world cup 2011 fixtures

Group A -                Group B -

Australia,                    India,

Pakistan,                    South Africa,

New Zealand,            England,

Sri Lanka,                  West Indies,

Zimbabwe,                 Bangladesh,

Canada,                     Ireland,

Kenya.                       Netherlands.

FIXTURES - 

INDIA

Feb 19     1st match -   India v Bangladesh    Mirpur

Feb 27     11th match - India v England          Kolkata  

Mar 6      21st match - India v Ireland            Bangalore 

Mar 9      25th match - India v Netherlands   Delhi 

Mar 12    29th match - India v South Africa   Nagpur

Mar 20    42nd match -India v West Indies    Chennai

SRI LANKA

Feb 20      3rd match -   Sri Lanka v Canada (Hambantota)

Feb 26      10th match - Pakistan v Sri Lanka (Colombo)

Mar 1       14th match - Kenya v Sri Lanka (Colombo) 

Mar 5       20th match - Australia v Sri Lanka (Colombo)

Mar 10     26th match - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe (Pallekele)

Mar 18     37th match - New Zealand v Sri Lanka Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

NEW ZEALAND

Feb 20   2nd match -   Kenya v New Zealand          ,Chennai 

Feb 25   8th match -    Australia v New Zealand      ,Nagpur

Mar 4    18th match -  New Zealand v Zimbabwe    ,Ahmedabad 

Mar 8    24th match -  New Zealand v Pakistan (Pallekele) 

Mar 13  30th match -  Canada v New Zealand ,Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Mar 18  37th match -  New Zealand v Sri Lanka ,Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

AUSTRALIA

Feb 21   4th match -   Australia v Zimbabwe           Ahmedabad   

Feb 25   8th match -   Australia v New Zealand      Nagpur

Mar 5   20th match -  Australia v Sri Lanka           Colombo
Mar 13  31st match - Australia v Kenya                 Bangalore 

Mar 16  35th match - Australia v Canada               Bangalore 

Mar 19 39th match -  Australia v Pakistan             Colombo

ENGLAND

Feb 22    5th match -   England v Netherlands    Nagpur 

Feb 27    11th match - India v England                Kolkata 

Mar 2     15th match - England v Ireland            Bangalore 

Mar 6     22nd match -England v South Africa   Chennai

Mar 11   28th match - Bangladesh v England    Chittagong  

Mar 17   36th match - England v West Indies   Chennai 

PAKISTAN

Feb 23    6th match -   Kenya v Pakistan                (Hambantota)
Feb 26   10th match -  Pakistan v Sri Lanka         (Colombo)
Mar 3    17th match -  Canada v Pakistan             (Colombo)
Mar 8    24th match -  New Zealand v Pakistan    (Pallekele)
Mar 14  32nd match - Pakistan v Zimbabwe       (Pallekele)
Mar 19  39th match -  Australia v Pakistan         (Colombo)

WEST INDIES

Feb 24   7th match -    South Africa v West Indies     Delhi  

Feb 28   12th match -  Netherlands v West Indies     Delhi

Mar 4    19th match -  Bangladesh v West Indies      Mirpur 

Mar 11  27th match -  Ireland v West Indies,            Chandigarh  

Mar 17  36th match -  England v West Indies            Chennai

Mar 20  42nd match - India v West Indies                 Chennai

SOUTH AFRICA 

Feb 24   7th match -    South Africa v West Indies ,     Delhi 

Mar 3    16th match -  Netherlands v South Africa      Chandigarh

Mar 6    22nd match - England v South Africa             Chennai

Mar 12  29th match -  India v South Africa  ,               Nagpur

Mar 15  34th match -  Ireland v South Africa,              Kolkata

Mar 19  40th match -  Bangladesh v South Africa,       Mirpur 

BANGLADESH

Feb 19   1st match -   Bangladesh v India                     Mirpur

Feb 25   9th match   - Bangladesh v Ireland                 Mirpur  

Mar 4    19th match - Bangladesh v West Indies         Mirpur  

Mar 11  28th match - Bangladesh v England               Chittagong  

Mar 14  33rd match - Bangladesh v Netherlands        Chittagong  

Mar 19  40th match - Bangladesh v South Africa,       Mirpur

Feb 28    13th match -  Canada v Zimbabwe,                 Nagpur  

Mar 7     23rd match - Canada v Kenya,                       Delhi

Mar 18   38th match -  Ireland v Netherlands,              Kolkata

Mar 20   41st match -  Kenya v Zimbabwe,                   Kolkata

Mar 23	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC,    Mirpur
Mar 24	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC    (Colombo)
Mar 25	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC,    Mirpur
Mar 26	Quarter Final - TBC v TBC,   Ahmedabad

Tue Mar 29	Semi Final - TBC v TBC      (Colombo)
Wed Mar 30	Semi Final - TBC v TBC      Chandigarh

Apr 2

Final - TBC v TBC Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

When GOD plays

The bowlers bowl where they want to and Sachin hits them to boundary where and when he pleases to.. A cricketer who got the status of a family member in every cricket loving home in India with his cricket, humility & honesty. Words will never describe the legend Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Nov 5th, 2009 shall remain in our minds forever.. But what about Nov 5, 1989 ???
That was the first time Sachin got selected into the Indian team that toured Pakistan...

What a long wait it was though to witness this 100 from his bat !! For many it was a reminiscent of Sharjah 1997-98 Coca Cola cup against the Aussies..

He was 27 then, and India had 2 targets in the match - 1 for victory and 1 to ensure that India are through to the finals.. 285 for a win and 254 for reaching finals, it was revised to 276 and 237 after a dust storm.. Considering the then playing conditions, 280 was on par with the current 330s.. At 4-138 the hopes sunk, but this man thought otherwise.. He plundered the Aussie attack and scored a mammoth 143 at more than run a ball to secure India's place in the finals.. He walked after edging a delivery down the leg side..

In the finals, chasing 272 for a win, all hopes wrested on Sachin as he scored 134 off 131 balls to ensure a win.. The point is getting to 272 was considered a winning total, and to chase it down happened not so often those days..Warne had gone for 61-0 in his 10 overs..

Yesterday, we got to see Sachin at his attacking best after 1998 Sharjah cup.. Ironically, this was against the Aussies too.. A magnificent innings, a description of which by mere adjectives and superlatives do not do justice to the knock..

How great was the knock and how big was the heart break !!

He cannot cry now at the defeat, he is old enough.. But cry he did, when he scored a 100  against Pakistan in Chennai only in vain.. Chasing 271 for a win, Sachin who had got out for a duck in the 1st innings played with a sore back.. On reaching 254-6, Sachin went down to a floater from Saqlain and gave a catch to mid on.. India, you wouldn't believe, got out for 258..

" I think Joshi told me he[Sachin] went down the wicket and told him its gone too long now,let me finish this match.
So it was flotter from Saqlain,He came down the track and wanted to hit over the top of long on.
I came down the dressing room,I think its fair for me to say,he[Sachin] was weaping like a school boy,I kept on telling him why are you taking the whole blame yourself,by then we lost the match.You made impossible possible by playing this great inning.He[Sachin] said no sir,I have lost this match.
We were in the podium,I think very few time you gets man of the match on the loosing side,he got the man of the match on the loosing side.From the podium I signal to Anshuman Gaekwad the coach of the Indian team and asked him where is he[Sachin], because I knew he was Man of the match. Gaekwad said he not coming because he is crying.
I think thats what commitment is all about." -- Late, Mr. Raj Singh Dungarpur..

This would have been a bigger heartbreak for him, chasing 350 isn't easy.. India had posted 354 in Nagpur, and we all know how the Aussies crumbled under pressure and there was no significant partnerships handing India a 99 run victory which could have been worse had we taken the last wicket cheaply..

The 2nd story that unveiled itself was in Hyderabad, this time Aussies had scored 350.. Belter of a wicket, Sachin was edgy at the start.. His feet weren't moving.. He slowly got to 17000 runs.. 6(14) balls.. A four and a no-ball to follow.. A free hit that was sliced for 4 behind point.. From there on, it was as if saying I want to hit this through cover and I hit it.. Sublime innings..

Years since we saw him coming down the wicket to a spinner and hoisting him straight for a six.. He hit 3 like that..

A flick coming down the wicket to Voges that went for 4 through mid wicket.. An inside out shot through cover, a flick of McKay's slower ball, stand and deliver- cover drive that went whistling past the fielders, a short arm jab that split short third man and backward point of Hussey, a shot through where 2nd slip would have been came right of the middle of the bat...

Highlights of the innings


Do we remember that Ian Chappel had called for his retirement in 2008 as Sachin was according to him playing only for records ? He had in his article to cric-info had claimed that Sachin is NOT THE BEST ODI batsman, Ponting has easily overtaken him and that Ponting has played better in many pressure situations and the finals too which Sachin apparently did not do off late and that since he was well past his prime he must retire gracefully..

Before anybody else makes a decision on what will happen to Tendulkar the player himself has to have a good long look into the mirror and decide what he's trying to achieve in the game. At the moment he looks like a player trying to eke out a career; build on a glittering array of statistics. If he really is playing for that reason and not to help win as many matches as he can for India then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately. 

Read the complete article here:

http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/287961.html

Now, shouldn't we ask him to look into a mirror and answer the question 'If he is writing such blogs to get more user comments and thus say he is popular and eke out a career in blogging as an expert analyst' . If so, he must retire immediately..

What do u say ??

 

inaugural test match - Pakistan

The inaugural test match posts will feature match reports of inaugural test matches of the test playing nations..

First up - Pakistan

year - 1952

Till the year 1947, India and Pakistan were a single big nation under the British rule.. On August 15th, 1947 the British rule came to an end and the nation was split into two - India and Pakistan..

Post Independence, India became a republic in the year 1950.. India were already playing cricket.. Now, Pakistan was a new nation and had to start playing cricket.. A few players who had earlier played for India shifted to Pakistan..

In the year 1952, the team from across the border came to India to play their inaugural test series..

Date and Time

Match

Oct 16 - 18

1st Test - India v Pakistan Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Oct 23 - 26

2nd Test - India v Pakistan University Ground, Lucknow

Nov 13 -  16

3rd Test - India v Pakistan Brabourne Stadium, Bombay

Nov 28 -Dec 1

4th Test - India v Pakistan Madras Cricket Club Ground, Chepauk, Madras

Dec 12 -  15

5th Test - India v Pakistan Eden Gardens, Calcutta

A.H.Kardar and Amir Elahi had earlier played for India, the other 9 made their debut at the Kotla, Delhi.. AH.Kardar was Pakistan captain and Lala Amarnath was India's..

1st test : KOTLA, Delhi India won the toss and batted first.
Vijay Hazare scored 74.. India were, however, reduced to 5-110 and then 8-229 , but Hemu Adhikari and the no.11 Ghulam Ahmed in a record last-wicket stand of 109 put the score past 300 -- 372 all out.. Pakistan were bowled out twice after following on in their 2nd innings .. 150 and 152 were the scores, thanks largely to an impressive left arm spin by Vinoo Mankad- 13/131 was his match figures.

2nd test : Lucknow
Pakistan bounces back to win their first ever test match.. Vijay Hazare, Hemu Adhikari and Mankad missed out on the match..Fazal Mohammed's medium pace fetched him 12 wickets in the match and Pakistan won by an innings and 43 runs.. Nazar Mohammad batted 515minutes  for his 124..

3rd test : Brabourne, Bombay
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first.. Batting first has always been tricky especially when it is an early start and the overnight dew is still there.. Pakistan lost the plot there, only a late resistance from Waqar Hassan enabled a 3 figure score for the team.. On the back of fine centuries from Poly Umrigar and Hazare, India posted a lead of 200.. Pakistan were shot out for 242 and India won by 10 wickets

4th test : Chepauk, Madras
AH. Kardar and yet another lower order performance enabled Pakistan to notch up 344.. India were trailing at 175-6 when rain interrupted the play.. No further play was possible in the entire match..

5th test : Eden Gardens, Calcutta
Phadkar's 5 wicket haul and Shodan's 100 coming at no.8 paved way for a 140 lead for India .. Waqar Hassan's 97 from 315 mins enabled a draw..


Great series for Pakistan.. In their inaugural series itself they won a match.. Never would they have known at that time that this bilateral series would be the most fiercely contested and most anticipated tournaments in the future.. The crowd following and the passion with which the 2 sides play against each other have been the same for more than 5 decades now..

another injury

Yet another player has left the Australian squad on illness or injury.. WHAT is happening to Aussies ? A side that boasts of extreme fitness and talent is now losing them all of a sudden..

Michael Clarke was the first casualty who withdrew from the Champions Trophy, which Aussies eventually won, with a lower back pain.. The work load was blamed..

Brad Haddin injured his finger in the ASHES series and missed a test, giving Graham Manou the back up keeper his maiden game.. Haddin went on to miss ODI series against England and then the Champions trophy with a broken finger..

Callum Fergusson, not a big name but has been vital in Australia winning many matches and has been very consistent at no.6 averaging 46.07 in 25 ODIs that he has played.. Ferguson tripped in the field and injured his right knee in the Champions Trophy finals.. It was later decided through tests that he needs a re-construction of right knee after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament.. (he suffered similar injury in the u-19 wc that he played)..

Soon after the champions trophy, the inaugural Champions League T20 took place where 2 Australian teams in Victoria and NSW took part.. Victoria reached semi-final while NSW went on to beat Trinidad in the finals.. Led by Katich, the side had Hughes and Warner at the top with Lee, Clark and Hauritz forming the core of bowling.. Victoria was captained by Cameron White and Siddle was the other member who also featured in the national side..

NSW members landed in the team hotel barely 24hrs before 1st ODI..

Brett Lee, who was instrumental in NSW winning the CL T20, suffered an elbow strain and was forced out of 2nd ODI but eventually was sent back home as they felt he could not have recovered in time. Lee has had ankle and side problems before the latest setback.. Lee was out of the ASHES too for injury woes..

James hopes also suffered a hamstring injury in the 1st ODI and was ruled out of the next 2 ODIs and eventually out of the entire series..Hopes bowled just two overs in the first ODI in Vadodara before leaving the field after pulling his right hamstring.


The next to go was Tim Paine, wicket keeper who injured his finger while keeping wickets in the Nagpur ODI.. He injured his finger while attempting to take a bouncer of  Siddle..

The latest addition to that is Peter Siddle.. Siddle will return home after suffering stiffness in his left side during Monday's win in Mohali..

So, the replacements Manou, Henriques and Clint McKay are already here and now the selectors are scouting for another replacement..

Already, the pace attack is without Lee.. Now, the next best player Siddle too is going to miss.. Johnson hasn't been in good form either..

Where's Stuart Clark ? Military medium , McGrath like with line and length... Very much needed in the middle overs with Johnson leaking hell a lot of runs he may just be the right replacement..

Dirk Nannes, who played for Netherlands is available to play for Australia.. He is one pace bowler who can be a definite replacement for Lee.. He bowls at 150+ kph..

Brad Hodge, technically may not be so sound but is certainly a good replacement.. I would seen him as the 1st replacement to Clarke.. Donno why he is not favored..

Dont the Aussies boast of a great training facility and highly strong players who play injury free for a long long time !! This just shows that whatever be the facility provided, over kill or continuous cricket will take a toll on players..

The only solution would be if each of the high profile teams have enough bench strength who can come to the International arena and perform from the word go.. A pool of 20-25 players are needed and the final squad of 14-15 must be picked from the pool on a rotation basis so that no player plays too much cricket and also to ensure that the others are match fit and ready to go.. That just takes care of stress related injuries..

hong kong sixes

HONG KONG cricket sixes is a six-a-side cricket , fun-filled version of the glorious old game – a feast of world class players, thrilling matches, huge hits and small boundaries.
   
It offers two days of fast and furious action in a festival atmosphere – 8 international teams, 45-minute clashes, global TV coverage and thousands of dollars in prize money up for grabs.
 
First played in 1992, the tournament is fully sanctioned by the International Cricket Council and backed by the boards of the test-playing nations.
 
Stars who have taken part include Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve and Mark Waugh, Viv Richards, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram. (I have not seen Sachin play though)
 
venue: Kowloon Cricket Club, situated in the heart of Hong Kong with the teeming city’s skyscrapers providing a breathtaking backdrop.
 
England, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, India and South Africa – all have triumphed at the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.
 
And it is all for a worthy cause – profits from the tournament are ploughed directly back into cricket development in Hong Kong through the Hong Kong Cricket Association.

The rules :
Each team has 6 players, 1 wicket keeper and 5 bowlers..
Each bowler bowls one over - 5 over match
Plate finals and finals are 8 ball overs..
Single man standing is there. i.e. If the team loses 5 wickets, the last man plays alone and there's a dUmmy runner at the non-striker's end..
Batsmen retire after scoring 31 runs and can come back if all other wickets fall.
Extras cost 2 runs.
Spectators who catch the ball are awarded 500HK dollars.

Year	Winner	Runners Up
2008	England	Australia
2007	Sri Lanka	All Stars
2006	South Africa	Pakistan
2005	India	West Indies
2004	England	Sri Lanka
2003	England	Pakistan
2002	Pakistan	England
2001	Pakistan	South Africa
1997	Pakistan	England
1996	West Indies	India
1995	South Africa	England
1994	England	Australia
1993	England	Sri Lanka
1992	Pakistan	India

India have never taken it seriously with the players being those who have retired from international cricket and sometimes from domestic cricket too..

David Johnson, Vivek Razdan playing in 2008 representing India is the heights of negligence.. Robin Singh has represented India for long in this format..

This year they named a decent squad but only to lose in the 1st round itself.. Almost an all karnataka side with Manish Pandey, Kumble, Arunkumar, Stuart Binny.. Reetinder Sodhi has been a permanent fixture in the side..