The hype surrounding the Ashes has been going on now for weeks on end and with the first Test in Cardiff just a week away, James Anderson just can’t wait to get the battle under way.
With the anticipation building running riot in the lead up to the much anticipated series, the England camp is itching to get going. Speaking to Cricket World TV, Anderson said:
I speak for most of the guys, we just want it to start now. There’s been countdowns left, right and centre and I can’t wait to get started.”
The Ashes is the oldest ongoing contest in cricket and in the views of many, it is the ultimate test for any cricketer. Anderson spoke of his ambitions of playing in the Ashes:
“As a kid I always wanted to play cricket for England, and the pinnacle of anyone’s England career is to play Australia in the Ashes.”
| Match Information |
| Umpires: |
Daryl Harper (Aus) & Simon Taufel (Aus) |
| Third Umpire: |
Stephen Davis (Aus) |
| Match Referee: |
Chris Broad (Eng) |
| Toss: |
Sri Lanka (Elected to bat) |
| Match Status: |
Pakistan won by 8 wkts |
| Man of the Match: |
Shahid Afridi |
| Man of the Series: |
Tillakaratne Dilshan |
|
| Sri Lanka Innings | Pakistan Innings |
| Batting: Sri Lanka Innings |
| Batsmen |
Sri Lanka (138/6 in 20 ovs) |
Runs |
Balls |
4’s |
6’s |
SR |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan |
c S Hasan b M Aamer |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya |
b A Razzaq |
17 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
170.00 |
| Jehan Mubarak |
c S Hasan b A Razzaq |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (c) (wk) |
not out |
64 |
52 |
7 |
0 |
123.08 |
| Mahela Jayawardene |
c M Haq b A Razzaq |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
25.00 |
| Chamara Silva |
c S Ajmal b U Gul |
14 |
19 |
2 |
0 |
73.68 |
| Isuru Udana |
b S Afridi |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
20.00 |
| Angelo Mathews |
not out |
35 |
24 |
3 |
1 |
145.83 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lasith Malinga |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ajantha Mendis |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Extras: |
b – 0, w – 2, nb – 1, lb – 3 |
6 |
|
| Total: (138 for 6 in 20 overs) |
138 |
Run Rate: 6.90 |
|
|
| Fall Of Wickets |
| 1/0 (Tillakaratne Dilshan, 0.5 ov.), 2/2 (Jehan Mubarak, 1.3 ov.), 3/26 (Sanath Jayasuriya, 3.5 ov.), 4/32 (Mahela Jayawardene, 5.3 ov.), 5/67 (Chamara Silva, 11.3 ov.), 6/70 (Isuru Udana, 12.6 ov.) |
|
| Bowling: Pakistan |
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
Nb |
Wd |
ER |
| Mohammad Aamer |
4 |
1 |
30 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7.5 |
| Abdul Razzaq |
3 |
0 |
20 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6.7 |
| Shahid Afridi |
4 |
0 |
20 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5.0 |
| Saeed Ajmal |
4 |
0 |
28 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7.0 |
| Umar Gul |
4 |
0 |
29 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
7.2 |
| Shoaib Malik |
1 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8.0 |
|
|
| Power Play: Sri Lanka innings |
| Mandatory: (0.1 – 6) overs – 34 Runs |
|
|
| Batting: Pakistan Innings |
| Batsmen |
Pakistan (139/2 in 18.4 ovs) |
Runs |
Balls |
4’s |
6’s |
SR |
| Kamran Akmal (wk) |
st K Sangakkara b S Jayasuriya |
37 |
28 |
2 |
2 |
132.14 |
| Shahzaib Hasan |
c S Jayasuriya b M Muralitharan |
19 |
23 |
3 |
0 |
82.61 |
| Shahid Afridi |
not out |
54 |
40 |
2 |
2 |
135.00 |
| Shoaib Malik |
not out |
24 |
22 |
1 |
0 |
109.09 |
| Younis Khan (c) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Misbah Ul-Haq |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Abdul Razzaq |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fawad Alam |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Umar Gul |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saeed Ajmal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mohammad Aamer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Extras: |
b – 0, w – 2, nb – 1, lb – 2 |
5 |
|
| Total: (139 for 2 in 18.4 overs) |
139 |
Run Rate: 7.45 |
|
|
| Fall Of Wickets |
| 1/48 (Kamran Akmal, 7.1 ov.), 2/63 (Shahzaib Hasan, 9.1 ov.) |
|
| Bowling: Sri Lanka |
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
Nb |
Wd |
ER |
| Angelo Mathews |
2 |
0 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8.5 |
| Isuru Udana |
4 |
0 |
44 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
11.0 |
| Lasith Malinga |
3.4 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.8 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan |
3 |
0 |
20 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6.7 |
| Ajantha Mendis |
4 |
0 |
34 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8.5 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya |
2 |
0 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4.0 |
|
|
| Power Play: Pakistan innings |
| Mandatory: (0.1 – 6) overs – 39 Runs |
|
|
The two remaining Asian teams, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will face each other in the finals of the second edition of the ICC World T20 at Lord’s on Sunday. This was after Pakistan shocked South Africa in the first semi-finals at Trent Bridge and Sri Lanka routed West Indies in the second game at Oval in London.
Spin will be a factor that would play a rather huge role in this game, with both teams loaded with spinners who have the quality and the wherewithal to take the game away from the opposition. If Sri Lanka possesses the magic of Ajantha Mendis and Muthiah Muralitharan, then Pakistan is not far behind with the presence of Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, both of whom have mesmerised the opposition batsmen no ends.
To add to the similarities, Pakistan then possesses a very accurate death-bowler in Umar Gul, but their opponents in the final negate that effect by having a Lasith Malinga whose yorker-length bowling is a must-have in this format of the game.
Thus, where the two teams differ in their bowling department is the support-staff; Pakistan has a rather nippy bowler in Mohammad Aamer who can do damage with his short stuff, while Isuru Udana and Angelo Matthews are anything but fast, but possess enough tricks in their bag to make the batsmen go round. Mathews’ three wickets in the first over of the West Indian inning in the semi-final would remain fresh in his mind and will go a long way in boosting his confidence.
Hence, it will be rather easy to conclude that the basic difference between the two sides would be their batting. And with the return to form of Shahid Afridi, there isn’t much to choose from even there. Kamran Akmal looks like he could match the in-form T. Dilshan shot-for-shot, if not for longevity, while Younus Khan and Kumar Sangakkara are from similar moulds of batting; both can hit the big shots but eschew them till it is obviously and absolutely necessary.
The one worry though, for Sri Lanka would be the absolute of run of bad form of Sanath Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya failed to get going in the semi-finals – much like a lot of other cricketers – but what was worse was the fact that he barely got his timing through most part of his inning. His counterpart opener in Shahzaib Hasan did not have a great semi-final, but the couple of games leading up to that were decent enough for him to get another run.
All in all, the contest looks too close to call, and both Sri Lanka and Pakistan look equally armed to win the title; it could just boil down to who wants to win it more badly.
Teams:-
Younus Khan(c), Misbah-Ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal(wk), Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Abdul Razzaq, Shahzaib Hasan, Mohammad Aamer, Fawad Alam, Saeed Ajmal, Iftikhar Anjum, Shoaib Akhtar
KC Sangakkara(c)(wk), DPMD Jayawardene, ST Jayasuriya, TM Dilshan, KMDN Kulasekara, M Muralitharan, LPC Silva, J Mubarak, AD Mathews, T Thushara, BAW Mendis, I Udana, SL Malinga, Indika De Saram, MF Maharoof
|
|
| ICC World Twenty20, 2009 |
| Sri Lanka vs West Indies, 2nd Semi-Final |
| The Oval, London, June 19, 2009 |
|
|
| Match Information |
| Umpires: |
Aleem Dar (Pak) & Rudi Koertzen (RSA) |
| Third Umpire: |
Daryl Harper (Aus) |
| Match Referee: |
Alan Hurst (Aus) |
| Toss: |
West Indies (Elected to field) |
| Match Status: |
Sri Lanka won by 57 runs |
| Man of the Match: |
Tillakaratne Dilshan |
|
| Sri Lanka Innings | West Indies Innings |
| Batting: Sri Lanka Innings |
|
|
|
| Fall Of Wickets |
| 1/73 (Sanath Jayasuriya, 10.3 ov.), 2/73 (Kumar Sangakkara, 10.5 ov.), 3/77 (Mahela Jayawardene, 11.3 ov.), 4/127 (Chamara Silva, 17.2 ov.), 5/134 (Jehan Mubarak, 18.3 ov.) |
|
| Bowling: West Indies |
|
|
|
| Power Play: Sri Lanka innings |
| Mandatory: (0.1 – 6) overs – 44 Runs |
|
|
| Batting: West Indies Innings |
|
|
|
| Fall Of Wickets |
| 1/1 (Xavier Marshall, 0.2 ov.), 2/1 (Lendl Simmons, 0.4 ov.), 3/1 (Dwayne Bravo, 0.6 ov.), 4/43 (Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 8.2 ov.), 5/64 (Ramnaresh Sarwan, 11.1 ov.), 6/75 (Keiron Pollard, 13.3 ov.), 7/86 (Denesh Ramdin, 14.5 ov.), 8/95 (Jerome Taylor, 15.3 ov.), 9/97 (Darren Sammy, 16.2 ov.), 10/101 (Sulieman Benn, 17.4 ov.) |
|
| Bowling: Sri Lanka |
|
|
|
| Power Play: West Indies innings |
| Mandatory: (0.1 – 6) overs – 29 Runs |
|
|
| The Teams |
| Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya , Tillakaratne Dilshan , Kumar Sangakkara (c) (w) , Mahela Jayawardene , Chamara Silva , Jehan Mubarak , Angelo Mathews , Isuru Udana , Muttiah Muralitharan , Lasith Malinga , Ajantha Mendis , Nuwan Kulasekara (sub) , Farveez Maharoof (sub) , Thilan Thushara (sub) , Indika de Saram (sub)
West Indies: Chris Gayle (c) , Xavier Marshall , Lendl Simmons , Dwayne Bravo , Ramnaresh Sarwan , Shivnarine Chanderpaul , Denesh Ramdin (w) , Keiron Pollard , Darren Sammy , Jerome Taylor , Sulieman Benn , Andre Fletcher (sub) , Fidel Edwards (sub) , Lionel Baker (sub) , David Bernard (sub) |
Pakistan Vs South Africa T20 Semi Final Scorecard, Pakistan Vs South Africa Semi Final Match Score Card, Pakistan Vs South Africa T20 Match Scores in Semi Final.
| Match Information |
| Umpires: |
Billy Bowden (NZ) & Stephen Davis (Aus) |
| Third Umpire: |
Simon Taufel (Aus) |
| Match Referee: |
Chris Broad (Eng) |
| Toss: |
Pakistan (Elected to bat) |
| Match Status: |
Pakistan won by 7 runs |
| Man of the Match: |
Shahid Afridi |
Batting: Pakistan Innings
| Batsmen |
Pakistan (149/4 in 20 ovs) |
Runs |
Balls |
4’s |
6’s |
SR |
| Kamran Akmal (wk) |
c A Morkel b D Steyn |
23 |
12 |
4 |
1 |
191.67 |
| Shahzaib Hasan |
c Rvd Merwe b W Parnell |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
| Shahid Afridi |
c A Villiers b J Duminy |
51 |
34 |
8 |
0 |
150.00 |
| Shoaib Malik |
c J Botha b Rvd Merwe |
34 |
39 |
2 |
0 |
87.18 |
| Younis Khan (c) |
not out |
24 |
18 |
1 |
0 |
133.33 |
| Abdul Razzaq |
not out |
12 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
80.00 |
| Misbah Ul-Haq |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fawad Alam |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Umar Gul |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saeed Ajmal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mohammad Aamer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Extras: |
b – 0, w – 3, nb – 0, lb – 2 |
5 |
|
| Total: (149 for 4 in 20 overs) |
149 |
Run Rate: 7.45 |
Fall Of Wickets 1/8 (Shahzaib Hasan, 1.2 ov.), 2/28 (Kamran Akmal, 2.3 ov.), 3/95 (Shahid Afridi, 12.1 ov.), 4/124 (Shoaib Malik, 15.4 ov.) Bowling: South Africa
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
Nb |
Wd |
ER |
| Dale Steyn |
4 |
0 |
28 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7.0 |
| Wayne Parnell |
4 |
0 |
26 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6.5 |
| Jacques Kallis |
2 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
7.0 |
| Albie Morkel |
2 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6.5 |
| Roelof van der Merwe |
4 |
0 |
29 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7.2 |
| Johan Botha |
2 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11.5 |
| Jean-Paul Duminy |
2 |
0 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7.0 |
| Power Play: Pakistan innings |
| Mandatory: (0.1 – 6) overs – 47 Runs |
|
Batting: South Africa Innings
| Batsmen |
South Africa (142/5 in 20 ovs) |
Runs |
Balls |
4’s |
6’s |
SR |
| Jacques Kallis |
c S Malik b S Ajmal |
64 |
54 |
7 |
1 |
118.52 |
| Graeme Smith (c) |
c & b M Aamer |
10 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
71.43 |
| Herschelle Gibbs |
b S Afridi |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
125.00 |
| AB de Villiers |
b S Afridi |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
20.00 |
| Jean-Paul Duminy |
not out |
44 |
39 |
3 |
1 |
112.82 |
| Albie Morkel |
run out (F Alam) |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
50.00 |
| Mark Boucher (wk) |
not out |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
| Roelof van der Merwe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Johan Botha |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wayne Parnell |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Dale Steyn |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Extras: |
b – 4, w – 1, nb – 0, lb – 11 |
16 |
|
| Total: (142 for 5 in 20 overs) |
142 |
Run Rate: 7.10 |
Fall Of Wickets 1/40 (Graeme Smith, 5.5 ov.), 2/46 (Herschelle Gibbs, 6.6 ov.), 3/50 (AB de Villiers, 8.3 ov.), 4/111 (Jacques Kallis, 17.1 ov.), 5/134 (Albie Morkel, 19.3 ov.) Bowling: Pakistan
| Bowler |
O |
M |
R |
W |
Nb |
Wd |
ER |
| Abdul Razzaq |
3 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6.3 |
| Mohammad Aamer |
4 |
0 |
30 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7.5 |
| Shahid Afridi |
4 |
0 |
16 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4.0 |
| Saeed Ajmal |
4 |
0 |
23 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5.8 |
| Shoaib Malik |
1 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5.0 |
| Umar Gul |
3 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6.3 |
| Fawad Alam |
1 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
15.0 |
| Power Play: South Africa innings |
| Mandatory: (0.1 – 6) overs – 40 Runs |
West Indies Vs Sri Lanka Live T20 Semi Final Match, West Indies Vs Sri Lanka T20 Match, West Indies Vs Sri Lanka T20 World cup, West Indies Vs Sri Lanka T20 Live Match, West Indies Vs Sri Lanka World cup T20 Match.
Kumar Sangakkara’s side posted 158-5 from their 20 overs, and New Zealand’s run chase slowly petered out after a fast start.
The Black Caps were bowled out for 110 in the 17th over despite looking to be on course after a powerful performance in the six-over powerplay at the start of their innings.
Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis was named man-of-the-match after another stunning spell, finishing with figures of 3-9 off his three overs.
It was a heartbreaking story for England. They tried hard, but could not move into the semifinals. In a rain-interrupted match, West Indies beat England by 5 wickets (D/L method) to enter the semifinals.
Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya , Tillakaratne Dilshan , Kumar Sangakkara (c) (w) , Mahela Jayawardene , Chamara Silva , Jehan Mubarak , Angelo Mathews , Muttiah Muralitharan , Ajantha Mendis , Lasith Malinga , Isuru Udana , Nuwan Kulasekara (sub) , Indika de Saram (sub) , Farveez Maharoof (sub) , Thilan Thushara (sub).
West Indies: Chris Gayle (c) , Andre Fletcher , Lendl Simmons , Dwayne Bravo , Shivnarine Chanderpaul , Ramnaresh Sarwan , Keiron Pollard , Denesh Ramdin (w) , Darren Sammy , Jerome Taylor , Sulieman Benn , Xavier Marshall (sub) , Fidel Edwards (sub) , Lionel Baker (sub) , David Bernard (sub).
The first semi final of the ICC World twenty20 sees unbeaten South Africa take on an inconsistent and mercurial Pakistan at Trent Bridge. South Africa have come through to this semi final stage without too many concerns and are the bookies outright favourites going into the semi finals. Pakistan started badly against England but have played some good cricket since then and deserve their semi final place.
Both sides have plenty of match winners in their ranks. South Africa have 2 of the tournament’s leading batsmen in Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers while Roelof van der Merve and Wayne Parnell have taken plenty of wickets between them. Dale Steyn isn’t far behind them. Captain Graeme Smith’s form has been ok. He’s made plenty of starts but as yet hasn’t made a really big score. He’ll be hoping that comes here.
Pakistan too have match winners in their side. Umar Gul is the leading wicket taker in the tournament while Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal are both having fantastic tournaments with the ball. Skipper Younus Khan is one of the leading run scorers in the competition while wicket keeper Kamran Akmal is in good form too. The big hitting Misbah-ul-Haq and Abdul Razzaq can do plenty of damage and win matches on their own.
Routes to the semi final:
South Africa
Beat Scotland by 130 runs
Beat New Zealand by 1 run
Beat England by 7 wickets
Beat West Indies by 20 runs
Beat India by 12 runs
Pakistan
Lost to England by 48 runs
Beat Netherlands by 82 runs
Lost to Sri Lanka by 19 runs
Beat New Zealand by 6 wickets
Beat Ireland by 39 runs
This promises to be a fantastic semi final. South Africa have been the team to beat all through the competition but Pakistan have shown they can turn anyone over on their day. South Africa are such a consistent side though and I think they’ll make the final at the expense of the rejuvenated Pakistani side.
