Tuesday 18 September 2012

India may find it difficult to win ICC T20 World Cup: Kapil Dev

Former India captain Kapil Dev feels that Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian team will find it "very difficult" to win the upcoming World T20 in Sri Lanka considering the manner in which they played in during their last T20 International against New Zealand.

"My heart says something and mind says something else. My heart says that India will win the World Cup and my cricketing brain thinks that they will find it very difficult. The way they played in the last T20 against New Zealand is not a good sign ahead of such an important tournament," Kapil said during a promotional event at a city outlet on Friday.

"India lost from a winning position and one cannot let go opportunities just like that. A team can lose confidence if they are defeats like these," Kapil added.

"Getting off to a good start in the tournament will be a key thing and then should think about the later part of the tournament," he added.

The 1983 World Cup winning captain didn't forget to mention that the batting unit has to click in order to excel in the big-ticket event.

"India's biggest strength is the batting. Every team has 1-2 match winning batsmen, but India have around 5-6 batsmen who can turn the match all by themselves. But then, they will have to avoid complacency," he said.

Since 0-8 whitewash in Tests in England and Australia, Dhoni's captaincy has been under scanner but Kapil feels that former has "done enough as captain and doesn't need to prove anything to anyone."

The legendary all-rounder was effusive in his praise for comeback man Yuvraj Singh saying, "Everyone is talking about it, but then for me his comeback is more than whatever he does on the field. It is not about scoring 100 or 50 or taking five wickets but the spirit that he has showed.
Talking about BCCI's superstitious approach which now has seen them drop the new T20 kit, Kapil said, "We all have superstitions but it should take a back seat at this level. On a given day the performance on the field matters the most."


Source : Samay Line

ICC T20 World Cup 2012: Sri Lanka favourites to win championship opener



Sri Lanka 

The Sri Lankans, like the Knight of Swords, will take some time to gain focus and rise to the occasion. The positives are their Four of Wands-like team work, their belief in themselves and their ability to follow cleverly-laid plans. The Lankans need to be careful of missed opportunities in the field, otherwise their batting performance will be aggressive, with runs accumulated through a collective effort - just like theTen of Pentacles.

Mahela Jayawardene will seem shaky in his captaincy, but with King of Pentacles-like backing from his team members, his challenges may not appear too apparent. As a batsman, Jayawardene will look uncomfortable. And with the Five of Pentacles, he will struggle to play in the form he is used to.

Key players

Tillakaratne Dilshan is ready to charge ahead and will relish the opportunity to start off his campaign against Zimbabwe. The Nine of Cups suggests he will display ease in building his innings.

Kumar Sangakkara will go through phases where he will appear sedate in his style, but will have the ability to accelerate his strike rate. The Seven of Wands shows him to be on top of his game.
Lasith Malinga will have his struggles. He will find his plans going wayward and will lack consistency. He will provide breakthroughs, but his bowling will appear patchy.
Angelo Mathews looks very determined. He has Chariot-like balance and is targeting victory. His ability to execute his plans will see him do well against Zimbabwe.

Rangana Herath, like the Six of Cups, will have the tendency to give away easy runs, but he will balance this out by taking wickets at crucial moments.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe have a point to prove, But they appear like the Tower and Page of Cups -aggressive, though misdirected and unrealistic. They could self-destruct. They have many great plans, but not quite the ability to conclusively see them through. On a positive note, their fielding will be impressive, but they will appear patchy in their bowling and batting.

The Two and Five of Wands shows Brendan Taylor as a strong captain, unfortunately his team will struggle to back his ideas. He will need to develop more clarity and simplify his plans to see a successful outcome. As a batsman, he will be over eager. This will result in him making unnecessary mistakes leading to his innings coming to an early end.
Key players

Craig Ervine will start off like the Star – positive and confident. Unfortunately he will find it tough to sustain this, as the opposition will get the better of him.
Prosper Utseya will have a very tough start with the ball, but with the Sun-like ability to pick himself up, he will showcase his abilities.

Ray Price will want to make this opportunity count. The Emperor-like maturity in his plans and implementation will bring out a good bowling display.
Hamilton Masakadza will be like the King of Swords, well planned and a steady game player. A good day for him.

Malcolm Waller will provide much-needed batting strength and will show glimpses of his capabilities.

Who will win?
Sri Lanka.
Source : Cricket Country

ICC T20 World Cup 2012 Fixture

Tue Sep 18          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
1st Match, Group C - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota
N/A
Wed Sep 19          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
2nd Match, Group B - Australia v Ireland
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Scattered Thunderstorms 26 - 29° C 
Wed Sep 19          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
3rd Match, Group A - Afghanistan v India
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Scattered Thunderstorms 26 - 29° C 
Thu Sep 20          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
4th Match, Group C - South Africa v Zimbabwe
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota
N/A
Fri Sep 21          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
5th Match, Group D - Bangladesh v New Zealand
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Fri Sep 21          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
6th Match, Group A - Afghanistan v England
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Scattered Thunderstorms 26 - 28° C 
Sat Sep 22          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
7th Match, Group C - Sri Lanka v South Africa
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota
N/A
Sat Sep 22          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
8th Match, Group B - Australia v West Indies
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Scattered Thunderstorms 26 - 29° C 
Sun Sep 23          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
9th Match, Group D - New Zealand v Pakistan
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Sun Sep 23          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
10th Match, Group A - England v India
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Scattered Thunderstorms 26 - 29° C 
Mon Sep 24          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
11th Match, Group B - Ireland v West Indies
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Tue Sep 25          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
12th Match, Group D - Bangladesh v Pakistan
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Thu Sep 27          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
13th Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - TBC v TBC (C1 v D2)
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Thu Sep 27          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
14th Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - TBC v TBC (A1 v B2)
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Fri Sep 28          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
15th Match, Super Eights, Group 2 - TBC v TBC (D1 v C2)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Fri Sep 28          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
16th Match, Super Eights, Group 2 - TBC v TBC (B1 v A2)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Sat Sep 29          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
17th Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - TBC v TBC (A1 v D2)
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Sat Sep 29          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
18th Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - TBC v TBC (C1 v B2)
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Sun Sep 30          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
19th Match, Super Eights, Group 2 - TBC v TBC (B1 v C2)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Sun Sep 30          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
20th Match, Super Eights, Group 2 - TBC v TBC (D1 v A2)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Mon Oct 1          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
21st Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - TBC v TBC (B2 v D2)
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Mon Oct 1          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
22nd Match, Super Eights, Group 1 - TBC v TBC (A1 v C1)
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
N/A
Tue Oct 2          
10:00 GMT | 15:30 local
15:30 IST
23rd Match, Super Eights, Group 2 - TBC v TBC (B1 v D1)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Tue Oct 2          
14:00 GMT | 19:30 local
19:30 IST
24th Match, Super Eights, Group 2 - TBC v TBC (A2 v C2)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Thu Oct 4          
13:30 GMT | 19:00 local
19:00 IST
1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC (Super 8 Group-1 1 v Super 8 Group-2 2)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Fri Oct 5          
13:30 GMT | 19:00 local
19:00 IST
2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC (Super 8 Group-2 1 v Super 8 Group-1 2)
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A
Sun Oct 7          
13:30 GMT | 19:00 local
19:00 IST
Final - TBC v TBC
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
N/A

ICC Cricket World 2012 Live Stream