ICC Champions Trophy - England 2013

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The 2013 ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament held in England and Wales between 6 and 23 June, 2013. Three cities will host the tournament's matches: London (at The Oval), Birmingham (at Edgbaston) and Cardiff (at Cardiff Wales Stadium). The winners of the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy will earn $2,000,000 in prize money, the largest amount since the tournament's inception. It will be the seventh and final ICC Champions Trophy, as it is due to be replaced by the ICC World Test Championship in 2017.

A brief history ...

The Champions Trophy was the brainchild of Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was ICC president in the late 1990s. It had a dual aim of spreading the game to emerging nations and raising money for the ICC in between World Cups, thus enabling it to pump more cash into those fledgling cricket countries.

The first tournament, labelled as a mini World Cup, was staged in Dhaka in October 1998 and raised more than £10 million. The second, in Nairobi, was a commercial success although the crowds stayed away. By the time the 2002 event was held - and there was disquiet as it was so close to the World Cup five months later - the idea of playing in developing nations had been ditched (in fairness, options had already been exhausted) and as revenue-generation was the main raison d'etre, it needed to be in one of the main countries as this allowed the format to be expanded.

In 2004 the jamboree moved to England and it became clear the format of group games led to too many meaningless games. By the time the 2006 tournament in India came into view, the event was under fire from some quarters, and at one time there were even hints that India might decline to take part in 2008. They did not, but against the rapid growth of Twenty20, the Champions Trophy grew more unloved, other than by the money men, with each passing event.

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1998-99 Bangladesh
Winners: South Africa
Runners-up: West Indies
No. Countries 9

All matches were played at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, but the slow and low pitches produced some poor cricket. Severe flooding threatened to cause the whole show to be moved to India, and it only got the go-ahead at the 11th hour. As it was, Dhaka was the third choice after Disneyworld (Florida) and Sharjah. Some sides were less than enthusiastic about the whole venture - England got dispensation to send a virtual 2nd XI - but that was more than compensated for by massive crowds which flocked to games, even though Bangladesh weren't invited to their own party. The knock-out format, with eight matches compressed into nine days, fuelled the locals' excitement. South Africa won by beating West Indies in the final, although Wisden noted that "it was thus a tournament in which the winning really was less important than the taking part." However, not one journalist from either finalist attended the match.

2000-01 Kenya
Winners: New Zealand
Runners-up: India
No. Countries 11

The second event included Bangladesh - on the verge of joining the Test-playing countries - and hosts Kenya. The format remained a straight knock-out - and the Nairobi Gymkhana, which had received a million-dollar refurbishment ahead of the event, hosted all games. But unlike Dhaka, local interest was poor and crowds were dismal. "The only sadness was the lack of local interest, and the suggestions of match-fixing that subsequently surfaced in the Anti-Corruption Unit's report to the ICC," reported Wisden. "While India's matches attracted decent numbers of ex-pats, indigenous Kenyans were noticeable by their absence throughout. Critics blamed high ticket prices (up to £20) and excessive bureaucracy. One thing was certain: the tournament should have done more to promote cricket in East Africa." New Zealand surprisingly beat India in the final, thanks to Chris Cairns's 102, but it was a one-off success - their next 13 ODIs produced 11 defeats and just one win.

2002-03 Sri Lanka
Winners: India/Sri Lanka
No. Countries 12

The proximity of the World Cup, less than five months later, poor organisation and a revised format that meant most group matches were all but pointless, took the sheen off the event, and more surprisingly the public stayed away despite low ticket prices. The pitches were slow and low - which was anything but good preparation for South Africa - and with the monsoon looming, the heat and humidity were intense. The ICC also decided to use the tournament to experiment with technology (Pakistan's Shoaib Malik became the first victim of an lbw decision deferred to the third umpire). While it was useful for lbws (where the only referral was whether the ball pitched outside leg stump) it proved almost useless for disputed catches. The ICC abandoned the trial soon after. Sri Lanka and India only sent full-strength sides after contract disputes were settled at the last minute, but Sri Lanka made it to the final after a popular win over an unpopular Australia. However, they shared the trophy with India when both attempts to finish the final were washed out by tropical storms. "In the end, the two false starts summed up the tournament," Wisden concluded. "Half-baked and inconclusive."

2004 England
Winners: West Indies
Runners-up: England
No. Countries 12

The growing weariness with the event (Wisden described it as "the tournament that veers between being the second most important in world cricket and a ludicrous waste of time") was unchecked with it being held so late in season that cricket was all but forgotten by the media. The continuation with the format that had been so flawed in Sri Lanka did not help, and the inclusion of the USA - a ragbag of past-its and never-weres - just added to the feeling that this was a pointless exercise. Apart from the final and India's matches, attendances were again dire. "In keeping with the strained relations between the ICC and the hosts, the ECB, recriminations were muted but inevitable," wrote Matthew Engel. "It is not easy to apportion blame precisely for this fiasco, but between them the two governing bodies constituted a deadly combination." Those spectators not put off by high ticket prices, early starts and autumn weather experienced the ICC's ambush-marketing policing in its full glory as drinks and t-shirts were confiscated. The ridiculous nature of the corporate stranglehold was underlined by the fact that punters could not buy England shirts at club shops because their sponsors - Vodafone - were rivals of one of the official "partners". The final, which witnessed a remarkable comeback by West Indies to defeat England in almost pitch darkness, offered scant consolation after such a poor competition. "The main memories will be of cold and wet, of organisational disasters," Wisden concluded, "and of the general sense of a doomed competition that did cricket far more harm than good, all of which was obvious and avoidable."

2006-07 India
Winners: Australia
Runners-up: West Indies
No. Countries 10

The fifth edition, held five months before the World Cup, will be best remembered for Australia's eventual capturing of the one piece of silverware that had previously eluded them. High-priced tickets kept Indian fans away, Diwali season was also a distraction. Un-subcontinental pitches meant there was little cheer for the hosts as well as other teams from the subcontinent. With the termination of the monsoons just prior to the tournament, the pitches had not settled, and provided bounce and lateral movement - something the Australian bowlers, notably Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson - utilised to the hilt. In a way, the pitches provided more even contests between the bat and ball, as opposed to the batsman v batsman game that ODIs in India were threatening to become. "The one that New Zealand and South Africa played on in Mumbai was a real shocker, with the top coming off at the start of the second innings," noted Wisden. Though USA and Kenya did not feature from the previous tournament, a qualifying round meant the number of matches increased from 15 to 21. The steady performances of Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies took them to the semi-finals. Events in the lead-up to the final between Australia and West Indies were forgettable at best. "The pitch problems jolted Raj Singh Dungarpur, the chairman of the Cricket Club of India, which owns the ground, so much that he offered to move the final to another venue," Wisden wrote. "The organisers were having none of that, though, and Andy Atkinson, the ICC's pitches consultant, was drafted in: he used polyvinyl acetate, an industrial adhesive, to bind the pitch together." Nonetheless, Australia's took the crown in style, winning by eight wickets under the D/L method. "Damien Martyn, who had batted so beautifully in the victories over England and India, once again played his part with a classy unbeaten 47, but it was Watson who ensured that the reserve day would not be needed as Australia's travelling support celebrated yet another triumph." A perfect shot in the arm before the Ashes, which they would go on to win 5-0.

2009-10 South Africa
Winners: Australia
Runners-up: New Zealand
No. Countries 10

Originally intended to be played in Pakistan in September 2008 but with several countries expressing major concerns over security there, the ICC was forced to postpone the tournament and then reschedule it a year later in South Africa.

While there were few genuinely nail-biting games, the quality of cricket was high and the consensus was that it had helped stem, if not reverse, the slide in the competition's credibility, although crowds were healthy only at select games; South Africa's games, the Pakistan-India tie and the Pakistan semi-final.

Australia successfully defended their title, beating New Zealand with something to spare in the final; New Zealand had upset the form book by defeating Pakistan in the semi-finals, aided by poor umpiring and dropped catches.

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Group A

Australia
New Zealand
England
Sri Lanka

Group B

India
Pakistan
South Africa
West Indies

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FIXTURES

Thursday 6 June : India v South Africa (day) - Cardiff

Friday 7 June: West Indies v Pakistan (day) - The Oval

Saturday 8 June: England v Australia (day) - Edgbaston

Sunday 9 June: Sri Lanka v New Zealand (day) - Cardiff

Monday 10 June: Pakistan v South Africa (day) - Edgbaston

Tuesday 11 June: India v West Indies (day) - The Oval

Wednesday 12 June: Australia v New Zealand (day) - Edgbaston

Thursday 13 June: England v Sri Lanka (day/night) - The Oval

Friday 14 June: West Indies v South Africa (day) - Cardiff

Saturday 15 June: India v Pakistan (day) - Edgbaston

Sunday 16 June: England v New Zealand (day) - Cardiff

Monday 17 June: Sri Lanka v Australia (day/night) - The Oval

Wednesday 19 June: Semi-final A1 v B2 (day) - The Oval

Thursday 20 June: Semi-final A2 v B1 (day) - Cardiff

Sunday 23 June: Final (day) - Edgbaston

[CEDYBLUE]

Well I know, this is not the most anticipated tournament by Indian Cricket fans anymore :).

In fact, the last time I was excited about this tournament personally was the one in 2002-2003 in Sri Lanka when India under Saurav Ganguly looked like a genuinely world class team.

My memorable knock was the 140 odd that Sachin made against the Australians at Dhaka in the first edition. That was some knock :bow:

Because the Indian Team is due to be announced today, I just thought of starting a new thread :)

[Brianengab]

pak,wi...hmmm....semi final confirmed... :)

[CEDYBLUE]

No Gambhir, Yuvraj for Champions Trophy

Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh have been dropped from the India one-day squad for the Champions Trophy. Dinesh Karthik earns a recall, and Umesh Yadav returns from injury.

Shikhar Dhawan, who grabbed the headlines during the home Tests against Australia and has done well in the IPL since recovering from injury, has made the 15. Allrounder Irfan Pathan, seamer Vinay Kumar and batsman M Vijay also make a comeback.

Apart from Gambhir and Yuvraj, four other players who were part of the squad for India's previous one-day assignment, the home ODIs against England in January, miss out: batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara - who is injured - and Ajinkya Rahane, and fast bowlers Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed.

That leaves the squad with five specialist batsmen in Dhawan, Vijay, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma. Karthik will be the back-up keeper behind MS Dhoni - though he is capable of fitting into the XI as a specialist batsmen as well - while the spin department has a mix in offspinner R Ashwin, left-armer Ravindra Jadeja and legspinner Amit Mishra. Given the conditions in England, India were expected to go in with a five-man pace attack, and that is what they have done: Irfan, Umesh, Vinay, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma complete the 15.

Gambhir managed 127 runs in five ODIs against England, and 34 runs in three against Pakistan before that. Yuvraj has one half-century in eight one-dayers since returning to the side following the completion of his cancer treatment.

Seniors Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh have not been able to force their way back in.

Karthik has been the mainstay of the Mumbai Indians batting so far in the IPL, with 331 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 140. He had a solid first-class season before that, scoring 577 runs at 64.11 for Tamil Nadu.

Dhawan has previously played five ODIs for India, the last of which was two years ago, but only generated widespread interest on hitting the fastest century by Test debutant in Mohali in March. Following that he missed the final Test of the Australia series, in Delhi, and the first couple of weeks of the IPL due to injury, but has scored two unbeaten half-centuries in three games on return.

India squad for the Champions Trophy

MS Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Vinay Kumar

In: Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar

Out: Ashok Dinda, Gautam Gambhir, Shami Ahmed, Yuvraj Singh, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane

[CEDYBLUE]

A largely new look Indian Side with no room for 5 players from the World Cup winning team in 2011. No Gambhir, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer. Plus Sachin has retired.

Gotta feel for Yuvraj, though he has not shown any semblance of form. Other omissions are perfectly justified.

Ajinka Rahane, i think is really unfortunate to miss out.

Rohit gets into the team on the evidence of his IPL form.

Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay to open :smile2:. Vijay should consider himself lucky here, but the good thing with Vijay selection is, the selectors foresee Dhawan and Vijay to carry the mantle of opening in both Tests and ODI's. Plus, this experience of playing in England would also help them when they go to South Africa. :bow: Good that.

Pujara, i guess is yet to recover from injury. Otherwise, he should be there in the team as well.

Irfan Pathan is back as well :)

Pace bowling options look pretty weak and I think Praveen Kumar should have been there for Vinay Kumar.

Overall, a very good job by the selectors. :bow:

[venkkiram]

Irfan Pathan is back as well :)

Overall, a very good job by the selectors. :bow:
How come he got selected despite mediocre performance? Mohit Sharma should be replaced him. I am sure DK will never get a chance to play in 11.

[CEDYBLUE]

New ODI rules a challenge - Dhoni

India captain MS Dhoni has said one of the challenges facing the side in England during the Champions Trophy will be adjusting to the new ODI rules. He said the team had enough time to acclimatise, with two warm-up games scheduled before the opening match against South Africa on June 6.

Since the new rules were implemented in January, India have played ODIs at home but this will be their first experience of them in foreign conditions, where the seamers will have a bigger role. Captains have said the rules haven't been fair on the bowlers, especially the spinners, with not more than four fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle at any stage of the innings. Bowlers can bowl two bouncers an over and the Powerplays will have to be completed by the 40th over.

"There are a few challenges like the new ODI rules and we will be playing outside the subcontinent for the first time under the new rules," Dhoni said in Mumbai ahead of the team's departure for England. "We will have to adjust to the new rule of five fielders being inside (the circle), the length they need to bowl, how quickly they adapt to the wicket, which areas to bowl.

"The good thing is we have two practice matches leading up to the tournament. We also have enough time before the first game, so there is enough time to adjust."

In the past, India have fared poorly in tournaments staged immediately after the IPL. The team failed to make the semi-finals in the 2009 and 2010 World T20 tournaments, but Dhoni said the players' form during the IPL was encouraging.

"With the kind of fitness level that is going around right now, each and every member is looking fit," Dhoni said. "All of them have played good cricket in the IPL or before the IPL. So most of them are in very good touch. As far as the fitness is concerned we have not received any official reports about any player being unfit, so that is a good sign."

Though the seamers are expected to play a major role, the squad has three spinners in R Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja. India's coach Duncan Fletcher felt the spinners will have an important role to play at certain venues.

"As MS mentioned earlier it is generally going to be seamer-friendly, you never know, like Cardiff for example, it is known there to be a turning wicket, very slow and not very different to what you might get in India," Fletcher said. "You've got to be prepared to play two spinners. If one is injured, there is a back-up. We have a balanced side."

India will be without their regular opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, both dropped on form. Dhoni was confident that the new pair of Shikhar Dhawan and M Vijay would carry forward their form from the Test series against Australia.

"Our two openers had done well at the Test level recently," Dhoni said. "I know it is a different challenge in the ODIs, you have to accelerate but at the same time it is important that we have a good start from which we can capitalise on, and as Duncan rightly said this is an opportunity for the youngsters. Shikhar and Vijay have been very consistent."

Dhoni was reminded of India's last ODI series in England, in 2011, where the side lost the five-match series 3-0 after losing all four Tests. Dhoni said the team had fared better than the results suggested.

"Rain was a big factor, we lost all the tosses. It didn't even reach the stage where it could have decided by Duckworth/Lewis," Dhoni said. "The spinners had to literally deal with the wet ball and it was not possible for them to use their skills. The performance of the ODI squad was good, if you don't see just the results."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-champions-trophy-2013/content/story/638253.html

[povAferdeack]

Only one problem with the selection, Vinay Kumar should be nowhere near the Indian team, he was lucky to get a lot of wickets during the initial stages of IPL.
Shami Ahmed was great in the Pak series, he should have been selected instead of Vinay.

[CEDYBLUE]

Good Knock by Kohli 144 Vs Srilanka, first practice game...

[19thmay]

...And Dinesh Karthik too. But how flat the pitch can be, both the Lankan openers retired after scoring smashing 80's? Indian bowling is in serious coma. Vinay Kumar paathale pathikitu varudhu :banghead:

[CEDYBLUE]

Yes, Indian bowling hardly looks menacing......Medium so-called 'line and length' bowlers are everywhere and sadly everyone sans B Kumar are mediocre

[19thmay]

Interesting warm up match, against Aussies! :smile2:

[VinodKumar's]

..Vinay Kumar paathale pathikitu varudhu :banghead:

Ennaiki ivanukku Perth la Australia-ku against ah "Perth" la test debut arangetram nadanthuchae annaikae en vayiru sambal aagiruchu.

He is the best among the worst. Avanum avan slow ballsum occassional slinging action um :|. appo fast ball poduravan lam yethuku medium pacer nu solluraanga ...

[CEDYBLUE]

Good match up today......Hopefully we find our bowling combination right...
We don't have many choices, but i think our bowling attack should be Ishant, Umesh, Kumar, I Pathan and Ashwin
India should prefer Irfan for Jadeja....shouldn't do the same mistake what they did against Australia in Australia ODI's

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Why Bangladesh is not playing in this series ?

[scorpio]

woeful batting by India :banghead:

Miss Sachin and Sehwag :cry2:

[CEDYBLUE]

Familiar problems for the Indian top order against decent bowling attack on slightly seamer-friendly conditions...

[19thmay]

It seems that pitch might get losen as the game progresses and with the below par average bowling attack its going to be a simple task for Aussies

[19thmay]

Btw we need Pujara here.

[19thmay]

Ok this will be my Playing XI

1. Dhawan
2. Karthik
3. Kohli
4. Rohit
5. Raina
6. Dhoni
7. Jadeja
8. Irfan
9. Umesh
10. Ashwin
11. B. Kumar

[CEDYBLUE]

Good team that, but i would prefer only one change though..........Ishant for Jadeja...
I think MSD would still prefer Vijay for Karthik and Jadeja for Irfan

[CEDYBLUE]

Pujara's presence would have been ideal for this tournament....and he could have been tried as an openor

[CEDYBLUE]

With the toothless bowling we have, it is always better to chase. If we bat first, anything under 300 under any conditions would be difficult to defend.

[19thmay]

Good team that, but i would prefer only one change though..........Ishant for Jadeja...
I think MSD would still prefer Vijay for Karthik and Jadeja for Irfan

Ishant is very much inconsistent and picked Jaddu as an all rounder. With his good form Karthik should get an opportunity. Vijay is in utter confusion I guess, came back strongly in test, struggled in IPL and now trying to adjust in the 50 overs format.

[19thmay]

With the toothless bowling we have, it is always better to chase. If we bat first, anything under 300 under any conditions would be difficult to defend.

+1 as we have good depth.

[scorpio]

DK :clap:

main aattam inimEl dhaan aarambam, adhukkum konjam form micham vechukkO!

[Brianengab]

extraordinary partnership... :bow:

[19thmay]

:clap: great comeback!


Roger: "Though inconsequential, it is refreshing to see Dhoni playing so well amidst all the controversy surrounding Indian Cricket. Well done Captain!"

+100 :bow: :clap:

[ajaybaskar]

308/6. Well played DK and MS. But unfortunately we don't have the bowling to defend this score.

[19thmay]

308/6. Well played DK and MS. But unfortunately we don't have the bowling to defend this score.

Well played-a? semma innings boss, from 50+/5 to 308/6 is a great performance. Bad that it wont get recorded. Yes we may lose this one, Watson oruthan podhum.

DK will be in playing XI, Vijay-ku aapunu nenaikiren.

[CEDYBLUE]

Chennai or Cardiff.....Dhoni to the rescue :)

Surely, we cannot leave out DK from the starting XI....

Rohit might be the causality i think.

[CEDYBLUE]

Australia capitulating here
34/6

[venkkiram]

B Kumar - U Yadav - I Sharma

Deadly trio especially at abroad pitches.

:clap:

8 wickets gone before main spinner starts! that is very unusual for India! Wish this continue!

[venkkiram]

பயபுள்ளைக இருபது ஓவர்-லையே நம்மூருல ஆட்டத்தை முடிச்சி பழகிடுச்சிங்க. அந்த பழக்க தோஷம் அங்கேயும் தொடருது.

[venkkiram]

Found in net : "I wonder if India will make them follow on !"

:rotfl:

[CEDYBLUE]

Aus bundled out for 65 and capitulating to Indian seamers doesn't auger well for Australia's Ashes preparation....

For India, we cannot read much into this bowling performance as we can turn hot one day and cold quite quickly....But the trio is the best we have right now and as long as we don't include the likes of Vinay Kumar, we are fine.

[CEDYBLUE]

Dhoni: Well, to start off Dinesh batted really well. That partnership between me and him got us to a respectable score and then the bowling was up to the mark. We used five bowlers and all of them got wickets. Umesh is one of the quickest bowlers we have and with the two paced pitch here, the ball was holding up, not much, but just enough which was why there were so many inside edges. (When asked on his batting) I was looking to get to the best place on the field- the non-striker's end and Karthik is a great runner between the wickets. Thats something all the batsmen should work on, getting those one and a half runs into twos. (On the selection dilemma with Karthik in such good form) I think he has earned his place in the side and we'll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa. I'd like him to play at the top of the order but we'll see.

[CEDYBLUE]

:) So Karthik will in all probability play and with MSD hinting that Karthik would bat at the top of the order, Vijay might miss out...Hope Rohit Sharma grabs his chance and justify his place...

Dhawan
Karthik
Kohli
Rohit
Raina
Dhoni
Jadeja
Ashwin
Kumar
Umesh
Ishant

[CEDYBLUE]

Freddie Flintoff firing in all cylinders from Twitter...
Good banter keeping Ashes in mind :)

I see Australia are improving !

I wonder if India will make them follow on !

Aussie fans telling me "it's only a warm up game " I know , when they really start firing they may even get to 90 ! :rotfl:

Looks like more home work for the Aussies tonight ! :rotfl:

We'll do a great deal on a group booking for the Aussies @FlintoffAcademy ! We'll have to work out which age group to put you with though

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Epadi irunthvanga ipadi ayeetanga !

[ajaybaskar]

The pitch was on the slower side, evident from the number of batsmen who dragged it on. It suited India more. And Umesh bowled excellent. Bailey's wicket was a gem. Hope he continues the form.

[Brianengab]

:)
Dhawan
Karthik
Kohli
Rohit
Raina
Dhoni
Jadeja
Ashwin
Kumar
Umesh
Ishant

perfect team...no vijay,pathan,v kumar plsss...

[scorpio]

What has Nohit done to be part of the playing XI? :huh:

England will clean sweep the Ashes. IppovE kaNNai kattudhE :sigh2:

[Dinesh84]

What has Nohit done to be part of the playing XI? :huh:
:exactly: He gets runs only in domestic and franchise cricket..

[PARAMASHIVAN]

England will clean sweep the Ashes. IppovE kaNNai kattudhE :sigh2:



yaam irukka bayamEn :lol2: :lol2:

[Brianengab]

South Africa bowl first.. Rohit Sharma to open..

[Dinesh84]

How come Purohit gets a place in playing XI #Godonlyknows

[scorpio]

Dhoni's masterstroke to let Nohit open the innings under overcast conditions so that he can extract revenge for IPL finals :pink:

pOna IPL winning captaan Kambhi is nowhere near Team India now :yes:



Note- eppadi ellam saaljappu kandu pudichu manasa thEthikka vENdi irukku :-(

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Should be a walk in the park for India!

[Brianengab]

Note- eppadi ellam saaljappu kandu pudichu manasa thEthikka vENdi irukku :-(

:rotfl:

[Brianengab]

no steyn today.... happy.......300+ is possible score....:pink:

[Brianengab]

gud partnership by dhawan nd sharma.. :clap:

[scorpio]

Should be a walk in the park for India!

PS- :hammer: Suppot SA today, I say!

[Brianengab]

Dhawan...superb century... :clap:

[Dinesh84]

331/7 hmm..

[scorpio]

the meesai brigade does it for India, :clap: Dhawan and Jaddu!

[PARAMASHIVAN]

PS- :hammer: Suppot SA today, I say!

:lol2: :lol2: Yaam iruka bayamEn :lol2:

[venkkiram]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/158900/158938.jpg

[Brianengab]

Ind won the match.. nobody here to celebrate... :roll:

[scorpio]

Aus simply trolled us that day by getting all out for 65...gave a false confidence on our bowling attack :hammer:

nEthu muzhukka saayam veLuthadhu....Morkel not bowling his quota, Steyn sitting out idhu maadhiri factors contributed to India's win. Jaddu mattum kadasila veLaasi irukkala, we would have lost the match comfortably.

Ishant - :banghead:

Dhoni never tried Pathan during the warm ups. Ishant needs to be kicked out of the playing XI.

[Brianengab]

Scorp..

nethu ishant nalla'thaan bowling pottaapla...SA payapullainga'thaan konjam aditchittaanga..

last wkt edukka'thaan romba kasta pattittaanga...

nd our fielding was best in y'day match...

ennai porutha varai, bowling is ok for me...

[scorpio]

Rock- ABCD adichathai kooda oththukalaam.....yaarO Robin Peterson, Ryan Mclaren- yaar ivingaLLaam? Yadav and Ishant tried their best to make SA win...

Jaddu, Bhuvi and Ash did well and saved us.

[Brianengab]

aama...athuvum mclaren maiden 50.... avar bowler'aa , all rounder'aa ??

[Brianengab]

dhawan pathi solli'ye aaganum...wt a batsman he is.. konjam kooda nervous ilama asaalda aadraapla...
hope he wil be next kohli/dravid (consistent scoring batsman)...

DK,Rohit,Raina & Dhoni all r top-form...bowling mattum konjam improve pannittom'na cup namakkuthaan... :yes:

[SoftSword]

dhawan pathi solli'ye aaganum...wt a batsman he is.. konjam kooda nervous ilama asaalda aadraapla...
hope he wil be next kohli/dravid (consistent scoring batsman)...

DK,Rohit,Raina & Dhoni all r top-form...bowling mattum konjam improve pannittom'na cup namakkuthaan... :yes:

dravid has always been trustable to keep the wickets intact in one end... but not a consistent scoring batsman IIRC...
varalaaru romba mukkiyam...

[Brianengab]

dravid has always been trustable to keep the wickets intact in one end... but not a consistent scoring batsman IIRC...
varalaaru romba mukkiyam...

apdi wkt save pannumpothe, oru 20..25 runs adichiduvaare...

[Brianengab]

sodhappal batting by pak..

[Brianengab]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rIueKvFTYao

[19thmay]

Aus simply trolled us that day by getting all out for 65...gave a false confidence on our bowling attack :hammer:

nEthu muzhukka saayam veLuthadhu....Morkel not bowling his quota, Steyn sitting out idhu maadhiri factors contributed to India's win. Jaddu mattum kadasila veLaasi irukkala, we would have lost the match comfortably.

Ishant - :banghead:

Dhoni never tried Pathan during the warm ups. Ishant needs to be kicked out of the playing XI.

Ishant-ku banghead-a? Appo Umesh-ku? Its a flat track and SA bowlers were punished as well... India velayaaduradhunaala flat track poduraaingala? :roll:

[19thmay]

WI is losing this ... 28 to get 3 wickets in hand.

[19thmay]

Aussies atrocious. This team minus Watson is nothing. And Bailey as a captain is a joke? Border, Waugh, Ponting, Clarke varisayila ivana? Koduma! Avana CSK-vey reject panniduchu.

[19thmay]

Today my money on Kiwis, in fact I guess they would top the table.

[scorpio]

Dhoni wins the toss and India will bowl first :cheer:

Come on Bhuvi :yes:

[Brianengab]

so i cn watch india batting in my room.... :yes:

//scorp... ipo'na PP thread side varathillaiya ?

[scorpio]

Overcast, difficult to bat pitch-nnu ennenavO sonnaga, the way WI is batting, we may end up in chasing 300 :banghead:



//Rock- konjam busy.....Cricket mattum follow panren.

[scorpio]

Oh Jaddu :notworthy: Man with a golden arm :pink:

Umesh :hammer: Why the hell bowl Kohli? :shock:

[Brianengab]

Sir ji...u r great.. :bow:

umesh'ai vida kohli nalla thaan bowling podraapla.. :lol2:

[Brianengab]

Ishant too bowling gud..

jaddu...over by over wkt...:happydance:

[scorpio]

Why are we bowling Umesh when our spinners are doing a great job? :roll:

Irfan would do better than Umesh :hammer:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Vaanga maami

Yet another easy match for India now that Gayle storm is gone ? :lol2:

[scorpio]

PS- dont jinx :evil:

The cup will anyway be lifted by the queen's boys :cry3:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

PS- dont jinx :evil:

:lol2:



The cup will anyway be lifted by the queen's boys :cry3:
In their dream :poke:

Kiwis look in form :shock:, after all they did thrash the yorkshire boys :lol:

[SoftSword]

why so much negative abt umesh...
he is a very good prospect of india... give him some time...

[scorpio]

Umesh's had trouble with his line and length early on......even Ishant did better than him today.

One man stands tall amidst all ruins- the BEST mystery spinner in the world - Jaddu :notworthy: :notworthy:

Where is LM? :noteeth:

[scorpio]

Ishant paththi solli vaai moodala.....loosu payyan :hammer:

SAmmy wins the battle of SRH Vs SRH :roll:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

It's about time the kiwis win a "Major" tournament.

[scorpio]

Ash and Bhuvi didnt complete their quota....wrong decision to give Kohli 4 overs....

Hope Sammy's cameo doesn't bite us and we chase it down :shaking:

[scorpio]

It's about time the kiwis win a "Major" tournament.

u plis always support the Yorkshire boys!

[PARAMASHIVAN]

u plis always support the Yorkshire boys!

Sareenga :)

[CEDYBLUE]

Looks like another impressive win for Dhoni's XI....Great Going!

[venkkiram]

Why Karthik is now urging to make runs when Dhawan on the other hand approaching the century?

[venkkiram]

DJ Bravo to Dhawan, SIX, another century for Dhawan, and gets there in some style as well, his third international ton in a row from a man who stumbled in his first stint as an international player, it was short and wide, Dhawan thumps that to the third man boundary for six, the starfish celebration that is becoming his trademark comes out

:notworthy:

[CEDYBLUE]

Dhawan :notworthy:
First team to march into Semi Finals :notworthy:

[CEDYBLUE]

Not to forget D Ka too......making the most of his opportunities :)

[CEDYBLUE]

One other impressive aspect of India's win today was their fielding.......one of India's best fielding efforts.
Raina, Kohli, Rohit and Jadeja in the ring...Cannot get any better.

[ajaybaskar]

India looking dangerous now. Batting and Fielding look very good. Bowling is not bad as expected. Good to see Nohit becoming Rohit finally. If he bats like this at the top, he can be considered for the test team too.

[Brianengab]

Batting....Bowling...Fieldng... all r top form... :notworthy:

[CEDYBLUE]

After Darren, it is the turn of his brother Dwayne Bravo to heap praise on Dhoni's captaincy...

Dwayne after Yesterday's match.

“Jadeja is a very good cricketer and a fine all-round cricketer. He’s unrelenting in the field and comes in the lower order and gets runs when needed. A left-arm orthodox is always handy to have on a team. He keeps it very simple. He bowls wicket to wicket. He has a very good arm ball and he is being led by one of the greatest captains that ever played the game.”

[PARAMASHIVAN]

A cloudy and breezy day here, it should assit the bowlers!

[CEDYBLUE]

Sri Lanka's win today has opened up Group A and all four teams have a chance to make the semifinals :)

Unbelievable cameo by Kulasekara and a terrific innings from Sanga

[venkkiram]

Excellent performance from Sanga while chasing!

[ajaybaskar]

I thought SL would lose it comfortably and went to bed early. Was pleasantly surprised this morning, looking at the news. Not for SL win but England's loss. Well done, Sanga.

[CEDYBLUE]

Pollard's dismissal has virtually put WI out of Champions Trophy and for once, rain and Duckworth Lewis favors SA....
SA through to the semi finals

[Brianengab]

40 runs off 30 balls is easy one.. ...bad luck to WI... Jeikka vendiyaa match-uuu.. :(

[CEDYBLUE]

Comfortable win for India. Topping the group with an all-win record. Two more to go

[ajaybaskar]

MSD becomrs the most successful Indian captain against Pakistan with 10 wins.

[ajithfederer]

Yov P_R: Enna umma side bandhula edho kepmaari thanam panra madhiri pechu adipadudhey!!! Bob willis - first man to blow the whistle!

[ajaybaskar]

Enna mukkinaalum nadakkaadhudiyei.. :)

[ajaybaskar]

Reports are also coming in that Warner was provoked and he, being being short tempered Guy, involved in the brawl. Also Joe Root made racial remarks on Hashim Amla and Warner objected it.

[venkkiram]

This inclement weather takes out all the interest in this tournament. Who the hell decided to schedule this in this season?

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Who the hell decided to schedule this in this season? Elizabeth! :lol2:

[satissh_r]

This inclement weather takes out all the interest in this tournament. Who the hell decided to schedule this in this season?

This is the British summer for you :)

[CEDYBLUE]

So it's going to be India Vs Sri Lanka and England Vs South Africa then.

[CEDYBLUE]

No Australia in the knockouts!!!

The team is in a mess and the Arthur-Clarke combination is in a lot of ways are to take the blame. The downfall of Watson is also a failure for the Arthur-Clake combo. Watson seems to have lost his way in the last 2 years and it is no coincidence that the major portion of the fall happenned during the Clarke tenure.

Michael Hussey should have been persudaded to keep playing until the twin ashes and Brad Haddin could have been included in the Champions trophy squad.

In the pretext of setting a strong precedent, Clarke and Arthur are embarrasing the members of the squad. IMO, the Arthur interviews and detailed analysis to the medio on the 'howework' episode and now the Clarke-Warner press conference would have eaten the confidence of the already struggling players. Surely, they could have handled the issues, however bad in a different manner.

Ashes will be mostly one-sided i think.

10 test matches and the entire England team would be licking their hands in anticipation.

1000+ runs for Cook, Trott and KP and the likes of Root and Bairstow would become established batsmen.

Anderson and Swann would be richer by 50+ wickets.

Seriously, what a time for Australia to play 10 matches against England....

Australia's demise from the top is even faster than the fall of the West Indies and for all the talk about the strong culture and systems over the decade, this fall comes as a shock really.

It is sad to see the whipping of the men in yellow.

[scorpio]

1000+ runs for Cook, Trott and KP and the likes of Root and Bairstow would become established batsmen.

Anderson and Swann would be richer by 50+ wickets.




ayyO...idhellaam nadandhaa ulagam azhinjirum :cry3: aanaa, nadandhurum pOla irukkE :shaking:

Come on SA! beat the Queen's united XI in the semis :yes:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Yet another Ind Vs SL match :fatigue:

Amalan & Co to thrash Elizabeth & Co :lol2:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

http://www.tamilwin.com/show-RUmryGScNcft1.html

[PARAMASHIVAN]

God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen
Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us
God save the Queen

InGer land ingErland

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Chokers :evil:

[scorpio]

Easy win for England :banghead:

[Brianengab]

Most boring tournament ever... :-|

[venkkiram]

What a performance from Miller!

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Lord Varuna will be visiting Cradiff today, so yet another "suckworth luweez" result possible!

[CEDYBLUE]

SL 3 down....

[PARAMASHIVAN]

SL 3 down....

yeah never expected India to ball this well ... :shock:

[CEDYBLUE]

MSD Bowling :)

[CEDYBLUE]

And almost a wicket..........

[CEDYBLUE]

The DRS is working well for SL

[19thmay]

Thanks to the toss... Lankans struggling but they almost defended 130+ against Kiwis. So India should not lose early wickets and they can go slow.

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Pitch is the "winner" of this Match, what a boring tournament this turned out to be!

God save the queen and the british "Summer" !

[venkkiram]

Excellent bowling! Bhuvneshwar Kumar takes at least wicket from his first spell. Such level of consistency he has. Ishant Sharma shined today and took the center stage today with Ashwin. Sri Lanka 181/8 is a testimonial that India is improving better in bowling.

[CEDYBLUE]

India into the finals and playing really well :)

[Brianengab]

congrats India... wt a partnership throughout tournament... :bow:

[CEDYBLUE]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/424424_555202477854323_1815754312_n.jpg

[PARAMASHIVAN]

chee langa :rotfl2:


http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-champions-trophy-2013/content/story/643955.html

[PARAMASHIVAN]

2438 ....

[PARAMASHIVAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytT_mTsy70&feature=player_embedded

[SoftSword]

Pitch is the "winner" of this Match!

unga naattuppatru irukkae!

[19thmay]

Even if India lose this tournament, it should be one of their finest performance.

Beaten Srilanka twice, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies so far.

Dhawan dude is in arrogant form. Middle order is not at all batting these days..

[SoftSword]

high chance anderson exposes the middle order...
only if rohit does not get mindfucked and play sensibly, we are in for a easy victory..
win the toss to bat should be the moto...

[raajarasigan]

Dhawan dude is in arrogant form. Middle order is not at all batting these days..he deserves a thread here.. unnuma creata pannala...

[19thmay]

high chance anderson exposes the middle order...
only if rohit does not get mindfucked and play sensibly, we are in for a easy victory..
win the toss to bat should be the moto...

IMO, we should chase with such a depth.

[PARAMASHIVAN]

unga naattuppatru irukkae!

yes, INGER land Inger land ! :lol2:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

yes this Dhawan guy seems to be very good pick for ODI & T20, he averages above 50 in just 10 odd matches !!!

[19thmay]

India bats first in a rainy day. If India lose this all the wins in this tourney would be considered as RIP ... Real challenge!

[venkkiram]

It's going tough! Opportunity is bright for Eng!

[venkkiram]

Is this match fixed? Dhoni brings I sharma at the crucial time.

[venkkiram]

2 wickets from consecutive deliveries.. Wow! Match is taking 180 degree turn!

[raagadevan]

India wins it by 5 runs. What a thrilling end!

[ilayapuyalvinodh_kumar]

Thalaivaaa...... What a decision. Bringing Ishant... I thought all was over when he went for a six and consecutive wides... But was rather surprised by those match winning wickets.... For the 1st time the team that batted 2nd has lost a final in Champ Trophy. History made !!

[CEDYBLUE]

Great win by Dhoni's India XI.....
Ajay, this one is for you :)

[ajaybaskar]

Dhoni got what he wanted and the players have repaid his faith on them. As I posted earlier, India was clearly the best side of the tournament and it was only deserving that they won the trophy. They played fearless cricket throughout, batted like champions, bowled well in all conditions and abovr all, fielded like the SAs and Aussies of late 90s. A treat to watch for someone who've been following Indian cricket for years.

On yesterday's match, I missed the second part due to travel. I thought 129 was a competitive score, considering the pitch and pressure of the final. Bopara and Morgan almost got them there but for that master stroke of MS. Many were cursing MS for the move before the start of the over and the same bunch started praising him after the over. Such is life.. :)

The Rain Gods only prevented me from witnessing my favourite cricketer lifting his third major ICC trophy..

[Arvind Srinivasan]

Great win for India. Really proud of the way they've played all through the tourney. Hopefull that India will now begin an era of invincibilty on the likes of the Windies (70s and the 80s) and the Aussies (99-07).

[Brianengab]

Hopefull that India will now begin an era of invincibilty on the likes of the Windies (70s and the 80s) and the Aussies (99-07).

+1...

such a terrific form in all depts.. the same team s retained for WI tri-series..inimey sehwag nd gambhir kastam'thaan ninaikkiren..
kudos to ishant,kohli nd jadeja for timing contribution... Dhawan.. the new hope for india team.. he s struggling only for swing balls..let see hw he s playing in WI pitch...cant be judging ishant bowling..his bowling s gud bt sumthing missing in his balls..

[scorpio]

aahaa....enna oru aanandham :bluejump: Team India :clap: :clap:

After such a long IPL, with all the scandals, hardly any one expected India to do so well....unbeaten in all matches, that too in a venue outside the subcontinent :notworthy:

Beating the whining Poms is so fitting to the wonderful journey :yes:

Dhawan and Jadds - :notworthy: what a find they have been!!! Will be a certainty for our team in all 3 formats!

Dhoni- enna solla, greying too much, WC 2015 win pannittu oru mudivu edukkavum!

Cedy - raasiyaana kai :thumbsup: CSK-va kalaikkaama irundhaa Champions league thread open pannunga :noteeth:

[yoyisohuni]

Treat to our heart! welldone boys! superb....

[Brianengab]

Another thing...there was more indian supporters (crowd) than england in last nit match...
India enga ponalum, india supporters wil alway be ther.. :bow:

[19thmay]

What a series for India, well done ..especially Dhawan! :clap: His opening runs makes the difference. Hope he continue this amazing form. Bowling is shaping up.

It was a 50 overs match.. became a T20 and was played like a test match with lot of rain interruptions. Long live English weather!

[19thmay]

http://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/160300/160327.jpg
http://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/160300/160347.jpg
http://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/160300/160335.jpg
http://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/160300/160337.jpg
http://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/160300/160339.jpg

[GSV]

India :clap: really good to see the indian team with all round performance.. Perfect example for team play.. Dhoni & Co :notworthy:

[gane14]

Well Done India :clap:

Special credits to Dhawan, Jadeja, Ashwin, Bhuvanesh. Seems like Ashwin and Dhoni share a wonderful rapport. Dhoni has such a confidence on Ashwin and Ashwin delivers it time and again.

[VinodKumar's]

Congrats Team India nand MSD.

[19thmay]

I missed Sachin yesterday :( He would have celebrated like a kid.