England overwhelm sloppy Pakistan to avoid early exit  

   

 England batted purposefully, bowled accurately and fielded athletically to avert an early departure from the Twenty20 World Cup with a comfortable 48-run win over Pakistan on Sunday.
Defeat at the Oval after the upset loss to the Netherlands on Friday would have condemned the hosts to a first-round exit a month before they begin the Ashes series against Australia. Pakistan meet the Netherlands in the final Group B match at Lord's on Tuesday (1230 GMT). England responded to Friday's humiliation by reaching a competitive 185 for five with Kevin Pietersen celebrating his return from injury with 58 from 38 balls.
Pietersen had a life on 30 when off-spinner Saeed Ajmal dropped a sharp caught-and-bowled opportunity, one of four chances spilled by the Pakistanis whose ground fielding was also sloppy.
He hit three sixes, one travelling more than 100 metres into the stand over long-off, and shared useful partnerships with opener Luke Wright (34) and Owais Shah (33).
Stuart Broad worked up a lively pace when Pakistan batted, capturing the wickets of Kamran Akmal (6) and Salman Butt (28) from successive short-pitched deliveries which the batsman skied to fielders.
Pakistan fell steadily behind the required run rate and Shahid Afridi, a batsman capable of turning any match, missed as often as he connected as England moved in for the kill.
When he was caught for five Pakistan's hopes went with him and the Pakistani supporters, who had vied with the home fans to see who could make the most noise in a packed ground, began heading for the gates. 

ICC t20

  
South Africa beat Scotland by 130 runs  


 South Africa beat Scotland by 130 runs in their Twenty20 World Cup Group D match at the Oval in London on Sunday.

South Africa produced an ominously clinical performance to send Scotland packing, beating them by the second highest margin in this format. AB de Villiers cracked a classy and authoritative 79 from just 34 in South Africa's 211 for 5, the highest total of the tournament so far, before Dale Steyn and Johan Botha tore through Scotland who were rolled for 81, the seventh-lowest Twenty20 total.

This was a champion performance from one of the tournament favourites. Unlike England, who were out-thought and out-played by Netherlands in the opening match, South Africa asserted themselves from the outset to lay bare Scotland's technical flaws, not to mention their lack of experience.

Chasing a daunting 212, Scotland were reduced to a hopeless 50 for 6 at the halfway point. Steyn knocked over Ryan Watson and Colin Smith (his second first-ball duck in as many days) while Wayne Parnell removed Gavin Hamilton, who decided to open the innings. Steyn rarely reached his top pace, but he needn't have: he was quick and menacing enough to sound a warning to the other teams in the tournament. Kyle Coetzer briefly stood in South Africa's way, the only Scotland batsman to take them on, smiting Albie Morkel over long-on for two sizeable sixes to give a hearty and patriotic crowd something to cheer, but these were the last desperate runs of an innings already terminated.

Coetzer's 31-ball 42 crowned an impressive personal display from him, following his outstanding catch in South Africa's innings to dismiss Mark Boucher. Before that, however, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis ensured South Africa got off to a flying start. Kallis was first to open his shoulders, thumping the wayward Callum MacLeod through extra cover before flicking him fine for four more. He took to Jan Stander - who had a howler of a tournament - with greed, flaying him over backward point; flicking a stray to fine-leg before square cutting twice more past point. South Africa, unlike England who stuttered so aimlessly two days ago, were not going to let an Associate side get the better of them.

Scotland were urged to improve their fielding by the captain, Hamilton, yesterday, but he himself was twice at fault with a couple of mucky indiscretions, and overall, his side's fielding occasionally verged on the comical. Scotland are nothing if not fighters, however, and they fought back impressively with three wickets. Majid Haq, a canny and underrated offspinner, induced a thick inside edge to a slog-sweep from Kallis to end his innings on 48. Smith, too, attempted a similar shot three balls later but top-edged it to the wicketkeeper. Ryan Watson was then brought on and a lovely piece of flight accounted for Herschelle Gibbs, who was just beginning to look ominous.

And then de Villiers took over with relish. Initially favouring an orthodox approach with a selection of elegant, classy drives, he then scorched Haq for a flat fix over long-on before opening himself up to Glenn Rogers' slow-left-arm spin, cover-driving him with wonderful flare and elegance. With five overs to go, the manic final flurry was instigated and Watson was treated with pure disdain, carted over midwicket for a crowd-pleasing six.

His and Morkel's fifty partnership came from 18 balls and, though Morkel fell for 24, de Villiers powered onwards to bring up a 25-ball fifty with his fifth boundary down the ground as an increasingly overawed MacLeod was clattered to all parts. This mercilessness is how to deal with Associates, England.

The moment of the day, however, belonged to Scotland. Boucher, on two, nailed Gordon Drummond over the top but Coezter was lurking at long-on, practically treading on the boundary, and with a trampoline leap he leapt high and stretched his right hand, swivelling in the process, to cling onto an extraordinarily athletic chance which rightfully received a standing ovation. It was Scotland's only high point.

South Africa wrapped things up in the 16th over with each facet of their game looking polished and their attitude ruthless, but far sterner tests lie ahead in the coming days. 

 Gayle blows Australia away  


 West Indies' captain Chris Gayle smashed the Australian bowlers to all parts of the Oval on Saturday to lead his team to a seven wicket victory in their opening Twenty20 World Cup group C match. Gayle struck 88 with six sixes and six fours from 50 deliveries as West Indies overhauled Australia's 169 for seven with 4.1 overs to spare.

Andre Fletcher proved an excellent foil, scoring 53 from 32 balls in an opening partnership of 133.

Gayle launched an audacious attack on Brett Lee, bowling in excess of 145 kms an hour, in the fifth over of the innings. He clubbed the Australian fast bowler over long-on into the street and struck another huge six over mid-wicket. Twenty-seven came from the over.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting turned to David Hussey's gentle slow-medium and Gayle responded by lofting two more sixes into the crowd.

Jerome Taylor had set West Indies on the victory path by dismissing Shane Watson and Australia captain Ricky Ponting for ducks in the opening over of the match.

Australia, reduced to 15 for three after 3.3 overs, did well to reach their eventual total.

Diminutive left-handed opener David Warner anchored the innings with 63 from 53 balls and Brad Haddin (24), David Hussey (27) and Michael Hussey (28) made useful contributions down the order.

ICC T20

Tigers caught in Ojha's web

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha claimed four scalps to steer India to a convincing 25-run victory over Bangladesh in the ICC World Twenty20 Group A opener at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday.

Bangladesh ended up with 155-8, chasing India's challenging total of 180-5 mainly due to an 18-ball 41-run knock from Yuvraj Singh.

The Tigers, with hopes of ensuring the Super Eight berths in the first match, had started on the wrong foot when opener Tamim Iqbal went down the wicket against Yusuf Pathan in the third over to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni break the stumps for 15.

Skipper Mohammad Ashraful (11) cover drove Ishant Sharma only to see Gautam Gambhir took an unbelievable low catch to make Bangladesh to 55-2 in 5.2 overs.

Ojha then had started to wave his magic to claim four batsmen – Shakib Al Hasan (8), Junaed Siddique (41 off 22 balls), Mahmudullah Riad (8) and Mashrafee Bin Mortaza (11) – in a row to reduce Bangladesh to 111-6 in 14.4 overs.

Later, Roqibul Hasan and Naeem Islam chipped in with 16 and 28 respectively to just reduce the margin. Naeem struck three sixes in his 17-ball knock.

Earlier, a late blitz from Yuvraj helped India recover from a slow start to post a competitive total on the board.

Yuvraj's smacked 41 off 18 balls studded with four sixes and three fours after Gambhir struck a well-composed 50 off 46 balls with the help of four boundaries.

After struggling against Shakib in the 16th over, Yuvraj cut loose on Naeem Islam with his seemingly effortless shots that included three sixes and in the next over the left-handed batsman blunted quick Rubel Hossain to have smashed 6, 4 and 4 before holing out at mid-off to Shakib off Shahadat Hossain.

Without explosive opener Virender Sehwag, India got off to a fine start with Gambhir and Rohit Sharma adding 59 runs in 7.2 overs before Shakib made the first breakthrough for Bangladesh in his first over.

Rohit was looking dangerous when Shakib thought he had him stumped with his first ball but wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahman missed the opportunity. However the left-arm spinner picked Rohit up with the next delivery. Rohit blazed a 23-ball 36 that included three fours and two sixes.

However, Bangladesh had to pay the price for dropping Gambhir, who was dropped on 13 by Roqibul Hasan at backward point off Shahadat first delivery and the left-handed opener finally struck a fifty.

Dhoni played a 21-ball 26 before being bowled by Naeem Islam who returned 2-32 in three overs while Shakib, Rubel and Shahadat took one wicket apiece.

Bangladesh will face Ireland in their group final match on Monday. 

Bashar, Mashud make case for Tigers' victory
 
 
 Former Bangladesh captains Habibul Bashar and Khaled Mashud believe it is not wrong for Bangladesh to assume a place in the Super Eights is unachievable. And they are confident the Tigers can take a giant step by upsetting defending ICC World Twenty20 champions India on Saturday.

Bashar and Mashud's simple argument is that by definition anything can happen in a Twenty20 match so that will suit Bangladesh who are capable of beating top rated side on their day.

"It seems an uneven battle between Bangladesh and India, but we all saw what happened in the 2007 World Cup. The Twenty20 format strongly suggests no such uneven battle that is why Bangladesh have the ability to beat champions India this time too," said Bashar, who led Bangladesh in that 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

Mashud, however, thinks the Indians have gained much confidence after the IPL, but the format of newest version game really went with Bangladesh.

"Look, why we are going down in international cricket? It is only for lack of patience as the batsmen likes to play more shots instead of leaving the ball and the Twenty20 format needs no such patience. So it is possible to beat India," said the former wicketkeeper.

Mashud thinks the batsmen have to lay the foundation so that the bowlers could find something to bowl at.

"If the batsmen can do well, Bangladesh will win. I want to especially mention the spinners, who have the ability to seal a victory if they are given a good total on the board to defend it," said Mashud. "I think it would not be wise to play eight batsmen because it is a Twenty20 game so the lower-order batsmen hardly get to bat and that's why genuine bowlers are needed in the starting line-up."

Bashar suggests shrugging off the pressure before taking to the field.

"I am impressed in the way the guys played in the warm-up games and I will suggest them to show same mentality in Saturday's match and they should remember we can beat India," said Bangladesh's most successful batsman in Test cricket.

Both captains, however, thought that putting on 160-170 runs on the board would be enough to defend it as well as it would be easier to reach the target if India were restricted to 150.

They also opined that it would be wise to bat first after winning the toss if there was no movement as well as gloomy weather in Nottingham.

Dhoni publicly denies reports of rift with Sehwag

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the unusual step on Friday of leading his team into a news conference where he publicly denied reports of a rift between himself and Virender Sehwag.
Dhoni said reports claiming he had clashed with his vice-captain were "nothing but false and irresponsible media".

Coach Gary Kirsten told reporters the story was false.

"I was blown away when I heard about this, because it is something that just does not exist," Kirsten said.

"I think it is a huge positive to say `we stand together as a team'.

"We wanted to send a message out to say this team is really unified, for the Indian people. We are very close and we have been for a long time now."

The defending champions open their campaign against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday (1700GMT). Bangladesh defeated India in the group stages of the 2007 50 overs World Cup.

"There is a level of expectation, because the team have won before," Kirsten added. "The team are fully aware of that responsibility and understand the pressures.

"The T20 format of the game does bring other teams into it -- one good or bad over can change it around. You can lose games very quickly, so it does throw it open."

Kirsten said Sehwag had torn a shoulder muscle in the Indian Premier League and was uncertain how many matches he would play.
Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons said his tsam were looking forward to putting pressure on the Indians.

"Everyone knows we're dangerous at any time," Siddons told reporters. "We've got potential match winners in any form of the game. Our consistency hasn't quite been there. We are the underdogs but we're looking forward to putting them under some pressure."

ICC World Twenty20

New Zealand v Scotland

       Kiwis staying under radar

New Zealand's World Twenty20 opener against Scotland at the Oval on Saturday promises to be a low key affair - and that is, you suspect, just the way the Black Caps want it.

For years now in one-day cricket New Zealand have punched above their weight and their quality was on show this week when they beat defending World Twenty20 champions India by nine runs in a warm-up match at Lord's.

India's subsequent nine-wicket thrashing of Pakistan in another warm-up at the Oval meant the impact of the New Zealand loss was not felt for too long back home in the sub-continent.

But it was a reminder of the heights the Black Caps can reach.

In wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum they have one of the most dynamic batsmen in world cricket and a worthy successor to the likes of Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle.

Jesse Ryder is also a batsman that can make bowlers look stupid and while the absence of Shane Bond robs them of a genuine quick, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori remains arguably world cricket's pre-eminent left-arm spinner in all forms of the game.

He took three for 24 in the recent victory over India and Vettori relishes a Twenty20 format which, on paper at least, looks to be tilted heavily in favour of batsmen.

"In Twenty20, you are not going to second-guess yourself," said Vettori.

"The batsman is going to attack you, most spin bowlers realise that, and if they attack too much you create chances and you find even part-time spinners in the Indian Premier League being highly successful."

New Zealand though are vulnerable to top order collapse - as happened in their warm-up loss to Australia - but on the flip side they do bat a long way down with reserve keeper Peter McGlashan making an impressive 49 as a No 7 against Ricky Ponting's men.

Of all the three Associate or junior nations taking part in this tournament (Ireland and the Netherlands are the other two), Scotland look least equipped to cause an upset.

It is now a decade since their captain Gavin Hamilton won his one and only Test cap for England while the squad suffered disruption during the warm-up series when former county bowler John Blain quit after a row with his skipper.

Having failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup in Asia, a major blow to their morale, Scotland will be desperate to show in some way that they are deserving of a place on the big stage.

But a seven-wicket loss to the Netherlands in a warm-up confirmed the extent of the challenge facing Hamilton's men who, a day earlier, had threatened to embarrass England before Kevin Pietersen took that match away from them.

"We wanted to play decent cricket but we were miles off the mark," said Hamilton of the Dutch defeat.

"There's no excuse whatsoever for what was a lacklustre performance. The disappointing thing was that we made the same mistakes - there were far too many dot balls."

Probable teams and officials for the Group D ICC World Twenty20 match between New Zealand and Scotland at the Oval on Saturday:

SQUADS
NEW ZEALAND (from): Daniel Vettori (capt), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Brendon Diamanti, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (wkt), Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor

SCOTLAND (from): Gavin Hamilton (capt), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Kyle Coetzer, Gordon Drummond, Majid Haq, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Navdeep Poonia, Glenn Rogers, Colin Smith (wkt), Jan Stander, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Craig Wright
Umpires: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Billy Doctrove (WIS)TV umpire: Rudi Koertzen (RSA)

ICC World T20

   

ICC World T20 gets underway at Lord's 

Most explosive format of cricket returns to its birthplace England when the second edition of the ICC World Twenty20 begins on Friday at Lord's with hosts taking on outsiders the Netherlands.

A 30-minute colourful ceremony will mark the opening of the 12-team competition with Britain's popular artiste Alesha Dixon taking the stage to provide a rousing curtain-raiser.

England had introduced that shortest format in county cricket in 2003, but this version of the game gained much popularity among the cricketing nations after India, the commercial hub of cricket, won the inaugural edition two years ago.

England open up against the Netherlands in the first of their two Group B matches, kicks off at 10:30pm BdST, with Pakistan set to face England at The Oval on Sunday.

Bangladesh will open their Group A campaign against holders and favourites India on Saturday while Australia play the West Indies on the same day in Group C.

All 17,000 tickets of the Bangladesh-India match have already been sold out and tickets for the other matches scheduled to be held in the city are also selling fast. According to the latest count, only 400 tickets have remained unsold for the semi-final match to be held in the city on June 18.

There are four groups of three, with the top two from each group going through to the Super Eights which will be made up of two groups of four.

The top two from each of those groups go into the semi-finals to be played at Trent Bridge and The Oval. The final will be staged at Lord's on June 21.

Among the 10 Test-playing nations, Zimbabwe are missing the tournament due to the political reasons while three associate members – Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland – have qualified for the men's tournament through the qualifying round held in Belfast last year.

Back to the inaugural match, in pace bowler Dirk Nannes, who plays at Lord's for Middlesex, the Dutch have a left-arm quick who can swing the ball late.

Australia-born Nannes didn't hit top form during the Netherlands's recent warm-up games against Ireland and Scotland but if the seamer, who also plays for Indian Premier League side the Delhi Daredevils, is at his best then England need to watch out.

All-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate is another key figure for the Dutch and this match could see him in action against at least two of his Essex team-mates in opening batsman Ravi Bopara and wicketkeeper James Foster, with the big-hitting Graham Napier also in England's squad.

But Netherlands captain and wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits is convinced his side can start the tournament proper with an almighty bang. "I'm sure we can spring a surprise," he said. "We have a quality 20-over team.

England have never won a major one-day tournament and, despite pioneering cricket's shortest format at county level, are not among the favourites now.

They struggled to get past Scotland in a warm-up match before overwhelming the West Indies, a side they've beaten comfortably in Tests and one-dayers this season, in another practice match on Wednesday. 

ICC World Twenty20

Australia v West Indies
Aus look to reshuffle

Australia will be forced into a late change of plan when they begin their quest for the ICC World Twenty20 title against the West Indies at the Oval on Saturday now that Andrew Symonds has been sent home.

The controversial all-rounder was given his marching orders following an alcohol related incident that may well have brought down the curtain on the Queensland star's international career.

This is not the first time Symonds has been undone in this way - he was dropped for two matches during Australia's 2005 tour of England after turning up on the morning of their shock one-day loss to Bangladesh in Cardiff the worse for wear.

Symonds's absence robs Australia of one of the world's leading Twenty20 players. A hard hitting batsman, brilliant fielder and a bowler capable of both medium pace and spin, Symonds ought to be a captain's dream in this format.

That was certainly the view of the Deccan Chargers, winners a few weeks ago of the Indian Premier League, who paid 1.35 million dollars for the services of the Birmingham-born Symonds.

However, Australia know what it is like to be rocked by a late withdrawal - leg-spin great Shane Warne sustained a drugs ban on the eve of their unbeaten run to the 2003 World Cup title in South Africa - and still do well.

And experienced fast bowler Brett Lee said of Symonds: "He's a world-class player and to leave a gap like that is not great for the Australian team but we always find a way to fill a void."

Much now will depend on Australia captain Ricky Ponting to get the side back on track.

The Tasmanian remains one of the world's best batsmen in all forms of the game and Ponting looked in superb touch while making 56 during a warm-up win over New Zealand this week.

"He has let himself down, let all his team-mates down and Cricket Australia down," was Ponting's blunt assessment of Symonds's actions.

"It probably throws the balance a little bit in our side but the beauty of our side is that there is a lot of flexibility within the group."

In the short term Australia, who have called up Cameron White to the squad as a replacement, could promote either one of Michael or David Hussey up the order with David Hussey's off-spin a useful bowling option in the Twenty20.

Given their off-field problems, Australia could have had a worse opener than a match against the West Indies, who have been beaten comprehensively by England in Tests, one-dayers and most recently a Twenty20 warm-up this season.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle though did hammer 88 in a nine-wicket warm-up win over minnows Ireland this week and, in a format which more than any other type of cricket can see games won by one player alone, the left-handed opener remains a significant force.

"This is a fresh start," said Gayle after his innings against Ireland. And now those words don't just apply to his team.

SQUADS
AUSTRALIA (from): Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Brad Haddin (wkt), Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White

WEST INDIES (from): Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wkt), Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Xavier Marshall, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor
Umpires: Asad Rauf (PAK) and Aleem Dar (PAK)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

 Accidental designer eyes Mongoose revolution  

Twenty20 has made a virtue of challenging cricket convention and if an English inventor is right the next thing to be abandoned will be the long-standing design of the bat itself.

Marcus Codrington Fernandez, inspired by a 30-year-old video clip of former England batsman Geoff Boycott, has come up with a new design very much in tune with the devil-may-care attitude of the Twenty20 game.

The result is a bat that looks rather like a hefty brick on the end of a very long stick.

There is little in the way of shoulder -- the bit you need to play those defensive shots against the quicks -- but a much larger "sweet" section that can help even mistimed strokes race towards the boundary.

Those who remember Boycott as an excruciatingly slow-scoring batsman may consider him an unlikely inspiration for a bat designed for all-out attack but if the Mongoose is a success the Yorkshireman may go down as the patron saint of big hitting.
"I got into bat design completely by accident," Codrington Fernandez said as he demonstrated the bat for Reuters at a public pitch in East London.

"I worked in the media for 20 years and then three years ago I had a stroke, which took me out of civilised life for a year.

"It was at that point I was watching Geoff Boycott batting on YouTube and it struck me that the bat he was using was identical to the one being used today in Twenty20 games, where the objective is to hit the ball out of the park every time, not to do what Boycott was doing all those years ago.

"So the game seemed to have moved on and was fundamentally different but the equipment was identical."
He added: "This bat is designed for Twenty20."

New Ideas

There have been attempts to introduce new bats before but they have tended to focus on the use of new materials, notably the aluminium bat used by Dennis Lillee in 1979 and ultimately rejected by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the sport's guardians.
The difference here is that the Mongoose is made with the same materials as any other bat and the MCC have therefore given it their blessing.

"The MCC were extremely encouraging and supportive. They were open-minded and forward thinking in a way many wouldn't have expected," the inventor said.

While the big-hitting Australian Stuart Law has given the bat enthusiastic backing, and already used it to some effect, Codrington Fernandez concedes that the World Twenty20 starting on Friday has probably come too soon for the Mongoose, with the major players already signed up to bat contracts.

The buzz surrounding the bat suggests a lot more players will be trying it soon, however, and not just the sluggers.

"Interestingly, lots of the pro players who want to use this bat are the opening batsmen who aren't renowned for hitting the ball very hard," Codrington Fernandez said.

"They're looking to hit it harder, to get into the one-day squad, the Twenty20 squad in their teams and they see this as a route forward."

Name Choice

Using the bat, you certainly do feel that you are middling the ball more often.

"I'm not the most powerful of batsmen so it gives me an advantage," said Ben Sanders, vice-captain of the London Fields cricket club, after testing the bat for Reuters.

"You can mis-time it but it still races away."
His team mate Paul Teasdale added: "It plays really nice. It's just all middle so you can toe it and it can still go."

A quick look around the web shows that the makers have chosen a name that is a headline writer's dream, not surprising given the inventor's media background.

"We call it the Mongoose because this bat is small and it's ferocious," he said.

"It's also an underdog. We're up against 240 years of tradition since the last bat was designed." 

ICC World Twenty20

First official practice game today

Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful believes the Tigers are preparing well for the ICC World T20 which kicks off on June 5.

"We have come here one week early, had three games against New Zealand, Holland and Scotland and the boys have done well. We are confident and there are two tough games against Australia tomorrow [Monday] and Sri Lanka the day after. So that's a nice build up to the main tournament," said Ashraful at the captains' media briefing at Lord's yesterday.

The Bangladesh skipper was due to stay back in London until later in the evening for the official dinner before he would leave for Nottinghamshire. The rest of the Bangladesh squad is already in Nottingham, their World T20 base, and had a training session at Lady Bay to prepare for today's warm-up against Australia at Trent Bridge.

The Tigers are expected to go in with three spinners and three pacers against the Aussies. Nayeem Islam might make a return to the side after missing the last two practice matches with a sore shoulder. Shahadat Hossain is likely to be kept out again with Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Syed Rasel and Rubel Hossain forming the pace attack.

The game starts at 1:30pm local time (6:30pm Bangladesh Time) with ESPNStar Sports beaming live coverage in South Asia.

Ashraful was looking forward to the first match of Group A against India at Trent Bridge on June 6.

"In this form of the game any side can beat the other. We defeated the West Indies in the last World T20 in South Africa and progressed to the Super Eights. Our main goal is to repeat that and if we beat India, who are the world champions, in the first match then we will fancy our chances of doing well against the other top sides and making the semifinals even."

The captain was asked about the new kid on the block Rubel Hossain who has been too hot to handle for Holland and Scotland in warm-up matches.

"He has taken nine wickets in two matches and is bowling really well. He has an awkward action and has bit of extra pace," said Ashraful.

Ashraful also put his money on vice-captain Mashrafe to come into his own against India despite a rather forgettable Indian Premier League campaign for Kolkata Knight Riders where he just got one game and went for many.

"It was only in the last over that he did badly. Otherwise I thought he was okay. But I know he'll be back. He is that type of a player. He always does well against India."

Mortaza has been the man-of-the-match in both games Bangladesh have won against India.

Asked about the comment from the Ireland captain William Potterfield that they wanted to beat Bangladesh, Ashraful said the Tigers were the better side.

"I think if we play our best cricket then we should not have a problem against Ireland because we have more quality in the side."

ICC World Twenty20

From IPL to WC

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is looking forward to uniting all the talents at his disposal during the World Twenty20 in England after competing against his teammates in the Indian Premier League.

India are the defending World Twenty20 champions after winning the inaugural edition in South Africa two years ago.

Since then the IPL, a lucrative franchise Twenty20 tournament that features the world's best players, has burst on the scene although this year it was played in South Africa because of security concerns.

"Of course it is a pleasure representing your country after the IPL where you have limited talent in your side," Dhoni told reporters at Lord's here on Sunday.

"But here we have plenty of options and we have the cream of the IPL so there is less pressure on each and every individual."

India supply more IPL players than any other nation but wicket-keeper batsman Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai Super Kings, said this was not an advantage in itself.

"The IPL will help us but not only us. There are quite a few players from other countries but most of our players are in the IPL.

"The best thing is that our youngsters will know how to handle pressure, when in the last over you need 10 or 15 runs, everyone in our side has faced that situation.

"It's good exposure for our guys to play against guys like Brett Lee and Shane Warne.

India have been drawn in Group A alongside Asian rivals Bangladesh - who defeated India at the 2007 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean and Ireland - who beat both Bangladesh and Pakistan in the West Indies two years ago.

"In Twenty20, there is no such thing as a weak side, an individual can take the game away from you," Dhoni explained. "If we take care of the immediate steps, the result takes care of itself."

Reflecting on India's success in South Africa, where they beat arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling final, Dhoni said: "We can't live on or relish the memories, we have to turn up and do everything from scratch again, it's not about the past.

"Cricket is a very cruel game, the moment you relax is when you are in trouble," Dhoni said.

Asked how the team had developed, Dhoni joked: "I've got quite a few grey hairs. That's one change, the plus point is that in the last three years there have been fewer changes in the side.

"The individuals involved have played 80 to 90 one-day internationals, helps me personally. I can pick ideas according to the situation. Also the fielding has evolved compared to what it was. We have raised the bar."

India, who still have a doubt over the fitness of fast bowler Zaheer Khan's shoulder injury, come into this event without batting great Sachin Tendulkar.

'The Little Master' has opted out of international Twenty20s and Dhoni said: "He's among the greatest, it's tough, you always want a player like Sachin in your side.

"But he wasn't at the last T20, the guys are getting used to it. But he has a big impact in the dressing room, the amount of ideas he has is amazing."

Much has been made of the impact various strategies might have on the outcome of Twenty20 matches but Dhoni said: "It's about how quickly the individual adapts, about what he does on the field.

"It's not only about strategies but how you implement and how the individual you are planning against reacts. If it was all about strategy Sachin would have been sorted out by now and he's been playing for 20 years."

India begin their Group A campaign against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

Igloo T20 cricket


Chittagong Warriors beat Ekota Sporting Club by five wickets in the Igloo Summer Twenty20 Challenge at the Dhanmondi Club ground yesterday.

Batting first, Ekota scored 133 with Shuvo scoring 57. In reply, the port city boys reached 135-5 with Mithu scoring 33.

In the day's second match, Golden Boys defeated Transformers by three wickets.

4-dayer between Bangladesh A-Maharashtra CA ends in a draw



The four-dayer cricket match between Bangladesh A and Maharashtra Cricket Association ended in a draw at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra on the fourth and final day (Sunday).

Electing to bat first, Bangladesh A made a fighting total of 343 in the first innings on the second day.

In reply, Maharashtra Cricket Association (CA) piled up a mammoth 498 in the first innings on the fourth day.

Bangladesh A scored 37 for the loss of one wicket before the two umpires drew the bails for the final day.

Maharashtra resumed their first innings with the over-night score of 363 for the loss of six wickets and then, the touring side added more 135 runs losing rest of the four wickets.

Rohit Motwani and Srikant Mandle resumed their first innings with the over-night score of 95 and 57 respectively.

Srikant Mandle notched up 130 playing 232 deliveries. He struck 14 fours and three sixers in his 268-minute sparkle innings.

Rohit Motwani knocked a patient 109 off 241 balls. He hit five fours in his 338-minute innings.

Samad Fallah hit 31(not out) off 75 balls amid five fours. He captured six wickets in the space of 108 runs. He was adjudged the Man of the Match for his all-round performance.

Dollar Mahmud harpooned four wickets in lieu of 68 runs while Imran Ahmed got one wicket for three runs on the final day.

Later, opener Imrul Kayes returned to the pavilion scoring 17 off 15 balls with two fours and a six.

Nafees Iqbal remained undefeated with 15 off 23 balls including two fours while Imran Ahmed was at the stumps with four runs.

Aditya Dole got one wicket conceding 19 runs.

Brief score: Bangladesh A team 1st innings - 343 all out in 91 overs; Imran Ahmed 90, Mehrab Hossain Jr 81, Dollar Mahmud 79, Hannan Sarker 39, Nafees Iqbal 30, Enamul Haque Jr 11, Samad Fallah 6/108, Kiran Adhav 2/73.

2nd innings- 37 for 1 in 7.3 overs; Imrul Kayes 17, Nafees Iqbal not out 15, Imran Ahmed not out 4, Aditya Dole 1/19.

Maharashtra CA - 498 all out in 158.2 overs; Srikant Mandle 130, Rohit Motwani 109, Ankit Bawne 57, Rohan Bhosale 53, Dollar Mahmud 4/64, Talha Jubaer 2/98.

Visiting Maharashtra CA will play their 2nd and last four-day match against Bangladesh A, beginning on June 3 (Wednesday) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.