England finally clinch a world title

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

England have finally pocketed a trophy. It was in the fitness of things, probably, that they accomplished their mission by taming arch-rivals Australia, having spoiled their party on numerous occasions in the past.

Yes it were the Australians having been instrumental in denying glories for England in every format of the game. For a change it were England, led by the inspirational Paul Collingwood, who emerged triumphant in Barbados on May 16 to be crowned as the new World Twenty20 champions.

Looks like yesterday when Australia’s Garry Gilmour had come up with the all-round performance of his lifetime to deny England a win in the semifinals of the inaugural World Cup in 1975.

Since then England, despite possessing the arsenal to rule the world, somehow had been crashing in crucial games to be robbed of the title. They stormed into the final of the World Cup in 1979, 1987 and 1992 where they lost to the West Indies, Australia and Pakistan respectively.

England could not run away with the ICC Champions Trophy or the World Twenty20 until May 16, 2010 when Collignwood’s men did not choke in the final and they proved too hot to handle even for the mighty Australia, the only unbeaten outfit in the competition.

Collingwood, the man having played the key role, alongwith coach Andy Flower, in having galvanized England into a formidable limited-overs unit, was there in the middle to hit the winning runs with a six and two fours that brought the much-awaited maiden world cricket title for his country to be proudly displayed at Lord’s.

"This is a very special moment. This is right up there, with the best, the guys deserve everything they've got today. We've won a World Cup, and you can never take that away from us. We thoroughly deserve the victory, because the way we've played throughout the tournament has been consistent and also we have been taking the game to the opposition,” Collingwood remarked.

"We have had a lot of belief, and the guys have thought very well for themselves and made the right decisions. In the end, we've turned up on a big occasion like this and we've performed. I'm absolutely delighted with the guys. We knew it was a monkey on our back. We knew what it meant, and that is why I am so pleased that these last two performances in such pressurized situations were absolutely spot on," the victorious England captain reckoned.

"You can see from the way the guys have gone out from the first ball, believing in themselves, taking it to the opposition and playing a brand of cricket that is unlike England in the past. I think a lot of credit goes to every single player in the dressing room, to have the confidence to go out there and really give it their best shots and have no regrets. I think we have done that throughout the tournament and it has certainly paid off," Collingwood added.

"We are going to savour the moment and enjoy it, because we deserve to. But good teams kick on, and that's exactly what we'll get drilled into the guys. We have got a lot more potential as well - that's the scary part about it. We can go even further. But this is what we came here to achieve, and we've done it. The next step is to savour the moment, celebrate as a team - and then we'll come across the next hurdle," he observed before rushing to join his teammates for the celebrations.

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Hussey saves Australia from embarrassment

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Well it wasn’t exactly a case of Michael Hussey stealing a win from Pakistan but it was rather a matter of preventing embarrassment for Australia who had dominated the tournament only to be put in the jail in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

Hussey, who smashed an unbeaten 60 off 24 balls, to take the Aussies into the final had performed similar acts in the past as well. Cometh the hour, cometh the man describes him perfectly.

He has had his share of his ups and downs, like any other human being, but his level of commitment and the fierce determination to stand tall in crisis are the virtues that make him the standout batsman of his era.

Australia were expected to be tested in the semifinals because Pakistan have had the knack of bringing about the downfall of the giants against the run of play. On paper and in form the Australians were streets ahead of Pakistan but it was always going to be a big challenge for Michael Clarke and his men to tame the side that had sneaked in more on luck than performance.

Pakistan had found their way into the semifinals after having lost three matches while Australia had strolled there without dropping a single game. So there was absolutely no comparison between the two sides when they arrived in St Lucia for the knockout encounter.

As people, not even possessing knowledge of the game, kept praying all day for Pakistan to come good and Australia to falter had their wishes very nearly fulfilled. The Australians played much below their potential because you won’t see often Brad Haddin conceding 10 byes in a T20 game.

Leg-spinner Steven Smith, who had become one of the shining lights of the tournament, suddenly became the weak link of the best bowling attack on show. It was very rare to find the Aussies committing unforced errors.

The kind of batting strength Australia had even the target of 192 should not have caused problems. But their batters also found it hard to come to terms with the Pakistan factor leaving far too many for the end.

Cameroon White was not overawed and he changed the momentum before perishing and the stage was set for Hussey to do it. The Australians accomplished their mission of winning the game but they shouldn’t have let it come so close.

On Pakistan’s part they should be credited for having advanced to the semifinals even after having lost to Australia in the first round and then suffering defeats at the hands of England and New Zealand in Super Eights.

Pakistan came very near to spoiling Australia’s march towards glory and it was only at the fag end that they let the initiative slip. They had the mighty Aussies under pressure for quite sometime in the semifinals before going down fighting.

In fact Pakistan, the kind of resources they had and keeping in mind the situation in which the team was selected prior to the appointment of the skipper, exceeded all expectations by making into the semifinals.

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All seeded teams advance to Super Eight

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Quite remarkably there was no major upset in the first round of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 and all the eight seeded outfits managed to force their way into the Super Eights starting on May 6.

Australia topped the Group A with two successive wins while Pakistan, the defending champions, had to settle with the number two slot. New Zealand became the Group B leaders ahead of Sri Lanka while India headed the Group C, relegating South Africa to the second place. Hosts West Indies led the points table in the Group D where England edged out Ireland on net run-rate.

Now in the Super Eights, the Group E comprises of Pakistan, England, New Zealand and South Africa while the Group F contains Australia, India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Interestingly there are no carry forward points allowing advantage to the teams having made there after having ended runners-up in their respective groups.

There were quite a few upsets in the matches leading to the tournament but there were none in the event itself where the quartet of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan couldn’t surprise any of their fancied opponents.

Zimbabwe had come up with the most astonishing performance in the warm-up matches, having defeated both Australia and Pakistan. England looked in complete command while winning both their matches, including the one against South Africa. New Zealand also emerged victorious in both their outings.

New Zealand carried their brilliant form to the main event and whipped the high-flying Sri Lankans in the opening match of the tournament in Guyana where the West Indies bulldozed Ireland by 70 runs later in the evening.

The Indians found the conditions of St Lucia to their liking and won both their matches, against Afghanistan and South Africa, rather convincingly. Pakistan, however, met with mixed luck at the same venue where they crashed against Australia after hammering Bangladesh.

The rains played havoc for a couple of days as the action returned to Guyana with all the four matches getting affected. Sri Lanka were lucky enough to win even after batting first in the shortened game against Zimbabwe but the West Indies benefited greatly by the DL method while cruising to victory over England.

Zimbabwe’s following game against New Zealand was also ruined by rain but the result was seldom in doubt after the hosts had been bundled out for a very low total after a promising start.

The team that must have cursed the weather more than anyone else was Ireland because they had a realistic chance of overpowering England and advancing to the Super Eight. But the rains didn’t let them have a go at the modest target of 121 in 20 overs. Much to England’s relief the match didn’t resume once it had been halted.

Thankfully that was the final game in Guyana and the focus shifted to Barbados for the last couple of league games neither of which produced a surprising result as Australia overcame Bangladesh after a few hiccups and South Africa blew the whistle on debutant Afghanistan, who however had their moments in the tournament.

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Life is a great leveler for Collingwood

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Paul Collingwood was fuming only the other day when England had been cruelly victimized by weather to lose the game against the West Indies. The Nature obliged the heart-broken skipper within 24 hours and the showers opened to prevent him from a possible embarrassment against Ireland.

Ireland, not England, would have made it to the Super Eight if they successfully chased a modest-looking target of 121 in 20 overs. It was the kind of total that needed just one or two of the Irish batsmen to get going and complete the job which made them the favourites to win the encounter at the start of their innings.

Ireland, who had performed the giant-killing act in the Caribbean three years ago during the World Cup, again appeared poised to rewrite history only to be denied by the fickle weather of Guyana.

They had bowled and fielded remarkably well to contain the England batsmen who had shown so much of guts while tearing apart the West Indian attack at the same ground just the other day.

Ironically it was an Irishman, Eoin Morgan, who held the England innings together with 45 off 37 balls. The left-hander demonstrated his growing stature by putting his head down and cutting down the risks while getting the odd boundaries.

Now it was the turn of Ireland to mourn. It was more painful for them that it was for England in the game against the hosts because it was a do or die fixture for both the teams.

William Porterfield was convinced that his side could have reached the target. "The attitude we took out into the field there was brilliant. We just wanted to get into Super Eights and beat the big teams in there. We came with our sights set on that, and showed glimpses in our performance that we could do that. The way we came out today, after Friday's disappointment, was great. If we can take that into every game, we'll go places,” he pointed out.

Collingwood must thank his stars that it continued raining and Ireland didn’t get the opportunity to resume their innings. The lady luck was certainly smiling on him tonight after having deserted his team the other evening.

"We were looking at all the different scenarios, at one point we were about to go back on and it would have been 19 in 10 balls or something like and it was like here we go again. You just don't want those situations where a couple of edges can go their way,” a relieved Collingwood remarked.

"Either it comes and washes it out or we get the full 20 overs in because when you have 10 wickets in the hutch and it gets reduced it certainly comes more into their favour. I guess the rain has come at a time that it's got us through to the next stage so it's helped us a little bit," he admitted.

Collingwood described Morgan as a very versatile player who can not only play all the shots but he's also got a good mind on him that is what you need in the middle order especially at number five.

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Duckworth-Lewis system under fire

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Duckworth-Lewis system, being used for the games shortened by weather, might have looked even stevens in the majority of cases in the One-day Internationals but it offers huge advantage to the side batting second in Twenty20 Internationals as England suffered at the hands of the West Indies once again.

One could understand the sentiments of the England captain, Paul Collingwood who was left fuming at the DL because it played the decisive role in his team’s defeat against West Indies for the second World Twenty20 running.

"There's a major problem with Duckworth-Lewis in this form of the game. I've got no problem with it in one-dayers, and I know it's made me very frustrated tonight because I've come off the losing captain, but it's certainly got to be revised in this form,” Collingwood said.

"Ninety-five percent of the times when you get 191 runs on the board you are going to win the game. Unfortunately Duckworth-Lewis seems to have other ideas and brings the equation completely the other way and makes it very difficult," he reckoned.

"I'm trying to take the emotion out of that defeat to be honest with you. It's the second time it's happened to us against West Indies so it's very frustrating for the boys because we've played a near-perfect game and still lost," he conceded.

"I think that's what the equation is built around in the one-day format. Unfortunately there’re probably not enough games. I'm not a mathematician, I don't really know what the equation should be, but your backs are certainly against the wall when it's like that," Collingwood added.

His West Indian counterpart, Chris Gayle, agreed with his concerns about the DL system. "I think it's something they're going to have to look into. I would support what Collingwood just said. I could have been in the same position as well. It's something that can be addressed so it can be even stevens for both teams in the future. I'm happy but it's just unfortunate for England,” the victorious captain stressed.

"We knew that the weather was going to play a part so the first five overs, obviously, can determine the game. So we decided to go out and see what we could get out of the first five overs. The target was actually 43, I think, at one stage and the adaption went in our favour. After the rain we knew we were most likely to win the game from there on," Gayle added.

It was really cruel for England to have lost the game after having piled up an imposing total of 191 for five in the allotted 20 overs. They were in the driving seat but rain intervened after 2.2 overs of the chase and when play resumed, the hosts were left needing 60 from six overs with all 10 wickets in hands.

It was the second time in nine months that England had been at the receiving end of the DL system against the same opponents. During last year's World Twenty20 at The Oval, a rain break had reduced the West Indian target to 82 from eight overs which they chased down successfully.

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Raina comes of age

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

What a splendid innings Suresh Raina played to guide India to a comfortable victory over South Africa in their clash at St Lucia on May 2. He became only the third player in the history to score a century in Twenty20 Internationals.

Only Chris Gayle of the West Indies and Brendon McCullum of New Zealand had accomplished this feat earlier, making Raina the first Indian to reach the landmark.

There could not have been a better occasion for Raina to cross the three-figure mark because his team was struggling to post a decent total after an uncertain start. The outfield was on the slower side and the batsmen were not getting full value for their shots.

The South African fast bowlers, backed by the acrobatic fieldsmen, were not prepared to give anything away and there was hardly a possibility of the Indian score getting past 150.

Raina and Yuvraj Singh, both left-handers, had consolidated the position with a solid third wicket stand but the total was just 112 when only five overs were left. In normal circumstances India, having suffered more wounds in the death overs than any other team, would not have thought of adding more than 35 or 40 runs

The enigmatic Raina had shown previously that he does have the talent to cut loose but probably nobody expected him to take charge in the manner he did. He led the carnage of the South African bowlers and India were able to collect as many as 75 runs in their last overs.

India had certainly leaked many more runs in the death overs against even the modest opponents but for a change they did the damage to the South Africans and the eventual total of 187 in the allotted 20 overs was far too many than anticipated.

It was the best T20I innings by an Indian with Raina on song. He appeared as cool and calm as if playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He found the boundaries at will and it was a matter of time for him to reach the coveted three-figure mark.

It was in the fitness of things that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was with him at the crease when he brought up his thoroughly deserved hundred. He brought up the milestone with a six off Albie Morkel, his Chennai Super Kings teammate.

Remember that Dhoni was also in the middle when Sachin Tendulkar had completed that historic double century in the One-day Internationals earlier this season.

Not surprisingly Raina credited Dhoni for his accomplishment. “Mahi helped me a lot in the IPL. The senior players, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, have also supported me throughout. I've played five or six years of international cricket, it's important to fulfill the dreams they've had for me,” a beaming Raina acknowledged.

Raina was delighted that his knock helped India secure a much needed victory over fancied South Africa that took them to the top of points table in Group C.

The outcome was seldom in doubt with the Indian bowlers not losing control and most importantly Dhoni making the moves which caused unforced errors from the South Africans who remained well behind the clock from the beginning to the end of their chase.

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Pakistan, India survive battle of nerves

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan and India did not let the history to repeat as far as their performance in a global competition in the Caribbean was concerned. With the fiasco of the 2007 World Cup fresh in the minds of their supporters it was not unusual to find the cricket fans on both sides of the border heaving a sigh relief at watching their team win the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in St Lucia on May 1.

March 18, 2007 was a date neither of the two sub-continental giants would ever forget. It was on this day when Ireland had knocked Pakistan out of the World Cup and Bangladesh had shocked India to let them prepare for an early exit too.

Three of these four teams were in action on May 1. With Ireland having a well deserved rest to regroup after the thrashing they received at the hands of the hosts the other day, the fourth team in the field was Afghanistan.

Mohammad Ashraful frightened Pakistan with his spectacular knock while chasing a target of 173. His 91-run third wicket partnership with skipper Shakib Al Hasan had opened up the game but it was debutant Mohammad Sami who brought relief for the defending champions by picking up two wickets in an over.

Earlier the Pakistan openers Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt, scoring 73 each, had taken full advantage of the sloppy work in the field by the butter-fingered Bangladeshis who were very disappointing with the ball as well.

India didn’t look entirely convincing but still they were good enough to tame minnows Afghanistan without much fuss. Pakistan, on the other hand, survived a few anxious moments while defending their big score but not surprisingly Bangladesh didn’t demonstrate mental strength to do it.

The Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who blasted a couple of big sixes to bring about an early end to the game, was very rightly looking for more improvement from his side if they were to regain the trophy they clinched under him in 2007.

“We hope to get better and better as the tournament goes. With today's win we have qualified for the Super Eight stage. That is when we need to play at our best because each of the teams has the potential to win the title,” Dhoni said after completing seven-wicket victory.

"We jell well as a team and the dressing room atmosphere is wonderful. We play and win as a happy family. If we continue in the same spirit, we should be able to do well in this event. Murali Vijay is an asset to the team. We saw during the IPL what he can do with the bat. He is a batsman who looks quiet but is capable of playing big shots when the situation warrants," he added.

Afghanistan did gain some points by putting up good fight in their first game on the international stage and enjoyed the experience of playing against a high-quality side.

"India is one of the best teams in the world. We were very happy to play our first match against them. Early in the morning the wicket was difficult for us but it was a good experience for our guys,” the Afghanistan captain Nowroz Mangal acknowledged.

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Unconvincing Black Caps overpower uncertain Sri Lankans

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on April 30, featuring New Zealand and Sri Lanka, produced an exciting finish but unfortunately it lacked the fireworks needed to kick start the tournament.

Sri Lanka could score only 135 in their stipulated 20 overs and New Zealand got to the target with just one delivery remaining in the final over. Just 274 runs in nearly 40 overs was not the kind of stuff one expected from two of the finest teams in the shortest format of the game.

New Zealand, as usual, were found wanting in chasing down what was a modest target by all standards on a pitch where batting wasn’t all that difficult a proposition. They had a strong and deep line-up that should have done the job convincingly rather than taking the game to the wire and leaving it to Nathan McCullum to do the job in tense conditions.

Daniel Vettori talks big off the field but his leadership skills look ordinary at times. He sets high standards himself but he’s unable to motivate his teammates to rise to the occasion.

Well Vettori certainly feels handicapped in the Test matches or even in the One-day Internationals with the inexperience of his batters but he doesn’t have the same excuse for T20 games where the same guys do have the capability of coming good.

Vettori himself bowled exceptionally well to tie down the belligerent Sri Lankans, particularly the charged up Mahela Jayawardene, and he also handled his bowlers rather well.

It was quite extraordinary on part of Vettori not to have conceded a single boundary in his four overs. Doing it against a team that plays the spinners so well was quite an accomplishment.

Then Vettori also made an intelligent move by allowing his premier fast bowler, Shane Bond, who had gone for plenty of runs in his earlier three overs, to do the business in the final over of the innings.

Bond may have lost pace over the years with various injuries but his wisdom and accuracy with the ball make him the guy to beat. He responded by picking up two wickets in the last over that didn’t yield the kind of runs what was being anticipated. Tim Southee was also absolutely brilliant in his final over, the penultimate of the innings.

The last couple of tight overs from Southee and Bond, after Vettori had finished his spell, kept the Sri Lankan total down to 135 that was most likely to go well past 150. The bowlers had done the job for the Black Caps.

The momentum was with the New Zealanders when they came out in pursuit of a total of 136. But more than anything it was the lack of self-belief and application and on their part that opened the game.

They made a mess of the small target with careless and thoughtless batting and the Sri Lankans very nearly sneaked an unlikely win. With only three wickets in hand, New Zealand needed 10 runs off the last over from fast bowler Lasith Malinga.

They lost the wicket of Vettori, attempting a risky second run, but Nathan McCullum struck a huge six over long-off to settle the issue on the penultimate ball.

McCullum, entrusted with the new ball, had earlier done the job to the satisfaction of his captain. His off-spin was treated with respect by the watchful Sri Lankan batsmen.

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Will Pakistan, India erase bitter memories of Caribbean?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Well there certainly is an opportunity for both the sub-continental giants, Pakistan and India, to erase the bitter memories of the 2007 World Cup staged in the Caribbean where they were knocked out in the first round much to the shock and disappointment of the large number of their supporters back home.

It was a nightmare for both these traditional rivals over there three years ago. Pakistan had to bite the dust after losing to one of the minnows, Ireland, while India had ruined their chances after being floored at the hands of not too fancied Bangladesh.

While the cricket enthusiasts in both the countries were heart-broken following the debacle in the West Indies in the first quarter of 2007 but the turnaround had come only a few months later in the inaugural World Twenty20 staged in South Africa.

Quite remarkably both these outfits managed to force their way into the final of the competition and India clinched the title after edging out Pakistan in the closest of encounters. In fact it was down to the last stroke of the game.

Had Misbah-ul-Haq, who had brought Pakistan back in the contest from nowhere, timed his last stroke properly the trophy would have been lifted by Shoaib Malik, not Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Cricket came alive in both the countries with the unexpected conquest in the shortest version of the game. Soon it became apparent that Pakistan and India would continue dominating the Twenty20 format because of the enormous talent and passion.

Pakistan lived upto the billing in the second edition of the World Twenty20 held in England last year but defending champions India, not surprisingly to say the least, flopped miserably.

As a matter of fact Pakistan exceeded expectations by annexing the title after an uncertain start. Captained by Younis Khan, the team fared well in the later stages to emerge triumphant. It was after 17 years when Pakistan had been crowned as the world champions.

It’s World Twenty20 time again and Pakistan have a new captain in Shahid Afridi as they prepare to defend the title in the Caribbean.

India have the same skipper, Dhoni, who has had mixed luck in World Twenty20 so far and he cannot be expected to take things for granted.

The experts have reckoned that Pakistan and India are the joint favourites to win the trophy in the Caribbean but the unpredictable nature of both the teams will keep their followers on the toes all along once more.

Pakistan may be short of experience but you can never write them off. They have had this reputation of coming good against the heaviest of odds just as they are notorious for throwing it away from position of strength.

India have also been known for their unpredictability but they are more proficient in giving it away against the run of play rather than turning around when cornered. They were among the front-runners to clinch the title in 2007 World Cup where they could not even make it to the Super Eights.

The possibility of another Indo-Pak final could not be ruled out. But it would not come as surprise either if they are unable to progress that far.

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Pakistan captain’s over-confidence could ruin hopes

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Shahid Afridi has tried to be diplomatic while speaking to the media ‘officially’ but his body language has been quite different in off-the-record sessions. Sometimes he has been found very arrogant and occasionally he passes the impression of disowning the squad for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 having been selected before his appointment as captain.

Shahid probably wants to have the cake and eat it too. He aims to kill two birds by firing just one shot. No questions would be asked obviously if the team returns triumphant from the Caribbean and he will quite proudly claim the credit for victory. And if the team gets jolted he might simply say the combination given to him was not to his liking.

“Our team is geared up to tactically and technically live up to the expectations of the nations to accomplish the task in the West Indies,” he told APP Correspondent Ehsan Qureshi in an interview in Karachi prior to his departure to Lahore on his way to St.Lucia on April 24.

“Without the prayers of the nation and supporters across the world, Pakistan team can not achieve anything. Besides playing patriotically for Pakistan we needed support of countrymen and media,” he added.

“My appeal to the national media would be healthy in criticism but should keep the interest of Pakistan above all. My mission as a captain and with the support of players and team management to keep the team away from any controversy,” he pointed out.

“I like to lead the team from the front because of my style and I always believe in an aggressive approach which had his stigma throughout his career. We are fully equipped to face the challenges in West Indies. He got well balanced team in batting and bowling and we have to further lift the standard of fielding,” the Pakistan captain remarked.

“Fielding is crucial area in this fastest version of the game and a lot of hard work was done to raise the standard. We are ready give our best and rest with Almighty,” he stressed.

Shahid dispelled the impression that Pakistan may face trouble in batting department. “It’s altogether different in T20 cricket. We got a lot of firepower in our batting. We are initially planning to start the innings with Muhammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal. We have experienced Misbahul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal, Khalid Latif and Salman Butt,” he said.

He expected spinning tracks in the West Indies and considered Pakistan’s bowling attack potent enough to come good on all kind of surfaces.

“Saeed Ajmal and Muhammad Hafeez would be the off-spinners to complement my leg-spin. We have adequate resources in the fast bowling department as well with the likes of Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq,” the Pakistan captain believed.

“T20 is very tough and demanding cricket and we can afford to take any team lightly. We even can not take Bangladesh lightly as they possess a number talented cricketer in their line-up,” he concluded.

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Sehwag out of World Twenty20 once more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Easily the most destructive batsman in every format of the game, Virender Sehwag will be missing the Twenty20 World Cup for the second year running. According to the reports the explosive Indian opener has suffered a shoulder injury, which has ruled him out of the ICC World Twenty20 beginning in the West Indies on April 30.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), preoccupied of late with the crisis in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has announced that Sehwag has been advised rest for three to four weeks and has been replaced by Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay in the 15-man squad with Gautam Gambhir being made the vice-captain.

There was no mention, however, in the BCCI statement about the details of the latest injury sustained by Sehwag having played all 14 IPL-3 league matches for Delhi Daredevils.

Sehwag wasn’t at his best in the IPL-3 having scored only 356 runs at an average of 25. His last appearance in the IPL was on April 18 as his team failed to make it to the semifinals. Since he was deemed fit when included in the World Twenty20 squad the injury must have occurred during the course of the IPL-3.

Sehwag was unable to play for India in the ICC World Twenty20 last year because he had sustained a shoulder injury during the IPL-2 in South Africa, shortly before the World Twenty20 was due to begin.

He had accompanied the national the squad to England but was not able to play a game. His absence was not felt in the first round where India, the defending champions, thrashed their rivals convincingly but he was missed in the second round where India lost all three matches to get themselves were eliminated.

Murali Vijay, who has been in spectacular form in the IPL-3, has been chosen as Sehwag’s replacement for the upcoming event but the hugely talented youngster, who has also been India's back-up opener for Tests as well as ODIs in the recent past, could find it very hard to smash the bowlers at the international level.

There’s a feeling that Robin Uthappa, who played for India in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, would have been a better choice than Vijay. But then Uthappa has been playing in the middle-order for the Royal Challengers Bangalore that might have prompted the selectors to go for a specialist opener in Vijay.

It doesn’t really matter if Vijay plays or Uthappa was included in his place because India would always be missing Sehwag because he possesses the ability to win the match on his own.

With Sachin Tendulkar unwilling to represent the country in the Twenty20 games India could well be short of experience once more and they might face the prospects of returning empty handed once more from the Caribbean.

Although the slow and low pitches in the West Indies are understood to be to the liking of the Indians but they might never be able forget the nightmare of the 2007 World Cup when they had failed to qualify for the second round.

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Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat ruled out due to injury

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Yes, Umar Gul, an experienced fast bowler, has been ruled out of the of the ICC World Twenty20 due to start in the West Indies later this month due to an injury like all-rounder Yasir Arafat.

The clarification is very much needed here because of the ongoing chaos and mess the Pakistan cricket is in at the moment. Quite a few celebrated performers didn’t make the squad because of ineligibility.

Umar and Yasir were very much eligible for selection and both of them featured in the Pakistan squad for what has also been acclaimed as the Twenty20 World Cup.

Umar had sustained a shoulder injury during a practice session at Lahore’s National Cricket Academy while Yasir was struggling to get out of his calf injury. Neither them could not clear the fitness test conducted at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on April 18.

Their absence has been described as a big blow to defending champions Pakistan, who have replaced the injured duo of fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan.

"In mutual agreement with captain and coach, we have decided that we will not take a chance with half-fit players,” chief selector Mohsin Khan was quoted as saying.

"We recommended the names of fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and uncapped Mohammad Irfan as replacements for the injured players. We have picked Sami from the list of five reserves we had kept for the World Cup," he added.

"Umar Gul would be missed in the Twenty20 World Cup and this is disappointing that he is not the part of the team," Mohsin remarked.

Umar was hopeful of recovering in time but coach Waqar Younis and chief selector Mohsin Khan insisted that no player will be part of the squad unless fully fit.

The lion-hearted had come up in sterling performance in the last two editions of T20 World Cup and was the leading wicket-takers for Pakistan on both occasions. In fact he has taken the highest number of wickets in Twenty20 Internationals, having scalped no less than 43 batsmen in 26 matches.

He also recorded the best Twenty20 bowling figures when he took five wickets for six runs against New Zealand in the second World Twenty20, which Pakistan won in England last year.

The Pakistan skipper, Shahid Afridi, also expressed his disappointment at Umar’s absence but hoped that the team will cope with the situation.

“Umar is our best bowler, but we have to cope with it and now Sami has to replace him and perform,” he observed.

Sami, who clocked 90 miles an hour, has played 34 Tests and 83 One-day matches for Pakistan but he has yet to play a Twenty20 International. Irfan is a lanky left-arm quickie, who has not represented the country as the international level yet.

Pakistan have been placed in Group A of the ICC Twenty20 and they will play their first match against Bangladesh on May 1 in St Lucia before taking on Australia the next day at the same venue. The tournament starts on April 30 and ends on May 16

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Tendulkar to miss out in World T20 even in purple patch

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan's captain for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 to be held in the Caribbean, Shahid Afridi, has reckoned that Sachin Tendulkar's absence from the Indian team for the tournament will be a blessing in disguise for the other sides.

Tendulkar had voluntarily ruled himself out of international Twenty20 matches in 2007, before the inaugural World Twenty20, in order to preserve himself for the longer formats. But there have also been indications that the grand master distanced himself from the shortest version of the game at the international level to let Mahendra Singh Dhoni lead the side without the pressures of having ‘veterans’ under his command.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between and there’s every likelihood that a combination of factors influenced his decision.

His success with the bat in the ongoing IPL-3 leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind about him being more than suitable for every format of the game. He has been leading Mumbai Indians by example and in the manner in which he has scored runs of late makes everyone feel that he’s the man in form.

He was not a part of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 held in 2007 in South Africa which India won under Dhoni. Neither was he a member of the side that was humiliated in the second edition of the tournament in England last year.

In other words Tendulkar has not been in the scheme of things as far as India’s T20 plans are concerned. The Indian selectors and their team management, for reasons best known to them, have not made much effort in persuading him to play T20 Internationals either.

The Indian think-tank appears convinced that they won’t be needing Tendulkar for T20 and in such circumstances the iconic batsman, having all conceivable batting records under this belt, could not be expected to plead to anyone. He has chosen the right course letting his bat make the statement all the time.

Tendulkar has been in the middle of yet another purple patch and there were suggestions that he might be reconsidering his decision but, like a wise man, he has ruled out such a possibility.

"The way he has blossomed in the last few years, he is only getting better and better as a batsman. If he is not playing for India in the Twenty20 World Cup, it is certainly a big advantage for other teams.If Tendulkar had played in this World Cup, I am sure he would made big impact for India," the Pakistan captain felt.

“Age has not had any effect on Tendulkar's powers. With every match he seems to be growing as a batsman and getting better. He is playing like a teenager. There is no sign of age affecting his game at all," Shahid added.

"The biggest thing that he still enjoys playing the sport and he is hunger for runs has not died at all," he said. I think even in Twenty20 cricket you need to bat properly and at times even playing out 20 overs is a big challenge for a team. You need to play orthodox cricket," he pointed out.

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