Bangladesh and Pakistan meet in T20 World Cup Group-A match at the Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia on Saturday. Pakistan have endured a typically nightmarish year since they lifted this trophy, but have a chance to redeem themselves in the Caribbean. Venue and conditions: We can expect the pitch at the Beausejour Stadium to conform to the recent Caribbean trend for dry, slow spin-friendly wickets. There is also a possibility of meteorological intervention with thunder showers common in St Lucia at this time of year. Trivia: Pakistan have won 73% of their Twenty20 matches, a higher percentage than any other country Team News: Bangladesh: Bangladesh toured the Caribbean last year so will be very familiar with the conditions. They won all 3 ODI’s against a very weak West Indies side who were missing all their star players due to an internal dispute but worryingly, they did lose the only T20 on that particular tour. The excellent Shakib Al Hasan skippers the side and the squad is still a very young one with the majority of their players aged 25 and under. Tamim Iqbal is a key man at the top of the order, on his day he can score extremely quickly but needs to add consistency to harness his undoubted talent. Mashrafe Mortaza will spearhead their attack, but it remains to be seen whether the Tigers pick their other quick Rubel Hossain or pack their bowling attack with spinners.They have plenty of slow bowling options which will no doubt be called upon in double quick time if the pace bowlers prove expensive. After losing to Ireland in the first group stage in last year’s tournament, it is hard to be confident of their chances but the overall trend in performance level of Bangladesh shows promise and they could be dangerous opponents if Pakistan gives them a sniff. Pakistan: Pakistan have to defend their crown and this will be their first major test since the upheaval of changing captains and the suspensions dished out to senior players last year. Younis Khan is gone and Boom Boom Afridi takes over as skipper.Abdul … [Read more...]
Vinay Kumar: Team India’s lone new face
Ever heard of the Davangere Express? No, I am not referring to any train that goes to Davangere, a small town in Karnataka. Rather a promising cricketer from Karnataka, who hails from this place has been given this epithet by his Ranji and IPL teammates. March 26,2010, turned out to be a memorable day for 26 year old R. Vinay Kumar, a day his labours of many years bore fruit. His father was formerly an autorickshaw driver and his mother is a homemaker. For his middle-class parents who had sacrificed a lot for their son, tried very hard to make arrangements for their talented son to hone his bowling skills, it was a dream come true. Though he was the eldest child, his parents never pressured him to shoulder any responsibilities. Instead he was left with the task of doing what he did best- playing cricket. Family, friends and friendly coaches chipped in to help the young lad play cricket without any impediments- financial or otherwise. This right arm medium pacer debuted in the Ranji tournament in the 2004-05 season. He has played 54 first class matches in all and has scalped a total of 202 wickets in the last 6 seasons. In the 2007-08 season, he was the second highest wicket taker. It was this performance which prompted the Royal Challengers Bangalore team to pick him up. A youngster himself, he also turned mentor to Abhimanyu Mithun and S. Arvind, both fast bowlers of the Karnataka team and himself dismissed 46 batsmen this Ranji season. In fact, his spectacular performance helped Karnataka reach the Ranji finals after 11 long years. Inspite of playing well for so many years, a call from the national selection board had eluded him. Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid , both cricketing stalwarts from Karnataka egged him on whenever he doubted his own abilities. An all-rounder stands a better chance of being selected in the national team. Realising this he even worked on his batting and is a decent lower-order batsman. His performance in the 2 IPLs also must have been surely noticed by the selectors. He has dismissed Sachin Tendulkar once each in the 2nd and 3rd editions of IPL, a prized wicket for any bowler. From a place in … [Read more...]
