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India now at the mercy of Lady Luck

18 Mar 2007
Press Trust of India

After their opening round humiliation against Bangladesh, Team India needs a heavy dose of favour from Lady Luck if they are to make the cut for the Super 8 stage of the Cricket World Cup.

Theoritically, all is not lost yet for India, who can still make it to the elite league by finishing among the top two sides from Group B.

According to the World Cup rules, top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 8 stage but with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh having already won a match each and India yet to open an account, their promotion to next level is in jeopardy.

To keep themselves afloat, the immediate assignment before Rahul Dravid's men is to win against Bermuda with a heavy margin on Monday and improve their run rate.

And even if India manage to do that, they will have to get past the biggest hurdle on March 23 when they meet Sri Lanka and again a mere win here won't suffice.

Sri Lanka, the other title contender in Group B, have already made their intentions clear with a 243-run pounding of Bermuda and that means mere win won't do it for India if it comes to net run rate.

Assuming India achieve even that, the passage to Super 8 is still not assured and then it would hinge on the outcome of the Bangladesh-Bermuda match on March 25.

In that match, India would clearly be rooting for the American outfit, hoping them to tame the Bangla Tigers even though that would need another upset.

And to talk about the worst case, a defeat on Monday against Bermuda or the Lankans on March 23 would be the end of all roads for the Men in Blue.

On the other hand, whoever wins the March 21 match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will book their Super 8 berth.

Net run rate

If the point tally fails to settle the issue, net run rate would decide the fate if teams are locked in a tie.

A team's net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that side throughout the relevant portion of the competition, the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the relevant portion of the competition.

If everything goes according to India's liking, still Bangladesh would enjoy an enviable situation as they would have a clear idea about what they need when they meet Bermuda on March 25.

And despite all calculations and number-crunching, rained out matches or tied ties can turn every equation upside down.

At this stage, it is clear that mere performance won't suffice anymore and Team India, far from being the maker of its own destiny, is at the complete mercy of lady luck in this World Cup.

http://www.ndtv.com/ndtvcricket/showstory.aspx?id=32979& site=ndtv

Bangladesh boys stun sorry India

Mar 18 2007

By The Sunday Sun

Bangladesh pair Saqibul Hasan and Tamim Iqbal savoured their roles in Bangladesh's surprise five-wicket victory over India last night. Both hit half-centuries as Bangladesh sprung the first major shock of the World Cup, with opener Iqbal hitting 51 off 53 balls and Saqibul hitting five fours and six on his way to 53. Saqibul, who also bowled a full 10-over spell, said: "In the field I just tried to bowl line and length and I knew I needed to do that. "Batting was tough at first but I knew if we batted 50 overs we'd be there (at their target of 192). I was just trying to play naturally and I enjoyed batting on that pitch." Iqbal added: "I just tried to play my natural game and when I was selected for the national team my aim was to play my own game.

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/cricket/tm_head line=bangladesh-boys-stun-sorry-india&method=full&ob jectid=18771938&siteid=50081-name_page.html

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer dies
Bob Woolmer
Woolmer took over as Pakistan coach in June 2005
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has died after being discovered in his Jamaica hotel room on Sunday morning.

The 58-year-old former South Africa coach, who played for England between 1975-81, was found unconscious at the Pegasus Hotel at 1045 local time.

He was taken to the emergency ward of the nearby University hospital but did not regain consciousness.

Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday after losing by three wickets to minnows Ireland.

Woolmer told BBC Radio Five Live after the Ireland match that he was considering his future in the game.


There are a number of extenuating circumstances in the last six months that have made coaching Pakistan slightly different to normal sides

Bob Woolmer

"My contract runs out on 30 June anyway but I want to sleep on it before I make a decision about my future," he said on Saturday evening.

"I have said I am reluctant to continue in international cricket purely because of all the travelling but I will stay in cricket at a different level.

"But I think the decision has been made for me really. I will talk to the PCB and if they want me to stay until 30 June I will stay, if they want me to go I will go.

"I am not going to break my contract but if the PCB want to get rid of me that is their business."

Pakistan's preparations for the World Cup have been far from ideal, which Woolmer also alluded to.

Following the infamous forfeited Test against England at The Oval last summer, two of their leading fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, were suspended after failing doping tests.


606: DEBATE
A great loss to cricket

AC

The pair later saw those bans rescinded but missed the World Cup because of injury, something Woolmer admitted had hindered the team.

"There are a number of extenuating circumstances in the last six months that have made coaching Pakistan slightly different to normal sides," he said.

"Those are the things I would have to consider and those things would have to change if I was to continue."

India aim to punish tiny Bermuda
World Cup Group B, Trinidad: India v Bermuda
Match starts 1330 GMT Monday

Rahul Dravid
Dravid and India are under pressure to perform
India need to beat minnows Bermuda on Monday to make sure they remain in the World Cup and do not make an early exit like their south Asian rivals Pakistan.

India lost their opening World Cup match to Bangladesh and know a repeat performance will see them head home early from the tournament.

India could drop out-of-form opener Virender Sehwag.

Rahul Dravid said: "It's pretty clear what we have to do. We have to win the remaining two games convincingly."

The India captain added: "We have to learn lessons from the bad shots against Bangladesh."

Fast bowler Irfan Pathan was left out of the opening match but could come into the reckoning against Bermuda, who were beaten by 243 runs by Sri Lanka in their first ever match at a World Cup.

Bermuda coach Gus Logie said his team "remain believers who can take something from this World Cup.

"It's part of the learning exercise. We've have set ourselves little goals.

"If we can bat out 50 overs against these teams, then that's a plus for us."

Bermuda are the smallest country ever to qualify for a World Cup finals.

Teams (from):

India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Bermuda: Irving Romaine (captain), Dean Minors, Delyone Borden, Lionel Cann, David Hemp, Kevin Hurdle, Malachi Jones, Stefan Kelly, Dwayne Leverock, Saleem Mukuddem, Stephen Outerbridge, Oliver Pitcher, Clay Smith, Janeiro Tucker, Kwame Tucker.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Pakistan, and Ian Howell, South Africa.

TV umpire: Daryl Harper, Australia. Match referee: Alan Hurst, Australia.

England v Canada
Live video scorecard with TMS commentary
Live Test Match Special audio only
Eng v Can run-by-run
St Lucia, 18 March 2007
606 debate | TMS blog comment



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World Cup Group C, St Lucia: England 279-6 v Canada

By Oliver Brett

PD Collingwood
Paul Collingwood scored freely over the closing overs

Ed Joyce and Paul Collingwood crafted contrasting half-centuries as England hit 279-6 against Canada in St Lucia.

Joyce played fluently early on, but got heavily bogged down by the spinners and eventually fell for 66 off 103 balls.

Collingwood came in to bat just as veteran spinner Sunil Dhaniram was taking three wickets in 11 balls.

He added a busy 81 in barely 10 overs with Ravi Bopara - and more quick runs with Paul Nixon - and eventually finished on 62 off 48 balls.

Bopara was playing as a late substitute for Andrew Flintoff after England had endured a troubled build-up to the match.

Having been soundly beaten by New Zealand on Friday, some of the players "breached team discipline" during an alleged drinking session that went on too long.

They were fined, and Flintoff, deemed to be the ring-leader, suffered further consequences.

England stripped him of the vice-captaincy and banned him for the match, even choosing to leave him at the hotel when they travelled to Beasejour Stadium.

Canada skipper John Davison won the toss and inserted the Test nation, who initially went along quite smoothly with Michael Vaughan driving sweetly to collect some typically eye-catching boundaries.

Ed Joyce scored 66, but lost his way against the spinners
Ed Joyce scored 66, but lost his way against the spinners

As has often happened with him in one-day internationals, however, one loose shot proved his downfall as a flat-footed drive off the medium pacer Abdool Samad flew straight to point.

Barring one straight six, Joyce really struggled to keep the scoreboard moving when the spinners came on.

Ian Bell drove one ball over mid-off for four, but it was his only boundary in an innings of 28 off 44 balls.

The sparse crowd were bored by such impotent batting, and eventually so too were England's batsmen.

The main benficiary was the 38-year-old slow left-armer Dhaniram, who took three wickets in 11 balls.

Bell attempted a wild mow across the line, but the ball went straight up into the air, Joyce was bowled attempting a hopeless reverse sweep and Kevin Pietersen bunted a catch back to the bowler.

It needed two energetic cricketers, Collingwood and Bopara, to instil a fresh sense of purpose into the innings.

They began by hitting the ball into spaces and running hard for twos, then collected boundaries with intelligent placement.

One over reaped 22 runs, including a six from Collingwood off a shoulder high full-toss that forced Samad - who had been warned for one such delivery - out of the attack.

Bopara (29) became the second England batsman to be bowled reverse sweeping until Paul Nixon showed how the shot should be played.

The Leicestershire wicket-keeper hit two boundaries with the shot in one George Codrington over.

Nixon also hit the bulk of the 19 runs scored in the final over, making 23 off just eight balls.

ngland v Canada

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Flintoff did not travel to the match after being dropped

Andrew Flintoff has been sacked as England vice-captain and was also banned for the must-win game against Canada for breaching team discipline.

He was reprimanded amid reports he fell off a pedalo and got into difficulties in the water in the early hours of Saturday, after England had lost.

There were numerous reports stating he had been drinking heavily.

Five players were also fined after they were seen out late following the defeat by New Zealand on Friday.

They were bowlers James Anderson, Liam Plunkett and Jon Lewis, batsman Ian Bell and wicket-keeper Paul Nixon - who went to a nightclub after the game in St Lucia on Friday.

Coach Duncan Fletcher said Flintoff would not be considered for the captaincy should Michael Vaughan get injured in the World Cup.

He said in a statement: "Andrew Flintoff has been given warnings about his conduct and disciplined for previous incidents of this nature.

"In light of this and due to the serious nature of the incident which he was involved in at the hotel on Friday night, we have decided to take further disciplinary action against him.

606: DEBATE Well done to the England management. No player is bigger than the team MT

"Andrew has been made fully aware of the team management's concerns and the fact that the ECB considers this type of behaviour to be totally unacceptable.

"He will remain with the World Cup squad and be available for selection for our next match against Kenya.

"All players involved wish to express their sincere regret for the embarrassment caused to their team-mates, the England supporters and the ECB."

Former captain Nasser Hussain felt the England management team had no other option but to make an example of Flintoff.

He said: "This is a pretty young side. A lot of the team look up to Flintoff and if you keep saying it's okay for Freddie they will think "If he is doing it, I can do it".

"This will now send a message to the others that this is not how you prepare as an England cricketer. Footballers don't drink 48 hours before a match.

Some people go to bed at 10.30pm tired, other people like to go for a drink Ian Botham

"The management felt enough is enough. At some stage you have to have some strong management, even with your best cricketer.

"Well done England for finally for having some strong management."

But former captain Ian Botham felt too much had been made of the incident.

"I think it's an over-reaction.

"Did people complain in 2005 when we won the Ashes? Some people go to bed at 10.30pm tired, other people like to go for a drink."

Several supporters had sent e-mails to British newspapers saying they had seen the players at Rumours nightclub.

Those newspapers then got in touch with the team management who felt they had to react.

The fines were handed out following a team meeting on Saturday and Flintoff did not travel to the venue for the match against Canada, which started about 30 hours after the pedalo incident.

Monday, March 19, 2007 00:48 IST

Sunday, March 18, 2007 23:25 IST

Monday, March 19, 2007 00:44 IST

MUMBAI: I just couldn't understand why the battle cry for the Indian team in this World Cup was 'hoo-hah India'. In my limited understanding of the expression, it is somewhat derogatory — hardly the way to egg India on to glory. However, after the match against Bangladesh, it sort of fell into place: Lots of hoo-hah about little substance.

For some bizarre reason, teams like Bangladesh are called minnows. I find it hard to believe that anyone in India actually knows what a minnow is. But it is part of the predilection of sports writers to assign animal names to cricket teams. This makes little sense in a sport where more than beastly strength, you need brain power. (With that kind of argument, of course, it's easy to see why a team of little-fish but fish-eating Bengalis beat the mighty Indians — only joking, of course.)

A host of a cricket show said on Saturday that everyone in India is affected by cricket. In some cases, like mine, it would be truer to say that I'm afflicted by cricket. It's a hate-tolerate relationship. Or maybe, hate is a big word. Just barely tolerate relationship. But of course, the other side is true as well — you live in India and you have to know cricket. Being female is sometimes an excuse to stay away from several activities, but when it comes to cricket I see several of my gender going gaga. I've never understood that either. Even when I enjoyed watching cricket, I never saw cricketers as sexy. Men waddling across a pitch to make runs does not translate to sex appeal. Clearly, something is wrong with me.

Like I can read Cardus, but I can't watch a cricket match. Still, pessimism is a major affliction of Indian cricket lovers, largely unwarranted. One loss is not the end of the world. The clichs all apply: somebody has to lose. And if I can survive Roger Federer's loss to Guillermo Canas — a minnow if there ever was one — without writing him off, then you cricket fans can give hoo-hah another try. Why say hai-hai so soon

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1085664