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Saturday 28 February 2015

CWC 2015 LIVE - India Complete Easy Win V UAE

#India v #UAE at #WACA, #Perth
28th Feb 2015

India completed a formal and professional win against minnows #UAE to remain atop Pool B at the #CWC15. They are the only unbeaten side alongside #NewZealand and #Ireland now at this World Cup edition.

Electing to bat, the UAE played like a team in immense awe of an Indian team that has taken the World Cup by storm. They were tentative, pokey and unsure of what they wanted to do really. #RavichandranAshwin capitalized on this opportunity and sliced through their batting line up with a career best 4-for-25 haul.

#RavindraJadeja claimed 2 wickets while the seamers picked one a piece.
#BhuvaneshwarKumar was slotted in place of #MohamadShami for some match practice and he seemed to hit the straps pretty well.

At one stage, UAE were 71 for 9, on course to register the first two digit team score of the world cup. But their last pair ensured they crossed the 100 run mark before folding for 102 all out in 31.2 overs.

Chasing 103 to win, Indian openers went about in the same way they have gone about in other matches -- steady. This seems to be their game plan for the tournament. #ShikharDhwan was out to a loose shot but #RohitSharma and #ViratKohli completed formalities and India won the game in 18.4 overs. A massive win that will help their #NRR just in case its needed.

India looking good to top Pool B throughout the league stages now.
UAE need to find some consistency and put on some fight against other teams they meet ahead.

Man of the Match: Ravichandran Ashwin

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CWC 2015 - NZ Win But Australia Take Bow - What A Fightback

#NZ v #Aus
#LIVE #Cricket #Score
28th Feb 2015

#EdenPark, #Auckland

You DO NOT take Australia lightly. You cannot nail them all the way in both innings of a one day match. They will not lose their belief. They will fight hard until the last ball.

Well, New Zealand just found that out today in the biggest Pool A match here at Eden Park, Auckland. 

Earlier in the day, the Kiwis had steamrolled the Aussies in an amazing burst of speed and spin bowling by #TrentBoult and #DanielVettori. Australia bundled out for 151. From 80 for 1, they slipped to 106 for 9 before #BradHaddin and #PatCummins hung around to take the score to something they could bowl at.

Boy, did they bowl well? and how well did #MitchellStarc bowl? 
NZ kickstarted their batting with #MartinGuptill smashing 11 runs of the first legitimate ball of their run chase. A boundary off the hip off a no-ball. The proceeding #Freehit was dispateched over long on fence for a towering six. #MitchellJohnson, the hapless bowler. 

#BrendonMcCullum continued in the same vein of form he has brought into this #CWC15 with a blistering 50 off 24 balls. His fall led to a mini collapse for the Kiwis triggered by #MitchellStarc.

Suddenly from 78 for 1, they were 79 for 4. Taylor and Elliot out off consecutive Starc deliveries.
#CoreyAnderson survived the hattrick ball but Australia sensed they could push through this Kiwi middle and lower order.

Anderson and #KaneWilliamson ensured there was no further damage and carried the score past 130 without too many hiccups. NZ victory in sight. 22 runs to win. 

Just as everyone looked relaxed and yet another big-team game going down a one-sided path, drama began to unfold. This is where the Aussies are so proficient and their tenacity and ability to bounce back from hopeless situations comes to the fore. 

A bowling change accounted for Corey. #GlennMaxwell got his man with his dibbly spinners.
131 for 5. Easy victory still in sight with Williamson settling down at the other end.

But, Starc had different ideas.

To begin with, he induced an edge from #LukeRochi
139 for 6

#PatCummins chipped in with the wicket of #Vettori shortly,
145 for 7

Things beginning to get uncomfortable for the Kiwis given their tail didnt have to bat much in this World Cup so far. In walked #AdamMilne to a crowded Australian field. They hustled up to the NZ batsmen knowing pressure was on.

Starc cashed in on that big time uprooting Milne's stumps for a blob.
146 for 8

The very next ball, #TimSouthee got a taste of his own medicine when his wickets were broken by a scorching Starc delivery for nought.
146 for 9

Dear o dear ....

Can New Zealand lose this one now?
Had Australia completed their Houdini escape?

Kane Williamson stranded at the other end watching  #TrentBoult walking in with the weight of the world on his shoulders (he had bowled beautifully for his 5-For to set up this easy run chase and now here he was needing to score 5 runs or atleast block a couple of deliveries from the rampaging Starc)  

Starc steamed in for a second time in the game on a #hattrick, but Boult survived pretty comfortably. Huge roar from the crowd. Another ball to survive though. 

#MichaelClarke made field changes for the last ball of Starc's over to avoid a boundary. Plan was set to trap Boult through a full ball but he sprayed the ball wide, a wasted delivery and chance to seal a famous win for Aus.

Over changed and so did NZ fortunes.
For starters, the well set Williamson was on strike but 5 runs was still an ask. He needed to farm the strike well. Pat Cummins the bowler. Field set inside out to avoid boundaries and doubles. Kane had a plan and Pat's inexperience at the death showed as he bowled a full length delivery. Williamson freed himself of the wickets, created room and smashed the bowl over the bowler's head straight down the ground for a SIX!

The Eden Park erupted, NZ batsmen ecstatic while Aussies disappointed. Amazing scenes.
NZ won by 1 wicket in hand and 161 balls to spare (just goes to show if Australia had scored another 15-20 runs more, the story could have been different)

Good game ... made extraordinary by Australia and their never-say-die spirit.
Take a bow! This is how you defend low scores. This is how you fight when the chips are down.
You may lose but you walk off head held high. This is the ultimate sports team!

Man of the Match: Trent Boult for his 5-For. If he had scored those 5 runs, am sure he'd have ranked them above the five wickets he took :)

NZ - 4 wins from 4 games - 8 points
Aus - 1 win from 3 games - 3 points

Opens up Pool A beautifully now.
Things hotting up for the QF berths at the #CWC15.

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CWC 2015 LIVE - Mayhem - Kiwis Rip Through Australia

#Aus v #NZ, #Auckland
28th Feb 2015

#DanielVettori has brought the Kiwis back in the game brilliantly.
Brought in to bowl in the opening #Powerplay to curb the rampaging #Aussies, he has produced a dream spell of control, guile and produced the much needed breakthrough. He had #ShaneWatson caught in the deep by Tim Southee.

Immediately after that, Southee trapped the very dangerous #DavidWarner #legbefore.
Warner and Clarke reviewed it but #hawkeye went with the umpire and out was the decision.

#DanTheMan was it again when he had #StevenSmith caught behind and the Kiwis were pumped up.

McCullum then brought in #TrentBoult in place of Southee with immediate results. His pace troubled #GlennMaxwell and he #playedon on his stumps.  

2 balls later, #MitchelMarsh .. #playedon in the same way as Maxwell. NZ pumped up!! 

News just in ... #MichaelClarke has been claimed by Trent Boult caught at short cover.

Boy ... Australia in big trouble now.

Two new batsmen at the crease
#MitchellJohnson
#BradHaddin

#LIVE #Score - 104 for 7 from 21 overs.

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CWC 2015 LIVE - 2 Quick Wickets Pegs Australia Back v NZ

#Aus v #NZ, #Auckland
28th Feb 2015

#DanielVettori has brought the Kiwis back in the game brilliantly.
Brought in to bowl in the opening #Powerplay to curb the rampaging #Aussies, he has produced a dream spell of control, guile and produced the much needed breakthrough. He had #ShaneWatson caught in the deep by Tim Southee.

Immediately after that, Southee trapped the very dangerous #DavidWarner #legbefore.
Warner and Clarke reviewed it but #hawkeye went with the umpire and out was the decision.

Two new batsmen at the crease
#MichaelClarke playing an international after almost 3 months
#StevenSmith

#LIVE #Score - 94 for 3 from 16 overs.

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CWC 2015 LIVE - Feeling the Buzz Already - Aus v NZ

#Aus v #NZ , #EdenPark, #Auckland
28th Feb 2015

The Australia v NewZealand game looks to be living to its reputation.
The game has just started but you can feel the buzz ... an intensity at a different level.
Hope it remains that way and match lives up to its huge billing.

Australia have won the toss and elected to bat first.

After 11 overs, they are 70 for 1.
#DavidWarner and #ShaneWatson at the crease just getting their eyes in.

#AaronFinch bowled by #TimSouthee.

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Friday 27 February 2015

CWC 2015 - Bowl Tracking Technology

#CWC15

Bowl Tracking Technology at this World Cup is yet another fascinating innovation.
Used to track how the ball leaves the bowler's hands, pitches and reaches the batsman to determine areas of strengths/weaknesses of batsmen, projected trajectory of deliveries and bounce variations, this technology is really wowing the fans and cricketers alike.

Teams are using it to study opposition batsmen (strong and weak areas, lengths to bowl on different pitches, etc) while batsmen are using them to plot their aggression/defence against fast, seam and spin bowlers.

This is one piece of technology that will stay for while in cricket for sure.

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CWC 2015 - NZ v Aus - Biggest Game In Pool A

#NewZealand v #Australia , #Auckland
28th Feb 2015

In whats the biggest game of the tournament probably, New Zealand take on Australia at Auckland in high voltage Pool A match. Australia were and are always firm favorites to win the cup based on their overall ability and form. The Black Caps probably have the best chance to win the trophy owing to home conditions and form of some of their key players. 

Its going to be a battle of nerves and the team that takes an initiative and innovates will come up trumps. So, whats is favor of each team then?

New Zealand
 - Home ground in Auckland. Australia will travel to New Zealand after a long time and need to adapt quickly
 - Home crowd support and conditions to suit the Kiwis more
 - Big chance to set the record straight against their neighbors (Aus have always been the better team)
 - Bowling and Batting clicking at the same time. The only worry is some of their middle and lower order players havent got a decent hit in yet. Same with the Aussies who have played on the opening day of the tournament and nothing after that. Thats 14 days ago. That should make them a bit rusty?
 - The fielding is at par but Kiwis seem to just have an edge there

Australia
 - Home or away, the Aussies are massively adaptive and aggressive in all environments. This is the reason why they have been so dominant over the years.
 - Man to man - skill wise - they are the better team no doubt. Kiwis don't have the superstar batting or bowling prowess but they are performing brilliantly as a unit.
 - All round ability is better and even under pressure they can stand up tall unlike most other teams who generally crumble, NZ being one of them.

Our judgment says its Aus 60 - 40 NZ.
We may be wrong and if we are, this World Cup is alive and kicking. 
Imagine Australia stuck on 3 points after 3 games battling it out with other teams in the group to qualify for the quarter finals! That would dent their pride big time.   

Players to watch?

Aus - David Warner, Steven Smith, Michael Clarke (well finally he gets to play after a long injury layoff), Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc

NZ - Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Daniel Vettori

May the better team win.
We just hope this is the first "heavyweights" game of this #CWC15 that goes down to the wire. Many of these games so far have been one-sided while the minnows have produced some cracking and thrilling results!  

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CWC 2015 LIVE - Windies Lose Steam Chasing Massive 408 v SA

#SA v #WI, #LIVE at the #SCG
27th Feb 2015

Stunned and Blown away by a batting masterclass from ABcD of cricket (#ABDevilliers), Windies have floundered miserably in their run chase of 408.

#KyleAbbott removed their biggest threat #ChrisGayle in his first over, crashing his middle stumps.
The celebrations by SA after that wicket just showed how much that meant to them.

He then induced #Marlon Samuels to hit one down DeKock's throat for nought.

#MorneMorkel had #JamesCarter caught by #ABD for 10 (can you keep AB out the game for long?)

#ImranTahir, then induced a double breakthrough, claiming #DwayneSmith for 31 and trapping #LendlSimmons for nought.

West Indies 63 for 5.
#DeneshRamdin and #DarrenSammy at the crease.
End doesn't seem far away.

Windies left to lick their wounds.  

As it stands (assuming a SA victory),
Pool B - 4 teams at 4 points each now. This is getting exciting. 

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CWC 2015 LIVE - AB Stuns Windies Again - Magical Innings

#SA v # WI, #LIVE, #SCG
27th Feb 2015

Wow ... Wow ... Wow is all you can say about the "Man" - #ABDevilliers.
Just don't know what he eats for breakfast when he goes out to bat against the West Indians? In a span of month or so, he has broken multiple one day records courtesy the men in red.

His outrageous batting explosion at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the late stages of the match had everyone spellbound and in awe. Take a bow AB, take a bow.

162 from 68 deliveries!!
Unreal or surreal stuff from the best cricket athlete in the world.

He was ably supported by Rilee Rossouw who smashed 62 in 36 deliveries to set the tempo in that innings after losing two quick wickets in the middle.

The West Indies bowlers' had nowhere to hide or were clueless, as AB tore them apart. The best example was the last over bowled by captain #JasonHolder. The over read
2-6-6-4-6-6 (30 runs).

80 runs were scored in the last 3.2 overs. 
Astonishing power hitting, ingenuine audacity and sublime batting skills by ABD. Hats off.

South Africa ended with 408 for 5 in 50 overs, highest score batting first in #Australia

West Indies have never chased 300 before. This is 400 ... Can Gayle storm it out once again. He has to match ABD otherwise it game-set-match SA already.

AB's records after this innings
 - fastest ODI 50 (Jo' burg)
 - fastest ODI 100 (Jo 'burg)
 - fastest ODI 150 (Sydney)
** all against West Indies

Whats next? fastest 200 maybe? or how about the first 300 in one dayers?
Teams yet to play against him are already shivering at those thoughts!!

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CWC 2015 LIVE - Gayle Stikes 2 Blows In One Over

#SA v #WI #LIVE at #SCG
27th Feb 2015

Just when South Africa seemed to be beginning to turn the heat on scoring, #ChrisGayle has struck twice in one over!

Firsr, he had #FafDuPlessis caught behind by #DeneshRamdin.
Two balls later, he trapped the well set #HashimAmla plumb in front of the stumps. Both set batsmen out makes it even-steven yet again!

Two new batsmen, #ABDevilliers and #RileeRossouw at the crease.
Need to rebuild their innings again. WI will look to attack and put more pressure on the SA middle and lower order

Score: 170 for 3 in 33 overs.

 

CWC 2015 LIVE - Where Are My Shoes? Amla

#SA v #WI at #SCG
#LIVE
27th Feb 2015

A funny incident happened at the SCG during the SA batting innings.

#HashimAmla flicked one of the pads to midwicket and set off for a run.
In the process, he stepped on one of his shoe and it came off. He limped over to the other end since it was a comfortable single.

#FafDuPlessis at the other end saw the funny side of it, smiled, picked up the shoe and handed it over to him. Some fun ...

 

CWC 2015 LIVE - SA Off To A Cautious Start at SCG

#SA v #WI at the #SCG

SA off to a cautious start
90 for 2 in 21 overs.

#HashimAmla and #FafduPlessis at the crease steadily building an innings.
#QuintonDeKock is out for 12 off #JeromeTaylor.

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CWC 2015 LIVE - SA Win Toss, Elect To Bat v WI

#SouthAfrica v #WestIndies , #SCG
27th Feb 2015

#ABDevilliers, the SA captain has won the toss and decided to bat first at the picturesque #SCG. He talked about being embarrassed against India at MCG and took time away from the game.

AB also emphasized that the #toss isn't something in your control, you need to bat or bowl well first/second to win the World Cup.

#Jason Holder looked sad at losing the toss but mentioned bowling well upfront and capturing wickets to restrict the Proteas to a 250 odd score.

Let the game begin...

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CWC 2015 - SL Demolish Bangladesh To Regain Form

#SriLanka v #Bangaladesh, #MCG
26th Feb 2015

Touted as the #AsianBattle between the Lions and Tigers, the match did not live up to its expectations. SL clearly the better side and won the match comfortably by 92 runs.

#TilakratneDilshan and #KumarSangakarra stroked beautiful centuries to muster a mammoth 332 for 1 in their 50 overs. Dilshan being the more dominant partner of the two. All bowlers taken to the cleaners by these two outstanding batsmen.

The Banglas were never in the run chase really.
#TamimIqbal was bowled in the first over and they never really looked like being in the game after that. Some late order hitting by #ShakibAlHasan, #MushfiqurRahim and #SabbirRahman only delayed the inevitable for a while. #LasithMalinga came back to form with 3 wickets. Lakmal and Dilshan plucking 2 each.

An all round performance from Dilshan earned him the man of the match award.
Well done!

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Thursday 26 February 2015

CWC 2015 LIVE - Battle Of Nerves - SA v WI

#SouthAfrica v #WestIndies, #SCG
27th Feb 2015

In an exciting Pool A match, South Africa will take on West Indies at the classical Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in a short while. 

This game has attained far more importance than anticipated before start of the tournament.
The Proteas had a nightmare outing against India on Sunday at the MCG where they lost by a whopping 130 runs. Their first game win against minnows #Zimbabwe wasn't very convincing either. Being tagged as frontrunners for the world cup crown, their performance has been far from expected and hence they are under tremendous pressure to win this game and get their confidence back. Ireland's emergence as a #darkhorse in this group has made it even more interesting in this pool. 

West Indies on the other hand are on a upswing. #ChrisGayle's storm against Zimbabwe a couple of days ago will have brought renewed enthusiasm and vigour in the Windies camp. They also won comprehensively against #Pakistan before that. These two wins have overshadowed their shock defeat to #Ireland in their opening game.

The match promises to be a real big one and we should now start seeing the big teams pull out some thrillers in a bid to reach the next stages of the world cup. Coupled to that, the venue, SCG, is just right to deliver a cracker of a game.

All the best to both teams

Players to Watch
South Africa
 - A B Devilliers
 - Faf Du Plessis
 - David Miller
 - Dale Steyn
 - Imran Tahir

West Indies
 - Chris Gayle
 - Marlon Samuels
 - Darren Bravo
 - Jerome Taylor
 - Suleiman Benn

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CWC 2015 - Another Minnow Thriller - Afghanistan beat Scotland

#Afghanistan v #Scotland, #Dunedin
26th Feb 2015

Looks like the #minnows at the World Cup (the associate members of the #ICC) have decided to lighten up contests in what has seen many one-sided games between the top teams.

Yesterday, #Ireland pulled off a stunner against #UAE
Today it was #Afghanistan to repeat the dose on #Scotland.
What a fantastic game!!

On a beautiful Dunedin monring, Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field first.
The Zadrans decided to weave their magic around the #Scots. They captured 7 wickets between them to restrict Scotland to a meagre 210 in their 50 overs. 7 off the 11 Scotland batsmen got starts but none of them could capitalize and play a big innings to put up a respectable total.

The Afghanistan chase of the target began briskly with #JavedAhmadi tonking the ball around a bit. The Scots came back through 2 quick wickets. #AlasdairEvans claiming both wickets.

In walked #SamiullahShenwari to play the innings of his life. He and Ahmadi set out chasing the target with ease and were cruising at 85 for 2 in 18 overs. Simple.

This is when the tide began to turn and how?
#RcihieBerrington and #RossDavey combined in a brilliant spell of bowling to dismiss 5 Afghan batsmen for a paltry 12 runs. Suddenly the score card was reading Afghanistan - 97 for 7.
Game completely in favor of the Scots now. They had it in the bag.

Thats when Shenwari decided otherwise.
He first stitched a 35 run partnership with #DawlatZadran and then an invaluable 60 run partnership with #HamidHassan. At 192 for 8, it looked Afghanistan had the game in their grasp. Shenwari coasting to a well deserved century.

In a moment of madness though, he slapped a delivery from #MajidHaq to deep midwicket boundary where Josh Davey kept his cool and took a wonderful catch. The Scots were delighted. Their biggest thorn and in form batsman was gone with another 19 runs needed to win. Certainly, the win was theirs!

Nope said #ShapoorZadran as he smashed 12 in 10 deliveries and completed the Houdini escape for Afghanistan to win the match by 1 wicket and 3 balls to spare.

Delight and Despair all round. Wonderful scenes of ecstacy from Afghanistan and agony from Scotland. Their first win in a world cup game. Cricket was truly the winner today. Well played both teams ... are the big teams listening? can we get some of these nail-biters from you too?

Man of the Match: Samiullah Shenwari

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CWC 2015 - Lions v Tigers - Crucial Tie in Pool A

#SriLanka v #Bangladesh, #MCG
26th Feb 2015

In a very critical match, the two #Asian teams will battle it out at the legendary #MCG in Pool A.
The game has gained significance on account of Bangladesh stealing a point off #Australia in their abandoned match at the #GABBA few days ago. As a result, they are sitting undefeated in the pool with 3 points from 2 games.

Sri Lanka on the other hand have loads of problems to worry about. They were run over by the #Kiwis in the tournament opener and run very close by minnows #Afghanistan in their second game. They have 2 points from 2 games and look dodgy overall. Their batting hasnt clicked overall, bowling remains a worry and fielding isnt electric anyway.

Bangladesh on the other hand will feel buoyed by that Gabba result and will look to upset the Asian Lions to make Pool A very interesting. Bangladesh can progress to the next round at the expense of either Sri Lanka or #England.

All eyes on #MCG.

Players to watch

Sri Lanka
 - Angelo Matthews
 - Kumar Sangakarra
 - Mahela Jayawardene
 - Lasith Malinga
 - Nuwan Kulasekhara

Bangladesh
 - Shakib Ul Hasan
 - Mashrafe Murtaza
 - Mushfiqur Rahim
 - Tamim Iqbal
 - Mahmudullah



Wednesday 25 February 2015

CWC 2015 - Angelo Mathews - Sri Lankas GO-TO Man



Can handle crisis with superb ease.

Angelo is very analytical and has tremendous talent for unravelling complicated issues and situations. His life is actually problem free, and he is happiest when he is testing his own ingenuity; if life does not present him with problems to overcome his natural response is to seek them out. 

He is a life saver who is capable of restoring order and bringing in hope in depressing situations. The reverse is also true he has a habit of playing the devil’s advocate and injecting difficulties into simple procedures sometimes being disorganised can be harmful.

Angelo's greatest challenge is enjoying the ordinary, The way forward is to understand that that a fulfilling and happy life is not one of extremes but of steady, positive feelings about every aspect of his life even chores and routine.

To enhance luck its very important that Angelo makes every day special, understand that everyday in his life including those that are without highlights is unique and special. Never waste an opportunity to feel positive and upbeat about his life.

Learn that change begins from the inside out. Once he is able to understand the life changing fact that his destiny is to influence, motivate and inspire others with his resilience ingenuity and flair life will be super successful.

Power Thought:
“Everyday offers me an opportunity to learn something new about myself”

God Bless
Dolly Manghat
http://www.dollymanghat.com

CWC 2015 - Kumar Sangakkarra Needs Self Belief



Kumar needs to recognise his own worth.

He has the ability to make a lasting and positive impression on all those he meets. Extremely versatile and sensitive to the feelings of others he loves harmony and likes nothing better than bringing in smiles to everyone around him. 

Paradoxically however underneath his sociable and relatively normal persona he is riddled with doubts insecurities, contradictions and hidden fears. Learning to develop faith in his abilities is crucial to your success and happiness in life. 

Kumar needs to believe in himself and his talents. Once he has accepted that to be human is to be complex, his destiny will point the way towards progress through the most unlikely of approaches.

Kumar Sangakkara ‘s greatest challenge is to be true to himself and the way forward is to understand that until he is true to who he is life will forever feel confusing and overwhelming.

His luck is enhanced if he could visualize what he deserves with positive expectation the way he wants to be and his behaviour will catch up with the mental image of himself, attarcting good luck in the process.

Power Thought for Kumar
“It is safe for me to look within”

God Bless
Dolly Manghat
http://www.dollymanghat.com

CWC 2015 - Ireland Beat UAE - Thriller At GABBA

#Ireland v #UAE, #GABBA, #Brisbane
25th Feb 2015

In a Pool B match of the #minnows (well Ireleand arent certainly minnows anymore based on their recent performances), Ireland defeated UAE in a thrilling finish at the GABBA today.

Set to chase 279, the Irish stuttered and stumbled all along before cross the finish line as winners. #GaryWilsom and #KevinObrien were stars of that run chase after they were reduced to 97 for 4 at one stage and UAE seemed to have gained hopes of a win. Cusack and Dockrell kept their heads in the tense dying moments of the game to seal a well deserved win for the team in green over the Arab country.

Earlier, UAE, put into bat by Ireland (a decision that surprised many but probably a move to chase the score quickly and up their net run rate in the Pool standings), started even worse being reduced to 131 for 6 around 35 over mark. It was then that young #ShaimanAnwar took over and showed his class and quality of batting. He stroked a majestic 106 (the first UAE batsman to do so). In company of #AmjadJaved (a good 42), he catapulted the score to a very respectable and fightable 278 for 9 in their alloted 50 overs.

The overall quality of Ireland showed in this evenly matched contest as they won all key moments in the game leaving UAE licking their wounds. UAE can be proud of their performance though.

Man of the Match: #GaryWilson

So what does this Ireland mean for the group positions?
Well, its made the picture really exciting now..

India - 2 games - 4 points
West Indies - 3 games - 4 points
Ireland - 2 games - 4 points
South Africa - 2 games - 2 points
Zimbabwe - 3 games - 2 points
UAE - 3 games - 0 points
Pakistan - 2 games - 0 points

Ireland at three is a huge danger signal for #Pakistan. They really need to pull up their socks and start winning some games quickly. They are yet to play #SouthAfrica as well. Ireland's game against Pakistan will gain a lot of importance for defining final standings in this Pool.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

CWC 2015 - Video - WI vs ZIM - Gayle Destruction



#ChrisGayle's stormy 215
#MarlonSamuel's patient and supporting 132

Plenty of records broken
1. Fastest ODI Double Hundred
2. First World Cup Double Hundred
3. Most sixes by a batsman in an innings - 16
4. Highest Partnership for any wicket in ODIs
5. First occasion of a double hundred and hundred in the same innings of an ODI

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CWC 2015 LIVE - Gayle Storm At Manuka Oval

#WI v #Zim, #ManukaOval, #Canberra
24th Feb 2015

There were signs of thunderstorms and rain at the Manuka Oval, venue for the West Indies v Zimbabwe game in Pool B. There was a storm .. but it was a "Gayle" storm that blew one and all away!!


In an amazing display of power hitting and timing, #ChrisGayle recorded the first #doublecentury ever at a World Cup, #fastest double century ever and rewrote a lot of batting records. 

Chris Gayle - 215 off 147 balls, 10 fours and 16 sixes ... need we write more.

The hapless Zimbabwean bowlers were taken to the cleaners really and had no idea what hit them.
As a solace they did get him out off the last ball of the innings caught at mid-wicket by Chingumbura off Masakadza.

It must be noted that Gayle was absolutely "plumb" (according to most experts commenting on the game including #ShaneWarne and #ShaunPollock) in the very first over of their innings. Rapped on the back leg, the Zimbabweans went all up in #appeal for #legbeforewicket. #Umpire #SteveDavis thought otherwise and turned it down. After some consultation, Zim captain decided to #review it with the #third umpire.

- Legitimate ball (no overstepping of the crease by the bowler) - Yes
- Pitching in line - Yes
- Hitting in line - Yes
- Any edge - No
- Hitting wickets - Umpire's call????

Naked eye said dead straight, plumb. Hawk eye said missing stumps and umpire's call. Appeal/Review was rejected and original decision of not out stayed. 

Guess, it was an indicator that Gayle storm had arrived and how? brutal and lethal.

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CWC 2015 - Highlights from First 10 Days At the Cup

#CWC15 

Boy! What a start to this cricket world cup.
Its exploded big time.... especially with some big gun games right at the start of the world cup!

It all started with #Aus v #Eng match, an all time classic rivalry in all forms of the game
Venue: #MCG
A fatal mistake at the toss to bowl first and then a dropped chance in the very first over cost England the game really. Man of the match #AaronFinch dropped for nought went on to score a superb hundred to setup a mammoth 342 target. England never got going really and were bundled out for 231.

In the other game of the day, #NZ steamrolled #SriLanka by 98 runs to announce their candidature as potential world champs. 

Day 2 was huge!
Arch rivals and cricket freak nations - #India and #Pakistan clashed in the match of matches at #AdelaideOval. Billed as the match of the tournament, it didnt live up to its expectations really. India clearly dominating the game to win by 76 runs. #ViratKohli with a superb century stole the show.

Interestingly, the other game of the day #SA v #Zim provided some real excitement. Zimbabwe ran the #Proteas real close in their chase of 340. They were in the hunt for a long time and the #Sprinboks were visibly worried. But, the overall class and quality of their game ensured no upset and they came through. #DavidMiller and #JPDuminy with superb hundreds for #SA, #HamiltonMasakadza and #SeanErvine fought hard for the Zimbabweans.

Day 3 saw the first real upset of the tournament with #Ireland trouncing #WestIndies by 4 wickets. They showed superb all-round ability to chase a 300+ target with ease and sent a serious warning to all other teams in Pool B. 

The next game saw #NZ make heavy weather of a small run chase against #Scotland.
Chasing 142, the #Kiwis lost 7 wickets to accomplish the target. Some chinks there...

Days 5 and 6 was for matches of the minnows 
Zimbabwe beat #UAE by 4 wickets
Bangladesh beat #Afghanistan by 105 runs (avenged their defeat the Asia Cup qualifiers)

Feb 20th saw the most destructive and one sided game of the tournament till date when #NZ took on #England at #Wellington. #TimSouthee ran through England batting with a 7-For (a record for NZ) and #BrendonMccullum smashed Enland bowling into oblivion with a whirlwind 77 off 25 deliveries. Match over just after lunch with another 25 overs to go.

Day 8 saw #WI take on #Pak in a battle of teams that looked lost and devastated from their earlier games. WI took that game easily by 150 runs. At one stage Pak were 1 for 4 wickets. #JeromeTaylor with a great spell of bowling built on a superb late flourish by #AndreRussell to setup a score of 310 for the Windies.

One the same day, we also witnessed the first washout of the tournament
Australia's game against Bangladesh at the GABBA was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Day 9 had Pool B heavyweights India and South Africa go at each other. Another lopsided affair again with India demolishing SA by 130 runs. #ShikharDhawan with a fluent 137.

The other game of the day saw #SriLanka just crossing the line against #Afghanistan. Again a case of overall ability and skill that allowed the Asian Lions to win the match.

Day 10, finally, finally ... England opened their account with a win over Scotland. MooenAli with a superb all-round performance.

Summary of points:

Pool A
NZ - 6 points
Aus - 3 points 
Ban - 3 points
SL - 2 points
Eng - 2 points

Pool B
Ind - 4 points
Irl - 2 points
WI - 2 points
Zim - 2 points
SA - 2 points 

Expecting a cracking next 10 days with some heavy duty games coming up including
Aus v NZ
Pak v SA
Eng v SL

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CWC 2015 - Englands Easy Win Against Scotland

#England v #Scotland, #HagleyOval, #Christchurch
23rd Feb 2015

England finally opened their account with 2 points against minnows and neighbors Scotland at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch today.

After two demoralizing and devastating losses to Australia (by 100+ runs) and NewZealand (by 8 wickets and 25 overs to spare) in their opening two games, England did themselves and their confidence some good by winning their game today.

Looking at their form, it was expected that Scotland would put up a fight and look to upset the Englishmen. But, the England team looked like they were on a mission to shrug off those two defeats and start afresh.

Riding on wonderful #allround performance by #MoeenAli (century and two wickets), England won the match by 119 runs and lot of respect kept intact. If they had allowed Scotland to get any closer, they would have been badly hurt further.

To be fait to them, they ran into two dominant sides in their first two games. Both Aus and NZ and clear favorites to win the world cup and England came a cropper against them. They needed a minnow like Scotland to register their first win, but this should give them some confidence going into another crucial match against #SriLanka on 1st Mar 2015 at #Wellington. Very important game in that group.

The abandoned tie between #Ban v #Aus at the #GABBA has already thrown this group split wide open. 

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Monday 23 February 2015

CWC 2015 - Technology - Fire Bails and Stumps

#CWC15 - #Cricket #Technology

Anyone watching this cricket world cup will have seen some amazing technology innovations being used. Be it the #Spidercam or the #Bowling Comparison meter. But, the #Fire #Bails and #Stumps seem to be hogging the highest attention of them all.

Its definitely a sight to behold.
Stumps being broken by express deliveries, #runouts, #stumpings, etc.
Everytime these stumps illuminate giving an awesome feel to the action.
This technology is to aid umpires in making decisions in close shaves, ideally runouts and stumpings. The results are encouraging already.

There is one problem though.
They are helluva expensive.
One set of 6 stumps and 4 bails costs a whopping AUD 7000. Whoa!
A supplier from #NewZealand has the contract to supply these "limited edition" stumps and bails for the World cup. Umpires have been strictly advised to prevent players from taking stumps away after winning matches. Some notable examples of this issue was during the #Irish victory over #WestIndies when players were stopped halfway and asked to leave stumps on the ground.

#ShikharDhawan wanted a piece for his showcase after his man of the match winning perfomance against #SA at the #MCG but umpires didn't allow him to take the stump away.

All in all ... a fabulous innovation and here to stay for years to come I guess!! 

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Sunday 22 February 2015

CWC 2015 LIVE - India Steamroll South Africa at MCG

#India v #SouthAfrica , #MCG
22nd Feb 2015


India beat South Africa by 130 runs at the MCG.
Huge win considering this was the biggest game in the pool and expected to go down the wire.

Highlights:

India 307 for 7
#ShikharDhawan - 137
#AjinkyaRahane - 79
#ViratKohli - 46

#MorneMorkel - 2 wickets
#DaleSteyn - 1 wicket
#ABDevilliers - 2 direct hit runouts

South Africa 177 all out
#FafduPlessis - 55
#ABdevilliers - 28

#RavichandranAshwin - 3 wickets
#RavindraJadeja - 2 wickets
#MohitSharma - 2 wickets

Man of the Match: #ShikharDhawan

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CWC 2015 - Sri Lanka Scrape Through Against Afghanistan

#SriLanka v #Afghanistan , #Dunedin
22nd Feb 2015

A brilliant #century by #MahelaJayawardene ensured #SL scraped through to a close win against the minnows in a Pool A game at Dunedin.

Sri Lanka made heavy weather of the modest 232 target set by Afghanistan.
At one stage, an upset was on the cards and things got really uncomfortable for the 1996 world champs but #ThisaraPerera and #JeevanMendis kept their cool and used experience to guide SL to a win in Dunedin.

Afghanistan's inexperience in such situations showed as they couldn't press for a win but a very commendable performance from them for sure.

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