Daily Sports News

Yuvraj Singh Indian Batsman has been excluded from Champions Trophy after a finger fracture during the practice of fielding session in Johannesburg. He was injured just three days left before the teams opening match played against Pakistan.

Indian cricket board declared in a statement that Yuvraj singh would be out of the game for another six weeks. Virat Kohli will substitute Yuvraj in the tournament held in South Africa. India will plays against Pakistan on Saturday and later with Australia and West Indies. In one-day international, he has scored 7,098 runs and caught 76 wickets. India is the much loved among the eight-team tournament but the team by now has lost  two leading players opening batsman Virender Sehwag and pace bowler Zaheer Khan through injury however opener Gautam Gambhir has groin strain and is under fitness  worry.

Webber took his maiden career pole position after a fascinating last minute shootout which saw a fierce battle between the Aussie, team make Vettel, the two Brawns and McLaren’s Hamilton. The first charge for the pole came from Hamilton but was soon pushed down by Button, but in the end its was Webber’s day when he took the pole with an excellent qualifying lap at 1 minute and 32.230 seconds. A last minute charge saw Vettel temporarily taking the second spot with a qualifying time of 1 minute 32.480 second but was soon pushed down by Button with a time of 1 minute 32.473 seconds. The last charge for qualifying for the pole came from Brazilian Barrichello clocking 1 minute 32.357 taking the second and pushing his team mate to the third place.

The qualifing also had some cheer for McLaren as both there cars qualified in the Top ten after a long time with Heikki Kovalainen qualifying sixth behind team mate Lewis with a timing of 1 minute 33.859 seconds.

Force India driver Adrian Sutil threw a major surprise when he qualified seventh on his home circuit as he drove an aggressive qualifying lap clocking 1 minute 34.316 seconds. There was a word around that Force India were expecting some improvement in there performance but nobody expected such a shocker. Last years winning team Ferrari must be disappointed with their performance as Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are placed at eighth and ninth with a qualifying time of 1 minute 34.574 second and 1 minute 34.710 seconds respectively. Renault’s Nelson Piquet finished his qualifying at the tenth place with a time of 1 minute 34.803 seconds.

The weather gods also threw a surprise at the Nurburgring in the Q2 and created a huge confusion. Two drivers (Nakajima and Massa) went off the road as they were using the slick tyre’s. if that was not enough to give everyone a sign of caution, Kovalainen spun and banged the wall in Turn Four but managed to continue.

Everything was beautiful at the Oval; fine weather, a perfect pitch, ground filled to the brim with cheerful spectators; it seemed as if the stage was set for a wonderful T20 match. And that’s what we got; as South Africa took on the Windies. Once gain, the Proteas batsmen struck, as Jacques Kallis (45) and Graeme Smith (31) as they got the team to a wonderful start before Gibbs (55), helped them to 183-7. But the explosive start fizzled out in the end for the Proteas, as the middle order and tail-enders failed to capitalize, otherwise would have gotten them to a 200+ total, which would have put the Windies out of the game.

The Windies were in action, hardly 17 hours after their victory over India and hence the tiredness factor would have come into play. Gayle on winning the toss had no hesitation to send the Proteas to bat and it almost worked out as Jerome Taylor gave off only 2 runs from the opening over. But they got the scoreboard ticking as they raced to 50 in less than 6 overs. But after getting Smith off Benn’s delivery was caught off Fletcher at backward point. windies deserve credit for the way they plugged away and, after Taylor had splattered Albie Morkel’s stumps with a beautiful yorker, JP Duminy top-edged Fidel Edwards to Ramnaresh Sarwan at deep fine leg to fall for a golden duck. Moreover, they bowled brilliantly in the dead to reduce the Proteas to 183-7.

But as mentioned in my earlier articles, the S.A pace attack has been astonishing and they proved no less in this match too as they took the prize scalp of Gayle. But Parnell, a new find for the Proteas, continued to show his impressive form as he took Fletcher’s scalp too. But Bravo and Simmons steadied the innings, before Bravo and his replacement fell in quick contention. But Simmons kept up his cool but the required run rate crept upto 12/over as he reached his 50.

“To make 180 was a great effort batting first. We lost our way slightly but it was a good total to post as the West Indies have an experienced batting line-up and they like to chase,” said Smith.

“Lendl Simmons had a great knock but we fought hard and pulled them back. It’s great to have won six in a row in total. But there are still big matches to play.

“We will regroup and have a good run to the final hopefully.”

Yes, and now we all hope that Gayle keeps his word……

The English football team was having a field day against Andorra but the same couldn’t be said for their cricket team. Well, it was the opposite as they were completely outplayed, as South Africa won the match comfortably by 7 wickets.

The home side never got going and was all out for 111 as they lost their last seven wickets for 33 runs!!!!!!! For a side which appeared to be doing so well in the series against the Windies before the start of the T20 World Cup, this is a total shocker. South Africa gave an all-round performance, as they bowled, fielded and batted well, proving once again why they are favorites for the trophy. This puts S.A in a commanding position and their pace attack seems to resemble that of the Windies which struck fear in the heart of every opponent. This leaves England in a precarious position because they have to beat India and West Indies if they are to progress and even so these two victories doesn’t guarantee them a position in the semis…..

Steyn took Bopara with an inside-edge from the batsman hitting the stumps. K.P on the other hand started with boundaries off his first two deliveries but hit an Albie Morkel full toss straight to Vd Merwe who caught it in an extraordinary fashion. This came in the 6th over and England’s score at the end of it was 25-3. This is the lowest score in the powerplay section in T20 history! The English batting managed to put up an insignificant total of 111 as the rest of the batting fizzled out….Wayne Parnell, the new weapon in S.A’s pace arsenal ended up with 3/14. As S.A began their batting they looked out-of-sorts as Smith top-edged Broad to James Foster, who had to dive to take the skier, and Herschelle Gibbs looked out of sorts – and could have been run out twice. And the batsmen struggled against the English spinners as the required run rate went up for more than a run-a-ball.

It was good for the English until Kallis decided to crash their party. Any pressure on S.A disappeared then, and even Gibbs made a few shots to the rope and Swann over the rope for a maximum as they seem to call it in this format of the game. Then it ended as Kallis cut Anderson to the point fence to end up with 58 from 49 balls. The English pace attack seems to be toothless and their over dependency on Swann isn’t paying them any dividends either. They have ways to go if they are to succeed in the shorter format of the game.

Last world cup they were not favorites at all but they manage to turn the odds in their favor, India now have a humongous task in England. They start the round one with low ranking teams and are sure to qualify to the next level. MSD and his men will face the first major challenge when they reach the supper eight. Dhoni’s men have an excellent track record on paper, but the question remains- Can they do it again?

They were defeated in the first warm-up game but won the second game easily, to MSD’s respite came in Rohit Sharma who filled in for the injured Sehwag. There has been some positives on the bowling front too with some good performances by the likes of Ishant Sharma. To all Indian fans we have just one thing to say,

“Hope that MSD’s magical captaincy run continues”.

MS Dhoni: Age – 27 Captain Cool – Current ICC ODI Batsman Ranking – 1. One of the most deadly batsman in the world and not to forget his wicket keeping skills. He has changed the way India plays ODI and is also known for his out of the box thinking.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
13	215	45	23.88	0	103.86	-	-	-		-

Virender Sehwag: Age – 30 – Current ICC ODI Batsman Ranking – 7.Is rated amongst the most devastating opening batsman in the world, can hit an excellent delivery to the boundary with ease. The only danger he faces, is from himself as at times he goes after the wrong deliveries. He is also an excellent part-time bowling option.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
12	223	68	20.27	1	144.80	0	-	-		20.0

Gautam Gambhir: Age – 27 – Current ICC ODI Batsman Ranking – 16. A complete T20 player, he can change his role according to the requirement and is excellent on the field. He opens the innings for the country in all forms of the game. His consistency will be key to India’s success in the tournament.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
12	328	75	29.81	4	126.64	0	-	-		-

Yuvraj Singh: Age – 27 – Current ICC ODI Batsman Ranking – 4. A complete T20 player and is best remembered for his 6 sixes in one over in the last world cup against England. Once Yuvi starts hitting, there is nothing that can stop him, certainly one of the most dangerous batsman in the Indian side.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
10	262	70	32.75	3	164.77	2	36.00	1-17		12.00

Suresh Raina: Age – 22 – Current ICC ODI Batsman Ranking – 31. An excellent middle order batsman and also considered as one of the best fielders in the Indian squad. His also an excellent part-time bowling option. He is coming to the world cup after an impressive performance in the recently concluded IPL.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
5	5	61	36.33	1	126.75	-	-	-		-

Rohit Sharma: Age – 22 Current ICC ODI Batsman Ranking – N/A. An excellent middle order batsman and in the last two T20 warm-up games has proved that he can open the Indian innings too. He was one of the key contributors towards the Hyderabad side which lifted the IPL. His also an excellent part-time bowling option and has had good success on that front too in IPL.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
8	107	50*	35.66	1	122.98	-	-	-		-

Yusuf Pathan: Age – 26 – Current ICC ODI Batsman Ranking – N/A. He is someone who can tarnish the bowling attack and is very effective in the ending over’s. He can hit the ball really big and is an effective bowling option.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
4	57	22*	19.00	0	203.57	2	32.50	2-23		8.29

Harbhajan Singh: Age – 28 – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – 23. Terbinator was confused about his role in the Mumbai side in the concluded IPL but under MSD he has always risen to the occasion and performed. Bhaji is also a good striker of the ball and comes handy in the slog over’s.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
12	30	21	7.50	0	85.71	11	23.81	2-24		6.55

Praveen Kumar: Age – 22 – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – 27. Bowls wicket to wicket and keeps his line tight which sometimes make him difficult to play. He also has the ability to swing the ball at a descent pace and also comes handy with the bat.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
1	6	6	6.00	0	60.00	1	15	1-15		7.50

Zaheer Khan: Age – 30  – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – 16. He the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack but at present recovering a shoulder injury he received during an IPL match. He might be fully fit by the start of the tournament and will provide an edge to the Indian attack.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
4	-	-	-	-	-	4	24.75	2-1		6.19

Ishant Sharma: Age – 20 – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – 41. He has not been impressive in the IPL but had a great outing in the warm-up game against New Zealand where he took four wickets. He is the fastest bowler in the Indian attack and is expected to perform better on English pitches.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
4	3	3*	-	-	50.00	2	51.00	1-35		9.00

RP Singh: Age – 23 – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – 67. He has been the most successful bowler in the recently concluded IPL. He is an effective user of the new ball and gives MSD options to use him in the absence of Zahir Khan.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
8	1	1*	-	-	100.00	13	14.69	4-13		6.82

Irfan Pathan: Age – 24 – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – 66. Had a good show at the IPL with both bat and the ball. Irfan is trying to make a comeback and is trying to get back to his old bowling speed and swing. But if he has to cement his place in the side he has to show consistency.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
13	120	33*	30.00	0	120	15	22.93	3-16		7.81

Ravindra Jadeja: Age – 20 – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – N/A. He is an excellent fielder, a useful bowler and can be effective in the slog over’s. But with so many options in front of MSD, it is difficult for him to find a place in the playing eleven.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
2	24	19	12.00	0	104.34	-	-	-		6.25

Pragyan Ojha: Age – 22 – Current ICC ODI Bowler Ranking – 83. He is an excellent left-arm spinner and has shown good results in his last few appearances, but will MSG find a place in the playing eleven is a tough question.
Matches	Runs	Hs	Avg	50	SR	Wkts	Avg	Best		ER
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-		-

It was a top race with frills & thrills, drama & all the makings of a soap opera but in the end one man came on top & that was the one & only Jenson Button. After all not often you see a driver being stalled at the starting grid & colliding midway besides spinning of the track, Barrichello being the unlucky man this time. Vettel from Red Bull camp might also be grieved as he took pole in qualifying only to be surpassed by the eventual winner in the form of Jenson Button who overtook him on the first lap itself as Vettel went just wide on exiting turn 9. It was a day of mixed fortunes for Brawn GP as their ace driver this season Jenson Button won in the end & Brazilian Barrichello had to retire midway. Now it seems that the sixth win from seven races of the season for Button should be enough for him to win the driver’s championship with a 26 points lead at the moment. It would equal a record along with Jim Clark and Michael Schumacher, some of the all time greats of the sport.

The Istanbul Park remember is one of the 3 anti clock wise racing circuits in F1 GP. Besides the slew of measures taken at the beginning of the season seems to have paid off as weaker teams like Red Bull, Brawn GP & even Force India aren’t a walkover anymore. These changes were introduced to nullify the superior cars like that of Ferrari & bring driver’s skills at the fore. The official Formula 1 website states

“The regulation changes for 2009 are some of the most extensive ever introduced to Formula One racing and fall into three main areas – aerodynamics, KER’S and tyres. Formulated with help from the Overtaking Working Group’s (OWG) engineers, the new rules aim to (1) reduce the aerodynamic sensitivity of the cars to turbulence; (2) increase overtaking opportunities; and (3) slow the cars in the very quick corners. To compensate for the loss of down force from the aerodynamic changes, slick tyres have been brought back for the first time since 1997 to boost mechanical grip. As a result of the changes the 2009 cars appear quite different to their predecessors, with the removal of the vast majority of barge boards (now only allowed in a very small area – see red arrow), wing lets, chimneys and cooling gills leading to much cleaner looking designs.

Forthcoming Technical news articles will examine each of the key areas of change in detail.”

Fellipe Massa, winner last year, finished sixth ahead of BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica and Toyota’s Timo Glock. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and Williams’ Nico Rosberg had a battle for fourth the forth spot which Trulli won this time. Kimi Raikkonen had a hard afternoon with his Ferrari at ninth ahead of Alonso’s Renault, the Spaniard was followed by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton & then came BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima. McLaren had a poor day after Heikki Kovalainen was 14th.

Sebastian Vettel finished as the leader of the qualifying by taking has third career pole position. The most amazing thing about Sebastian Vettel was that he finished at the top in all the three qualifying session, which was a sign of his domination of the Turkish circuit. Red Bull had two cars finishing in the top 5 with Mark Webber qualifying fourth. The dream run for Brawn GP continued in Istanbul with Jenson Button who was a bit conservative but still managed to get the front row of the grid by qualifying second fastest behind Sebastian Vettel. Rubens Barrichello though managed to take the third position but had to encounter traffic and that could have been the reason for him loosing a fraction of a second.

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli drove an impressive fifth clearly showing his experience and driving skills in the tough Istanbul circuit. After a devastating start of the season, Ferrari are showing positive results to the changes adopted in the new car and their two cars qualified sixth and seventh. Kimi Räikkönen lines up in the third row of the grid while his Brazilian counterpart Felipe Massa will start the race in the fourth row along side Fernando Alonso of Renault.

Disaster for McLaren-Mercedes happened when Lewis Hamilton failed to even clear Q1, his car was not responding properly raising doubts about the current car. Now it’s very much clear that the defending champion won’t be able to defend his crown this season.It was also a good showing by Force India driver Adrian Sutil, who managed to clear Q1.

Some facts about the race, first its one of the few races that happens anti clock wise. As the circuit is not used for anything apart from F1 it also has its own impact on the tyres. The is a lot of wear and tear on the tyres and also the temperature and wind also make a lot of difference to the race.

2009 FORMULA 1 ING TURKISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING RESULTS

An Excellent opening stand of 140 between Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gahbir made sure that the defending champions India scored a decisive nine wickets win over traditional rivals Pakistan in the ICC World T20 World Cup warm up game at The Oval on Wednesday.

Pakistan had a bad start and were 45 for four, with some great bowling and fielding performances by the Indians. First to go was Shahzaib Hasan was bowled by Praveen Kumar on the fifth ball of the first over. Kamran Akmal was next to go with an excellent run out by Suresh Raina with a direct under arm hit on the stumps. Ahmed Shehzad tried to hit Sharma over midwicket by was take by the extra bounce and gave an easy catch to Raina at cover when his score was 25. Next to go for a duck was Shahid Afridi as he went for the big slog and tried to hit it over the straight but gave away a thick edge which MSD did not miss and dived on his right to take an amazing catch. Next to go was Shoaib Malik who was caught by MSD of the bowling of Pragyan Ojha. Younis Khan tried to reverse sweep Harbhajan, but the spinner read it well and bowled on the leg side making it easy for MSD to stump him. Misbah-ul-Haq was the highest scorer of the Pakistani innings and remained not out at 37 along with Arafat on 25. Pakistan could only score 158 for 6 in there 20 over’s. In the bowling front the best effort came from Ishant Sharma, who bowled 3-1-11-1(O-M-R-W).

India came back strongly in reply of the Pakistani score with an amazing knock by Rohit Sharma, who scored 80 runs of 53 balls and was well supported by Gautam Gambhir who remained not out till the end. MSD and Gautam won the match in 17 overs with just loss of one wicket. There were just two sixes in the entire match and were hit by Rohit Sharma.

Also an important thing to note is that although Pakistan has a much better record against India but it has never been able to defeat India in a world cup match. This India continued its 100% winning at the World Cup.