IPL’s crowd missing Pakistani players charm!

IPL, when this comes to mind, one thinks of some magnificent sixes, juicy strokes for boundaries & great fielding that might change the game around many times merely in the passage of 20 overs each side. The targets given by the team batting first is averaged at 170, and the chasing team loses all the wickets in pursuit of keeping the asking rate in control – some sloppy running between the wickets, few miss timed shots (not much of bowler’s efforts seen yet), while some chase it down with half the team still in the camp. Unfortunately, IPL seems to be a bat vs bat contest, unlike the real cricket that used to be a ball vs bat game, and how would it would be a tough competition without some of the best T20 players of the world!

Imagine the first ball of the innings, an in-swinging yorker, Adam Gilchrist finding it hard to dig the bat at it & suddenly the middle stump is out of the pitch! Umer Gul, master of yorkers, delivers one to get the wicket of one of the best batsmen of the tournament! And the crowd is stunned!

In the middle overs, comes the tiger Afridi, messing with the batsmen, showing some aggression, skidding ball here & there, continuously making the batsmen think which ball is it gonna be! Takes the wicket, does his trademark - raising his arms in the air, the crowd roars as the tiger has struck!

Shoaib Akhtar, opens up bowling against Mumbai Indians’ Sachin Tendulkar, marches to the wicket, delivering the fastest ball to clip Tendulkar’s stumps, gotcha! Crowd going ecstatic to the outstanding delivery!

And how can you forget Saeed Ajmal, who’s been blowing minds of almost every batsman, his doosras, arm ball, and the conventional one, keeping the batsman guessing which one would be! And getting a wicket out of nowhere, changing the game around, bringing the crowd alive!

Umar Akmal, exciting young prospect of Pakistan, doesn’t take much time to launch his assault, against any bowler of the world, we’ve seen him getting the better of Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait, Zaheer Khan, Tim Southee, Brett Lee, Dale Steyn, Yuvraj Singh, Murali and list goes on! Imagine what would be like, Umar Gul bowling against Umar Akmal, which way would the ball go? Crowd would be on their feet in any case

If you’re looking for a wall in the middle order that just wont give away his wicket, the name to recall is Misbah-ul-Haq, suffering a collapse? Ask him to do the honors!

An all round performance from Mohammad Hafeez, is the tip of the ice berg, having comeback as a wicket taking bowler, he has a done remarkably well keeping opposition in check, as well as some sweetly timed shots, that just what the crowd wants!

The crowds enjoy the wickets falling, the dot balls at the death as much as the sixes & fours. Unfortunately the IPL 2011 has been more of a batsman’s paradise. But if batsmen are needed, Pakistan team can stun the crowd even there. All in all, the team Pakistan has a lot to offer to the world, the crowd would be on their feet, enjoying not just the batsmen hitting hard, but the bowlers getting the better of them in crunch situations! That’s what we call cricket!

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KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS V KINGS XI PUNJAB- MATCH PREVIEW: BOTH TEAMS LOOKING FOR ADVANTAGE

Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Kings XI Punjab in an important fixture of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Eden Gardens Kolkata.

This is an extremely crucial encounter for both franchises as the Kings XI is at number seven in the points table, whereas the Knight Riders have done reasonably well in the tournament so far and they would like to beat the Kings XI in order to strengthen their position.

Shahrukh Khan’s men have eight points after seven games so far, whereas the Kings XI have six points from five games. There is not much to choose between the two teams but their match could prove to be vital for the future of these two teams in the tournament.

Kolkata failed to make an impression in the previous three editions of the IPL but change of personnel in management and the players have brought good luck for them and they are doing well in the current season under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir.

Kolkata seem to have a very nice balance with both bat and ball, as Brett Lee, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Jaidev Unadkat, Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and the young left arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah have gelled well, as a bowling unit.

Kallis and Manoj Tiwary have been the pick of the batsmen for the Knight Riders and their management would be hoping that Gambhir and Pathan can showcase their abilities better during the crunch part of the tournament.

Paul Valthaty has so far been the best batsman for the Kings XI and the management of Punjab would be looking at, Adam Gilchrist, and, Shaun Marsh, once again to give them a substantial start and be more consistent at the later stages of the tournament.

The Kings XI have lost many of their key players this season, as the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Bret Lee, Mahela Jayawardene, and, Kumar Sangakkara, have been bought by other franchises.

However, their absence does not seem to have hurt the Kings XI that much, as they have not done that badly in the tournament so far and a win against the Knight Riders could put them in the top four of the points table.

Kings XI have done well in the previous three seasons and there is no reason why they should be disheartened about their chances in the current season. Still there is a lot of cricket to be played in the ongoing season and they can turn the tables by raising their game at the right time. There have been countless instances in the past when teams came from behind and won the tournament.

Although, Kolkata has done better in this season till date and they will start as clear favourites, both teams are evenly matched on paper and the team that will play good cricket on the day will come out victorious. Let’s hope that we as cricket fans are delighted with some magnificent cricket on the weekend

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ADAM GILCHRIST CITES DUNCAN FLETCHER’S VAST COACHING EXPERIENCE AS ADVANTAGE FOR INDIA

Former Australian wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist has said that newly-appointed, Duncan Fletcher’s huge coaching experience will work as an additional advantage for the Indian side when they compete England later this year.

Wishing the former Zimbabwean captain best of luck for his term as a coach with the World Champions, the former Aussie opener stated that Fletcher holds extraordinary coaching skills.

"He has obviously got great skills as coach and all the players from his previous teams seem to be supporting him and saying it's a pretty good appointment. So I wish him all the best," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist, however, avoided to respond to the question that whether Fletcher will be able to replicate the success he accomplished as England team’s coach.

After Gary Kirsten's exit, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Fletcher as Indian national coach for the next two years.

The decision has started a controversial debate about the suitability of a foreign coach for India. The legends like Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar slammed BCCI for appointing a foreign coach while the cricket maestros such as Wasim Akramand Nasser Hussain have been appreciating the decision.

Although, Duncan has never played Test cricket, he is credited of lifting English team to their historic 2005 Ashes series triumph.

Fletcher, who will not be able to join the Men in Blue in their upcoming tour to Zimbabwe because of his personal commitments. However he will with the team when India locks it horns with England later this year.

Gilchrist, who is leading Kings XI Punjab in the ongoing Indian Premier League, uttered that Fletcher was the best choice for the post as he holds a lot of coaching experience under his belt.

When asked to comment on the appointment of a 62-year old coach, Gilchrist stated, "I won't pass comments on his age. It's more what skill he brings and the level of enthusiasm. He had all that in abundance when he was coaching other teams."

Kings XI Punjab’s skipper further described that Fletcher has huge expectations to meet as Gary Kirsten left the Indian side after taking it to the peak of International cricket.

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BCCI refuses to allow Indians to play in the Australian Big Bash

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has disappointed Cricket Australia (CA), by not allowing their players to participate in the Big Bash.
Now, Australian cricket will have to rely on the services of the West Indian cricketers for the T20 based tournament.
CA did not ask for the Indian World Cup winning players but they were willing to hire some limited-over specialists for the Big Bash, scheduled to be played from mid December to the end of January.
The chief administrating officer of the Indian Board, Ratnakar Shetty said that the board will continue with its policy of not allowing domestic players to go since the Indian season will be played between October and March.

"In fact last year some teams wanted Indian players and they were not available because of [the] domestic tournament," said Shetty.
The chief also added that the new Indian coach has nothing to do with the policy decision of the board because players can’t be allowed to play overseas when the domestic tournament is on.
Shetty said that Sri Lanka will have their league matches in July, which does not clash with their domestic tournament so the players willing to play can participate with prior permission.
Overall schedule of the teams revealed that England players can participate in the first half of the Big Bash; while Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan would enter the tournament in second half.
At the moment 35 Australian players, including the legendry Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist, are playing in the Indian Premier League’s fourth edition.
Warne is playing a dual role for the Rajasthan Royals, serving them as captain and coach. He has been successful in both the roles to a considerable extent as his team is currently third on the table.
Gilchrist on the other hand, is leading the Kings XI Punjab, who are languishing at the 7^th place.
IPL has been gaining popularity globally and it’s fourth edition is currently going on.

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BARNEY GIBSON SETS A NEW WORLD RECORD IN COUNTY CRICKET

The Yorkshire wicketkeeper, Barney Gibson, has set a new world record, becoming the youngest ever player to play English county cricket.

Gibson broke the 144-year record of Charles Young. At only 15 years and 27 days, Gibson made a successful debut against the Durham MCCU yesterday in a game of the Bradford League.

Back in 1867, Charles Young had set the world record being the youngest player of the time to appear in county cricket. At the time Young was 15 years and 131 days old.

The record had been intact till yesterday when Gibson, 104 days younger than Charles, padded up against the Durham MCCU.

Gibson expressed his astonishment, defining the feat as akin to a dream. Talking to the media, the youngster said, “I was astonished when they told me I would be playing for the first team. It has really shocked me and it feels like a dream really.”

Gibson started the game at the age of 10 from his school Crawshaw, commenting interestingly about his school, Gibson says, “I was supposed to have triple science, double maths and RE. They have sent me up here with some homework to do though.”

With his sharp mind and inherent capabilities, he was noticed by the Pudsey Congs, a cricket club in England.

Gibson started club cricket with them to polish his skills, since the very beginning, his field of interest has been wicket keeping as he finds himself more comfortable behind the stumps. Gibson’s dives, catches, stumps and throws are quick and perfect.

Wearing pads, gloves and a helmet, Gibson took his position in the bright morning of 27 April and pouched the brilliant catch of Oliver Hannon-Dalby. This was a key wicket for Yorkshire. After a few overs, Gibson caught another rival batsman and thus cemented his side’s position in the game.

It was due to Gibson that David Wainwright succeeded in achieving his bowling career’s best ever figure of 6/40. The young wicketkeeper helped every bowler bowl confidently and courageously in order to pick up wickets with regular intervals.

Talking about Gibson’s selection, the Yorkshire director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, says, “The first time I saw him was two years ago in a practice match. His ability was quickly evident."

Gibson seeks inspiration from cricket legends like Matt Prior and Adam Gilchrist, the former is the English wicketkeeper while the latter is an ex-skipper of Australia and is currently leading the Kings XI Punjabfranchise in the Indian Premier League.

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Kings X1 Punjab Vs. Delhi Daredevils

The confident Kings X1 Punjab (KXP) will take on the struggling Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 26^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi in India. The match will be played on Saturday, 23rd April, and the hosts will look to turn around their fortunes in the tournament.
Things haven’t been good for Delhi at home though, as they were defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) and Deccan Chargers (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla, earlier in the tournament. They are currently at the bottom of the IPL table with just one victory in four games.
The home team is led by flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been unable to fire until now in the cash rich event. The explosive right-handed opener has been suffering from a shoulder problem, which may have affected his performance in the tournament. His performance holds the key for the hosts, as it will give them a huge confidence boost.
Sehwag is partnered by Australian David Warner at the top of the order and both batsmen can be deadly for the opposition once they get going. They were deemed to be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament, but have been unable to live up to those expectations until now.
There are also some other very talented batsmen in the DD side, but they too have struggled to be consistent. Aaron Finch, Venugopal Rao, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha have looked good in patches, but will be required to come up with a special effort to overcome the opposition.
On the other hand, former Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist will lead the KXP side. He was a part of the DC team in the previous three editions of the IPL and led the franchise to a title victory in the second season, played in South Africa. One common thing between both captains in this match is their aggressive nature. However, the Australian has been able to use his abilities to full affect, winning three matches out of the four played until now in the tournament.
The main force behind the visitors impressive start has been their opener, Paul Valthaty, who is the leading run scorer in the tournament so far. He has been able to attack the opposition with effortless ease and also scored a brilliant century in a match against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are led by Indian captain MS Dhoni.
Shaun Marsh has also been a consistent performer for his team and has managed some useful runs at the top of the order. He was a relative unknown when he first appeared in the inaugural IPL in 2008, but stunned one and all with his brilliant batting. The stylish left-hander ended-up being the top scorer in that tournament and has been a valuable player since then.
David Hussey, Ryan McLaren, Ryan Harris and Dinesh Karthik are the other players who add to the strength of the KXP squad. They will look to continue doing well for their team and win against any opposition they face.
Both teams look strong on paper, but the momentum is definitely with the visitors at the moment. They will look to gain full advantage of that and exert maximum pressure on the home team.

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KINGS X1 PUNJAB VS. DELHI DAREDEVILS

The confident Kings X1 Punjab (KXP) will take on the struggling Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 26^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi in India. The match will be played on Saturday, 23rd April, and the hosts will look to turn around their fortunes in the tournament.

Things haven’t been good for Delhi at home though, as they were defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) and Deccan Chargers (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla, earlier in the tournament. They are currently at the bottom of the IPL table with just one victory in four games.

The home team is led by flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been unable to fire until now in the cash rich event. The explosive right-handed opener has been suffering from a shoulder problem, which may have affected his performance in the tournament. His performance holds the key for the hosts, as it will give them a huge confidence boost.

Sehwag is partnered by Australian David Warner at the top of the order and both batsmen can be deadly for the opposition once they get going. They were deemed to be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament, but have been unable to live up to those expectations until now.

There are also some other very talented batsmen in the DD side, but they too have struggled to be consistent.Aaron Finch, Venugopal Rao, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha have looked good in patches, but will be required to come up with a special effort to overcome the opposition.

On the other hand, former Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist will lead the KXP side. He was a part of the DC team in the previous three editions of the IPL and led the franchise to a title victory in the second season, played in South Africa. One common thing between both captains in this match is their aggressive nature. However, the Australian has been able to use his abilities to full affect, winning three matches out of the four played until now in the tournament.

The main force behind the visitors impressive start has been their opener, Paul Valthaty, who is the leading run scorer in the tournament so far. He has been able to attack the opposition with effortless ease and also scored a brilliant century in a match against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are led by Indian captain MS Dhoni.

Shaun Marsh has also been a consistent performer for his team and has managed some useful runs at the top of the order. He was a relative unknown when he first appeared in the inaugural IPL in 2008, but stunned one and all with his brilliant batting. The stylish left-hander ended-up being the top scorer in that tournament and has been a valuable player since then.

David Hussey, Ryan McLaren, Ryan Harris and Dinesh Karthik are the other players who add to the strength of the KXP squad. They will look to continue doing well for their team and win against any opposition they face.

Both teams look strong on paper, but the momentum is definitely with the visitors at the moment. They will look to gain full advantage of that and exert maximum pressure on the home team.

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So far so good for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League

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The ICC World Cup 2011 may be over, but it seems that cricket has just started in India. The fourth edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League kicked off soon after the Men in Blue were crowned the world champions and since then, the fans have witnessed some entertaining T20 cricket. The shortest version of the game is always fun to watch and it has been a treat for the Indian fans until now.

One of the better performing teams in this year’s IPL has been the Kings XI Punjab. The team didn’t get off to an ideal start to the season, losing the first match against the Pune Warriors (PWI). However, they bounced back strongly in their next couple of matches, winning against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Deccan Chargers (DC). They will next face the Rajasthan Royals (RR), at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali on Thursday 21 April.

The best result for KXIP in IPL has been a semi-final finish in the inaugural season of the cash-rich tournament. However, the team was unable to live up to the expectations of their fans in the next two editions.

The leadership of the team has been handed over to former Australian wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist this time around. The veteran cricketer was the skipper of DC in the previous editions of the tournament and led his team to a title victory in the second season of IPL.

Gilchrist was expected to repeat the same performance, but this time for a different outfit. His team was defeated in the first match, as the batting failed miserably. The South African all-rounder, Ryan McLaren, was the only player to make an impression in the match, scoring an unbeaten 51 off 43 balls. His effort went in vain though, as the team was unable to defend 112 against the Yuvraj Singh led squad.

KXIP was under immense pressure, as their next match was against the defending champions CSK. The MS Dhoni led side scored a massive total of 188 runs after they were put into bat by Gilchrist.

Things looked grim for Punjab, but a special effort from opening batsman Paul Valthaty guided the team to an easy victory in the end. The flamboyant batsman scored an unbeaten 120 runs off just 63 balls with the help of 19 fours and two sixes. His effort stunned the strong opposition, as the target was chased with five more balls to spare.

Valthaty’s innings gave a lot of confidence to the team and they carried that into the next game against DC. Gilchrist and his men were yet again given a big target of 166 to chase, but the team reached it with effortless ease.

The opening partnership between KXIP’s captain and Valthaty was worth 136 runs in just 14 overs, which took the game away from Kumar Sangakkara and his men. The pair scored 61 and 75 runs in the innings, making things easier for their middle-order batsmen.

Although things have looked quite good for the Punjab's team, they need to sort out a few things before their next game. The middle-order of the team has appeared to be vulnerable and if a couple of early wickets fall in the innings, there will be immense pressure on the team.

Apart from the batting, the team will need to emphasis on their bowling department as well. KXIP has allowed their oppositions in all three matches to score runs quickly and if the trend continues, things will become difficult for them.

However, the winning momentum would have brought a lot of confidence in the team, which will make things easier for them in the upcoming matches.

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Kings XI Punjab owner Preity Zinta says Adam Gilchrist is no magician

Indian Premier League franchise Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta has said that the captain of her side Adam Gilchrist does not have any magic wand in his hand and needs time to put the side back on winning track.
Preity is quite hopeful to see things turning around after her team’s convincing victory over Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
“I am hopeful of a turnaround and know that Gilchrist is a brilliant team leader. But he is not a magician and should be given time to settle down,” Preity said.
After being thrashed by the Pune Warriors in their opening game, Kings XI Punjab made a fantastic comeback and routed defending champions Chennai Kings comprehensively by 6 wickets in their own backyard, Mohali.
Chasing Super Kings’ massive total of 188, the Punjab batsmen held their nerves in front of home crowd, which eventually helped them to perform superbly. The opening batsman Paul Valthaty scored a marvellous unbeaten innings of 120 runs, guiding his side to glory single-handedly.
Kings XI Punjab lost some of their star players in the IPL auctions 2011, as Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who represented Punjab in the previous IPL editions, are leading different outfits this season.
Meanwhile Gilchrist, who led Deccan Chargers to victory in the second season of the IPL, has been trying to continue with the good work for his new side.
The Bollywood star Preity Zinta is also looking forward to the team’s improved performance in the upcoming games.
“We have lot many games left. We will definitely emerge stronger,” the Indian actress said about her team.
Showing her enormous delight over Wednesday victory, Preity further hoped that every player from the side will contribute to the team’s success in the competition.
“Everybody has to realise that they have to chip in. Cricket is not an individual sport and everyone needs to contribute,” the KXIP co-owner added.
Earlier in the tournament, Kings XI were beaten by the Yuvraj-led Pune Warriors.
The Shimla-born actress reposed faith in the players and expected that the team would shine in the competition without having big names in the line-up. Except their semi-final appearance in the 2008 edition of the Twenty20 League, the Kings XI Punjab have failed to make an impact in later IPL competitions.
After their win against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai side, Kings XI Punjab have jumped up to 7^th position in the IPL points table.
Punjab are scheduled to meet the Kumar Sangakkara-led Deccan Chargers on Saturday next.

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YUVRAJ SINGH WANTS TO LEAD PUNE WARRIORS INDIA WITH A RELAXED MIND

Stylish Punjab batsman and Pune Warriors India captain Yuvraj Singh wants to lead the debutant Indian Premier League franchise from Pune with a relaxed mind.

Yuvraj conceded that he had been under immense pressure while leading Kings XI Punjab in the last two IPL seasons and that affected his individual performance adversely.

He said that this time the easy approach has worked for him as his newly built Pune side won its maiden IPL game against Kings XI Punjab by 7 wickets.

“The first two years that I captained Kings XI Punjab, I took a lot of pressure on myself and was getting distracted a lot on the field,” said Yuvraj. “This time I just thought I'll be calm and relaxed and that worked for me. It was a good toss to lose; we bowled wicket to wicket, back of a length, and got the results.”

Kings XI Punjab, Yuvraj’s previous IPL team, seemed completely out of flair and its captain Adam Gilchristdescribed the seven-wicket defeat as “poor all-round performance.”

He was also unhappy with the butterfingered show of fielding as the side failed to capitalise on the chances offered by Yuvraj Singh and a belligerent Robin Uthappa.

“It was a poor all-round performance,” said the former Australia wicketkeeper. “It started with me in the first over and that set the tone for the innings. A couple of catches could have been taken and that would have left them at five for 70 odd. We just weren't good enough.”

Most of the players Kings XI Punjab bought this time are new and Gilchrist said that the team needs more time to settle down.

He further added that they were quite comfortable coming into the game but now they would go back and make a plan for the upcoming games as it is a lengthy tournament and they still have long way to go.

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