Cricket Updates

Currently, The World Champion India has toured West Indies and have already played 1 T20 match and 4 ODI matches. India has won T20 match and 3 ODI matches so far. Hosts, West Indies team has won only one ODI match.

On the other hand World Cup finalist, Srilanka has toured England and have already played 2 Test matches. Already hosts have made a mark of winning, they won the first test match. Second match ended up in a draw.

Tomorrow, there is lots of action that is gonna take place. England and Srilanka will be playing their 3rd and final test match. If England wins or match is drawn, England will be the victorious one in the series. Srilanka cannot win the series but they have chances to draw the series by winning the 3rd test match.

India and West Indies will be playing their last and final ODI match of the series. India have already won the series, now its the time to show up their conquering power and glory. West Indies are looking to finish the series with 3-2, so that they can have some smile on their faces. Once the ODI matches are over, they will be playing a test series which consists of 3 test matches.

After touring the West Indies, India will be looking for their next prey which will be England. England team is very confident in winning all the matches that will be played against the visitors (India).

Srilanka vs India in World Cup 2011 finals

Yesterday, India won semi-finals against Pakistan at Mohali and enter into finals. Earlier to this, first semi-finals was played between Srilanka and Newzealand. Srilanka won the match and they were the first team to enter into the finals of World Cup 2011. Now India will be playing against its sub-continent Srilanka in the finals of the World Cup on Saturday at Wankhede pitch, Mumbai.

The 2 two teams a similar kind of background,
India have won 1 world cup so far, So is Srilanka.
India have entered 2 finals and 3rd time they are appearing, So is Srilanka.
In the very first finals, India has won the World Cup, So is Srilanka.
In the second finals, India lost to Australia, So is Srilanka.

Apart from this, the only advantage Srilanka have is that they have a well balanced team. Their bowling performance is just brilliant so far. This is lacking in India side. But India has a luck factor with them.

Let us see, what happens in finals. My cheers will always be to India. India India....... Dhak Dhak go...... :-)

Srilanka enters WC 2011 finals

Today first semi-finals of the World Cup 2011 was played between Srilanka and New Zealand at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka. This was the most important match for the Kiwis as they have never won a World Cup in history. The Victory over Srilanka was a best chance for them to win a World Cup 2011. Srilankan's have already geared up to lift the cup and they are looking to finish up the things easily. The toss went into the favor of New Zealand and they chose to bat first.

Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum opened the batting innings for Kiwis. They gave a slow and stable start. The run rate was not on average. Srilankan's kept the pressure on the Kiwis right from the start of the innings so that the Kiwis could not go for big hits. They managed to pick 3 wickets when the total score was 84 runs which was hit in 21.3 overs. After this fall there was a good partnership of 77 runs that helped the Kiwis to come out of the critical situation. When Ross Taylor departed, things changed and the Kiwis started to loose wickets and finally Scott Styris who played a big innings got out. In last 25 runs Kiwis lost 6 wickets which resulted in low total. In 48.5 over, New Zealand managed to put up a total score of 217 runs and lost all 10 wickets (NZ - 217/10, 48.5over). Team's highest scorer was Scott Styris who scored 57 runs. Lashith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis took 3 wickets each. 


This was not a big total at all and Srilankan's did not have much pressure as the required run rate was less than 5 runs per over. As usual Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan started off the second innings and the start was better than Kiwis. Upul tharanga was back to pavilion after scoring 30 runs. Kumar Sangakkara came in to bat and put up a very good partnership of 120 runs with Tillakaratne Dilshan. Tillakaratne Dilshan departed after scoring 73 runs and Kumar Sangakkara got out after scoring 54 runs. Srilanka after a big partnership lost 5 quick wickets which made the Kiwis to be back on track. Now the pressure was on Srilanka as they lost 5 wickets when their total was 185 runs. But Samaraweera and Mathews played beautifully and helped the team to come out of pressurized situation. Srilanka finally managed to chase the target successfully scoring a total of 220 runs with the loss of 5 wickets in 47.5 over (SL - 220/5, 47.5 over).

Srilanka won the match by 5 wickets. Man of the match was Kumar Sangakkara. Now the Srilankan's are into the finals of the World Cup 2011. They will be playing against India or Pakistan on 2nd of April in Mumbai.

On 30th March India and Pakistan will face against each other in the second semi-finals. This is the most awaited match to be watched across the globe. Who ever wins, definitely this is gonna be a thriller. I wish India to win the match. INDIA DHAK DHAK GO!!!!!!

England are out of World Cup 2011

The last quarter-finals was played between England and Srilanka today at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The toss went in to the favor of England and they chose to bat first. This game was an a crucial game for England as they have not even won a World Cup so far. Being a strong team, England were looking to dominate Srilankan's in their home ground.

Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell gave a very slow start. Their intention was not to play big shots and make huge total. They were looking to play calm and put up a good total. But this did not work as they lost 2 big wickets in the first 10 overs and their total was just 31 runs when they lost both the openers. After this 2 fall, there was 2 good partnership that helped England to recover from the collapse. But the run rate was very low. When fourth wicket fell, their total was only 186 runs consuming 43 overs. England ended up their batting innings with a total score of 229 runs in 50 overs and lost only 6 wickets (ENG - 229/6, 50 over). Highest scorer in the team was Jonathan Trott who scored 86 runs and Eion Morgan scored a half-century. Muralidaran took 2 wickets.

This total was not that challenging for the Srilankan's. Upul tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan opened the batting innings for Srilanka. They started off well and put up a unbeaten partnership of 231 runs. In just 39.3 overs, Srilanka successfully chased the target scoring 231 runs for no loss of wicket (SL - 231/0, 39.3 over). Upul tharanga scored a unbeaten score of 102 runs and Tillakaratne Dilshan scored an unbeaten 108 runs. No England bowler managed to take a wicket of Srilanka.

Srilanka won the match by 10 wickets. Man of the match was Tillakaratne Dilshan for his brilliant batting for hitting a unbeaten century and bowling performance for taking a wicket.

Srilanka will be playing against New Zealand in the semi finals that will be happening on 29th of March.

South Africa's dream of winning WC 2011 comes to an end

The third quarter-finals of the World Cup 2011 was played between South Africa and New Zealand at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh. This was a crucial match for both of them as they have never won any World Cup till now. Who ever wins will proceed to the semi-finals and the other will have to sacrifice their dream of winning their World Cup. New Zealand won the toss & they chose to bat first.

Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum opened the batting innings for Kiwis. The start was a bad one and the South Africans right from the start were putting pressure on the batting side. Both the openers were unsuccessful and they were back to pavilion in quick interval. NZ were 16 for 2 utilizing 6 overs. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor played well and put up a partnership of 114 runs which helped the kiwis to recover a bit. Ross Taylor gave a catch to Jacques Kallis and went back scoring 43 runs consuming 72 deliveries. After this fall, Kiwis could not resist the bowling attack of the South Africans and the wickets kept on falling in regular fashion. The score did not reach high but some how they manage to put up a total score of 221 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 50 overs (NZ - 221/8, 50 over). Morne Morkel picked up 3 wickets. Jesse Ryder was the highest scorer for Kiwis scoring 83 runs.

This did not look like a huge target for the South Africans as they were playing outstanding World Cup. Hashim Amla in the very first over departed scoring only 7 runs. After this fall, there were some decent partnerships put. After the fall of Jacques Kallis, South African team collapsed. They could not resist the bowling attack of the Kiwis. They failed to reach the target and lost all 10 wickets scoring a total of only 172 runs in 43.2 overs (SA - 172/10, 43.2 over). Jacob Oram took 4 wickets and 2 catches.

New Zealand won the match by 49 runs. Man of the match was Jacob Oram for his brilliant all-rounding performance.

Thus the dream of winning WC 2011 for South Africa came to an end. In yesterday's match, Australia lost to India and were out of WC 2011. Fourth quarter-finals will be played between Srilanka and England. The winner of this match will face Kiwis in semi-finals while India will face Pakistan.

1st Quarter-finals of the ICC World Cup 2011

The first quarter-finals of the ICC World Cup 2011 was played between Pakistan and West Indies at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh. The toss was won by West Indies and they chose to bat first.

The start was fine for West Indies by the openers Devon Smith and Chris Gayle. But this partnership did not build up properly and it was broken when the total was just 14 runs. After this break, Pakistan removed 2 more wickets which were considered to be the dangerous ones in just 2 runs. There was a small partnership between Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul which resulted 42 runs. This was the biggest partnership in the West Indies innings. After the successful removal of Sarwan, Pakistan team managed to remove remaining wickets easily without any pain. West Indies failed to put up a good total and they finally ended up scoring a total score of just 112 runs (WI - 112/10, 43.3 over). For this they utilized 43.3 overs in total. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten till the end of the innings scoring 44 runs in 106 deliveries. Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi managed to pick up 4 important wickets.

The target score was a cake-walk for any team. Pakistan being an strong opposition, managed to score this total in just 20.5 overs (PAK - 113/0, 20.5 over). Openers Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez were unbeaten till the end scoring 47 runs and 61 runs respectively.

Pakistan won the match by 10 wickets. Man of the match was Mohammad Hafeez for his brilliant batting and bowling performance. He scored 61 runs and also took 2 wickets.

In quarter finals Pakistan will be playing against India or Australia. Second quarter finals will be played between India and Australia tomorrow at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera. Winner of this match will be facing Pakistan in the semi-finals.

India vs Australia in quarter finals facing each other

India won against West Indies in the last league match of the ICC World Cup 2011 that took place at Chennai, yesterday. This victory has led to face against the toughest team Australia in the quarter finals. Australians are the defending champions who are defending from last 3 World Cup's which was in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

In 2003, India and Australia were in the finals. Australia outplayed India and defended the cup. Now, this is the time for the Indians to take their revenge against the Aussies for their World Cup loss. As you can see from the league matches, India have not performed at a good level against the strong teams so far. On the other side, Aussies have lost only one match so far and a match was drawn. Aussies have not performed that great though, but they have played sensible cricket so far.

Aussies looks to be a silent killer. On the other side, Indians apart from poor bowling, now their batting performance is also getting inhibited. But both the rivals will face against each other after the finals that was played in 2003 World Cup.

Other quarter finalists are Pakistan playing against West Indies, Srilanka playing against England and South Africa taking against the Kiwis. All the top teams of the World are into the quarter finals. This World Cup is going to be full of excitement and entertainment with lots of action.

India vs Srilanka / India vs Australia at quarter finals??

In Group A, Pakistan tops the table followed by Srilanka and third stands Australia finally Kiwis at the last. In Group B, South Africa are at the top and England are at the fourth position. The fight for second and third place is between India and West Indies.

Based on the todays match result which will be played against India and West Indies, we will come to know that who will be in the second and third position. If India wins this match, India will play against Australia and West Indies will play against Srilanka in the quarter finals of the ICC World Cup 2011. If India looses, West Indies will come to the second position and they will be facing the Aussies in the quarter finals and Indians will face against Srilankans.

India have already completed its batting innings, Yuvaraj Singh was the top scorer scoring 113 runs and Virat Kohli scoring a half-century. Indians did not perform well with the bat today and again they were all-out in 49.1 over scoring only 268 runs in total. Ravi Rampaul took 5 wickets.

After seeing the match and the performance by the Indians i lost the hope that they will win this match. It looks like they will end up with a loss and face Srilankans in the quarter finals.

ICC World Cup 2011: Australia vs Canada

On 16th of March 2011, a match was played between Australia and Canada at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India. The toss went into the favor of Canada and they chose to bat first.

Hiral Patel and John Davison opened the innings for Canada. they both gave a solid start where the run rate went  more than 10 runs per over. In just 3.4 overs i.e, in 22 deliveries they scored 41 runs. This was the best start given by Canada in this World Cup and more over it was against the World number one team. After the total reaching 41, Canada lost its first wicket and Australians were back on track. The run rate dropped but it was more than 6 runs per over until second wicket fell. Hiral Patel scored a magnificent 54 runs in 45 deliveries that included 5 fours and 3 sixes. The run rate got dropped and the third wicket partnership resulted in 68 runs. After this fall, Australians were back in full form and managed to remove remaining 7 wickets giving 211 runs in total in 45.4 over (CAN - 211/7, 45.4 over). Australian Pace bowler Brett Lee took 4 wickets. 


Australia needed 212 runs in 50 overs and it was not an tough one for them. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin opened the batting innings for Australia. They both started off well and were playing really nice. The run rate was more than 6 runs per over. First wicket partnership was 183 runs. Brad Haddin departed after scoring 88 runs and Shane Watson departed scoring 94 runs. Captain Ricky Ponting did not stay till the end and he was back to pavilion after scoring only 7 runs. After the fall of 3rd wicket, Australia managed to complete their batting by successfully chasing the target of 211 runs. In 34.5 overs, Australia scored a total of 212 runs and lost only 3 wickets (AUS - 212/3, 34.5 over).

Australia won the match by 7 wickets. Man of the match went to Shane Watson for his beautiful all-rounding performance. Australia have not even lost a match in this World Cup so far.

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: 14th March 2011

The 33rd match of the ICC World Cup 2011 was played between Pakistan and Zimbabwe at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka. The toss went into the favor of Zimbabwe and they chose to bat first.

Brendan Taylor and Regis Chakabva opened the batting innings for Zimbabwe. After hitting for a four, Brendan Taylor got out in the first over itself. In the next over, his opening partner Regis Chakabva got out by getting lbw. Zimbabwe were on deep trouble and their run rate dropped drastically. On the other hand when their total was only 12 runs, third wicket fell. After this fall, there were some good partnerships that followed. Even their run rate was back on track but not to good level. Craig Ervine scored an half-century. In 39.4 overs, Zimbabwe scored a total of 151 runs for the loss of 7 wickets (ZIM - 151/7, 39.4 over). The match turned into an D\L method. Umar Gul took 3 wickets for Pakistan.

Pakistan wanted to finish off the match as soon as possible and the target was an easy one for them. They gave an brilliant start. First wicket fell when Pakistan had scored only 17 runs it was Ahmad Shahzad. Second wicket partnership costed 82 runs. In just 34.1 overs, Pakistan put up a total of 164 runs for the loss of 3 wickets (PAK - 164/3, 34.1 over). It was an D\L method. Asad Shafiq was unbeaten scoring 78 runs.

Pakistan won the match by 7 wickets. Man of the match went to Umar Gul for his brilliant piece of bowling.

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: 14th March 2011

On 14th March 2011, match number 32 and 33 of the ICC World Cup 2011 was played. 32nd match was played between Bangladesh and Netherlands at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Netherlands won the toss and they elected to bat first.

The start was not so smooth and played very defensively. First wicket fell in the first delivery of the 10th over where they had scored only 28 runs. After this, the run rate was not pretty much stronger and the wickets started to fall at regular intervals. Ryan ten Doeschate played well and he remained unbeaten scoring 53 runs. Other batsmen failed to play for longer period and could not give a good support to Ryan ten Doeschate. In 46.2 overs, Netherlands were all out scoring only 160 runs (NED- 160/10, 46.2 over). Abdur Razzak took 3 wickets for Bangladesh. The run rate was only 3.45 runs per over put up by Netherlands.

Bangladesh needed only 161 runs to win the match in 50 overs with 10 wickets on hand. Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes opened the batting innings for Bangladesh. Opener Tamim Iqbal departed without scoring any run by getting bowled in Mudassar Bukhari delivery. There was a good support given by Zunaed Siddique and Shahriar Nafees to Imrul Kayes which helped the Bangladesh team to win the match. Imrul Kayes was unbeaten scoring 73 runs. In 41.2 overs, Bangladesh chased the target successfully scoring a total of 166 runs  for the loss of 4 wickets (BAN - 166/4, 41.2 over).

Bangladesh won the match by 6 wickets. Man of the match went to Imrul Kayes.

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 22

On the 22nd day of the ICC World Cup 2011, India and South Africa faced against each other at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, India. The toss went into the favor of India and they chose to bat first.

India gave a fine start with the openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. Right from the start of the innings, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were hitting the ball all over the ground. Sachin Tendulkar was more aggressive than Sehwag. The both put up a partnership of 142 runs in just 17.4 overs. Sehwag was out and Gautam Gambhir came in to bat. He also batted well and put up his half century. The second wicket partnership consisted of 125 runs. Sachin Tendulkar got out and finally South Africans managed to remove the little master. This was the turning point for them. When Sachin departed, India's total was 267 for the loss of 2 wickets in just 39.4 overs. He scored his 48th ODI century scoring 111 runs in 101 deliveries. After this, India collapsed and lost all its remaining 8 wickets scoring only 29 runs. They could not even complete the 50 overs nor could score a total of 300 runs. The worst batting performance i have ever seen in my life. India after 48.4 overs, put up a total of only 296 runs and lost all 10 wickets (IND- 296/10, 48.4 over). Dale Steyn took 5 wickets.

In reply, South Africa also started off very well. The top order batsmen played their part and put very useful runs to the total. Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers put up half-centuries each. Other batsmen, played some good knocks. The match went on closer as if the match could be won be any team. Till the last over, there was no confirmation on who will the match. In the last over, South Africa needed 13 runs with 3 wickets on hand. The ball given to Ashish Nehra on whom the match depended on. The very first ball went for a four then next delivery went for a Six. This 2 deliveries decided that South Africa have almost won the match. In that over, Petersen hit 4,6,2,4 and won the match with 2 deliveries in spare. South Africa scored a total of 300 runs in 49.4 overs (SA - 300/7, 49.4 over). Harbhajan Singh took 3 wickets.

South Africa won the match by 3 wickets. Man of the match went to Dale Steyn who took 5 wickets and was responsible for the collapse of the Indian batting.

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 19

25th match of the ICC World Cup 2011 was played between India and Netherlands at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India. Netherlands won the toss and they chose to bat first.

Netherlands opened its batting innings with the openers Eric Swarczynski and Wesley Barresi. They both started off well and they were slow & steady. They put up a partnership of 56 runs and the Indians were really pissed off to get their first wicket. After a long struggle, Indians managed to take their first wicket in 15.2 over. Once the break happened, the match turned in the favor of the hosts. They managed to take wickets by giving very less runs and  the interval of taking the wickets were large. The run rate kept on dropping for Netherlands. In 34.2 overs, Netherlands lost 6 wickets and scored 108 runs. They were all out in 46.4 overs, and put up a total of 189 runs (NED - 189/10, 46.4 over). Which means in 12.2 overs i.e, in 74 deliveries they scored 81 runs loosing 4 wickets. This clearly shows that Indians poor bowling performance. Zaheer Khan took 3 wickets for India.

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar opened the innings for India. They opened their batting innings with a four and started belting the Netherland bowlers. At one point of time, Indians were looking like they were going to finish the match in 22-25 overs. But unfortunately after a superb start, Virender Sehwag got out and soon master blaster followed him. Yusuf Pathan, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli did not make it big today. At this point of time, Netherlands were back with hopes as India lost 5 wickets only 139 runs. Now entire team were depending on MS Dhoni and Yuvaraj Singh, if they both failed then Netherlands had their best chance to win a match against India. Unfortunately, they could not succeed. Yuvaraj Singh and MS Dhoni stayed till the end and completed the innings successfully. Yuvarj Singh scored his half-century which was the 3rd one in this World Cup. In 36.3 overs, India scored a total of 191 runs for the loss of 5 wickets (191/5, 36.3 over). Pieter Seelaar took 3 wickets for Netherlands team.

India won the match by 5 wickets. Man of the match went to Yuvaraj Singh for his brilliant performance with bat (51*) and ball(2 wickets).

Indians have played against Bangladesh, England, Ireland and now on Netherlands in this World Cup. In all the games, opponents have clearly dominated Indian bowling attack. Being an Indian supporter, i don't really know where the hell are the good bowlers are gone. Zaheer Khan because of whom we lost 2003 World Cup against Australia is now again a part of Indian team but somehow managing to bowl and take wickets. He has got lot of attitude and does not respect his opponents and so is Sreesanth. Why BCCI are not considering these things because of which our bowling performance are diminishing day by day. First thing that has to be followed is discipline, i really want BCCI to act upon this matter. If there is no or less attitude, the more the performance will be. Anyways, what ever i have felt, i have spilled it out and i want my India to win the World Cup this time. 

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 18

On the 18th day of the ICC World Cup 2011, Pakistan and New Zealand faced each other at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Kiwis won the toss and they chose to bat first. Today an unbelievable batting performance in the World Cup history was been displayed by the Kiwis. In the last 4.1 overs i.e, in 25 balls, they scored 92 runs. The main player who was behind this was my all time favorite "Ross Taylor".

Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum opened the batting innings for the Kiwis. Brendon did not stay long, he departed after thrashing Shoaib Akthar for a six. Jamie How came in to bat and he played really slow. He just scored 4 runs in 29 deliveries. Only Martin Guptill was playing at this moment. Ross Taylor entered the crease and he was very defensive at the start. Pakistan were dominant in bowling and they successfully removed 6 wickets in 45.5 overs giving away only 210 runs. At this point of time, New Zealand were in bad position as their run rate was less than 5 runs per over. After this, Jacob Oram and Ross Taylor just belted the Pakistani bowlers in all the ways as much as possible. They destroyed the Pakistani bowling attack, they both scored 85 runs partnership in just 22 deliveries, that means 3.86 runs per delivery. This was the major turning point for the Kiwis. Finally they ended up scoring a magnificent 302 runs in total loosing 7 wickets in 7 overs (NZ - 302/7, 50 over). Ross Taylor was unbeaten scoring 131 runs in 124 deliveries that included 8 fours and 7 sixes. Brendon McCullum had hit a six, Nathan McCullum 2 sixes and Jacob Oram 3 sixes. In total, Kiwis had hit 13 sixes in their batting innings. Only Umar Gul the economical bowler from Pakistan, his economy rate was only 3.2 runs per over and took 3 wickets.

Pakistan after the bad bowling performance, needed 303 runs to win the match. They could not go for big runs as they were loosing the wickets in quick successions. In 17.1 overs, they lost 6 wickets and scored a total of 66 runs only. Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq and Umar Gul some how managed to play for longer time and scored some useful runs. But they failed to make it big. Abdul Razzaq made his half-century. Finally Pakistan gave all its wickets to the Kiwis and ended their batting innings scoring a total of 192 runs in 41.4 overs (PAK - 192/10, 41.4 over). Tim Southee took 3 wickets.


New Zealand won the match by 110 runs. Man of the match was Ross Taylor who showed an brilliant batting performance and also took a catch.


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ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 17

Already 16 days has been passed since the ICC World Cup 2011 started. On the 17th day, only one match was played. It was between Canada and Kenya at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India. The toss went into the favor of Kenya and they chose to bat first.

Morris Ouma and Seren Waters opened the batting innings for Kenya. In the second delivery of the innings, there was a big blow for Kenyans. Morris Ouma got duck out and departed from the field by giving a simple catch to Harvir Baidwan. After this fall, Kenya started to feel more and more pressure. Canada started to dominate the Kenyans, and they successfully managed to Seren Waters when Kenya total was just 7 runs.  There was small partnerships till 5 th wicket fell. After this Tanmay Mishra, Jimmy Kamande and Thomas Odoyo some valuable runs that helped Kenya to put up some useful total. Tanmay Mishra and Thomas Odoyo scored their half-centuries. Last wicket to fall was Thomas Odoyo who departed scoring 51 runs in the very last delivery of the innings. Kenya somehow managed to complete 50 overs and put up a total of 198 runs with the loss of 10 wickets (KEN - 198/10, 50 over). Henry Osinde was the most economical bowler in Canada side taking 4 wickets with an economy rate of 2.6 runs per over.

In reply to the Kenya, Canada started of its chase with its openers Ruvindu Gunasekera and Rizwan Cheema. Rizwan Cheema played some shots and likewise vanished sooner. He departed after scoring 17 runs in 13 deliveries that included 2 fours and a six. Zubin Surkari and Ruvindu Gunasekera did not bat for long. Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra played very slowly and put up a partnership of 132 runs and they both scored their half-centuries. In 45.3 overs, Canada managed to chase the target successfully scoring 199 runs for the loss of 5 wickets (CAN - 199/5, 45.3 over). Ashish Bagai remained notout scoring 64 runs.

Canada won the match by 5 wickets. Man of the match was Henry Osinde.

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 16 Match 2

On the 16th day of the ICC World Cup 2011, second match of the day was played between India and Ireland at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India. The toss went into the favor of India and they elected to field first.

William Porterfield and Paul Stirling opened the batting innings for Ireland. Zaheer Khan started the bowling innings for India and he took Paul Stirling's wicket in the very first over itself. This gave some confidence to the Indians bowling. In the 3rd over, Zaheer Khan took his second wicket, this time it was Ed Joyce who gave an easy catch to MS Dhoni. Niall O'Brien came in and made a good partnership with the skipper William Porterfield. Indians started to loose control and Ireland started to dominate the match. It cost-ed 113 runs partnership before loosing the 4th wicket. After this breakage Indians somehow managed to take out remaining wickets restricting Ireland to put up a total of 207 runs on board (IRE - 207/10, 47.5 over). Ireland skipper William Porterfield scored 75 runs. Yuvaraj Singh took 5 wickets which supposed to be his best bowling figure. Zaheer Khan took 3 wickets.

India opened its batting innings with Virender Sehwag and master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Sehwag could not stay for longer time and so was Gautam Gambhir. After the fall of 2 wickets, Virat Kohli came in to bat and put up some good runs. Even MS Dhoni, Yuvaraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan played some good knocks that helped India to add up required runs. By 46 overs, India scored 210 runs and lost 5 wickets (IND - 210/5, 46 over). Yuvaraj Singh was unbeaten scoring 50 runs and Yusuf Pathan unbeaten at 30 runs that included 2 fours and 3 sixes.

India won the match by 5 wickets. Man of the match was Yuvaraj Singh who played magnificently with bat and ball where he took 5 wickets, one catch and an unbeaten half-century.

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ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 16 Match 1

Today its the 16th day of the cricket's biggest event ICC World Cup 2011. On this day 2 matches are being played. First match is between South Africa and England at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, India. England won the toss and they chose to bat first.

Andrew Strauss failed to score even a single run and was duck out playing only 3 deliveries. Even Kevin Pietersen got out in the first over itself. Ian Bell came in to bat and he was back to pavilion scoring only 5 runs. At this point of time, England were 15 for the loss of 3 wickets. Ravi Bopara came to bat and partnered with Jonathan Trott to put up a partnership of 99 runs.  Ravi Bopara scored 60 runs and Jonathan Trott scored 52 runs. This helped England to come out of the worst situation and gained some confidence. South Africa after breaking this partnership, easily managed to remove all the remaining wickets. England counld not sustain the bowling attack and finally surrendered scoring a total of 171 runs in 45.4 overs (ENG - 171/10, 45.4 over). Imran Tahir took 4 wickets and Dale Steyn took 3 wickets.

South Africa needed only 172 runs to win the match. Hashim Amla and the skipper Graeme Smith opened the batting innings. They both started off well and made a strong position. Their partnership was 63 runs before Graeme Smith gave asimple catch to Matt Prior bowled by Graeme Swann. After this break, England started to gave some pressure, Stuart Broad came back strongly and managed to remove Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis started to build up some partnership that helped South Africans to score some good runs. But this did not last long, James Anderson came in and took 2 crucial wickets at crucial stages. South Africa scored only 3 runs loosing 4 wickets quickly. After this, Stuart Broad cleared the lower order and did the job for England. South Africa were all out scoring only 165 runs in 47.4 overs (SA - 165/10, 47.4 over). Stuart Broad took 4 wickets.

England won the match by 6 runs. Man of the match was Ravi Bopara.

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Opening ceremony of ICC WC 2011
England's loss against Ireland
India England match tied

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 13 Match 2

The second match was played between Pakistan and Canada at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pakistan won the toss and they chose to bat first.

Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmad Shahzad opened the batting innings for Pakistan. They started off very well but they lost Mohammad Hafeez in the 1st delivery of the 4th over. But this did not stop them in getting good score. Once the second wicket fell, their run rate started to drop. Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi put up some partnership that helped them to some how manage to score a decent total. Umar Akmal departed after scoring 48 runs where he failed to get his half century. After the break of these small partnerships, Canada managed to remove remaining wickets in quick succession. Finally Pakistan gave up scoring a total of 184 runs in 43 overs (Pak - 184/10, 43 over). Harvir Baidwan took 2 wickets for Canada.

Canada needed only 185 runs to win the match, but it was looking little tougher as the Pakistanis were dominant in bowling. Canada started off poorly and lost 2 wickets quickly. Fourth wicket partnership brought some hope for the Canadians. The partnership was of 60 runs, One the breakage of this partnership, Pakistan started to take remaining wickets easily. This was the turning point for Pakistan where their hopes came back when their skipper Shahid Afridi managed to take 4 wickets consecutively. In 42.5 overs, Canada lost all its 10 wickets and ended up scoring only 138 runs in total (CAN - 138/10, 42.5 over). Shahid Afridi looked very impressive with the ball as he took 5 wickets with an economy rate of 2.3 runs per over. A new record was set by the Pakistani skipper as he took 4 wickets in 3 matches consecutively in a World Cup.

Pakistan won the match by 46 runs. Man of the match went to Shahid Afridi for his 5 wicket haul.

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 13 Match 1

Ahhh!!!! Thursday was the 13th day of the ICC World Cup 2011. On this day 2 matches were played, the first match played between South Africa and Netherlands at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, India. The toss went into the favor of Netherlands and they let the South Africans to bat first.

Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith opened the batting innings for RSA. They started off pretty decently and put up a partnership of 51 runs in 12.5 over. First man to get out was the skipper Graeme Smith where he was bowled out by Bernard Loots. It was not a big day for Jacques Kallis as he departed scoring only 2 runs. After the second fall, AB de Villiers came in to bat and partnered with Hashim Amla to put up a partnership of 221 runs. Hashim Amla scored 113 runs in 130 balls and AB de Villiers scored 134 runs in just 98 deliveries that included 13 fours and 4 sixes. After the fall of the both, JP Duminy came in and just quick fired to score a total of 40 runs in just 15 deliveries that included 2 fours and 4 sixes with a strike rate of 266.67 runs per ball. In 50 overs, RSA managed to score a total of 351 runs with the loss of 5 wickets (RSA - 351/5, 50 over). Ryan ten Doeschate took 3 wickets for Netherlands.

Netherlands needed 352 runs to win the match. As in the case of Ireland and England match, this match will not have that much hope as they were facing the most dominant team in the world. For the first 5 overs, Netherlands somehow managed to put up some runs without loosing any wickets. But after this they started to loose wickets and kept on loosing in regular intervals. Their asking rate kept on increasing and the South Africans looked dominant. By 34.5 overs, south Africans managed to remove all the wickets of Netherlands to end up their total score to 120 runs (NED - 120/10, 34.5 over). Imran Tahir took 3 wickets.

South Africa won the match by 231 runs. Man of the match was AB de Villiers for his magnificent century.

ICC World Cup 2011 updates: Day 12

On the twelfth day of the ICC World CUP 2011, England played against its neighboring country Ireland at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India. Toss went in favor of England and they chose to bat first.


Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen started the batting innings for England. They both started off very aggressively and built up a partnership of 91 runs in just 13.3 overs. Andrew Strauss got out in George Dockrell's over by getting bowled and departed scoring 34 runs. Kevin Pietersen departed after scoring 59 runs. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell scored a magnificent of 92 runs and 81 runs respectively. After the fall of the higher order batsmen, lower order batsmen played well but not that aggressive. Finally, England managed to put up a very good total of 327 runs in 50 overs loosing 8 wickets (England - 327/8, 50 overs). John Mooney took 4 wickets for Ireland but he was little expensive with an economy rate of 7 runs per over.

Ireland needed 328 runs to win the match in 50 overs. This was little difficult target as they were facing one of the strongest team in the world. In the last match, England played against India and gave very good fight and ended up in a draw.

Ireland opened its batting innings with the batsmen William Porterfield and Paul Stirling. In the very first delivery of the Ireland's batting innings, they lost William Porterfield who was bowled out by James Anderson. Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce put up a partnership of 62 runs that gave some confidence to the team. Later on 5th wicket fell in 24.2 overs scoring 111 runs. At this point of time, Ireland looked very poor in batting as they had already lost 5 wickets and had more than 200+ runs to be scored. Then came Kevin O'Brien who dominated the England's bowling attack. He just quick fired to score 113 in just 63 deliveries that included 13 fours and 6 sixes. This was the greatest turning point in the match. There was some support from Alex Cusack and John Mooney. In 49.1 over, Ireland made a total of 329 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. (Ireland - 327/7, 49.1 over). Graeme Swann took 3 wickets and looked good with ball as his economy rate was 4.7 runs per over.

Ireland won the match by 3 wickets. Man of the match went to Kevin O'Brien for his brilliant batting performance that turned the match to Ireland's favor.