Friday, August 30, 2013

Pakistan dominates T20 Internationals


Posted by Q at Friday, August 30, 2013 No Comments
After completing a clean sweep over the West Indies in the T20s, Pakistan climbed to number 2 in the ICC T20I Rankings; which is the highest ranking they have achieved in the format.

Its surprising though that Pakistan were not there, or even at number 1, earlier. They are clearly the most dominant international T20 team.

Even though Pakistan has played more T20Is than any other international team, they have also won more consistently than any other international team.

Pakistan's win percentage of 62.3% is the highest among the 17 teams that have played T20 Internationals.

There are a number of other T20 records that belong to Pakistan and its players, which clearly spells out why Pakistan is the best T20 team in the world. If you have the bt phone and broadband connection in the UK, you can use it to browse through Pakistan's T20 records online and see how dominating a force they have been.
  1. Pakistan's series win over the West Indies was their 12th series T20I series win, which is the highest number of bilateral series won by an international T20 team.
  2. Pakistan boasts of not only the leading wicket takers in T20 Internationals, but the top 3 leading wicket takers - Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, and Shahid Afridi are on top of the charts with 74, 73, and 64 wickets respectively.
  3. I hate to say this but its true that Kamran Akmal, with 54 dismissals, has the highest number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper in T20 Internationals.
  4. Pakistan hold the record for taking the least number of deliveries to dismiss the opposition - they required only 74 deliveries to bowl out South Africa in Centurion in March this year.
  5. Saeed Ajmal's 25 wickets in 2012 is the second highest number of wicket taken in T20 Internationals in a calendar year. The record is Dirk Nannes' 27 in 2010.
  6. Pakistan's 103 run win over New Zealand in Christchurch in December 2010 is the largest margin of victory by runs for T20 Internationals not involving associates or affiliates.
  7. Umar Gul's six 4-wkt hauls in T20 Internationals is the most number of 4-wkt hauls in T20Is.
  8. Shahid Afridi has 8 man of the match awards in T20Is, which is the highest number of MOM awards in the format. He shares that record with Shane Watson.
Right they say that the shorter the game, the better the Pakistan!

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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Clarke Confident Over Harris Fitness


Posted by Q at Wednesday, August 28, 2013 No Comments
Australia captain, Michael Clarke, has insisted that Ryan Harris will be fully fit and ready to lead the bowling attack when England head Down Under for the next Ashes series.

The inspirational fast bowler rounded off what was a disappointing Ashes for Australia with another impressive personal performance in the drawn final Test at the Oval, going on to pick up Australia’s player of the series award.

The 33-year-old Queensland quick came into this series on the back of yet another injury but showed no signs of any issues on his way to picking up 24 wickets at an average of 19.58, second only to England’s Graeme Swann on the overall series wickets tally.

But while Harris picked up a slight hamstring strain in the final Test of the 3-0 series defeat, Australia are confident of having the rejuvenated bowler ready for action when the next Ashes gets underway in less than three months.

According to the Betfair cricket page, Clarke said, of Harris: "I think he will be fine. He has bowled a lot throughout the series. He deserves a break and he’s got one coming up.”

"He is unbelievable. Statistics don’t lie in Ryano’s case. His stats are as good as anyone’s who I have ever played with. He will keep going. I had to send him off the field at the end because he wasn’t fit to bowl. He doesn't give up, he doesn’t stop, I love him in the team. Most importantly, he is a great man."


Injuries have been the main reason for Harris's failure to become a regular member of Australia’s Test side over the past few years, playing just 16 Test matches since making his debut in 2010. But despite his limited Test match appearances, the fast bowler has now collected a staggering 71 wickets, proving a boon to people who follow the latest odds. 

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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

A Shahid Afridi Inspired Trophy


Posted by Q at Tuesday, August 27, 2013 No Comments
Which other cricketer has a trophy based on him? Or lets even think which other sportsman?



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Monday, August 26, 2013

The Good, The Bad & The Cricket


Posted by Q at Monday, August 26, 2013 No Comments
Match fixing is a dirty word. Since the biggest scandal to rock international cricket back in 2000 with Hansie Cronje making all the headlines, match fixing has continued to dog a sport known for its gentlemanly demeanor. It’s a term that comes up time and time again and one can be assured that when a team is fairing really bad, odds are there are a few fans mumbling the words “match fixing” under their breath.

Just recently match fixing once again fell under the spotlight when Pakistan went up against the West Indies in July. The Pakistan team was accused of match fixing in St Lucia when in the third match, the West Indies were chasing 230. It doesn’t help they scored just one run from 18 balls. Matters of this nature are bound to raise questions.

More recently the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League came under scrutiny when the ICC (International Cricket Council) charged 9 cricketers for their involvement in match fixing. Of the 9, 7 were charged for fixing while the other 2 were suspended for the knowledge of the matter.

Although only officially brought to light in 2000, match fixing has been around for years and through its dramatic exposure (Hansiegate) has not only tarnished the good name of cricket but has also made it quite clear that the sport has a very seedy underbelly. The murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer back in 2007 has only added fuel to that fire. According to various books published on match fixing, and more specifically ‘Caught Out’, written in 2007 by Laurie A Claase, an investigative journalist and cricket enthusiast, match fixing has an annual turnover of $1 billion.

The general public and fans alike struggle with the idea of match fixing. Many refuse to believe that their cricket idols could become fallen ones. Many also don’t understand why something like match fixing, which is an incredibly questionable betting scheme could do as much if not more business than a reputable and legal casino site like iPadcasino.co.nz that provides punters with a range of mobile casino games to choose from along with a regulated casino environment that assures players of fair play.

The cat is out of the bag and it is safe to assume that the clean image that cricket once held will always be weighed down by match fixing. On the plus side the cricketing governing boards have implemented stringent measures to counter this scourge of the game and the recent indictments in the Bangladesh Premier League is a testimony to their commitment to keep the game clean.

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Ashes 2013: Final Test Preview


Posted by Q at Monday, August 19, 2013 No Comments
The Investec Ashes series heads to the Oval for the 5th and final test this week with England looking to make history by securing a 4-0 home victory over Australia for the first time.

All-rounder Chris Woakes and spinner Simon Kerrigan have been drafted into the three-lion’s squad to replace injured pace men Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan; the latter ruled out for the rest of the cricket summer with a stress fracture of the lower back.

Australia meanwhile enter the final test once again in disarray after a humiliating 74-run defeat in the 4th test at Durham and the tourists will be desperate to restore some pride ahead of the return series which starts in Perth this November.

Struggling skipper Michael Clarke will be hoping that his fragile batting unit can finally string together some runs, having only once passed 300 with the bat in 8 innings so far in England.

Usman Khawaja, Phil Hughes and Steve Smith were all warned by coach Darren Lehman last week that their “careers are on the line” following their failures so far in the series and those 3 will be battling to put that right when the action commences on Wednesday.

The tourists also have concerns over their bowling attack with the injury-prone Ryan Harris likely to be wrapped in cotton wool following his heroic exertions with the ball at Chester-Le-Street and selection dilemmas concerning Jackson Bird and Mitchell Starc.

England will be in buoyant mood ahead of their trip to the Oval, a ground where they have won 16 from 35 Ashes tests, and the hosts are set to recall quick-man Chris Tremlett who last featured against the Australians when he took England’s final wicket to cement a 3-1 series triumph down-under in 2010/11.

Spectators will hoping that any rain stays away for the 5 days but some forecasters are predicting partial disruption to play which is why bookmakers like Williamhill are pricing the draw at 5/2.

Regardless of the result, at the end of this test match England will once again be presented with the famous urn. Australia’s mission is to lay down the foundations for a different outcome later this year.

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