Till now Indian players have done well with it." Sachin Tendulkar, Gary Kirsten and Dilip Vengsarkar, the former chairman of selectors, have all spoken out against the packed schedule, saying the players could suffer injuries and be mentally fatigued.
The 37-day IPL ended on May 24, and there's only a 11-day gap before the start of the World Twenty20, raising concerns about players not getting sufficient time to rest.
However, Dhoni also said the IPL had helped prepare for the tournament in England.
"It [IPL] helped us a lot in terms of exposure and skills.
So it was more beneficial for us." Looking ahead to the tournament, Dhoni said the presence of so many part-time bowlers in the Indian squad was a huge advantage.
"We have Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh who have taken hat-tricks in the IPL.
We also have Suresh Raina.
Yusuf Pathan is there too," Dhoni said on the eve of the team's departure to England.
"We have someone like Ravindra Jadeja with limited international experience but with high talent.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pakistan Hard World Cup Twenty20
LPakistan squad departed for next month's tournament on Saturday with coach Intikhab Alam advocating the strength of careful preparation going into the second edition of the 12-nation event.
"No one can make any predictions about Twenty20 matches but I am backing my team to do very well because the preparations have been top class," Alam told reporters before the team boarded a London-bound plane.
In 2007, Pakistan lost to arch-rivals India in the final of the inaugural event in South Africa, a defeat that Alam said still hurt his players and acted as an incentive to go one better this time around.
"They have been through a grueling conditioning camp in the mountains and have had very productive sessions with a sports psychologist," he added.
Something Pakistan could not prepare for, however, was last week's withdrawal of spearhead paceman Shoaib Akhtar because of a skin infection, although he has been replaced by Rao Iftikhar.
Better news for the side came when off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's bowling action was cleared last week after he had been reported by match officials for a suspect action. Alam said Shoaib's absence was unfortunate but there were plenty of capable players in the side.
"Whether it's a Test match, one-day or Twenty20 international, the sports psychologist has impressed upon the guys that cricket is a team game and not about individuals," Alam added.
Pakistan and India will play a warm up match at the Oval on June 3 with the International Cricket Council (ICC) having decided that proceeds from the game would be given to the victims of the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March.
The Pakistan coach said his team had some very experienced players who had the ability to adjust quickly to English conditions.
"No one can make any predictions about Twenty20 matches but I am backing my team to do very well because the preparations have been top class," Alam told reporters before the team boarded a London-bound plane.
In 2007, Pakistan lost to arch-rivals India in the final of the inaugural event in South Africa, a defeat that Alam said still hurt his players and acted as an incentive to go one better this time around.
"They have been through a grueling conditioning camp in the mountains and have had very productive sessions with a sports psychologist," he added.
Something Pakistan could not prepare for, however, was last week's withdrawal of spearhead paceman Shoaib Akhtar because of a skin infection, although he has been replaced by Rao Iftikhar.
Better news for the side came when off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's bowling action was cleared last week after he had been reported by match officials for a suspect action. Alam said Shoaib's absence was unfortunate but there were plenty of capable players in the side.
"Whether it's a Test match, one-day or Twenty20 international, the sports psychologist has impressed upon the guys that cricket is a team game and not about individuals," Alam added.
Pakistan and India will play a warm up match at the Oval on June 3 with the International Cricket Council (ICC) having decided that proceeds from the game would be given to the victims of the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March.
The Pakistan coach said his team had some very experienced players who had the ability to adjust quickly to English conditions.
Friday, May 29, 2009
ICC World Cup T20 2009
Steve Elworthy, the ICC's tournament director, believes that the allure of international competition will enable the forthcoming World Twenty20 to rise above the fears of overkill that are currently circulating in English cricket, but warned that the ECB will have missed a trick if they fail to use the three-week event to attract a new audience to the game.
Speaking to Cricinfo on the eve of the tournament, Elworthy admitted that the game's administrators had learnt their lessons from the disastrous Caribbean World Cup in 2007, and were also mindful of overloading the calendar with too many marquee events. But regardless of the hype and glamour of the recently completed Indian Premier League, he insisted that tickets for the World Twenty20 were proving extremely popular in what he described as a "unique summer" for the ECB.
"The key point with any product is the exclusivity," said Elworthy. "You want people walking away at the end of a match wanting more, you want them to say: 'I can't wait for next season because I can't wait for the next Twenty20 competition'.
"[It's true that] there've been a couple of very big competitions in a fairly short space of time, but it'll settle down. It is a massive summer of cricket for the ECB, but it's a unique summer. It doesn't happen very often to get the Ashes and a world event in the same year and hosted by the same board."
Speaking to Cricinfo on the eve of the tournament, Elworthy admitted that the game's administrators had learnt their lessons from the disastrous Caribbean World Cup in 2007, and were also mindful of overloading the calendar with too many marquee events. But regardless of the hype and glamour of the recently completed Indian Premier League, he insisted that tickets for the World Twenty20 were proving extremely popular in what he described as a "unique summer" for the ECB.
"The key point with any product is the exclusivity," said Elworthy. "You want people walking away at the end of a match wanting more, you want them to say: 'I can't wait for next season because I can't wait for the next Twenty20 competition'.
"[It's true that] there've been a couple of very big competitions in a fairly short space of time, but it'll settle down. It is a massive summer of cricket for the ECB, but it's a unique summer. It doesn't happen very often to get the Ashes and a world event in the same year and hosted by the same board."
Australia slip from England
The Australians' low-key arrival into Birmingham on Thursday belied the enormity of the summer that lies in wait. It also contrasted sharply with the team's entry four years ago, when an expectant England and a ravenous media created an intimidatory atmosphere that started the moment the players cleared customs and lasted until they boarded their return flight - urn-less - several months later.
A turgid series against West Indies and a spate of dispiriting controversies involving the national team has spoiled England's cricketing appetite of late, although the intensity of the nation will inevitably lift when the World Twenty20 and, more notably, the Ashes approach. But for the veterans of Australia's last Ashes campaign in England, the subdued nature of Thursday's team arrival was both surprising and bemusing. And for Justin Langer, currently based in Taunton with Somerset, the lack of fanfare that accompanied Ricky Ponting's men this time around was particularly jarring.
"I suppose my recollection of last time is especially vivid, because I arrived on the day of the London bombings," Langer told Cricinfo. "I got into Heathrow at 7am, and within a few hours the bombs had gone off. It was an eerie feeling. The entire city felt like a ghost town. But well before that, the guys who arrived for the one-dayers (which preceded the Tests), said it was fever pitch from the moment they stepped off the plane. I'm not quite sure what the reasons are, but this time it seems much more low-key."
Australia's few survivors from the 2005 Ashes series might have expected hordes of baying England supporters on Thursday, but were instead greeted at Birmingham airport by a modest gathering of journalists and well-wishers. With Manchester United's Champions League final defeat still commanding blanket coverage in these parts, a Twenty20 squad arrival - even that of Australia - was unlikely to bounce Ronaldo off Fleet Street's back pages.
Still, before decamping to their team hotel, Michael Hussey spoke on behalf of the tourists and provided an intriguing insight into a new-look and evolving side; one that appears to possess little of the hubris and headline-grabbing aggression that defined the Shane Warne-inspired team of four years ago. Shots across bows were replaced by gracious compliments of England's recent rebuilding efforts under the stewardship of the Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. Hardly the phony wars of yore.
A turgid series against West Indies and a spate of dispiriting controversies involving the national team has spoiled England's cricketing appetite of late, although the intensity of the nation will inevitably lift when the World Twenty20 and, more notably, the Ashes approach. But for the veterans of Australia's last Ashes campaign in England, the subdued nature of Thursday's team arrival was both surprising and bemusing. And for Justin Langer, currently based in Taunton with Somerset, the lack of fanfare that accompanied Ricky Ponting's men this time around was particularly jarring.
"I suppose my recollection of last time is especially vivid, because I arrived on the day of the London bombings," Langer told Cricinfo. "I got into Heathrow at 7am, and within a few hours the bombs had gone off. It was an eerie feeling. The entire city felt like a ghost town. But well before that, the guys who arrived for the one-dayers (which preceded the Tests), said it was fever pitch from the moment they stepped off the plane. I'm not quite sure what the reasons are, but this time it seems much more low-key."
Australia's few survivors from the 2005 Ashes series might have expected hordes of baying England supporters on Thursday, but were instead greeted at Birmingham airport by a modest gathering of journalists and well-wishers. With Manchester United's Champions League final defeat still commanding blanket coverage in these parts, a Twenty20 squad arrival - even that of Australia - was unlikely to bounce Ronaldo off Fleet Street's back pages.
Still, before decamping to their team hotel, Michael Hussey spoke on behalf of the tourists and provided an intriguing insight into a new-look and evolving side; one that appears to possess little of the hubris and headline-grabbing aggression that defined the Shane Warne-inspired team of four years ago. Shots across bows were replaced by gracious compliments of England's recent rebuilding efforts under the stewardship of the Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. Hardly the phony wars of yore.
Monday, May 25, 2009
ICC World Twenty20, 2009 Match Schedule
1st Match, Group B - England v Netherlands
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 10th Match, Group D - New Zealand v South Africa
Lord's, London
Wed 10
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 11th Match, Group C - Sri Lanka v West Indies
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Wed 10 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 12th Match, Group A - India v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Thu 11
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 13th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v A2
Thu 11 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 14th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
B2 v D2
Fri 12
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 15th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
B1 v C2
Fri 12 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 16th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v C1
Sat 13
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 17th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
C1 v D2
Sat 13 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 18th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
D1 v B1
Sun 14
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 19th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A2 v C2
Sun 14 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 20th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v B2
Mon 15
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 21st Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B2 v C1
Mon 15 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 22nd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B1 v A2
Tue 16
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 23rd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v C2
Tue 16 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 24th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D2 v A1
Thu 18 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Fri 19 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
Sun 21
15:00 local, 14:00 GMT Final - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 10th Match, Group D - New Zealand v South Africa
Lord's, London
Wed 10
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 11th Match, Group C - Sri Lanka v West Indies
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Wed 10 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 12th Match, Group A - India v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Thu 11
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 13th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v A2
Thu 11 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 14th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
B2 v D2
Fri 12
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 15th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
B1 v C2
Fri 12 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 16th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v C1
Sat 13
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 17th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
C1 v D2
Sat 13 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 18th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
D1 v B1
Sun 14
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 19th Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A2 v C2
Sun 14 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 20th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
A1 v B2
Mon 15
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 21st Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B2 v C1
Mon 15 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 22nd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
B1 v A2
Tue 16
13:30 local, 12:30 GMT 23rd Match, Group F - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D1 v C2
Tue 16 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 24th Match, Group E - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
D2 v A1
Thu 18 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Fri 19 Floodlit Match
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC
Kennington Oval, London
Sun 21
15:00 local, 14:00 GMT Final - TBC v TBC
Lord's, London
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