Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts

Friday, May 6, 2011

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag About this sound pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: वीरेंद्र सेहवाग) (born 20 October 1978), affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket,[3][4] is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler. He played his first One Day International in 1999 and joined the Indian Test cricket team in 2001. In April 2009, Sehwag became the only Indian to be honored as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his performance in 2008,[5] subsequently becoming the first player of any nationality to retain the award for 2009.[6]

Sehwag holds multiple records including the highest score made by an Indian in Test cricket (319), which was also the fastest triple century in the history of international cricket (reached 300 off only 278 balls) as well as the fastest 250 by any batsman (in 207 balls against Sri Lanka on 3 December 2009 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai). Sehwag also holds the distinction of being one of four batsmen in the world to have ever surpassed 300 twice in Test cricket, and the only one to score two triple centuries and take a five-wicket innings haul.[7] In March 2009, Sehwag smashed the fastest century ever scored by an Indian in ODI cricket, from 60 balls.[8]

Sehwag was appointed as vice-captain of the Indian team under Rahul Dravid in October 2005 but due to poor form, he was later replaced by V. V. S. Laxman in December 2006 as Test vice-captain. In January 2007, Sehwag was dropped from the ODI team and later from the Test team as well.[9] During his term as vice-captain, Sehwag skippered the team in place of injured Dravid in 2 ODIs and 1 Test. Following his return to form in 2008 and the retirement of Anil Kumble, Sehwag has been reappointed as the vice-captain for both Tests and ODIs. By early 2009, Sehwag had reestablished himself as one of the best performing batsmen in ODI cricket.[10]
Sehwag was born in a Jat family from Haryana.[11][12][13] The son of a grain merchant, Sehwag spent his childhood in a bungalow in a joint family, with siblings, uncles, aunts and sixteen cousins. Though now settled in New Delhi, the Sehwag family hails from Haryana. Sehwag was the third of four children born to father Krishan and mother Krishna Sehwag, with two older sisters Manju and Anju, and younger brother Vinod. His father attributes his interest in cricket to a toy bat which he was given when he was seven months old. He attended Arora Vidya School in Delhi, and pestered his parents to let him play cricket, on the basis that he was not academically gifted.[14] His father tried to end his career when he broke a tooth as a child in 1990, but Sehwag evaded the ban with the help of his mother.[15] Later he attended Jamia Milia Islamia for graduation.
[edit] Cricketing career
[edit] Early domestic cricket

Sehwag made his debut for Delhi cricket team in first class cricket in the 1997–98 season. He was selected to the North Zone cricket team for the Duleep Trophy the following 1998-99 season, ending fifth in the total runscoring list.[16] The following year he was fourth on the Duleep Trophy run scoring list, including a 274, the highest score of the competition.[17] This was attained against South Zone at Agartala in just 327 balls, and followed a rapid 187 from just 175 in a Ranji Trophy match against Punjab.[18] He was then selected for the U-19 team which toured South Africa.[14] He was seventh in the 2000–01 season with two centuries,[19] but his consistency earned the attention of selectors and he became a regular member of the national team in mid 2001.

Since his international career started, he has continued to play for Delhi in the domestic competition whilst he is not occupied with international duty and has captained North Zone to victory in the Deodhar Trophy in 2004–05 and 2005–-06.[20] He also had a short stint with Leicestershire in county cricket in 2003, but a back injury lead to a mutual termination of the contract.[21]
[edit] ODI career

Sehwag's ODI career started poorly when he scored 1 against Pakistan in Mohali in April 1999 when he fell lbw to Shoaib Akhtar. His bowling performance was also ineffective and expensive, conceding 35 runs off 3 overs. He did not get another chance in the national team for 20 months.[22]

Sehwag was not given another match until the home series against Zimbabwe[1] in December 2000. Sehwag rose to prominence in his fourth ODI match in March 2001 when he scored 58 off 54 balls, against Australia in Bangalore. Combined with his three wickets, he help earn India a victory and was awarded his first man of the match award.[23] He followed this with an unproductive tour of Zimbabwe in mid 2001.

Sehwag had his international breakthrough in Sri Lanka in August 2001 when he was promoted to the opening slot for the tri-series also involving New Zealand. The promotion to open the innings came because regular opener Sachin Tendulkar was absent due to a foot injury.[24] In the match against New Zealand that was to decide the finalist, he scored his maiden century from 69 balls.[25] At the time, the century was the third fastest ODI century for an Indian behind Mohammad Azharuddin's 62 ball effort and Yuvraj singh's 64 ball effort. This was his first score beyond 50 in ten matches and saw him named man of the match. This performance earned him a regular spot in the ODI squad in the middle-order. He bettered his own record by hitting a 60-ball century against New Zealand during the 2009 tour. An innings of note in 2002 was the 22 ball half-century against Kenya in Bloemfontein, tying the second fastest 50 by an Indian. Because of his attacking cricket stroke plays, Sehwag has got many fans, including the WestIndies legend Desmond Haynes, who admitted that he is a great fan of him.[26]

With Ganguly's injury in the India-England ODI Series in January 2002, Sehwag received another opportunity to open the innings which he seized by scoring 82 from 64 balls in Kanpur in an eight-wicket Indian victory.[27] With good performances as opener, Sehwag was made a permanent fixture at the top of the innings. Sachin Tendulkar, who opened in the England ODI series, was moved to middle order[28] - a strategy that reaped dividends for India in 2002 in ODI matches. In the England series and the preceding tour to South Africa, he compiled 426 runs at 42.6 with four half-centuries [2].

After modest returns on the tours of the West Indies and England in early and mid 2002, he scored 271 runs at 90.33 in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, with two man of the match performances. After running out Ian Blackwell, he was involved in a 192 run partnership with Ganguly, scoring 126 from 104 balls to help set up an eight wicket victory against England in a group match.[29] He then scored 58 from 54 balls and took 3/25 including two wickets in the final over to help defeat South Africa by 10 runs[30] to help India progress to the final.

In late 2002 he scored an unbeaten 114 from 82 balls that included a 196 run partnership with Ganguly to lead India to a nine wicket win over the West Indies in Rajkot.[31] He was the only batsman to score a century in the 7 match New Zealand ODI Series where he made two centuries - 108 in Napier[32] in an Indian defeat and 112 in Auckland[33] in a one-wicket victory.

Virender Sehwag had a mediocre 2003 Cricket World Cup, scoring 299 runs at an average of 27, he top scored with 82 in the loss against Australia in the final.[34]
Sehwag in fielding practice.

Later in 2003, he scored his fourth century and earned Man of the Match award against New Zealand in Hyderabad, scoring 130 and putting on a 182 run partnership with Tendulkar, to lay the foundations for a 145 run victory.[35] In spite of it, Sehwag struggled for consistency in 2003 and 2003/04 ODI series where he had only one century and 3 fifties, two against minnows - Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and one against Pakistan, in 22 matches.

Even with his inconsistent form, he earned 3 MoM awards in 2004/5 and 2004/05 ODI season with one award each against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In the match against Pakistan in Kochi he scored 108 off 95 balls, his first century in eighteen months which set up a 95 run victory.[36]

Sehwag then started a two year streak without a century in ODIs, as well as having his ODI tour of Pakistan in early 2006 curtailed due to a shoulder injury.[37] His drought in limited overs cricket has puzzled cricket experts because of the consistent performances in Test matches with a high scoring rate has not translated into significant contributions in the ODI format of the game.[38] Sehwag was dropped from the ODI Squad for the WI-IND 4 Match ODI series. With debate over whether he deserved to be included in the 2007 Cricket World Cup squad, captain Dravid's insistence on his retention paved the way to being named in the World Cup squad.[39] However, despite this assurance, Sehwag's form continued to decline.

Sehwag started the 2007 World Cup in poor form, only being picked for the side because of Rahul Dravid's wishes. He scored poorly in the first group match but bounced back to hit a magnificent 114 from 87 deliveries against lowly ranked Bermuda. The Indian team scored 413-5, the highest team total in a World Cup match, and went on to win the match but this was their only win in the tournament.

On March 11, 2009, Sehwag blasted India's fastest ODI hundred against New Zealand by reaching 3 figures in just 60 balls. Eventually, he led India to win its first series win in New Zealand.

In 2011 Cricket World Cup, Sehwag scored his highest ODI score against any team and reached legendary player Kapil Dev's Score of 175 in a world cup after 28 years.[40]
[edit] ODI summary

Sehwag's scoring rate is extremely quick, at 103.44 runs per 100 balls (it is exceeded only by one current player: Shahid Afridi, who has a much lower average). He has had more success in run chases, scoring seven of his thirteen centuries while chasing. He has led India on seven occasions, due to the unavailability of the incumbent due to illness, injury or rotation policy. In 2011 World Cup, Sehwag scored 175 in 140 deliveries and reached the legendary score that Kapil made 28 years ago.
[edit] Test career
An innings-by-innings breakdown of Sehwag's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

Sehwag's maiden century in mid-2001 in Sri Lanka was not enough to gain selection in the Test team for the corresponding series.[41] Sehwag made his Test debut in late 2001 in the First Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein as a middle-order batsman. He scored 105 on debut despite the South African win.[42] He was given a one match suspension by ICC match referee Mike Denness for overappealing[43] in the Second Test in Port Elizabeth, which lead to political dispute amongst the ICC and the two countries. He returned for the home series in 2001-02 against England and Zimbabwe. After scoring two half-centuries in the preceding series, he was promoted to a makeshift-opener on the 2002 England tour after the failure of previous openers and an experiment with wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta. He scored 84 in the new role at Lord's[44] and then a century in the Second Test at Trent Bridge,[45] and has batted there in Test matches ever since. He scored his maiden home-century of 147 in the First Test against the West Indies in the 2002-03 home season in Mumbai, which was at the time his top score in Test matches, earning him his first man of the match award.[46] After a poor tour to New Zealand, he scored passed 50 for the first time in 9 innings when he scored 130 in a Test at Mohali against New Zealand in late 2003[47][48] [3].

He then scored 195 against Australia on Boxing Day 2003 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[49] His dismissal on the first afternoon lead to an Indian collapse and eventual defeat.[50]

In early 2004, he became the only Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket, with 309 against Pakistan in the First Test in Multan, beating V. V. S. Laxman's previous Indian record(281 against Australia) and helping India to a total of 5/675, the highest ever against Pakistan. It was Sehwag's sixth Test century in 21 Tests.[51][52] India went on to win by an innings, with Sehwag named man of the match.[53] He also scored 90 in the Second Test defeat in Lahore[54] and was named man of the series for his efforts after being the highest run scorer and average for the series.[55][56] He later auctioned the bat with which he made the triple century, for Rs. 70,000, to aid in relief efforts for the tsunami victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[57]

In the First Test of the 2004 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Bangalore, Sehwag was fined for showing "serious dissent" towards umpire Billy Bowden following an LBW dismissal.[58] Replays showed that he had hit the ball off the middle of his bat onto his leg, which later led to an apology from Bowden.[59] Sehwag scored 155 in the Chennai test match to set up a triple figure lead for the Indians, but the match was rained out on the final day with the Indians requiring 229 for victory.[60][61] In the home series against South Africa that year, he scored 164 in the drawn First Test in Kanpur,[62] and 88 in the Second in Kolkata, which India won to claim the series. Sehwag was again named man of the series.[63]

Sehwag failed on the tour of Bangladesh, but on the 2005 home series against Pakistan, he scored 173 in Mohali,[64] 81 in Kolkata[65] and then 201 in Bangalore,[66] totalling 544 runs at an average of 90.66 to win the man of the series award. He passed the 3000 run mark in Tests during the Bangalore Test, becoming the fastest Indian to reach the mark in terms of innings played.[67] His performances over the preceding 12 months earned him selection in the ICC Test Team of the Year as well as nomination for Test player of the year.[68]

He earned selection for the ICC World XI which played Australia in the 2005 ICC Super Series, where he top scored in the first innings with 76. He attracted some criticism at the end of 2005, having failed to pass 50 in four Tests against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. He also missed the Second Test against Sri Lanka in Delhi due to illness,[69] but returned to the team in the following match in Ahmedabad and captained the Indians to victory whilst Rahul Dravid was ill.[70]
Sehwag bowling in the nets.

Sehwag scored his first century in a year when he compiled 254 against Pakistan in the First Test in Lahore in January 2006, the highest ever Test score at a strike rate of over 100 and the second fastest double century ever.[71] In doing so he was involved in a 410 run partnership with captain Rahul Dravid, the highest ever against Pakistan and in Pakistan, and just four short of a new world record opening partnership in Test matches.[72] Sehwag went on to lampoon the Pakistani attack led by Shoaib Akhtar.[73] Sehwag however failed to pass 50 in the following two Tests against Pakistan, and aside from a 76* in the Second Test in Mohali against England, fell seven times for less than 20 runs to the new ball [4], leading criticism of his position in the team.[74]

During the 2006 West Indies tour, Sehwag narrowly missed out on scoring a century in the opening session of the Second Test in St Lucia, ending with 99 at the interval.[75] He went on to compile 180 in just 190 balls, and also collected four wickets for the match to be named man of the match.[76] Although Sehwag had collected more than 50 wickets in ODIs, he was substantially used as a Test bowler for the first time on the West Indies tour, taking nine wickets in the first two Test matches when he was used in the absence of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh as India opted to only use one specialist spinner.[77] He had previously only three wickets at Test level [5]. He was also fined in the First Test for excessive appealing.[78]

Poor form saw Sehwag being dropped from the Test team in 2007. In December 2007, he was recalled for India's tour of Australia after being omitted form the list of probables,[79] amid calls for his return by several commentators, most notably Ian Chappell. [80]

Though he was omitted from the team for the first two matches, both of which India lost, he was picked for the third Test at the WACA in Perth after scoring a century in a tour match against the ACT Invitational XI.[81] He played a key part in India's victory, making 72 runs at a brisk pace and taking 2 crucial wickets [82] He scored a match-saving 151 in the second innings of the fourth Test in Adelaide. This was his first century in the second innings of a test match, and was notable in that he rejected his usual, aggressive batting style in favour of a more defensive approach which was the need of the hour.[83]

Sehwag continued his good form against South Africa, in the home series in April 2008, scoring 319 in the first Test in Chennai, having reached 300 off just 278 balls, the fastest triple century in test history. Sehwag became only the third batsman after Sir Donald Bradman and Brian Lara to score 2 triple centuries in Test Cricket. He scored 257 runs the third day of the match, which was the most runs scored by an individual batsman on a single day of a Test match since 1954, when Dennis Compton made 273 runs on the second day of the Nottingham Test against Pakistan.[84]

He has a habit of making big centuries, with his last eleven centuries having all been over 150, including two triple centuries and further three double centuries which surpassed Sir Donald Bradman's record of having seven consecutive centuries beyond 150.[72]

In the first test against England in Chennai in December 2008, Sehwag's rapid 83 off just 68 balls,[85] in the last session of the fourth day, set India up for its record run-chase of 4/387, the highest successful target on Indian soil. He got the man-of-the-match award despite Sachin Tendulkar scoring an unbeaten century later in the same innings and Andrew Strauss scoring a century in each of England's innings.

He has been noted for his record against Pakistan, averaging over 90 against and in Pakistan, scoring four centuries against India's arch rivals. The disparity in his average in the first and second innings is often noted, being 68 and 25 and all but one of his fifteen Test centuries having come in the first innings[6].

During Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2009, in the 3-match test series he finished with the highest run getter of the series with 491 runs. In the last test match, he made 293 with the help of which India won the test match. In this innings he established many records: 1. Scoring the second fastest 200. 2. Scoring the fastest 250 off just 207 balls. 3. Third highest run scorer on a single day. [284 n.o] He missed accomplishing the feat of being the only player to score three triple centuries. He was caught and bowled by Murlitharan short by just seven runs. This innings, which consisted of 40 fours and 7 sixes, was described as his third best by him after his two triple centuries.
[edit] Indian Premier League

Sehwag was the captain of the Delhi Daredevils in the first two edition of Indian Premier League, before he quit the position to concentrate more on his batting transfering it to Gautam Gambhir. However, for the fourth edition of IPL , he was the alone player to be retained by the franchise, hence again naming him as captain of the team Delhi Daredevils.[86]
[edit] Sehwag in Non-India Colours

He was selected in the ICC World XI for the 2005 ICC Super Series against Australia in late 2005, but only managed 64 runs at an average of 21.33 [7]. Earlier in 2005, he was selected for the Asian Cricket Council XI for the fundraising match against the ICC World XI in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami,
[edit] Playing style
Sehwag batting in the nets.

Sehwag was often compared to Sachin Tendulkar in his early days due to the similar batting style, build and appearance.[18] He has acknowledged numerous times that he consciously attempted to model his playing style on Tendulkar's in his youth.

Sehwag's technique is often cited as being particularly unorthodox, often backing away (considered technically incorrect) to free his arms whilst playing his shots, in particular to cut or drive spinners inside out. He is frequently cited by commentators for his extremely strong (physically) square cutting and upper cutting and power through the off-side.[87][87] He is also an excellent player of the late cut.[citation needed] In particular his tendency to strike the ball in the air and risk dismissal is a trait which has seen him noted for his chancy and adventurous mindset.[88] He is also noted for a relative lack of footwork,[89] with his timing often attributed to his eyesight. Of late, Sehwag has shown a proclivity to be dismissed by inswing deliveries, something attributed to his leaden-footed batting style. He has also got dismissed playing the cut shot when the ball was too close to his body to cut, especially in limited over matches.[90]

Virender Sehwag is often noted for his extremely attacking style of batting, and in 2005 he was described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as the "most exciting opener in the world"[91] due to his aggressive style in Test matches, his strike rate being inferior only to that of Adam Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi. Sehwag has also been noted for his apparent disregard for the match situation, exhibited by aggressive batting even when his team is in a poor position or after being out manoeuvred by the bowler in the recent past.[92] This is a two-edged sword as it allows him to not be psychologically hindered by previous failures, but can also lead to excessive aggression.[93] He was quoted by Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer as a sophisticated slogger.[94] But over the years, his style has changed from "reckless hitting" to that of "controlled aggression", according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously Sehwag was known predominantly as an offside player, with a weakness against straight short pitched bowling. However in the last 2 years he has improved his leg side and bouncer hitting considerably. This is shown in the recent ODIs against New Zealand where he utilised the pull, hook and flick shots to devastating effect.

As on 15 March 2010, Sehwag has an average of nearly 68 in the first innings of test matches where he has scored 5130 runs, 18 centuries and 12 fifties in 76 matches. In the second innings, his average drops to 31 and has scored 1561 runs, an only century and 9 fifties in 54 innings. The first and second innings difference of 37 runs is the one of the highest and indicates a lack of ability in dealing with more difficult batting conditions as the pitch deteriorates. However, his match-saving second-innings 151 against Australia at Adelaide during the 2007-08 Border-Gavaskar series, and a match winning 92 in trying situations at Nagpur during the 2008-09 series, went a long way towards repairing that image. In the 2008 Test series against England, Sehwag played a key role in the fourth innings of the first Test in Chennai. He amassed 83 runs in 68 balls, which helped India chase down an improbable target of 387 with six wickets to spare. This was the highest successful run chase in India, and the fourth highest in Test history. For this effort, Sehwag was adjudged Man of the Match.
[edit] Controversy
Main article: Mike Denness and Indian cricket team incident

In November 2001, Sehwag was involved in controversy in the Second Test match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, when he was given a one Test ban for "excessive appealing" by ICC Match referee Mike Denness. He was one of six Indian players to be receive bans, four of which were suspended bans. The unprecedented severity of the bans precipitated an international cricketing, political and administrative crisis with the Indian cricket establishment threatened to call off the tour unless Mike Denness was removed as match referee from the third test match. ICC backed Mike Denness[95] and the South African board backed the Indian cricket establishment[96] and did not allow Mike Denness to enter the stadium[97] on the first day of the third test match. ICC declared that the match was 'unofficial' and 'friendly five day match'[98] and the series was officially declared as a 2 match series and South Africa as 1-0 winners. The subsequent England tour to India was placed in jeopardy when India picked Sehwag in the test squad.[99] Subsequent to this development, ICC issued a warning that any match with Sehwag in the cricket team will not be considered an "official" Test match until Sehwag had served his one match ban.[100] After negotiations with ECB and ICC and in general interest of cricket, Sehwag was dropped from the team for the first Test against England.[101]
[edit] Personal life

Sehwag married Aarti Ahlawat in April 2004 under heavy security cover in a widely publicised wedding hosted by Arun Jaitley, the then Union law minister of India, at his residence.[102] The couple have a son, Aryavir, born on 18 October 2007.[103][104]

Sehwag is fondly referred to in the media as the Nawab of Najafgarh, Najafgarh being his home locality in Delhi. A lifelong vegetarian, Sehwag owns a vegetarian eatery, Sehwag Favourites, which opened in late 2005 at the Fun Republic cineplex in Delhi, following in the footsteps of his role model Sachin Tendulkar. The majority of the products on the menu are named after cricketing themes related to his memorable innings, such as Multan Ke Sultan Ki Tikdi, meaning dish for three persons, which alludes to his triple century in Multan and is priced at 309 rupees. There are plans to expand the chain across India with a second outlet already planned in Ludhiana. Sehwag does charity work for UNICEF[8].
[edit] International centuries

See: List of international cricket centuries by Virender Sehwag
[edit] Achievements
[edit] Awards

* Arjuna Award (2002)[105]

* Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World 2008, 2009[6]
* ICC Test Player of the Year 2010 [106]
* Padma Shree 2010 [107]

[edit] Records

* Fastest 250 in Test cricket in terms of balls faced (207).
* Fastest 300 in Test cricket in terms of balls faced (278).
* Most Test runs in a single day by an Indian. Sehwag made 257 in a day against SA in Chennai. He surpassed this in making 284 in a day against Sri Lanka. The latter was the second consecutive innings in which India scored more than 400 runs in a single day in Tests. Sehwag also made a century at faster than a run a ball on the previous equation.
* Only Indian batsman to have scored two triple centuries in Test cricket. He is one of the four batsman in the history of Test cricket to score two triple centuries, alongside Australia's Sir Donald Bradman, and the West Indies' Brian Lara and Chris Gayle.
* Fastest century in ODI cricket by an Indian - 100 runs off 60 balls against New Zealand in 2009.
* Second fastest ODI 50 by an Indian.[108] - a record, he shares with Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh - when he took 22 balls against Kenya in 2001[109]
* Six double centuries - the first three of which came against Pakistan.[110] Greg Chappell and Thilan Samarweera are the other players to have scored multiple double centuries against Pakistan (2). Sehwag and Tendulkar are the only Indians to have made six Test double centuries.[111]
* Highest score by an Indian batsman in Test cricket. He first achieved this when he scored 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004, and bettered his previous record in March 2008 at Chennai against South Africa by scoring 319.
* Fastest triple century: His second triple century scored at Chennai on 27–28 March 2008 against South Africa was the fastest in terms of balls faced by any batsman (off 278 balls).
* Consecutive 150+ scores in Test cricket: He holds the record for consecutive test hundreds converted to scores of 150+, at 11.
* He is one of the only five players to have scored more test hundreds than test fifties(15c/14f), along with Don Bradman(29c/13f), Mohammad Azharuddin (22c/21f),[112] Matthew Hayden (30c/27f) and Kevin Pietersen(13c/11f)[113] as on August 7, 2008 [114]
* Two consecutive double century partnerships in a Test innings. He achieved this record, for the first two wickets in Chennai on 27–28 March 2008 (with Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid respectively). This was the first time in Test history that the first two wickets in an innings have resulted in double-century stands. He equaled this in the innings against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, combining with Murali Vijay and Dravid for the first and second wickets.
* He is the first person in the history of test cricket to hit two triple centuries and take five wickets in a Test innings.
* He has launched all five of India's innings in 2011 World Cup to date by hitting the first ball for four. The suffering bowlers (so far) were Shafiul Islam, Jimmy Anderson, Boyd Rankin, Mudassar Bukhari and Dale Steyn.

[edit] Test Matches Awards
[edit] Man of the Series Awards

# Series Season Series Performance
1 India in Pakistan Test Series 2003/0 440 Runs (3 Matches, 4 Innings, 1x100, 1x50); 6-0-27-0; 2 Catches
2 South Africa in India Test Series 2004/05 262 Runs (2 Matches, 3 Innings, 1x100, 2x50); 1 Catch
3 Pakistan in India Test Series 2004/05 544 Runs (3 Matches, 6 Innings, 2x100, 1x50); 5-2-14-0; 2 Catches
4 Sri Lanka in India Test Series 2009/10 491 Runs (3 Matches, 4 Innings, 2x100, 1x50); 16-3-47-1; 1 Catch
5 India in Sri Lanka Test Series 2010 348 Runs (3 Matches, 5 Innings, 2x100, 1x50); 7 wickets

[edit] Man of the Match Awards

S No Opponent Venue Season Match Performance
1 West Indies Wankhede, Mumbai 2002/03 1st Innings: 147 (24x4, 3x6); 2-0-7-0
2nd Innings: 1 Catch
2 Pakistan Multan 2003/04 1st Innings: 309 (39x4, 6x6); 2-0-11-0
2nd Innings: 3-0-8-0; 1 Catch
3 Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 2006 1st Innings: 254 (47x4, 1x6); 6-0-24-0
4 West Indies Gros Islet, St Lucia 2006 1st Innings: 180 (20x4, 2x6); 16.1-5-33-3
2nd Innings: 30-9-48-1
5 South Africa Chennai 2007/08 1st Innings: 319 (42x4, 5x6); 11-1-37-1
2nd Innings: 22-2-55-1
6 Sri Lanka Galle 2008/09 1st Innings: 201 (22x4, 4x6)
2nd Innings: 50 (6x4, 1x6)
7 England Chennai 2008/09 1st Innings: 9 (2x4); 1-0-8-0
2nd Innings: 83 (11x4, 4x6); 6-0-22-0
8 Sri Lanka Mumbai 2009/10 1st Innings: 293 (254); 1 Catch
2nd Innings:9-2-24-0

[edit] ODI Cricket Awards
[edit] Man of the Series Awards

# Series Season Series Performance
1 India in New Zealand ODI Series 2008/09 299 (5 Matches, 5 Innings, 1x100, 2x50); 2 Catches
2 India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka Triangular Series 2010/11 268 (5 Matches, 5 Innings, 1x100, 1x50);

[edit] Man of the Match Awards

S No Opponent Venue Season Match Performance
1 Australia Bangalore 2000/01 58 (54b, 8x4); 9-0-59-3
2 New Zealand Colombo (SSC) 2001 100 (70b, 19x4, 1x6); 3-0-26-0
3 England Kanpur 2001/02 82 (62b, 14x4); 1-0-9-0; 1 Catch
4 England Colombo (RPS) 2002/03 126 (104b, 21x4, 1x6); 5-0-25-0
5 South Africa Colombo (RPS) 2002/03 59 (58b, 10x4); 5-0-25-3
6 West Indies Rajkot 2002/03 114* (82b, 17x4, 2x6); 6-0-29-0
7 New Zealand Napier 2002/03 108 (119b, 9x4, 2x6)
8 New Zealand Auckland 2002/03 112 (139b, 11x4, 3x6)
9 New Zealand Hyderabad 2003/04 130 (134b, 15x4, 2x6)
10 Zimbabwe Hobart 2003/04 90 (102b, 5x4, 5x6); 10-0-40-2; 1 Catch
11 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 2004 81 (92b, 6x4, 2x6); 9-0-37-3
12 Bangladesh Dhaka 2004/05 70 (52b, 9x4, 3x6); 6-1-31-0
13 Pakistan Kochi 2004/05 108 (95b, 9x4, 3x6); 5-0-26-0
14 Bermuda Port of Spain, Trinidad 2007 115 (87b, 17x4, 3x6); 5-0-15-0
15 England Bangalore, India 2008 69 (57b, 9x4, 3x6)
16 England Cuttack, India 2008 91 (73b, 15x4, 1x6)
17 New Zealand Hamilton, New Zealand 2009 125* (75b,14x4, 6x6)
18 Sri Lanka Rajkot, India 2009/10 146 (102b,17x4, 6x6)
19 Sri Lanka Dambulla, Sri Lanka 2009/10 99* (100b,11x4, 2x6)
20 New Zealand Dambulla, Sri Lanka 2009/10 110 (93b,16x4, 1x6)
21 Bangladesh Dhaka 2010/11 175 (140b,14x4, 5x6, SR 125.0)

Suresh Raina


Suresh Kumar Raina (Kashmiri: सुरेश कुमार रैना (Devanagari), سریش کمار رائنا (Nastaleeq)) About this sound pronunciation (help·info) (born 27 November 1986) is an Indian cricketer from the town of Rainawari, in Jammu & Kashmir.[1] Raina has been a member of the Indian cricket team for ODIs since July 2005, and was included in the Test squad in early 2006, but did not make his test debut until the second test against Sri Lanka on the 26th July 2010. Domestically he plays for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy. He is an attacking left-handed batsman, and a renowned fielder who is known for his ability to hit the stumps from the infield. He is also an occasional off-spinner.

Suresh Raina was the youngest in a Kashmiri Pandit family of five children, who have origins in the Rainawari quarter of Srinagar, a city in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.[1] Raina decided to take up cricket seriously in 1999, and moved from Ghaziabad, near New Delhi to Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, to attend the specialist government Sports College.[2] He rose to become the captain of the Uttar Pradesh U-16s came to prominence amongst Indian selectors in 2002, when he was selected at the age of 15 and a half years for the U-19 tour to England, where he made a pair of half-centuries in the U-19 Test matches.[3] He toured Sri Lanka later that year with the U-17 team. He made his Ranji Trophy debut for Uttar Pradesh against Assam in February 2003 at the age of 16, but did not play another match until the following season. In late 2003, he toured Pakistan for the U-19 Asian ODI Championship before being selected for the 2004 U-19 World Cup, where he scored three half centuries, including a 90 scored off only 38 balls. He was then awarded a Border-Gavaskar scholarship to train at the Australian Cricket Academy and in early 2005, he made his first-class limited overs debut, and scored 645 runs that season at an average of 53.75.[4] He was selected to participate in the Challenger Series in early 2005,[5] and after injury to Sachin Tendulkar and suspension to captain Sourav Ganguly, Raina was selected for the Indian Oil Cup 2005 in Sri Lanka.[6]
[edit] Indian Premier League

Suresh Raina represents Chennai Super Kings in IPL since 2008 and got three successful seasons for Chennai Super Kings. He holds the record of most runs scored in all IPL matches. [7] He also holds the record for most catches, 27, for a non-wicketkeeper. [8] Besides his bowling has proven more useful in the shortest version of the game: in 2009 he had the fifth best economy rate in the IPL among those bowlers who delivered more than 20 overs. Overall he has taken 15 wickets in 64.5 overs/ 53 matches, at an average of 29.73 and with an economy rate of 6.87.
Raina bowling in the nets.

Raina was the third-highest run-scorer in the 2010 Indian Premier League and was man-of-the-match in the final, top-scoring with 55 not out from 35 balls and taking the wicket of Harbhajan Singh. He also caught Saurabh Tiwary, running in from the midwicket boundary to take a full-length diving catch.

He was one of the four players retained by the Chennai Super Kings for the 2011 season.
IPL Batting Statistics of Suresh Raina
Year Team Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 0 4s 6s
2008 Chennai Super Kings 16 14 3 421 55 38.27 295 142.71 0 3 0 35 18
2009 14 14 0 434 98 31.00 308 140.90 0 2 0 37 21
2010 16 16 5 520 83* 47.27 364 142.85 0 4 0 45 22
2011 9 9 1 273 61 34.12 205 133.17 0 3 1 23 7
2008-2011 Total 55 53 9 1648 98 37.45 1172 140.61 0 12 1 140 68
[edit] International career
Raina at fielding practice, attempting to catch the black ball in the left hand part of the picture.

Raina had a difficult start to his international career, being dismissed for a golden duck by a doosra from spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.[9] After scoring 37 runs in the tournament at an average of 12.33, and with the return of Ganguly from suspension, Raina was omitted from the starting XI for the tour of Zimbabwe. With Ganguly being sacked after a row with Indian coach Greg Chappell and Mohammed Kaif injured, Raina played in five of the matches against Sri Lanka in India, mostly as a supersub, and made a cameo 39 not out to guide the team to victory in the fourth ODI. He was again watching from the sidelines in the series against South Africa after Kaif's return and Gautam Gambhir forced his entry into the team with a century, but got another chance to become a regular member of the Indian middle order during the 2006 tour of Pakistan, after vice-captain Virender Sehwag returned home injured. He was only required to bat in one match, in which he helped guide the latter part of the successful run chase in the fourth ODI.

Upon his return to India, he was called up to the Test squad, at the expense of former captain Sourav Ganguly, although he did not play in the Test series against England. He earned his first man of the match award in the subsequent ODI series after scoing an unbeaten 81* in a successful run-chase at Faridabad. After scoring two more half-centuries in the series at an average of 48, Raina was awarded a BCCI C-grade contract.[10] He was selected for both squads for the tour to the West Indies, but did not make his Test debut.

After a poor run in the Malaysia Tri-Series in September and in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, Raina was relegated to the bench midway through the ODI tour of South Africa. This spread to the Test team, where he was dropped from the squad altogether despite the injury to Yuvraj Singh, with Sourav Ganguly and Dinesh Karthik being recalled to the team.

In January 2008, Raina was recalled to the team and toured Australia for a limited overs campaign, but did not play in any of India's 10 ODIs or the one-off T20 international.

After a strong IPL season in 2008, Raina broke back into the XI for a triangular ODI tournament in Bangladesh when senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar was rested from the competition.

On 25 June 2008, he scored his maiden hundred against Hong Kong during the 2008 Asia Cup. His 66 balls hundred was at the time, the second fastest century in Indian ODI history. [11] He scored 84 of 69 against Pakistan and 116 of 107 against Bangladesh, in next two matches. Hence, he won man of the match award successively three times.[12][13]

Since then, Raina has been a member of India's full-strength ODI and T20 team.

During the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, Raina was criticised for a perceived weakness against the short ball. He then missed the ODI series in the West Indies because of injury.

In January 2010, Raina scored 106 from 115 balls in the final of the triangular ODI tournament against Sri Lanka in Bangladesh. His innings took India to 245 after they collapsed to 5/60, but it was not enough to save the match.

In South Africa's tour of India in 2010, Raina was called in the squad for the second test, but was not selected in the playing XI.

With his 101 from 60 balls with five sixes and nine fours in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 against South Africa on 2 May 2010, he became the third player to score a Twenty20 international century after the West Indies' Chris Gayle and New Zealand's Brendon McCullum.

He captained the Indian team for the Tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe as all the other first-choice players were rested from the tournament. India lost the first match under his captaincy against Zimbabwe by six wickets, but won the next match against Sri Lanka. The Indians then lost their remaining two matches and did not make the final.

Raina was then brought into the Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka in July and August 2010. He made his debut in the Second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo after Yuvraj Singh was ill. Sri Lanka made 4/642 declared and India were in trouble at 4/241 when Raina came in to join Sachin Tendulkar. Raina went on to reach a century on debut as the pair put on a double century partnership.

Yuvraj recovered in time for the Third Test but the selectors opted to retain Raina. However, poor form throughout 2010-2011, including a failure to make any impact on the Centurion Test which South Africa won by an innings, he was benched in favor of rookie Cheteshwar Pujara for the remainder of the series, in which India battled back to draw 1-1.

He was on the bench through the first half of the 2011 Cricket World Cup as captain MS Dhoni went with the in-form Virat Kohli. This remained so until the group game against West Indies, which he started due to an injury to Virender Sehwag. He started against defending champions Australia in the quarterfinals as Dhoni made a strategic change, benching big hitting all-rounder Yusuf Pathan in favor of Raina to boost the technical prowess of the lineup. Raina responded by assisting team MVP Yuvraj Singh on a successful run chase through high pressure, making 34 from 28 balls to carry India home alongside Yuvraj. In the semifinal against Pakistan, he batted with tailenders and scored 36 runs without which India would have been hard pressed to bowl Pakistan out, as they ultimately did. He also fielded well in this game, taking the catch which completed Yuvraj's dismissal of Younis Khan. He took another catch in the final against Sri Lanka, and did not have to bat. The tournament marked a return to form for the talented lefty.
[edit] Centuries

* In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
* The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career

[edit] Test Cricket centuries
Test Cricket centuries of Suresh Raina
# Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
1 120 1 Sri Lanka Colombo, Sri Lanka Sinhalese Sports Club 2010
[edit] ODI centuries
ODI Cricket Centuries of Suresh Raina
# Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
1 101 40 Hong Kong Karachi, Pakistan National Stadium, Karachi 2008
2 116* 42 Bangladesh Karachi, Pakistan National Stadium, Karachi 2008
3 106 87 Sri Lanka Dhaka, Bangladesh Shere Bangla National Stadium 2010

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

IND vs AUS

ICC CWC Warm-up LIVE: IND vs AUS

What a warm-up win for India! Chasing 215 runs for victory, Australia were bundled out for 176. For latest, stay tuned with ESPNSTAR.com.

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So finally, Indian spinners got the better of Australian batsmen and ensured that Men in Blue start the ICC Cricket World Cup campaign in style.

Over 34.4: Smart work by MS Dhoni as Ricky Ponting fails to get his back-foot back in time. Harbhajan Singh finally won the little battle.

Over 30.4: Chawla dismisses Callum Fergusson. Shane Warne kind of delivery! Slip coming into operation as Kohli completes the formality.

Piyush Chawla is living a dream spell. A huge blow for Australia as they have now lost 7 wickets for 148 runs with Ricky Ponting playing on 51.

Over 28.2: Huge wicket! David Hussey gets a stunner on the very first ball he faces as MS Dhoni rattles the stump.

Over 28.1: Piyush Chawla induces a false shot Cameron White lofts, only to perish at mid-on.

Over 21.5: Yuvraj Singh has struck for India as Tim Paine's lofted shot lands staright in Munaf Patel's hand. Great running catch from Munaf.

Over 20.2: Oh! hoo! A spectators catch by Sreesanth in the deep on a top edge of Harbhajan Singh's ball just made Indian fans interested. A contest you would not like to miss. For the moment - Aussie skipper survives.

Harbhajan Singh gets the ball and bowls a tight over. But what India desperately need at this moment is wickets and that too in bunch.

Over 18: Chasing 215 for victory, Australia found themselves cruising along with 103/1.

Shane Watson led Ausssie chase in style as he carted Indian pacers all-aroun the park. Kangaroos would take huge confidence if at all they win the current match as lot of pre-match talks centered around how the visitors would fare on a slow pitch. India Innings: 214/10

An impressive Brett Lee produced a fast and furious second spell to skittle out India for a modest 214 in their first warm-up match ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Lee (3/35) accounted for three Indian wickets in his second spell of five overs, giving away just 12 runs. He was ably supported by John Hastings who returned with figures of two for 24 from his six overs.

David Hussey also picked up two wickets during the fag end of the Indian innings with the part-time off-spinner giving away 25 runs.

Opting to bat, India produced a listless batting display as they lost wickets at intervals to be eventually bundled out under 250 in 44.3 overs.

(Can Sachin Tendulkar really change India's fortunes? We would value your comments!)

Virender Sehwag was the top-scorer for India with a 56-ball 54 while Yusuf Pathan took his time to the open up during his 32 that came off 39 balls and was studded with two towering sixes.

Apart from Sehwag, the Indian batters were found wanting from the onset against Australia's lethal pace battery. Virat Kohli (21), skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (11) and Suresh Raina (12) all got starts but gave away their wickets when the team needed them.

India's agony in the batting department can be gauged from the fact that they failed to notch up a single 50-run partnership, the highest being the 49-run ninth wicket stand between Pathan and R Ashwin (25 not out).

Gautam Gambhir never looked in his comfort zone from the very first ball. He was circumspect throughout his 15-ball stay, which included a maiden first over from Brett Lee.

His agony finally came to an end in the fourth over when he edged a Doug Bollinger delivery to Cameron White at the second slip.

Virat Kohli (21) looked in supreme confidence from the time he arrived at the crease and hit a boundary both of Lee and Bollinger in consecutive overs to continue his impressive run of form that was visible in the five-match ODI series in South Africa.

Sehwag, on the other hand, patiently waited for the bad deliveries to hit and brought up India's 50 in style in the 10th over, clobbering John Hastings to the cover boundary.

But just when it seemed Kohli is in for a big innings the right-hander slashed a full length Hastings' delivery to David Hussey at point.

After just two overs spell, Ponting replaced Hastings and introduced spin in the form of Jason Krejza, but it was left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson who struck the third blow for Australia. Yuvraj Singh's awful form continued as he looked completely out of sorts from the time of arriving at the crease. He scored just one run of seven balls before edging an accurate Johnson bouncer to Tim Paine behind the stumps.

The bowling powerplay worked wonders for Australia as they conceded just 12 runs, picking up two vital wickets in those five overs.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni too did little justice to his reputation as he contributed just 11 runs before edging a Hastings delivery on to the stumps to cut short his stay at the crease with the India scoreboard reading 101 for four.

Sehwag, however, was at his full display at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as he took Krezja for special treatment before the off-spinner picked up his man.

After a sedate start, Sehwag opened up and struck as many as eight boundaries and a six during his 56-ball innings before giving away his wicket after doing all the hard work.

Sehwag raised his half-century in ominous fashion sending Krejza over the long-off fence. But the off-spinner took his revenge in the very next ball when he bowled the Indian opener as he went for a cut only to get an inside on to the stumps.

With two new batsmen out on the pitch in the form of Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan, Ponting gave the ball back to his strike bowler Lee and the right-arm pacer did not disappoint, striking twin blows in the 28th over.

Raina, who is struggling to find a place in the playing eleven, did little help to his cause and was Lee's first victim. Going for his trademark on-the-up cover drive off good length delivery the left-hander gave a simple catch to Paine behind the wicket.

As if that was not enough, a ball later Lee castled through the defence of Harbhajan Singh with a full length fast delivery to leave India tottering at 136 for seven after 28 overs.

Lee was unlucky not to have picked up his third wicket in the next over when Paine dropped dangerman Pathan. But the Australian pacer was not to be denied as two balls later he sent Piyush Chawla packing for a duck.

Pathan got another life when he was on 13. Going for a big swing over the off-side off a Johnson delivery he got a thick edge, which flew fast to Watson at the first slip but the Australian opener failed to latch on to the chance.

Ponting was bang on target with his bowling changes today. He brought David Hussey on to the attack in the 39th over and the part-time spinner did not disappoint his captain.

Inspite of being hit for two huge sixes by Pathan soon after his arrival, Hussey did not lose his cool and got the big-hitting right-hander in the same over as he went for one too many.

India managed to cross the 200-mark thanks mainly to Ashwin and Ashish Nehra (19), who stitched 27 runs together for the last wicket.

Ponting: Nice to get back to playing cricket and atmosphere is just huge. Not sure about the pitch at Bengaluru so we will concentrate on making inroads.

MS Dhoni: Not a bad start, especially when you are used to losing tosses. Sachin and Zaheer won't play today. Others will get a chance to feature and get some practice. It is very important to concentrate on basics, it will be good to play in front of a packed home crowd.

Pitch News: Ian Chappell says there is a bit of even grass and a couple of cracks ahead of the good length spot. Harbhajan Singh will fancy it.

Teams:

Australia (Playing XV): Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(w), Ricky Ponting(c), Michael Clarke, Cameron White, David Hussey, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Doug Bollinger, John Hastings, Tim Paine, Shaun Tait, Callum Ferguson

India (Playing XIII): Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth
Follow these links to find out all you want to know about the Teams, Star Players , Captains, Statistics, Factoids, History, Venues and of course the Fixtures of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka
ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2011 Quarter Finals- Latest News
Cricket World Cup
ICC World Cup 4th Quarter Final, Sri Lanka v England (Match D) -
Mar 26, 2011
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local | 05:00 EDT

* 4th Quarter Final Sri Lanka v England (Match D) in Colombo

ICC World Cup 3rd Quarter Final, New Zealand v South Africa (Match F) -
Mar 25, 2011
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local | 04:30 EDT

* 3rd Quarter Final New Zealand v South Africa (Match F) in Mirpur

ICC World Cup 2nd Quarter Final, India v Australia (Match E) -
Mar 24, 2011
09:00 GMT | 14:30 local | 05:00 EDT

* India Cricket Team For World Cup 2011
* 2nd Quarter Final India v Australia (Match E) in Ahmedabad

ICC World Cup 1st Quarter Final, Pakistan v West Indies (Match C) -
Mar 23, 2011
08:30 GMT | 14:30 local | 04:30 EDT

* 1st Quarter Final Pakistan v West Indies (Match C) in Mirpur

ICC World Cup Cricket Quarter Finals
Date Start Time Match Venue
Wed Mar 23 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local | 04:30 EDT 1st Quarter Final
Pakistan v West Indies
(Match C) Mirpur
Thu Mar 24 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local | 05:00 EDT 2nd Quarter Final
India v Australia
(Match E) Ahmedabad
Fri Mar 25 08:30 GMT | 14:30 local | 04:30 EDT 3rd Quarter Final
New Zealand v South Africa
(Match F) Mirpur
Sat Mar 26 09:00 GMT | 14:30 local | 05:00 EDT 4th Quarter Final
Sri Lanka v England
(Match D) Colombo

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2011 Group Round
ICC World Cup Cricket Group A
Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts
Pakistan 6 5 1 0 0 10
Sri Lanka 6 4 1 0 1 9
Australia 6 4 1 0 1 9
New Zealand 6 4 2 0 0 8
Zimbabwe 6 2 4 0 0 4
Canada 6 1 5 0 0 2
Kenya 6 0 6 0 0 0

ICC World Cup Cricket Group B
Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts
South Africa 6 5 1 0 0 10
India 6 4 1 1 0 9
England 6 3 2 1 0 7
West Indies 6 3 3 0 0 6
Bangladesh 6 3 3 0 0 6
Ireland 6 2 4 0 0 4
Netherlands 6 0 6 0 0 0


ICC World Cup 42nd Match, India v West Indies, Group B - India win sets up Aussie showdown
Mar 20, 2011
India set up a World Cup quarter-final against holders Australia with a 80-run victory over West Indies, who face Pakistan in the last eight. West Indies paceman Ravi Rampaul took 5-51 on his World Cup debut including the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar for two.

Yuvraj Singh, who was dropped twice, hit 113 and shared a third wicket stand of 122 with Virat Kohli (59) before India collapsed from 218-3 to 268. Devon Smith hit 81 but West Indies lost eight wickets for 34 to finish on 188.
India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) beat West Indies 188 (Smith 81, Sarwan 39, Zaheer 3-26) by 60 runs

* World Cup Cricket Group B Matches
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* Indian Cricket Site | Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI


India vs West Indies Cricket News
India in West Indies 2009
4th ODI washed out, India win series (IND 2:1|4)
July 5, 2009
MS Dhoni's team won the fifth consecutive ODI series since the defeat in the Asia Cup final at the hands of Sri Lanka last year.

Dhoni won the fourth straight toss in the morning and asked West Indies to bat for the second time in the series, and West Indies suffered an early set back as Ishant Sharma removed Chris Gayle in the very first over for a duck. The hosts who went into the game 2-1 down in the best-of-four contest saw their hopes destroyed by the weather.
When the home side was on 27 for one after 7.3 overs a heavy downpour saw the contest called off.

MS Dhoni is the Man of the Series.
Fourth ODI, St Lucia: West Indies 27/1 (Ishant 1-17) vs India - Match abandoned

* Indian tour of West Indies, 2009 home
* India vs West Indies, Fourth One Day International

India win 3rd ODI by six wickets to lead series (IND 2:1|4)
July 3, 2009
India won the third ODI with West Indies on Friday in a rain-shortened encounter at St Lucia by six wickets. Rain delayed the start and interrupted play no fewer than four times leading the umpires to shorten the innings and revise the target couple of times.

Dhoni won the third straight toss in the morning and asked West Indies to bat for the first time in the series. Ramnaresh Sarwan, with 62 off 59, top-scored as the hosts made 186-7 from 27 overs.

Set 159 to win from 22 overs, openers Dinesh Karthik (47) and Gautam Gambhir (44) added 84 for the first wicket. Then, skipper Mahendra Dhoni (46 not out off 34 balls) saw India home with one ball remaining.
Third ODI, St Lucia: India 159/4 (Karthik 47, Dhoni 46*, Gambhir 44) beat West Indies 185/7 (Sarwan 62, Nehra 3-21) by six wickets (D/L method)

* Indian tour of West Indies, 2009 home
* India vs West Indies, Third One Day International

West Indies thrash India in Kingston, level series (IND 1:1|4)
June 28, 2009
West Indies beat India by eight wickets in the second cricket international at Sabina Park. Chasing 189 to win, Chris Gayle (64) and Renako Morton (85) shared 101 as West Indies won with 15.5 overs to spare.

India won the toss in the morning and batted but they were reduced to 7-3 and 82-8, before Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit a patient 95 and shared a record 101-run ninth wicket parternership with RP Singh, who made 23 off 75 balls, to help India score a modest 188 all out in 48.2 overs.
Ravi Rampaul had career-best figures of 4 for 37 and Denesh Ramdin took five catches.

The third one-day international will be played in St Lucia on Friday.
Second ODI, Kingston, Jamaica: West Indies 192/2 (Morton 85*, Gayle 62) beat India 188/8 (Dhoni 95, Rampaul 4-37, Taylor 3-35, Bravo 3-26) by eight wickets

* Indian tour of West Indies, 2009 home
* India vs West Indies, Second One Day International

India win high-scoring thriller in Kingston (IND 1:0|4)
June 26, 2009
A 131 in 102 balls with 10 fours and 7 sixes from Yuvraj Singh helped India amass 339 for six in Jamaica on Friday in their first of a four-match series of one-dayers, but the determined hosts ran them close to be bowled out for 319 in the 49th over. India's total was the second highest one-day international score at Sabina Park.

Chris Gayle (37) and Runako Morton (42) put on 65 inside 10 overs for the opening stand before Ramnaresh Sarwan (45) and an aggressive Shivnarine Chanderpaul (63) kept West Indies up with the run-rate. They needed 25 to win off the last three overs with two wickets remaining but Rudra Pratap Singh bowled Sulieman Benn for seven in the 48th over, and then wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who had kept the score ticking with a smart 29 off 26 balls, was caught by Harbhajan Singh off Ashish Nehra's first ball of the 49th over.

Earlier, deciding to bat first, India lost Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma cheaply, but Karthik (67) and Yuvraj set them on their way to the big total. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41 of 46 balls), Yusuf Pathan (40 not out off 38) and Harbhajan Singh (21 not out off 13) chipped in with useful contributions.
First ODI, Kingston, Jamaica: India 339/6 (Yuvraj 131, Karthik 67) beat West Indies 319 (Chanderpaul 63, Ashish Nehra 3-49, Yusuf Pathan 3-56) by 20 runs

* Indian tour of West Indies, 2009 home
* India vs West Indies, First One Day International

India seek redemption in the Caribbeans
June 25, 2009
India will meet West Indies in the first game of their four-match ODI series at Kingston, Jamaica on Friday.
India is looking to restore pride after a horrendous performance at the Twenty20 World Cup in England, where they crashed out after losing to West Indies and then England. It was, in fact, India's seven-wicket loss to the West Indies in the first Super Eights game that started their losing streak in England.
Apart from restoring pride, this is India's opportunity to leapfrog Australia, and target chart-toppers South Africa in the ODI rankings. A four-nil victory will take the team, now placed third, to the lead.
West Indies Squad (from): Gayle (Capt), Ramdin, Baker, Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Benn, Bernard Jr, Chanderpaul, Deonarine, Morton, Rampaul, Sarwan, Taylor.
India Squad (from): MS Dhoni (Capt), Yuvraj, Gambhir, Rohit, Harbhajan, Ojha, Yusuf, Vijay, Badrinath, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant, Nayar, Nehra, Jadeja, Karthik.

* Indian tour of West Indies, 2009 home
* India vs West Indies, First One Day International
* India vs West Indies, Second One Day International
* India vs West Indies, Third One Day International
* India vs West Indies, Fourth One Day International

Tendulkar and Zaheer rested for West Indies tour, Irfan axed!
June 17, 2009
BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan announced a depleted Indian squad for the one-day tour of West Indies starting later this month, just days after the holders were knocked out of the Twenty20 World Cup.
The squad will be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni with Yuvraj Singh as his deputy. The team was selected in London after a teleconference between Chairman of the committee Krishnamachari Srikkanth, East Zone selector Raja Venkat, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten (in London) and three selectors — Yashpal Sharma, Surendhra Bhave and Narendra Hirwani - in Mumbai.

While Sachin Tendulkar opted out, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina are out because of injuries, while Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan were dropped for unknown reasons. Delhi left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra (who has played 72 ODI matches, taking 92 wickets) is back in the team after a long gap of four years - his last match was in in September 2005, while 25-year-old Mumbai all rounder Abhishek Nayar, RP Singh, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay (who has played one Test against Australia) and middle order batsman Subramaniam Badrinath (who has played three one-day internationals against Sri Lanka) also found place in the squad based on their superb performance in the IPL.
The four matches against West Indies will be played from June 26 to July 5 in Jamaica and St. Lucia.

India Team for West Indies: MS Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Yuvraj Singh (vicecaptain), Gautam Gambhir (specialist opener), Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, M Vijay (specialist opener), S Badrinath, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik.

* Indian tour of West Indies, 2009 home

Indian Tour of West Indies, 2009
May 14, 2009
After the completion of 2nd edition twenty20 World Cup in England, Indian team will tour Caribbean for four match ODI series against the West Indies.

India will play their first one day international on 26th June 2009. And the rest of three one day internationals will be played on 28th June, 3rd July and 5th July 2009. Probable venues included in the schedule.
Schedule Match Venue
Fri 26 Jun
10:30 EDT/14:30 GMT/15:30 BST/20:00 IST 1st ODI – India v West Indies Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Sun 28 Jun
10:30 EDT/14:30 GMT/15:30 BST/20:00 IST 2nd ODI – India v West Indies Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Fri 3 July
09:30 EDT/13:30 GMT/14:30 BST/19:00 IST 3rd ODI – India v West Indies Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Sun 5 July
09:30 EDT/13:30 GMT/14:30 BST/19:00 IST 4th ODI – India v West Indies Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia

* Indian tour of West Indies, 2009 home
* India vs West Indies, First One Day International
* India vs West Indies, Second One Day International
* India vs West Indies, Third One Day International
* India vs West Indies, Fourth One Day International

India vs West Indies, World Twenty20 2009
Bravo magic sinks defending champions
June 12, 2009
West Indies Cricket team India Cricket team West Indies beat India by seven wickets in a thrilling run chase at the Twenty20 World Cup at Lord's on Friday. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, India lost quick wickets at the top with Rohit Sharma the first to go for 5, caught by Simmons off Edwards in the second over. Suresh Raina was next for 5, giving a catch behind to Denesh Ramdin off Edwards. Simmons then brilliantly caught opener Gautam Gambhir, taking a superb catch running back as Gambhir miscued a Bravo delivery. Dhoni made a painful 11 before he was out caught on the boundary by Andre Fletcher off Bravo as he tried to force a sixer.
Yuvraj Singh (67) and Yusuf Pathan (31) gave something to the packed Indian crowd to cheer on, and they looked they were taking the match away from the West Indians, but an ill-timed shot by Yuvraj again gave the momentum back to the Caribbeans. Harbhajan hit three fours off the last three balls to give India a defendable target of 153-7.
India celebrated with early wicket of Fletcher for nought, and later when dangerman Gayle was out on 22, but Simmons and Bravo put on 50 from 35 balls, and shifted the momentum decisively in West Indies' favour. Dwayne Bravo who had taken four wickets to keep India down earlier, went on to score a 66 not out and ended up with the Man of the Match award.
2009 ICC World Twenty20 Match 16: IND vs WIN, Group E, June 12: West Indies 156 for 3 (Bravo 66*, Simmons 44) beat India 153 for 7 (Yuvraj 67, Yusuf 31, Bravo 4-38, Edwards 3-24) by seven wickets

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Cricket


Cricket is a bat-and-ball team sport. Many variations exist, with its most popular form played on an oval-shaped outdoor arena known as a cricket field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard (20.12 m) long pitch that is the focus of the game. A game (or match) is contested between two teams of eleven players each. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an innings.
There are also variations in the length of a game of cricket. In professional cricket this ranges from a limit of 20 overs per side (Twenty20) to a game played over 5 days (Test cricket, which is the highest level of the game). Depending on the form of the match being played, there are different rules that govern how a game is won, lost, drawn or tied. The rules of two-innings games are known as the Laws of Cricket and maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC); additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals augment these laws.[1] In one version of Indoor Cricket, matches include just 6 players per side and include two 12-over innings.[2]
Cricket was first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, it had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. The ICC is the game's governing body and currently has 105 member countries.[3] Cricket is most popular in the Test playing countries.


History

Main article: History of cricket


The Royal Grammar School, Guildford, was the site for cricket's earliest definite reference
Early cricket was at some time or another described as "a club striking a ball (like) the ancient games of club-ball, stool-ball, trap-ball, stob-ball".[4] Cricket can definitely be traced back to Tudor times in early 16th-century England. Written evidence exists of a game known as creag being played by Prince Edward, the son of Edward I (Longshanks), at Newenden, Kent in 1301[5] and there has been speculation, but no evidence, that this was a form of cricket.
A number of other words have been suggested as sources for the term "cricket". In the earliest definite reference to the sport in 1598,[6] it is called creckett. Given the strong medieval trade connections between south-east England and the County of Flanders when the latter belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy, the name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch[7] krick(-e), meaning a stick (crook); or the Old English cricc or cryce meaning a crutch or staff.[8] In Old French, the word criquet seems to have meant a kind of club or stick.[9] In Samuel Johnson's Dictionary, he derived cricket from "cryce, Saxon, a stick".[10] Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word krickstoel, meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church and which resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket.[11] According to Heiner Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University, "cricket" derives from the Middle Dutch phrase for hockey, met de (krik ket)sen (i.e., "with the stick chase").[12] Dr Gillmeister believes that not only the name but the sport itself is of Flemish origin.[13]
In 1598,[6] a court case referred to a sport called creckett being played by boys at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford around 1550. This is the sport's earliest definite mention. It is believed that it was originally a children's game but references around 1610[14] indicate that adults had started playing it and the earliest reference to inter-parish or village cricket occurs soon afterwards. In 1624, a player called Jasper Vinall was killed when he was struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex.[15]


The first English touring team on board ship at Liverpool in 1859
During the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east of England. By the end of the century, it had become an organised activity being played for high stakes and it is believed that the first professionals appeared in the years following the Restoration in 1660. A newspaper report survives of "a great cricket match" with eleven players a side that was played for high stakes in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest known reference to a cricket match of such importance.
The game underwent major development in the 18th century and became the national sport of England. Betting played a major part in that development with rich patrons forming their own "select XIs". Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury. The single wicket form of the sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match. Bowling evolved around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batsman. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old "hockey stick" shape. The Hambledon Club was founded in the 1760s and, for the next 20 years until the formation of MCC and the opening of Lord's Old Ground in 1787, Hambledon was both the game's greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket. New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century included the three stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw).


Don Bradman had a Test average of 99.94 and an overall first-class average of 95.14, records unmatched by any other player.[16]
The 19th century saw underarm bowling replaced by first roundarm and then overarm bowling. Both developments were controversial. Organisation of the game at county level led to the creation of the county clubs, starting with Sussex CCC in 1839, which ultimately formed the official County Championship in 1890. Meanwhile, the British Empire had been instrumental in spreading the game overseas and by the middle of the 19th century it had become well established in India, North America, the Caribbean, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In 1844, the first international cricket match took place between the United States and Canada (although neither has ever been ranked as a Test-playing nation).
In 1859, a team of England players went on the first overseas tour (to North America) and in 1862, an English team made the first tour of Australia. In 1876–77, an England team took part in the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia.
W G Grace started his long career in 1865; his career is often said to have revolutionised the sport.[17] The rivalry between England and Australia gave birth to The Ashes in 1882 and this has remained Test cricket's most famous contest[citation needed]. Test cricket began to expand in 1888–89 when South Africa played England. The last two decades before the First World War have been called the "Golden Age of cricket". It is a nostalgic name prompted by the collective sense of loss resulting from the war, but the period did produce some great players and memorable matches, especially as organised competition at county and Test level developed.
The inter-war years were dominated by one player: Australia's Don Bradman, statistically the greatest batsman of all time. It was the determination of the England team to overcome his skill that brought about the infamous Bodyline series in 1932–33, particularly from the accurate short-pitched bowling of Harold Larwood. Test cricket continued to expand during the 20th century with the addition of the West Indies, India, and New Zealand before the Second World War and then Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh in the post-war period. However, South Africa was banned from international cricket from 1970 to 1992 because of its government's apartheid policy.
Cricket entered a new era in 1963 when English counties introduced the limited overs variant. As it was sure to produce a result, limited overs cricket was lucrative and the number of matches increased. The first Limited Overs International was played in 1971. The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) saw its potential and staged the first limited overs Cricket World Cup in 1975. In the 21st century, a new limited overs form, Twenty20, has made an immediate impact.
[edit]Rules and Game-play



A typical cricket field.
Main article: Laws of cricket
A cricket match is played between two teams (or sides) of eleven players each[18][19] on a field of variable size and shape. The ground is grassy and is prepared by groundsmen whose jobs include fertilising, mowing, rolling and levelling the surface. Field diameters of 137–150 metres (150–160 yd) are usual.[20] The perimeter of the field is known as the boundary and this is sometimes painted and sometimes marked by a rope that encircles the outer edge of the field. The Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field[21] but it is often oval – one of cricket's famous venues is called The Oval.
The key action takes place in a specially prepared area of the field (generally in the centre) that is called the pitch. A run is scored when the batsman has run the length of the pitch after hitting the ball with his bat, although as explained below there are many ways of scoring runs.[22] If the batsmen are not attempting to score any more runs, the ball is dead and is returned to the bowler to be bowled again.[23]
Before play commences, the two team captains toss a coin to decide which team shall bat or bowl first.[19] The captain who wins the toss makes his decision on the basis of tactical considerations which may include the current and expected field and weather conditions.[24]
The bowling side seeks to dismiss the batsmen by various means[25] until the batting side is all out, whereupon the side that was bowling takes its turn to bat and the side that was batting must take the field.[26]
In professional matches, there are 15 people on the field while a match is in play. Two of these are the umpires who regulate all on-field activity. Two are the batsmen, one of whom is the striker as he is facing the bowling; the other is called the non-striker. The roles of the batsmen are interchangeable as runs are scored and overs are completed. The fielding side has all 11 players on the field together.[19] One of them is the bowler, another is the wicketkeeper and the other nine are called fielders. The wicketkeeper (or keeper) is nearly always a specialist but any of the fielders can be called upon to bowl.
[edit]Objectives
The objective of each team is to score more runs than the other team and to completely dismiss the other team. In limited overs cricket, winning the game is achieved by scoring the most runs, even if the opposition has not been completely dismissed. In Test cricket, it is necessary to score the most runs and dismiss the opposition twice in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn.
[edit]Pitch, wickets and creases
Main articles: Cricket pitch, Wicket, and Crease (cricket)
See also: Stump (cricket) and Bail (cricket)


The cricket pitch dimensions
At either end of the pitch, 22 yards (20 m) apart, are placed the wickets. These serve as a target for the bowling (aka fielding) side and are defended by the batting side which seeks to accumulate runs. The pitch is 22 yards (20 m) or one chain[27] in length between the wickets and is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The "condition" of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor.
Each wicket consists of three wooden stumps placed in a straight line and surmounted by two wooden crosspieces called bails; the total height of the wicket including bails is 28.5 inches (720 mm) and the combined width of the three stumps is 9 inches (230 mm).


Aerial view of the MCG displaying the stadium, ground and pitch
Four lines, known as creases, are painted onto the pitch around the wicket areas to define the batsman's "safe territory" and to determine the limit of the bowler's approach. These are called the "popping" (or batting) crease, the bowling crease and two "return" creases.


A wicket consists of three stumps that are hammered into the ground, and topped with two bails.
The stumps are placed in line on the bowling creases and so these must be 22 yards (20 m) apart. A bowling crease is 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) long with the middle stump placed dead centre. The popping crease has the same length, is parallel to the bowling crease and is 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of the wicket. The return creases are perpendicular to the other two; they are adjoined to the ends of the popping crease and are drawn through the ends of the bowling crease to a length of at least 8 feet (2.4 m).
When bowling the ball, the bowler's back foot in his "delivery stride" must land within the two return creases while his front foot must land on or behind the popping crease. If the bowler breaks this rule, the umpire calls "No ball".
The importance of the popping crease to the batsman is that it marks the limit of his safe territory for he can be stumped or run out (see Dismissals below) if the wicket is broken while he is "out of his ground".
[edit]Bat and ball
Main articles: Cricket bat and Cricket ball


A cricket bat, front and back.
The essence of the sport is that a bowler delivers the ball from his end of the pitch towards the batsman who, armed with a bat is "on strike" at the other end.
The bat is made of wood (usually White Willow) and has the shape of a blade topped by a cylindrical handle. The blade must not be more than 4.25 inches (108 mm) wide and the total length of the bat not more than 38 inches (970 mm).
The ball is a hard leather-seamed spheroid with a circumference of 9 inches (230 mm). The hardness of the ball, which can be delivered at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), is a matter for concern and batsmen wear protective clothing including pads (designed to protect the knees and shins), batting gloves for the hands, a helmet for the head and a box inside the trousers (to protect the crotch area). Some batsmen wear additional padding inside their shirts and trousers such as thigh pads, arm pads, rib protectors and shoulder pads.
[edit]Umpires and scorers
Main articles: Umpire (cricket) and Scorer
The game on the field is regulated by two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler's end, the other in a position called "square leg", a position 15–20 metres to the side of the "on strike" batsman. When the bowler delivers the ball, the umpire at the wicket is between the bowler and the non-striker. The umpires confer if there is doubt about playing conditions and can postpone the match by taking the players off the field if necessary, for example rain or deterioration of the light.


An umpire
Off the field and in televised matches, there is often a third umpire who can make decisions on certain incidents with the aid of video evidence. The third umpire is mandatory under the playing conditions for Test matches and limited overs internationals played between two ICC full members. These matches also have a match referee whose job is to ensure that play is within the Laws of cricket and the spirit of the game.
Off the field, the match details including runs and dismissals are recorded by two official scorers, one representing each team. The scorers are directed by the hand signals of an umpire. For example, the umpire raises a forefinger to signal that the batsman is out (has been dismissed); he raises both arms above his head if the batsman has hit the ball for six runs. The scorers are required by the Laws of cricket to record all runs scored, wickets taken and overs bowled. In practice, they accumulate much additional data such as bowling analyses and run rates.
[edit]Innings
The innings (ending with 's' in both singular and plural form) is the term used for the collective performance of the batting side.[28] In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to bat but, for various reasons, an "innings" can end before they all do so.
Depending on the type of match being played, each team has one or two innings apiece. The term "innings" is also sometimes used to describe an individual batsman's contribution ("he played a fine innings").
The main aim of the bowler, supported by his fielders, is to dismiss the batsman. A batsman when dismissed is said to be "out" and that means he must leave the field of play and be replaced by the next batsman on his team. When ten batsmen have been dismissed (i.e., are out), then the whole team is dismissed and the innings is over. The last batsman, the one who has not been dismissed, is not allowed to continue alone as there must always be two batsmen "in". This batsman is termed "not out".
An innings can end early for three reasons: because the batting side's captain has chosen to "declare" the innings closed (which is a tactical decision), or because the batting side has achieved its target and won the game, or because the game has ended prematurely due to bad weather or running out of time. In each of these cases the team's innings ends with two "not out" batsmen, unless the innings is declared closed at the fall of a wicket and the next batsman has not joined in the play.
In limited overs cricket, there might be two batsmen still "not out" when the last of the allotted overs has been bowled.
[edit]Overs
Main article: Over (cricket)
The bowler bowls the ball in sets of six deliveries (or "balls") and each set of six balls is called an over. This name came about because the umpire calls "Over!" when six balls have been bowled. At this point, another bowler is deployed at the other end, and the fielding side changes ends while the batsmen do not. A bowler cannot bowl two successive overs, although a bowler can bowl unchanged at the same end for several overs. The batsmen do not change ends and so the one who was non-striker is now the striker and vice-versa. The umpires also change positions so that the one who was at square leg now stands behind the wicket at the non-striker's end and vice-versa.
[edit]Team structure
A team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary skills, a player may be classified as a specialist batsman or bowler. A well-balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a specialist wicket-keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a captain who is responsible for making tactical decisions such as determining the batting order, the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers.
A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", sometimes regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounders are rare as most players focus on either batting or bowling skills.
[edit]Bowling
Main articles: bowler (cricket), bowling (cricket), and bowling strategy (cricket)


A typical bowling action


Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, the highest wicket taker in both Test and ODI forms of cricket bowls to Adam Gilchrist.
The bowler reaches his delivery stride by means of a "run-up", although some bowlers with a very slow delivery take no more than a couple of steps before bowling. A fast bowler needs momentum and takes quite a long run-up, running very fast as he does so.
The fastest bowlers can deliver the ball at a speed of over 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) and they sometimes rely on sheer speed to try and defeat the batsman, who is forced to react very quickly. Other fast bowlers rely on a mixture of speed and guile. Some fast bowlers make use of the seam of the ball so that it "curves" or "swings" in flight. This type of delivery can deceive a batsman into mistiming his shot so that the ball touches the edge of the bat and can then be "caught behind" by the wicketkeeper or a slip fielder.
At the other end of the bowling scale is the "spinner" who bowls at a relatively slow pace and relies entirely on guile to deceive the batsman. A spinner will often "buy his wicket" by "tossing one up" (in a slower, higher parabolic path) to lure the batsman into making a poor shot. The batsman has to be very wary of such deliveries as they are often "flighted" or spun so that the ball will not behave quite as he expects and he could be "trapped" into getting himself out.
In between the pacemen and the spinners are the "medium pacers" who rely on persistent accuracy to try and contain the rate of scoring and wear down the batsman's concentration.
All bowlers are classified according to their looks or style. The classifications, as with much cricket terminology, can be very confusing. Hence, a bowler could be classified as LF, meaning he is a left arm fast bowler; or as LBG, meaning he is a right arm spin bowler who bowls deliveries that are called a "leg break" and a "Googly".
During the bowling action the elbow may be held at any angle and may bend further, but may not straighten out. If the elbow straightens illegally then the square-leg umpire may call no-ball: this is known as "throwing" or "chucking", and can be difficult to detect. The current laws allow a bowler to straighten his arm 15 degrees or less.
[edit]Fielding
Main articles: Fielding (cricket) and Fielding strategy (cricket)


Fielding positions in cricket for a right-handed batsman
All eleven players on the fielding side take the field together. One of them is the wicket-keeper aka "keeper" who operates behind the wicket being defended by the batsman on strike. Wicket-keeping is normally a specialist occupation and his primary job is to gather deliveries that the batsman does not hit, so that the batsmen cannot run byes. He wears special gloves (he is the only fielder allowed to do so), a box over the groin, and pads to cover his lower legs. Owing to his position directly behind the striker, the wicket-keeper has a good chance of getting a batsman out caught off a fine edge from the bat. He is the only player who can get a batsman out stumped.
Apart from the one currently bowling, the other nine fielders are tactically deployed by the team captain in chosen positions around the field. These positions are not fixed but they are known by specific and sometimes colourful names such as "slip", "third man", "silly mid on" and "long leg". There are always many unprotected areas.
The captain is the most important member of the fielding side as he determines all the tactics including who should bowl (and how); and he is responsible for "setting the field", though usually in consultation with the bowler.
In all forms of cricket, if a fielder gets injured or becomes ill during a match, a substitute is allowed to field instead of him. The substitute cannot bowl, act as a captain or keep wicket. The substitute leaves the field when the injured player is fit to return.
[edit]Batting
Main articles: batsman and batting (cricket)


English cricketer W.G. Grace "taking guard" in 1883. His pads and bat are very similar to those used today. The gloves have evolved somewhat. Many modern players utilise more defensive equipment than was available to Grace, notably helmets and arm guards.
At any one time, there are two batsmen in the playing area. One takes station at the striker's end to defend the wicket as above and to score runs if possible. His partner, the non-striker, is at the end where the bowler is operating.
Batsmen come in to bat in a batting order, decided by the team captain. The first two batsmen – the "openers" – usually face the hostile bowling from fresh fast bowlers with a new ball. The top batting positions are usually given to the most competent batsmen in the team, and the non-batsmen typically bat last. The pre-announced batting order is not mandatory and when a wicket falls any player who has not yet batted may be sent in next.
If a batsman "retires" (usually due to injury) and cannot return, he is actually "not out" and his retirement does not count as a dismissal, though in effect he has been dismissed because his innings is over. Substitute batsmen are not allowed.
A skilled batsman can use a wide array of "shots" or "strokes" in both defensive and attacking mode. The idea is to hit the ball to best effect with the flat surface of the bat's blade. If the ball touches the side of the bat it is called an "edge". Batsmen do not always seek to hit the ball as hard as possible, and a good player can score runs just by making a deft stroke with a turn of the wrists or by simply "blocking" the ball but directing it away from fielders so that he has time to take a run.
There is a wide variety of shots played in cricket. The batsman's repertoire includes strokes named according to the style of swing and the direction aimed: e.g., "cut", "drive", "hook", "pull".
Note that a batsman does not have to play a shot and can "leave" the ball to go through to the wicketkeeper, providing he thinks it will not hit his wicket. Equally, he does not have to attempt a run when he hits the ball with his bat. He can deliberately use his leg to block the ball and thereby "pad it away" but this is risky because of the leg before wicket rule.
In the event of an injured batsman being fit to bat but not to run, the umpires and the fielding captain may allow another member of the batting side to be a runner. The runner's only task is to run between the wickets instead of the injured batsman. The runner is required to wear and carry exactly the same equipment as the incapacitated batsman. It is possible for both batsmen to have runners.
[edit]Runs
Main article: Run (cricket)


The directions in which a right-handed batsman intends to send the ball when playing various cricketing shots. The diagram for a left-handed batsman is a mirror image of this one.
The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the "striker") is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score.
More than one run can be scored from a single hit; but, while hits worth one to three runs are common, the size of the field is such that it is usually difficult to run four or more. To compensate for this, hits that reach the boundary of the field are automatically awarded four runs if the ball touches the ground en route to the boundary or six runs if the ball clears the boundary on the full. The batsmen do not need to run if the ball reaches or crosses the boundary.


Sachin Tendulkar is a legendary Indian batsman who holds multiple records, including highest number of runs and centuries scored in both Test and ODI forms of Cricket.
Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of "overthrows" by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends, and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the striker can score individual runs, but all runs are added to the team's total.
The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman who has the better view of the ball's progress, and this is communicated by calling: "yes", "no" and "wait" are often heard.
Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket with the ball while the nearest batsman is out of his ground (i.e., he does not have part of his body or bat in contact with the ground behind the popping crease), the batsman is run out.
A team's score is reported in terms of the number of runs scored and the number of batsmen that have been dismissed. For example, if five batsmen are out and the team has scored 224 runs, they are said to have scored 224 for the loss of 5 wickets (commonly shortened to "224 for five" and written 224/5 or, in Australia, "five for 224" and 5/224).
[edit]Extras
Main article: Extra (cricket)
Additional runs can be gained by the batting team as extras (called "sundries" in Australia) due to errors made by the fielding side. This is achieved in four ways:
No ball: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he breaks the rules of bowling either by (a) using an inappropriate arm action; (b) overstepping the popping crease; (c) having a foot outside the return crease. In addition, the bowler has to re-bowl the ball. In limited overs matches, a no ball is called if the bowling team's field setting fails to comply with the restrictions. In shorter formats of the game (20–20, ODI) the free hit rule has been introduced. The ball following a front foot no-ball will be a free-hit for the batsman, whereby he is safe from losing his wicket except for being run-out.
Wide: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he bowls so that the ball is out of the batsman's reach; as with a no ball, a wide must be re-bowled.
Bye: extra(s) awarded if the batsman misses the ball and it goes past the wicketkeeper to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way (note that one mark of a good wicketkeeper is one who restricts the tally of byes to a minimum).
Leg bye: extra(s) awarded if the ball hits the batsman's body, but not his bat, while attempting a legitimate shot, and it goes away from the fielders to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way.
When the bowler has bowled a no ball or a wide, his team incurs an additional penalty because that ball (i.e., delivery) has to be bowled again and hence the batting side has the opportunity to score more runs from this extra ball. The batsmen have to run (i.e., unless the ball goes to the boundary for four) to claim byes and leg byes but these only count towards the team total, not to the striker's individual total for which runs must be scored off the bat.
[edit]Dismissals (outs)
Main article: Dismissal (cricket)


Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India successfully stumps a South African batsman out during a match played in Chennai in 2008.
There are ten ways in which a batsman can be dismissed and some are so unusual that only a few instances of them exist in the whole history of the game. The common forms of dismissal are "bowled", "caught", "leg before wicket" (lbw), "run out", and "stumped". The unusual methods are "hit wicket", "hit the ball twice", "obstructed the field", "handled the ball" and "timed out".
Before the umpire will award a dismissal and declare the batsman to be out, a member of the fielding side (generally the bowler) must "appeal". This is invariably done by asking (or shouting) the term "Howzat?" which means, simply enough, "How is that?" If the umpire agrees with the appeal, he will raise a forefinger and say "Out!". Otherwise he will shake his head and say "Not out". Appeals are particularly loud when the circumstances of the claimed dismissal are unclear, as is always the case with lbw and often with run outs and stumpings.
Bowled: the bowler has hit the wicket with the ball and the wicket has "broken" with at least one bail being dislodged (note that if the ball hits the wicket without dislodging a bail it is not out).[29]
Caught: the batsman has hit the ball with his bat, or with his hand which was holding the bat, and the ball has been caught before it has touched the ground by a member of the fielding side.[30]
Leg before wicket (lbw): first and foremost, the ball must, in the opinion of the on-field umpire, be going on to hit the stumps if the ball had not hit the pad of the batsman first. If the batsman plays an attempted shot to the delivery, then the ball must hit the batsman's pad in line with the stumps and be going on to hit the stumps for the batsman to be given out. If the batsman does not attempt to play a shot, then the ball does not have to hit the pad in line with the stumps but it still must be going on to hit the stumps. If the ball pitches outside the leg stump, then the batsman cannot be given out under any circumstances.[31]
Run out: a member of the fielding side has broken or "put down" the wicket with the ball while a batsman was out of his ground; this usually occurs by means of an accurate throw to the wicket while the batsmen are attempting a run.[32]
Stumped is similar except that it is done by the wicketkeeper after the batsman has missed the bowled ball and has stepped out of his ground, and is not attempting a run.[33]
Hit wicket: a batsman is out hit wicket, if he dislodges one or both bails with his bat, person, clothing or equipment in the act of receiving a ball, or in setting off for a run having just received a ball.[34]
Hit the ball twice is very unusual and was introduced as a safety measure to counter dangerous play and protect the fielders. The batsman may legally play the ball a second time only to stop the ball hitting the wicket after he has already played it.[35]
Obstructed the field: another unusual dismissal which tends to involve a batsman deliberately getting in the way of a fielder.[36]
Handled the ball: a batsman must not deliberately touch the ball with his hand, for example to protect his wicket (note that the bowled ball often hits the batsman's hand while it is holding the bat but this is not out; though he can of course be caught off his hand).[37]
Timed out usually means that the next batsman did not arrive at the wicket within three minutes of the previous one being dismissed.[38]
In the vast majority of cases, it is the striker who is out when a dismissal occurs. If the non-striker is dismissed it is usually by being run out, but he could also be dismissed for obstructing the field, handling the ball or being timed out.
A batsman may leave the field without being dismissed. If injured or taken ill the batsman may temporarily retire, and be replaced by the next batsman. This is recorded as retired hurt or retired ill. The retiring batsman is not out, and may resume the innings later. An unimpaired batsman may retire, and this is treated as being dismissed retired out; no player is credited with the dismissal. Batsmen cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, stumped or hit wicket off a no ball. They cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, or hit the ball twice off a wide. Some of these modes of dismissal can occur without the bowler bowling a delivery. The batsman who is not on strike may be run out by the bowler if he leaves his crease before the bowler bowls, and a batsman can be out obstructing the field or retired out at any time. Timed out is, by its nature, a dismissal without a delivery. With all other modes of dismissal, only one batsman can be dismissed per ball bowled.
[edit]Innings closed
Main article: End of an innings (cricket)
An innings is closed when:
Ten of the eleven batsmen are out (have been dismissed); in this case, the team is said to be "all out"
The team has only one batsman left who can bat, one or more of the remaining players being unavailable owing to injury, illness or absence; again, the team is said to be "all out"
The team batting last reaches the score required to win the match
The predetermined number of overs has been bowled (in a one-day match only, commonly 50 overs; or 20 in Twenty20)
A captain declares his team's innings closed while at least two of his batsmen are not out (this does not apply in one-day limited over matches)
[edit]Results
Main article: Result (cricket)
If the team that bats last is all out having scored fewer runs than their opponents, the team is said to have "lost by n runs" (where n is the difference between the number of runs scored by the teams). If the team that bats last scores enough runs to win, it is said to have "won by n wickets", where n is the number of wickets left to fall. For instance a team that passes its opponents' score having only lost six wickets would have won "by four wickets".
In a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second innings total may be less than the other side's first innings total. The team with the greater score is then said to have won by an innings and n runs, and does not need to bat again: n is the difference between the two teams' aggregate scores.
If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the same number of runs, then the match is a tie; this result is quite rare in matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is declared a draw.
If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. Such a match is called a "limited overs" or "one-day" match, and the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula, known as the Duckworth-Lewis method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can also be declared a "no-result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play impossible; for example, wet weather.
[edit]Distinctive elements

[edit]Individual focus
For a team sport, cricket places individual players under unusual scrutiny and pressure. Bowler, Batsman, and fielder all act essentially independent of each other. While team managements can signal bowler or batsman to pursue certain tactics, the execution of the play itself is a series of solitary acts. Cricket is more similar to baseball than many other team sports in this regard: while the individual focus in cricket is slightly mitigated by the importance of the batting partnership and the practicalities of running, it is enhanced by the fact that a batsman may occupy the wicket for a long time.
[edit]Spirit of the Game
This section requires expansion.
Cricket is a unique game where in addition to the laws, the players have to abide by Spirit of the Game.[39] The standard of sportsmanship has historically been considered so high that the phrase "it's just not cricket" was coined in the 19th Century to describe unfair or underhanded behaviour in any walk of life. In the last few decades though, cricket has become increasingly fast-paced and competitive, increasing the use of appealing and sledging, although players are still expected to abide by the umpires' rulings without argument, and for the most part they do. Even in the modern game fielders are known to signal to the umpire that a boundary was hit, despite what could have been considered a spectacular save (though they might be found out by the TV replays anyway). In addition to this, some cricket batsmen have been known to "walk" when they think they are out even if the umpire does not declare them out. This is a high level of sportsmanship, as a batsman can easily take advantage of incorrect umpiring decisions.
[edit]Influence of Weather
Cricket is a sport played predominantly in the drier periods of the year. But, even so, the weather is a major factor in all cricket matches.
A scheduled game of cricket cannot be played in wet weather. Dampness affects the bounce of the ball on the wicket and is a risk to all players involved in the game. Many grounds have facilities to cover the cricket pitch (or the wicket). Covers can be in the form of sheets being laid over the wicket to elevated covers on wheels (using the same concept as an umbrella) to even hover covers which form an airtight seal around the wicket. However, most grounds do not have the facilities to cover the outfield. This means that in the event of heavy bouts of bad weather, games may be cancelled, abandoned or suspended due to an unsafe outfield.
Another factor in cricket is the amount of light available. At grounds without floodlights (or in game formats which disallow the use of floodlights), umpires can stop play in the event of bad light as it becomes too difficult for the batsmen to be able to see the ball coming at them, (and in extreme cases, members of the fielding team).
On the other hand, in instances of good light, batsmen can utilize sight-screens which enable batsmen to have a white background against which they can pick out the red ball (or black background for white ball) with greater ease.
The umpires always have the final decision on weather related issues.
[edit]Uniqueness of each field
This section requires expansion.
Unlike those of most sports, cricket playing fields can vary significantly in size and shape. While the dimensions of the pitch and infield are specifically regulated,Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field.[21] Pitch and outfield variations can have a significant effect on how balls behave and are fielded as well as on batting .Pitches vary in consistency, and thus in the amount of bounce, spin, and seam movement available to the bowler. Hard pitches are usually good to bat on because of high but even bounce. Dry pitches tend to deteriorate for batting as cracks often appear, and when this happens to the pitch, spinners can play a major role. Damp pitches, or pitches covered in grass (termed "green" pitches), allow good fast bowlers to extract extra bounce. Such pitches tend to offer help to fast bowlers throughout the match, but become better for batting as the game goes on. While players of other outdoor sports deal with similar variations of field surface and stadium covering, the size and shape of their fields are much more standardized.Other local factors, such as altitude and climate, can also significantly affect play. These physical variations create a distinctive set of playing conditions at each ground. A given ground may acquire a reputation as batsman friendly or bowler friendly if one or the other discipline notably benefits from its unique mix of elements. The absence of a standardized field affects not only how particular games play out, but the nature of team makeup and players' statistical records.
[edit]Types of matches

Cricket is a multi-faceted sport which, in very broad terms, can be divided into major cricket and minor cricket based on playing standards. A more pertinent division, particularly in terms of major cricket, is between matches in which the teams have two innings apiece and those in which they have a single innings each. The former, known as first-class cricket, has a duration of three to five days (there have been examples of "timeless" matches too); the latter, known as limited overs cricket because each team bowls a limit of typically 50 or 20 overs, has a planned duration of one day only (a match can be extended if necessary due to bad weather, etc.).
Typically, two-innings matches have at least six hours of playing time each day. Limited overs matches often last six hours or more. There are usually formal intervals on each day for lunch and tea with brief informal breaks for drinks. There is also a short interval between innings. Historically, a form of cricket known as single wicket had been extremely successful and many of these contests in the 18th and 19th centuries qualify as major cricket matches. In this form, although each team may have from one to six players, there is only one batsman at a time and he must face every delivery bowled while his innings lasts. Single wicket has rarely been played since limited overs cricket began.
[edit]Test cricket
Main article: Test cricket


A Test match between South Africa and England in January 2005. The men wearing black trousers are the umpires. Teams in Test cricket, first-class cricket and club cricket wear traditional white uniforms and use red cricket balls.
Test cricket is the highest standard of first-class cricket. A Test match is an international fixture between teams representing those countries that are Full Members of the ICC.
Although the term "Test match" was not coined until much later, Test cricket is deemed to have begun with two matches between Australia and England in the 1876–77 Australian season. Subsequently, eight other national teams have achieved Test status: South Africa (1889), West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1929), India (1932), Pakistan (1952), Sri Lanka (1982), Zimbabwe (1992) and Bangladesh (2000). Zimbabwe subsequently suspended its Test status in 2006 due to its inability to compete against other Test teams and has yet to resume playing Test cricket.[40]
Welsh players are eligible to play for England, which is in effect an England and Wales team. The West Indies team comprises players from numerous states in the Caribbean, notably Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands.
Test matches between two teams are usually played in a group of matches called a "series". Matches last up to five days and a series normally consists of three to five matches. Test matches that are not finished within the allotted time are drawn.In the case of Test and first-class cricket: the possibility of a draw often encourages a team that is batting last and well behind to bat defensively, giving up any faint chance at a win to avoid a loss.[41]
Since 1882, most Test series between England and Australia have been played for a trophy known as The Ashes. Some other bilateral series have individual trophies too: for example, the Wisden Trophy is contested by England and West Indies; the Frank Worrell Trophy by Australia and West Indies and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia.
[edit]Limited overs
Main article: Limited overs cricket
See also: One Day International and Twenty20


An ODI match between India and Australia in January 2004. The men wearing black trousers are the umpires. Teams in limited overs games, such as ODIs and T20s, wear multi-coloured uniforms and use white cricket balls.


An Indian Premier League match in progress at Chepauk Stadium, Chennai.
Standard limited overs cricket was introduced in England in the 1963 season in the form of a knockout cup contested by the first-class county clubs. In 1969, a national league competition was established. The concept was gradually introduced to the other major cricket countries and the first limited overs international was played in 1971. In 1975, the first Cricket World Cup took place in England. Limited overs cricket has seen various innovations including the use of multi-coloured kit and floodlit matches using a white ball.
A "one day match", named so because each match is scheduled for completion in a single day, is the common form of limited overs cricket played on an international level. In practice, matches sometimes continue on a second day if they have been interrupted or postponed by bad weather. The main objective of a limited overs match is to produce a definite result and so a conventional draw is not possible, but matches can be undecided if the scores are tied or if bad weather prevents a result. Each team plays one innings only and faces a limited number of overs, usually a maximum of 50. The Cricket World Cup is held in one day format and the last World Cup in 2007 was won by Australia. The next World Cup will hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2011.
Twenty20 is a new variant of limited overs itself with the purpose being to complete the match within about three hours, usually in an evening session. The original idea, when the concept was introduced in England in 2003, was to provide workers with an evening entertainment. It was commercially successful and has been adopted internationally. The inaugural Twenty20 World Championship was held in 2007 and won by India. 2009's Twenty20 World Championship was staged in England and won by Pakistan. The next Twenty20 World Championship will be held in the West Indies. After the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 many domestic Twenty20 leagues were born. First of them was Indian Cricket League which is a rebel league since it is unauthorized by BCCI and led to form an official league called the Indian Premier League. Both these leagues are cash rich and attracted players and audience around the globe. Recently Twenty20 Champions League was formed as a tournament for domestic clubs of various countries.
[edit]National championships
Main article: First-class cricket


Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1895. The team won the first of its 30 County Championship titles in 1893.
First-class cricket includes Test cricket but the term is generally used to refer to the highest level of domestic cricket in those countries with full ICC membership, although there are exceptions to this. First-class cricket in England is played for the most part by the 18 county clubs which contest the County Championship. The concept of a champion county has existed since the 18th century but the official competition was not established until 1890. The most successful club has been Yorkshire County Cricket Club with 30 official titles.
Australia established its national first-class championship in 1892–93 when the Sheffield Shield was introduced. In Australia, the first-class teams represent the various states. New South Wales has won the maximum number of titles with 45 to 2008.
National championship trophies to be established elsewhere included the Ranji Trophy (India), Plunket Shield (New Zealand), Currie Cup (South Africa) and Shell Shield (West Indies). Some of these competitions have been updated and renamed in recent years.
Domestic limited overs competitions began with England's Gillette Cup knockout in 1963. Countries usually stage seasonal limited overs competitions in both knockout and league format. In recent years, national Twenty20 competitions have been introduced, usually in knockout form though some incorporate mini-leagues.
[edit]Other types of matches
Main article: Forms of cricket


Indian boys playing cricket on the street with a tennis ball in Uttar Pradesh, India.
There are numerous variations of the sport played throughout the world that include indoor cricket, French cricket, beach cricket, Kwik cricket and all sorts of card games and board games that have been inspired by cricket. In these variants, the rules are often changed to make the game playable with limited resources or to render it more convenient and enjoyable for the participants.
Indoor cricket is played in a netted, indoor arena, and is quite formal but many of the outdoor variants are very informal.
Families and teenagers play backyard cricket in suburban yards or driveways, and the cities of India and Pakistan play host to countless games of "Gully Cricket" or "tapeball" in their long narrow streets. Sometimes the rules are improvised: e.g. it may be agreed that fielders can catch the ball with one hand after one bounce and claim a wicket; or if only a few people are available then everyone may field while the players take it in turns to bat and bowl. Tennis balls and homemade bats are often used, and a variety of objects may serve as wickets: for example, the batter's legs as in French cricket, which did not in fact originate in France, and is usually played by small children.
In Kwik cricket, the bowler does not have to wait for the batsman to be ready before a delivery, leading to a faster, more exhausting game designed to appeal to children, which is often used PE lessons at English schools. Another modification to increase the pace of the game is the "Tip and Run", "Tipity" Run, "Tipsy Run" or "Tippy-Go" rule, in which the batter must run when the ball touches the bat, even if it the contact is unintentional or minor. This rule, seen only in impromptu games, speeds the match up by removing the batsman's right to block the ball.
In Samoa a form of cricket called Kilikiti is played in which hockey stick-shaped bats are used. In original English cricket, the hockey stick shape was replaced by the modern straight bat in the 1760s after bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it. In Estonia, teams gather over the winter for the annual Ice Cricket tournament. The game juxtaposes the normal summer pursuit with harsh, wintry conditions. Rules are otherwise similar to those for the six-a-side game.
[edit]International structure

Main articles: International structure of cricket, International Cricket Council, and World Cricket League


ICC member nations. The (highest level) Test playing nations are shown in orange; the associate member nations are shown in yellow; the affiliate member nations are shown in purple.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), which has its headquarters in Dubai, is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.
The ICC has 104 members: 10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 34 Associate Members, and 60 Affiliate Members.[42] The ICC is responsible for the organisation and governance of cricket's major international tournaments, notably the Cricket World Cup. It also appoints the umpires and referees that officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals. Each nation has a national cricket board which regulates cricket matches played in its country. The cricket board also selects the national squad and organises home and away tours for the national team. In the West Indies these matters are addressed by the West Indies Cricket Board which consists of members appointed by four national boards and two multi-national boards.
[edit]Members
Main article: List of International Cricket Council members
[edit]Full Members
Full Members are the governing bodies for cricket in a country or associated countries. Full Members may also represent a geographical area. All Full Members have a right to send one representative team to play official Test matches. Also, all Full Member nations are automatically qualified to play ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.[43] West Indies cricket team does not represent one country instead an amalgamation of over 20 countries from the Caribbean. The English Cricket team represents both England and Wales.
Nation Governing body Member since Current ODI Rankings Current Test Rankings Current T20 Rankings B Cricketing Index C
Australia Cricket Australia 15 July 1909[43] 1 5 4 7.66
Bangladesh Bangladesh Cricket Board 26 June 2000[43] 9 9 10 3.89
England England and Wales Cricket Board 15 July 1909[43] 5 3 6 7.22
India Board of Control for Cricket in India 31 May 1926[43] 2 1 5 8.66
New Zealand New Zealand Cricket 31 May 1926[43] 7 8 8 4.89
Pakistan Pakistan Cricket Board 28 July 1953[43] 6 6 3 6.34
South Africa Cricket South Africa 15 July 1909A[43] 4 2 1 8.34
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Cricket 21 July 1981[43] 3 4 2 7.78
West Indies West Indies Cricket Board 31 May 1926[43] 8 7 7 5.11
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Cricket Union 6 July 1992[43] 11 - 9 3.23
AResigned May 1961, readmitted 10 July 1991.
BT20 Rankings are solely based on the Win Percentage of all T20 matches played amongst Full Members.
CCricketing Index measures a country's overall strength across all formats of the game, based solely on their rankings in each format. The test ranking carries the most weight, and the T20 ranking carries the least.
[edit]Top Associate/Affiliate Members
All the associate and affiliate members are not qualified to play Test Cricket, however ICC grants One Day International status to its associate and affiliate members based on their success in the World Cricket League. The top six teams will be awarded One day international and Twenty20 International status, which will allow the associate and affiliate teams to be eligible to play the full members and play official ODI cricket.
The associate and affiliate teams who currently hold ODI and T20I status: