Launching Ceremony of ICC Champions Trophy 2013

Top 10 Moments of the Super Eights

Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL vs NZ, Sept 27, 2012)

After having excelled at his primary function in regulation overs, Tillakaratne Dilshan found himself posted at long-off for the Super Over against New Zealand. Mahela Jayawardena revealed that he had posted his best fielders in areas where he hoped the ball would go. Martin Guptill obliged, trying to clear the ropes, but Dilshan stood tall and pulled off a smart catch inches in front of the ropes. They say cricket is a game of inches and the composed Dilshan proved it was indeed so. 

Umar Gul (Pak v SA, Sept 28, 2012)

Pakistan had made a real mess of chasing down 134 against South Africa, finding itself at 78 for 7, when Umar Gul arrived in a flurry of boundaries. A four and a six off Jacques Kallis and suddenly, South Africa was pushed on to the back foot. Gul kept swinging merrily, smashing two fours and three sixes in a 17-ball 32 to set up an unlikely victory. 

Rain (Aus v Ind, Sept 28, 2012)

India had reason to believe it had posted a competitive total after reaching 140 for 7. After all, it had packed its side with three specialist spinners on a slow turner when a brief spell of rain, at the start of the Australian chase, scuttled its designs. A wet ball and a slightly livelier batting surface completely took the spinners out of the equation as Australia won by the proverbial country mile. 

Jeevan ‘Gangnam’ Mendis (SL v WI, Sept 29, 2012)

When Sri Lanka got past West Indies, Dwayne Bravo inadvertently provided a moment of pure joy. After reaching 40, Bravo tried to lift the leg-spin of Jeevan Mendis over long-on. When Tillakaratne Dilshan pouched the catch, Mendis did a Gangnam-style celebration, which was flashed on the big screen. Chris Gayle, who introduced the move to cricket, was sitting in the dugout and watching, and could barely suppress a giggle. 

Lasith Malinga (SL v NZ, Sept 29, 2012)

Lasith Malinga might’ve taken five wickets in the match against England, but he was worth his weight in gold in a crucial game earlier in the series. When New Zealand scrapped hard enough to tie the match against Sri Lanka, Mahela Jayawardena did not have to think twice about which bowler to use in the Super Over. As Jayawardena subsequently revealed, there was no player in international cricket he’d have bowl the Super Over than Malinga. Six energetic yorkers later, the game was in the bag.

Xavier Doherty (Aus v SA, Sept 30, 2012)

Xavier Doherty had cooled his heels for the first three games before, in deference to the conditions, Australia drafted the left-arm spinner into the playing XI. Doherty took just three deliveries to make an impact, producing a slider to clean up Richard Levi and then a dream delivery that spun sharply away from Jacques Kallis to find his outside edge. 3 for 20 from four overs – clearly game-breaking. 

Shahid Afridi (Pak v Ind, Sept 30, 2012)

Horribly out of form with the bat, Shahid Afridi was pushed up to No. 3 in a bizarre move as Pakistan sought to think out of the box in the mind games stakes even though Nasir Jamshed at No. 3 was always going to be the more logical choice. Afridi lasted just 12 deliveries in making 14, and the tables were comprehensively turned, as it was India that grew fangs when he holed out in the deep. 

Tim Southee (NZ v WI, Oct 1, 2012)

What’s the one thing you don’t want to do in a Super Over? Tim Southee, entrusted with defending 17 against Chris Gayle, comfortably overstepped on his first ball, and even before the umpire could signal the no-ball, Gayle had sent the ball into the stands over long-off. Needless to say, the game did not end too well for New Zealand, and Gayle was the one prancing about when all was said and done.

Marlon Samuels (WI v NZ, Oct 1, 2012)

Having not bowled a ball in the 19 overs that had been delivered, Marlon Samuels virtually insisted that he would bowl the last over of the New Zealand innings. Samuels conceded 13 to push the contest into a Super Over. Having done so, he then volunteered to bowl the Super Over, and Darren Sammy went along. This was despite Sunil Narine being the star of the show with 3 for 20 off his four overs in regulation play. 

AB de Villiers (SA v Ind, Oct 2, 2012)

South Africa came into the competition as one of the favourites, and exited without a win in three Super Eights games. Distraught and inconsolable, AB de Villiers spoke of “disappointment” and “hurt” at the way his team had played throughout the competition. His voice choking, de Villiers promised his team would come back strongly. And it wasn’t that hard to believe him. 

Australia retain women's T20 crown

COLOMBO: Australia successfully defended their women's World Twenty20 title following an exciting four run win over arch-rivals England in the final on Sunday.

Jess Cameron hit the highest score of 45 in any World Twenty20 final to help Australia to 142-4 in their 20 overs before the champions restricted England to 138-9 at Premadasa stadium.

Spinners Jess Jonassen (3-25) and Lisa Sthalekar (2-16) shared the spoils as England found the going hard on a spin-friendly pitch.

Seamer Julie Hunter grabbed 2-36 to finish as tournament's best bowler with 11 wickets.

But it was all-rounder Sthalekar, also scoring 23 not out, who set up the win with the wicket of England's premier batter Charlotte Edwards for 28 in the eighth over to make the chase difficult for the 2009 champions.

England had pinned their hopes on Edwards who had hit a brilliant half-century in England's seven wicket win over Australia in the group phase.

England needed 16 off the last over but Danielle Hazell (16 not out) managed 11, leaving the Australian players jubiliant.

Alyssa Healy (26) and Meg Lanning (25) put on 51 for the opening wicket in Australia's competitive total after they were put in to bat.

Cameron smashed five boundaries and a six during her rapid 34-ball knock.

Hosts Sri Lanka and the West Indies play in men's final later Sunday.

Brief scores:

Australia 142-4 in 20 overs (J. Cameron 45; H. Colvin 2-21); England 138-9 in 20 overs (C. Edwards 28; J. Jonassen 3-25, L. Sthalekar 2-16, J. Hunter 2-36).

(AFP)

Jayawardena quits as Sri Lanka T20 Captain

Moments after Sri Lanka lost to the West Indies in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 2012, Mahela Jayawardene said he was stepping as the captain of the Twenty20 International team.   

Making it clear that defeat in the final had nothing to do with the decision, Jayawardene said he felt it was time for Sri Lanka to start blooding a new leader. “Guys, this is not a surprise,” Jayawardene told newsmen on Sunday night. “I have had a chat to the selectors before this tournament started, and I was going to step down from the Twenty20 captaincy after this World Cup. I personally feel that for Sri Lanka to go forward, we needed a younger leader. It’s a great opportunity for someone to start off with the Twenty20 format. I have spoken to the selectors and they are quite happy with that.”   

“Just to say that I really enjoyed working with you guys. I haven’t stepped down from other formats. I took over till December, till the Australian tour,” said Jayawardene, who had returned as Sri Lanka captain in February, after Tillakaratne Dilshan stepped down following the tour of South Africa which ended in January. “I will assess what I want to do after that (the Australian tour). They will make a call on who is going to lead the side in Twenty20 cricket.”   

Jayawardene, 35, didn’t rule out continuing to play international Twenty20 cricket, saying, “It depends on whether the new captain and the selectors want me.”   

It is expected that Angelo Mathews, Jayawardene’s deputy who has led Sri Lanka in his absence, will take over as the Twenty20 captain.   

Under Jayawardene, who will lead Delhi Daredevils in the Champions League beginning next week in South Africa, Sri Lanka won 12, lost six and tied one of 19 T20Is.  

Samuels special the spur for epic West Indies victory

There was no fairytale finish for the host nation, no culmination of a dream for its brave captain. Instead, international cricket’s most admired team walked away with the spoils, as West Indies justified pre-tournament favourite status by lifting the ICC World Twenty20 2012 crown in sensational fashion.   

West Indies’ first global title since it won the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 at The Oval in London thus consigned Sri Lanka to a fourth consecutive defeat in the final of an ICC tournament, a miserable run that dates back to 2007.   

A fourth of the way into the title clash in front of a capacity 35,000-strong crowd – including Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa – at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday night, the West Indies had all but batted itself out of the game. Then, it found a timely hero in Marlon Samuels.   

Batting like a man possessed, Samuels single-handedly resurrected an innings that had been stifled by the parsimony of Angelo Mathews and the prolific wicket-taking ways of Ajantha Mendis. Samuels tore into Lasith Malinga, arguably the best Twenty20 bowler of the past few seasons, on his way to a stirring 78 off 56 deliveries. In the process, he carried West Indies to 137 for 6.   

It wasn’t the most intimidating total, but on a slowing surface that cried out to be exploited by the spin resources at Darren Sammy’s disposal, it needed some getting. Through brilliance with the ball, commitment in the field and fuelled by the desire to do it for the Caribbean people, the West Indies beat Sri Lanka at its own game, bowling the host out for 101 to complete an emotion-soaked and comprehensive 36-run victory.   

Sri Lanka needed at least one of its top three – the experienced unit of Mahela Jayawardena, its inspirational captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara – to anchor the chase. Dilshan was knocked over in the second over by a beauty from Ravi Rampaul, and while Jayawardena and Sangakkara did put on 42, they took 50 deliveries in doing so as West Indies kept things remarkably tight.   

Sangakkara’s dismissal, trying to force the tempo, set in motion an extraordinary passage of play as wickets tumbled in a rush. There is no greater advantage in a cup final than scoreboard pressure; Sri Lanka completely succumbed to it, especially after Jayawardena’s second-gear effort was terminated by Sunil Narine, who sowed the early seeds of doubt by ripping his first couple of deliveries past Sangakkara’s hopeful blade.   

Sri Lanka completely lost its head after its captain’s dismissal and played itself out of contention through two silly run-outs. The sound of silence gripped the stadium but the West Indies, Gangnam Style and all, couldn’t be bothered.   

Until Samuels’s blitzkrieg, though, the West Indian innings was headed nowhere. Runs came in a trickle as Sri Lanka began brilliantly, keeping up the pressure through Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara. Johnson Charles fell prey to frustration in the first over from Mathews, a wicket-maiden, after four dot balls, while Kulasekara conceded only wide in his first over to Chris Gayle.   

The West Indies had limped to 12 for 1 after five, and when Ajantha snared Gayle with a straighter one in his first over – Gayle had never looked like he was in any control, taking 16 deliveries for a tortured three – the West Indies finished the Power Play at 14 for 2, easily its lowest ever. The first ten overs yielded just one four; otherwise, forget the boundaries, even the twos had completely dried up. At 32 for 2 after 10, Sri Lanka had a serious stranglehold.   

In the final analysis, the 11th over proved the most critical one of the game. It only produced six runs, but it was the over in which Samuels was reprieved, by Kulasekara running round to his right from long-off as the batsman tried to drive Jeevan Mendis’s leg-spin over the boundary. Samuels was then on 20, out of 33 for 2. Taking that as the cue to stamp his authority on the final, Samuels cut loose in some style.   

His assault on Malinga had to be seen to be believed. It wasn’t as if Malinga bowled too badly; Samuels, though, was in the zone, unleashing a bucketful of fury on the hapless bowler. What was pleasing about Samuels’s pyrotechnics was that he played fabulous cricketing shots. There was one gorgeous drive over cover and a top-edged pull, both easily clearing the boundary rope, but otherwise his breathtaking innings was characterised by brilliant use of the straight field.   

Dwayne Bravo played no more than a bit part in the only partnership of substance, 59 off 49 for the third wicket, until he was adjudged leg before to Ajantha, but that association had given the West Indies renewed hope.   

That hope burgeoned the longer Samuels stayed at the wicket. Having taken 21 off Malinga’s second over, he smashed Jeevan for 14 in his second, then picked up 19 off Malinga’s third, with two more sixes and a peach of a cut-drive behind point. In all, he hammered one four and five sixes off Malinga alone, leaving him with figures of none for 54 from four overs.   

Contrast this with Mathews, who bowled four overs for 11 and Ajantha, who finished with 4 for 12 from his quota, and it puts the Samuels innings in perspective. Ajantha did cut a swathe through the middle order, but even after Samuels fell playing one stroke too many to give Akila Dananjaya his only success, the West Indies was far from finished.   

Sammy dented Kulasekara’s figures in the last over by alternating between helter-skelter running and two beefy hits to pick up 16. At the break, the West Indies total appeared competitive but gettable. By the end, it was a mile too far, again, for Sri Lanka.

Shane Watson named ICC World Twenty20 2012 - Player of the Tournament

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson was today named as the player of the tournament at the conclusion of the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.  

Watson was the unanimous choice of the select group of experts* following his sensational form that helped guide his side to the semi-final stage of the tournament before it was knocked out by West Indies. The 31-year-old batted six innings in the tournament, scoring a total of 249 runs at an average of 49.80.  He also took 11 wickets at an average of 16.00 and an economy-rate of 7.33 with his extremely useful medium pace bowling.  

Watson, who collected his trophy at the post-match presentation said: “Although we didn’t quite reach our team goal of winning this tournament, on a personal note it’s an honour to be named as the ICC World Twenty20 2012 player of the tournament.  

“To be recognised for your achievements is always a nice feeling but I certainly know it would have felt a lot better if we had also been able to lift the trophy.  

“Going into the tournament I knew that if we could get our batting innings off to a good start it would hold us in good shape and it was nice that I could put on a few partnerships with Dave Warner and Mike Hussey and to pick up a few wickets and play a role with the ball was great too.  

“As an all-rounder you always strive to have the perfect performance with bat and ball in one game so to be able to do this in a few matches was extremely satisfying.  

“Our goal was to win the tournament and take the one ICC trophy we’re yet to win back to Australia, but it wasn’t to be this time around. We’re already looking forward to another crack at it in 2014.”  

*The selection panel that chose the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 men’s and women’s players of the tournament consisted of:  

Geoff Allardice (ICC General Manager – Cricket) 
Rex Clementine (Cricket journalist from Sri Lanka)
Tony Hill (Member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires) 
Ranjan Madugalle (ICC Chief Match Referee and former Sri Lanka captain)
Sanjay Manjrekar (Former India cricketer and ESS commentator)  

West Indies emerge as new T20 Champions

A look back at previous ICC World Twenty20 Final Matches

Ahead of Sunday’s final in the ICC World Twenty20 2012 between Sri Lanka and the West Indies, and the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2012 final between England and Australia, we look at title clashes in the previous editions of this competition.   

2007   

India v Pakistan (September 24, 2007, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg)

A repeat of an opening-round clash between the teams that was decided through a bowl-out, the final too went right down to the wire, with only five runs separating the victor from the vanquished in an emotional, high-voltage showdown. India, initially reluctant to

Umpires and Match Referees announced for Women's and Men's Finals

The ICC today announced details of the umpire and match referee appointments for the women’s and men’s finals of the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, which will be played on 7 October at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Sunday 7 Oct (women’s final) – England Women v Australia Women (1430-1715), Colombo – Billy Bowden and Marais Erasmus (on-field umpires), Tony Hill (third umpire), Nigel Llong (fourth umpire), Graeme La Brooy (match referee).

Sunday 7 Oct (men’s final) – Sri Lanka v West Indies (1900-2200), Colombo – Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar (on-field umpires), Rod Tucker (third umpire), Ian Gould (fourth umpire), Jeff Crowe (match referee)

Exciting time to be involved in Womens Cricket: Sthalekar

Lisa Sthalekar is one of the most experienced, and respected, cricketers in the women’s game and an ICC Women’s World Twenty20 champion, having won the title with the Australian team in 2010. Now, she has a chance to repeat the feat, but England, Australia’s opponent in the final, is probably the best team in the world among the women. 

“We have played some really good cricket over the last two years since the last ICC World Twenty20. So we are excited that we have made the finals. It’s never an easy feat to come through semi-finals, we had to play West Indies who have improved immensely.

Have to focus on everyone, not just Gayle: Jayawardene

Especially after his pyrotechnics against Australia in the semi-final on Friday night, Chris Gayle is the cynosure as the West Indies goes into the final of the ICC World Twenty20 2012 against Sri Lanka, the host nation, on Sunday night. 

Gayle smashed an unbeaten 75 off 41 deliveries at the R Premadasa Stadium to turbo-charge the West Indies to 205 for 4, a total that was 74 runs beyond the reach of Australia, but Mahela Jayawardena said there was more to the West Indies than just Gayle. 

Slow wickets helpsful for spinners

Rehman banned for 12 weeks for cannabis use

Abdur Rehman, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, has been banned for 12 weeks by the ECB under its anti-doping rules after testing positive for the recreational drug cannabis during his stint with Somerset in the English domestic season. The penalty is binding on all countries signed up to the World Anti-Doping Code.

Rehman will be suspended until midnight of December 21. He has already been withdrawn from the Sialkot Stallions squad for the Champions League T20, which begins on October 9 in South Africa.

West Indies in controversy before semis

The West Indies team found themselves in a controversy two days before their World Twenty20 semi-final against Australia when police arrested three women who, they say, had been guests of players at a Colombo hotel early on Wednesday morning. The women, all British nationals, were released on bail without being charged and the team management said the matter was now closed.

David Hussey in contention for semi-final

David Hussey could be in line for a recall for Australia's semi-final against West Indies as the selectors consider the value of experience at the business end of the tournament. The allrounder Glenn Maxwell would be the likely candidate to make way for Hussey after he had a disappointing match against Pakistan, but the coach Mickey Arthur said a decision was yet to be made.

Toss key in spin-heavy contest

In a tournament where no team has managed to stay unbeaten, the first semi-final will be contested between two of the most consistent teams in thehistory of the World Twenty20. Pakistan, who qualified for the semi-finals on the basis of a better net run rate than India, have defied the unpredictable nature of the format by making the last four in each of the four tournaments. Only Michael Hussey's remarkable 60 ended their hopes of making a third consecutive final in the 2010 World Twenty20. Sri Lanka, who went through the Super Eights undefeated, are the only team to come close to matching Pakistan's consistency.

Expectations soar as Sri Lanka enter familiar territory

Something about major tournaments stokes Sri Lanka's fire. They have now reached their fifth semi-final in six competitions, second only to Pakistan who have a cleansweep since the 2007 World Cup. In between the major events, they are often underwhelming. Before defeating Pakistan in the home ODIs in June, Sri Lanka had failed to collect silverware in six limited-overs series over 10 months.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan in familiar territory

Match facts

October 4, 2012
Start time 1900 (1330 GMT)

Big Picture

Pakistan didn't know until late on Tuesday night whether they'd have to keep their hotel reservations in Colombo for a few more days. But when South Africa's Robin Peterson gloved a ball for a single to take the score to 122 against India, a roar went around the Premadasa. It sounded as though Sri Lanka were playing, but the noise was from a legion of Pakistan fans who were celebrating their team's progress to the semi-finals on net run rate, at India's expense.

Unpredictable Pakistan become regular semi-finalists

The Premadasa Stadium, in its refurbished avatar, shimmers in the Colombo afternoon heat, its near-vertical stands staring coldly at the tattered outfield, large patches of brown spread like a rash on the green. Last evening Pakistan's fielders, faced with a win-or-depart situation, threw themselves around on it, without a care for their bodies. Their spinners squeezed all the power and fight out of Australia's batsmen. The reward was a sixth successive semi-final in an ICC tournament since the double blows of tragedy and disappointment in the 2007 World Cup.

Pakistan through despite India victory

India crashed out of the ICC World Twenty20 on Tuesday night, making its exit at the Super Eights for the third consecutive edition, despite a one-run victory over South Africa. India needed to win by a 31-run margin to edge out Pakistan on net-run-rate and make the semi-finals as the second team from the group, behind Australia.

Its final margin of victory merely facilitated Pakistan's entry into the last four. Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka, the host nation, in the first semi-final on Thursday, while Australia will take on the West Indies in Friday's second semi-final.

Points Table

T20 World Cup - Super Eight Step by Step

Pakistan qualifies for Semi Final T20 2012