MAY 5 – 9, 2010

W O R L D

TWENTY20 C R I C K E T

S P E C I A L

Bring it!Bring it!

BDS$2BDS$2

May 5 – 9, 2010. 3

THE MEN'S TOURNAMENT will be contested by12 teams, which have been split into fourgroups of three. There are two seeded teams ineach group.

Group A Group BPakistan – A1 Sri Lanka – B1Bangladesh – A2 New Zealand – B2Australia Zimbabwe

Group C Group DSouth Africa – C1 West Indies – D1India – C2 England – D2Afghanistan Ireland

• Each group will be played on a round-robinbasis with the top two sides progressing to theSuper Eight stages. • Team names for the Super Eight stage areindicative, based on the top two teams from theGroup stage qualifying. • If these two teams do qualify, they will beseeded in position one and two as specified,regardless of whether they finish first or secondin their group. • For example, if Bangladesh win Group A andPakistan come second, for the purposes of theSuper Eights, Pakistan will still be A1 andBangladesh will be A2. If one of the top teamsis eliminated then the side qualifying will takethe allocated seeding. If for example, Australiaqualify instead of Bangladesh, Australia will beA2. • Each side will play three matches in theSuper Eights, on a round-robin basis, with thetop two teams progressing to the semi-finals.

In the Super Eight Stage, the groups will bemade up of the following teams:

Group E Group FA1 B1B2 A2C1 C2D2 D1

WOMEN’S EVENT

THE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT will becontested by eight teams, which have beensplit into two groups of four.

Group A Group B

England New Zealand Australia India West Indies Sri Lanka South Africa Pakistan

The top two teams from each group willprogress to the semi-finals, with the winnersof those matches contesting the final.

TOURNAMENTFORMATMEN’S EVENT

INSIDEThe first six matches in pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 4-9

Team profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 11-14

Innovative strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 15

Four to Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 16-17

Afghanistan’s fairy-tale story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 18-19

The development of the women’s game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 21-22

FRONT COVER: From left, Mahela Jayawardene, Darren Sammy, Suresh Raina

This World Twenty20 Special is published by TheNation Publishing Co. Limited, Nation House,Fontabelle, St Michael.THE NATION was established in November 1973.

Publisher: Vivian-Anne GittensExecutive Editor: Roxanne Gibbs

Associate Editor (Sports): Haydn GillEditorial contributors: Craig Cozier, InternationalCricket CouncilPictures: Brooks LaTouche Photography, AssociatedPressLayout and design: Lyle Jones, Tamara Stuart,Julia Haynes

4. May 5 – 9, 2010.

END OF THE ROAD:Sri Lanka captain KumarSangakkara is bowled by Scott Styris.

WHAT a way to get thetournament going. NewZealand held their nervein a tense finish to beatlast year’s runners-up Sri Lanka by twowickets with a ball tospare in the openingmatch at the ProvidenceStadium.

Chasing 136 forvictory, New Zealandscrambled the tenrequired off the lastover with NathanMcCullum smashingpacer Lasith Malingaover long-off for six tobring an emphatic endto the game.

Sri Lanka’s effort wasdominated by openerMahela Jaywardene’sclassy 81 from 51 ballsbut it came in a losingcause.

New Zealand vs

Sri Lanka

ON THE GO:Sri LankaopenerMahelaJaywardeneplaying anupper cutduring his 81.

RIDING HIGH: NewZealand openerJesse Ryder goingover the top duringhis 42 off 27 balls.

Fight to the finishFight to the finish

May 5 – 9, 2010. 5

West Indiesvs

Ireland

DARREN SAMMY was the star of the show ininspiring West Indies to a crushing victory by70 runs over Ireland on the opening day ofthe tournament at the Providence Stadium.

With the hosts struggling for runs, Sammycame in at the death to smash 30 off 17balls that gave West Indies a competitivetotal of 138 for nine.

It was more than enough and Sammyreturned to feature under the lights byhauling in four catches and capturing threewickets in a disappointing Ireland responseof 68.

SWEET SAMMY:Darren Sammyhitting down theground for one ofhis two sixes.

ANOTHER ONE DOWN: Ravi Rampaul (thirdright) celebrating his dismissal of PaulStirling with wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.

Sammy’sthe man

IRISH DELIGHT: Ireland players celebratingthe dismissal of Denesh Ramdin.

6. May 5 – 9, 2010.

Indiavs

Afghanistan

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: India fast bowler Ashish Nehra (right)celebrating his dismissal of Mohammad Shahzad.

KHAN CATCH: India’s Zaheer Khanaccepting a catch that accounted forAshgar Stanikzai.

OPENING UP: India opener Murali Vijay cuttingduring his 48.

INDIA cruised toan easy seven-wicket victoryover Afghanistanbut thetournamentnewcomers hadnothing to beashamed of intheir firstmatch againsta full ICCmember.Afghanistan’s115 for eight

was nevergoing tochallenge the2007 championswho canteredhome in 14.5overs after theearly impetusfrom openerMurali Vijay’s 48off 46 balls.

The problemsfor Afghanistanat theBeausejourStadium werecaused mainly bythe rising ballthat claimedseveral of thewickets, includingthree to tall fastbowler AshishNehra.

Baptism of fireBaptism of fire

May 5 – 9, 2010. 7

Pakistanvs

Bangladesh

DOWN FOR THECOUNT:Bangladeshopener TamimIqbal is floored by a yorker fromMohammad Sami.

NO BUTTSABOUT IT:Salman Buttcutting onthe way tohis 73.

MAXIMUM:KamranAkmalgoing allthe wayduring his73.

PAKISTAN launched theirdefence of the title with ahard fought victory overBangladesh by 21 runs ina match that was full ofexcitement at theBeausejour Stadium.

An opening stand of142 between Salman Buttand Kamran Akmal pavedthe way for Pakistan’shealthy 172 for three.Both Butt and Akmalsmashed 73, but Pakistanfailed to provide fireworksin the last five overs.

Bangladesh took upthe challenge whenMohammad Ashraful (65)and captain Shakib AlHasan (47) were adding91 for the fourth wicketthat left them needing 53at the start of the lastfive overs. Like Pakistan,they failed to push on atthe end.

Spirited battleat Beausejour

SURESH RAINA struck the first century ofthe 2010 World Twenty20 to lead Indiato a 14-run victory over South Africa anda place in the Super Eights.

The left-handed Raina plundered astroke-filled 101 off 60 balls that left

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8. May 5 – 9, 2010.

South Africavs

India

WELL DONE: India off-spinnerYusaf Pathan (second left) iscongratulated by HarbhajanSingh (left) and RavindraJadeja after collectinganother South Africa wicket.

DRIVINGFORCE:SureshRainadrivingdown thegroundduring hissplendidcentury.

Raina terrorSouth Africa’sbowlers shell-shocked and guidedIndia to achallenging 186 foreight at theBeausejour Stadium.

India thenrestricted theopponents to 172for five to earn theirsecond consecutivewin of thetournament.

AUSTRALIA made an impressivestart to their World Twenty20campaign with a convincing 34-runvictory over defending championsPakistan at the BeausejourStadium.

Shane Watson hammered 81off 49 balls and David Husseysmashed 52 from 29 balls in atotal of 191 but Australia’s inningsended in bizarre fashion with a fivewicket-maiden in which three

scalps went to pacer MohammedAamer and two came via run outs.

Pakistan responded with 157and never really looked incontention to win.

May 5 – 9, 2010. 9

GOING,GOING,GONE:David

Husseylaunchingone of his

fives sixeson the way

to hishurricane

52.ON BENDED KNEE:Shane Watson sweepingduring his 81.

Pakistanvs

Australia

AussiesplunderPakistan

TIMBER: Pakistan captain ShahidAfridi is bowled by Australia fastbowler Shaun Tait.

10. May 5 – 9, 2010.

SRI LANKA v NEW ZEALANDDate: Friday, April 30Venue: Providence StadiumResult: New Zealand won by two wicketsScores:SRI LANKA 135-6 in 20 overs (MahelaJayawardene 81, Dinesh Chandimal 29;Shane Bond 2-35). NEW ZEALAND 139-8in 19.5 overs (Jesse Ryder 42; MuttiahMuralitharan 2-25).

WEST INDIES v IRELANDDate: Friday, April 30Venue: Providence Stadium Result: West Indies won by 70 runsScores:WEST INDIES 138-9 in 20 overs (DarrenSammy 30, Ramnaresh Sarwan 24; GeorgeDockrell 3-16, Andre Botha 2-7, Alex Cusack2-19, Boyd Rankin 2-35). IRELAND 68 in16.2 overs (Gary Wilson 17; Darren Sammy3-8, Ravi Rampaul 3-17, Dwayne Bravo 2-5).

INDIA v AFGHANISTANDate: Saturday, May 1Venue: Beausejour StadiumResult: India won by seven wicketsScores:AFGHANISTAN 115-8 in 20 overs (Noor Ali 50, Asghar Stanikzai 30; Ashish Nehra 3-19, Praveen Kumar 2-14).INDIA 116-3 in 14.5 overs (Murali Vijay 48,Yuvraj Singh 23 not out).

PAKISTAN v BANGLADESHDate: Saturday, May 1Venue: Beausejour StadiumResult: Pakistan won by 21 runsScores:PAKISTAN 172-3 in 20 overs (KamranAkmal 73, Salman Butt 73; Shakib AlHasan 2-27). BANGLADESH 151-7 in 20overs (Mohammad Ashraful 65, Shakib AlHasan 47; Mohammad Sami 3-29,Mohammad Aamer 2-16).

SOUTH AFRICA v INDIADate: Sunday, May 2Venue: Beausejour StadiumResult: India won by 14 runsScores:INDIA 186-5 in 20 overs (Suresh Raina101, Yuvraj Singh 37; Rory Kleinveldt 2-48).SOUTH AFRICA 172-5 in 20 overs (JacquesKallis 73, Graeme Smith 36, AB de Villiers31; Yusuf Pathan 2-42).

PAKISTAN v AUSTRALIADate: Sunday, May 2Venue: Beausejour StadiumResult: Australia won by 34 runsScores:AUSTRALIA 191 in 20 overs (ShaneWatson 81, David Hussey 53, David Warner26; Mohammad Aamer 3-23, Saeed Ajmal3-34). PAKISTAN 157 in 20 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 41, Shahid Afridi 33; Shaun Tait 3-20, Dirk Nannes 3-41, MichellJohnson 2-21).

SRI LANKA v ZIMBABWEDate: Monday, May 3Venue: Providence StadiumResult: Sri Lanka won by 14 runs underDuckworth/Lewis method.Scores:SRI LANKA 173-7 in 20 overs (MahelaJayawardene 100, Thissara Perera 23; RayPrice 2-31, Greg Lamb 2-34). ZIMBABWE29-1 in 5 overs.

ENGLAND v WEST INDIES Date: Monday, May 3Venue: Providence StadiumResult: West Indies won by eight wicketsunder Duckworth/Lewis method.Scores:ENGLAND 191-5 in 20 overs (Eoin Morgan55, Luke Wright 45, Michael Lumb 28, CraigKieswetter 26, Kevin Pietersen 24; DarrenSammy 2-22). WEST INDIES 60-2 in 5.5overs (Chris Gayle 25; Graeme Swann 2-24).

ICC World Twenty20Scores 2010

ON THE ATTACK: England batman Eoin Morgan hittingthrough the on-side during his 55 against West Indies at the Providence Stadium.

May 5 – 9, 2010. 11

Teams in profilePAKISTAN

2007 performance: Runners-up2009 performance: ChampionsTwenty20 record: Matches-30. Wins-22. Losses-7. Ties-1.

SQUAD: Shahid Afridi (captain), Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq,Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, , Hammad Azam, Kamran Akmal, MohammadSami, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman

•Won ICC World Twenty20 2009, beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at Lord’s•Lost by five runs in the final of ICC World Twenty20 2007 to India•Pakistan’s Umar Gul was the leading wicket-taker at both previous World Twenty20tournaments, with 13 each time •Mohammad Asif bowled the first maiden over in a Twenty20 International against Englandat Bristol in 2006•Failed to advance to the Super Eight stage of the 2007 World Cup after losing to Ireland•Pakistan have appeared in two World Cup finals, winning in 1992 and losing in 1999•Pakistan first held a domestic Twenty20 competition in the 2004-05 season. Amazingly, thepast five tournaments have all been won by the Sialkot Stallions

BANGLADESH

2007 performance: Qualified for Super Eights2009 performance: Eliminated after Group StageTwenty20 record: Matches 14. Wins-3. Losses-11.

SQUAD: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes,Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza, AbdurRazzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Syed Rasel, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Jahurul Islam.

•Played their first Twenty20 International against Zimbabwe at Khulna in November 2006,winning by 43 runs•Reached the second round of 2007 World Twenty20 after beating West Indies by six wickets at Johannesburg •Reached the Super Eight stage of 2007 World Cup, beating India in the first round •Have achieved ODI wins against all other full-member teams except England •Had successful tour to West Indies last year, winning both Tests and all three ODIs. •Was accorded ODI status in 1997 and Test status in 2000

AUSTRALIA

2007 performance: Losing semifinalists2009 performance: Eliminated after Group StageTwenty20 record: Matches-29. Wins-15. Losses-12. Ties-1. No-results-1.

SQUAD: Michael Clarke (captain), Dan Christian, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz,David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes, Tim Paine, Steven Smith,Shaun Tait, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

•Played in the inaugural Twenty20 International match, defeating New Zealand at Aucklandin February 2005 by 44 runs •Reached the semifinal of 2007 World Twenty20, despite having lost to Zimbabwe in theGroup stages•Failed to qualify for the second round of 2009 World Twenty20, losing both first roundmatches •Made the highest total batting second in a Twenty20 International, scoring 214-4 againstNew Zealand at Christchurch in February this year to tie the match. They lost on the Superover •Won the last three World Cups: 1999, 2003 and 2007•Won the last two Champions Trophy tournaments, in India in 2006 and South Africa in2009•Their domestic Twenty20 competition began in 2005-06 and the current holders areVictoria

12. May 5 – 9, 2010. 13

SOUTH AFRICA

2007 performance: Qualified for Super Eights2009 performance: Losing semifinalistsTwenty20 record: Matches-26. Wins-17. Losses:9.

SQUAD: Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher,AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel,Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Juan Theron, Roelof van der Merwe.

•Hosted the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, but failed to reach the semi-finals in thecompetition •Lost to Pakistan by seven runs in the semi-final of the 2009 World Twenty20•Set a record with seven consecutive wins in Twenty20 Internationals in 2009. This hassubsequently been emulated by Pakistan•Their only trophy in an ICC event is the ICC Knockout Trophy (now ICC Champions Trophy) in1998 in Bangladesh •Lost to Australia in the semi-final of the 2007 World Cup•Have a poor record in semi-finals of ICC events, having won only one of the eight in which theyhave participated•First staged a domestic Twenty20 competition in 2003-04. The current holders are Warriors

INDIA

2007 performance: Champions2009 performance: Qualified for Super EightsTwenty20 record: Matches-20. Wins-10. Losses-8. Ties-1. No-results-1.

SQUAD: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, YusufPathan, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, HarbhajanSingh, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijaj.

•Won the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, beating Pakistan by five runs inthe final•Finished fourth in their group in the second round of 2009 World Twenty20•Failed to reach the second round of 2007 World Cup after losing to Bangladesh•Scored the highest World Cup total when making 413-5 against Bermuda at Queen’s Park Ovalin 2007 •Won the 1983 World Cup, beating West Indies by 43 runs in the final at Lord’s. They bowledWest Indies out for 140 in reply to their total of 183•Shared the Champions Trophy 2002 title with Sri Lanka after the final was abandoned to duerain

AFGHANISTAN

2007 performance: Did not compete2009 performance: Did not competeTwenty20 record: Matches-6. Wins-4. Losses-2.

SQUAD: Nawroz Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, RaisAhmadzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali,Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Sayed Nasrat, Shafiq Shafaq.

•Is the first affiliate member of the ICC to qualify for a senior ICC event•Won the World Twenty20 qualifier 2010 in United Arab Emirates, beating Ireland in the final•Played in a quadrangular Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka with Canada, Ireland and Sri Lankaand in February this year•Holders of the ACC Twenty20 Cup which they won in November 2009•Successively won the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Divisions 5, 4 and 3 to qualify forthe ICC Word Cup qualifier in 2009•Became the 22nd nation to play ODIs in April 2009•In addition to beating Scotland in their first ODI, they have also registered ODI wins againstNetherlands and Canada•Made one of the highest winning fourth innings totals in first-class cricket when they reached494-4 to beat Canada in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match in February this year

Teams in profile

NEW ZEALAND

2007 performance: Losing semifinalists2009 performance: Qualified for Super EightsTwenty20 record: Matches-33. Wins-13. Losses-17. Ties-3.

SQUAD: Daniel Vettori (captain), Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, ScottStyris, Aaron Redmond, Jacob Oram, Gareth Hopkins, Rob Nicol, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, TimSouthee, Shane Bond, Ian Butler.

•Played in the inaugural Twenty20 International against Australia at Auckland on 17 February 2005,losing by 44 runs •Was involved in the first tied Twenty20 International – v West Indies at Auckland in 2006. NewZealand won a bowl-out after the game ended in a tie•Lost by six wickets to Pakistan in the semi-finals of 2007 World Twenty20 •Reached the semi-final of 2007 World Cup where they lost by 81 runs to Sri Lanka at Sabina Park •They have reached the semi-final five times in World Cups but have yet to reach a final•Only ICC tournament win came in 2000 Champions Trophy in Kenya, where they beat India byfour wickets in the final•Going into the 2010 World Twenty20, they played more Twenty20 Internationals than any otherteam, with 33•New Zealand’s first domestic Twenty20 competition was held in the 2005-06 season. CentralDistrict won the trophy in 2009-10

SRI LANKA

2007 performance: Qualified for Super Eights2009 performance: Runners-upTwenty20 record: Matches-25. Won-15. Lost-10.

SQUAD: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, MahelaJayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Thissara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Suraj Randiv,Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Chanaka Welagedara, Chamara Kapugedara, Sanath Jayasuriya,Chinthaka Jayasinghe.

•Lost to Pakistan in the 2007 World Twenty20 final•Finished third in their group in the second round at the 2007 World Twenty20, thus missing out ona semi-final place•Scored a Twenty20 International world record total of 260-6 against Kenya at Johannesburg during2007 World Twenty20•Tillakaratne Dilshan was the leading run-scorer at 2009 World Twenty20 with 317 at a strike-rateof 144.74•Reached the final of 2007 Word Cup and lost to Australia by 53 runs on the Duckworth/Lewismethod at Kensington Oval•Won the 1996 World Cup, beating Australia by seven wickets in the final at Lahore. •Shared the trophy with India at the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka after rain washed out thefinal •Have staged domestic Twenty20 tournaments at both club and provincial level. Wayamba have wonall three of the provincial competitions held thus far

ZIMBABAWE

2007 performance: Eliminated after Group Stage2009 performance: Did not competeTwenty20 record: Matches-8. Wins-3. Losses-4. Ties-1.

SQUAD: Prosper Utseya (captain), Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Andy Blignaut, HamiltonMasakadza, Tatenda Taibu, Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer,Chamu Chibhabha, Chris Mpofu, Timycen Maruma, Craig Ervine.

•Beat Australia in Cape Town in 2007 in their first World Twenty20 match, to emulate their victoryover the same team in their first World Cup match in 1983•Did not participate in 2009 World Twenty20 in England•Beat West Indies by 26 runs in a Twenty20 International at Queen’s Park Oval in February this year•Their highest Twenty20 International total is 184-5 against Canada in Toronto in 2008•Two Zimbabweans, Ray Price and Prosper Utseya, are amongst the four bowlers who have concededjust six runs in four overs of a Twenty20 International•Reached the Super Six stage in the 1999 World Cup and 2003 World Cup, but have yet to reacha semi-final in an ICC event•Have recorded ODI wins over all other full members of the ICC •The domestic Twenty20 tournament held in Zimbabwe in February this year was won byMountaineers

14. May 5 – 9, 2010.

Teams in profileWEST INDIES

2007 performance: Eliminated after Group Stage2009 performance: Losing semifinalistsTwenty20 record: Matches-21. Wins-8. Losses-11. Ties-2.

SQUAD: Chris Gayle (captain), Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul,Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, DeneshRamdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.

•Lost to Sri Lanka by 57 runs in the 2009 World Twenty20 semifinal •Played their first Twenty20 International against New Zealand at Auckland in February2006. The match was tied and New Zealand won a bowl-out•Failed to reach the second round of 2007 World Twenty20 after losing to Bangladesh•Chris Gayle was the first batsman to score a century in a Twenty20 International when hemade 117 against South Africa at Johannesburg during the 2007 World Twenty20•Their highest Twenty20 International total is 208-8 against England at The Oval in 2007•Won the 1975 and 1979 World Cup and lost in the final in 1983•Won the Champions Trophy in 2004, beating England by two wickets in the final at TheOval •The first domestic Twenty20 event held in the West Indies was the Stanford Twenty20 inAugust 2006. Trinidad and Tobago won the 2008 event, beating Jamaica by nine wickets inthe final

ENGLAND

2007 performance: Qualified for Super Eights2009 performance: Qualified for Super EightsTwenty20 record: Matches-25. Wins-10. Losses: 14. No-results: 1.

SQUAD: Paul Collingwood (captain), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, StuartBroad, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Ajmal Shahzad, RyanSidebottom, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

•Finished third in their group in the second round of 2009 World Twenty20•Since losing in the 1992 World Cup fiinal, England have only appeared in two semi-finalsof ICC events, at the Champions Trophy in 2004 and 2009•Finished fifth in the Super Eight table at 2007 World Cup•Lost to Australia in the semi-final of the 2009 Champions Trophy•Finished fourth in their group in the second round of the 2007 World Twenty20•Was the first country to stage a domestic Twenty20 competition, in 2003. Sussex won theTwenty20 Cup in England in 2009

IRELAND

2007 performance: Did not compete2009 performance: Eliminated after Group StageTwenty20 record: Matches-15. Wins-7. Losses-7. No-results: 1

SQUAD: William Porterfield (captain), Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, TrentJohnston, Nigel Jones, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin,Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

•Lost to Afghanistan in the final of the 2010 World Twenty20 qualifier in United ArabEmirates•Shared the trophy with Netherlands at the 2008 World Twenty20 qualifier in Ireland•Progressed to the Super Eight stages of the 2009 World Twenty20, defeatingBangladesh in the Group Stage •Won World Cup qualifier 2009 in South Africa, qualifying for 2011 World Cup•Beat Pakistan and Bangladesh and tied with Zimbabwe during their successful run at2007 World Cup •Gained ICC associate membership in 1993 •Won the past three ICC Intercontinental Cup competitions

TWENTY20 cricket cannot take credit for theinvention of the latest stroke-making crazes – of which the scoop and the switch hit are mostprominent.

But the format has allowed such innovativebatsmanship to blossom and become as much apart of cricket strokeplay as those in 1952’s MCCCoaching Manual.

The commentators will soon need to abandonthe adjective “unorthodox” to describe these noveltypes of run-scoring methods as they becomeingrained into the mainstream of the age-oldgame.

Zimbabwean Douglas Marillier was the first tobring the scoop to international prominence (theramp, the Dilscoop, the paddle scoop are amongits many derivatives).

In a 2001 one-dayer, with15 needed off the final overfrom Australian pace legendGlenn McGrath, the brash all-rounder twice moved to theoff-side and literally“scooped” the ball over hisleft shoulder and very fine tolong leg for boundaries andalthough his team fell short,a legend was born.

The shot made cameoappearances in subsequentone-dayers before it saw adramatic rise in popularity with the advent of theTwenty20 revolution.

Two years ago, during the second edition of the Indian Premier League, Sri Lankan dynamoTillekeratne Dilshan advertised how he had

created and perfected his own version, tagged theDilscoop by the media.

Dilshan is even more dramatic that Marillier,sinking onto one knee to deflect the ball from theface of the bat directly over his bowed head and

over the wicket-keeper.Another to watch for is the switch hit – a

morphed adaptation of the reverse sweep, astroke which one-dayers helped popularise wayback in the 1980s.

Its greatest exponent is the effervescent, SouthAfrica-born Englishman, Kevin Pietersen.

Where the reverse sweep is pretty much a two-handed backhand shot (like in tennis), the switchhit involves changing stance and grip a fractionbefore the bowler delivers thus, in essence, a right-hander receives the ball in a left-hander’s stance.

The purists may scoff but, like the format itself,these strokes are here to stay.

– CRAIG COZIER

May 5 – 9, 2010. 15

Showcase for theunorthodox

MY WAY: Tillakaratne Dilshan playinghis innovative stroke during the 2009World Twenty20.

16. May 5 - 9, 2010.

A SLICK left-hander as adept at gloriouslyorthodox strokes and working the ball around ashe is at playing the long ball, Raina was tippedas a future Indian batting star by formerAustralian captain Greg Chappell during histenure as India coach five years ago.

Now 23, Raina faces the difficult task of emulating the feats of Sachin Tendulkar,

Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S.Laxman, all icons of the past two decades.

Raina is yet to play a Test match and onlyrecently has his international career started

to flourish.He has been a standout for the Chennai

• Continued on next page.

Four playRising stars bringthe heat to matches

MICHAEL CLARKE

KIERON POLLARD

May 5 – 9, 2010. 17

• From Page 16.

Super Kings in all three editions of the IndianPremier League Twenty20 and his 520 runs,including an unbeaten 57 off 35 balls in thefinal, were a big part of Chennai Super Kingssurge to the 2010 title.

His technique was tested at the 2009 ICCWorld Twenty20 when opponents peppered himwith the short stuff and he failed to cope.

Since then, he has worked at this weaknessand a one-day century off Sri Lanka in Januaryand a brilliant 101 off 60 balls against SouthAfrica jump-started India’s 2010 ICC WorldTwenty20 has given him a timely confidenceboost.

Raina is also an electric fielder and a usefuloff-spinning option.

LASITHMALINGA

SURESHRAINA

AFGHANISTAN’S rapid rise to achieve a place in the ICC World Twenty20 is oneof the most remarkable tales in the history of the game.

When they stepped onto Beausejour Stadiumto face India on May 1, it marked the end of one of the most astonishing journeys in cricket history.

The Caribbean trip provides the final chapterfor a fairytale – which Afghan fast bowlerHamid Hassan has compared to that of hisfavourite movie Rocky – that would be worthyof a film script.

Few could have envisaged that when Afghanrefugees were first introduced to the sport inthe liberation camps in Pakistan 30 years agothat one day their countrymen would be playingsome of the most famous cricketers on theplanet at an ICC event.

As Afghanistan’s national anthem blaredaround the ground for the first time in a majorICC tournament, captain Nowroz Mangal and his men were beaming with pride.

“When we heard it the first time we werepractising, we were really happy. When weheard it against this morning, it wasunbelievable. It is a huge honour for us to behere in this tournament,” Nowroz said.

“India is one of the best teams in the worldand we were happy to play our first matchagainst them. It was our good experience for them.”

Afghanistan lost that opening match byseven wickets, but the result was secondary.

They weren’t disgraced by any means, having

made 115 for eight after they were sent in.For some of their players, it was even

sweeter that their first match was against India.“Some of the Indians are the favourites with

our boys,” said coach Kabir Khan.“Our wicket-keeper is Mohammad Shahzad.

He calls himself MS. He is a great fan ofMahenda Singh Dhoni and I think it was thebest day of his life because he got the chanceto play against Dhoni. He would have loved to impress him.”

While the challenges of delivering a cricketdevelopment programme in a war-torn countryare obvious, the funding from the ICC and theAsian Cricket Council (ACC) has given a chancefor Afghanistan’s cricketers and administratorsto develop their standard of play and build a long-term future for the game in the country.

Between 2003 and 2009, Afghanistanreceived US$1.6 million in funding, includingUS$826 000 during 2009, following theirsuccess in becoming a High PerformanceProgramme country and gaining ODI status.

In 2010, subject to meeting certain fundingpolicy requirements, Afghanistan couldpotentially receive over US$1 million from theICC and ACC. This includes a US$250 000participation fee for playing in the ICC WorldTwenty20 2010.

The fact they have even been given theopportunity to play at this level, in such a shortspace of time, is testament not only to thisinvestment, but the remarkable achievementsof Afghanistan’s team and coaching staff and to the new structures in place in the Pepsi ICCDevelopment Programme.

Previously, it would have been almostimpossible for teams to progress from joint29th in the world rankings, which is whereAfghanistan were ranked in May 2008, but theadvent of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket Leaguehas provided a clear pathway to major ICCglobal events for all associate and affiliatemembers.

Although Afghanistan’s journey from Division5 of that competition, where they competedalongside the likes of Germany and Vanuatu,to the World Cup Qualifier was to ultimately endin failure in their efforts to qualify for the 2011event, a top six finish at that tournament was to bring plenty of rewards.

After finishing in fifth place in the qualifier,they achieved ODI status, gained qualification to the ICC Intercontinental Cup, the first-classcompetition for leading associate and affiliatesides, and also a place in the ICC WorldTwenty20 2010 Qualifier. • Continued on next page.

18. May 5 – 9, 2010.

GETTING READY: Afghanistan players stretching during a practice session at theBeausejour Stadium on the eve of their debut in the World Twenty20.

Afghanistan – stuff of legend

May 5 – 9, 2010. 19

• From Page 18.

By having the opportunity to playregular four-day cricket, Afghanistan’sstandard of play has undoubtedlyimproved all formats of the game, underthe watchful eye of former Pakistan Testcricketer Kabir Khan, and already it hasachieved some extraordinary results.

A dramatic one-wicket win over theNetherlands last year, followed byinflicting Ireland’s first ICCIntercontinental Cup defeat since 2004,was surpassed by one of the mostextraordinary run chases of all time in February.

At Sharjah Cricket Stadium, just daysafter securing qualification for the ICCWorld Twenty20 2010, they made 494 forfour against Canada in the fourth inningsto record a remarkable six-wicket win.

In the shorter forms of the game,results have also been impressive,winning the ACC Twenty20 Cup inNovember 2009, which they followed upby capturing the World Twenty20 Qualifiertitle in front of thousands of their adoringsupporters in Dubai Sports City with adefeat of Ireland.

Off the field of play, steps are beingtaken to improve the governancestructures of Afghanistan cricket andthere are also positive signs that effortsto improve facilities are being made.

Afghanistan Cricket Board chairmanand Finance Minister, Dr Omar Zakhilwal,laid the foundation stone of the first evercricket stadium in Afghanistan in March.The stadium will be built in the GhaziAmanullah Khan Township which islocated 15 kilometres east of Jalalabadcity on the Jalalabad – Torkham Highwayin the eastern Afghan province ofNangarhar, while the United StatesEmbassy in Kabul is also reportedly set to donate funds towards the constructionof new grounds.

At a grass-roots level, middle orderbatsman Raaes Ahmadzai, who grew upin the camps of Peshawar, is one of thoseleading the drive to provide moreopportunities for young people to play thegame, delivering cricket camps inpartnership with UNICEF, while the MCCand the charity Afghan Connection hasbeen donating cricket equipment to rurallocations, building schools and cricketpitches in Afghanistan.

JUMPING FOR JOY: Afghanistan fast bowlerDawlat Ahmadzai (right) celebrating his dismissalof Indian opener Gautam Gambhir withSamiullah Shinwari.

May 5 – 9, 2010. 21

Twenty20workingfor women

CLAIRE TAYLOR: was instrumental in helping Englandwomen win the World Twenty20 last year and alsocaptured the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in2009.

THE CASUAL OBSERVER might regarda women’s match on a WorldTwenty20 programme as a sideattraction to the main event.

If we are to be guided byrespected experts, however, thewomen’s contest has potential tobe the highlight of the day.

Don’t for one minute get theimpression that the women’s gamelacks anything when it comes to skill,excitement and drama.

During the 2009 WorldTwenty20 in England, severaljournalists rated the women’ssemifinal between the hosts andAustralia as the match of thetournament – be it male or female.

England, chasing Australia’s 163,won by eight wickets with three ballsto spare after scoring at nine an overfor the latter half of the innings in amatch that was televised globally onSkySports just ahead of the men’ssemifinal between West Indies andSri Lanka at the Oval.

Clare Connor, a former Englandwomen’s captain and the only femaleon the ICC’s cricket committee, spokeglowingly of the contest.

“It was compelling. It was brilliant.There were powerful sixes and fours.There were fantastic standards and

skill levels on show,” she said.“People like Mike Atherton and

other leading sports journalists inEngland said it was one of the bestgames of Twenty20 cricket they hadever seen.”

It is matches like these that willdo a lot in raising the profile of thewomen’s game, which still isn’tacknowledged by many as somethingthey would be lining up to see.

While the women’s game hasbeen in existence for some time –the first Women’s World Cup wasplayed in 1973 – it has only been inthe last five years that it has comeinto the limelight.

Since women’s cricket wasofficially integrated with the men’sgame under the umbrella of the ICCin 2005, there has been a significantincrease in the amount ofinternational women’s cricket beingplayed. As a result, the ICC’s women’scommittee is very active in chartingstrategies and discussing futuretours.

The interest and numbers in thegame these days have also jumpedsignificantly.

“There are hundreds of countries

• Continued on next page

across the world playingwomen’s cricket now.You’ve always hadEngland, Australia, NewZealand, India … themajor players haveplayed women’s cricketfor years and years butnow we are seeing theemergence of a vastnumber of associatesand affiliate women’steams across the world.It is really exciting,”Connor said.

“The fact that thereare global events andminimum requirements– international women’steams have got to playa certain number ofmatches every year –everything has becomemore structured.”

England alone canbe used as an exampleto show how thewomen’s game isspreading.

Ten years ago, therewere 90 clubs in thecountry that offered women’scricket. The number hasjumped to more than 500today.

The World Twenty20 willprovide another platform forthe women’s game to createmore of a profile.

The eight teams will battleit out in St Kitts for four semi-final places when they willget a chance to feature withthe men on double-headerson the final three days of theevent.

“Those are reallyimportant mediaopportunities for us. It is anopportunity to show theworld the women’s game onTV and an opportunity for thefans to come in and watch it

live. There are massiveopportunities,” Connor said.

“We shouldn’t forget thatwhen the ICC decided to dothis double header in the2009 World Twenty20, itwas a ground breakinginitiative. No other sport haddone this at a global level ina global event – to have themen’s and women’s event onthe same day on the sameticket.

“I don’t think you can overemphasise how important itis to showcase the bestplayers in the world inwomen’s cricket.”

While some of you willprobably have your doubtsabout how attractive thewomen’s game is, we are toldyou won’t be disappointed.

“In terms of skill level andtechnical ability, it is right upthere with the men’s game,”said the 33-year-old Connor,who played 16 Tests, 93 One-Day Internationals and twoTwenty20 Internationals for England between 1995and 2005.

“When it comes to powerand speed, obviously themen’s game will alwaysdominate because there willalways be a greater potentialfor men to hit the ballfurther, bowl the ball fasterand throw the ball further.That’s the main difference.”

With the strides thewomen’s game has taken inrecent years, some of usmight have the expectationthat they, like the men, will

have an official Testchampionship.

It, however, is not likely.Not many women’s teamsplay Test cricket and theauthorities are convinced thatthe shortest of the game’sthree formats is the way to go.

“Twenty20 cricket is animportant brand of cricket forthe women’s game, especiallywith the double header ideawhere you can play awomen’s game ahead of amen’s game or a men’s gameahead of a women’s game.That’s a great vehicle forshowing people the women’sgame,” Connor said.

“The shortened format ofthe game is great forattracting new participantsand showing people the skilllevel and where the women’sgame has travelled over thelast ten years.

“There is very little Testcricket played in the women’sgame. That wouldn’t be anoption. The format of thegame that we are driving inour ICC meetings is theTwenty20 format. It’s anopportunity to get moreexposure on TV. That’s thebrand of cricket we aresubscribing to.”

– by HAYDN GILL

22. May 5 – 9, 2010.

• From Page 21

AIMEE WATKINS:the New Zealandplayer was theleading run-scorer at the2009 WorldTwenty20, scoring200 runsin five innings.

PRIYANKA ROY:the Indian playeris the secondwoman in historyto take fivewickets in a T20International.

STEFANIE TAYLOR: the West Indian is rankedamong the top five all-rounders.

Tournamentformat createsopportunities

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