Pakistan's World Cup Glory Is Great For Cricket

Massive congratulations are obviously due to the England Women's and Pakistan Men's teams who triumphed in the two showpiece ICC World Twenty20 finals over the weekend.

Beginning with the women, their success has further reinforced the fact that they have a winning mentality at the moment and just as for some teams losing has become a habit, for them, winning has become a habit that they don't look likely to break any time soon.

You have to be a very good side indeed to drop four catches against Australia and still come through and win. Claire Taylor once again showed why she is so highly regarded in the game with a brilliant unbeaten half-century and despite contriving to hit the ball into her throat at one point, Beth Morgan played an equally impressive knock of 46 not out to get England home by eight wickets.

Katherine Brunt bowled beautifully early on and once Suzie Bates and Aimee Watkins were out having contributed three runs between them, England were never going to be seriously headed. And after she was unable to take her place in the World Cup final in Sydney in March, it was wonderful to see Jenny Gunn playing her part with a couple of wickets as well.

Of course, there was the mini-wobble during the run chase but as long as Claire Taylor was at the crease, everything was going to be fine. Her unbeaten 39 denied the White Ferns any chance they thought they had of getting back into the match. England now hold the Ashes, the World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 and after they demolished their closest rivals on Sunday, who knows how long this period of dominance can last?

Domination is something that comes to mind when you try to describe Shahid Afridi's batting and his move up the order paid huge dividends for Pakistan, who had to beat two previously unbeaten teams to win the tournament and Afridi's half-centuries were both superb. His calculated gamble to take on Muttiah Muralitharan got Pakistan back on track and the assault on Isuru Udana put them on the brink of the win.

Fittingly, it was he who hit the winning run but the win, just like England's, was first set up by a superb bowling display as Abdul Razzaq proved what a loss he had been to the side when he picked up three for 20 to reduce Sri Lanka's top order to 70 for six and Mohammad Aamer, although his last over went for 17, got the vital wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Pakistan got home and it is wonderful to be writing about their cricket in a positive light - the impact of their World Cup win will be enormous back home and there was more good news when Mohammad Yousuf, another ICL returnee, was named in their Test squad to face Sri Lanka.

All of a sudden, things are beginning to look up for Pakistan although as much as captain Younus Khan would like them to, teams won't be touring the country anytime soon.

Frankly, there is more chance of Pakistan players being allowed to play in the Indian Premier League or the Sialkot Stallions being given a berth in the T20 Champions League.

Pakistan winning the ICC World Twenty20 is probably one of the best things to have happened for cricket in recent times, but one of the worst things to have happened for both the IPL and the Champions League. How can it now continue to be called a Champions League if no world champions will actually be playing?

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ICC WT20: Smith Proud, Younus Happy, Afridi Thankful

South Africa appeared to be set to finally break their duck on the big stage at this years ICC World Twenty20 tournament, after all the Proteas have been the bookies favourite to go all the way and the way they blew away all that came before them to reach the semi-finals suggested to this years tournament was their destiny.

However the reality is that South Africa have once again fallen short in a semi-final losing on this occasion to Pakistan, whose star player Shahid Afridi finally came to the party and turned in a fantastic all-round performance.

South Africa's captain Graeme Smith was understandably disappointed with his team’s performance but instead of dwelling on South Africa's poor record in major semi-finals Smith gave credit to Pakistan and in particular Afridi.

"The boys did as best as they could but we came across a very good Pakistan team today,” he conceded. “In particular, Shahid Afridi had a spectacular game with bat and with ball and I think we were just beaten on the day. I am proud of the way the guys fought right till the end there, but it was just not enough,” he added.

Many felt that Albie Morkel would have been sent out to try and lift South Africa's run rate but Smith said that Morkel had been padded up from very early on but because his team weren’t losing wickets, Morkel did not have the opportunity to bat as early as they would have liked.

"We had him padded up from about the 11th or 12th over to come in but if you don’t lose a wicket you cant come in and bat so it is unfortunate. After losing those quick wickets, JP [Duminy] is a good player of spin, and he has batted well for us for a long time, we had Albie ready to go but it never happened.”

Pakistan's captain Younus Khan said that this tournament summed up his team, making a slow start and then playing inspirational cricket and he added that he is confident of putting in one more solid performance that would see Pakistan lift the cup on Sunday.

"Whenever we play in England we get a lot of support and it is good,” he said. “Everybody knows we are slow starters, we came here late, and we had no practise session at that time, but it is good. We were the underdog and there was no pressure on us and now suddenly we are in a good position. I think we will be winning this World Cup."

Shahid Afridi was named man of the match for his brilliant all round performance, he scored 51 with the bat and then picked up two for 16 from his four overs with the ball. Afridi was thankful to his captain and coach for their support.

"I really want to thank the captain and the coach,” he said. “They gave me good confidence and I said to them I want to bat at number three or open and they let me and after that I really enjoyed my batting, bowling and fielding.”

http://www.cricketworld.com/icc_world_t20_2009/article/?aid=20986

Winning Picture of Pakistan

Picture of Pakistan Team when they Won the T20 World Cup

ICC WT20: Pakistan Win Twenty20 Cricket World Cup

Shahid Afridi blasted an unbeaten 54 to power Pakistan to a fairytale eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka to win the ICC World Twenty20 at Lord's.

Afridi took control of the match batting at number three, thumping two fours and two sixes go guide Pakistan to their victory target of 139 with eight balls to spare. Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara held the Sri Lankan innings together with a classy unbeaten 64 but even that wasn't enough to put a defendable total on the board.

Sangakkara, adept at finding the gaps and punishing the bad ball, was the only top order Sri Lankan batsmen to effectively combat the fired-up and aggressive Pakistan bowling attack.

Led by Abdul Razzaq, who picked up three for 20, they reduced Sri Lanka to 70 for six to seize early control of the match. Mohammad Amir had man of the tournament Tillakaratne Dilshan caught by Shahzaib Hasan for a duck, Jehan Mubarak also failed to score before he spooned another catch to Hasan as Razzaq struck for the first time.

Sanath Jayasuriya (17) hammered two fours and the first six of the day but he was soon out when he went for a booming drive, only to inside edge onto his pads, shortly before Mahela Jayawardene (1) guided Razzaq into the hands of Misbah-ul-Haq.

Chamara Silva's disappointing tournament ended when he pulled Umar Gul straight to Saeed Ajmal at midwicket for 14 and when Isuru Udana was bowled by Afridi for just one, Sri Lanka were in all sorts of trouble at 70 for six.

However, Sangakkara finally found a willing ally in Angelo Mathews, who finished unbeaten on 35 in 24 balls, sharing in an unbroken, vital stand of 68 with his captain, who scored seven fours in his 52-ball innings.

If any team could defend 138, it would be Sri Lanka, with their variety of unorthodox bowlers but they were put under early pressure by Kamran Akmal (37 in 28 balls) and Hasan (19 in 23), who raced to 48 in the eighth over before Akmal was stumped, charging down the track to Jayasuriya's first ball.

Hasan fell soon after when he lobbed a catch to Jayasuriya and with Muttiah Muralitharan in the wickets, Sri Lanka were back in the game.

Afridi and Shoaib Malik then combined to forge a match-winning partnership but as the runs came in more of a trickle than a flurry, thanks to some excellent bowling, the game was still in the balance.

The turning points came in the 14th over, when Afridi launched Muralitharan into the stands at long-on, then swept for four and when Sangakkara turned to Udana to bowl the 18th, Afridi took full advantage with another six, and 19 runs coming from that over in all meant that barring something extraordinary, Pakistan would be home.

Lasith Malinga tried to pull off some magic, but it wasn't to be, Afridi squirting a ball into the off side for the victory, which finally gave Pakistan cricket something to smile about and put the ghosts of Johannesburg 2007 to rest, when they missed out on victory by five runs to arch-rivals India.

The thoughts of Mohammad Aamer before Afridi took Muralitharan and Udana apart might have been interesting given that the 17-year-old's final over of the Sri Lanka innings disappeared for 17 and some felt that gave Sri Lanka the chance to win the game.

It did, but Pakistan had an in form Afridi to counter with while the ever-cool Malik was unbeaten on 24 from 22 balls, with just one four, when the winning run was hit.

http://www.cricketworld.com/icc_world_t20_2009/article/?aid=21007

Young Afridi comes of age

He had exploded on the cricket world as an overgrown 16-year-old, armed with a flashy smile and a fiery blade. He slammed international cricket's fastest century - off 37 deliveries - and left you wondering if that was even possible.

He tore into attacks with some stunning strokeplay, terrorising bowling attacks with his murderous flick over mid-wicket - a shot that invariably finished with his tongue sticking out, planted firmly on his left leg and his right pointing towards the square - leg umpire.

Over the last few years though, that Afridi had disappeared, gone either into hiding or eaten up by his own brash flamboyance. There were times when he'd turn up and remind people of the past with quickfire 30s, but innings of sustained aggression were few and far between. Inzamam-ul Haq didn't know what to do with him, occasionally shunting him up the order in hope, and quickly back down in frustration; you were more likely, increasingly, to get a first - ball duck than a match-winning 50.

His bowling, at the same time, had prospered as he added variations of pace and spin to the control he already had over his leg-breaks. But good as he got, Afridi would always be incomplete as long he batted like a headless chicken. In two matches here, over 74 deliveries, he's announced his return as a batsman. Against South Africa in the semi-final, he got a 34-ball 51 and was the only batsman who looked comfortable on a turning Trent Bridge pitch.

In the final at Lord's he kept his head against the Lankan attack - arguably the most well-rounded in international cricket. He shepherded the chase with such confidence that even when the difference between the runs required and deliveries left started heading into an uncomfortable territory, you knew there would only be one winner on the day. He finished with 54 unbeaten runs off 40 deliveries and stood with his arms raised to the skies after completing the single that took them past Lanka's total and to the trophy.

Before these two knocks, Afridi had two half-centuries in two years. Two in a row was a pleasant surprise for most Pakistan fans. Both South Africa and Sri Lanka had been unbeaten right through the tournament. Both were beaten by one man's explosive brilliance. "He was superb. I was surprised by how many singles he was taking," Younus said after the game. "He is a special player. I've never been bothered by his lack of batting form."

Yet, he backed him always, a fact seconded by Afridi himself. "A player like me needs a captain like Younus," Afridi had said after the semi-final. "I have to thank him for my success."

On the eve of this match, Sangakkara had spoken of how Afridi could hurt them. "Afridi is a guy who can take the game away from you in a few overs but we can't really get caught up with just one player. We have to make a few plans for him and see how we can get him out early. Even if he stays there for a longer period, we have to minimise the damage."

They tried on Sunday, but Afridi was in the zone. Is this the start of his second innings? Is this where he starts terrorising bowling attacks again? Don't bet on it; but don't take your eyes off either.

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Bowlers have learnt to live with Twenty20

International cricket is a batsman's game, but in increasingly loud voices, bowlers are having their say. Between the inaugural edition of the World Twenty20 championships in South Africa and this one in England, the game itself has undergone a big change.

The highest team total going into the final in this edition is South Africa's 211/5 versus Scotland; in 2007 it was 260/6 scored by Sri Lanka against Kenya.

The highest individual score in this edition, going into the final, was Tillakaratne Dilshan's 96 off 57. In the first edition, it was Chris Gayle's explosive 117 off 57. The best bowling figures of this edition - Umar Gul's five for six . In 2007 4/7 from New Zealand's Mark Gillespie.

Have the pitches been harder to play on? Have batsmen been out of form? Or is it just that the bowlers have figured the game out?

While the conditions this time have suited fast bowlers a fair bit with the ball darting around especially in the games that have been played under heavy cloud cover. Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara reckons the time when this format was considered the death of bowlers is past. "Bowlers have realised that they have a big role to play in T20. The attention is always on the batsmen who have to go for the big hits all the time, but one good spell can win a match."

Even Younus Khan, the Pakistan captain agrees. "If you have good spinners in your XI, you will do well in this format. Shahid (Afridi) and Saeed (Ajmal) have been in great form and they have put pressure on the batsmen in the middle overs." There have been a fair number of tricks that have been on display.

One of them, which the English pacers used to good effect, was the wide yorker. With batsmen increasingly playing the paddle sweep, irrespective of the pace at which deliveries are being bowled, Stuart Broad and Co packed the off-side field and changed their line. There have been a couple of debates on whether this qualifies as negative tactics. The chances of a batsman beating point and still splitting the sweeper and third man are far less than him squeezing one past short fine-leg.

Another delivery that has made an impact is the slow bouncer, used to great effect by the tournament's two most prominent slingers - Lasith Malinga and Fidel Edwards. The length stays short, but with fingers rolled across the seam, the pace is completely taken off the delivery. Edwards, who normally bowls upward of 140 kmph, bowled some of his bouncers at 120 kmph or less. In most cases, the batsmen were through with the shot well before the ball had reached them. "They bowled the bouncers really well," Dhoni had said after they had gone down to the West Indies. "They were using short deliveries, and at the same time mixing it up with slower bouncers. It gives the batsmen very little time to adjust."

The batsmen, though, will adjust. Dilshan, the tournament's leading run-getter by a distance, has been the most successful with his experiments. His trademark shot is less a paddle and more a scoop, many of them going straight over his head as opposed to the more traditional (if you can call it that) version that's being played.

South African coach Mickey Arthur said Herschelle Gibbs had been working on a couple of tricks of his own. "He doesn't want to be part of the pack," he said last week. "He doesn't want to be outdone by the Dilshans. He'll bring it out soon, hopefully in the final," Arthur had said. Well, that didn't go very well, did it?

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World Twenty20 title a gift to Pakistan: Younus

London: Pakistan captain Younus Khan said their World Twenty20 title was a 'gift' to their strife-torn nation.

The talented Pakistani team, which entered the tournament as underdogs, made a mockery of the favourites tag as they beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at the Lord's here.

Pakistan off late have been a pariah for the top cricketing nations which refused to tour the bomb ravaged country because of obvious security concerns.

Pakistani players were starved of cricket for almost a year, before Sri Lanka toured in March. But an ambushed terror attack on the islanders in Lahore led to the World Cup hosting rights being taken away from the country.

The win Sunday was balm to the grieving people of strife-torn Pakistan.

'This is a gift to my nation,' said a smiling Pakistan captain, Younus.

'This win could not have come at a more opportune time for Pakistani people. Even if I do not achieve something great from here on in my career, I will have no qualms. I will be a happy man forever,' Younus said in an emotional speech.

'It will remain a memorable moment for me all throughout my career. Only Imran Khan won a World Cup for us in 1992 and now we have been able to achieve this.'

Younus, who was reluctant to accept captaincy after Pakistan's ODI World Cup debacle in the Caribbean, said he was forced to take on the reins because of the love of his people.

'I took on the captaincy because everyone in the streets wanted me to become the captain. Anyone I spoke to told me to take over the captaincy. I had to in the end.'

'I am not a good captain, I know, but sometimes I can be a brave captain,' Younus said when asked about his leadership in the tournament.

'Sometimes certain decisions appear silly if theydon't click and then sometimes they work.'

Younus, who replaced Shoaib Malik as captain in January after Sri Lanka thrashed them in the ODI series, said that nobody gave them a chance when they came to England.

'It worked in our favour that nobody was talking about us. We had less pressure compared to other teams.'

'It was fantastic the way my team came together. The team specially played well in big matches. We had depth in the team and credit goes to the boys for this victory. Abdul Razzaq joined us and the momentum was going in our favour.'

'Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Kamran Akmal all played their part in the final. We wanted to restrict Sri Lanka around 150, then we though we had a chance. We needed a good start and we got that in the final.'

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