#IndvsWI #Semifinal #WT20
from Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Termed as battle between David and Goliath by Darren Sammy (WI skipper) but also warned public about who won that battle? Its going to be an intriguing game that will depend a lot of which WI team will land up on the pitch. They are too mercurial. On their day, they can blast any opposition away while on others, they can just capitulate against minnows (that loss to Afghanistan couple of days ago is a strong reminder)
Also pitted against each other are the batting powerhouses Chris Gayle-SPARTAN vs Virat Kohli.
It could come down to their battle as well. Who performs well on the day may determine the outcome.
The Mumbai pitch being a batting paradise so far, gives Indian batsman a first opportunity to score a few runs. Their top order is woefully out of form and will look to redeem themselves. Ashwin was brutally dealt with in the last game and he'll look to make amends especially bowling to Gayle at the top.
WI bowlers have done well too. Bravo's end over bankability, Badree's spin and Russell's pace seem to be doing the job at the moment but will be tested by this Indian batting lineup.
As for their batting, WI look better at the top with Charleston and Samuels looking solid while their powerhouses Fletcher, Gayle, Sammy and Russell could do a lot of damage all through.
However, the biggest deciding factor in the game seems to be MS Dhoni's cool captaincy.
He's just taken that to another level and can win games on his cool attitude alone.
Lets see how it goes? Odds in favour of India but their performances have revolved around Virat and that has hidden some big flaws in their batting top order. Also, with Yuvraj Singh out due to an ankle injury some forced changes seem inevitable. No injury worries for WI but their only worry would be how would they handle the 78000 Indian fans. Its 15 vs 78000.
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#RCB vs #RR
#Eliminator
#MCA Stadium, Pune
20th May 2015
After a stunning performance by #MI yesterday to beat #CSK and qualify for the IPL final on Sunday, the attention now moves to #Eliminator where two "Royal" teams face each other to move ahead in the competition. Winners of this contest will meet #CSK in Qualifier 2 at Ranchi on 22nd May 2015.
So, how does it look for both teams?
#RajasthanRoyals
Their road to the finals have been like the "hare" who rushed ahead in the race only to stumble, crawl and just make it over the line at the last minute. After a glorious start to their campaign this year (5 straight wins), they ran into KXIP and a super over (in a game they should have won easily in regulation time). The Super over lottery was won by KXIP and it marked a remarkable turn of fortunes for RR where they started looking scrappy, scratchy and disjoint that point onwards. Perhaps that loss took a lot of their momentum and motivation out. A couple of washed out games made it difficult for them to gain full points in some games but in the end, it must be said, their opening dash helped them cross the line to qualify from 4th place in the points table.
A batting heavy side - Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Steve Smith, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda have scored well throughout and will challenge the RCB bowling lineup. Bowling seems to be their weakest link and that will be thoroughly tested by Gayle, Virat, Devilliers and Co. Chris Morris has been their best bowler but James Faulkner, Watson, spinners haven't been able to really tie opposition teams down or get wickets regularly. This will remain their biggest concern and Rahul Dravid (chief coach) will have to plan their strategy accordingly.
#RoyalChallengersBangalore
They have been up and down too. Not known to be good starters, this season hasnt been different either. But, they have bounced back very well in spite of bad weather causing their last three games to be curtailed or abandoned. They have just done enough to scrape through to third position in the points table. The top three's indifferent form earlier in the league made it difficult to set or chase targets but that seems to be sorted out now and that's what makes them deadly dangerous.
Bowling is brilliantly led by Mitchell Starc but he needs good support from Arvind, Chahal, Patel and others to stop the RR top order from running away with a big total. Batting will rely heavily on the top three - Gayle-Virat-ABD but others need to step up to plate and score well if any of these three were to fail.
Interestingly, both sides are languishing at the bottom (#6 RCB and #7 RR) of the fairplay award table. This indicates both sides are volatile and a moment away from behavioral madness. Watson can get under anyone's skin with his Aussie sledging while Virat ka gussa is well documented all over!
All in all, looks like a spicy contest on our hands.
Remember loser of this game packs its bags. No second chances. Its all to play for.
Who will win?
Time will tell.
All the best to both teams.
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The first weekend double header seems to be intriguing and exciting both.
Both games pit superstars from the same country teams against each other which makes it a really mouthwatering proposition.
#CSK vs #Sunrisers
Trent Boult will be in action against his NZ captain Brendon McCullum in this one.
Shikhar Dhawan will face off with Ravi Ashwin and Mohit Sharma while Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma would try to trouble MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina..
All in all a fascinating duel between team mates!
CSK definitely looking the stronger side
Who will come out on top
McCullum/Dwayne Smith or Dhawan/Warner
Boult/Sharma or Mohit/Ashwin
Or will it be the fielders that decide the game?
CSK have a plethora of athletes - Raina, Faf, McCullum, Jadeja could turn the match on their fielding prowess alone!
The second game of the day is interesting too
#KKR vs #RCB
All eyes, no doubt, will be on #ViratKohli especially after his outburst against media and everyone who condemned #AnushkaSharma for his poor form and exit from the #CWC15. The aggressively expressive cricketer will be out there to prove a point. Will Anushka be there too? Remains to be seen...
Both captains are over the top players, losing their cool at the drop of a hat and thats where other senior players and umpires need to keep watch and control over proceedings in this game. Remember their famous on field spat a couple of seasons ago? Hope it doesn't repeat here
RCB are batting heavy with Virat-ABD-Gayle trio. They can decimate any attack on their day single handedly. Bowling seems to be their biggest concerns especially with not a lot of superstar power in those ranks except the exceptional Mtichell Starc and lively Adam Milne.
KKR seem more balanced on the bowling side with good combination of speed, swing and spin.
Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav will lead the speed guns while Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and KC Cariappa (suprise pick for 2.4 crores!) will handle the spin dept. Batting is steady but not destructive - Gambhir will look to control innings at the top while Utthappa, Surya Yadav and Yusuf Pathan will tee off as needed.
All in all, very intriguing and exciting games these....
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1975 and 1979 Champions (still considered by many as the best One day side of all time with names like Lloyd, Richards, Greenidge, Dujon, Roberts, Marshal, Holding, Garner, and the list goes on)
1983: Shock defeat in the finals at the hands of India started their decline in world cricket.
1987: Did not qualify for the semi-finals
1992: Did not qualify for the semi-finals
1996: The gut wrenching loss to Australia from an easy win position in the semi-finals
1999: Did not qualify for the super sixes
2003: Did not qualify for the super sixes
2007: Eliminated in quarter finals
2011: Eliminated in quarter finals
The solid powerhouse that this team once was ... cut a sorry picture in every following world cup.
It became worse in the new millennium.
All throughout that period, there were only glimpses of greatness mostly through Lara, Walsh and Ambrose
So how does it look for them at the 2015 edition of the cricket world cup?
Batting:
Gayle, Samuels, Darren Bravo, Simmons will need to pull out one special innings after another to upset other teams in their group.
Lack of middle order stability will be concerning.
Bowling:
Can crank up pace and suprise oppositions. Roach, Taylor, Carter.
Especially the Australian pitches will suit their seamers well.
Spin with Narine is a bright spot but Benn and others looks a bit weak.
All round ability:
Samuels, Gayle, Holder, Sammy, Russell can wield both bat and ball effectively.
Overall, very outside chances considering a lot of factors including their players squabblinh with WICB every other month, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have been huge omisions leading to lot of criticism. All the best
Team West Indies for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Jason Holder
Chris Gayle
Dwayne Smith
Marlon Samuels
Darren Bravo
Lendl Simmons
Darren Sammy
Denesh Ramdin
Sulieman Benn
Sunil Narine
Johnathan Carter
Sheldon Cottrell
Kemar Roach
Andre Russell
Jerome Taylor
