Twenty20 World Championship 2007 Latest News

World T20, 2nd Semi-Final

India vs West Indies

at Mumbai, Mar 31, 2016

West Indies 196/3 beat India 192/2 by 7 wickets

Twenty20 World Championship 2007

T20 Finals

WORLD TWENTY20 final, Johannesburg: India v Pakistan

The inaugural Twenty20 World cup final, on Monday, is a marketing man's dream - with Pakistan taking on India.
India held its nerve against a brave charge by Australia to win the spectacle by a handsome margin of 15 runs after setting a target of 189 while earlier in the day, Umar Gul's sensational seam bowling and Imran Nazir's half-century ensured Pakistan the first spot in the ICC World Twenty20 final at New Zealand's expense. Chasing a target of 144 runs, after a combination of poor batting and excellent bowling restricted New Zealand to 143-8 from their 20 overs, Pakistan won the semi-final encounter at the Newlands cricket ground in Cape Town by six wickets after knocking off 147 runs in 18.5 overs. A middle order collapse had cost New Zealand vital runs after a promising start, Ross Taylor top-scoring with 37. At Durban, brilliant left-hander Yuvraj Singh hit 70 off just 30 balls as India won the toss and recovered spectacularly from a sluggish start to total 188-5. Australia crumbled when 30 were needed from the last three to end on 173-7.

WORLD TWENTY20 semi-final, Durban: India 188-5 (20 overs) beat Australia 173-7 (20 overs) by 15 runs
WORLD TWENTY20 semi-final, Cape Town: Pakistan 147-4 (18.5 overs) beat New Zealand 143-8 (20 overs) by six wickets

ICC World 20-20, IND vs PAK, Final: India wins the ICC World Twenty20 Championship

India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling contest to win the inaugral Twenty20 World Cup at Johannesburg on Monday.
Defending a modest 158, RP Singh struck first up to scalp Mohammad Hafeez for one run and give India a kickstart. He struck in his successive over to uproot Kamran Akmal for a duck. At that point of time, Pakistan's scorecard read 26 for 2 in 2.3 overs.
Imran Nazir then hammered Indian bowlers all over the ground and soon Pakistan were cruising as they crossed 50 run mark in 6th over with the loss of 2 wickets.
But a splendid direct hit from Robin Uthappa ended Nazirs run at Wanderers. Nazir was caught napping way outside the crease. Nazir was run out on the score of 33 runs from 14 balls. India were riding on high note against Pakistan as they claimed wickets at regular wickets to derail Pakistans attack.
This time Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi were sent of in a hurry by Irfan Pathan. Pathan struck on 3rd and 5th ball of his over to dismiss the two batsman. While Shoaib made just 8 runs, Afridi was out on duck. Pathan claimed his third wicket when he cleaned bowled Yasir Arfat for 14.
Earlier, India were restricted to a modest total of 157 runs by Pakistan. Indian top order crumbled under the fiery attack of Pakistan seamers. But it was a hard fought innings of 75 runs from Gautam Gambhir that boosted Indian total to a modest score. Gambhir's fifty came of just 39 balls. He was caught by Shoaib Malik off the bowling of Mohammad Asif. Umar Gul, with his match figures of 4-0-28-3 was the best bowlers of the day. He dimissed the key wickets of India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj made 14 runs from 19 balls. Reported EarlierIndia captain Mahendra Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat in the ICC World Twenty20 final against Pakistan.
India suffered a blow when they had to bring Yusuf Pathan in for Virender Sehwag after the opener failed to recover from his groin problem. Pakistan also made one change to their semi-final line-up, Yasir Arafat coming in for fellow all-rounder Fawad Alam. Pre-Match Report: India and Pakistan aim to provide the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 with an exciting climax when they meet in the final at Johannesburg on Monday.
The two sides played out a dramatic tie earlier in the tournament, with India coming out on top after a bowl-out. "There is nothing more exciting than an India-Pakistan match, so expect some fun," said skipper Mahendra Dhoni.
India will again hope for fireworks from Yuvraj Singh, while Pakistan will look to Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq. The middle-order pair have been one of the main reasons for Pakistan's success in the tournament so far, although team-mate Shahid Afridi heads the overall player of the tournament standings for his 91 runs and 12 wickets.
The players of both the sides have redeemed the reputations of their teams after both were eliminated from the World Cup earlier this year after the opening round. "The World Cup is history and we are just concentrating on this final. Things have been going very nicely and we are playing much better." said Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. India Team (from): Mahendra Dhoni (captain, wk), Dinesh Karthik, Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Joginder Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Rudra Pratap Singh, Sree Santh, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh.
Pakistan Team (from): Shoaib Malik (Captain), Kamran Akmal (Wicket Keeper), Abdur Rehman, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Anjum, Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat, Younus Khan.

ICC World Twenty20, IND vs PAK, Final: India 157-5 (20 overs) beat Pakistan 152 (19.3 overs) by five runs

T20 Semi Finals

WORLD TWENTY20 semi-final, Cape Town: New Zealand v Pakistan

The first semi-final, at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon, pits Pakistan against New Zealand.
The Pakistan side finished at the top of their group, having won all three of their second round matches against Sri Lanka, Australia and Bangladesh. The only loss in this tournament was agaist India in a bowl out. Pakistan are notoriously erratic and can either be brilliant or dire, but seem to be doing well under their new coach, Australian Geoff Lawson. New Zealand who owe their place in the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals thanks to India's heavy defeat of South Africa on Thursday night, lost to South Africa, but went through to the semi-finals by virtue of a better run rate. New Zealand have been impressive throughout the tournament, and it needed a brilliant 89 not out from Justin Kemp for South Africa to beat them in the only second round match that they lost.
The first semi-final starts at 14:00

ICC World 20-20, PAK vs NZ, Semi Final: Pakistan beat New Zealand by 6 wickets

Pakistan cruised home to a six-wicket victory against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup at Cape Town on Saturday.
Mohammad Hafeez smashed Shane Bond through the covers on the first delivery to start the proceedings at Kingsmead. He, along with Imran Nazir, put up a sixty-run partnership for the first wicket to lead Pakistan's cracking reply before he was trapped lbw by Styris for 32. Nazir hammered three boundaries and five sixes en route his 59 and put Pakistan on course before Jeetan Patel trapped him in front.
An excellent spell from Umar Gul put New Zealand on the backfoot as they were restricted to 143 for eight after electing to bat.

ICC World Twenty20, PAK vs NZ, Semi Final: Pakistan 147-4 (18.5 overs) beat New Zealand 143-8 (20 overs) by 6 wickets

WORLD TWENTY20 semi-final, Durban: Australia v India

Favorites Australia face brilliant India in the second semi-final, at Durban on Saturday evening
India were brilliant in their victory over England earlier in the week, assisted by a dazzling innings from Yuvraj Singh, who scored 50 off 12 balls and hit six sixes off one over. They were also ruthless in their destruction of South Africa on Thursday night. The only loss in the tournament out of five matches came against New Zealand as they fell 10 runs short while chasing. Australia, pre-tournament favourites, suffered two shock defeats, first losing to Zimbabwe in the first round and then to Pakistan in the second, but coach Tim Nielsen believes the team is peaking at the right time.
The second semi-final starts at 18:00.

ICC World 20-20, IND vs AUS, Semi Final: India beat Australia by 15 runs

India ousted Australia by 15 runs to book a place in the finals of World Twenty20 in Durban today.
After setting Australia a daunting target of 189, India restricted the World Champions to 173-7 and set up a finals against arch-rivals Pakistan on Monday in Johannesburg.
Earlier,Yuvraj Singh yet again took Australia to the cleaners with some power hitting as the left-handed bomber smashed a 30-ball 70 to whisk India away to a terrific 188-5.

ICC World Twenty20, IND vs AUS, Semi Final: India 188-5 (20 overs) beat Australia 173-7 (20 overs) by 15 runs

ICC World 20-20, IND vs AUS, Semi Final: Dhoni, Yuvraj set for Twenty20 semi-final

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and key batsman Yuvraj Singh will take the field in Saturday's Twenty20 semi-final against Australia after recovering from injuries.
Yuvraj missed Thursday's crucial encounter against South Africa due to tendonitis in his left elbow sustained against England the previous day in which he hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over. Dhoni, suffering back pain, handed the wicket-keeping gloves to Dinesh Karthick in the 37-run win over South Africa which propelled India to the top of group E in the Super Eights round.
"I am still smiling so I will hopefully play the next match," said Dhoni. "It was just a strain in the lower back, on the right hand side. I had the luxury of having Karthick in the side, who is a specialist keeper. "I did not want to aggravate the injury. I think hopefully it will be fine before the semi-final."
Dhoni said Yuvraj also will be fit against the formidable Australians, adding the left-hander was rested against South Africa as a precautionary measure. India team (from): M.S. Dhoni (Captain), Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Joginder Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma, R.P. Singh, Yuvraj Singh, S. Sreesanth and Robin Uthappa.
Australia team (from): Adam Gilchrist (Captain), Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Andrew Symonds, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark,, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus and Brad Hogg.

ICC World 20-20, PAK vs NZ, Semi Final: Mohammad Asif doubtful for Twenty20 semi-final

Pakistan were on Friday dealt a blow ahead of their Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand with pace spearhead Mohammad Asif in doubt for the match with an elbow injury.
The Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Nasim Ashraf said Asif had sustained the injury during the net practice before the game against Australia and has been in pain since then. "That is why he has looked out of sorts and struggled with his line and length. He has played because of the importance of the game against Australia but I think the team management should have given him rest for the match against Bangladesh," Ashraf said.
Asif has been in tremendous form in the tournament, took four wickets against India, and Pakistan has relied heavily on his early strikes and economical bowling in the championship. Ashraf said Asif had played after taking injections but he was still not 100 per cent fit.
"The manner in which Asif bowled against Bangladesh he does not bowl like this even in the nets," he said. Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik also admitted that Asif was crucial to the team's chances in the event. He said the lethargic performance against Bangladesh was a result of the players being tired and jaded after travelling and continuous cricket. "But after one day's rest we will be back to our best for the semi-final against New Zealand. We have come so far and we don't intend to now go out without a fight," he said.
Malik said Shahid Afridi would continue as opener. "If he comes off it is good for the team so we have decided to try him as an opener," he said. New Zealand team (from): Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori (Captain), Shane Bond, Mark Gillespie and Jeetan Patel.
Pakistan team (from): Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik (Captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir.

T20 Super 8

ICC World 20-20, IND vs SA, Super 8: India beat South Africa by 37 runs

India advanced to the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup beating South Africa by 37 runs and in the process knocked the hosts out of the competition while New Zealand also proceeded into the last-four stage on the basis of better run-rate.
New Zeland will take on Pakistan in the first semi-final in Cape Town while India will meet Australia in Durban in the other clash. Needing 154 runs to win on a bowlers-friendly pitch, South Africa were restricted to 116-9 as R P Singh emerged the star with the ball claiming 4 wickets. Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth took two wickets each.
Earlier, man-of-the match Rohit Sharma's unbeaten half-century helped India score 153 for five after electing to bat first. Captain M S Dhoni also made an important contribution with 45 runs.

ICC World Twenty20, IND vs SA, Super 8: India 153-5 (20 overs) beat South Africa 116-9 (20 overs) by 37 runs

ICC World 20-20, PAK vs BAN, Super 8: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 4 wickets

Pakistan huffed and puffed their way to a four wicket victory over Bangladesh to maintain an all win record in the Super Eights phase of World Twenty20 at Cape Town today.
Set 141 for a win, Pakistan reached the target with 1 over to spare as Shahid Afridi, who was sent atop, smashed 39 off 21 balls while Mohammad Hafeez (23) and Salman Butt (21) were the other contributors. For Bangladesh, Abdur Razzak was the most successful bowler with 2-16 from his four overs.
Earlier,Bangladesh wasted a good start to be all out for 140 in 19.4 overs. Newcomer Zunaed Siddique provided the early thrust to the innings with a blistering 49-ball 71, but apart from his effort, there was nothing to write home about for the Tigers.
Only single digit scores followed from the rest except for Aftab (15) and Chowdhury (12). The innings was flourishing at 80-1 around the 10th over, but once Siddique fell the rest simply caved in with skipper Mohammad Ashraful making just 5.
Pakistan produced a disciplined bowling spell in the final 10 overs with Umar Gul (1-17)and Mohammad Asif (1-26) putting the break on the Pakistani innings. Hafeez and Malik picked two wickets each.

ICC World Twenty20, PAK vs BAN, Super 8: Pakistan 141-6 (19 overs) beat Bangladesh 140 (19.4 overs) by four wickets

ICC World 20-20, AUS vs SL, Super 8: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets

World Champions Australia strolled past Sri Lanka to score a 10-wicket victory in their World Twenty20 Super 8s match in Cape Town to book a semi-final place in the event, today.
Having restricted Sri Lankan to 101 all out in 19.3 overs, the Aussies knocked the required target in just 10.2 overs and without losing a wicket. Openers Adam Gilchrist (31) and Matthew Hayden (58) finished off the things in a hurry as the match was finished off with close to 10 overs to spare.

ICC World Twenty20, AUS vs SL, Super 8: Australia 102-0 (10.2 overs) beat Sri Lanka 101 by 10 wickets

ICC World 20-20, IND vs ENG, Super 8: India beat England by 18 runs

India registered a 18-run victory over England in the must-win Super 8s game to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup alive, in Durban on Wednesday.
After being set a huge target of 219 runs to win the game as Yuvraj Singh set the record for the fastest half-century and hit six sixes in an over from Stuart Broad, England could manage 200-6 in their allotted 20 overs. India will now have to win tomorrow against the hosts South Africa, who have won two games. New Zealand, who have also won two matches, and only two teams with most points or better run-rates in case all three end up with two victories apiece, go through from the group. England head home after being defeated in all their Super 8s games.
Earlier, openers Virender Sehwag and Gautham Gambhir put on a solid foundation scoring 136 runs for the first wicket and Yuvrajs inning saw India finish with 218-4 after M S Dhoni had won the toss and elected to bat first.

ICC World Twenty20, IND vs ENG, Super 8: India 218-4 (20 overs) beat England 200-6 (20 overs) by 18 runs

ICC World 20-20, SA vs NZ, Super 8: South Africa beat New Zealand by 6 wickets

Justin Kemp's aggressive batting spurred South Africa to a six-wicket win over New Zealand in a Twenty20 World Cup Super Eights match on Wednesday.
Kemp smashed six fours and six sixes in his 56-ball 89 not out, the top score in South Africa's reply of 158 for four to New Zealand's total of 153 for eight.
South Africa, who beat England in their first Super Eights match on Sunday, now have four points from two games in the group and face India in their last game.
New Zealand, who have beaten both India and England, have four points from three games, with semi-final places going to the top two in each of the two Super Eights groups. Fast bowler Morne Morkel took four for 17 to lead a South African fightback after Lou Vincent (32) and Brendon McCullum (38) had put on 68 for New Zealand's first wicket. Morkel was denied the first five-wicket haul in Twenty20 internationals when umpire Billy Doctrove ruled that the delivery that bowled Mark Gillespie in Morkel's last over was a no-ball.
New Zealand fell away after their sturdy opening stand and they depended heavily on Craig McMillan's unbeaten 48 to post a respectable total. McMillan and Jacob Oram (15) shared 41 for the fifth wicket, New Zealand's only other noteworthy stand.
In South Africa's reply, Kemp and Mark Boucher (23) put on 65 for the fourth wicket after their side had slipped to 45 for three. Shaun Pollock (16 not out) helped Kemp complete the job with an unbroken stand of 48 and South Africa won with five balls to spare.

ICC World Twenty20, SA vs NZ, Super 8: South Africa 158-4 (19.1 overs) beat New Zealand 153-8 (20 overs) by 6 wickets

ICC World 20-20, SL vs BAN, Super 8: Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 64 runs

Sri Lankan batsmen failed to fire, but the bowlers responded to the call and helped them post a 64 run win against Bangladesh in the Super Eights 'Group F' match of the Twenty20 World Cup.
Bangladesh bowlers' did well to restrict the explosive Sri Lankan batsmen to a modest 147 for 5 and gave themselves a good chance of winning the game, but their batsmen could not complete the task and were bundled out for just 83 runs in 15.5 overs. In 'Group F', Pakistan has won both their Super Eights matches and are through to the semifinals. They have a game at hand against Bangladesh. Australia and Sri Lanka have won one and lost one match and their face-off on Thursday will decide the second semifinalist from the Group. After being sent in, Sri Lanka lost their way against some tight and disciplined bowling from Bangladesh. But their bowlers stood counted and gave no sniff of victory to Bangladesh.
Chaminda Vass (2-14), Dilhara Fernando (2-21) and Sanath Jayasuriya (2-5) all chipped in with the ball. Bangladesh batsmen went down to some reckless hitting, and with wickets falling in heaps, they were never really in sight of a victory. In the end, it turned out to be a one-sided affair.
Aftab Ahmed (18) and Shakib-al Hasan (18) were the top scorers for Bangladesh. Fernando and Vass did not allow Bangladesh a good start and scythed through the top-order. Vass struck in the very first over and trapped Nazimuddin in front. Tamim Iqbal tried a big shot but was caught at the third man region by Lasith Malinga off Fernando. Aftab Ahmed and skipper Mohammed Ashraful tried to hit their way out, but did not succeed and Bangladesh were soon down to 4-31. Sri Lanka also fielded well and executed two run-outs as wickets kept falling at regular intervals.
Earlier, Bangladesh bowlers kept Sri Lanka on a tight lease and restricted them to a modest 147 for 5. Sri Lankan batsmen never got a chance to open up in the face of some disciplined and accurate bowling by Bangladesh. Mohammad Mahmudullah's four overs went for a mere 19, while Syed Rasel conceded just 26.

ICC World Twenty20, SL vs BAN, Super 8: Sri Lanka 147-5 (20 overs) beat Bangladesh 83-10 (15.5 overs) by 64 runs

ICC World 20-20, AUS vs PAK, Super 8: Pakistan beat Australia by 6 wickets

Led by captain Malik and Misbah Ul Haq , Pakistan inflicted a humiliating defeat on Australia chasing the set target with 5 balls and six wickets in hand. Pakistan earlier touted as favorites seeing their talent and experience have now two back to back wins over Sri Lanka and Australia respectively. Pakistan now are most likely to enter the Semifinal.
Chasing a total of 164 runs for victory against Australia, Pakistan managed to recover well led by its captain Shoaib Malik and Misbah Ul Haq, who scored a brilliant fifty. Pakistan required just 22 runs of last three overs. However a straight drive from Misbah meant Pakistan now need just 16 runs on same number of balls.
Batting first on a placid Johannesburg wicket against a formidable bowling attack of Pakistan, Australia managed to their rivals a decent total of 164 runs to chase. Australia in pursuit lost wickets at regular intervals, which stopped them from putting a mammoth total.

ICC World Twenty20, AUS vs PAK, Super 8: Pakistan 165-4 (19.1 overs) beat Australia 164-7 (20 overs) by six wickets

ICC World 20-20, NZ vs ENG, Super 8: New Zealand beat England by 5 runs

New Zealand edged past England by a mere five runs in a nail-biting encounter in the super eight stage of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Durban on Tuesday.
Despite a shaky start, the Kiwis had recovered to post a competitive 164 for nine, with significant contributions by Scott Styris (42) and Craig McMillan (57).
In response, England got off to a solid start but faltered as the New Zealand bowlers continued to build pressure and pick wickets consistently. The English innings eventually finished at 159 for eight after 20 overs with Stuart Broad and CP Schofield at the wicket.
McMillan was adjudged man of the match for his blistering innings, which included three boundaries and four huge sixes.

ICC World Twenty20, NZ vs ENG, Super 8: New Zealand 164-9 beat England 159-8 by five runs

ICC World 20-20, PAK vs SL, Super 8: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 33 runs

Pakistan eased to a 33-run win over Sri Lanka in their first Super Eight match of the ICC World Twenty20 in Johannesburg today.
Set 190 to win, Sri Lanka were restricted to 156-9 in 20 overs as allrounder Shahid Afridi was the pick of the Pakistani bowlers, taking 3-18 in 4 overs. The Sri Lankan batting struggled once openers Upul Tharanga (0) and Sanath Jayasuriya (5) had gone early. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who made 28, staged a brief recovery with Kumara Sangakkara (18), until the latter was unfortunately bowled.
Once Jayawardene departed the writing was on the wall for the World Cup runners-up. Chamara Silva and Tilkaratne Dilshan, who both made 38, struck a few big blows, but in the end their effort fell short of the target.

ICC World Twenty20, PAK vs SL, Super 8: Pakistan 189-6 (20 overs) beat Sri Lanka 156-9 (20 overs) by 33 runs

ICC World 20-20, SA vs ENG, Super 8: South Africa beat England by 19 runs

South Africa produced a disciplined bowling performance to beat England by 19 runs in their Super Eight match of ICC World Twenty20 in Cape Town on Sunday.
Matt Prior (30) and Owais Shah (36) were amongst the runs for England as after Kevin Pietersen was controversially run out for 15, they slid to only lose their way. Andrew Flitoff's brief stay for 17 runs raised slim hopes of an England win but six-hitter Dimitri Mascarenhas was asked too many questions when the team needed 29 off the final over.
Earlier,Albie Morkel's incredible 20-ball 43 down the order propelled South Africa to 154-8 in their 20 overs. The hosts, who were sent in slumped to 94-6 at one stage, but some amazing power hitting by Morkel allowed South Africa amasse 154.
Stuart Broad took the second over and struck with his first ball but skipper Paul Collingwood kept switching his bowlers as the hosts slipped to 42-3 in the sixth over, but recovered well to hit 98 from the final 11 overs. England's slipped in the field as they dropped some regulation catches, including two of two from Mark Boucher. Morkel was also let off the hook as England wilted under his onslaught.

ICC World Twenty20, SA vs ENG, Super 8: South Africa 154-8 (20 ovs) bt England 135-7 (20 ovs) by 19 runs

ICC World 20-20, AUS vs BAN, Super 8: Brett Lee hat-trick crushes Bangladesh

Paceman Brett Lee recorded the first World Twenty20 hat-trick as Australia coasted to a nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their first match of the Super Eights.
The fast bowler had Shakib Al Hasan caught behind for 16 and then bowled Mashrafe Mortaza and pinned Alok Kapali leg before in successive balls.
That left Bangladesh 108 for six - Tamim Iqbal (32) and Aftab Ahmed (31) having made the best scores earlier on - and they eventually closed on 123 for eight. Lee finished with three for 27 and Nathan Bracken two for 14. Despite a shock defeat to Zimbabwe in the group stage such a total was hardly likely to trouble Australia, the reigning 50-over world champions, and so it proved.
Adam Gilchrist was run out in the 12th over for 43, having hit four sixes and one four in just 28 balls, but Matthew Hayden saw them to victory in the 14th over with an unbeaten 73. The big left-hander smashed three sixes and nine fours in 48 balls and captain Ricky Ponting's pull through midwicket for two brought up the win with 6.1 overs remaining.

ICC World Twenty20, AUS vs BAN, Super 8: Australia 124-1 (13.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 123-8 (20 ovs) by 9 wkts

ICC World 20-20, IND vs NZ, Super 8: New Zealand beat India by 10 runs

New Zealand opened the Super Eight stage of the ICC World Twenty20 with a thrilling 10 run win over India.
Beaten on saturday by Sri Lanka, the New Zealand bounced back with an impressive all-round display in Johannesburg. A brutal stand of 73 between Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram propelled the Kiwis to an impressive total of 190 all out after they had been put into bat.
Skipper Daniel Vettori then led from the front with 4-20 as India fell just short in reply. They had appeared on course for a successful run chase when Virender Sehwag (41) and Gautem Gambhir (51) put on 76 in just 5.5 overs.

ICC World Twenty20, IND vs NZ, Super 8: New Zealand 190-10 (20.0 ovs) bt India 180-9 (20.0 ovs) by 10 runs

T20 Group matches

ICC World 20-20, SA vs BAN, Group A: South Africa Coast To Seven-Wicket Win Over Bangladesh

Hosts South Africa scored a comfortable seven wicket victory over Bangladesh in the final group A game of World Twenty20 in Cape Town. Graeme Smith struck some fierce shots in 41 and Albie Morkel fired two sixes in his 41, before Justin Kemp sealed victory in the 19th over with a six.
Earlier, Bangladesh made an explosive start and reached 50 in the fourth over, but had lost too may wickets then to lose their way. The first 38 runs in the innings came from boundaries, with Aftab Ahmed leading the charge as he made 36 off 14 balls, with five fours and two sixes. However Bangladesh were all out for 144 with three balls left. South Africa after topping the group, will be happy to find themselves grouped with New Zealand, England and India in Group E, instead of the more unpredictable elements of the other group, which has Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. That is where Bangladesh is going.

ICC World Twenty20, BAN vs SA, Group A: South Africa 146-3 (18.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 144 (19.3 ovs) by 7 wkts

ICC World 20-20, NZ vs SL, Group C: Jayasuriya blasts Sri Lanka to victory

Sanath Jayasuriya led Sri Lanka's successful chase of 165 against New Zealand in Johannesburg with 61 off 44 balls. Jayasuriya tore into the Kiwis, adding 82 with Upul Tharanga (37) and 50 with Mahela Jayawardene (35 not out) before he holed out with the game nearly won.Earlier New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first put on 164-7 with Ross Taylor producing a superb 42-ball 62. He shared fifty stands with Peter Fulton (25) and Jacob Oram (33no).
With this win, Sri Lanka have won both their league matches rather convincingly. Both teams have alredy qualified for the next round of the competition.

ICC World Twenty20, SL vs NZ, Group C: Sri Lanka 168-3 (18.5 overs) bt New Zealand 164-7 by seven wickets

ICC World 20-20, IND vs PAK, Group D: India bowl Pakistan out after a thrilling tie (IND 3-0)

India were able to snatch a tie right on the last ball of the last over of the match against Pakistan in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup encounter at Durban on Friday. The score was tied at 141 with Pakistan 7 wickets down. However, India won the match by scoring 3-0 points over Pakistan in the bowl out.
With this win, India secured 2 crucial points and topped the Group D. No Pakistani bowlers could hit the stumps in the bowl out. All the three Indian bolwers - Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa - hit their stumps.
Earlier, India managed to score a modest 141 for 9 runs against Pakistan. Recovering from initial jolts from Asif, Uthappa stroked a decent fifty in rainy conditions definitely not ideal for batting.
Robin Uthappa lead Indian fight back after Asif caught India off guard. Uthappa completed a well compiled fifty and then nicked one to wicket keeper Kamran Akmal.

ICC World Twenty20, IND vs PAK, Group D: India 141 for 9 (20.0 overs) beat Pakistan 141 for 7 (20.0 overs) by Bowl Out (IND 3,PAK 0)

ICC World 20-20, AUS vs ENG, Group B: Australia beat England by 8 wickets

Australia bounced back from the embarrassment of defeat against Zimbabwe to crush England by eight wickets in a World Twenty20 match at Newlands on Friday.
Needing a win to advance past the group stage Australia produced an emphatic performance, bowling out England for 135 and then racing to victory in 14.5 overs. Left-arm pace bowlers Nathan Bracken and Mitch Johnson took three wickets each as Australia kept a tight clamp on the England batsmen.
Australian opening batsmen Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, who both fell early to reckless shots in the five-wicket defeat by lowly Zimbabwe, were back in dominant form. The pair shared a stroke-filled opening stand of 78 in 8.1 overs before Gilchrist was caught at long-on off leg-spinner Chris Schofield. Gilchrist made 45 off 27 balls while Hayden went on to make an unbeaten 67 off 43 balls.
The result meant that Australia topped the group, with England also going through to the Super Eights stage on net run rate ahead of Zimbabwe. All three teams won one match.

ICC World Twenty20, AUS vs ENG, Group B: Australia 136-2 (14.5 overs) bt England 135 (20 overs) by eight wickets

ICC World 20-20, SL vs KEN, Group C: Sri Lanka beat Kenya by 172 runs

Sri Lanka made an emphatic start to their ICC World Twenty20 campaign as they crushed Kenya by 172 runs in Johannesburg today.
After having posted the highest Twenty20 score of 260-6 in 20 overs, the World Cup runners-up restricted the hapless Kenyans to 88-9 in 19.3 overs to claim full points. The Lankan charge was led by opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, who made 88 from 44 balls while skipper Mahela Jayawardene hammered a 27-ball 65 until Jehan Mubarak unleashed his fury on the Kenyan bowlers to hit an incredible 46 off just 13 balls to push the score to 260.

ICC World Twenty20, SL vs KEN, Group C: Sri Lanka 260 for 6 (20.0 overs) beat Kenya 88 for 9 (19.3 overs) by 172 runs

ICC World 20-20, IND vs SCO, Group D: India Scotland match washed out

Bad weather forced the Twenty20 world championship group D match between India and Scotland to be abandoned without a ball being bowled at Durban on Thursday.
Persistent rain since the afternoon frustrated the two teams after Scotland captain Ryan Watson won the toss and sent India in to bat at the Kingsmead. Play could not begin and Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis called off the match when not enough time was left to bowl a minimum of five overs a side to force a result. Both teams were awarded one point each, leaving India facing a tricky encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan on Friday.
India need a win to ensure their place in the Super Eights along with Pakistan. If Pakistan win, net run rates of India and Scotland will decide the second position from the group in the next round.

ICC World Twenty20, IND vs SCO, Group D: Match abandoned

ICC World 20-20, ENG vs ZIM, Group B: Pietersen sets up England win at World Twenty20

Kevin Pietersen lashed 79 off 37 balls as England beat giant-killers Zimbabwe in a World Twenty20 match at Newlands on Thursday.
England won by 50 runs as they sent Zimbabwe crashing back to earth after their shock five-wicket win over tournament favourites Australia at the same ground Wednesday. Pietersen and captain Paul Collingwood were mainly responsible for England's total of 188 for nine after Collingwood decided to bat after winning the toss. Pietersen and Collingwood (37) put on 100 for the fourth wicket off 54 balls. Zimbabwe briefly threatened to repeat Wednesday's upset when Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor put on 74 for the first wicket in 8.4 overs.
But Zimbabwe's innings lost momentum against the medium pace of Dimitri Mascarenhas and the leg spin of Chris Schofield. Bowling in tandem, Mascarenhas and Schofield were responsible for five wickets while conceding only 33 runs between them in eight overs. Mascarenhas took three for 18 and Schofield two for 15.
Sibanda and Taylor hammered 32 off the first three overs of Zimbabwe's innings. Taylor, man of the match after making 60 not out against Australia, scored 47 off 39 balls before he was bowled by Mascarenhas.

ICC World Twenty20, ENG vs ZIM, Group B: England 188-9 (20.0 overs) beat Zimbabwe 138-7 (20.0 overs) by 50 runs

ICC World 20-20, WI vs BAN, Group A: Bangladesh beat West Indies by 6 wickets

West Indies were knocked out of the World Twenty20 competition after they lost to a spirited Bangladesh by six wickets in Johannesburg.
Set a modest 165 for victory, Bangladesh romped home with two overs to spare as their skipper Mohammad Ashraful hammered an electrifying 27-ball 61 to script a win and also won the man of the match. However, the sad news for West Indies is that they lost both their matches and are out of the competition while Bangladesh, who play South Africa tomorrow have qualified for the second round along with the hosts.
Earlier,West Indies scored 164-8 from their 20 overs. The Windies were in a must-win situation today as wet pitch depayed the start of the match by one hour. Bangladesh started off well as Syed Rasel removed Chris Gayle, who hit 117 from 57 balls in the defeat by South Africa, for duck in the opening over.
Devon Smith and Shiv Chanderpaul built the innings with 95 in 13 overs. Marlon Samuels smashed two sixes and two fours in an over and Dwayne Smit clobbered three successive sixes in an entertaning seven-ball 29.

ICC World Twenty20, WI vs BAN, Group A: Bangladesh 165-4 (18.0 overs) beat West Indies 164-8 (20.0 overs) by 6 wickets

ICC World 20-20, AUS vs ZIM, Group B: Zimbabwe beat Australia by 5 wickets

Zimbabwe scored a credible 5 wicket win over Australia to display the first major upset of the Twenty20 World Cup. Zimbabwean wicketkeeper batsman Brendon Taylor shined both behind and in front of the wickets as he made his first International Twenty20 half century. His fifty came in style and in just 38 balls.
Vusimusi Sibanda who was hammering Australian bowlers all over the ground was dismissed in the 4th over. Sibandas run torrent came to an end as he edged a delivery from Nathan Bracken into the hands of wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Sibanda made 24 runs from 16 balls.
Earlier, a depleted Australian side could manage just 138 runs for the loss of 8 wickets against Zimbabwe. Australia were sent into tizzy as they lost their top batsmen to some brilliant bowling and fielding display by Zimbabwe.

ICC World Twenty20, AUS vs ZIM, Group B: Zimbabwe 139-5 (19.5 overs) beat Australia 138-9 (20.0 overs) by 5 wickets

ICC World 20-20, PAK vs SCO, Group D: Pakistan beat Scotland by 51 runs

Shahid Afridi smashed 22 off seven balls and then grabbed 4-19 as Pakistan brushed aside Scotland by 51 runs in the Twenty20 world championships at Durban on Wednesday.
The pugnacious all-rounder ensured his team faced no hiccups after Craig Wright had taken three wickets to restrict Pakistan to 171-9 at the Kingsmead. Scotland, playing their first Twenty20 international, were shot out for 120 in reply with opener Fraser Watts the only batsman to offer resistence with 46.
Umar Gul chipped in with 4-25, including two wickets off successive balls towards the end as Pakistan warmed up for Friday's clash against arch-rivals India at the same venue.

ICC World Twenty20, PAK vs SCO, Group D: Pakistan 171-9 (20 overs) beat Scotland 120 (19.3 overs) by 51 runs

ICC World 20-20, NZ vs KEN, Group C: New Zealand beat Kenya by 9 wickets

New Zealand won the second match of the Twenty20 World Cup against Kenya by 9 wickets. Chasing an insignificant total of 73 runs put up by Kenya, New Zealand wrapped up the match in 7.4 overs. New Zealand opener,Brendon McCullum contributed 17 runs from 14 balls while Peter Fulton pitched in 21 runs off 14 balls.
Earlier, New Zealand lost their key wicket of Lou Vincent. Vincent who started to smash runs right from the beginning was caught by Obuya. He made his 27 runs in style smashing four boundaries and a six. He got out on Odoyo's delivery.
New Zealand got straight in to the groove as they began their chase of 73 runs. The two opening batsmen made 17 runs off the first two overs with Lou Vincent smashing 15 runs off 12 balls and Brendon McCullum yet to start his account. Kenya were all out for seventy three runs. They could not even manage to play the entire twenty overs. Kenyas 10th wicket, Peter Ongondo was bowled out by Gillespie. He made 11 runs from 9 balls.

ICC World Twenty20, NZ vs KEN, Group C: New Zealand 74-1 (7.4 overs) beat Kenya 73-10 (16.5 overs) by 9 wickets

ICC World 20-20, SA vs WI, Group A: South Africa beat West Indies by 8 wickets

South Africa won the first Twenty20 World Cup match against West Indies by 8 wickets at the New Wanderers Stadium on Tuesday. South Africa won the match with some heroic performances by their top order a poor show on the field by West Indies.
West Indies literally gave the match away by bowling and fielding poorly in the match. Gibbs took full advantage of the situation and made things easier for his team. He hammered his second international Twenty20 fifty. His fifty came in 38 balls. South Africa started off slowly but steadily to chase the Gayle led 205 run target. South African captain Graeme Smith departed after making 28 off 21 balls.
South Africa were on 51 runs at the end of five overs with Gibbs on 19 and Smith on 24. AB de Villiers got out for 21 runs off just 9 balls. He was caught by wicketkeeper Ramdin while trying to hit a six.
Earlier, West Indies rode to a total of 205 runs in 20 overs in the first match of the Twenty20 World Cup against South Africa. Chris Gayle became the highest run getter with a score of 117 runs off just 57 balls. Put in to bat first by South African captain Graeme Smith , West Indies got straight into the groove by smashing South African bowlers everywhere on the ground.

ICC World Twenty20, SA vs WI, Group A: South Africa 208-2 (17.4 overs) beat West Indies 205-6 by 8 wickets

ICC World 20-20, SA vs WI, Group A: South Africa meet West Indies in ICC World Twenty20 opener

Hosts South Africa meet the West Indies in the opening match of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 on Tuesday in Johannesburg.
Both teams are clubbed with minnows Bangladesh in Group A, with only two being able to proceed to the next stage. South Africa have made a late chance to their squad drafting in Andre Nel for the injured Loots Bosman. The West Indies too have had injury worries over Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, but both are expected to be fit for the opener. South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (Captain), Mark Boucher (Wicket Keeper), Gulam Bodi, A B de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Kemp, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Vernon Philander, Shaun Pollock, Thandi Tshabalala, Johan van der Wath.
West Indies (from): Ramnaresh Sarwan (Captain), Denesh Ramdin (Wicket Keeper), Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Runako Morton, Daren Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Smith, Devon Smith.

South Africa takes on West Indies in opening match of World Twenty20

The first ever Twenty20 cricket world championship has arrived.
From Tuesday, when host South Africa faces West Indies in the opening game of the 12-team competition, the best batsmen in the game will be encouraged simply to hit the ball out of the ground.
Each side has only 20 overs to smash as many runs as possible. There's no time for a batsmen to play himself in and bowlers aim to contain rather than take risks to get wickets.
Australia holds the record for the highest international score, amassing 221-5 against England in Sydney in January at an average of 11 runs an over. With Ricky Ponting trying to add the title to the 50-over World Cup title, it is the favorite at this level too.
It won the more prestigious 50-over World Cup in April with a 104-ball 149 from Adam Gilchrist and remains the highest ranked test nation. Ponting delayed his arrival in South Africa until an improvement in his wife's health but has now arrived. With several quality sluggers, including allrounder Andrew Symonds, Australia remains the king of free-scoring.
The two-week tournament has had a stormy runup.
Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was sent home after he allegedly abused and hit fellow paceman Mohammad Asif with a bat. South Africa caused a stir by leaving out star batsman Jacques Kallis.
Teams like New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka will also look to their standout players to shine at this fast pace.
While teams like Bangladesh, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Scotland are not expected to seriously challenge, the format of the game means they could spring a few surprises in the opening stages.

West Indies thump New Zealand in Twenty20 warm-up

New Zealand lost their second world Twenty20 cricket championship warm-up match in Benoni, South Africa, today after they were bowled out for just 115 in reply to the West Indies' modest 150-6.
The New Zealand bowlers got on top early but Dwayne Smith (47) and Narsingh Deonarine (34) rescued the West Indies from a precarious 56-4.
Peter Fulton, who made 51, and captain Daniel Vettori with 24 were the only New Zealand batsmen to make double figures. Allrounders Jacob Oram and Craig McMillan were rested for the match.
West Indies fast bowler Daren Powell picked up three wickets for four runs of four overs.
Fulton batted 13 overs, reaching his 50 from 42 balls before being caught trying to loft a slower ball over the midwicket fence.

Nel approved to replace Bosman

The Technical Committee of the ICC Twenty20 World Championships has approved fast bowler Andre Nel as a replacement for Loots Bosman in hosts South Africa's squad for the tournament starting September 11.
The confirmation was conveyed to Cricket South Africa by the International Cricket Council on behalf of the tournament Technical Committee yesterday, said a press release issued by the ICC.
Nel replaces Bosman after medical reports were received indicating that the latter had sustained an injury to his back and would not be fit in time to take part in the event.

Australia captain Ponting to join team for Twenty20 world championships

Australia captain Ricky Ponting will fly out to lead his team in the Twenty20 world championship in South Africa after an improvement in his wife's health.
Ponting is expected to arrive in South Africa in time to attend the International Cricket Council Awards ceremony at Johannesburg on Monday ahead of the start of the tournament, he said Friday. Ponting had been in doubt for the inaugural Twenty20 championship after staying behind when the Australian team flew out on Monday because of a "private family reasons". On Friday he revealed that the issue was a health problem for his wife, Rianna, which he did not specify.
"Fortunately Rianna's health has improved over the last few days and I'm hoping travel plans can be finalized as soon as possible," Ponting said. "I'm grateful for the support we've both had from Cricket Australia and my teammates, and in particular I'd like to thank (vice captain) Adam Gilchrist and (coach) Tim Nielsen for their leadership roles in the early days of the Australian squad's first-ever Twenty20 international tour," he added. "It made things easier here knowing the team was in such good hands."

ICC approves Perera as replacement for Murali

The ICC has approved Dilruwan Perera as a replacement for Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka's squad for the Twenty20 World Championship to be held in South Africa from September 11 to 24.
The confirmation was conveyed to Sri Lanka Cricket on behalf of the tournament Technical Committee today. Perera replaces Muralitharan after medical reports were received indicating that the veteran offie had sustained an injury to his right distal bicep and would not be fit in time to take part in the event.
Perera, the 25-year-old uncapped off-spinner, is the second replacement player to be called up for the tournament so far after Ben Hilfenhaus was approved to take the place of Shaun Tait in the Australian squad.

England all-rounder Bopara to miss Twenty20 World Cup through injury

England all-rounder Ravi Bopara will miss this month's Twenty20 World Cup after breaking and dislocating his right thumb in a one-day match against India.
Bopara will also miss the last two one-day internationals of the seven-match series against India because of the injury he sustained in Sunday's 38-run loss.
Bopara, who was one of the few players to emerge with credit from England's disappointing performance at this year's one-day World Cup, was hurt after bowling the first ball of his second over at Headingley when he fielded a shot back at him from Gautam Gambhir.
Bopara managed to bat in England's reply but hit just 11 before he was caught and bowled by Ramesh Powar as India trimmed England's lead to 3-2.

Ponting may miss Twenty20 World Championship

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting may miss the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa because of undisclosed family reasons.
The Australian squad was due to leave for South Africa on Monday morning but Cricket Australia said Ponting would not make the flight. Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist will lead the Australian squad and a decision on whether Ponting joins them for the tournament is expected later in the week.

Murali to miss Twenty20 World Championships

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has suffered an elbow injury that rules him out of next month's Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa.
"Murali is affected by an elbow injury and he will be out for four to six weeks," Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan was reported to have told British newspapers from Colombo on Wednesday. "He is definitely out of the Twenty20 (World Championships)."
Muralitharan was injured on Tuesday after bowling 33 overs for Lancashire against Kent and was absent from the attack the following day, making him doubtful for the rest of the four-day game.
Lancashire manager Mike Watkinson told media persons at Canterbury: "Murali's had a scan - and he's got a strain in his bicep. We'll just have to see how that settles down. "We are waiting for the radiologist to report on it - and then we'll see how we go."

Australia announce Twenty20 World Cup squad

A nagging elbow injury has forced fast bowler Shaun Tait to withdraw from Australia's ICC World Twenty20 squad.
Australia's chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, confirmed that Tait's right elbow had not recovered as well as had been hoped from surgery in June, and the 24-year-old was experiencing some discomfort.
Tait had worked hard to in a bid to be fit for the inaugural World Twenty20 tournament, to be held in South Africa in September, but will now focus on Australia's short tour of India which also begins next month. Tait took 23 wickets in this year's World Cup, equal second with Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, and three behind team-mate Glenn McGrath.
Australia have written to the ICC technical committee seeking approval for Ben Hilfenhaus - a 24-year-old right-arm fast bowler from Tasmania - to be Tait's replacement. Australia's first match in the tournament is on September 12 against Zimbabwe in Cape Town.
Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (Captain), Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Andrew Hilditch, Shane Watson.

South Africa's all-rounder Jacques Kallis rested for twenty20 world cup

South Africa have rested their ace all-rounder Jacques Kallis for the inaugural Twenty-20 World Championships they are to host from September 11 to 24.
Also to be left out of the 15-member squad were the seasoned fast bowling triumvirate of Andrew Hall, Charl Langeveldt and Andre Nel.
Instead, finding place were all-rounder Vernon Philander, who made an impressive debut against India in Ireland, Albie Morkel and John van der Wath. Gulam Bodi was the new face in the team following a productive outing in the domestic Pro-20 championship.
South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (Captain), Gulam Bodi, Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Kemp, Albie Morkel, Morn Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Vernon Philander, Shaun Pollock, Thandi Tshabalala, Johan van der Wath.

Mohammad Ashraful to lead Bangladesh in twenty20 world cup

Mohammad Ashraful has been named the skipper of Bangladesh at the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa.
Bangladesh have been pooled alongside the hosts in Group A and will begin their campaign against the West Indies in Johannesburg on September 13.
Bangladesh squad: Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Alok Kapali, Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed Chowdhury, Syed Rasel, Farhad Reza, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riyad, Junaid Siddique, Mohammed Nazimuddin, Nadif Chowdhury, Ziaur Rahman.

Sri Lanka names a strong squad for twenty20 world cup

Mahela Jayawardene will lead a strong Sri Lankan team to the inaugural Twenty20 world championship to be held in South Africa in September, officials said on Thursday.
The 15-man squad shows no surprises, with prolific off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan confirmed to play after earlier reports suggested that he may be rested from the 12-nation tournament.
Left-handed opener Jehan Mubarak takes over from former captain Marvan Atapattu, who earlier this week asked Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to be released from his contract with the national team. His wish was granted on Monday. All-rounders Hasantha Fernando, Gayan Wijekoon and Kaushal Lokuarachchi have been recalled, SLC spokesman Samantha Algama said.
Sri Lanka squad: Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Hasantha Fernando, Gayan Wijekoon, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Jehan Mubarak.

Daniel Vettori to lead New Zealand in South Africa

The New Zealand selectors have left out Test skipper Stephen Fleming from the Twenty20 World Cup squad.
Fleming had already announced his retirement from one-day cricket following the World Cup and left arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been named the skipper for the South African event.
Sibblings Nathan McCullum and keeper Brendon along with Bradley Scott have been named in the 15-man line-up. Gareth Hopkins, who appeared in five ODIs in 2004, has been recalled as a standby wicket-keeper/batsman.
New Zealand squad: Daniel Vettori (Captain), Shane Bond, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Gareth Hopkins, Chris Martin, Craig McMillan, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Bradley Scott, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent.

Dhoni to lead Indian twenty20 world cup squad in South Africa

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni was today named the captain of the 15-member squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa from September 11 to 24.
Yuvraj Singh will be the vice captain of the team, which includes off-spinner Harabhajan Singh and Delhi batsman Virender Sehwag. BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah announced the team here after a teleconference between Chief National Selector Dilip Vengsarkar, who is currently in England with the Indian team, and the other four national selectors back home.
The only new face is Baroda all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, who is the elder brother of Irfan Pathan. Yusufs big hitting ability and his off-breaks helped him get an international call. Besides, Irfan, Rohit Sharma and Haryana all-rounder Joginder Sharma have been included in the squad. Indian twenty20 squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Dinesh Karthik, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Joginder Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, RP Singh, Rohit Sharma

Dhoni set to lead India in Twenty20 World Cup

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is almost certain to be named India's captain when the selectors meet on Tuesday to pick the squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships in September.
The hard-hitting batsman and wicket-keeper is the preferred choice of the selectors after regular captain Rahul Dravid and senior pros Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly opted out of the tournament.
Dhoni, 26, is Dravid's deputy in one-day cricket and is regarded as one of the most exciting batsmen in the game with a penchant for hitting sixes. Aggressive opener Virender Sehwag, left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who were axed for the ongoing tour of England, are also set to make the 15-man squad.
India, who initially opposed the game's new format that has proved popular with audiences worldwide, have played just one Twenty20 international so far, against South Africa in Johannesburg last December. The Indians won that game by a flattering six-wicket margin, chasing down South Africa's 126-9 with one delivery to spare.
The 12-nation world championships will be played in three South African cities, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, from September 11 to 24.
India are drawn with Pakistan and Scotland in group D of the preliminary league, with the top two advancing to the Super Eights round. The tournament features the nine nations currently playing Test cricket along with Zimbabwe, Kenya and Scotland.

England announce twenty20 world cup team

The England selectors on Monday announced the squads for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in South Africa next month along with the team that will play with India in the seven-match one-day series later this month.
The selectors have picked specialists when they named their 15-man squad for ICC World Twenty20 event. England face Zimbabwe in their opening game on September 13 in Cape Town in the Twenty20 World Cup. England squad: Paul Collingwood (Captain), Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Andrew Flintoff, James Kirtley, Darren Maddy, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Chris Schofield, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Jeremy Snape, Vikram Solanki, Chris Tremlett, Luke Wright.

Scotland name 15 member squad for Twenty20 World Championship

Scotland have named former England and Yorkshire player Gavin Hamilton in their 15-man squad for next month's Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa.
According to cricket365.com, the Broxburn-born 32-year-old has featured infrequently for Scotland since the ICC World Cup early this year, with work commitments keeping him out of some matches. In the meanwhile, Hamilton has confirmed his availability for the world tournament in South Africa.
In their warm-up games, Scotland face Bangladesh on September 8 and Zimbabwe on September 9, and then launch their campaign against Pakistan on September 12 before taking on India the following day. Scotland also face India on August 16 in a one-day international.
Scotland squad: Ryan Watson (Captain), John Blain, Dougie Brown, Navdeep Poonia, Gordon Drummond, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh, Neil McCallum, Gregor Maiden, Dewald Nel, Colin Smith, Fraser Watts, Craig Wright

ICC announced the umpires list for Twenty20 World Championship

The International Cricket Council yesterday announced the umpires and match referees for the inaugural Twenty20 world championships, excluding five involved in Aprils shambolic World Cup final.
"A total of three ICC match referees and nine umpires will officiate during the 27-match Twenty20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from 11-24 September in South Africa," an ICC Press release said.
The three referees, all from the ICC Elite Panel, are headed by former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle and include Mike Procter, the former South Africa all-rounder and ex-England opening batsman Chris Broad. The nine umpires include five officials from the ICC Elite Panel, namely Australians Daryl Harper and Simon Taufel, Englands Mark Benson, Billy Doctrove of the West Indies, and Asad Rauf from Pakistan.

New Zealand name initial Twenty20 championship squad

New Zealand Cricket have announced a 30-man preliminary squad for the ICC Twenty20 Championship to be held in South Africa in September.
"Our players go into the competition with experience of two seasons of Twenty20 cricket and international matches to draw from," said selection manager Sir Richard Hadlee. "Key Black Caps players have been included, with the exception of Kyle Mills. "The selectors did not consider Kyle after medical advice. He is not yet ready to return to playing, and has had no cricket for five months."
The selectors have also given Daryl Tuffey, who was in the initial ICC World Cup squad, time to return to full fitness after his injury. "After the numerous injury problems he has had, the selectors would like to see Daryl Tuffey play some competitive cricket before being considered for the Black Caps again," Sir Richard added.
"Daryl has opted to play club cricket in Sydney under the guidance of Steve Rixon during late September and October. "Many of the players included are currently involved in a New Zealand A training camp in Australia ahead of the Emerging Players' Tournament.
"Those players will take valuable match experience into the Twenty20 Championship, if selected. "That will be positive for them, and will also be taken into consideration when the selectors meet to determine the final squad of 15 players.
"Glenn Turner, a current selector, will also be on hand at the Emerging Players Tournament to assess the squad." The selection panel will reconvene on 11 August to determine the tour squad. The Black Caps have been placed in Group C for the first round of the tournament. They play Kenya in Durban on 12 September, and Sri Lanka in Johannesburg on 15 September. New Zealand Preliminary Twenty20 world championsip squad: Andre Adams, Shane Bond, Neil Broom, Grant Elliott, Stephen Fleming, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Chris Harris, Paul Hitchcock, Gareth Hopkins, Jamie How, James Marshall, Chris Martin, Michael Mason, Brendon McCullum , Nathan McCullum , Peter McGlashan, Craig McMillan , James McMillan, Warren McSkimming, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram , Jeetan Patel, Aaron Redmond, Bradley Scott, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.

England recalls Trescothick in provisional 30-man squad

Marcus Trescothick could be back for England sooner than expected. The 31-year-old left-handed batsman was named in England's provisional cricket squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday, eight months after he dropped out of the Ashes tour of Australia citing a stress-related condition.
Trescothick rallied from the setback this season with some top performances for English county side Somerset, and chairman of selectors David Graveney said he could be playing international cricket even before the Sept. 11-24 tournament in South Africa. Trescothick missed the recent test series win over West Indies and limited-overs series loss to the same opponents, so upcoming home matches against India could represent a chance for him to earn a place at the Twenty20 tournament.
Wicketkeeper Paul Nixon was also recalled after being dropped for the recent test and one-day series against West Indies. Nixon was one of the few players to emerge with credit from the one-day World Cup. One-day captain Paul Collingwood will lead the side in South Africa, although some of the senior members of the squad such as Andrew Flintoff, who hasn't played for England since April because of injury may drop out when the squad is trimmed to a final 15 by mid August. England Twenty20 probables :James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Glen Chapple, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, James Kirtley, Jon Lewis, Mal Loye, Darren Maddy, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Paul Nixon, Monty Panesar, Mark Pettini, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matthew Prior, Chris Schofield, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Jeremy Snape, Vikram Solanki, Chris Tremlett, Marcus Trescothick, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

Sachin, Dravid, Sourav opts out of Twenty20 World Cup

Out of favour players Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Kaif were on Saturday included in the 30 probables list for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September.
The big trio of Indian cricket Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly do not feature in the list as they have opted out. The BCCI's decision will come as a shot in the arm for Sehwag, who was dropped for both the ODI and Tets teams for India's tour of England.
Paceman Irfan Pathan, who has also been out of the Indian team for long, has also been named in the list which has a number of young players who have performed consistently at domestic level. The Board has not named a captain from within the 30 probables, but according to BCCI sources Mahendra Singh Dhoni is likely to take over as captain for the Twenty20 World Cup.
The Selection Committee will choose the final 15 on August 7, the sources added. The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup will be held in South Africa from September 11 to 24. The BCCI also announced a 16-member India A team for the twin tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya. Kaif has been appointed captain, while Chandrakant Pandit will be the coach. India Twenty20 probables : Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Kaarthick, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, Yousuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary, Neeraj Patel, Karan Goel, Cheteshwar Pujara, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Joginder Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Ramesh Powar, Rajesh Pawar, Niranjan Behera, Anirudha Srikkanth, Praveen Kumar.

Sehwag, Harbhajan set to be included in Twenty20 list

Out-of-favour batsman Virender Sehwag and spin bowler Harbhajan Singh are expected to be included in the list of 30 Indian probables for the inaugural World Twenty20 championship when the national selectors meet here on Saturday.
Sehwag lost his spot in the One-day team after the Bangladesh tour while Harbhajan is out of the side in both forms of the game and has been replaced by Ramesh Powar after the World Cup. Sehwag has tried to regain his touch in a local tournament in Delhi while Harbhajan has preferred the English county cricket route to parade his wares and reclaim his wicket-taking abilities.
Both these players have not found a berth in the Test squad for England as well as the preceding One-day offshore ties in Ireland and Scotland. Among others likely to get the nod, subject to fitness, is young Uttar Pradesh batsman Suresh Raina, who has not played for more than four months because of a knee injury and has started physical training under the supervision of Cricket Board-appointed doctor's physiotherapist son.
Selection panel chief Dilip Vengsarkar indicated that players coming back from injuries, such as Raina, needed to "prove their fitness" and cited competitions like the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai as vehicles to do so. Also in the running are left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan and the injury-prone Munaf Patel.
Both these Baroda players were in the bowlers' and batsmen's fitness-oriented camps in Mysore and Bangalore respectively last month. A majority of campers, barring some like Anil Kumble who has retired from ODIs and V V S Laxman, are expected to find favour from the selectors who could be looking at the utility value of various players in the shortest form of the game. The BCCI conducted the inaugural Twenty20 national tournament for the Mushtaq Ali Trophy which was won by Tamil Nadu who beat Punjab in the final in April, and some of the notable performers in the event could get a look-in.
Power-hitters like Baroda's Yousuf Pathan, who can also bowl off-spin, and Karnataka's B Akhil - a handy lower order bat who bowls medium pace - are some of those who caught the eye in the tournament and may be picked in the preliminary list. The list has to be pruned to 15 on or before August 11, a month before the Twenty20 World Championship commences in South Africa. The selectors will also pick the India 'A' squad for its twin tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya starting later this month.

Lee on course to return for the Twenty20 World Cup

The Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is on course to return for the Twenty20 World Cup in September after being named in a preliminary 30-man squad today.
Lee missed the World Cup after having ankle surgery earlier this year but he hopes to be at full fitness for the inaugural competition in South Africa from September 12-24. Australia squad (preliminary): Ricky Ponting ( captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), George Bailey, Nathan Bracken, Luke Butterworth, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Dan Cullen, Brendan Drew, Brad Haddin, Shane Harwood, Matthew Hayden, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson,, Brett Lee, Andrew McDonald, Ashley Noffke ,, Marcus North, Luke Ronchi, Andrew Symonds,, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Shane Watson and, Cameron White.

Indian selectors to name Twenty20 world cup probables on July 7

The Indian selection panel will pick the 30 probables for the inaugural World Cup Twenty20 Championship to be held in South Africa,on July 7, in Mumbai.
The selection committee headed by former captain Dilip Vengsarkar, will choose the probables for the Twenty20 World Championship along with the India 'A' team for its tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya, BCCI Chief Executive Officer Ratnakar Shetty was quoted as saying to Cricketnext.com. The list of probables will be trimmed to 14 names, a month before the event's commencement on September 11.

Tait doubtful for Twenty20 World Cup

Australian pacer Shaun Tait's participation in the upcoming Twenty20 cricket World Cup is in doubt as he undergoes an arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday.
"Shaun is undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday to relieve soft-tissue impingement," Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement today. The operation rules him out of action until mid-August.
"We are hoping he will be back bowling by mid-August. This would leave him with a 50-50 chance of playing in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa," he added.
Tait, who was drafted into Australia's World Cup squad only after an injury to strike bowler Brett Lee, emerged as one of the stars of the tournament taking 23 wickets at an average of 20.30. The 24-year-old slinger has been having trouble in his bowling arm due to his unusual action.

India, Pakistan in same group at Twenty20 World Cup

India has been drawn with archrival Pakistan and minnow Scotland in the group stages of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in September.
The three teams have been pooled in Group D of the tournament, which will see 12 countries. Group A has South Africa, West Indies and Bangladesh while Group B features World champion Australia, England and Zimbabwe. New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Kenya form Group C.
The teams were seeded based on their rankings as on March 1, 2007. The group stages will be followed by the Super Eights, made up of the top two teams in each group. The semifinals will follow, CEO of South African cricket Gerald Majola said at a press conference on Tuesday. Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban have been chosen as the venues for the tournament.

The first Twenty20 World Cup, 2007

World Twenty20 2007: WT20 2007 Cup Index | Latest News | Results | Championship Schedule | Groups & Points | Twenty20 Teams | Venues