1st T20: Ind v. NZ: McCullum gives NZ 1-0 Lead!

Brendon McCullum once again proved that he is a dangerous customer to negotiat with. He gave the home team 1-0 lead in the two match T20 series with his blistering unbeaten 56. His knock came off 49 balls with timely sixes and fours. He hit 3 sixes and 2 fours.

Guptill survived a plumb leg before of the first ball he faced, but came back strongly and scored useful 41 off 28 balls.

None of the Indian bowlers could take wickets at crucial times of the game. Zaheer and Harbhajan bowled economically, but not able to break partnerships often.

Earlier, poor batting by Indian batsmen pushed them to 82 for 6. Yousuf Pathan hit 3 continuous success of Nathan McCullum but got out when he tried hit the fourth. SK Raina who came in as number 3 batsman stayed till the end of the innings and was the highest scorer for India with 61 off 43 balls with 5 sixes and two fours.

Sehwag started beautifully but could not continue his threatening hits. He hit four sixes and scored 26 off just 10 balls. He was bowled when trying to slog O'Brien over mid-wicket.

Scoreboard:

Tour: India to New Zealand
Series: T20
Match #: 1
Date: Wednesday February 25, 2009
Venue: Christchurch
Captains: Daniel Vettori (NZ) and MS Dhoni (Ind)
Umpires: GAV Baxter and EA Watkin; AL Hill-third umpire
Toss: NZ won the toss and decided to field
Match: NZ won by 7 wickets with 7 balls remaining
Man of the Match: BB McCullum off NZ

India 162 for 8 in 20 overs (G Gambhir bowled O'Brien 6, V Sehwag bowled O'Brien 26, SK Raina 61 not out, RG Sharma caught BB McCullum bowled Butler 7, Yuvaraj Singh LBW Vettori 1, MS Dhoni bowled Butler 2, Yousuf Pathan caught Oram bowled Nathan McCullum 20, Irfan Pathan caught Nathan McCullum bowled Ryder 12, Harbhajan Singh bowled Southee 21, Extras--6 (lb 3, w 3), TG Southee 4-0-42-1, IE O'Brien 4-0-36-2, IG Butler 4-0-29-2, DL Vettori 4-0-18-1, NL McCullum 2-0-27-1, JD Ryder 2-0-7-1)

Fall of Wickets: 1-25 (Gambhir, 1.6 ov), 2-32 (Sehwag, 3.1 ov), 3-54 (RG Sharma, 5.2 ov), 4-56 (Yuvraj Singh, 6.2 ov), 5-61 (Dhoni, 7.5 ov), 6-82 (YK Pathan, 9.4 ov), 7-101 (IK Pathan, 13.3 ov), 8-162 (Harbhajan Singh, 19.6 ov)

New Zealand 166 for 3 in 18.5 overs (JD Ryder LBW Ishanth Sharma 1, BB McCullum 56 not out, MJ Guptill LBW Harbhajan 41, LRPL Taylor bowled Zaheer Khan 31, JDP Oram 29 not out, Extras--8 (w 5, nb 3), Zaheer Khan 4-0-20-1, Ishanth Sharma 4-0-35-1, Irfan Pathan 3-0-38-0, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-19-1, Yousuf Pathan 2.5-0-37-0, Yuvaraj Singh 1-0-17-0)

Fall of Wickets: 1-2 (Ryder, 1.1 ov), 2-56 (Guptill, 6.4 ov), 3-106 (Taylor, 13.2 ov)

Asia Cup, FINAL: Jayasuriya and Mendis Help Sri Lanka win Final!

Sri Lanka havae won the Asia Cup for the for the first time outside Sri Lanka. Though Sri Lanka was losing wickets at regular intervals, it did not stop Jayasuriya from playing his regular shots. His less than a ball century helped Sri Lanka to put a winning total on the board. Struggling at 66 for 4, Jayasuriya and Dilshan (56) added 131 for the 4th wicket in 141 balls. Jayasuriya scored 125 off 114 balls with 9 fours and 5 sixes. He punished all the fast bowlers--RP Singh, Ishanth Sharma, and Pathan. All of them were hammered by Jayasuriya.

Indian batting meekly surrendered to the bowling of Sri Lankans especially Mendis. Later in the press conference, Dhoni admitted that no batsman was able to read Mendis. Having chased 309 in their last encounter, the target of 274 seemed easy in this kind of wicket.

The start was good with 36 in the first 5 overs. Gambhir got out for 6 in the 5th over. Sehwag was the culprit for the fall of the Indian innings. He was playing Mendis for the first time and bowling his first over.

He stepped out for the first two balls and was not successful. He should have waited and played sensibly. He came out for the third time and got stumped way out of the crease and that is stupid cricket. Well,one can argue that if he hits for runs we appreciate, but still I would say that is an early stage for hitting and it is a final. Everyone has a role to play, especially understaning their responsibilities. He was the first wicket of Mendis and gave all the confidence to him.

Yuvaraj Singh, still in the party mood, did not read the straight faster one and went for back foot. It was too late and the ball hit the stumps. Raina trying to pull a short ball was also bowled. Dhoni stayed and played a fighting innings but was not useful as the wickets were falling at the other end. Mendis picked 6 wickets giving away 13 runs in his 8 overs and was declared both man of the match and series.

Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 13
Final
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: July 6, 2008
Teams: India and Sri Lanka
Captains: MS Dhoni and DPMD Jayawardene
Toss: India won the toss and decided to field
Result: Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup by 100 runs
Man of the Match: BAW Mendis off Sri Lanka
Man of the Series: BAW Mendis off Sri Lanka
Score:

Sri Lanka 273 all out in 49.5 overs (ST Jayasuriya 125, KC Sangakkara 4, DPMD Jayawardene 11, CK Kapugedera 5, LPC Silva 0, TM Dilshan 56, WPUJC Vaas 19, KMDN Kulasekara 29 not out, T Thushara 5, BAW Mendis 8, M Muralitharan 2, Extras--9 (lb 8, w 1), RP Singh 9-1-67-3, I Sharma 10-1-52-3, IK Pathan 9.5-0-67-2, PP Ojha 10-1-38-0, V Sehwag 8-0-30-1, RG Sharma 3-0-11-0) beat India 173 all out in 39.3 overs (G Gambhir 6, V Sehwag 60, SK Raina 16, Yuvraj Singh 0, MS Dhoni 49, RG Sharma 3, RV Uthappa 20, IK Pathan 2, RP Singh 0, PP Ojha 6 not out, I Sharma 8, Extras--3 (b 2, w 1), WPUJC Vaas 9-0-55-2, KMDN Kulasekara 6.3-0-26-1, T Thushara 8-0-51-0, BAW Mendis 8-1-13-6, M Muralitharan 8-0-26-1)

Click here to read Bangladesh v. UAE match result!

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Click here to read Bangladesh v. Sri Lanka match result!

Click here to read India v. Hong Kong match result!

Click here to read India v. Pakistan match result!

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Click here to read Super Four: Bangladesh v. Sri Lanka match result!

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Asia Cup, Super Four, Match 4: Younis Khan's ton beat India!

Though India scored 308, Younis Khan's 123 not out gave Pakistan a ray of hope to enter the final and helped them to stay in the competition. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq scored 70 and put a 144-run unbeaten partnership for the 3rd wicket.


For India, Dhoni top scored with 76 while Rohit scored an useful 58.

India have to beat Sri Lanka in their next match or the match should end in a tie or wash out. Else, Pakistan would enter the final. So, it will be a do or die for India on July 3rd.


Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 10
Super Four: 4
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: July 2, 2008
Teams: India and Pakistan
Captains: MS Dhoni and Misbah-ul-Haq
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 8 wickets with 27 balls remaining
Points: Pakistan 2; India 0
Man of the Match: Younis Khan off Pakistan
Score:

India 308 for 7 in 50 overs (G Gambhir 35, V Sehwag 49, SK Raina 1, Yuvraj Singh 37, MS Dhoni 76, RG Sharma 58, YK Pathan 0, IK Pathan 38 not out, P Kumar 1 not out, Extras--13 (b 1, lb 4, w 8), Sohail Tanvir 10-0-87-1, Abdur Rauf 10-0-66-2, Iftikhar Anjum 10-1-51-3, Shahid Afridi 10-0-52-0, Saeed Ajmal 10-0-47-1) lost to Pakistan 309 for 2 in 45.3 overs (Salman Butt 36, Nasir Jamshed 53 (retired hurt), Younis Khan 123 not out, Mohammad Yousuf 21, Misbah-ul-Haq 70 not out, Extras--6 (lb 1, w 2, nb 3), P Kumar 8.3-1-61-0, IK Pathan 10-0-68-0, I Sharma 10-1-63-0, YK Pathan 4-0-29-0, PP Chawla 8-0-53-1, V Sehwag 5-0-34-0)

Click here to read Bangladesh v. UAE match result!

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Asia Cup, Super Four, Match 1: India beat Bangladesh!

In the first super four match, India already entering with 2 points carried forward by beating Pakistain in the Group B match, gained 2 more points by beating Bangladesh comfortably by 7 wickets with 40 balls to spare.

Alok Kapali, who made a come back after almost two-and-a-half years, fought the Indian bowling attack and scored a brilliant century. His century gave Bangladesh a hope of fighting back after suffering at 169 for 5 in 35 overs. His 116 came off 107 balls with 11 fours and 5 sixes. He along with Mahmudullah added 112 for the 6th wicket in 87 balls.

Chasing 284, Rain once again scored a wonderful century. He along with Gambhir added 139 for the 3rd wicket which took away the match from Bangladesh. Struggling at 56 for 2 in the 10th over, they both played sensibly and built the partnership going. Raina was unstoppable and bagged his 3rd consecutive man of the match for his firing 116 off 107 balls which included 11 fours and 3 boundaries. Gambhir missed his century by 10 runs. His 90 came off 84 balls including 10 fours and a six.

Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 7
Super Four: 1
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: June 28, 2008
Teams: India and Bangladesh
Captains: MS Dhoni and Mohammad Ashraful
Toss: Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 7 wickets with 40 balls remaining
Points: India 2; Bangladesh 0
Man of the Match: SK Raina off India
Score:

Bangladesh 283 for 6 in 50 overs (Tamim Iqbal 55, Nazimuddin 6, Mohammad Ashraful 20, Raqibul Hasan 25, Mushfiqur Rahim 22, Alok Kapali 115, Mahmudullah 26 not out, Farhad Reza 0 not out, Extras--14 (lb 5, w 9), RP Singh 10-1-65-1, M Gony 8-0-65-2, I Sharma 10-0-48-1, PP Ojha 10-0-43-2, YK Pathan 10-0-44-0, Yuvraj Singh 2-0-13-0) lost to India 284 for 3 in 43.2 overs (G Gambhir 90, RV Uthappa 2, RG Sharma 22, SK Raina 116 not out, Yuvraj Singh 36 not out, Extras--18 (lb 11, w 7), Mashrafe Mortaza 9-0-55-0, Shahadat Hossain 9-0-60-2, Mahmudullah 6-0-35-0, Farhad Reza 6-0-38-1, Abdur Razzak 9.2-0-59-0, Alok Kapali 4-0-26-0)

Click here to read Bangladesh v. UAE match result!

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Asia Cup, Match 5: Sehwag's Century help India beat Pakistan!

Sehwag's wonderful quick fire century helped India to chase the 300 target with 47 balls remaining. Though Gambhir got out cheaply for 9, the 198 run second wicket partnership between Sehwag and Raina helped India win this match easily. Sehwag scored 119 off 95 balls with 12 fours and 5 sixes and Raina scored 84 off 69 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes.

Earlier, Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik lead by an example by scoring a century. He scored 125 off 119 balls with 16 fours and a six. He was retired hurt due to cramps.

Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 5
Group: B
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: June 26, 2008
Teams: India and Pakistan
Captains: MS Dhoni and Shoaib Malik
Toss: Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 6 wickets with 47 balls remaining
Points: India 2; Pakistan 0
Man of the Match: SK Raina off India
Score:

Pakistan 299 for 4 in 50 overs (Salman Butt 35, Shoaib Malik 125 retired hurt, Younis Khan 59, Mohammad Yousuf 30, Misbah-ul-Haq 31 not out, Shahid Afridi 9, Sohail Tanvir 3 not out, Extras--7 (b 1, lb 1, w 5), P Kumar 10-0-56-0, RP Singh 10-2-44-1, I Sharma 10-0-69-0, PP Chawla 7-0-52-1, YK Pathan 9-0-52-1, Yuvraj Singh 4-0-24-0) lost to India 301 for 4 in 42.1 overs (G Gambhir 9, V Sehwag 119, SK Raina 84, Yuvaraj Singh 48, MS Dhoni 26 not out, RG Sharma 0 not out, Extras--15 (b 1, lb 6, w 7, nb 1), Umar Gul 1.2-0-6-0, Sohail Tanvir 9-0-55-1, Iftikhar Anjum 9.4-0-61-2, Shahid Afridi 10-0-64-1, Fawad Alam 7-0-64-0, Salman Butt 1-0-13-0, Younis Khan 4.1-0-31-0)

Click here to read Bangladesh v. UAE match result!

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Asia Cup, Match 4: India thrash Hong Kong! Dhoni and Raina score century!

Dhoni and man of the match Raina's century helped India to put a huge score and thrash Hong Kong by 256 runs. The first wicket partnership was 127 between Gambhir (51) and Sehwag (78). India lost two quick wickets and were 159 for 3 in 25 overs. Then Dhoni (109 not out off 96 balls with 6 fours and 6 sixes) and Raina (101 off 68 balls with 7 fours and 5 sixes) added 166 for the 4th wicket in 123 balls.

Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 4
Group: B
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: June 25, 2008
Teams: India and Hong Kong
Captains: MS Dhoni and Tabarak Dar
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 256 runs
Points: India 2; Hong Kong 0
Man of the Match: SK Raina off India
Score:

India 374 for 4 in 50 overs (G Gambhir 51, V Sehwag 78, RG Sharma 11, MS Dhoni 109 not out, SK Raina 101, RV Uthappa 15 not out, Extras--9 (b 6, lb 1, w 2), Afzaal Haider 6-0-72-1, Irfan Ahmed 6-0-53-0, JPR Lamsam 2-0-27-0, Nadeem Ahmed 8-0-52-0, Najeeb Amar 10-0-40-2, Munir Dar 10-0-55-0, Skhawat Ali 8-0-68-0) beat Hong Kong 118 all out in 36.5 overs (Tabarak Dar 21, Skhawat Ali 0, JJ Atkinson 23, KH Butt 4, CK Kruger 3, Irfan Ahmed 25, JPR Lamsam 16, Munir Dar 4, Najeeb Amar 13 not out, Afzaal Haider 0, Nadeem Ahmed 0, Extras--9 (lb 2, w 7), P Kumar 5-0-21-0, RP Singh 4-0-19-1, M Gony 5-1-11-0, PP Chawla 10-2-23-4, YK Pathan 10-0-37-1, V Sehwag 2.5-0-5-2)

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Indian Team Announced for Tri-Series and Asia Cup!

The Indian Team for the tour to Bangladesh to play the Tri-Series with Pakistan and the home team Bangladesh and also for the Asia Cup was announced today.

With Sachin Tendulkar annoucing himself not available due to groin injury, Ganguly and Dravid did not make a come back. They are still not part of the one day squad.

Yousuf Pathan and left arm spinner Ojha have been included and it is going to be a very good opportunity for them. The performance of these young players in the IPL should have given the confidence to the selectors.

The team:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gauam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha