Harper misses cut for T20 World Cup

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 4:56 AM
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The Australian cricket umpire Daryl Harper won't officiate during the upcoming twenty20 world cup in the Caribbean, despite being one of world cricket's elite umpires.

The ICC, cricket's global governing body, says Harper had been omitted after an expert panel concluded his general performance did not merit selection for the event.

The ICC says he hasn't been dropped because of his controversial role during the fourth Test between South Africa and England in Johannesburg, where he gave South Africa captain Graeme Smith not out on a caught behind review.

Smith went on to score a century that led the Proteas to a series-levelling victory.

Harper is the only official on the ICC's elite panel, which is made up of 11 international umpires, to miss making the 13-strong list.


The ICC has also included Shavir Tarapore, Marais Erasmus and Rod Tucker in the panel of umpires for the Twenty20 event in the Caribbean.

List of umpires: Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Billy Doctrove, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Rudi Koertzen, Asoka de Silva, Simon Taufel, Asad Rauf (all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires), Marais Erasmus, Shavir Tarapore and Rod Tucker (all from the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires).

Match Referees: Ranjan Madugalle, Alan Hurst and Jeff Crowe (all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees).

Sri Lanka cut probables to 20

Sunday, March 28, 2010 6:34 AM
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The Sri Lankan selectors are said to have narrowed down their list of 31 probables to 20 prior to naming the final 15 man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup to be played in April 2010.

List of probables are as follows:
Upul Tharanga
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Sanath Jayasuriya
Kumar Sangakkara
Mahela Jayawardena
Dinesh Chandimal
Chamara Kapugedera
Angelo Mathews
Thissara Perera
Muttiah Muralitharan
Suraj Randiv
Ajantha Mendis
Dilhara Fernando
Lasith Malinga
Chanaka Welegedara
Nuwan Kulasekera
Isuru Udana
Jeewan Mendis
Jeewantha Kulatunga
Chinthaka Jayasinghe

Players to miss out from the initial 30 are: Nuwan Soyza, Chamara Silva, Kaushal Silva, Kaushal Weeraratne, M. Pushpakumara, Lahiru Thirimanna, Lahiru Thirimanna, Malinga Bandara, Farveez Mahroof, Suranga Lakmal, Thilina Thushara.

Indian team for T20 World Cup

Friday, March 26, 2010 6:37 AM
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The selectors on Friday picked a 15-member Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in West Indies next month.

MS Dhoni being named captain and Virender Sehwag named vice-captain. [20-Apr] Sehwag has sustained injury during IPL and thus has been excluded from the squad. Gambhir has been named as vice captain for 2010 T20 World Cup.

Vinay Kumar, who has been in superb form in the ongoing Indian Premier League, was the only new face in the squad to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Pacers Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth and RP Singh, who were in the provisional 30-member list, failed to figure in the squad while spinners Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra also missed the bus.

Chawla, who plays for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, has done a decent job with the ball so far, which prompted the selectors to include him in the squad.

Indian T20 World Cup Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, R. Vinay Kumar, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay (replaces Sehwag) and Piyush Chawla.

Graeme Smith to miss T20 World Cup..!!

Friday, March 19, 2010 5:20 AM
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South Africa cricket captain Graeme Smith could miss the World Twenty20 tournament in West Indies due to a finger injury.

Smith, who was hurt on Monday during the Indian Premier League, had said on Twitter that he had a double fracture of his right middle finger.

He is due back in South Africa later on Wednesday when the full extent of his injury will be made known but he is expected to be out for up to six weeks.

South Africa media officer Michael Owen-Smith said they had not heard any news from India about the severity of the skipper's injury.

"Our team doctor, Mohammed Moosajee, said that injuries similar to Graeme's usually take three to six weeks to heal," Owen-Smith added.

"Graeme is bringing all the X-rays back with him and we will be able to make a full diagnosis once the X-rays have been seen."

The World Twenty20 in West Indies starts on April 30, South Africa's first game is against India on May 2.

Smith has only just recovered from a finger injury to his left hand, which he suffered in training before a test match against India in February.

Sri Lanka shortlist 30 probables

Friday, March 12, 2010 4:37 AM
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Sri Lanka's Sports and Public Recreation Minister, Gamini Lokuge has released list of 30 players as probables for the upcoming ICC World Cup T20 tournament.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2010 tournament will take place in Guyana, St Lucia, Barbados and St Kitts from 30 April to 16 May 2010.

Sri Lanka is in Group B with New Zealand and Zimbabwe. The Sri Lankans will play in opening game of the tournament against New Zealand on April 30 in Guyana.

Kumar Sangakkara will be the captain of Sri Lankan team

Probables: Kumar Sangakkara, T.M. Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardana, Chamara Kapugedara, Anjelo Mathews, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Thisara Perera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilina Thushara, Chanaka Welagedara, Suranga Lakmal, M. Mahroof, Isuru Udana, Malinga Bandara, Mahela Udawatta, Lahiru Thirimanna, Dinesh Chandimal, M. Pushpakumara, Kaushal Weeraratne, Kaushal Silva, Chamara Silva, Upul Tharanga, Jeewan Mendis, and Nuwan Soyza.

Cricket mania grips Afghanistan

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 3:21 AM
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They do not have a decent cricket ground, they train and play all of their representative cricket outside their country, but Afghanistan's cricketers are being feted as national heroes on the streets of Kabul and Jalalabad. Their exploits have earned them an audience with President Hamid Karzai and dinner at the US Embassy, where the American ambassador promised to fund the construction of two cricket grounds.

(Read more about Afghanistan at 2010 World Cup)

All of this has been brought about by the extraordinary feat of qualifying, along with Ireland, for the Twenty20 World Cup, to be played in the Caribbean next month. At the bottom of so many world indices, Afghanistan nonetheless came within a match of earning a place in next year's World Cup proper and are now in the top 12 of world cricket's newest format.

"You cannot believe the pride and satisfaction we all feel when our country does so well after enduring so much for so long," says Hilal Yasini, a prominent banker and blogger in the Middle East who, as a child, was forced to leave Afghanistan and live in a camp in Pakistan.

Only 20 years ago, cricket was unknown in the country. Ten years later the sport had been banned by the Taliban, while Bushkazi – rugby on horseback with a sheep's carcass – was the traditional national game. "It is now cricket that is most popular," said the all-rounder Raees Ahmadzai. Posters of the team line the streets in Kabul and Jalalabad.

President Karzai seems to promise the players land, and cars every time he meets them. Not that they have always received them. But the players, on a maximum of £200 a month, have been given laptops, watches and cash by fans as reward for their success.

Thousands turned up in Dubai for the final of the ICC T20 qualifier against Ireland, the first time Afghanistan had played under lights, outnumbering the Irish supporters by about 200 to one. More lined the streets, in the rain, to cheer the team from airport to hotel when they landed in Kabul after their T20 campaign. They are much loved. "In the shops whenever we buy something we get another thing free!" Ahmadzai said.

President Karzai himself was apparently a little put out that he could not meet the players earlier because of all their commitments. Right after qualifying for the World T20, Afghanistan chased down a mammoth 494 against Canada in Sharjah, on the fourth day of their latest first-class match. After that victory, celebrations erupted across the eastern half of the country, with which came the obligatory fireworks, gunfire, singing and dancing. Only two of which are officially frowned upon.

The American ambassador, Karl W Eikenberry, pledged US commitment to building two new grounds in Afghanistan. Even though there are rumblings of discontent that a "Pakistani game", learnt in the refugee camps, has become so prominent. The team's Pakistani coach Kabir Khan said: "During cricket the guns are put down and the fingers come off the triggers. Cricket is playing its part in bringing stability to the country."

T20 World Cup to be held in Apr/May 2010

Monday, March 8, 2010 11:38 AM
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The ICC World Twenty20 2010 is a 20 over a side cricket tournament scheduled to take place in West Indies in April-May 2010.

It will be the third World Twenty20 cricket series. The ICC World Twenty20 2010 will be contested by 12 teams which have been divided into four groups are A, B, C and D.

Group A - Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Australia
Group B - Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Zimbabwe
Group C - South Africa, India and Afghanistan
Group D - West Indies, England and Ireland

Pakistan is the defending champion of the tournament, while the first edition was won by India in 2007.

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