10:17 PM
Editor
The 2010 Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa will be a success but there are challenges to building its popularity, the tournament's CEO Sundar Raman has said.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bowlers call the shots in underwhelming tournament
Dambulla is a bit of a strange place to host international cricket - despite being in a Test-playing country, it is a town with no major local team or much of a cricketing culture. It hosted a strange one-day tournament too. At a time when scores in the region of 300 are the norm, in most matches of the tri-series, teams struggled to reach 200.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sri Lanka's seniors pull their weight
Sri Lanka's three senior batsmen stepped up their game in front of a clamorous full house in Dambulla to end their four-tournament losing streak at home to India. Tillakaratne Dilshan will grab the headlines for his maiden century in Sri Lanka, which he celebrated by running halfway to the dressing room and pointing to his shirt number, but his opening partner Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara also played vital roles in a game they desperately wanted to win.
Lack of partnerships costs India on best pitch
India were faced with the largest target of the tournament on its easiest batting track, and yet their biggest partnership during the chase was worth only 50, between Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli for the third wicket. MS Dhoni, the India captain, said the batsmen needed to have had much larger stands if they were to overhaul Sri Lanka's 299 in the final.
Charged-up Sri Lanka take title
These two have binged on each other since July 2008, but what promises to be the one for the road went Sri Lanka's way, ending their run of losses in big home matches. On the tournament's best batting track, though not quite a flat belter, Tillakaratne Dilshan's risk-free yet urgent century and Kumar Sangakkara's delightful half-century set a target never reached under Dambulla lights. When Virender Sehwag left his team-mates - who'd scored 288 runs between them before the start of the final - with 262 to get, it was all but over. The flame flickered for longer than expected, but not nearly long enough.Friday, August 27, 2010
Mitchell Johnson aims to lift in India
Australia's fast bowlers are fine-tuning with the SG balls that will be used in India and Mitchell Johnsonbelieves the tactic is the first step towards a series success. Johnson, the attack leader, needs to be in form if Australia are to have a chance in the two Tests in October and is looking forward to the challenge after struggling against Pakistan in England.
Batting gives Sri Lanka slight edge
Match Facts
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Start time 14.30 (0900 GMT)
At long last, the seemingly interminable run of India-Sri Lanka matches, starting from the Asia Cup in 2008, will come to an end on Saturday. However, the bowler-friendly conditions in Dambulla have made it difficult to predict how even these most familiar of opponents will match up.
Sangakkara calls for mental toughness
After a long net session and an examination of the pitch on Friday morning, Kumar Sangakkara looked relaxed and confident, patiently posing for photographs when requested by members of the groundstaff. At the pre-match press conference, he sounded unfazed by India's formidable recent record in Sri Lanka, pointing out that his side has also won two tri-series involving India this year.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sehwag backs Indian youngsters
India's misfiring young batsmen are getting plenty of support from their seniors. Two days after captain MS Dhoni said he was not too concerned about the batting collapses in the Dambulla tri-series, Virender Sehwag has also backed his less experienced team-mates to deliver.
Kohli fined for dissent
Virat Kohli, the Indian batsman, has been fined 15% of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his team's ODI against New Zealand in Dambulla on Wednesday.Call back Rahul Dravid to Team India: Wasim Akram
New Delhi: Senior batsman Rahul Dravid should be called back to India`s ODI team as he still has lot to offer to the country in the 50-over format, feels former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.Barring Sehwag, our batsmen are struggling: Dhoni
Dambulla: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said barring Virender Sehwag his batting department was having a tough time in the ongoing cricket tri-series in Sri Lanka.
Irfan must replace Jadeja as all-rounder: Madan Lal
In the 1983 World Cup winning team, India didn’t have a great bowling or batting line-up. But they had some fine all-rounders like Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Roger Binny, Madan Lal and Ravi Shastri, who helped India win the title by defeating the mighty West Indies. As Dhoni’s men prepare for the upcoming World Cup, only one all-rounder seems to be a mirage with Ravindra Jadeja failing to fit the bill.Inexperienced New Zealand learn from defeat
New Zealand's Dambulla adventure had started so promisingly, with their biggest win over India, but it ended on a disheartening note for their inexperienced side, which was eliminated after a 105-run defeat in the final league match.
Sehwag soars solo again
Paul the Octopus' spot-on predictions during the football World Cup were a cinch compared to the challenge of foreseeing results during the tri-series in Sri Lanka, where the inability of batsmen to cope with bowler-friendly conditions has led to wild swings in team fortunes. Only one man has adapted in Dambulla, where 230 is worth 300.Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sehwag, seamers lead India into final
A combination of belligerent hitting by Virender Sehwag and potent seam bowling helped India storm to the final of the tri-series with a comprehensive thrashing of New Zealand in the last league game. On a day when a majority of specialist batsmen on both sides batted with two left feet in bowler-friendly conditions, Sehwag found a way to carve out an aggressive century, scoring more than what 11 New Zealanders managed. A target of 224 turned out to be way out of New Zealand's reach as their top order crumbled against a four-pronged seam attack, a combination one wouldn't associate with Indian sides, especially in the subcontinent.
Play Dinesh Karthik in the middle order
Ever since the explosive MS Dhoni became India's first-choice wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik has evolved into India's all-purpose back-up man. Virender Sehwag out of form three years ago? Bring in Karthik as opener for tough series in South Africa and England. Concerns over Dhoni's fitness ahead of any series? Bring in Karthik as the reserve wicketkeeper. Any batsman indisposed for one-dayers? Bring in Karthik to plug the gap.
Kohli's disbelief, and a record low averted
Kohli's disbelief
Taking the place of a fellow struggler, Rohit Sharma, at No.3, Virat Kohli needed runs after a lean Asia Cup and two failures in the tri-series. He began brightly but, as so many batsmen have done this series, edged one to the keeper. New Zealand made a strident appeal, the umpire raised his finger, but Kohli couldn't believe he was out. He hadn't looked back at the keeper after nicking it, and he just stood and stared after the decision. After an interminable wait at the crease, and a few words under his breath, he started a slow, dejected walk to the pavilion. New Zealand had finished celebrating and their 12th man had brought the team drinks by the time Kohli had made his way past the non-striker.
Knee injury sends Jacob Oram home
Jacob Oram is set to miss the remainder of the tri-series in Sri Lanka due to the recurrence of a tendon injury in the knee that has affected his bowling. Oram had received intensive treatment to get through the series but the injury has not responded and he is headed home for further assessment.
'Dravid still has a lot to offer in ODIs'
New Delhi: Senior batsman Rahul Dravid should be called back to India's ODI team as he still has lot to offer to the country in the 50-over format, feels former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Peter Ingram credits Virender Sehwag for turnaround
Peter Ingram, the New Zealand batsman, has said learning from watching Virender Sehwag bat has helped transform his career. Ingram is sometimes criticised for a lack of footwork, but he said the reduced foot movement - a hallmark of Sehwag's batting - has helped trigger the run of form which has lifted him to the New Zealand team.
