K.P. Pietersen	ENG	870	896 vs Australia, 14/12/2006
4	K.C. Sangakkara	SL	857	857 vs New Zealand, 15/12/2006
5	M.E.K. Hussey	AUS	842	842 vs England, 02/01/2007
6	M.L. Hayden	AUS	828	935 vs England, 07/11/2002
7	J.H. Kallis	SA	820	896 vs England, 06/1/2005
8	R. Dravid	IND	816	892 vs Pakistan, 16/03/2005
9	B.C. Lara	WI	801	911 vs South Africa, 02/01/2004
10	Younis Khan	PAK	789	856 vs England, 04/08/2006

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ICC Top 10 Allrounders Rankings-Test Championship

RANKING	NAME	COUNTRY	RATING	CAREER BEST
1	J.H. Kallis	SA	462	615 vs Pakistan, 26/12/2002
2	A. Flintoff	ENG	415	501 vs Pakistan, 12/11/2005
3	S.M. Pollock	SA	356	489 vs England, 14/08/2003
4	D.L. Vettori	NZ	328	328 vs Sri Lanka, 15/12/2006
5	I.K. Pathan	IND	254	317 vs England, 13/03/2006
6	W.P.U.J.C. Vaas	SL	252	280 vs India, 02/12/2005
7	C.H. Gayle	WI	230	253 vs New Zealand, 09/03/2006
8	S.T. Jayasuriya	SL	206	355 vs New Zealand, 04/04/2005
9	B. Lee	AUS	201	207 vs South Africa, 31/03/2006
10	J.E.C. Franklin	NZ	200	200 vs Sri Lanka, 15/12/2006

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ICC Top 10 Bowlers Ranking-Test Championship

RANKING	NAME	COUNTRY	RATING	CAREER BEST
1	M. Muralidaran	SL	913	915 vs Pakistan,06/03/2002
2	M. Nitni	SA	856	863 vs India, 26/12/2006
3	A. Kumble	IND	731	859 vs Sri Lanka, 26/01/1994
4	S.M. Pollock	SA	730	909 vs England, 25/11/1999
5	M.J. Hoggard	ENG	725	795 vs Sri Lanka, 28/05/2006
6	S.E. Bond	NZ	722	778 vs West Indies, 09/03/2006
7	S.R. Clark	AUS	720	720 vs England, 02/01/2007
8	Mohammad Asif	PAK	710	710 vs South Africa, 26/01/2007
9	A. Flintoff	ENG	708	810 vs Pakistan, 12/11/2005
10	Shoaib Akhtar	PAK	698	855 vs New Zealand, 26/12/2003

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup gets underway with musical opening

2008-09-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Cricket World Cup officially opened with a colourful but low key ceremony.

Nine independent states from the West Indies will host 51 games involving 16 teams, including defending champions Australia.

The competition will last for 47 days leading up to the final on April 28 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. More than 2000 singers, dancers and performers, including several of the Caribbean's top reggae and dancehall performers, participated in the opening at the new stadium close to Montego Bay on the northern coast of Jamaica.

Surprisingly only just over half of the Trelawny stadium was opened to spectators with one of the stands, behind the stage, left empty but those inside enjoyed a celebration of Caribbean culture.

Against a red, gold and green backdrop, reggae singers Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs, as well as contemporary performers Sean Paul and Shaggy, entertained the crowd of around 10,000 and the squads of the competing nations.

Chris Dehring, CEO of the event, said fans at the World Cup would see "the world's best cricketers competing against the backdrop of the most blessed place on earth".

Former West Indian great Garfield Sobers formally declared the competition open.

The hosts take on Pakistan in the opening game on Tuesday in Kingston.

Watson back in international reckoning

2008-09-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Finally Shane Watson seems to be getting his timing right.

The allrounder has put himself in line for selection in the limited-overs segment of Australia's tour of the Caribbean with his latest man-of-the-match performance in the Indian Premier League.

Watson led the procession for the Rajasthan Royals by topscoring with 52 off 29 balls and then collecting 3-10 off three overs in his side's 105-run semi-final shellacking of Glenn McGrath's Delhi Daredevils.

He picked apart Delhi's top order by removing the top three batsmen in Mumbai, the scalps including the prolific pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

Watson's Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne expected his charge to be back in Australian colours soon.

"Throughout the series he has been superb," Warne said.

"He lost a bit of the edge in the last few games but today he was absolutely fantastic and showed his class.

"He's a fantastic all-round cricketer and good enough to be in the Australian team."

Watson is the IPL's fourth highest runmaker with 444 runs at 49.33 with a strike rate of 152.05 and second-highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps at 22.12 at a respectable economy rate of 7.05.

The Queenslander's form revival could not have been more timely with selectors looking for a replacement for Matthew Hayden, who is returning home because of an Achilles problem.

There would be some irony if Watson is recalled for an injured teammate as his body's failing has boosted the careers of Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds and others in the past.

But with Adam Gilchrist having retired, a new-look opening pair in the shorter forms of the game is on the cards.

The IPL's leading runscorer Shaun Marsh and James Hopes have been slated as potential openers, but Watson has shown form in the past at the top of the order.

He has scored 293 runs at 41.86 in eight outings as an opener and played that role during Australia's triumph at the 2006 Champions Trophy tournament.

Watson has played 65 one-day internationals during his injury-interrupted career and his experience at the top of the order would be attractive to selectors.

Add to that, he is in playing mode and his unreliable hamstrings have held up for 14 Twenty20 matches in the past month and a half.

Following the current three-Test series, Australia play the West Indies in a Twenty20 clash in Barbados on June 20 before commencing a five-match one-day tournament on June 24 in St Vincent.

India win world cup

2008-09-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

AN INTERESTING fact one may not know. Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar is an avid cricket fan. She even had the chance to watch the 1983 Cricket World Cup final from the galleries at Lord’s stadium.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited Lata Mangeshkar to grace the silver jubilee celebration of the World Cup feat to be held in Delhi on Sunday (June 22). Unfortunately, she had to turn down the invite due to ill health.

The jubilation ceremony is meant to partially thank her for her special concert that had helped pool Rs 20 lakh for Kapil Dev’s troops in 1983.

The Bharat Ratna awardee revealed that she watched the final match at the Lord’s stadium. The final spectacle was unbelievable to her as India beat the two-times champions, West Indies. It was a moment that not only she but the entire nation rejoiced and people swayed and crooned with sheer joy and pride. However, those moments of the victory and her renditions at the concert in Delhi, are still alive before her eyes.

She reminisces, "I had invited Kapil Dev and his players for a dinner before the match in the hotel where I stayed. I wished them all the best and after that our team created history."

At that time she was in London for a concert. But, her heart beat at the ground of Lord’s. She was desperate to watch the final as Indian cricketers won the semi-final against England. Mangeshkar smiles, "after clinching the trophy, Dev invited me for a dinner with the Indian team in London. I did go there and congratulated them."

After she was back in India, she agreed for a concert without taking any money in lieu, the due amount for her performance was meant for the fund to reward the Indian winners. Mangeshkar tells, "the duration of the concert was four hours and all the team members sung a song, specially composed by my brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar along with me. I remember, Sunil Gavaskar and Dev stood beside me."

The concert was orchestrated in Delhi’s Indraprashtha Stadium. It is said to have pooled Rs 20 lakh, of which each player was rewarded with a lakh rupees. However, she could not meet the players as she was scheduled to fly back to London for another concert.

She unhesitatingly mentions Sunil Gavaskar as her favourite striker. She avers, "Gavaskar was the number one. Kapil is also amongst my favourites and how can I forget Sachin!? I see him as the God of cricket."

Age has not deterred her from relishing the joys of cricket.

She tells that she watches all the matches, in which India plays. She gets dejected when our team is defeated. She says, "in the 2007 World Cup, India lost in the first round. I felt upset but anyway, one team has to be the runners up. It is a part of the game. I followed Indian Premier League also and backed Mumbai Indians."

About the changes brought about in the formats of cricket, she exudes positive reaction. "Why cricket only, everything has transformed, including music. I do not find any harm in it. It is obvious and healthy for its survival and success."

ICC Cricket World Cup 2003

2008-09-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the eighth World Cup Cricket 2003 !!!

The eighth world Cup 2003 was held in South Africa between February 9 and March 23. 14 nations participated in the event with their teams to prove their mettle in the 54 matches held during the event. The official mascot of the tournament was Dazzle, the Zibra.

The teams were divided into Pool A and Pool B, the pools being compiled according to a seeding system devised by the Executive Board of the International Cricket Council. The seedings are based on an international rankings list calculated according to the results of all limited overs internationals between the end of the last Cricket World Cup in June 1999 until the cutoff date of September 30, 2001.

The winning team Australia received $2 000 000 cash prize along with the World cup trophy.

Cricket World Cup 2007

2008-09-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the ninth World Cup Cricket 2007 !!!

The ICC World Cup 2007 will be held in West Indies from March 13 to April 28. The Warm up matches between the teams will be held from March 5th to 9th. The Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny, Jamaica will host the Opening Ceremony on 11 March. The official mascot of this tournament is an orange raccoon-like creature called Mello wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt over a white vest and blue sneakers leaning on a cricket bat. Sixteen nations are participating in this World Cup which is divided into 4 groups of 4 teams. There will be a total of fifty one matches played at the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. The top two teams from each group will compete in a Super 8 from which the semi-finalists will be decided.

A glimpse of the past World Cups.

2008-09-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

World Cup 1975

Venue : Lords, England
Teams : England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India, Pakistan, Srilanka and East Africa
Finals : Between West Indies led by Clive Lloyd and Australia led by Ian Chappell on June 21, 1975.
Winner : West Indies beat Australia for 17 runs
Score : 291 for 8 off 60 Overs
Man of the match : Clive Lloyd scoring 102 runs off just 85 balls
Sponsors : Prudential Insurance Company, hence called the Prudential World Cup
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 1979

Venue : Lords, England
Teams : Australia, Canada, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Srilanka and West Indies
Finals : Between West Indies led by Clive Lloyd and England led by Mike Brearley on June 23, 1979.
Winner : West Indies beat England by 92 runs
Score : 286 runs for 9 wickets
Man of the match : Vivian Richards scoring an unbeaten 138 runs
Sponsors : Prudential Insurance Company, hence called the Prudential World Cup
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 1983

Venue : Lords, England
Teams : Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Srilanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe
Finals : Between West Indies led by Clive Lloyd and India led by Kapil Dev on June 25, 1983.
Winner : India beat West Indies by 43 runs
Score : 183 runs all out off 54.4 Overs
Man of the match : Indian Vice Captain Mohinder Amarnath for picking 3 wickets for 12 balls. Also took 26 runs
Sponsors : Prudential Insurance Company, hence called the Prudential World Cup
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 1987

Venue : Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India
Teams : Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Srilanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe
Finals : Between Australia led by Allan Border and England led by Mike Gatting on November 8, 1987.
Winner : Australia beat England by 7 runs
Score : 253 runs for 7 wickets off 50 Overs
Man of the match : David Boon scoring 75 runs
Sponsors : Reliance company, hence called the Reliance World Cup. Jointly hosted by India and Pakistan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 1992

Venue : Australia
Teams : Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Srilanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and South Africa
Finals : Between Pakistan led by Imran Khan and England led by Graham Gooch on March 25, 1992.
Winner : Pakistan beat England by 22 runs
Score : 249 runs for 6 wickets off 50 overs
Man of the match : Wasim Akram, who picked up three important wickets late in the England innings
Player of the tournament : New Zealand captain Martin Crowe for scoring 456 runs
Sponsors : Jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand called the Benson and Hedges World Cup.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 1996

Venue : Lahore, Pakistan
Teams : Australia, England, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Netherlands, Pakistan, South Africa, Srilanka, United Arab Emirates, West Indies and Zimbabwe
Finals : Between Srilanka led by Arjuna Ranatunga and Australia led by Mark Taylor on March 17, 1996.
Winner : Srilanka beat Australia by 7 wickets. For the first time in the history of the tournament, the team chasing won.
Score : 241 runs with 22 deliveries to spare off 50 overs
Man of the match : Aravinda da Silva for his unbeaten 107 runs
Player of the Tournament : Sanath Jayasurya for aggressive batman ship with runs at the amazing rate of 1.32 per ball faced.
Sponsors : Jointly hosted by India, Pakistan and Srilanka called the Wills World cup
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 1999

Venue : Lords, England
Teams : Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Scotland, Srilanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe
Finals : Between Australia led by Steve Waugh and Pakistan led by Wasim Akram on June 20, 1999.
Winner : Australia beat Pakistan by 8 wickets.
Score : 133 runs in 29.5 overs to spare
Man of the match : Shane Warne for picking 4 wickets for 33 balls
Player of the tournament : South Africa's All rounder, Lance Klusener for scoring 281 runs at an average of 140.50, with his strike rate an amazing 1.22 runs per ball faced. He also captured 17 wickets, just three off the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, at an average of just over 20.
Sponsors : ICC World Cup hosted by England
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 2003

Venue : Johannesburg, South Africa
Teams : Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, India, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Scotland, Srilanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe
Finals : March 23
Winner : Australia beat India by 125 runs.
Score : 359 runs for 2 wickets off 50 Overs
Man of the match : RT Ponting for scoring 140 runs from 121 balls
Player of the tournament : Sachin Tendulkar, for his demolition of bowling attacks and scoring 673 runs in the tournament.
Sponsors : ICC World Cup jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimambwe and Kenya

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Cup 2007

Venue : Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
Teams : Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canada, England, The Netherlands, India, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Srilanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Finals : April 18.
Winner : Australia beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs
Score : 281 runs for 4 wickets off 38 Overs
Man of the match : Adam Gilchrist (Australia) for scoring 149 runs from 104 balls
Player of the tournament : Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath; for taking most wickets (26wickets) in the tournament
Sponsors : ICC World Cup jointly hosted by, LG Electronics, Pepsi, Hutch & Hero Honda (Official Global Partners). Indian Oil, Cable & Wireless and Scotia Bank (Official Sponsors) .
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cricket World Cup

2008-09-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

The World Cup matches officially began in the year 1975 in England, with eight teams; the 6 Test playing nations England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India, Pakistan along with Srilanka and East Africa. A huge success the first time round, the tournament has been taking place every four years since then, participated by major teams all over the world. However much earlier, an attempt at a World triangular tournament was made way back in 1912 between Australia, England and South Africa where all the matches were Test matches. The hosts England won.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The prize

The permanent prize for the game adopted from 1999 by the International Cricket Council is the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy designed and manufactured in London by Garrard, the Crown Jewellers. The 60-cm high trophy cup crafted in silver and gilt, features a golden globe held aloft by three silver columns. The globe is presented in the form of a stylised cricket ball while the columns, styled as stumps and bails, represent the three essential pillars of the game - batting, bowling and fielding. Valued at over £40,000 and weighing in excess of 11 kilos, the trophy has been designed in platonic dimensions for instant recognition from any angle it is viewed. The six previous Champions have been acknowledged on inscription plates on its base.Apart from the trophy the winning team will receive fabulous cash prizes.

Cricket History

2008-09-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

The origin of the game Cricket was gradual. It evolved from various sources like a Scottish sport known as 'cat-and-dog' and a thirteenth century pass-time called 'hand in and hand out'. The game which is played today has its origin in the south eastern part of England. Cricket became a generally adopted sport in the second half of the seventeenth century. The Hambeldon club which is founded in about 1750 had played a significant part in the evolution of the game. It was superseded by the Marylebone Cricket Club (M.C.C) with its headquarters at Lords, London. This became the world authority of the sport and its sanctuary. An official country championships began in England in 1873 and it became an International game with the formation of the Imperial Cricket Conference (I.C.C) in 1909. The I.C.C membership was confined only to the British Commonwealth countries. In 1956, the name of Imperial Cricket Conference was changed to International Cricket Conference to enable countries outside the common wealth to become its members.

Prince Ranjit singhCricket was brought to India by the British. In the beginning the game was played amongst the British nationals. Later it struck deep roots in the Indian soil as a result of the patronage extended to it by the ruling class and the princely households. By the beginning of the 19th century, cricket became popular in the cities of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. An England team toured India in 1902-03. An All-India team went on a tour of England in 1911 under Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. The Indian cricket control board came into being towards the end of 1928. With the efforts of several Indian princes, H.E. Grant Goven and A.S.De Mellow, the national championship for the Ranji Trophy began in 1935. India entered the international arena and played its first official Test against England in 1932.

Meanwhile Prince Ranjit Singhji of Nawanagar who had gone to England for further study, made a remarkable name for himself in the game of cricket. He is generally acknowledged as the Father of Indian Cricket although he played only in England. He will always be remembered through the National Cricket Championship - Ranji Trophy, named after him.