Preview: Spin, rain loom for Trans-Tasman duel

Preview: Spin, rain loom for Trans-Tasman duel

Ashton Agar may be late inclusion in Australia's WT20 opener against New Zealand
The overview While Australia are yet to put the key in the ignition this tournament, New Zealand are flying in fifth gear. The Black Caps made a huge statement in their opening clash against tournament heavyweights India, humbling the hosts at their own game with an all-out spin assault that left MS Dhoni's men bamboozled and soundly beaten.

Australia watched all this unfold in their northern perch in Dharamshala – home of Friday's match – and will now likely mimic their trans-Tasman rivals in the spin department, even though the curator says speed is the key. While every match is a must-win encounter, the fixture means more to Australia than it does New Zealand. With one win already under their belt, the Black Caps need to realistically win only two more matches to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia, on the other hand, are working with a clean slate, so a first-up win is crucial to avoid three sudden death matches on the trot. But, and there's always a but, rain could have the major say in Friday's match if the weather forecast stays true.

Dharamshala was pelted with rain on Thursday, and more is predicted on match day, meaning the points could be spilt. What that means in the overall context of Group 2, well, it probably means sudden death for the Aussies from there on out.

Not ideal for Steve Smith's charges.

The teams

New Zealand made a gutsy call to drop twin spearheads Trent Boult and Tim Southee for Tuesday's clash against India, and after the dividends the bold move paid, it would be hard to see them changing tact. That said, if rain does cause havoc and reduces the match to a five-over per side shoot out, one of those quicks might get a run to capitalise on the new-ball swing. Australia will likely go in with three spinners, meaning Ashton Agar gets a call-up, while Mitchell Marsh might be the one to miss out, as Test paceman Peter Siddle suggested on Optus Sports' The Unplayable Podcast.

If it's a full Twenty20, Usman Khawaja could get a run to counter the Black Caps spin attack, but if the match is reduced and an old fashioned slog-fest is in order, expect Aaron Finch to take his place at the top of the order, Marsh return and Australia back their fire power with the bat.

Possible NZ 20-over team: Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor, Mitchell Santner, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi

Possible NZ 5 over team:Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor, Mitchell Santner, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi, Nathan McCullum, Trent Boult, Adam Milne

Possible Aus 20-over team: Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Ashton Agar, Peter Nevill, Nathan Coulter-Nile, John Hastings, Adam Zampa 

Possible Aus 5-over team: Shane Watson, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Steve Smith (c), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, John Hastings, Peter Nevill

The contest

It's all about spin. Aaron Finch conceded in South Africa that Australia has not performed well against the turning ball and that opposition teams will target them in that area. While Nagpur is the only pitch to spin dramatically so far in the Super10 phase, the games in the qualifying stage at Dharamshala saw heavy turn. It's a huge test for the Australians, but if India can struggle against spin, who's to say the men in black won't be able to succeed?

The history

It's grim reading for the Black Caps in global limited-overs tournaments against Australia.

In 14 matches, Australia lead 11-3 – the most recent clash being last year's Cricket World Cup final in Melbourne where Australia won by seven wickets. But it's been six years since the two sides met in a Twenty20, and with only a handful of players in each squad remaining, there's an air of the unknown surrounding this clash. 

The forecast

Bad. Thunderstorms and a top of 15 degrees Celsius, with precipitation at 80% and humidity 82%. Most of the rain is predicted to fall in the morning, which means we could get a game at some stage. How to watch Watch the broadcast live and free on Channel Nine's Wide World of Sport from 8pm AEDT (check local guides) and Fox Sports.

Courtesy : http://www.cricket.com.au

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World Twenty20 2016: Sri Lanka see off Afghanistan challenge

World Twenty20 2016: Sri Lanka see off Afghanistan challenge

ICC World Twenty20, Group 1, Kolkata:
Afghanistan 153-7 (20 overs): Stanikzai 62 (47 balls), Thisara 3-33
Sri Lanka 155-3 (18.5 overs): Dilshan 83 not out (56 balls)
Sri Lanka won by six wickets

Scorecard and standings

Defending champions Sri Lanka produced a strong batting display to see off a spirited Afghanistan side and claim victory in their World Twenty20 opener.

Captain Asghar Stanikzai's 62 from 47 balls had fired the underdogs to 153-7, having been 51-4 with nine overs left.

But Tillakaratne Dilshan hit 83 after a solid opening with Dinesh Chandimal, while some poor fielding helped Sri Lanka reach their target in Kolkata.

The 2014 winners have struggled of late but won with seven balls to spare.

Stanikzai shines for underdogs

Afghanistan, coached by former Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, reached the Super 10s with three wins out of three in the first round, including a 59-run victory over closest competitors Zimbabwe.

The Central Asian side only began playing Twenty20 internationals against ICC members in 2010, and are ranked ninth in the world, one behind Sri Lanka.


One of their most impressive performers in qualification was Mohammad Shahzad, but here the opening batsman was out cheaply, top-edging an Angelo Mathews delivery to Dushmantha Chameera having made eight runs from 12 balls.

From there it looked as though Sri Lanka would go on to force a critical advantage, with Rangana Herath claiming two wickets as three batsmen fell for just 15 runs and Afghanistan slumped to 51-4.

But then stepped forward Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari, who scored five sixes between them to move Afghanistan forward at an impressive rate in a vital partnership of 61.

Even with Shenwari out for 31 from 14 balls, Stanikzai continued to bat superbly, the highlight of his highest T20 international total a soaring six off Thisara Perera as Afghanistan scored 106 off their last 10 overs.

Champions re-finding their form?

Sri Lanka were crowned champions in Bangladesh in 2014 but have since had to rebuild their Twenty20 squad following the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

They won just one of four matches at the Asia Cup in the build-up to the tournament - against the United Arab Emirates - but remain the best-performing team at the World Twenty20 since its inception in 2007, now with 22 wins from 32 matches.

Here they were also missing Lasith Malinga, the fourth most prolific wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals, who was not fit to play, and their best performances came with the bat.

Openers Dilshan and Chandimal steamed ahead with a partnership of 41, the former delighting the crowd with his trademark scoop shot before the latter was out cheaply, caught at mid-wicket.

After Thirimanne fell to 17-year-old Rashid Khan - the second youngest player to appear at a World T20 after Pakistan's Mohammad Amir - Thisara was moved up the order and made 12 before being run out for 85-3.

At that stage the Afghans might well have believed they were still in with a fighting chance, but Dilshan continued to score and several errors in the field allowed boundaries to creep through and relieve any pressure.

And fittingly it was 39-year-old Dilshan who secured the win with a boundary to square leg, the final flourish in his third highest international Twenty20 total.

What they said

Man of the match Tillakaratne Dilshan: "I needed runs because I got two ducks in the warm-ups. I'm really happy with how I batted.

"150 was a good total. We still had to bat smart because they have quality bowlers. When you come to these tournaments, I always think the first match is important. Our senior guys have to stand up and do it for the team."

Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai: "We felt we were 10-15 short but Dilshan took the responsibility and played very well.

"We also missed a few in the field and made some big mistakes, we need to improve that."

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews: "It was a much-needed victory, we haven't played that well in the recent past. The bowlers bowled pretty well but credit should go to the Afghan batters.

"We're not looking too far ahead, if we click we can do wonders as a team, but we're just taking one game at a time."

Courtesy : http://www.bbc.com

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ICC World T20 2016: ‘Mauka Mauka’ is back to stoke India-Pakistan rivalry

ICC World T20 2016: ‘Mauka Mauka’ is back to stoke India-Pakistan rivalry

Mauka Mauka’ was immensely popular advertisement campaign run by Star Sports during the ICC World Cup 2015, and they are back with yet another series ahead of the India-Pakistan match on the 19th of March. India are reeling from their 47-run loss against New Zealand and will surely be fired up for the game, played at Eden Gardens. The protagonist, Vishal Malhotra, who plays a Pakistani fan is now a middle-aged man with grey hair and is seen giving a message to Shahid Afridi, his skipper.

The match was moved to Kolkata because of simmering tensions in Himachal Pradesh. The Pakistani side were also hesitant to travel to India because of several political parties in the country threatening them with dire consequences. After touching base in the country, Afridi has gone on record saying that the Pakistani cricketers receive more love from across the border than their own country. This sparked off a huge controversy in Pakistan and several ex-cricketers have slammed the 36-year-old for his comments. Afridi stood by his statements but elaborated on it, saying that he didn’t want to hurt anyone. Lahore High Court went a step further and slapped with him with a case. Afridi can answer his critics by hearing the words of the Mauka Mauka man, “To show the world how to hit a six”.

Courtesy : http://www.india.com

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India vs New Zealand: In World T20 opener, New Zealand spin trio hand India shock defeat

India vs New Zealand: In World T20 opener, New Zealand spin trio hand India shock defeat

Kane Williamson’s gamble to compromise on speed and pick three specialist spinners paid off as New Zealand humbled hosts India by 47 runs in a spin-dominated Super 10 contest of the World Twenty20 on Tuesday.
Opting to bat first, New Zealand posted 126-7 in the Group Two contest on a prodigiously turning track at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium, seemingly a below-par total against the host nation who are famed for their proficiency against spin bowling.
New Zealand’s three-pronged spin attack, however, ensured it was more than enough as Mitchell Santner (4-11), Nathan McCullum (2-15) and the Indian-born Ish Sodhi (3-18) wrecked the hosts who folded for 79 in 18.1 overs.
Williamson said it was not an easy decision to drop the pace duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult to accommodate the spinners.
“Obviously that was tough, they are world class bowlers,” the Kiwi captain said.
“But at the same time we are looking to do the best we can in these conditions. Certainly the spinners paid off today. The wicket spun a lot and they bowled very well on it.”
The first three balls of the match contained the kind of drama and excitement that fans would be expecting from the sixth edition of the tournament in cricket’s emotional and financial home in India.
After Williamson won the toss and decided to set a target, Martin Guptill nonchalantly hit the first delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin over the bowler’s head for a six.
The off-spinner settled score in the very next ball, trapping the batsman leg before with a delivery that, replay suggested, would have gone over the stumps.
New man in Colin Munro reverse hit the next ball for a six but threw his wicket in the next over.
As wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Corey Anderson (34) tried to steady the innings and it was Luke Ronchi’s (21 not out) 11-ball cameo that took them past the 125-mark.
The Indian fans expected the chase to be a stroll in the park but Santner, who was adjudged man-of-the-match, and McCullum had other ideas.
They blew away India’s top order, reducing them to 26-4 in the fifth over to derail their chase.
Virat Kohli (23) resisted the onslaught for a while but Sodhi struck a crucial blow with his very first ball to send back the Indian batting mainstay.
Home captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni waged a lone battle with a run-a-ball 30 but the celebrated ‘finisher’ could not get his team over the line.
New Zealand beat India at their own game with their spinners claiming nine of the 10 wickets but Dhoni insisted the defeat was more down to his team’s careless batting.
“It was our batting that let us down,” the home captain said after India’s fifth futile attempt to beat New Zealand in Twenty20 Internationals.
“There were quite a few soft dismissals. It was not like the deliveries got a lot of batsmen out. Maybe it was our shot selection… there was no partnership also,” Dhoni rued.

Courtesy : http://indianexpress.com/

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ICC World T20 2016: India vs New Zealand - Player Ratings

ICC World T20 2016: India vs New Zealand - Player Ratings

New Zealand

Martin Guptill – 3/10

New Zealand's opening batsman has been in fine form recently and began the Super 10 stage of the ICC World T20 with a bang - hitting a six off the first delivery. But he was dismissed off the very next ball as he attempted to sweep Ashwin.

Kane Williamson – 6/10

The Kiwis’ skipper never got going and could manage just 8 from 16 deliveries. He struggled to find the middle of the bat during his time in the middle. But his captaincy was absolutely fantastic as he rotated his bowlers brilliantly.

Colin Munro – 2/10

Coming into bat after just two balls, Munro continued from where Guptill had left off and reverse swept Ashwin for a huge six off just the second ball he faced. In the next over, though, he attempted to go after Nehra but perished for 7.

Corey Anderson – 8/10

Anderson came in early and steadied the ship for New Zealand. His innings of 34 might have come at a strike-rate of less than 100, but he played a big part in ensuring that his team wasn’t bowled out.

Ross Taylor – 3/10

Taylor, coming back to international cricket after missing the home series against Australia, also struggled on the turning pitch. He was dismissed by Raina for 10 (14) after backing up too much at the non-striker’s end.

Mitchell Santner – 10/10

It was a stupendous performance from the 24-year-old. During New Zealand’s batting, he provided some crucial runs to the team’s total and, later on, was fantastic with the ball in hand. He ended up with figures of 4/11 from his 4 overs and was named the Man of the Match.

Grant Elliot – 5/10

Although Elliot’s score of 9 with the bat and bowling figures of 0/9 might not look impressive, he also made an useful contribution to New Zealand’s cause. He made sure the lower order of the Blackcaps wasn’t exposed. When it came to his bowling, he finished with an economy rate of less than 6.

Luke Ronchi – 9/10

Ronchi was probably the only batsman in the entire match who looked comfortable from the word go. His unbeaten 21 from just 11 balls was perhaps the best innings of the match and his wicket-keeping was top notch on what was a tough wicket.

Nathan McCullum – 8/10

McCullum was given the new ball and he repaid his captain’s faith by picking up the wicket of Dhawan in the first over. He picked up 2 wickets and conceded just 15 runs in his 3 overs.

Adam Milne – 6/10

New Zealand’s opening fast bowler didn’t have much to do and was introduced only after the Powerplay overs ended. He kept things tidy and also managed to dismiss Nehra, which was the final wicket of the match.

Ish Sodhi – 9/10

Another New Zealand spinner who was fabulous during the match. He got the big wicket of Kohli off the first delivery he bowled and there was no stopping Sodhi after that as he ended with figures of 3/18 from his quota of 4 overs.
India

Rohit Sharma – 1/10

Sharma has had a very good year with the bat so far but he was one of many batsmen to fail on this pitch. He was beaten by a beautiful delivery by Santner and was stumped for just 5 (7).

Shikhar Dhawan – 2/10

The left-handed batsman lasted just 3 deliveries and walked back to the pavilion in the first over of India’s innings. He contributed to Elliot’s run-out while in the field and that sees him earn an extra point.

Virat Kohli – 6/10

A lot was expected from Kohli and it looked for a while that he will deliver. New Zealand’s leg-spinner Sodhi, though, had other ideas and drew the Indian batsman into a false shot which saw the latter dismissed for 23.

Suresh Raina – 6/10

Most would expect Raina to contribute more with the bat than with the ball, but at Nagpur, it was his bowling that stood out. He bowled 4 overs, picked up a wicket, conceded just 16 runs and also executed a brilliant run-out off his own bowling. Later on, he would fall for just 1 to Sodhi.

Yuvraj Singh – 1/10

The southpaw from Punjab came into bat in just the 3rd over of India’s innings and was dismissed two overs later. It was a surprise that he wasn’t given the ball considering how the pitch was a paradise for spinners.

MS Dhoni – 7/10

Dhoni has performed a lot of miracles in finishing off matches for India, but even by his standards, it was an impossible task today. He was India’s top-scorer, scoring a run-a-ball 30 while he kept losing partners at the other end.

Hardik Pandya – 1/10

Pandya has been one of India’s best finds in recent times but he failed miserably with the bat in hand. He managed just 1 run from 7 deliveries, having conceded 10 runs in his solitary over earlier on in the day.

Ravindra Jadeja – 5/10

Jadeja made good use of the pitch and picked up 1 wicket for 26 runs during his spell with the ball. He couldn’t contribute much while batting and was dismissed for just 1 after a brilliant catch by Sodhi off his own bowling.

Ravichandran Ashwin – 5/10

Ashwin’s first over was one of the highlights of the match as he conceded two sixes and also got the wicket of Guptill. He was on the expensive side, going for 32 runs in his 4 overs and India would have expected much more from their premier spinner on this pitch. He was one of only three Indian batsmen to reach double figures.

Ashish Nehra – 5/10

There wasn’t much swing on offer for Nehra but the experienced bowler was clever and dismissed the dangerous Munro in his first over. He ended with figures of 1/20 from 3 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah – 7/10

Bumrah continued from where he left off in the Asia Cup, with the New Zealand batsmen finding it hard to put his yorkers away. He dismissed Taylor with a trademark yorker and conceded just 15 runs from his 4 overs.

Courtesy : http://www.sportskeeda.com

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India vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup 2016: What was worse, Nagpur's pitch or India’s batting?

India vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup 2016: What was worse, Nagpur's pitch or India’s batting?

The first match of ICC World T20 2016 between India and New Zealand was too short a game to assess what was actually wrong: the wicket or India’s batting.

Glenn Maxwell did not call this pitch ‘diabolical’. But Ben Stokes for some reason termed it worse than the ‘astro turf pitch with cigarette burns on a length at my old school’. Certainly, England, Australia and every single side that struggles against spin traditionally would have closely followed the India versus New Zealand T20 World Cup 2016 opener. Who knows, they might come across one of such tracks sometime in the tournament. India may have massacred South Africans the last time they played at Nagpur, but they getting a similar treatment at the same venue throws up a pertinent question: what was worse? The VCA Stadium pitch in Nagpur or India’s batting?

The answers could be divided equally in the favour of the two options. The pitch had a lot for the spinners. Mitchell Santner spun the ball more dangerously than India’s star spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin. Santner wasn’t hit for a six throughout his four overs, while Ashwin was clobbered for two in his very first. And with the bat, New Zealand crawled to 126/6, which proved way too many for India, who were bowled out for mere 79 in 18.1 overs. The top-scorer of the game, Corey Anderson, made a laborious 42-ball 34, studded with 3 boundaries.

It was too short a game to assess what was actually wrong: the wicket or India’s batting. New Zealand would not have thought that a modest target of 127 will be more than enough for India. And on their part, India would have laughed had they been told before setting out for their chase that they will be shot out for 79 in 18.1 overs.

The debate over the pitch at Nagpur may continue to rage on, especially with the ICC giving a mandate that it had to be a batsmen-friendly deck. Despite the instructions, both New Zealand and India struggled to score runs, had long spans in which boundaries were not hit, and sixes became rarity in a T20 game.

As rare as an overseas Indian win in Test cricket. Really.

It is a fact that India batted horrendously, but so did New Zealand. Kane Williamson decided to bat but he was the first one to struggle. He consumed 16 balls opening the innings for his side, managing to pierce the fielders at cover only once, by luck. Corey Anderson swung and got too many inside edges, luckily none crashed into his wickets. The rest did not bat long enough with which their struggles could be determined.

India looked in a hurry when they were chasing. Rohit Sharma was lazy — he played two risky strokes in air that landed safely. He ventured out of the crease to hit Santner without having middled a single stroke, and it will makes you wonder what exactly he was trying to do. Suresh Raina’s trait of moving across the crease always has the possibility of the ball taking the leading edge. Shikhar Dhawan has been inconsistent for far too long to list out his mistakes.

It will be a shame if critics jump the gun, and compose another piece on Dhoni, terming him a spent force. Dhoni tried to weather the storm — there was none actually. He tried to hold fort from one end and launch an attack when the storm had passed. But the trouble was invited by the Indians for themselves, with soft dismissals of Raina, Yuvraj Singh and even Virat Kohli hurting them hard. Dhoni ran the risk of running out of partners, and that eventually happened.

There are no doubts that Nagpur pitch for this game had vicious turn, and had this been even a one-day contest, the venue might have ended up attracting further wrath of the cricket fraternity. But Indians spoiled their own party with poor show with the bat.

Courtesy : http://www.cricketcountry.com

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India v New Zealand, World T20 2016 Group 2

Important to adapt to spin - Williamson

The last time New Zealand played a World T20 game, they crashed to 60 all out against Sri Lanka. Since that horror day in Chittagong, New Zealand are yet to play any match, in any format, in the subcontinent. In the two years since that nightmare against Rangana Herath, New Zealand have grown immeasurably in terms of confidence and experience, but their personnel remains largely the same, and their ability in spin-friendly conditions remains untested.

Kane Williamson is New Zealand's best player of spin, as he showed in that game by scoring 70% of their total, but seldom adds any spin to his public pronouncements. They are almost deliberately bland. On the eve of his side's World T20 opener against India, he dead-batted every question thrown at him.

"Yeah, whenever you play around the world, you need to adapt to different conditions," Williamson said, when asked about New Zealand's preparedness for Indian conditions. "We have been playing a bit of cricket at home, it is important that we make those adjustments coming into this tournament. We have had some good preparations in the UAE and in Mumbai as well. But at the same time, whichever ground you play around India, the conditions can be slightly different so we have to assess those again tomorrow."

Having watched some of the the first-round action from the ground, Williamson expected a slow turner at the VCA Stadium.

"We certainly are expecting spin to pay a big part in this tournament," he said. "I suppose, judging by the warm-up games in Mumbai, they had a bit for the seamers and it swung a little bit. They were very good surfaces but from what cricket we have seen here in Nagpur, spin looks likely to play a big part. It's important that we adjust our game plans accordingly."

Williamson is leading the side following the retirement of Brendon McCullum, who perhaps surprisingly chose to quit international cricket following the home series against Australia even though the World T20 was only a few weeks. Williamson refused to divulge his views on the timing of McCullum's exit.

"I suppose we were certainly fortunate to have Brendon leading us and being in the side for as long as we had him and I guess, in a way, there is no great time for him to walk away with all the good that he is doing," Williamson said. "But it's part and parcel of anything you do that it comes to an end and there's so many other priorities in Brendon's life and we certainly wish Brendon well. He is very close to this side still and he has got a little bit of cricket left to play in some of the T20 competitions around the world, which is exciting for him, but I know he will be watching us closely."

New Zealand will be playing for the first time since the death of Martin Crowe, their greatest ever batsman and a mentor to Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill. Williamson said the team would wear black armbands and observe a minute's silence before Tuesday's match.

"In the match tomorrow, we will be showing our respects by wearing black armbands and I believe after the anthems, there will be a moment where there will be a pause, so that will be a special time of recognition on behalf of the side," he said. "Some blokes in the side, they were very close to Martin, and I guess they will deal with it in their own way throughout the tournament and throughout the cricket that is coming up. He was a big part of their lives as a cricketer and as a person. It's just the process that you get through when something significant like this happens."

Courtesy : http://www.espncricinfo.com

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