first quarterfinal - Dhaka Mirror

Pakistan outplay Windies to storm into semis

Admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:55:07 +0000

Dhaka: Pakistan thrashed West Indies by ten wickets to move into the World Cup semi-finals here at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on Wednesday.
Chasing an easy target of 113 runs, openers Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez completed the Pakistan victory without being separated, in just 20.5 overs.
Kamran contributed 47 and Hafeez 61 as both made 113 runs together, Pakistan’s biggest opening stand of this tournament.
Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, the West Indies could not resist against the Pakistan spin attack, led by Shahid Afridi, and were bundled out for 112 in 43.3 overs.
Leg-spinner Afridi, already the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, took his tally to 21 as he finished with four for 30, including two wickets off successive balls.
Off-spinners Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal claimed two wickets each for 16 and 18, respectively, while pacers Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq took a wicket each.
Veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, brought back to the team after being dropped in the previous match against India, was the only batsman to defy the spinners with a dour unbeaten 44 off 106 balls.
Except Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan (24) and Kemar Roach (16), no West Indian batsman could get into double figures
The West Indies were reduced to 71-8 before a 40-run stand between Chanderpaul and Roach, which helped the former champions surpass their lowest World Cup total of 93 against Kenya in Pune in 1996.
The West Indies never recovered from the disastrous start when they lost three top batsmen, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo, by the sixth over.
Gayle, returning to the side after recovering from an abdominal strain, made eight when he drove Umar Gul to mid-off where Afridi accepted the catch.
Hafeez, who shared the new ball with Gul, trapped Smith and Bravo leg-before in the space of four deliveries to open up the middle-order.
Shell-shocked by the early reverses, the West Indies groped to 36-3 after 15 overs, with Chanderpaul making just three runs off his first 27 deliveries.
Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chanderpaul put on 42 for the fourth wicket before Afridi destroyed the innings with three wickets in 11 balls.
Sarwan, dropped by Gul at mid-off when he was on 14, added 10 more to his score before Afridi gained revenge by having him caught at point by Umar Akmal.

Courtesy of thenews.com.pk

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Afridi leaves Imran behind

Admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:52:43 +0000

It is still too early to think that Shahid Afridi can emulate Imran Khan by leading Pakistan to their second World Cup trophy, but he did at least one thing better than his legendary countryman on Wednesday.
With his 4-30 against the West Indies in the first quarter-final, Afridi overtook Imran to become Pakistan’s most successful bowler in a single World Cup as his tally in the ongoing tournament now stood at 21.
Imran claimed 17 wickets in the 1987 World Cup and held the record thus far, but it was only a matter of time for Afridi to surpass him as he was level with before playing the first quarter-final of the tournament.
Afridi had only seven wickets to his name in his first two World Cups, but after taking the captain’s armband he appeared as a different bowler in this edition, mixing his leg spin with a bit of pace which left the batsmen clueless.
His quickers have often got him wickets which was also the case against the West Indies while his fellow spinners accounted for eight wickets.
‘I am just trying to bowl wicket to wicket,’ Afridi said before the West Indies game, revealing the secret behind his success. ‘The condition is very good especially for the spinners, so I am trying to use the condition, trying to bowl wicket to wicket, not do any experiment with my bowling,’ he said.
‘Whatever the plan I make I try to stick with it,’ said Afridi.
Afridi, who is a flop with the bat scoring only 65 runs in six group matches in this World Cup, is fully compensating them with the ball, which already made him a top contender for the man-of-the-tournament award.
He is just five wickets shy of Glen McGrath’s record of 26 in a World Cup (in 2007) and with a place in the semi-final already assured following their 10-wicket win over West Indies on Wednesday, Afridi can easily dream for it.
India or Australia are waiting for them in the semi-final, but given the kind of form Afridi is now enjoying with ball, it should not be very difficult for them to overcome the Aussies and get into the final.
Their odds to win the tournament also went higher after crushing West Indies in the tournament’s first knockout match and if Afridi can lead them to the title his place in Pakistan cricket will be no less glorious than Imran.
He has already led them to the ICC World Twenty20 championship (in England in 2009) and a trophy under his stewardship in cricket’s flagship event, which is the 50-over World Cup, will only ensure his immorality.

Courtesy of New Age

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WC set for knock-out stage

Admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:28:11 +0000

Pakistan take on Windies today
The much-anticipated knock-out phase of the World Cup is set for a cracking start as unpredictable Pakistan take on a youthful West Indian side in the first quarter-final in Dhaka today.
More than a semi-final place will be at stake for Pakistan, who missed out on a second-round place in the last World Cup and has since been plagued by many controversies including a morale-shattering match fixing scandal.
Shahid Afridi’s men will take the field as firm favourite having already creating a big sensation in the tournament with their win over defending champions Australia in their last round-robin match to top the group.
Australia’s four-wicket defeat to them was their first in 34 matches in a period spanning 12 years, which Afridi said was a big help for them to boost confidence before the knock-out phase.
‘We have won a game before quarter-final against Australia, which is a big achievement for us,’ Afridi said in his pre-match briefing on Tuesday.
‘Definitely expectations are more now and I think we are feeling more confident. It’s a good sign before quarter-final,’ said Afridi, who is leading Pakistan from the front having already taken 17 wickets, the highest by any bowler in the tournament.
Afridi indicated that Pakistan were unlikely to break the winning combination, which means it could be the end of career for their star pace bowler Shoaib Akthar if they lost.
Changes, however, are obvious in the line-up of their opponents West Indies, who went into their last game against India without their key players Chris Gayle and Kemar Roach.
Gayle was resting after an abdominal strain while Roach felt unwell because of viral fever and a stomach infection and their absence was felt with West Indies losing the game by 80 runs to finish fourth in the group.
Both Gayle and Roach returned to training on Tuesday and are almost certain to play, their skipper Darren Sammy said.
‘Both Gayle and Roach participated in our practice today [Tuesday]. So obviously everybody is in good spirit,’ he said.
‘From my observation, I liked the way he [Chris Gayle] was hitting the ball and moving his feet. I know Chris is a committed fellow. He will do whatever the team needs to win the game. I have no doubt he will do the best that is required for the team,’ he said.
West Indies may also bring back their experienced campaigner Shivnarine Chanderpaul after their middle-order was exposed to England and India’s spin bowling in the two previous games.
‘Like I said, he is part of the team. He has a big role to play in the quarter-final. Most likely, we will see him in tomorrow’s game,’ said Sammy, who thinks Pakistan’s spinner is also a big threat for them.
‘Their captain has been the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets. I think we should pay attention to that,’ Sammy said.
‘They have two off-spinners and a left-arm spinner. We watched them play. We know what we are going to face. It is up to our batsmen to put up a good performance out there and whoever gets the start should carry on,’ the all-rounder said.

Courtesy of New Age

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Pak, Windies in city to play first quarterfinals

Admin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:49:44 +0000

Dhaka: Pakistan and West Indies teams arrived in Dhaka on Monday evening to take part in the first quarter-final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup to be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on March 23. Pakistan team led by the mercurial all-rounder Shahid Afridi arrived in the capital directly from Sri Lanka. They will practice at the Mirpur stadium from 2pm to 5pm on Tuesday.
The spirited Pakistan outfit ended on top of Group A points table with ten points from six matches. The team is on a high after whacking past mighty Australians by four wickets in a thrilling last group match encounter at Colombo on March 19.
Pakistan only lost to New Zealand in their group matches- conceding a 110-run defeat but flayed Kenya, Zimbabwe, Canada, host Sri Lanka and hot favorites Australia.
On the other hand, the West Indies side led by Darren Sammy also arrived in Bangladesh directly from Chennai, India. They will also practice in the same venue from 10 am to 1pm on the day.
West Indies, who were in the fourth position in Group B with six points from six matches, scythed down Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands in the group phase.
Bangladesh too ended with six points but lagged far behind in net run rate after humiliating defeats to West Indies and South Africa.
In another developed it was learnt from informed sources that the West Indies team have been assured of state level security during their stay in Bangladesh. After the Caribbean outfit inflicted a shameful defeat on the hosts frustrated fans pelted their team bus with stones as it was leaving the stadium. This raised serious security concerns.
Meanwhile, Dhaka police commissioner Benazir Ahmed told AFP the West Indies team would be provided with the “highest security” possible and police would made sure there was no “crowd trouble”.
“The West Indies are our valued guests and we will ensure the highest state-level security to them. It’s a state-level commitment. We shall make sure that there is no crowd along the key parts of the road to the stadium,” he said.
“They can be assured of fool-proof security,” he added.
He said the same security arrangement was provided to the South African team when they took on Bangladesh at the same stadium Saturday.
The home side lost the match and crashed out of the World Cup but this time there was no angry reaction from fans.
International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat had downplayed the March 4 bus attack, insisting it was a minor incident, but West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said it was a serious breach of security.
He said West Indies players took cover on the floor of the bus.
Police said the attack was a case of mistaken identity as the fans’ real target was the Bangladesh team vehicle.
Police and elite security force, the Rapid Action Battalion, arrested 38 people in connection with the attack.
Fans also attacked Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan’s home.
Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle blasted Bangladeshi officials for the attack through a Twitter message while the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) claimed that more should have been done to protect the players.

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West Indies team to get ‘state-level’ security

Admin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:46:32 +0000

The security personnel have spread a safety blanket ranking to ‘state-level’ for the West Indies team in an attempt to ensure a hassle free quarter-final match of the Cricket World Cup 2011 tomorrow, officials confirmed.
To avoid repetition of the embarrassing March 4 like incident, the security experts are asked to ensure a tight security in and around the stadium as well as to the foreign players, a senior official said Saturday. The Pakistan and West Indies will fight each other to secure their position on Wednesday at Sher-e Bangla National Stadium.
Agitated Bangladesh fans brick bated the West Indies team bus after a humiliating defeat of the home team.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner (DMP) Benazir Ahmed said the West Indies team would be provided with fool-proof security while they will arrive Monday Besides, “crowd trouble” will be strictly prohibited and there is no crowd along the key parts of the road to the stadium.”
“They (West Indies team) are our respected guests and we will ensure the highest state-level security to them. ” he said.
Earlier International Cricket Council (ICC) had expressed their annoyance over the March 4 bus attack though termed it as a minor incident. But West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said it was a serious security lack and added that West Indies players took cover on the floor of the bus at that time.
Meanwhile, police said that it was a case of wrong identity as real target of the local fans was the Bangladesh team bus.

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