Corruption in Cricket

The Supreme Court of India has asked BCCI president N Srinivasan to step down as the first move towards a fair investigation of the IPL corruption saga. A two-judge bench of India's top court, which made the observation, gave Srinivasan two days to take a decision before it resumes hearing the case on March 27.

While the recommendation is not a direct order, Justice AK Patnaik was unambiguous: "Mr Srinivasan should step down or else we'll be forced to pass an order." He questioned Srinivasan's position as BCCI president asking, "How did he stay on despite all the allegations? His staying on is nauseating for cricket." The other judge on the bench, Justice Ibrahim Kalifulla, told the counsel: "If there has to be a fair and dispassionate enquiry, Mr. Srinivasan must step down."

The development - and the strong language used by the court - is believed to have caught the BCCI by surprise and thrown it into some disarray. While Srinivasan has refused to comment, three vice-presidents of the board have said there was no option but for him to comply with the court's orders. A board meeting is likely to be convened on Wednesday, at which the BCCI's response will be formalised.

The hearing, the first case of the day to be taken up in Supreme Court's Court No. 5, began with the BCCI lawyers stating that the Board agreed with the findings of the Mudgal panel report and asking the court to allow the BCCI to take its own actions in the light of panel recommendations. That was turned down by the court.

A PTI report said that the court stated that while it could not divulge details of the sealed envelope given to them by the Mudgal panel, the BCCI's lawyers were shown certain portions of the report. When the counsel, CA Sundaram, said "We have not seen the contents of the report in the sealed cover", Justice Patnaik is believed to have summoned him to the bench and had him read a portion of the sealed envelope report.

Justice Patnaik said: "Though there is no definite finding in the report in the sealed cover, the allegations are so serious they require further investigation, which the BCCI can't do on its own and it has to be done by an outside agency. That's why we are saying that Mr. Srinivasan must step down for a fair probe....In view of this, I need some answers, come back with an answer."

In his early statements, Justice Patnaik questioned the wide divergence in the findings of the investigations conducted by the BCCI-appointed two-man probe panel and the Mudgal Committee panel. He wanted to know if the BCCI-appointed panel had been "managed." The BCCI counsel's reply was that the two-man BCCI panel did not have the "wherewithal" of the Mudgal panel, that the Mumbai and Delhi police investigations were under way and that the Mumbai police had refused to depose before their panel.

Srinivasan would not comment on the issue saying he had not "read" the court's recommendations. However Ravi Savant, a BCCI vice-president, said if the Supreme Court had issued a clear directive it would have to be followed. His words were echoed by Shivlal Yadav, who said he would be willing to take up any task he is given.

Another BCCI vice-president said no one was prepared for this scenario. "No one knows what can be done now. The court is yet to pass the order. But it is now up to him (Srinivasan). The court has asked him to step down. Otherwise it will pass an order. It is not good for the BCCI," the official said.

"We know what has happened to Subrata Roy [the Sahara chief]," the official said. "He defied the court's order and look where he is now."

The Supreme Court had appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, in October 2013 to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, Super Kings owner India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players. The committee had submitted its findings to the court on February 10.

Spotless India romp into semis

MS Dhoni's India pulled off their third succesive win to become the first team into the WT20 semis.

MIRPUR: There may be turbulence and confusion all around and possibly even within, but MS Dhoni’s India blocked out the noise to become the first team into the semifinals of the World T20, on the back of their third successive win in the competition – over Bangladesh – on Friday. This is the first time since they won the inaugural World T20 in 2007 that India have made it into the knock-out stage of the event.

Having restricted the hosts to a moderate 138/7 after sending them in, courtesy of another seasoned show of spin, India were untroubled as they reeled in the target with eight wickets and nine balls to spare. Rohit Sharma (56) and Virat Kohli (57*) ensured once again through a century-stand that those that followed were not really required to turn up. The duo had combined for a match-winning 106 against the West Indies. On Friday, they added precisely 100 in 74 balls after out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan’s woefully early dismissal. By the time Rohit fell to a tame shot off a full-toss, India were well on their way to sealing a semifinal spot.

Kohli's mature half-century followed knocks of 36 not out and 54. But the winning runs came off the bat of skipper Dhoni, in the cross-hairs for allegations and counter-allegations of his involvement in the IPL imbroglio, who had walked in for a bit of a hit in an event he was yet to bat in. If Dhoni was perturbed, he did not show it. The cool customer helped himself to a 12-ball 22 including two sixes, of which the second brought India a win in the 19th over.

ANOTHER TOSS WIN

Dhoni had earlier won his third toss in as many matches and elected to field with an unchanged side, which meant that a forlorn Yuvraj was still in and Ajinkya Rahane still out. India’s spinners had been exceptional in the last two games. This was to be no exception. Man of the Match Ashwin (2/15) brought in the early breakthroughs, while leg-spinner Amit Mishra, MOM in the last two matches, provided the finishing touches with a teasing spell for three wickets, two snared in a niggardly last over in which he conceded just seven.

Both the spinners bowled with courage and and were unafraid to toss it up. Ashwin, who began in the second over, rendered insignificant Shikhar Dhawan’s missed run-out of opener Tamim Iqbal with a sharp turner that was edged to slip. The off-spinner took his second next ball when the new man, Shamsur Rahman, pulled him sweetly but straight into the hands of deep square-leg.

ANAMUL IMPRESSES

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan played on horrendously to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and only through Anamul Haq’s fluid 44 did Bangladesh regain some semblance of balance. Anamul was exquisite driving on the up over cover, a shot that was best illustrated when he made room and tonked Shami – again India’s most expensive bowler on view – over the off-side.

Anamul and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (24) added 46 before Mishra bowled the former with gorgeous googly in the 13th over. That Bangladesh reached 138/7 had a lot to do with Mahmudullah’s unbeaten 33. The all-rounder went after Shami and even pulled a six against Mishra’s leg spin. With Nasir Hossain (15) as his sleeping partner, Mahmudullah hurried the hosts on with 49-run alliance. But he stood a mute spectator at the other end when Mishra bowled a superb last over and thwarted Bangladesh’ push towards 150, which, considering India's batting clout, may not have been enough either.

HEALTHY TEAM ENVIRONMENT KEY TO SUCCESS: DHONI

Skipper says surfaces with purchase for spinners have suited India’s attack well in ICC World Twenty20 2014

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India side has managed to retain its focus through the ICC World Twenty20 2014, shutting out all distractions from outside to become the first side to qualify for the semifinal of the tournament, sealing its berth with an eight-wicket win against Bangladesh on Friday (March 28) night.

“A good dressing room atmosphere, having belief in yourself and enjoying each other's success, you can put everything on to it,” said Dhoni, when asked what allowed the team to cut out events off the field and focus exclusively on the task at hand. “A lot of things happen around cricket but you have to be focused when you are representing your country. That is one thing this team has done really well. And of course accepting the challenges, enjoying the challenges, trying to prove that you are one of the best when it comes to international cricket. It is all about the dressing room atmosphere and we have kept it really nice.”

Once again, it was the bowlers who set up India’s victory, restricting Bangladesh to 138 for 7 from their 20 overs. “When you know the bowlers are getting some kind of help....” Dhoni began as he sought to explain the success of the bowling group, which had also restricted Pakistan to 130 and West Indies to 129. “Where we have struggled in the limited-overs format - both T20 and 50-over cricket – is wickets which are good to bat on and which don't support the spinners. That means even the part-timers have struggled in those few overs apart from (Suresh) Raina in the subcontinental conditions. If there's not much lateral movement, they bowl at the right pace to get hit, maybe. The bowlers who bowl quick, they don't bowl in the same areas. We have definitely got some potential when it comes to sheer fast bowling. Varun (Aaron) is someone who can bowl quick, Umesh (Yadav) is someone who can bowl at 140-plus. But still they are struggling to find their line and length, it may take a bit of time.

“Once they go back and play a domestic season, they can bowl back of a length and get away with it in most games. But in the international circuit, it doesn't really happen. In this tournament particularly, there is a bit of purchase for the spinners. We are playing with three spinners and even the part-timers... Raina has been bowling well, we have still not used Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli is there, Rohit (Sharma) is there. When the conditions favour us, our bowlers become very exciting and they make the most out of it. But they have struggled on wickets where there is no purchase for spinners.”

This is India’s first entry into the semifinals of the World T20 since its title triumph in 2007. “We have given a very good performance so far,” said Dhoni. “There are still some areas where we can improve. Fielding too has been good. We have dropped some catches but we have seen in this tournament that quite a few catches have been dropped. If our middle order has not been tested, then it's beyond our control. We can't do much about it. Virat has batted well and so has Rohit.”

The team hadn’t discussed the lack of success in World T20s coming into this tournament, Dhoni revealed. “We do not really discuss all that because one of the facts is that you are supposed to play well,” he offered. “That is what the criterion is. If the consideration was just getting into the semifinals, then what do you do once you reach the semifinals? You should be happy and just stay there and say okay, we have reached the semifinals, we don't want to play it. We came in with nothing in mind. We knew the conditions quite well, we play a fair bit in the subcontinent, especially the IPL, so we had the right kind of exposure. We knew the kind of problems we could face when it comes to bowling and batting, and we had to work on that. Again, we were concentrating on the process irrespective of what format we are playing. I feel it is always the process that is very important. Once you know the problem area, you can work on it and in a tournament like this, it is very important that you do not expose yourself, your weak link, to the opposition too much.”

Live T-20 World Cup: Interesting Facts About Cricket !!!

Interesting Facts About Cricket !!!

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. Here are some interesting facts about this game :-

1. The game of cricket is the second most popular game in the world, second only to soccer. Cricket in its early days in England was considered a child's game, not to be played by serious adults.

2. The longest cricket match in history occurred in 1939 between England and South Africa. The match lasted for 14 days and finally ended in a tie.

3. Finally in the year 1788 the "Laws of Cricket" were born. The Laws were written by the Marylebone Cricket Club.

4. Sachin Tendulkar is the first batsman to be dismissed (run out) by using the television replays by the third umpire, Jonty Rhodes was the fielder. Next day,in the same test match,Jonty Rhodes was given run out by the umpire.This time the fielder was none other than Sachin Tendulkar.!!

5. The ICC was formed in 1909. The Imperial Cricket Conference was formed to govern the laws of cricket. The ICC is known today as the International Cricket Conference.

6. A match between Barbados and British Guyana in 1946 saw an over with 14 balls in which there were no wides or no balls ! The 8 ball over was in force and the extra six deliveries were due to umpiring miscounting !!!

7. SHAHID AFRIDI used a bat borrowed from Waqar Younis to score the fastest century in a One-Day International.!!

8. The only law of Cricket that has not had any changes or modifications is the length of the pitch.

9. Geoff.Boycott was the one who faced the first ball in One-Day cricket. Graham Mc-Kenzie was the bowler.

10. In the first ever Test in 1877, Australia beat England by 45 runs. 100 yrs later,in the Centenary Test ,the result was exactly the same.!!

11. The 6 balls over were first introduced in 1900.

12. Hassan Raza is the youngest player to play an International Test match as he was 14 years 227 days at that time!

13. Cricket has appeared in the Olympics only twice. The first time was in 1896 in Athens, however, when it came down to it there were not enough teams to compete so the competition did not occur. Then, in 1900 at the Paris Olympics, only two teams were able to compete: Great Britain and France. The winner, Great Britain, received the gold medal.

14. The first century in Test cricket was scored by Charlie Bannerman of Australia in 1877.

15. The first bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test innings was Jim Laker in 1956.

16. In a test match in Faisalabad in 1997-98 ,Mushtaq Ahmed was bowling to Pat Symcox.Symcox missed the ball,which went on to knock the middle stump.However,the heat had fused together the bails and they did not fall.Symcox went on to make 81,his second highest test score..!!

17. Today most of batsman records belong to Sachin Tendulkar: First 200 in ODIs, Most Runs in ODIs and Test Matches, 100 International Hundreds and so so on...

18. Geoff.Boycott was the one who faced the first ball in One-Day cricket. Graham Mc-Kenzie was the bowler.

19. Only four test series have ended 0-0 with all five matches being drawn. India was involved in three of them, including two in a row against Pakistan.

20. The first batsman to twice score a hundred in each innings of a Test was England’s Herbert Sutcliffe in 1925 and 1929.

21. The first player to score 100 runs and take 10 wickets in the same Test was Australia’s Alan Davidson in 1960.

22. The first batsman to share in 50 century partnerships in Tests was India’s Sunil Gavaskar.

23. Sri-Lanka lost their last six wickets for 8 runs off 371 balls in the game vs. Australia at Melbourne in January 1990.

24. Four Stumps !!!! -- An experimental game was played at Lords in 1963 to look at the effects of adjusting two features of cricket : the size of the wickets and the LBW rule,in order to create a wicket of width 11 inches rather than 9 inches,four stumps were used in that trial match.

MY BEST INNINGS, WITHOUT DOUBT: HALES

Alex Hales is only 25, and after his whirlwind century against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Twenty20 2014, he seems destined for a long and fruitful career - in the shortest version of the game at least - in the years to come. Hales, who threatened to become the first England player to score a century in T20Is on two previous occasions, only be dismissed for 94 and 99, got across the line on Thursday (March 27), and in doing so, kept England’s hopes alive.

“Without a shadow of a doubt that’s my best innings,” said Hales. “It's a win we needed as a side and I'm pleased I managed to contribute to a winning team. It's an amazing feeling. It still hasn't sunk in, what's happened. I've come close a couple of times before and haven't managed to get over the line.”

Hales watched in dismay as England lost both Michael Lumb and Moeen Ali before any runs were on the board, but he did not let this affect him. “It wasn't an ideal start, but we saw by the way they batted that it was an excellent wicket. And the way Eoin Morgan came in straight away and took the game back to them made my job a lot easier. We had plans to stay in the game as long as we could, get a partnership and reassess at the halfway stage. It paid off.”

Hales, who took 25 off one Ajantha Mendis over, tried to be modest, but it was apparent he had anticipated what the mystery spinner, who ended up conceding 52 from his four overs, might try to do. “I had a plan to take it down the leg side and he bowled three balls exactly where I wanted him to. It was nice to be able to put them over the rope,” said Hales, who ended the chase with a towering six. “It was a great feeling, especially in a game like that. He bowled the ball exactly where I wanted him to and I managed to get it over the ropes. A great feeling, hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

Even with a 150-run third wicket partnership on the board, the job was not quite done, and it was only at the home stretch did Hales contemplate taking England home. “Probably with six or seven overs left (we thought we might win this). We needed about 12 an over so we always knew it would be a tough ask,” said Hales. “But Morgy (Morgan) played brilliantly and then Ravi (Bopara) came in against the dangerman (Malinga) and hit the first two balls for four. It was brilliant to see.”

Hales believed that the win would do wonders for the morale in the England camp. “I think it’s massive for us. We are underdogs in this tournament, playing in the subcontinent historically we haven’t gone too well,” said Hales. “This win will help us build momentum for the next two games. We’ve still got to play The Netherlands and South Africa. I think if we perform to the best of our ability we’ll get two wins.”

ICC congratulates Afghanistan on prestigious international sports award

Afghanistan Cricket Board wins the Laureus Sports Award in the ‘Spirit of Sport’ category

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson today congratulated the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on winning the Laureus Sports Award in the ‘Spirit of Sport’ category.

“We have been aware of the inspiring rise of cricket in Afghanistan for some time, however, by receiving this prestigious award it is clear that the wider international sports community has now also recognized the significant, positive influence cricket is having in Afghanistan.

“Congratulations to the ACB on this outstanding achievement,” said Mr Richardson.

Afghanistan recently competed in the ICC World Twenty20, and has also qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Afghanistan also receives a range of funding and assistance from the ICC’s Development Programme.

India focused on the battle on field

Bangladesh needs to believe in itself, while India's single-minded attention is on securing a semifinal spot in the ICC World Twenty20

There was an air of tense expectancy as the Indian team arrived late in the afternoon at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium on Thursday (March 27). All eyes were trained on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men, but the mood in the India camp seemed perfectly fine. It is as if the team has found a way to cocoon itself, disassociating itself from the goings-on in the world beyond, and finding the wherewithal to focus only on the job at hand – the ICC World Twenty20 2014.

It’s precisely this focus, concentrated to the extent of being single-minded, that India is relying on as it attempts to book a place in the semifinal of the World T20 for the first time since 2007. Having brushed Pakistan and West Indies aside in its previous matches, India runs into Bangladesh – itself battling a million problems – in its third Group 2 Super 10 game on Friday night, all too aware of the immense possibilities that lie ahead.

Victory on Friday will guarantee India a place in the last four should the West Indies defeat Australia earlier in the evening, but it’s unlikely that India will look too far ahead. One of Dhoni’s many admirable traits has been the ability to keep his team in the moment, to impress upon the players the perils of getting ahead of themselves. A semifinal spot might be tantalisingly close, and while that is admittedly the first target of all teams playing in the Super 10s, India knows that if it successfully address the simple task of stacking up victories, progress in the competition will take care of itself.

Where India is riding the crest of a confidence wave on the back of its performances on the park, Bangladesh is at the opposite end of the spectrum, with its morale down after successive losses to Hong Kong in the qualification phase and to the West Indies in its Super 10 opener. As much as the defeats, it’s the manner of those losses that has been disappointing. Hong Kong was a massive blow, but sometimes, the Twenty20 format can throw up such unexpected results. The West Indies defeat will, however, be more difficult to digest simply because Bangladesh's cricket was as it was crushed by 73 runs.

It will take a Herculean effort for Mushfiqur Rahim to get his team off the floor. Bangladesh has, after its heavy loss, only an outside chance in its quest for a semifinal berth. its best bet now is to surprise one or two of the big boys and scuttle their designs of advancing past the Super 10s. It’s not a task beyond Bangladesh; it has the quality and the personnel to trouble and even lay low the best in its own backyard, but first it must start believing that it can do so.

The defeatist look Bangladesh wore against West Indies must be replaced by the hungry, eager-to-perform visage befitting its moniker of Tigers if it has to stay relevant in the formidable Group of Death. Like most teams, Bangladesh is heavily dependent on a good start, particularly with the bat, but Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque hasn't found form yet. It’s possible that, stung by successive totals of 108 and 98, Bangladesh might opt to begin conservatively, but that goes against the batsmen's natural grain and may not necessarily be the most prudent approach.

Twenty20 games aren’t won by sitting back and allowing for things to unravel. The better teams chart out their own luck, embrace the positive and make the play. That doesn’t necessarily mean two strokes a delivery, but a better understanding of the situation and the response it deserves. If India bowls as well as it has in the first two games, Bangladesh will need to show intent in rotation of strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. If the India bowlers stray in their directions, then it will call for a more aggressive, boundary-driven approach. Bangladesh’s twin challenges will be not just to identify the moments, but also to summon the skills to seize them.

From India’s point of view, the new-ball bowling must be accurate enough to build substantial pressure for Amit Mishra, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to work with. Mishra has been a wonderful addition to the mix, his ripping legspinners the perfect offensive weapon in the middle overs. He will relish the conditions at a ground where he has had excellent success in four matches over the last month. If Bangladesh continues to be as uncertain as it was against Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine on Tuesday, Mishra will be dictating the flow of play, with Ashwin and Jadeja not lagging too far behind.

Refreshed after a four-day break, India can see a ray of light at the end of what for so long has been a bleak World T20 tunnel; Bangladesh, its campaign so far notwithstanding, has pride as much as anything to play for. The perfect way to round off a potentially decisive evening, as the main bout to follow the Australia-West Indies undercard.

Match Facts: South Africa v Netherlands

Match Facts: South Africa v Netherlands
South Africa presented with best chance against down but not out Netherlands, to address concerns about starts

Dale Steyn, who has taken 15 wickets in his last seven T20I innings, will be looking at continuing his good run against Netherlands.

With Netherlands having been blanked out by Sri Lanka, South Africa has a chance to keep the men in orange on the mat, hitting them hard from the word go and dialing the pressure up to levels the Associate team does not have much experience of. But, aside from the two points that South Africa covets with the win, the match is also a chance for it to sort out its batting plans. Ahead of the clash, we have a look at facts and much more.

South Africa v Netherlands

Facts:

- South Africa have won both their previous T20Is against ICC Associate teams – against Scotland in 2009 and Afghanistan in 2010.

- Dale Steyn has taken 15 wickets in his last seven T20I innings.

- In their last two matches Netherlands have recorded their highest and lowest T20I totals (193/4 against Ireland and 39 all out against Sri Lanka).

- In eight T20I innings since the start of 2013, JP Duminy has reached 30 on six occasions, passing 50 three times.

- Of players to take at least 20 T20I wickets, Ahsan Malik has the third lowest strike rate: 12.6.

Approaching milestones

- AB de Villiers needs 93 runs to become the second player after JP Duminy to score 1,000 T20I runs for South Africa.

- AB de Villiers needs one catch to become the second player after Ross Taylor to take 30 T20I catches as a fielder.

- Michael Swart needs one run to become the first player to score 400 T20I runs for Netherlands.

- Pieter Seelaar needs two wickets to become the second player after Mudassar Bukhari to take 25 T20I wickets.

Dale Steyn v Tom Cooper

Netherlands were brought back to earth by Sri Lanka after their heroics against Ireland and the bowler they would least like to face as they seek to bounce back is surely Dale Steyn. The world’s premier fast bowler was in irresistible form against New Zealand, taking 4-17 from four overs and dragging his team to victory with a superb display of death bowling.

The Dutch top order could not handle the new ball bowling of Angelo Mathews, so a red-hot Steyn, who passed 50 T20I wickets in that game against the Black Caps, will provide a stiff examination. Tournament top run-scorer Tom Cooper (167 runs from 117 balls) has a crucial role to play if the underdogs are to gain a foothold in this game. His career best score of 72 not out came against a Test-playing nation (Zimbabwe, in the group stage) and his team need more of the same against the Proteas.

Raina, Yuvraj and diverging paths

Both middle-order stalwarts are on the comeback trail in the World T20, but where Raina has sparkled, Yuvraj is yet to find his match-winning mojo

Suresh Raina gives the impression that he belongs in the Twenty20 environment, while Yuvraj's story is different, as he seems a lumbering, ponderous figure.

They both came into the ICC World Twenty20 2014 with their international careers hanging by tenuous threads. Two matches into India’s campaign, their fortunes have taken contrasting paths.

Suresh Raina is the kind of cricketer every captain would love to have in his limited-overs squads. Apart from the fact that he is a muscular left-hand batsman who can give it a mighty thwack, Raina possesses many other attributes that make him a vital cog in the abridged formats. He is an exceptional fielder, a fairly intelligent offspinner and, crucially, he is naturally capable of ensuring shoulders don’t droop and heads don’t drop when things aren’t going your way.

He is the first to converge on a bowler when a wicket falls, no matter whether he is patrolling the covers or is in the deep towards the closing stages of the innings. His energy can be infectious; quick to figure out that the team needs lifting, Raina is a bundle of enthusiasm, urging and exhorting his mates to remain positive and believe that a wicket is just one delivery away.

Yuvraj Singh is cut from a different cloth when it comes to geeing up his colleagues. These days, Yuvraj spends much of his time in the outfield, a far contrast from the days when he used to guard point to left-hander and right, traipsing from one part of the ground to the other during a left-right combination and protecting his patch with utmost ferocity.

He is also, like Raina, a hard-hitting left-hand batsman – ‘The best in T20 cricket’, according to Mahendra Singh Dhoni – who used to be a handy left-arm spinning option until the last 18 months or so. One new ball at each end of a One-Day International innings and no more than four fielders outside the 30-yard circle at any stage, coupled with Yuvraj’s health and form that kept him more out of the side than in it, meant Dhoni has had to learn to rely less and less on Yuvraj the bowler.

Neither Yuvraj nor Raina has been able to nail down a Test spot despite years of trying, now having made way perhaps permanently for the likes of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, well on their way to establishing themselves as permanent fixtures in the five-day game. Since his debut in October 2003, Yuvraj has played only 40 Tests, the last of them in December 2012; Raina, whose initiation into Test cricket came in July 2010 with a hundred on debut against Sri Lanka at the SSC ground, played the last of his 17 Tests in September 2012. It’s fair to say that neither man realistically expects to make a comeback to the Test arena anytime soon. Today, they are battling to regain their spots in the ODI squad, Yuvraj having been dropped after the three-match series in South Africa in December and Raina axed for the Asia Cup in February-March after being left out of the XI midway through the ODI series in New Zealand in January.

The pair will point to the home ODI series against Australia last October as the cause for their latest travails. With an eye on the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year, when India will seek to defend its crown, the think-tank wanted to have multiple options at the pivotal No. 4 position, behind Virat Kohli at one-down. Yuvraj had occupied that position for 58 of his 76 innings between February 2008 and January 2013, including at various stages of the 2011 World Cup when he was the Player of the Tournament. Raina batted at No. 5 or No. 6 for a majority of that time, having grown in stature as the finisher and the provider of late impetus.

The swap against Australia at home was a complete disaster. Raina, batting at No. 4, had scores of 39, 17, 16 and 28 in his four digs, while Yuvraj was infinitely worse off, only mustering 7, 0, 0 and 12 in those same four innings at No. 5. The experiment was shelved the very next series, against West Indies also at home, but the damage seems to be more permanent.

Since returning to No. 4, Yuvraj made 16*, 28 and 55 against West Indies and was dismissed without scoring in the first ODI in South Africa, after which he hasn’t batted in a 50-over international. Back at No. 5, Raina had a sequence of 0, 23, 34, 14, 36, 18, 35 and 31 against West Indies (home), South Africa and New Zealand (both away), making it 12 innings without a half-century and the chop after the third ODI in Auckland.

The World T20 offered both men the ideal platform to showcase their limited-overs skills all over again. For all their Test failings and their recent limited-overs woes, the duo has been at home in the India Blues, dominating bowling attacks in the 50-over game – Raina still averages 35.35 at a strike rate of 91.35 from 189 ODIs, while the corresponding figures for Yuvraj are 36.37 and 87.24 from 295 games – and it was widely believed that, after some time on the sidelines, a return to the 20-over game would reignite the spark.

It seems to have in Raina’s case, though sadly not in Yuvraj’s. Raina has been typically effervescent, seemingly growing a couple of feet taller with each passing day. He muscled the Pakistan bowling while making an unbeaten 35 in India’s first match, this after taking three catches. Against West Indies, he sent down two tidy overs and, walking out with one required off three deliveries but a little bit of pressure created by Yuvraj’s pottering around, promptly sent Marlon Samuels crashing through point for the winning run.

It’s obvious even from afar that Raina feels he belongs in this environment, that the T20 game is his slave, and that he can play with great freedom, without the fear of being peppered by the short delivery that has been his undoing, like many before him and most certainly several after him, too. Yuvraj, on the other hand, is a different story altogether.

Nothing is more reflective of an individual’s state of mind in cricket than his fielding. Yuvraj, electric heels and wanting every ball to come to him at one stage, now spends most of the 20 overs patrolling the boundary, a lumbering, ponderous figure who might give the impression of being a little lost. He has put down two catches, been a trifle slow in getting to the ball and hasn’t exactly inspired confidence with the bat, falling for 1 against Pakistan and taking 19 deliveries for 10 before the last-over dismissal against West Indies.

His teammates have rallied around Yuvraj and Dhoni has made a stirring defence of his one-time main man. It’s not hard to see why. Even today, when he is switched on, Yuvraj is an ultra-destructive batsman who can decisively alter the course of a T20 game in the matter of a few overs. Yuvraj carries with him the potential for mayhem and destruction, something that can’t be said of the only other specialist batsman in the 15-man party here, Rahane. Having opted to give him the opportunity to resurrect his career, India can’t leave him out now, and almost irreparably damage his confidence. Especially when the team is winning, it can afford to carry Yuvraj around for a little while in the hope that he will rediscover his mojo, and that he will be a major force not just in the later stages of this competition, but also leading in to next year’s World Cup. It’s a risk worth taking, backing the proven Yuvraj to come good even if extraneous pressure is mounting. Yuvraj would do well to repay the faith.

ICC T20 Ranking

Rank	Team	Matches	Qfy Matches	Points	Rating
1	Sri Lanka	24	28	3157	132
2	India	17	21	2176	128
3	Pakistan	32	42	3876	121
4	South Africa	27	33	3179	118
5	Australia	26	32	2939	113
6	West Indies	25	30	2766	111
7	New Zealand	25	31	2695	108
8	England	28	35	2869	102
9	Ireland	13	18	1108	85
10	Bangladesh	14	18	1034	74
11	Afghanistan	14	15	928	66
12	Netherlands	12	15	691	58
13	Zimbabwe	14	18	695	50
14	Scotland	11	13	545	50
15	Kenya	15	17	633	42
16	Canada	6	8	11	2

ICC ODI Ranking

Rank	Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1	Australia	47	5505	117
2	India	67	7579	113
3	Sri Lanka	64	7174	112
4	South Africa	44	4825	110
5	England	50	5424	108
6	Pakistan	62	6287	101
7	New Zealand	43	4048	94
8	West Indies	52	4674	90
9	Bangladesh	32	2519	79
10	Zimbabwe	26	1439	55
11	Ireland	12	451	38
12	Afghanistan	10	299	30

ICC Test Ranking

Rank	Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1	South Africa	34	4332	127
2	Australia	43	4946	115
3	India	39	4359	112
4	England	44	4713	107
5	Pakistan	29	2890	100
6	Sri Lanka	33	2953	89
7	New Zealand	37	3224	87
8	West Indies	29	2516	87
9	Zimbabwe	11	372	34
10	Bangladesh	19	359	19

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli face fake

News about actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli's alleged love affair has been doing the rounds for many months now. Now it has come to the fore that Virat has irked Anushka after having apparently attracted unwanted media attention towards their relationship.

Anushka Sharma who has been busy shooting for Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet in Sri Lanka with Ranbir Kapoor, was visited by alleged 'boyfriend' Virat making her trip extra special.

Anushka was apparently left fuming because in all probability she might have assumed that no one was aware of Virat Kohli being in Sri Lanka and now the news would be known to the world.

Virat and Anushka also became the centre of controversy when a pic started floating online of the two smooching passionately, which has now been pronounced fake.

Here is the pic:

THE MELLIFLUOUS MUSIC OF KOHLI’S BATTING

Inimitably unique off the field, India’s batting leader brings calm and classicism that warms connoisseurs hearts to the centre

Moments after he lost his shape, and his wicket, in the Super 10 match against the West Indies on Sunday (March 23), Virat Kohli threw his head back, a look of equal parts disgust, disappointment and no little anger clouding his face. In an attempt to up the rate of scoring, Kohli had essayed the most un-Kohli-like hoick off Andre Russell. The lack of balance told; all he managed was to divert the ball on to his stumps, the red flashes from the disturbed stumps and the dislodged bails telling him that it was time to wend his way back to the hutch.

By then, Kohli had galloped to 54 and India had closed to within 23 runs of a second consecutive victory. Against that backdrop, the reaction might have appeared a touch extreme. The reaction, though, was encouraging from the point of view of the Indian team and its fans. Virat Kohli isn’t an easy man to please, the standards he sets for himself are remarkably high, and he doesn’t enjoy giving his wicket away, no matter the circumstances or the compulsions.

India has been reasonably untroubled thus far in its march at the ICC World Twenty20 2014. It owes its status as the leader of Group 2 to the bowlers, who have been pleasantly effective in restricting Pakistan and West Indies to 130 for 7 and 129 for 7 respectively in two matches thus far at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. These are totals that, more often than not, get chased down with some degree of comfort in Twenty20 cricket, unless the pitch is so diabolically loaded in favour of the slower bowlers that even survival becomes difficult, forget about boundary-striking or rotation of the strike.

Conditions at the Sher-e-Bangla have been far from diabolical. Admittedly, there is more for the bowlers, of the spinning sort in particular, in the night games, but batting second under lights hasn’t appeared all that demanding. Then again, that could be because of Kohli. Only time will tell.

Kohli, of course, has made it a habit of stamping his authority across almost every cricket ground in the world. From the time he showed that he belonged at the highest level with a sparkling century against Australia in the Adelaide Test in January 2012, he has been an unstoppable force, gathering momentum with every passing outing and today establishing himself among the top batsmen in all three formats of the game. There aren’t too many who can claim to be in that elite group. His consistency across Tests, 50-over and T20 cricket is something that can only be marvelled at. At 25, Kohli has already ensured that most of the adjectives have been exhausted. The greater part of his career, perhaps even his best years, lies ahead of him. Just to think what he can go on to achieve should he continue to build on the gains of his first half-dozen seasons in international boggles the mind, truly.

There are some who might crumble under the weight of being the kingpin of the batting unit so early in their careers. They can allow the pressure of being expected to hold up the innings, to lend it direction and substance, reassurance and rudder, time after time, to get to them. And then there is, like Sachin Tendulkar before him, Kohli, who positively thrives on being the one everyone looks up to.

Lest it should be so construed, this is no attempt to compare Kohli with Tendulkar. The glorious past of Indian, indeed world, cricket has slipped into history; the exciting present, which holds the promise of a spectacular future, is a star in his own right, a batsman in the classical mould who has used his strong basics and an intelligent mind to court success in even the abridged versions without compromising on the orthodoxy that makes him so easy on the eye. Kolhi is his own man, a man after his own heart, an entertainer and a performer, and a showman when he so desires.

But don’t be taken in by the earring and the tattoos. Those are fashion statements much in vogue these days, even in Indian cricket which has tended over the years to place its faith in the ‘good boys’, the conformists rather than the trend-setters. It’s a sign of the changing times that today, the poster boy of Indian cricket is a wonderfully balanced amalgam of the conventional when it comes to the game itself and the inimitably unique when it comes to life off the field.

That he has managed to compartmentalise so effortlessly, to channel his energies toward cricket when it is time to do so and yet have the confidence and the courage to be himself when he is not involved with the game is one of Kohli’s great strengths and gifts. He is unafraid of being spoken about. His private life can seldom remain private because, after all, he is a celebrity and therefore, we all believe, has no access to something as ‘mundane’ as a private life. But if he is affected by the full relentless, omniscient eye of public glare, then he is also a very fine actor to go with being a very fine batsman, because there is no outward evidence of that.

Bangladesh has been fortunate to have witnessed Kohli at his majestic best from close quarters. The Sher-e-Bangla has been a particularly favourite hunting ground. In 11 ODIs, he has made an astonishing 737 runs at 105.28. There have been four hundreds and three fifties in 10 innings, including a truly breathtaking 183 off 148 deliveries that allowed India to scale down Pakistan’s 329 with ridiculous ease some 24 months back, in the Asia Cup.

Already in this World T20, Kohli has scores of 36 not out and 54 in modest run-chases that can sometimes turn out to be tricky. When he has walked out at first wicket down – be it at 54 against Pakistan or on 1 in the first over against the West Indies – he has brought with him a sense of calmness and purpose. To watch him at work is a joyous experience that warms the cockles of the connoisseur. The surety of feet movement, the closeness of the bat to the body, the dexterity of the wrists, the fluency with which he drives through the on-side with an admixture of those wrists and the bottom hand, the way he gets low to drive through the covers – each act is poetry in motion.

Kohli has the steel and the substance too to go with the style. India’s captain in waiting must wait awhile, because Mahendra Singh Dhoni isn’t finished yet, but he sure can help his captain carve out another slice of history. For that, his bat must continue to produce the most mellifluous music for the next 12 days or so, at the very least.

GAMECHANGER WAS THE LAST THREE BALLS MORNE BOWLED: DUMINY

On a day when it posted 170, a sizeable score, thanks mainly to an effervescent unbeaten 86 from JP Duminy, albeit well supported by Hashim Amla, South Africa still needed a special bowling performance from Dale Steyn to seal the deal against New Zealand in their World Twenty20 game on Monday (March 24).

Steyn ended with 4 for 17 from his four overs, successfully defending in the final over when New Zealand needed only seven runs and still had a set Ross Taylor at the crease. Yet, it was Duminy who walked away with the Man of the Match award, for the manner in which he set up the game.

Duminy, who batted at No. 3 in South Africa’s tight loss to Sri Lanka, came in at No. 5 against New Zealand and paced his innings magnificently. “I’m pretty happy to be flexible. It just creates a vibe amongst the team. Everybody has a specific role, yes, but if we can perform different roles at different positions, it stands us in good stead going forward,” said Duminy. “Tactically, we wanted to keep the left-right combination going, so I went in at No. 3 in the first game. As many spinners as Sri Lanka has, that made sense. With Faf (du Plessis) coming back in this game he was always going to bat at No. 3 and me at 5. I’m happy to be flexible. Whatever benefits the team the most.”

South Africa began indifferently once more, with both du Plessis and AB de Villiers failing to fire. With this being the case, Amla, who made 41 at a shade better than a run a ball, was forced to drop anchor. “Hashim's role is to bat with someone. If someone else on the other side keeps scoring boundaries, Hashim can be the structure and the solidness through the batting line-up,” explained du Plessis. "If we look at our top five, it's made up of guys who, apart from Hashim, naturally play aggressively so he fits into that game plan. It's his role to manoeuvre the rest of the innings. If there is a day where those guys don't score runs then Hashim knows that he has to play a little bit quicker.”

Du Plessis explained that the game plan was for the top order to put down a sound platform, allowing explosive batsmen to come in and do their thing in the back half. “Hashim had to stay with JP for a period of time to make sure that our hitters at the back didn't come in when there were too many balls left,” said du Plessis. “We need to make sure we have David Miller and Albie Morkel coming in towards the end of the innings not when they have to still worry about rotating the strike but where they can just play their natural game.”

The South Africa captain was all praise for the hand Duminy played. “JP controlled the innings beautifully. He took risks when it was needed and made sure the strike was rotated,” said du Plessis. “As a blueprint of a T20 innings, that's one of the better ones you will see.”

While Duminy looked back at his innings with some satisfaction, it was the fact that it contributed to a win, and not the runs themselves, that gave him the most satisfaction. “If you look at it now, it’s huge. But if Dale and the other bowlers didn’t produce something, as they did, in the last three overs, it wouldn’t have meant much. I’m pretty happy with the innings, because it gave us a chance to defend,” said Duminy.

“At one stage we really didn’t think we’d get to 170. A couple of good shots in the end got us there. Happy with the innings, but more happy with the way we stuck to our guns. Most teams would have rolled over in the last over. Faf mentioned the over Dale bowled in the last over. The gamechanger for me was the last three balls Morne (Morkel) bowled in the 19th over. To go for runs in the first three and to still have the composure to deliver three decent balls was exceptional to see.”

For Duminy, who has been in the international game a decade, the departures of Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith has created a need to step up. “Ten years seems a long time, doesn’t it? Look, I did miss quite a few years in the middle period. But I guess there is an added responsibility now,” he said. “It’s a different sort of generation coming through of senior players. We know that it’s up to us to take the team forward. That’s what we aim to do as a senior unit. I think we’re on the right path. There’s no guarantees to success but as long as we as a team are giving 100% out there we’ll give ourselves the best chance.”

Duminy joined du Plessis in defending South Africa’s safety-first approach to building an innings. “In a perfect world you want that freedom to just express yourself. But, with freedom comes a little bit of responsibility. We’re finding the right mix and if we can perfect that going forward we definitely stand a good chance of producing results, especially in these kind of tournaments,” said Duminy. “Faf mentioned earlier that it’s about peaking at the right time. We’re on the right path. We have two big games coming up and if we can produce the results, as we did in the last two games, we’ll definitely give ourselves a good chance.”

How Romantic

MATCH FACTS: INDIA V WEST INDIES

West Indies kickstarts its defence of the ICC World T20 title against a confident India

Friday’s win against Pakistan would have come as a huge relief for India, a team that was short on confidence after failing to beat its arch-rivals in the Asia Cup recently.

India, besides keeping its unbeaten record against Pakistan in World Cups intact, will now carry some much-needed momentum when it faces a tough opposition in West Indies. West Indies will be extremely high on confidence and is big on momentum, thanks to convincing wins against England and Sri Lanka in the warm-ups.

While West Indies will look to kickstart its defence of the World T20 title on a positive note, India will look to inch a step closer to sealing its spot in the semifinals with a win on Sunday.

Here are some facts heading into Sunday’s match.

Facts:

These sides have only met three times previously in T20Is; West Indies has won two of them.

Samuel Badree (West Indies) has the best economy rate of any bowler since the start of 2013 to have bowled at least 200 balls in T20Is (5.03).

Chris Gayle (West Indies) has struck more sixes in T20Is since June 2012 than any other player (32).

Darren Sammy recorded figures of 4/16 the last time these teams faced off in this format.

India has won the last four T20Is in which it has batted second.

Approaching Milestones:

Suresh Raina needs six runs to become only the second India player to achieve 900 runs in T20Is (Gautam Gambhir was the first).

MS Dhoni needs to score 28 runs in order to reach the 800 run mark in T20Is.
If Chris Gayle scores four runs in this match, he will become only the 11th batsman to reach 1100 runs in T20Is.

Key Battles:

Suresh Raina v Sunil Narine

India’s Suresh Raina guided his side to a comfortable win over Pakistan in its opening ICC World Twenty20 match by making 35 in just 28 balls. His form could not have come at a better time having struggled for form in other formats for his country of late but while his form may have dipped, he should his unquestionable quality in playing a very mature innings.

Raina’s innings against Pakistan was characterised by a maturity in recognising the patience required to chase down a modest target, highlighted by how many singles he picked up.

Raina needs just six runs to become only the second Indian batsman to reach 900 runs in T20Is and although that sounds a straight-forward task, he could well be facing the wrath of Sunil Narine.

Narine comes into this match having picked up figures of 4/24 against Sri Lanka and will back himself in the sub-continent to continue this sort of form.

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TOP 10 MOMENTS OF ICC WORLD T-20 2012

At the end of the 20-day extravaganza, we pick the moments that will linger in our memories

Top 10 moments of ICC World Twenty20 2012 - ICC T20 News

Brendon McCullum's century early on in the tournament remained the only one in ICC World Twenty20 2012.

Ajantha Mendis (6/8, Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Sept 18, Pallekele)

A powerful batting display had propelled Sri Lanka to 182 for 4, and Zimbabwe needed to bat out its skin to make a match of it. Enter Ajantha Mendis, in his first Twenty20 International for 10 months. In a brilliant display of conventional and unorthodox spin bowling, he ripped the heart out of Zimbabwe’s batting with one rapid strike after another. Mendis finished with T20I best figures of 6 for 8 from four overs as Zimbabwe folded up for an even 100.

Brendon McCullum (123, New Zealand v Bangladesh, Sept 21, Pallekele)

There had been a few question marks over New Zealand and its wherewithal to play quality spin, but on an excellent batting surface, Brendon McCullum conjured a sensational century, the only one of the competition, to emphatically address those concerns. McCullum became the first batsman to make two T20I hundreds, his 58-ball 123, with 11 fours and seven sixes, setting up a commanding 59-run victory and a place in the Super Eights.

Shane Watson (2/29 & 41*, Australia v West Indies, Sept 22, Colombo)

In the middle of a golden run that netted him four consecutive Man of the Match awards, Shane Watson was hugely responsible for Australia’s 17-run win over the West Indies on the Duckworth-Lewis method. Watson picked up the key wickets of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard and then, with Australia needing 192 for victory, blasted an unbeaten 41 off just 24 deliveries when the rains arrived, with Australia on 100 for 1 and well ahead on the D/L charts.

Harbhajan Singh (4/12, India v England, Sept 23, Colombo)

This was supposed to be India’s first big test of the tournament, against defending champion England, but it degenerated into a no-contest thanks to India’s potent spin attack. Harbhajan Singh, playing his first international game since August 2011, spun a wicked web with his varied bag of tricks, using the off-spinner, the doosra and the top-spinner to brilliant effect. Harbhajan’s 4 for 12, the best by an Indian in T20I cricket, helped India complete a most one-sided 90-run rout.

Umar Gul (32, Pakistan v South Africa, Sept 28, Colombo)

Chasing South Africa’s modest 133 for 6, Pakistan had found ways of self-destructing, gifting wickets away to stumble to 76 for 7. Enter Umar Gul, to turn the match on its head. Batting without a care in the world, Gul smashed South Africa’s bowling around too rattle up 32 in just 17 deliveries, with two fours and three sixes. It was uninhibited ball-striking, Gul clearly the dominant partner in a stand of 49 with specialist batsman Umar Akmal as Pakistan pulled off an amazing two-wicket victory

Nida Dar (3/12, Pakistan Women v India Women, Oct 1, Galle)

Pakistan Women had made only 98 for 9 from its 20 overs against a strong India Women batting line-up, and when India Women reached 44 for 1 in the 10th over, a regulation victory appeared on the cards. Nida Dar, the 25-year-old off-spinner whose father played a clutch of first-class matches in the late 1980s and early 1990s, had other ideas. She ended a second-wicket stand of 31 between Poonam Raut and Mithali Raj by having the former stumped, and in her next over, got rid of both Raj, India’s captain, and Harmanpreet Kaur for impressive figures of 4-0-12-3. 51 for 4 all of a sudden, India Women huffed and puffed to 97 for 8, Pakistan Women’s one-run victory the narrowest in the ICC Women’s World T20 2012.

Lasith Malinga (5/31, Sri Lanka v England, Oct 1, Pallekele)

Sri Lanka had all but secured its semifinal berth after following up two successive wins in Group 1 of the Super Eights by posting 169 for 6 against England. Spin was expected to do the job for Sri Lanka, but Lasith Malinga had other ideas. Until then relatively anonymous in the tournament, he sprang to life with the wickets of Luke Wright, Alex Hayles and Jonny Bairstow in the first over. England, desperately needing a win to move into the semis, had no answers to his guile, and Malinga came back to complete a five-wicket haul with the scalps of Samit Patel and Jos Buttler

Chris Gayle (75*, West Indies v Australia, Oct 5, Colombo)

Chris Gayle had two fifties coming into the semifinal, but the big one he had threatened all tournament long couldn’t have come at a better time. Gayle faced only 41 deliveries as he carried his bat through the innings, but it was enough for him to launch a ferocious onslaught which fetched him a sparkling 75, inclusive of five fours and six sixes. It was the giant base around which the West Indies constructed a tournament-high 205 for 4, burying Australia under the massive weight of those numbers.

Jess Cameron (45, Australia Women v England Women, Oct 7, 2012)

Meg Lanning and Alyssa Healy had got Australia Women off to a brisk start against England Women, but it needed someone to keep that momentum going. Jess Cameron, batting at No. 3, provided that thrust with an attacking innings, hitting five fours and a six in her 34-ball 45. Australia Women knew it had to put a substantial total on the board to challenge England Women and defend its Women’s World T20 crown. With Cameron in the forefront, it posted 142 for 4 and kept England Women down to 138 for 9 to complete a memorable four-run win. Cameron was, unsurprisingly, the Player of the Match.

Marlon Samuels (78, West Indies v Sri Lanka, Oct 7, 2012)

It was an innings that had seemingly hit a permanent roadblock, 32 for 2 off 10 overs in the final. The West Indies, ever the sentimental favourites, appeared to have frittered the advantage of batting first on a slow track to Sri Lanka when Marlon Samuels decided to have his say. His first 37 deliveries produced just 26 runs, with one four; Samuels then laid into Lasith Malinga, smashing him for five of his six sixes as his next 19 balls yielded a whopping 52 runs. From playing diffidently, the West Indies suddenly went on to the ascendancy, riding on Samuels’s blitz to reach 137 for 6. Armed with that momentum, it ate into the Sri Lankan batting to complete a fabulous 36-run win, and its first world triumph since 1979.

MATCH FACTS: INDIA V PAKISTAN

The ICC World Twenty20 2014 Super 10 kicks off with a match that is set to be a pulsating encounter between two old rivals

India will take on Pakistan in the Super 10 opening game at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

No more than an hour after the last of the qualifying matches concludes in Sylhet on Friday (March 21) evening, the Super 10s will get underway. What better match to kick off this phase than the latest act of the India v Pakistan rivalry? Shahid Afridi’s sixes off R Ashwin in the Asia cup final will still be fresh in the memory of the fans as well as the players from both sides when India takes on Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. Here is a look at some key facts heading into the clash.

Facts:

India v Pakistan

These teams tied their first T20I meeting, at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. India won the bowl-out in that match and have won three of the four subsequent meetings.

Mohammad Hafeez (132) needs eight runs to pass Gautam Gambhir (139) as the leading run-scorer in T20Is between these teams.

Saeed Ajmal has 32 wickets in ICC World Twenty20 matches. He needs two wickets to pass Lasith Malinga as the leading wicket-taker in the history of the tournament.

India have won five of their last six T20Is played outside of India. They lost the toss in all of the matches they won, but won the toss in the match they lost.

Of bowlers to deliver at least 10 overs in T20Is between ICC Full member nations since the start of 2013, Zulfiqar Babar has induced the highest percentage of play and misses (25%).

Approaching milestones

Yuvraj Singh needs 65 runs to pass Gautam Gambhir as India’s leading T20I run-scorer. Suresh Raina is 73 runs behind Gambhir in third place on this list.

Yuvraj Singh needs 59 runs to become the first player to score 500 runs and take 10 wickets in ICC World Twenty20 matches.

Kamran Akmal will become the second player after Kumar Sangakkara to keep wicket in 50 T20I innings if he takes the field in this match.

Key Battles

Virat Kohli v Shahid Afridi

India’s lack of recent T20I action means Virat Kohli has not been able to exhibit his supreme ODI form in the shortest format. Kohli has batted once in T20Is since the start of 2013, but his career average of 34.5, the eighth highest of anyone playing at least 20 innings, marks him out as a key man for India.

Kohli loves playing against Pakistan, hitting 114 runs in three innings at an average of 57 and the second highest international run-scorer since the start of 2013 will be Pakistan’s most prized wicket. None of the Pakistan bowlers in this tournament have dismissed him in this format, but they will hope star man Shahid Afridi rises to the big occasion, as he did in the recent Asia Cup.

Afridi’s highest T20I score remains the unbeaten 54 he hit in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 final and his team’s supporters would prefer to recall that performance to his T20I record against India: 35 runs at an average of 8.8 and two wickets at an average of 40 and economy rate of 8.9.

Live T-20 World Cup: PAKISTAN SCRAPES TO WIN IN LOW-SCORING WARM-UP

PAKISTAN SCRAPES TO WIN IN LOW-SCORING WARM-UP

Iqbal’s 3 for 8 helps team to five-run victory over Bangladesh in its final Women's World T20 warm-up

Pakistan women wrap up warm-up games with a close win.

Pakistan Women warmed up for its ICC Women's World Twenty20 2014 campaign with a nervy five-run win over Bangladesh Women in its second warm-up match at the Krira Shikkha Protisthan No.3 Ground in Savar on Thursday (March 20).

Bowled out for 81 in 19.5 overs, Pakistan's bowlers came to the rescue to restrict Bangladesh to 76 for 6 in its 20 overs. Asmavia Iqbal was the pick of the lot with figures of 3 for 8.

Chasing the meagre total, Bangladesh overcame an early setback of losing Sanjida Islam, captain Salma Khatun and Rumana Ahmed in under five overs. Opener Ayasha Rahman (28), who top-scored, shared the innings' highest partnership of 24 runs with Fargana Hoque for the fourth wicket, and followed it up with a 19-run, fifth-wicket stand with wicketkeeper Nuzhat Tasnia.

Tasnia remained unbeaten on 21 as Bangladesh ran out of overs, eventually falling five runs short of the target. Anam Amin and Iqbal played the important role of making early inroads, dismantling Bangladesh's top order and shared five wickets between them.

Asked to bat, Pakistan lost its top four batters with Salma Khatun accounting for both the openers in successive overs, followed by a twin strike by Jahanara Alam in the sixth over. With Pakistan reduced to 14 for 4, it was in desperate need of a strong partnership.

That came when captain Sana Mir (18) and Nahida Khan put on 27 runs in five overs for the sixth wicket. But that being the highest of the innings left Pakistan with little chance of scoring a big total.

Tidy bowling display from Fahima Khatun added to Pakistan’s woes, but Nahida managed to add 30 runs before she was dismissed for a 29-ball 30. Pakistan folded an over later.

Pakistan takes on South Africa at Sylhet on Sunday (March 23) in the main leg of the tournament, while Bangladesh squares off against South Africa on Friday (March 21) for its final warm-up.