Pakistan's squad for the ICC World Twenty20 includes 3 guys who are yet to turn 20. Pakistan is known for throwing the kids at the deep end and they've done no different this time as well.

Here's a look at who these boys are and what they've done to deserve their chance to play for Pakistan.

Ahmed Shehzad
(Right hand opening batsman, Age: 17)

Ahmed made heads turn in his debut season for the Pakistan Under-19s, when as a 15 year old opener he smashed century after century in youth tests and ODIs against England, Australia, and Bangladesh.

He had already made his first class debut for Lahore before he played for the u-19 team.

Ahmed had a couple of good domestic seasons for Lahore and Habib Bank, before his century in a tour game against the visiting Sri Lankans got him the nod from the selectors for Pakistan's test squad.

He didn't play against the Lankans, but he made his Pakistan debut in the UAE in the 2nd ODI against Australia.

If it wasn't for Nasir Jamshed's groin injury, Ahmed would not have had an opportunity, but he grabbed it with both hands when he got it and impressed with a couple of 40s.

He's technically correct and has an aggressive streak in him, but he's more in the Aamir Sohail mould than the Saeed Anwar one. I reckon he's a better bet for test matches, maybe even in ODIs, but not for T20s.

Shahzaib Hasan
(Right hand opening batsman, Age: 19)

Shahzaib is a rookie in the true sense of the word. He made his first class debut 5 months ago, while he played his first ever T20 match 7 months ago.

Since then he has played another 3 T20 matches and has a total of 138 runs in 4 innings at a healthy average of 34.50. He scored a 48 ball 56 in his last T20 innings for the Karachi Zebras in the recently concluded RBS 20-20 Cup.

Not many in Pakistan had heard about this Karachi boy, but Younis Khan was impressed by his strokeplay that he displayed, first in his maiden first class ton, and then in his maiden List A 100 earlier this year.

Shahzaib's inclusion in the world t20 squad was at Younis Khan's insistence and Younis has claimed that he has the ability to take apart any attack in the world.

That is some confidence that the Pakistan skipper has in this boy.

The boy himself doesn't know if he will get his chance, but if he does, he says he will be looking to emulate his hero - Virender Sehwag!

Mohammad Aamer
(Left arm pace bowler, Age: 17)

Aamer was first heard of in Pakistan during the summer of 2007, after a fast bowler's training camp, which was held in Lahore and overseen by Wasim Akram.

On the conclusion of the camp, Wasim Akram spoke highly of Mohammad Aamer and told Pakistan and the world that a 15 year old left arm pacer was one for the future for Pakistan.

Aamer did not make his first class and twenty20 debut till a year and a half later, but since then he has not looked back. His figures make for an impressive reading:

First Class: 10 matches, 56 wickets at 15.26, SR 29.3
List A: 15 matches, 25 wickets at 23.52, Econ 4.18, SR 33.7
T20: 5 matches, 8 wickets at 16.12, Econ 6.5

Aamer has impressed one and all with his pace and swing and word is that Pakistan is confident that he will trouble most of the batsmen in English conditions.

Out of all the rookies, Aamer is the most promising one who also seems to be the answer to Pakistan's fast bowling resources, which many claim are drying up.

Pakistan has gambled with 3 very inexperienced but talented boys for a world cup; we'll just have to wait and see if they can repay that faith in them.

Shahzaib Hasan Pic Courtesy PCB (c)

Mickey Arthur and Geoff Boycott think that South Africa are one of the favorites for the world twenty20 title, but I don't think so.

Here are my reasons why.

1. Have they ever won a World Cup?
   
   
2. Knowing their luck, rain, a silly run out, or a blazing West Indian bat will keep them away from the title.
   
   
3. Only 2 of South Africa, Australia, and India can reach the semi finals; my bets are on South Africa not being 1 of the 2.
   
   
4. Mickey Arthur has said that his players' exposure to the IPL has allowed them to gather thoughts, strategies, and preparation stuff from players of different teams.
   
   With 12 of South Africa's world t20 squad members appearing in 7 different IPL teams, its going to be one hell of a confusion-galore dressing room with tons of strategies that neither Arthur nor Smith will know how to comprehend.
   
   Fortunately, none of them played for KKR.
   
   
5. In one of his statements Arthur named a few players who were the only ones who could not be called on to bat or bowl at any time.
   
   One of those players was Robin Peterson - wasn't he used as an opener or in the top order in a recent T20 game?
   
   How can they expect to win if Arthur doesn't know his players himself.
   
   
6. In the recent past, Johan Botha has captained South Africa in T20s. Smith is going to have a hard time taking over.

South Africa usually start every championship as one of the favorites, and we all know where they end up.

I don't see why this time will be any different.

Krishna over at Kridaya does two takes on predicting the winners of the ICC World Twenty20.

First he uses the scenario where the teams would qualify to the Super 8s according to their standing in the group stages.

That leads Kirshna to an India vs South Africa final and India being the eventual winners.

Then, he uses the actual scenario of where the teams go into their Super 8 pools according the seeds that ICC applies.

That leads him to a Pakistan vs New Zealand final and Pakistan being the eventual winners.

Interesting predictions I thought.

Even though its next to impossible to predict the outcome of twenty20 matches.

So Pakistan or India then?

What's your take?

A long but good write - almost covers everything about the last 3 years.

Have a read on Five Rupees.

Leela recently interviewed the captains of the teams paraticipating in the ICC World Twenty20, and she got some interesting thoughts from them about their teams' chances.

Here, we bring you the thoughts that have been coming in from all the different camps at the world twenty20.

The first murmurs started to come from the Bangladesh camp; Jamie Siddons, their coach, talked about their aims to get into the Super 8s of the ICC World Twenty20.

I think Bangladesh will make it there.

Then we heard another minnow coach in Phil Simmons talking about how he wanted his team, Ireland, to make it to the Super 8 stage.

Some say the conditions in England will suit the Irish, but I think when it comes to T20, the European teams are not as good as the Asian ones. Bangladesh will pip them to the Super 8s I believe.

Then we heard from the Sri Lankan captain; King Sanga said that his team were set to make a strong impact at the world twenty20.

Sure they will; the only problem being their presence in the Group of Death along with Australia and the West Indies.

While the other teams were talking about their aims at the World T20, out came Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, who demanded his players to have more respect for 20-20 cricket.

Wonderful Tim! About time, isn't it?

Then we had Mickey Arthur talking up South Africa's and India's chances at the 20-20 world cup.

So which one is it Mickey - South Africa or India?

Andy Flower made sense when he talked about how poor England had been in 20-20 cricket, but he didn't shy away from saying that his team had a great chance at the world cup.

Andy, no matter how experienced the English get at T20, you know as well I do that they don't stand a chance. After all these years they're still trying to learn the ODI game; T20 is another thing altogether.

It was time for another captain to finally speak after all the coaches making noise; Dhoni did just that as he talked about how the IPL gave his players a lot of exposure, which will definitely help India at the T20 world cup.

They are the only team who had all their squad members playing in the IPL; it will surely count for something.

Graeme Smith also jumped on to the bandwagon and spoke about how South Africa had been so good over the last 12 months and how badly he wants to win the world twenty20.

Just because you're "hungry" for it, does not mean you will win it Graeme!

New Zealand's coach, Andy Moles, and chief selector, Glenn Turner, also came to the party and said that a lot of thought had been put in by New Zealand in preparation for the world twenty20.

They always work hard the Kiwis.

Pakistan has also made some noise with their coach Intikhab Alam saying that he's happy with the team's preparations, while their captain Younis Khan talking about how he wants to win the title.

You can do it Younis!

Chris Gayle hasn't spoken much about the West Indies chances at the 20-20 world cup, but he does mention how glad his team is to be playing T20 again, instead of the tests in "chilly England".

I'm glad Gayle is where he likes to be.

That's all the noise that we've been hearing regarding the ICC World Twenty20 from the different camps.

But no one heard about Australia's chances, because Tim Nielsen just talked about how they needed to take T20 more seriously.

Then someone went back to the Aussies to ask them about their preparations; this is what Micheal Hussey had to say:

"Australia will have to survive a ferocious challenge from England to retain the Ashes".

Boy! Didn't anyone tell them they were in England for the T20 world cup? Guys, you can win the Ashes. I reckon you've got one hand on the trophy already! High time you start thinking about the tournament you're going to have difficulty winning.

We were on it!

Did you hear Graeme announce our name?

"State of Play", a sports program hosted by Keith on Kiwi FM, gave us our 10 seconds of fame when Graeme came on air for the cricket segment of the program.

I was out painting the town red (it was half past midnight on a weekend in Dubai!) when Well Pitched was supposed to be mentioned.

But thank heavens for iPhones and Blackberries, which enabled not only me but my friends as well to have a hear.

And hear we did amidst all the noise.

At first Keith introduced "Graeme Beasley from sportsfreak.co.nz" on to the show and the two discussed the turbulent flight experience that Graeme went through last week, on his way to Wellington.

That entertaining chat educated us Pakistanis about the fact that PIA isn't alone!

Graeme then gave us the line that we were waiting for, "Good morning New Zealand, good morning DUBAI, Q from the wellpitched.com cricket blog actually listened to the show last week and put up a transcript from that interview with Jrod that we did".

That was my 10 seconds of fame; thanks to Graeme, Keith, Kiwi FM, Jrod, and my note-pad!.

Graeme continued, "we've got a plug for the show on his blog, which makes us the top ranking New Zealand sports show because of those people listening by the internet in Dubai".

Little did he know that we had our phones patched to our ears.

Keith then joked about how he would speak to the bosses about that and get them a pay raise.

If you guys get that raise, I want my piece of the pie too.

Keith then gave some important information to his listeners, "if any of you travel to Dubai you can win a debate on New Zealand sports with any of those who listen to this show because they obviously get very inaccurate information".

I'll tell you this much people - if you stay updated through Sportsfreak and listen to "State of Play" weekly, you will surely be as up to date with New Zealand sports as any of the Kiwis who come down here. Maybe even moreso.

I didn't listen to the rest of the chat, which I would have if I was home and would have told you about it.

I did manage to record the clip though, but I couldn't upload it here because blogger apparently does not support AMR or mp4 format.

So if any of you know how I could do it or if you want a copy of the sound clip, drop me a line.

Plus, if you want to listen to the State of Play cricket segment, then its on every Friday at 8:25pm GMT.

Here is where you go to have a hear.

Pakistan's ICC World Twenty20 squad members were given a rest from the RBS 20-20 Cup final, which was contested tonight between the Lahore Lions and the Sialkot Stallions.

The Stallions' skipper, Shoaib Malik, along with the Lions' openers Salman Butt and Ahmed Shehzad, and Kamran Akmal were given a day off before they fly out to England, along with the rest of the squad, tomorrow.

Imran Nazir stepped in for Shoaib Malik and captained the Stallions, taking them to their 4th consecutive domestic twenty20 title.

Batting first, the Lions posted 150 on the back of a typical Imran Farhat knock of 47 off 27 deliveries (6 fours, 2 sixes).

Imran Nazir was once again at the top of his game and took the match away from the Lions with his 3rd fifty in 4 matches. Nazir smashed the Lions around for a 26 ball 57 that included 3 sixes and 6 fours.

Nazir posted his 50 off only 17 deliveries, which was one of the fastest 50s in all twenty20 cricket. But he couldn't better his 2005 effort of 14 balls.

Imran Nazir's awesome form in the 20-20 cup, which he ended as the leading run scorer (211 runs in 4 innings at an average of 70), is a reminder to the selectors of what they are missing. He needs to be whisked away from domestic cricket and hurled back into the Pakistan ranks asap!

He wasn't the only "ICL rebel" who reminded the PCB selectors of where they had wronged in the past; Abdul Razzak was the leading wicket taker of the RBS Cup with 11 wickets in 5 matches, and well ahead of all others.

Something to think about PCB selectors!

For all those who keep doubting Kamran Akmal behind the stumps, here's a little something to think about: no one in Pakistan's domestic circles comes close to him when it comes to wicket keeping.

We have been told that Well Pitched will be mentioned on Kiwi FM, a New Zealand based radio channel, tonight, which will be Saturday morning, 8:25 am, in New Zealand.

It will not be a Jrod type celebrity interview, but it may just be our few seconds of fame in Kiwi Land.

So if you want to have a hear, hop on to this link at the following times, depending on where you are.

8:20 pm GMT
9:20 pm UK
12:20 am UAE
1:50 am India
2:20 am Pakistan

The US of A, Australia and the rest, please figure it out.

Everyone is saying so. Mickey Arthur has said to watch out for them, Manjerekar has said that they are the favorites, and even God has spoken for them.

I have the reasons why.

1. Sachin Tendulkar has said that they will retain the title. When God speaks, you listen, you obey.
   
   
2. Defending champions alright, but Team India has come a long way since that victory at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.
   
   They're a confident bunch and can give all teams a run for their money, not only on their day but on everyday!
   
   
3. Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Rohit, Yusuf Pathan - no other team can boast of 7 match winners in their batting line up.
   
   Only one of them has to fire in full flow for India to be on top. Even if they take turns every match, they will walk away with the cup.
   
   
4. Zaheer, Ishant, RP, Irfan Pathan - that reads a top notch pace attack for English conditions. They will be a handful for the opposition.
   
   
5. Every single member of the Indian squad played a part in the IPL; majority of them turned out for all the matches for their franchises.
   
   I know it works both ways, but surely the IPL experience counts for something.
   
   
6. They are 2nd behind Pakistan in that table of Twenty20 Win % and definitely more consistent than the Pakistanis.
   
   
7. Their Super 8 group includes Australia and South Africa. If they get past them, they will in all probability go all the way.

And at the end of it all if they do what SP asks them to do, in all likelihood they will fly out of England with the ICC World Twenty20 title.

Contrary to what I reported yesterday, Pakistan's ICC World Twenty20 squad members did turn out for the RBS 20-20 Cup semi finals.

Salman Butt (25 off 33) and Ahmed Shehzad (10 off 13) once again showed why the PCB selectors have been so wrong in their choice of openers for the 20-20 world cup.

Hell, Salman Butt hasn't even opened in the last few matches.

Lahore Lions have so many of them in these two, Nasir Jamshed (1st ball duck), and Imran Farhat (33 off 27), that it confuses Abdul Razzak.

Butt, Shehzad, and Nasir have taken turns in getting those 1st ball ducks. Well it was 2nd ball ducks for the former two, but you know what I mean.

Despite that, the Lahore Lions won a close match against the Islamabad Leopards and booked their place in tonight's final.

If it wasn't for Kamran Akmal the Lions would have been embarassed, but he managed a well made unbeaten 27 off 18 deliveries with 2 sixes and a boundary, to take them home by 3 wickets in the last over.

Razzak hasn't used Akmal well during the RBS Cup. In the first 2 games, he didn't get a hit; and then in the last game and the semi he batted at numbers 7 and 8. With the World Twenty20 around the corner, I believe Akmal should have been given more batting practice.

Akmal's keeping however has been top notch! - with another 2 catches in the semi, he's on 9 dismissals in 4 matches.

In the 2nd semi final, the defending champions Sialkot Stallions easily beat the Lahore Eagles after posting 181 in their 20 overs.

Imran Nazir faced only 10 deliveries - 4 he missed or hit to the fielders, 3 of them he hit out of the ground, 2 of them he hit to the boundary, and 1 he got out on. And that is what he scored - 26 off 10.

Oh how we are going to miss him at the 20-20 world cup.

Shoaib Malik continued his good run with the bat with an aggressive 45 off 27 balls with 5 boundaries.

The Stallions are not only the defending champions but they have also won the domestic 20-20 title thrice in 3 years.

If they beat the Lahore Lions, who have been on a rampage under Razzak, they will make it 4 in a row.

Can the Lions stop them?

Should be a cracker tonight.

A lot of people are talking about India and South Africa as the favorites for the ICC World Twenty20, while I have talked about Pakistan.

No one is talking up Australia's chances; I have a few reasons why not.

1. If they couldn't win it with Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, and Brad Hodge in 2007, it is highly unlikely that they will win it this time round.
   
   
2. They're all about the Ashes. That's where there thoughts are and will be throughout the tournament.
   
   
3. There's no Shaun Marsh.
   
   
4. Their coach thinks they don't play enough Twenty20 Internationals and that his players regard 20-20 cricket as exhibition cricket.
   
   Someone forgot to tell Tim Nielsen that his team has actually played more T20 internationals than any other team. (Refer to Table).
   
   If Nielsen thinks that Australia doesn't take 20-20 seriously and that they don't play enough of it, then they can't be taken seriously. Can they?
   
   
5. Andrew Symonds will make sure he tells every other squad member exactly what he thinks about them making it into the Ashes squad, and that will not be a pleasant sight.
   
   
6. Ponting thinks his players will be tested at the world twenty20 - not the typical confident stuff from the Aussies.
   
   
7. They're pooled in the Group of Death along with Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Any bets that the Aussies won't make it to the Super 8s?

For a change, Australia are not starting a World Cup as favorites.

A better change I believe. Even more, they're not starting it as the team that looks likely to win it.

Nevertheless, count them out at your own peril; I'm only speculating!

Wasim Akram has said it, and many others also believe so.

I have all the reasons why so many people are talking up Pakistan's chances for the ICC World Twenty20.

1. Not many people outside Pakistan know this, but the Pakistanis have been playing 20-20 cricket longer than any other cricket nation.
   
   The "Annual Ramadan Twenty20 Cricket Tournament", has been played in Karachi for over 2 decades now. Since the mid 80s, cricketers from all over Pakistan have been getting together in Karachi for a month long 20-20 cricket fest.
   
   Its unfortunate that we didn't have visionaries like Lalit Modi or the vision of the ECB to turn the format into a money-spinning one.
   
   
2. The above point probably explains why Pakistan has won more Twenty20 Internationals than any other team; and lost less than any.
   
   Pakistanis understand the shorter format, and their record suggests that they are better at it than any other team.
   
   Consistency has never been Pakistan's virtue when it comes to cricket, however, when its 20-20 cricket, its a different story altogether.
   
   
3. Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, Misbah Ul Haq, and Shoaib Malik. These 4 were instrumental in taking Pakistan to the final of the World Twenty20 in 2007.
   
   Misbah in fact won that final for them single handedly, before losing it with that infamous scoop shot.
   
   The fact that Gul and Afridi are the leading wicket takers in this form of cricket, and that Misbah and Malik are among the leading run scorers, suggests that these 4 are among the best 20-20 cricketers the world has seen.
   
   Having 4 match winners in one team holds Pakistan in very good stead.
   
   
4. Their preparation for the ICC World Twenty20 has been ideal.
   
   Having been barred from the rigours of the IPL, the Pakistanis were involved in a training camp, a couple of practice matches, and an intense domestic T20 competition, which lasts less than a week.
   
   Compared to other teams, particularly India and South Africa, Pakistan will have a lot more fresher legs at the World Cup.
   
   
5. You simply cannot rule them out of anything, particularly when they are hungry for it.
   
   When Pakistan puts their mind down to something, they turn out to be the most dangerous opponents one can ever encounter.
   
   The stripping of the World Cup 2011 hosting rights coupled with the Champions League snub is enough to rile up Pakistan and get the players to rally around each other to bring home the 20-20 World Cup trophy.
   
   The news from Pakistan is that the players are thinking along exactly those lines!

For me, they are definitely the favorites.

Having that tag in no way means that they will win the 20-20 world cup; hell with Pakistan one never knows, but for sure they cannot be taken lightly.

In the match of the day, the Lahore Lions beat the Faisalabad Wolves, to qualify for the semi finals of the RBS 20-20 Cup.

Abdul Razzak continued his fine form in the competition and reminded the Pakistan selectors of what they have been missing for a long time.

After his whirlwind century yesterday, Razzak made the ball talk today with a haul of 4-13, which helped restrict the Wolves to a low chaseable total.

Ahmed Shehzad (23 off 13) finally showed that he can bat at a better strike rate than 100, while this time it was Salman Butt's turn to get out for a 2nd ball duck.

Kamran Akmal (12* off 4) finally got a hit in the middle and all he needed was 4 deliveries to hit a 6 and a 4 to bring up the 5-wkt win for the Lions.

He continued his form behind the stumps with another 2 dismissals; he may finally make it into the Pakistan team as only a keeper!

Misbah continues to be absent from the Wolves' ranks. Where is he? He has disappeared after the Pakistan camp in the mountains. He even missed the 2 warm up matches that Pakistan played before this RBS Cup.

The Lahore Eagles who boast of no big names sprung a surprise on the favorites, the Karachi Dolphins, who look more like a Pakistan international team, beating them by 11 runs and qualifying for the semis.

Fawad Alam never fails to score or impress and was at his best today as well with an aggressive knock of 51 off 36 deliveries with a six and five boundaries.

If this isn't enough for Younis Khan then I don't know what Alam needs to do to get into a Pakistan playing XI.

Sohail Tanvir (2-18 off 4) picked up wickets again today, however what was a good sign was him being economical. Its good for Pakistan that he is getting into some form before the ICC World Twenty20.

Mohammad Aamer (3-20), the 17 year old left armer who is touted as the next big bowling thing for Pakistan and has been picked in the World Twenty20 squad, hit some form too, albeit after 2 very expensive games.

In the final match of the night, Imran Nazir once again lit up the Gaddafi with a belligerent 29 ball 60 with 9 fours and 2 sixes.

How Pakistan are going to miss him in the 20-20 world cup. He needs to be recalled back into the national team soon.

Shoaib Malik, the Stallions' skipper, was in great touch as well while knocking an unbeaten 62 off only 37 deliveries. His knock included a six and 6 boundaries.

These are good positive signs for Pakistan with most of their World Twenty20 squad members getting good hits out in the middle in 20-20 cricket. The bowlers have also done well.

The semi finals are tomorrow with Razzak's Lahore Lions taking on the Islamabad Leopards; and Malik's Sialkot Stallions clashing with the Lahore Eagles.

Still can't believe the Dolphins did not make it.

I hear that the Pakistan world twenty20 squad members will not be appearing in the semi finals.
They have been given a 2 day rest before they fly to England to play a couple of warm up 20-20 matches against South Africa (1st June) and India (3rd June), before starting their World Twenty20 campaign against hosts England on 7th June.

Cricket Australia have come out with their schedule for this summer.

Pakistan have been allotted the 2 most important test matches that Australia hosts during their cricket summer.

The Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the New Year's Test in Sydney.

What's more, Pakistan will also play a 3rd test.

So its not just a 2-test series. Thank heavens for that!

There are 5 ODIs and a Twenty20 in the itinerary as well.

And here we thought we were being isolated.

Is this Australia paying us back for all the cancelled tours?

There's a new Pakistani in the cricket blogging house!

Well he's not new, he's been around for some time, but I was recently made aware of him.

He calls himself the Stani Army.

He lives in the UK and follows Pakistanis in county cricket.

He's a major Rana Naveed fan.

He hates the IPL and despises Lalit Modi.

He loves the ICL and Pakistan's ICL rebels.

And he doesn't hold back from demeaning the PCB.

So hop on over and check this army out.

As for why he calls himself the "Stani Army" - he has this to say:

"The name “Stani Army” came about as a need for an identity for loyal Pakistani cricket fans based in the United Kingdom. “Stani” was derived from the latter part of the word “Pakistani” and the name as a whole is a play on the name of England’s supporter’s group the Barmy Army."

A few days back we reported about the launch of the Mongoose.

Last night, the Mongoose made its official on-field debut when Stuart Law called for it in the middle of his innings for Derbyshire, who were playing against Durham, in their first game of the Twenty20 Cup this season.

Law began his innings with the long-bladed version of the bat; once he was settled at the crease and batting on 32, he called for the shorter-bladed Mongoose.

Once armed with the Mongoose, Law faced 6 further balls and scored 10 runs, including a towering six over mid-wicket before he was run out with one ball of the innings remaining.

Speaking after his innings Stuart Law enthused, "I obviously felt a bit of pressure going into the game that I wanted to give the Mongoose a good first outing. Fortunately, I was able to get well set and was seeing the ball well. With twelve balls left and looking to press on, it was Mongoose time."

Watching nervously from the grandstands was the Mongoose’s inventor, Marcus Codrington-Fernandez who apparently was more nervous about the bat making its debut, than he was at his own wedding:

"Like every batsman, I am absolutely thrilled to be off the mark. Both in advance of the game and at the moment that Stuart called for the bat, I was absolutely terrified – more nervous than on my wedding day! It’s a huge relief to be underway and in suitably dramatic fashion."

Now that Stuart Law has used the Mongoose in first class cricket and shown the world what can be done with it, can its international debut be far off?

Could we possibly see the Mongoose as soon as the ICC World Twenty20?

We'll just have to wait for that and find out.

If you're interested in using the bat, you can get your own over at Mongoose Cricket.


Press Release, Quotes, Pictures courtesy of Performance PR.

The day started with the news of why Shoaib Akhtar did not lead the Islamabad Leopards last night, and ended with the first century of the RBS 20-20 Cup.

Apparently the PCB contacted the Islamabad Cricket Association and told them that if they included Shoaib, he would be in violation of his central contract by not following the advice of PCB's medical experts.

That ends the genital warts saga, or maybe not so. Shoaib still has to speak and he will soon I think.

The 1st century of the RBS 20-20 Cup came from the bat of ICL rebel Abdul Razzak, who smashed the Quetta Bears for 8 sixes and 8 boundaries in a belligerent knock of 109 off only 51 deliveries.

Razzak raced to his 100 off only 48 balls; what was even more remarkable was that his 2nd 50 came off only 15 deliveries.

In hindsight, maybe the PCB should have fought harder for the inclusion of the ICL players in the World Twenty20 squad.

Salman Butt (31 off 20) continued his run of thirties; atleast he was more attacking than yesterday, but his opening partner Ahmed Shehzad failed to open his account.

With every innings I wonder why Nasir Jamshed is not in Pakistan's squad for the 20-20 world cup. For the 2nd day in a row he out shone Butt and Ahmed, with a knock of 58.

Razzak and Nasir ensured a huge total for the Lahore Lions, which was too big for the Bears who ended up losing by 74 runs.

The Lions are looking extremely strong - particularly the batting. Kamran Akmal has not had a hit yet in 2 matches, but he has been brilliant behind the stumps - 5 dismissals in 2 days and no drops - good going Kami!

The Karachi Dolphins, my favorites for the tournament, kicked off their campaign today with a big win over the Abottabad Rhinos.

For some reason Shahid Afridi is not leading the Dolhpins; Khalid Latif is. Found that quite strange considering that Afridi has led them to a couple of finals over the last few years.

Nevertheless, Afridi (34 off 20) was in fine form with the bat, but surprisingly he didn't pick up any wickets.

Fawad Alam as always showed once again why he is so highly rated on the domestic circuit -his 70 runs came off a mere 36 deliveries and inclued 11 boundaries; he even picked up 2 wickets with his left armers.

Pakistan need to make sure they get him in the XI once the World Twenty20 starts.

Alam was involved in a 100 run partnership with the Dolphin's opener and captain, Khalid Latif who smashed a 50 ball 81. His innings included 5 sixes and 7 fours and was another reminder to the PCB selectors about their wrong choice of openers for the 20-20 world cup.

Shahzaib Hasan though, who has been picked as the reserve opener, finally showed us why Younis Khan rates him so highly with an aggressive knock of 56 while opening the innings for the Karachi Zebras.

He has to do a bit more though to show me that he is a better bet than Nasir or Khalid.

Younis Khan (38 off 28) had another good day with the bat, however he led the Panthers to their 2nd loss in as many days. His and Pakistan's strike bowler Umar Gul though had another lacklustre day - he has now gone 2 matches without a wicket.

Misbah continues to be absent from the Faisalabad Wolves' ranks, and his stand-in Mohammad Hafeez continues to shine. He followed up his 74 and 3-5 yesterday with a 56 ball 79 and 3-14 against the Rawal Pindi Rams today.

Hafeez unfortunately will remain a domestic star; he has been unable to translate similar success in previous seasons at the international level.

Sohail Tanvir finally hit some form picking up 3 wickets today, but his effort was not enough to avoid a 2nd loss for the Rams.

After 2 days, the Wolves, Stallions, Dolphins, and the Leopards are leading their groups, with the latter 3 looking set for the Semi Finals.

The Lions look like the strongest team but they face a tough challenge against the Wolves tomorrow, the winner of which will win the race to the semi finals.

The organizers, schedulers, administracrats, or whatever you like to call the ICC, keep talking about how they want to improve the game, how they want to attract more fans to it, how they want to take it to a wider global market...

Yet when it comes to their branded tournaments, they somehow throw all the logic, and their plans for the game, out the window.

We saw it in the 2007 World Cup when one bad game saw India and Pakistan crash out of the competition. A competition that is supposed to be the ICC marquee event.

The ICC World Twenty20 kicks off in 10 days with amazingly lop-sided looking groups.

I know the seedings are at work, but surely the ICC could have been more logical about them.

Am I the only one who sees something wrong with a group stage, which ensures that 1 of Bangladesh and Ireland will qualify for the Super 8s; and 1 of Australia, West Indies, and Sri Lanla will not?

Amy has already written about the farce that the Super 8 stage is that groups teams based on pre-determined seedings.

What that means is that it doesn't matter who tops the pool in the group stages.

I think the points will be carried forward, but what it does is that it creates the possibility of grouping all the 4 pool toppers together in the Super 8s.

Pathetic.

The ICC does that to allow fans to buy the tickets for the matches, which would involve the teams they support.

Sure it helps the fans who are travelling from other parts of the world to catch the action.

But is that fair, particularly if it means compromising the Super 8 stage?

I don't see it happening in any other sport.

Then why in cricket?

Isn't it just logical to group A1, B2, C1, D2 in 1 group and A2, B1, C2, D1 in another?

Ottayan, in this post, points us to an article in the New York Times about the IPL.

There's an interesting connection between that NY Times article and the discussion that took place in this post on Well Pitched.

New York Times seem to agree with the notion that, "It isn’t how many you win, but when you do it that matters".

It was The Old Batsman who made that comment in the WP post that I have linked to above.

OB, do you happen to work for the NY Times?

Now if only we could get King Cricket to agree to this.

The first day of the RBS 20-20 Cup in Lahore witnessed Pakistan's ICL players returning to 20-20 cricket with a bang, while the Pakistan team members warmed up for their ICC World Twenty20 campaign.

The 13 team tournament kicked off today with 5 league games in Lahore.

As was reported earlier, Shoaib Akhtar did not turn out for the Islamabad Leopards. His genitals are probably still hurting and maybe someone forgot to tell him that painkillers do no good to warts in strange areas.

Coincidentally it was the same man who replaced Shoaib in Pakistan's World Twenty20 squad that captained the Leopards - Iftikhar Anjum.

Pakistan's captain, Younis Khan, leading the Peshawar Panthers in the competition, was the pick of the batsmen on day 1 as he played a belligerent knock of 70 runs off only 46 deliveries against the Leopards.

That was a welcome innings from the Pak skipper who has been struggling for runs of late in ODIs and 20-20 cricket. It couldn't have come at a better time with the World Twenty20 round the corner.

Imran Nazir, undoubtedly Pakistan's biggest star in 20-20 cricket who caught the world's imagination with a whirlwind century in the ICL final, returned to domestic cricket in Pakistan in a way that only Imran Nazir can.

He smashed the Karachi Zebras bowling to all corners of the Gaddafi Stadium in an unbeaten 68 off only 38 deliveries that included 5 sixes and 6 fours.

His effort led the defending champions, Sialkot Stallions, to an easy 8 wicket win over the Zebras as they chased down 133 with over 7 overs to spare.

The Stallions' captain, Shoaib Malik, was the pick of the bowlers with 3-25 in his 4.

Shahzaib Hasan, the 19 year old who was recently picked in Pakistan's World Twenty20 squad and is rated highly by Younis Khan, was bowled off the first ball of the Zebras' innings.

Saeed Ajmal, celebrated his clearance from the ICC with a top bowling effort for the Faisalabad Wolves, in which he conceded only 13 runs off his 4 overs and picked up 1 wicket.

The Wolves' skipper, Misbah, was missing from action for reasons that I have no idea about.

Mohammad Hafeez captained the Wolves in Misbah's place and came out with the performance of the day. His 74 runs led the Wolves to 218-2 in their 20 overs, and then he returned to destroy Quetta with his off spinners and ended with remarkable figures of 3-5 from his 4 overs.

Another ICL returnee to the ranks today was Abdul Razzak who captained the Lahore Lions and led them to an easy 8 wicket win over the Rawal Pindi Rams. Razzak did well with the ball picking up 2-28 in his 4 overs.

Sohail Tanvir, captaining the Rams, failed with both bat and ball. He came to bat at first drop and could manage only 7 runs, while his 2 overs cost him 20.

For the Lions, both the Pakistan openers - Salman Butt (30* off 24) and Ahmed Shehzad (28 off 32) - were among the runs, while discarded opener Nasir Jamshed played a little cameo knock off 32 off 17 deliveries.

I still don't get it what Nasir is not in the World Twenty20 squad.

In other news, while keeping for the Lions, Kamran Akmal managed to hold on to 1 catch and also effected a stumping. News is that he did not drop any, nor did he concede any byes.

I selected an IPL XI last year, so I thought I would repeat the excercise this time round as well.

My criteria is the same as last time:

1. Pick the 4 Non-Indians
2. Pick an U-23 player (last year it was an U-19)
3. Pick players according to best for a position, rather than just the leading performers

Picking the 4 non-Indian players, putting them in their positions, and building a team around them is the easiest way to select an IPL XI in my view.

The 4 Non-Indians: Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Lasith Malinga, AB De Villiers

Hayden was the top scorer and leagues ahead of other batsmen in the IPL, while Malinga was the highest wicket taker among the non-Indian bowlers this year.

Gilchrist was also an automatic pick considering he was the player of the tournament, or the "Golden Player" or whatever it is that Lalit Modi called it.

I picked AB as the 4th overseas player because there were more Indian bowlers among the highest wicket takers than there were Indian batsmen amongs the run scorers.

This way I've got my openers as well as a wicket keeper.

Hence what's left to do is the middle order, an allrounder, and the bowling attack.

Middle Order: Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik

Raina was the leading run scorer among the Indians, while Rohit Sharma gives me my under-23 player. He may be the oldest looking under-23 year old as Leela says, but the IPL chose him as the best under-23 performer, hence who am I to argue.

Which makes me wonder, isn't Raina under-23?

Plus, Rohit was the 3rd highest Indian run scorer in the IPL.

Sachin Tendulkar was the 2nd highest (surprise, surprise), but I decided to ignore him because I already had my openers, and Sachin doesn't really like to play 20-20.

It gave me no joy in picking Yuvraj, but then I guess not captaining a side will be a blessing for him. And he was 4th on the list of run getters after Raina, Sachin, and Rohit.

Since Raina, Rohit, and Yuvraj provide ample bowling options, I decided that I didn't really need an allrounder at 7; I thought a batsman would be better instead.

This was the toughest choice for me. Do I go for MS Dhoni who was next on the list of runs after Yuvraj, or do I go for Dinesh Karthik who has played some attacking late order knocks for Delhi. As a number 7, I felt DK was the better choice.

That leaves the bowling, which pretty much picks itself.

Bowling Attack: RP Singh, Anil Kumble, Ashish Nehra

The top 3 wicket takers in the IPL this year.

Here's the IPL XI 2009: 1. Matthew Hayden 2. Adam Gilchrist (captain, wicket keeper) 3. Suresh Raina 4. AB De Villiers 5. Yuvraj Singh 6. Rohit Sharma 7. Dinesh Karthik 8. Anil Kumble 9. Ashish Nehra 10. RP Singh 11. Lasith Malinga

The IPL XI 2008: 1. Shaun Marsh 2. Gautam Gambhir 3. Suresh Raina 4. Shane Watson 5. Yusuf Pathan 6. MS Dhoni (wicket keeper) 7. Ravindra Jadeja 8. Irfan Pathan 9. Sohail Tanvir 10. Shane Warne (captain) 11. Sreesanth

Raina is the only one who made it to my team in 2008 and does so this year as well. I must really like him.

It could be quite a match pitting these two teams against each other. Raina can bat for both.

Jrod gave the IPL XI 2008 the name BLINGY KINGS, keeping with the tradition for royalty in the IPL.

So what do we call the IPL XI 2009?

This is how the IPL teams stack up after 2 years of the Indian Premier League.

Its good to see the Rajasthan Royals at the top of this table since they were far ahead of all the teams last year.

They also have an IPL trophy to show for that.

On the other hand you have a Deccan Chargers, who have almost the lowest win %, and have lost the most number of matches among all IPL teams.

Yet they have an IPL trophy to show for that!

How cruel is this game of cricket?

Chennai, Delhi, and Punjab should be kicking themselves up their backsides. They have surely been the stronger and better sides, but on the days when it has mattered, they have not been up to the task.

Not to take anything away from the Chargers however.

They have just completed what probably was one of the best turnaround stories, if not the best, in cricket history.

Yes I know you have heard it everywhere, but I want to say it again - from the bottom of the table, to the top of the pile!

Last year it was the team with the lowest odds that won the final; this year it was the same.

Last year it was a purple cap winning left arm pacer that led his team to the title; this year it was the same.

Last year it was a retired Australian who captained his team to victory; this year it was the same.

Last year it was the Royal March; this year it is the Deccan's Charge!

So the Champions League has been scheduled for India in October. The tournament will include 12 teams. A country that will be notably unrepresented? Pakistan!

Last year's IPL finalists Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings will not be eligible. Sialkot Stallions, the winners of Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 tournament, will not feature as originally scheduled because their government has restricted travel to India.

"Unfortunately, the Pakistan government won't give them clearance to come to India, and since yesterday was out cut-off date, it's not possible to have a team from Pakistan this year," said Modi. "Delhi Daredevils this year have highest points from the league. But from next year, the third team from India will be decided from a play-off between the two losing semi-finalists." [LINK]

It's bad enough that Pakistan players aren't in the IPL this year. But this really takes the cake! How does Pakistan manage to deny these players such a great opportunity!

This is not a PCB decision - it's a Pak govt thing. This was in response to the Mumbai attacks / Mohammad Asif's detention in Delhi in January.

Whatever the reasons, Pak govt should have rethunk it. I know they have their hands full with more important issues. But PCB/govt should have been proactive on this.

Pakistan is suffering so much already from a dearth of cricket. This just makes things so much worse!

Both the IPL finalists won the toss in their respective semi finals and elected to field.

Both of them restricted their opponents to chaseable targets and then went about their business with ease.

The targets were chased down without a problem.

On one hand there was the awesome belligerence of Adam Gilchrist and the finishing touches of Andrew Symonds, while on the other there was the youthful exuberence of a Manish Pandey (for some reason I feel like Harsha Bhogle as I say that) and the calm of a Rahul Dravid.

What happens tonight?

Will both the Deccan Chargers and the Royal Challengers come out with the same strategy of looking to chase?

The Rajasthan Royals did that last year. They chased and won the IPL.

With 2 resurgent teams, experienced captains leading from the front, both hungry for the title, along with a similar strategy, it all points towards a gruelling contest.

Lets hope that is what we get.

I'll be going LIVE with my comments along with the rest of the crew at BCC! - Naked, SP, Som, Achettup, John, Ankit & Ankit, Ottayan, and many others.

Do join us!

Yesterday I told you how Shoaib Akhtar was fuming over his omission from Pakistan's ICC World Twenty20.

Well he hasn't kept the anger inside him and has let the PCB and the team management know exactly what he thinks of them.

He has even gotten the President of Pakistan involved in this matter.

The PCB and the team management, in situations like these, is not one to remain quiet.

And they have come out in the open about Shoaib Akhtar's addiction to pain killers, according to this article in The News.

This is not a surprise, because as soon as Shoaib pulled out of Pakistan's training camp, the popular opinion doing the rounds was that Shoaib will never feature in any ICC branded cricket series because of obvious reasons.

The obvious reasons being drug testing, which takes place in ICC World Cups and Champions Trophies, but not during bilateral tours.

However, the fact that Shoaib is trying to get back in the squad implies that he may not be on any drugs that are illegal as per the WADA terms.

Even though they were illegal for the UAE, which does in fact have stricter laws against drugs than even WADA.

Whatever it is, its quite obvious that Shoaib Akhtar has little friends left within the team and the administration.

First his genital warts become public, and now his addiction to pain killing injections.

What's next?

Shoaib is set to lead the Islamabad Leopards against Younis Khan's Peshawar Panthers in the opening game of the RBS 20-20 Cup, that gets underway from tomorrow in Lahore.

This drama has not ended yet.

About Manish Pandey.

A new star for India?

Who would have thought that the final of IPL 2009 would be contested between the Deccan Chargers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Did you?

Yeah, I thought so.

Call it irony, call it coincidence, call it a little bit of fixing, call it what you may; its surely caught a lot of people off guard.

Just a week ago, no one would have thought of this, but here it is.

The Final of the IPL 2009: Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

What is the History: Bangalore won both their matches against Deccan in 2008, while in this year's IPL it stands at 1-1.

What is the Present: Bangalore are on a 5 match winning streak that includes victories against all the teams that made it into the semi finals. Out of the 9 matches that Anil Kumble has captained, Bangalore have lost only 2.

Deccan are the dark horses here having had an up and down group stage winning 7 matches and losing just as many.

Some Thoughts: Adam Gilchrist holds the key for the Deccan Chargers. If he fires tomorrow, which he is likely to do since its a big game, then he could take the match away from Bangalore very quickly.

On paper, Deccan is the team with the better batting line up and bowling attack, but Bangalore have surprised a lot of better teams, including Chennai and Delhi.

It has the potential to be a cracker this battle of the bottom 2, or top 2, which ever way you look at it.

What is the Future: In my semi final preview, I was spot on in calling both Deccan and Bangalore. Hence I'm going to stick to the team that I want to hold that trophy - The Deccan Chargers.

Some facts that may or may not interest you:

- RP Singh has pretty much sealed the purple cap, unless he doesn't pick any wickets and Anil Kumble takes atleast a 5-for.

- Matthew Hayden has been leagues ahead of a lot of batsmen in the IPL, but his former opening partner Adam Gilchrist is not that far behind. Another 78 runs in the final tomorrow, and Gilly walks away with the Orange cap.

- A purple cap holding left arm pacer from the subcontinent took his team to the finals last year. Another one has done it this year.

- If Deccan wins tomorrow, everyone will say that an Australian captain won the IPL in both years; if Bangalore wins, they'll say a leg spinner captain did.

- If Deccan wins tomorrow, both the IPL seasons will be about the teams with the lowest odds to win the tournament, actually winning it! - Irony, fairy tales or fixing?

Karma - Bottom 2 from last year, top 2 this year.

Battle of the top 2 - Australia vs South Africa. Gilchrist, Symonds, Harris up against Kallis, Boucher, and Van Der Merwe. Not to forget, Lehmann vs Jennings.

Balls - Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers were the only 2 teams who had the balls to emulate last year's champions by appointing retired international cricketers as their captains.

Shoaib Akhtar is fuming at his omission from Pakistan's squad for the ICC World Twenty20.

Oh yes, he is fuming!

He's not fuming over the little information about his genital warts that has become public, but he's livid over the fact that he has been left out of the squad.

Shoaib thinks that he is fit to play and he wants to be a part of the World Twenty20.

The small problem is that Shoaib missed Pakistan's training camp up in the mountains, and he also missed the practice matches that the Pakistan probables played in Lahore over the last 3 days.

That resulted in Shoaib's omission.

But now Shoaib says that he is fit to take part and lead the Islamabad Leopards in the RBS 20-20 Cup that gets underway in Lahore from the 25th.

If Shoaib does turn out for the Leopards, it will be quite a slap on the PCB face, who have written to the ICC technical committee for approval to replace him in the World Twenty20 squad.

If Shoaib plays, then in front of the ICC he is fit and doesn't need to be replaced.

What will the PCB do then?

Stop him from playing the RBS 20-20 Cup?

They can sure as well try to, but I don't think it will work because from some reason the president of Pakistan is involved in the whole sham.

The PCB have apparently received a call from the President's house inquiring about why Shoaib was dropped from the World Twenty 20 squad.

That is not all but Shoaib Akhtar has also blamed Intikhab Alam for being responsible of keeping him out of the team.

Remember, it was Intikhab who first came out with the genital warts story.

The PCB statement came next.

A major controversy is brewing in Pakistan, and as always, Shoaib Akhtar is in the middle of it.

This is not the last you have heard of Shoaib Akhtar and genital warts!

Jrod of Cricket with Balls fame, who just became the first ever cricket blogger to write a cricket book and get it published, was just on the radio.

It was his first ever radio interview, carried by a New Zealand based radio channel; and I had the privilege of listening to it.

I'll try and reproduce what was said, however the humour that was there in the chat might be missing. But here it is anyway.

The presenters welcomed Jrod by calling him a senior Australian cricket correspondent from London. They mentioned that he was the business of running a cricket website, a blog, and that now he was breaking into a new market of book readers, which was a big thing.

Jrod started of the interview in the way he knows best, by bagging the Aussies. "Yeah its a big thing for an Australian to write a book", was his opening line.

He talked about how the idea came up, which was through some people suggesting it to him and Jrod deciding to do it when someone said he wouldn't have to write anything but pick it all up from the website and put it together. "That was easy to do", said Jrod.

When asked how he decided what to include and what not, Jrod mentioned that he did try to give it a story but obviously there was no narrative in there.

Picking what to include was easy according to Jrod, "just put in what included a bit of sex, some swearing, what was funny..."

The presenters pitched in with "Jesse Ryder drinking".

Jrod made a statement that if his old posts still make him laugh then they would surely make other people laugh, and I think that is completely true.

I just started reading the book so I know!

The presenters then asked him about the website and Jrod talked about how it came about as a platform for him and his friends to talk about cricket.

"Initially everyone was excited that yeah we'll discuss cricket, but within a week I was the only writing", said Jrod. I know how that works Jrod. That's pretty much the story of Well Pitched as well.

Oh, he also mentioned that he is originally a film maker. Did you know that? I knew that.

Coming back to the website, Jrod praised the cricket loving Indians and how they started coming to his website, which gradually resulted in a lot of people hearing about it.

The presenters wondered if it was the India vs Australia series in Dec 2007 that raised the popularity of his site, since Jrod gave the unique perspective of bagging both sides.

According to Jrod it was that and also due to some state cricketers turning up on his Victorian blog and eventually on Cricket with Balls.

He then turned to some Aussie bagging by bringing up the Ponting-Kumble pact regarding the catches and questioning how Kumble did not know that that meant that the Australian will claim everything they caught.

He went on to say that Bradman wasn't exactly the best of persons in the world, and that it didn't get any better after that.

Religion came up next, as the presenters asked Jrod what Sehwagology was.

Jrod confessed that he had no idea how to explain how Sehwag batted, hence it had to be something to do with what he believes in, which is Sehwagology.

He said it couldn't be explained, much like what would Jesus do if he batted. "How would jesus bat?", asked Jrod.

He also explained the way Sehwag would ask a girl out. By doing just that - asking her out. Going up to her and asking her directly without any fuss.

That people, is Sehwagology by Jrod.

Then there was some Shoaib Akhtar bagging regarding the PCB disclosure about his latest injury - genital warts!

The presenters and Jrod wondered why the PCB was so honest about it and whether it was something to do with payback. They stated the obvious that Shoaib possibly could not be the first ever sports person to suffer from genital warts.

They also wondered how it stopped someone from playing cricket and Jrod explained that it was because of the after affects of getting them removed.

Shane Watson's groin injury was also linked to this with the presenters concluding that whenever someone goes down with a groin injury, everyone should know that its really genital warts!

I think its someone in the board getting back at Shoaib Akhtar for something. Wait for his response in the coming days.

After a few laughs the interview returned to Jrod's book. He mentioned that The Times, Cricinfo, and The Guardian will be carrying reviews of it soon, and hoped that others would follow suit: "I wish it were carried on Sky everyday".

They then moved to the upcoming Ashes and asked Jrod what his expectations were regarding the series.

Jrod was at his best here saying that he wanted a good series, where a lot of stuff happens, and people get real angry.

"You don't want a series like the England-West Indies series to report on, I would slit my wrists if I was asked to report on that!", he claimed.

Jrod signed off by saying that Mitchell Johnson is getting bit angry (by taking shots at Bopara), but it still isn't enough cause he's metrosexual.

There was a dig at Daniel Vettori's shitty captaincy as well before Jrod went off air, which the New Zealand presenters enjoyed a lot.

The interview ended with a little promotion of Cricket with Balls, and the latest cricket book in town written by Jrod.

Have you bought your copy yet?

For the Australians, its here.

You know you want to read it.

Last week on facebook, I mentioned that Well Pitched had received an invitation to Lord's for the launch of a new innovative bat.

We couldn't make it to Lord's since none of us are based in the UK. The launch event, however, was in the UK and it took place at Lord's this morning.

Thanks to Performance PR, who sent us the invite, we have all the information about this new bat - what its all about, where its going to be used first, and who all is going to be using it.

When we received the invite we were told that the bat was called the "Mongoose".

At the time, I thought that it was the new double sided bat, which was recently approved by the ICC.

However, it was not that.

The Mongoose is an innovation that truly changes the way we know cricket bats.

Here is the fact sheet:

1. The Mongoose bat has been designed specifically for Twenty20
   
   
2. The Mongoose is the most radical change to cricket bat design since 1771



3. The MCC Laws sub-committee has confirmed that the Mongoose bats are legal and allowed to be used in all levels of cricket. They conform to the new version of Law 6 and Appendix E, which came into force on 1st October 2008



4. The Mongoose has been scientifically proven by Imperial College to offer batsmen 20% more power and 15% more bat speed than a conventional bat



5. The Mongoose allows you to hit harder & further without changing the way you play



6. The Mongoose’s blade is 33% shorter and its handle 43% longer than a conventional bat



7. The splice, usually located in the blade of the bat, is incorporated in the handle, which ensures there is no dead spot in the hitting area of the bat



8. The Mongoose also reconfigures the shoulders of the bat by dropping them down nine inches. The weight taken from the shoulders – about 20 per cent of the blade weight – is redistributed to the back of the new, shorter blade



9. The Mongoose is the invention of Marcus Codrington Fernandez, former Global Creative Director for one of the biggest advertising networks in the world



10. The Mongoose will make its first class debut in the Twenty20 Cup (England's domestic competition)



11. The players using the Mongoose bat in first class cricket will include:
    Stuart Law – Derbyshire and Australia
    Ebony Rainford-Brent – Surrey and England
    Laura Marsh – Sussex and England

So then, what do you reckon - will the Mongoose help batsmen hit harder, faster, and further?

What do you make of the shorter blade thats supposed to have a larger sweet spot than a conventional bat?

Will Stuart Law make heaps of runs with the Mongoose?

If its successful, how much longer before it comes into international cricket?

If you want to know more about the Mongoose, see some more pics of Stuart Law posing with the Mongoose, or even buy the Mongoose (£159), hop on over to Mongoose Cricket.

Press Release, Facts courtesy of Performance PR.
Pictures courtesy Mat Hale.
Science stats provided by Professor Anthony Bull, Imperial College, London.

They are in the IPL Finals!

Who would have thunk.

They have turned it around full circle.

From bottom of the table to a shot at the Cup.

If Rajasthan Royals were a fairytale last season, Deccan is one this season.

Delhi lost it after the mid-way tactical bullshit. Just could not get the ball away.

Then the Adam Gilchrist show kicked in!

And what a show it was.

More on that later.

Till then, rejoice the Deccan Charger's Charge!

Deccan Chargers have never beaten the Delhi Daredevils in 4 matches between the two teams.

Will it be any different today in the 1st IPL Semi Final?

Delhi have finally understood what I have been talking about all along - open with Gambhir and Warner, Sehwag come one down.

They tried it last match and it worked and they're doing the same today.

Deccan's fielding first, which is a bit surprising in a pressure game.

Gilchrist did say that it was their strategy, and it might as well be, but I think it has someting to do with the Daredevils being very good at chasing.

With the 2 batting line ups of Deccan and Delhi, it promises to be a high scoring match.

Stranger things have happened though in the IPL.

Can Deccan do it?

Can they beat Delhi?

Can they get a crack at the title after finishing at the bottom last season?

Here's hoping they can.

Gambhir GONE and Game ON!

In the race for a spot in the IPL Semi Finals, the Royal Challengers Bangalore were once in a position from where they had to win every single match in order to qualify.

They did just that starting with their victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders and going on to win their next 3 games as well, making it 4 wins on the trot.

Their next 3 wins came against:

Chennai Super Kings

Delhi Daredevils

Deccan Chargers

That's right, the other 3 semi finalists.

Food for thought?

The 4 semi finalists were disclosed yesterday after the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab royally messed up.

Who the semi finalists were going to play against was left to be decided on the final day of the group matches.

We know that now with the Delhi Daredevils taking on the Deccan Chargers, and Chennai Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Before I give my few cents on these matches, I would like to know if anyone predicted these 4 teams to be in the semis.

Did you?

I've seen a number of predictions on blogs and in the comments, but I'm not sure if I came across one that got all the 4 teams - DDD, CSK, RCB, and DC - right.

For if anyone did, they made one hell of a prediction considering that the Royal Challengers and the Chargers were the bottom two teams in the IPL last year.

Who would have thought they would make it to the semis this time round.

Semi Final 1: Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers

What is the History: They have played 4 matches in the IPL so far and Delhi has won all of them!

What is the Present: Delhi started this year as the favorites, and they played like them too. While Deccan have been the turnaround team of the season after their woeful 2008.

Some Thoughts: It says a lot about Delhi that they have managed to top the table without Sehwag or Gambhir being in any kind of form. On the other side though, Gilchrist and Gibbs have been one of the best opening pairs in the IPL.

Both teams have very strong batting line ups - probably the best in tournament, hence at the end it will all be about whose bowling does better.

RP Singh is the leading wicket taker in the IPL, while Nehra is 2nd on the list. Ojha and Nannes are both among the top 10 wicket takers with the same number of wickets.

That leaves very little to chose between the 2 teams.

What is the Future: The tide has to turn so I say that Deccan will win their first ever match against Delhi and make it to the finals, making a complete turnaround!

Semi Final 2: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

What is the History: Even stevens, with both teams winning 2 matches apiece out of the 4 they have played each other in. Surprisingly Bangalore beat Chennai last year as well as this year.

What is the Present: Chennai were always expected to make it into the semis, however Bangalore have been the surprise element. Their luck changed completely as soon KP left, and with Kumble at the helm they look like a completely different team.

Some Thoughts: You talk about Sehwag-Gambhir, Gilchrist-Gibbs, and the likes, but Chennai have 1 man who is equivalent to an opening pair all by himself - Matthew Hayden! He stands far ahead of the rest of the batsmen when it comes to the number of runs scored in the IPL this year; the gap would have been more had he not rested out the last 2 matches.

For Bangalore to have any chance against them, they need to get Hayden early.

Bangalore have chopped and changed their opening pairs as well as their batting line up, giving them an uncertain look. Their bowling has also lacked the bite despite a few bursts here and there from Kumble and Praveen Kumar.

Chennai look far too strong in front of them.

What is the Future: Talking about turnarounds, a Deccan-Bangalore final will make it just that! The bottom 2 from 2008, ending as the top 2 in 2009. So while I think they don't stand a chance, here's rooting for Bangalore.

I'm postponing my Q4 report till after the finals, because it doesn't make sense to do one now with just 3 matches to go.

But as far as the Orange and Purple Cap are concerned, it is the left handers yet again who are in contention for that. Its highly doubtful that anyone will overtake Hayden in the runs tally, while RP Singh and Nehra are in the race for the purple one.

Quarterly Reports: Q1, Q2, Q3.

He's from Karnataka.

He's played a handful first class games and dozen Twenty20 matches.

He played for the Mumbai Indians last year.

He turned out for the Royal Challengers Bangalore this year.

It was only his 3rd match in the IPL this year.

It was only his 2nd innings in the IPL.

He smashed only the 2nd century in the IPL this season.

His 114* is the highest score in IPL 2009.

He was up against 2 of the the leading wicket takers.

He is Manish Pandey.

And he is only 19!

And above all, after McCullum, Hussey, Gilchrist, Symonds, Jayasuriya, Marsh, and AB; Manish Pandey becomes the FIRST EVER INDIAN to score a century in the IPL! (Thanks Adverbin).

Some Achievement that.

First Shahrukh Khan, and then today Shilpa Shetty and Priety Zinta - the bollywood gang is on their way to where they belong - Mumbai!

The day began quite badly and continued to get worse.

First the news of Symonds not making it to the Ashes squad. How sad.

Then the Fake IPL Player proving that he is a coward.

Then the Rajasthan Royals, the defending champs, being kicked out by the worst team in the IPL. No more Shane Warne. Complete sadness!

Thank heavens for the Chennai Super Kings putting the brakes on the Kings XI and bringing some semblance of excitement to the day.

This more or less means that both the Deccan Chargers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore are on their way to semi finals.

I really don't think that a loss for either of them will drop their respective net run rates from +0.265 and -0.253 to below -0.483.

I don't believe its possible, unless Deccan inflict a heavy defeat on Bangalore.

Doubtful.

So what could have been a potential cracker of a do or die match for both teams, will now be a relatively insignificant one.

The only thing at stake would be who faces who in the semis.

The winner of the Deccan-Bangalore match will take on Chennai, while the losing side will take on the Delhi Daredevils.

Who do they fancy?

In the overall scheme of things, how the Semi Final plot was unraveling, tomorrow is quite a downer as the last day of the group stages.

Still, here's rooting for a Deccan win so that a potential Deccan-Delhi final could be set up.

Here's also rooting for Glen McGrath to finally get a game and do battle against Sachin Tendulkar once again.

What a way for the defending champions to go crashing out of the tournament.

They lost to the worst team in the IPL this season.

That too for the first time.

Rajasthan Royals had beaten Kolkata Knight Riders in all the 3 games the teams had played so far - a 45 run victory, a 6 wicket win, and a Super Over demolition.

What a time to lose your first match to someone.

When the bloody semi finals are on the line.

They didn't go down without a fight though, but at the end it just wasn't enough.

Now only 3 teams are left in the race to the semi finals - Kings XI, Deccan, and Bangalore.

Its quite straight forward from here for these 3.

But the champs are out. Damn it!

It looks like I was wrong.

Andrew McDonald makes the Ashes squad and Andrew Symonds doesn't!

How in the world does that happen?

I wasn't the only one who was wrong.

I am already waiting for the Jrod to wake up from his slumber and do a piece on how McDonald made it, but Symonds didn't.

Maybe Dirk Nannes only agreed to wake McDonald up if it was to tell him that he was going to England.

All the other usual suspects and Graham Manou are in.

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter who the Aussies pick or not.

Its not like England will win because of a few players in it and a few out of it.

This was Well Pitched giving their head spinner, on the race to the IPL semi finals, yesterday.

and

This is Cricinfo giving the same, today.

The Australian squad for the Ashes is going to be announced tomorrow and apparently the Australians are nervous.

Really?

What is there to be nervous about?

For one, I'm not even sure if they are nervous. Cricinfo claims they are with the headline, "Australians face nervous wait".

So who exactly is waiting nervously?

Again, Cricinfo's sub-headlines are:

"Watson closes in on Ashes call-up"

"Ponting backs Symonds"

"Nervy Hughes awaits call-up"

"McDonald sweats"

They have got to be kidding me. I mean seriously.

Shane Watson closed in on his Ashes call-up as soon as he hit that 40 odd in his 1st hit against Pakistan.

Don't tell me the Aussie selectors had not shoed him in right then - the sight of Watson scoring gets them off, we all know that by now. And that century in the final hit would have sealed his spot.

Ricky Ponting doesn't need to back Symonds. Its quite obvious the selectors are going to pick him as well.

The 50 against Pakistan in the 2nd ODI and the subsequent appearance at the press conference with Micheal Clarke to sort of seek redemption at the hands of the media and talk up an Ashes spot made it quicte obvious that Symonds had one foot on the plane.

The oddest one is about Phil Hughes.

Why in the world is he nervy?

Does he, or Cricinfo, actually think that after scoring centuries and 150s in his debut test series against South Africa, and then knocking ton after ton at Middlesex is going to keep him out of the Australian test team?

Even the one about McDonald amused me.

He has no reason to sweat. He should just chill out and a book a summer holiday to some part of the world.

Obviously with Symonds and Watson on that plane to England, McDonald is not going anywhere.

So who is nervous? and why are they?

The Australian fans surely aren't. They're pretty sure the Ashes are coming home.

So are the English for that matter.