New look India set to dominate cricket:

When India won the world cup a few years back many people put this down to the team playing on home soil. They answered the critics in fine fashion not losing a game in the champions trophy victory.

The win is special for two reasons, one being that the last time the team played in England they had been embarrassed by being whitewashed.  The other reason being that many of the big names in Indian cricket had previously retired. The team was void of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhjan and Zaheer Khan. This is a lot of experience lost from the squad.

The replacements for these players were the stars of the show, Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar all stepped up. By bringing in these new players India have also gained in the field and now can be classified as one of the best fielding sides ever to have graced the game of cricket.

The skipper MS Dhoni has to go down as one the greatest captains to have played cricket. He has guided India to world number one in test cricket, world cup wins in ODI cricket as well as T20 and now the champions trophy. He is a key part to India’s success over the last six years, not only is he a great captain he is very underrated as a batsman and wicketkeeper. He could make the Indian team on his batting alone.

India has always had a star studded batting line up but they have never put together a consistent run in non-subcontinental conditions like they did. The form of Shikar Dhawan has played a part in this, the way he played against a swinging ball is unlike most Indian batsmen. Many a player before him has struggled to play in English conditions.

In the bowling department India now have three genuine bowlers who can trouble any batsman. In particular Bhuvneshwar Kumar showed a lot of promise. He showed the reasons why many people such as myself think he will one day become a bowler who could one day compare to Dale Stein or James Anderson.

One day cricket has suffered in the last few years as there has not been one dominant team, but this Indian team are in a good position to dominate for a long time. The experienced players in the team are Dhoni, Kohli and Raina. The later two being under the age of 28, meaning that they could actually play for another possible eight /nine year. The future for Indian cricket is very bright. 

India v West Indies my thoughts

Today I made my way to the Oval to watch a match between tournament favourites India and many peoples dark horses to win the competition the West Indies. These are two teams who I have tipped for the tournament. 

Going to the ground there were serious questions asked over the weather. The majority of the crowd seemed to be Indian, resulting in a very good atmosphere. The tone of the match was set early on by the very impressive Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He bowled a fantastic spell taking the wicket of Chris Gayle as well as giving away very few runs. What was better for India was that Kumar was being backed up from the other end by all the other bowlers. Yadav and Sharma bowled quick, Ashwin and Jadeja frustrated the batsmen. 

Apart from a few flashes from Gayle, Pollard and Sammy at the end the West Indies did not show much with the bat. India also demonstrated why many people have dubbed them the best fielding side in the competition, stifling many chances for the West Indians. Credit has to Raina who as usual seems to give it his all for the side, often sprinting from one of the pitch to the other at the end of each over.

India's batting started off very different to the West Indies, Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan once again showing they are the partnership for the long term. Sharma can count himself to be given out on review and Dhawan was given a lifeline by Roach, who we all cheered on for the rest of the match. The moustached opener went on to score a century after a rain delay. 

The only issue I had with DK and Dhawan batting was that they could have gone a little quicker in the chase. They could have finished the match off before the rain delay, but they did the job so I shouldn't complain to much. 

Below I have included a few pictures which I have taken today:

My finding of the woman's world cup

The latest woman's cricket world cup has ended, and to most people it has not made an impact on their minds at all. This is a real shame as it was the most promoted woman's world cup in history, with heavy advertising in both England and India. Saying that for the people that did watch, the competition levels seemed to have improved since the last tournament.

For those people who do not know what happened Australia were crowned champions for the sixth time. The other two power nations of woman's cricket England and New Zealand finished third and fourth respectively. West Indies, Australia's opponents in the final showed their inconsistent nature in the tournament. It seems that the batting relied too much on the explosive Deandra Dottin. 

Dottin has to be one of the players of the tournament for me, she showed great power smashing many sixes. Australia's Lisa Sthalekar seemed to have great control of her bowling, making her hard to play. The standard of fielding in this competition also came at a surprise, with most teams being pretty good. Another surprise was the rise of Sri Lanka, they qualified out of their group for the first time. 

India the hosts seemed to be playing with a lot of pressure, in particular they needed to score 253 runs against Sri Lanka. The girls did not have a clue how to approach this, they knew they didn't have to win, but had to make the run rate. The Indian team did not take singles when they were on offer and decided to leave full tosses alone. There has been a lot of talk about the BCCI not caring about their woman's team, it would surprise me if they do not get enough funding. 

England the raining champions were good, but not as good as usual. They did come top of their group but a nail biting two run defeat to Australia in the super sixes probably cost them a place in the final.

A little disappointment of the competition was that other than Sky Sports and BBC radio the other media outlets barely mentioned this tournament. If the standard of cricket carries on improving at the same rate, I do not see why there will not be more interest in the next one.

Why the CLT20 does not excite me

Is it just me or has this years champions league twenty 20 come around totally at the wrong time? It comes on the back of a great summer where England and South Africa battled it out world number 1, the West Indies showed class to lift the WT20 and a few good series starting up.

I am a big fan of T20 cricket as it is quicker and often packed with great players from across the globe going head to head. The issue for me is that right now the competition comes off the back of a great WT20, and before some great series's. I have seen alot of T20 games and I am missing the other formats at the moment. 

Another issue which has been highlighted by an Australian selector is the fact that their players get no break before a key series against South Africa. He highlights Starc and Cummings in particular need of rest. It could be argued that they are getting good practice of bowling on South African pitches. 

I do not like the fact that some players qualify for this tournament for two teams, meaning they have to elect a team to play for. This year Narine and Brett Lee have elected not to play for Sidney. It is a little funny that the players always choose the IPL team, I wonder why. I guess the only way to stop this is stop players playing in foreign leagues. This would reduce my enjoyment of the IPL.  

If this was a true champions league I think that the champions of all countries  should be able to go straight into the group stage. This would probably mean the fourth IPL team would have to qualify. This is the first year where all four IPL teams have gone straight into the competition, mainly due to their financial power. It may be good for the competition if a non IPL team wins this year, but me being a Delhi fan I hope not. So far we have seen a few good matches, in particular I liked the way in which CSK were totally outplayed by Sidney Sixers and how Delhi are looking really strong. 

A good thing about the tournament is that I get to see more of my favourite team Delhi Daredevils. It was a good chance to take another look at Chand who I think is a great player. I guess that I will be watching this competition with interest as it progresses but I think the real deal for me will be the Australia v South Africa test series starting soon. 

Will the USA be good for Cricket?

This morning I woke up and my dad was asking me about my opinions on cricket moving to the USA. This was because of a piece done on Bloomberg about the idea of a new T20 league in the US. I decided to read this article to find out what it all was about (click here). 

To my surprise the idea was alot more than a pipe dream, it has been planned to launch in summer 2013. The league has been planned to be similar to the IPL. This means lots of money, star names and Hollywood actors as owners. 

T20 seems to be a perfect fit for America, as it only lasts 3 hours, quite easy to follow has cheer leaders and big shots into the crowd. The only problem is that there are many sports that Americans love, this means cricket will struggle to make a big impact. For example it has taken a long time for football (soccer) to be considered as a sport that is not just for kids and woman. 

Generally it has been hard to establish other sports into the USA. This is probably due to the fact that the existing sports have established a large following which has been passed down the generations. It could also be down to a lack of knowledge of the new sports or thinking that the other sports are kinda pointless. 

The biggest challenge to cricket will be from baseball, a sport many people consider similar. In my eyes T20 cricket beats baseball hands down in terms of excitement, this obviously would be disputed by baseball fans. For me there are way to many baseball games on, devaluing the sport. Another reason being that T20 cricket is actually heralded around the world, where as baseball is only popular in USA and Japan. Ice Hockey in the US is really being challenged by football (the Beckham affect), but all the other sports are are pretty settled. Football has finally made an impact and in a recent ESPN poll it was voted the second most popular sport for people aged between 12-24 in the US. So if football can have such a big impact so can cricket, one day. 

The idea of getting celebrates involved in this new league is good as it will get people talking about cricket. The only thing which worries me is that non immigrant Americans will not understand the sport and therefore not watch. Another issue will be that if it does take off in the USA, there will be more pressure put onto test cricket. This being that more top players will forget about the longer formats of the game and join another money spinning league. It seems to me that eventually there could be two different sports as there are so many T20 leagues some players may solely play T20 whilst others might only play test cricket. 

A question has to be asked if to suit the local audience they may change some of the laws. This is something that happened in the early stages of the MLS, this is something which would worry me. Another factor to consider is if the league will actually help young American cricketers. In my opinion to get the best viewing figures they may actually resort to having whole teams made up of world stars, meaning that it does nothing for American cricket. The fact that league is to launch through the Ashes series is another worry. This means that England now have to contest a loosing battle to the IPL for the first series and now the second series of a summer could be hit by this tournament. Another dilema for Pietersen, who would definitely be offered a contract here.  Only time will tell if the UST20 will be a success for cricket or not. 

How each teams flaws were exposed in the World T20

So the World T20 has finished and I have now decided to take a look back over a tournament which started very slowly but burst into life in the later stages. 

Whilst thinking back over the competition it struck me that each team lived up to their pre tournament flaws or in West Indies case the pre tournament hype. Many people see T20 cricket as a form of cricket where one or two good players could win the team a competition. This competition showed that a complete team was needed. It also showed that the teams who lacked something were found out. 

The winners West Indies proved that having a balanced team is the best formula in the shortest form of the game. Players such as Gayle, Samuels, Bravo, Pollard and even Sammy are genuine T20 all rounders. Add Narine (my pre tournament prediction as being the best bowler) and the vastly improving Rampaul to the West Indies and they have a great team. I am not sure how I looked past them when trying to predict the competition. 

The other teams were all flawed in certain areas, these were areas which had been highlighted by many before the competition had started. Sri Lanka may have lost the final because of a late blitz by Samuels but in my opinion it was down to their soft batting line up after the top three. India lacked options in the fast bowling department and England sorely missed the opening presence of Peitersen. Pakistan and New Zealand showed spells of brilliance followed by their usual inconsistencies. Australia were found to lack experience of playing international cricket, a reason why Watson stood out over his team mates. 

Australia are in my opinion the favourites to take the next tournament, yes a big statement to make but their team is still pretty young and showed glimpses of what is to come. 

The tournament started off very very slow, almost to the state of boredom. Many people questioned the timing of the competition, being in the Sri Lankan rainy season. Their were questions raised over the format of the tournament and the poor standard of cheerleaders. I still cant get over the fact that India as poor as they were, only lost one match that's one less than the winners.  The competition was brought to life by the players, especially the West Indians who danced and celebrated everything. 

Why I want West Indies to win World T20 and why Sri Lanka have to change a bad habbit

I write this before West Indies play their semi final against Australia, so by the time you may read this they may be out. I will nail my colours to the mast and pick West Indies as the team I would like to win. 

There are a few reasons why I would like them to win the competition, the first being that India are now out I needed a new team to back. Another reason is that I would like to see West Indies back at the top of world cricket. If I were to ask my father right now who has been the best ever team, or player in cricket history, im sure he would reel off West Indies and a few of their players such as Sobers. 

Given my age I do not remember a time where the West Indies were ever a force in world cricket. Over the last 25 years they have had very little to celebrate apart from Brian Lara (the last of their true greats) and a Champions Trophy. 

There are a few reasons why West Indian cricket has been in the doldrums, one is the poor organisations of their cricket board and the other being increased competition of other sports. Cricket has lost some of their best talent to sports such as athletics and basketball. For example Usain Bolt is made for fast bowling, although this would have been a major loss to track and field he could have been brilliant. I suspect that if he was born 20 years earlier he would definitely have been in cricket.  

The last reason I want this new generation of West Indians to succeed is that spirit of their team. The way the players celebrate a wicket, the way Pollard throws himself around on the field, the laid back persona of Gayle. A reason why they have qualified to the semi finals is the fact that their quality batsmen are very useful bowlers, their good bowlers can add runs with the bat and their fielding is very very good.

So come on West Indies bring back a bit of love for cricket in the Caribbean. 

Yesterdays match saw Sri Lanka qualifying to the final by beating a good Pakistan side. Getting to the final of a major international cricket competition is something that Sri Lanka are very used to. 

Since they won the world cup in 1996, they have been to 2 world cup finals, 1 champions trophy final, and a world T20 final. These have all resulted in them loosing, although the champions trophy final had been rained off 2 days in a row, so could be discounted. 

It is a real shame for Sangakara and Jayawardene not to have won a major trophy just yet. This habit of loosing in finals is something that they will want to quickly change. The best opportunity for this will be in the final, the same place where they had won their solitary world cup.   

World T20 - How has the ICC got this wrong?

So the tournament is well under way and there has been nothing to really write about. There are many people who dislike this version of the game anyway. I am normally a defender of T20 cricket, saying it should treated separately to any other format, but this time it has left me a little bored. 

I do not blame everything on the ICC but their record of organising tournaments is not good at all. The world cup in West Indies a few years back was the worst tournament ever organised. This time around may be a little bit more disappointing to the ICC, as the WT20 is usually the competition they organise the best. Lets look at the reasons why this has been poor tournament so far:

1. No incentive to win the group: leading to dead rubbers:

The super eight groups were pre-decided, so as long as all the expected teams qualified, they knew who they will be facing in the next stage.  This could work, but then in my mind it has to be done by the so called minnow team in each group NOT playing the first two games in each group. I believe the only reason to have this seeding system is to make sure India play Pakistan once in the tournament, and the ICC make as much money as they can. This happened to both Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, both teams played the opening two games of the group and were subsequently knocked out. This is before Pakistan or the West Indies even bowled a ball. 

All this mean that the games: Sri Lanka v South Africa and England v India were dead rubbers (pointless games). Although both games were entertaining they didn't matter one bit. England being demolished by India and South Africa thrashing Sri Lanka by 32 runs in a 7 over a side game. This game in particular seemed to me the most pointless of them all, both teams through the next stage, no incentive to come top. I do not really think a 7 over game should be counted in the stats. It particularly messes up bowling stats, as we saw with Malinga going for 27 runs in his two overs.  

2. Why is the competition being played in the monsoon season?

To me this is the most awful scheduling, the ICC obviously do not know how the weather works in Asia. If they would like help on this I am more than willing to travel to Sri Lanka and explain to the person deciding on the scheduling that it is still the monsoon season, and that games will be rain affected. Why not play in another season when it is less likely to rain?

3. Minnows have not performed:

This is not actually the ICC's fault, but a definite reason why the competition has been a bit of a bore so far. Zimbabwe were the worst side, making club sides look good. Afghanistan bowled well against India but were atrocious in the field and lacked any quality with the bat. Ireland seemed to be slow out of the blocks against Australia and the match against West Indies was abandoned half way, but in all truth they probably would have lost.

So I have a good moan, lets hope the tournament improves now, which I am sure it will, weather permitting.  

I will leave you with a picture of the tournament so far: 

World T20 so far

The warm ups are all done and dusted and  there has been three competitive games  at the World T20 tournament, so what have we learnt. 

1. India will not challenge for this trophy due to their poor bowlers:

Watching India labour to a win over Afghanistan after unsuccessfully defending 185 against Pakistan in the warm up game, it is clear that India have a terrible bowling unit. Zaheer Khan seems to be unfit not taking a wicket in the match. His bowling at the present time is very average compounded by his fielding. Zaheer like Balaji look like old age pensioners running around the boundary, T20 should be a young man's game. Irfan Pathan has been in decent form before warm up games, but against Pakistan he was clueless, bowling a full toss to give them the match. The one wicket he took today was a clear inside edge given out LBW, that could easily have been a game changer. Rohit Sharma batted for 3 balls today, its time Dhoni puts in another front line bowler (who is actually decent) into the team.

2. England and Pakistan are looking strong:

These are only warm up games so should be taken with caution, but both teams have impressed. Pakistan showed the good side of their batting against India chasing down 185. This is impressive as people have questioned Pakistan's batting. The normal Pakistan batting did return in the next match being bowled out for 96 chasing only 111. In this game Pakistan impressed with the ball, bowling England out for a low total. England outplayed Australia in all departments on Monday as well as a fine bowling performance to skittle Pakistan out today. The two teams have very good bowling attacks which should impress throughout.

3. Australia are vulnerable in batting once the top 3 are out:

Today Australia were not tested to their full batting capacity, this due to their good bowling display. I am not sure if the poor batting was due to complacency or something else, but after Watson fell it was all down hill. The captain Bailey taking it easy scoring 6 runs off 17 balls. In my opinion they would be a much improved side if Bailey dropped out and David Hussey came into the team. 

4. The Colombo pitch is a good pitch for seam bowling:

Watching the Austrailian bowlers today it is evident that the pitch helps the seamer's. Watson in particular set the tone for his younger compatriots Cummings and Starc who both bowled fast and aggressively. Teams such as England, Pakistan and South Africa will be able to exploit these conditions well. I am looking forward to Stein, Morkel and Finn on this pitch. The Hambantota pitch seems on evidence to be a turner, as there were 9 wickets falling to spin in the 2nd innings. 

5. It was the Mendis show in game 1:

Jeevan Mendis started this route with his effort with the bat, scoring a good 43. He followed this up with 3 wickets in an impressive display. Jeevan would on any other day have expected the headlines, but his namesake Ajantha provided the best ever bowling record in T20 cricket. Figures of 4 overs for 8 runs and 2 wickets, truely amazing figures. Zimbabwe did not have a clue how to play him. Sri Lanka looked good during the match doing everything right, but I still have a slight feeling they will fall short. 

6. The minnows so far need to improve their fielding:

Afghanistan could have shocked everyone today if they had taken their catches. They played good cricket but were let down by the fielding. Ireland were under par in all departments, but they would be more disappointed that they did not put Australia under more pressure with their usual good fielding. 

Bring on the rest of the show, I personally cant wait to see West Indies play, for me the most intriguing team. 

World T20 - Bangladesh

The emerging force in Asian cricket, I believe they are a dangerous team who now believe they have a chance of beating any team. About 6/7 years ago Bangladesh lacked belief, they would have been beaten when the group had been drawn. The core of the team have been together for a while now, since the 2007 world cup. 

The captain is Mushfiqur Rahim, he is only 23 but has developed into a good leader. It is clear that he has always been an exceptional wicket keeper but his batting has come along over the last few years. He started out as a solid batsman but now has developed into playing a few shots. 

It is nice to see Mortaza back into the team, he has been very unlucky with injuries in the past few years. A quality bowler who used to trouble top batsmen, lets hope he comes back to his best. Ashraful is an enigma, he has the game to be a really good player, but recently he has disappointed a lot. Shakib Al Hasan is an exceptional player, up amongst the top all rounders in world cricket. 

Young players to watch: 

• Nasir Hossain: Another allrounder that can develop into a good player. His spin bowling can be a handful for opposition. 
• Shafiul Islam: Has been playing for a while, he is a good fast bowler. With Mortaza back he finally has a bowling partner up to his level. 

My Prediction:

It will probably come down to the game v New Zealand. This is a very big game for Bangladesh, as it would mean that they have once again qualified over a more established nation. They have good spinners in the team which could cause teams trouble, I think that New Zealand may pull it out the bag and qualify at their expense. GROUP STAGE

World T20 - New Zealand

Every time I watch New Zealand play I want them to do well. I am not sure why but New Zealand are always the team I support when India cant. They have a good team but not one I would call great. I would say they have some players who could get into most teams: Taylor, Franklin, McCullum, Southee and Vettori but others who quite frankly are not up to that standard yet. There are many young players in the squad, who could surprise, if that were to happen it would be some story. 

Ross Taylor is the captain of this side, a player who I really enjoy watching, he also plays for Delhi my favourite IPL team. Taylor is feeling his way into his role as captain, this will be a real test of his captaincy. There is alot resting on Taylor's shoulders, and he may feel the pressure. 

As with any New Zealand team the fielding will be excellent, the main concerns are over the batting depth. They will be batting on pitches which may be similar to the one which they collapsed in the first test v India. Jacob Oram in his day was a great allrounder, but a few injuries have seen him change as a player, this could be a good last swan song for him. If Vettori is fully fit he will do well as he is a quality player. 

Young players to watch:

• Kane Williamson: A good middle order batsmen, I know he is considered by many to be a future captain. 

My Predictions:

New Zealand are a tough team to call. It will be between them and Bangladesh to see who comes out of this group. I think New Zealand could just edge out Bangladesh. SUPER EIGHTS

World T20 - Pakistan

This is a very talented team, this is when the board are not sacking players, changing the captains or players are not being accused of match fixing. Pakistan are the most successful team in this competition winning the second tournament and losing in the final in the inaugural competition. There are many players who have played in both these finals still around in the squad. 

The captain is Mohammed Hafeez, a good allrounder who leads by example. He has the hard task of unifying a team with so many former captains, each with reason to believe that they should not have been sacked. One of those former captains is Shahid Afridi. 

Afridi is the star name, he is the best batsman, best fielder and a very good bowler, on his day he can be a good watch. He is helped out in the spinning department by Saeed Ajmal, a bowler who England could not pick at all last winter. Pakistan's strongest suit is their bowling Umar Gul is a brilliant bowler who is deadly bowling at the depth. The team needs to step up the batting and fielding. They have players such as Razzak who is not known for being lightning around the field. 

Young players to watch:

• Umar Akmal: He has been playing for quite a while. he like his older brother likes to attack bowlers. He is really fun to watch as he is likely to go after every ball, the downside of this is that he could get out every ball. 

My Predictions:

Pakistan are in the group of death with New Zealand and Bangladesh. if they were to start slowly they could be in trouble, as every game is a hard match. I do not think they will struggle and predict that they will make the SEMI-FINALS.

World T20 - South Africa

This team is vastly experienced in all forms of the game, they are currently number1 in test cricket and are close to number 1 in ODI cricket. They could cap off an awesome year by winning some silverware. 

South Africa have a always had the tag of Chokers, in knock out tournaments, this is something which they would want to change. 

The new guy in-charge is A.B de Villiers, he has carried on the role that Smith had done over the past few years. Gary Kirsten should also be considered here, he has past experience of winning this competition, and it seems he has a teams that can also win this competition. 

In Hashim Amla they have a player who is on top form, a player which will surely cash in with many runs in Sri Lanka. They have a good middle order who  are all capable of scoring big, the captain is a player who is inventive a plays creative shots. They have a long batting line up, with Albie Morkel and Wayne Parnell capable of hitting the ball long and hard. 

Young Players to watch:

• Richard Levi: Although his technique is in serious question, he is a player that can hit the ball out of the park. He scores quick and holds the record for the quickest century, 117 not out off only 45 balls. He uses brute force, powering his way to big scores. 

My predictions:

In my opinion South Africa have the best allround team. In Kallis they have a player who can do anything, he plays a big role in the team. Dale Stein and Morkel is one of the best bowling partnerships in world cricket, aided by Botha and Peterson the spinners who do a good job. I think they will be FINALISTS.

World T20 - Sri Lanka

Loosing in the manor they did in the World Cup final has definitely hurt Sri Lanka. Since the last world cup all 3 of their heralded players have been captain. This could be there time to right a few wrongs. This is also includes the other final they lost, when Pakistan took the title of this competition. Playing at home they can be more confident, as they are the experts on these pitches. 

The current skipper is Jayawardene, his second time in charge. He is one of the modern greats of the game, very adapt to this form of the game. 

He has a record for the highest tally of runs in this competition, I am under no doubt that he will add to this total. Sri Lanka have picked a side mixed with youth and experience. In Malinga they have a unique bowler who does not concede many runs and takes wickets. It seems that Malinga has also been quite by his standards over the past few months, they will need him to be back to his best. The legend of Murali needs to be replaced and in Mendis they have a decent bowler, obviously not to the standards of Murali. 

Younger players to watch:

• Dinesh Chandimal: A player who has been around for some time now, he is still only 22 years of age. He is a good technical batsman who can pace an innings well. He has some IPL experience which is pretty valuable in this competition. 

My Predictions:

Although Sri Lanka have the players to win this competition, they may fall short of expectations. I think that they are over reliant on certain players to perform, and if they don't they may struggle. I think they will get to the SUPER EIGHTS. 

  

World T20 - West Indies

Where to start with the West Indies, this is a team which could do absolutely anything. In the same group as Ireland the big fish slayers, there is a potential upset there. Alternatively West Indies have a squad very capable of winning this competition. 

Captained by Darren Sammy a man who is a capable leader, a somewhat smart cricketer who makes the most of his ability. Sammy had to take charge of the team in hard times, this was all in the absence of  Chris Gayle. He steadied a sinking ship, and now must have ambition to bring West Indies back up.

He has Gayle back to aid there quest, this is Gayle's best form of the game. One which he does not need to break sweat and still look world class. It is evident that Gayle has added intellegence to his game now, through playing the IPL, he now sometimes lets the other opener smash his way ahead so he can build his runs up before smashing the ball everywhere. Chris Gayle is just one of 4 allrounders, the others are no mugs either: Pollard, Dwaine Bravo, Russell. These 3 players are also very very good fielders, often saving many runs and taking catches which looked impossible. 

Sunil Narine in my eyes is currently the best spinner in world cricket T20 cricket. He wasn't as well known before the last IPL but he ended it as the best bowler taking his team on to win. 

Young players to watch out for:

• Johnson Charles: a young opener who has a similar game to Chris Gayle. he is relatively untested at international level, but has a good record in domestic T20 cricket. If him and Gayle are paired together there could be fireworks.  

My prediction:

I am going for the good West Indies to turn up. I have a good feeling that Narine and Gayle will fire sometime. I think they can get to the SEMI-FINALS.

World T20 - Australia

For most of my life Australia have been the best team, expected to win every competition they played in. It is a little odd for me not to think they are favourites for this tournament. They are now back with the pack in what is an open draw. The squad is full of either very experienced players or very inexperienced players. 

The captain George Bailey falls into the later of these categories. He has only 5 international T20 games under his belt, he had been named captain on his début. He is if you didn't know a player who can change games with attacking play, a little like his predecessor Cameron White who drops down from the captaincy, raising doubts whether he will start all the games. 

The experience in the team comes from a rejuvenated Brad Hogg, the Hussey brothers and Shane Watson. The selection of Hogg is interesting, pretty much stating that Australia have no young spinners coming through. Warner and Watson at the top of the order can destroy any bowling attack, also aided by Matthew Wade. 

Young players to watch for: 

• Mitchell Starc: An exciting fast bowler who looks a real prospect. It will be interesting how he performs on Sri Lankan pitches. 
• Matthew Wade: He is a wicket-keeper/batsman in the mould of Adam Gilchrist. He can bat pretty much anywhere in the batting order, but seeing as Warner and Watson are established openers he probably will be used as a lower order hitter. 

My prediction: 

A good team, most of these players play in the IPL so generally they should be used to conditions and other top players. The middle order batting is the key to Australian success, this is a job for Mike Hussey. A definite flaw in the bowling attack is the spin department, this will be an issue in the competition. I predict that Australia will end their journey in the SUPER EIGHTS. 

World T20 - India

India over the last couple of years have gone to Sri Lanka and conquered all. There has definitely been a shift in squad selection back to fielding more experienced squads. This is largely because the younger players have been around the international stage for so long. There are a few odd picks which I am not sure what to make. 

With Dhoni as the captain India have a guy who has been there and done it all. He knows this format of the game like the back of his hand. His experience is a huge advantage compared to Australia, South Africa, England, Pakistan and New Zealand all of whom have relatively new captains in charge. 

The batting line up is probably the strongest in the business, this is a team that can afford to leave of Sachin Tendulkar and still challenge. The return of Yuvraj is only a good thing, something that everyone is happy to see. He will probably come in for the out of form Rohit Sharma, due to his ability to take crucial wickets. 

Harbhjan is also back in the squad, this is after he has done his little stint on reality television. His selection is interesting, I am sure he will be extra motivated now because he has now experienced what it is like to effectively retire. He is a good player and adds extra experience in the team but I believe he has an ego about him, he was over aggressive as a captain in the IPL and for this alone I do not think he deserves another chance. His selection could also have a negative impact on Ashwin as he is now unsure if he is the main spinner or not. 

The selection of Balaji is also odd, he is selected infront of Yadav and even Munaf Patel. Balaji who adds little in fielding and batting is a decent bowler but I believe Yadav is a much better bowler. Munaf before his antics in the IPL one of the best bowlers, he is being punished for this, by being left out where as Harbhjan walks straight back in. Zaheer Khan is still the best bowler but no spring chicken in the field, he will have to be hidden. 

Young players to look out for:

There are no young players that you haven't heard of, but Rohit Sharma is still pretty young and needs to secure his place in the starting line up. He is very capable of winning games, batting anywhere in the order. A very talented young man, he could be one of the best if he applies himself. 

My Predictions:

I feel India have the best batting line up, but the bowling is hit and miss. In Kohli and Dhoni they have two players in top form. The Indian team venture to Sri Lanka quite often now so conditions should not be anything new to them. The experience gained through playing in the IPL is invaluable, all of this makes India one of the favourites. I predict they will make the FINAL. 

World T20 - England

The reigning champions and world number 1 team, England are the team to beat. Since England won the last competition they have lost both the captain and man of the tournament. The loss of both Pietersen and Collingwood may play a bigger impact as the competition progresses, as they were the two most experienced players in the team. 

The new skipper is Stuart Broad, not a person who you could call a natural captain. Broad in the past has been accused of loosing his head when facing adversity, this was clear especially in the first world T20 when he just laid the ball on a plate for Yuvraj to hit 6 after 6. He is a new captain and will be wanting to impose his style onto the team, he is a little lucky that his team is talented. 

The balance of the squad look good, having a player for most scenarios. Steven Finn will now head the bowling attack, something he will relish. It is his big chance to show his quality, especially in the absence of Anderson. There are plenty of good allrounders in the squad, Patel, Bopara, Wright, Bresnan and Broad all of whom can be match winners at this level. 

Eoin Morgan is seen as the best batsman, he is coming off the back of what has been a pretty bad year for his standards. His mate Bopara will be aiming for a change of form with the bat after a disastrous series with the bat. 

Young player(s) to watch:

• Jos Buttler - Powerful batsman who has excelled in T20 cricket. He has champions league experience with Somerset. Every time I have seen him play he is trying out new shots, likes to play the Dil Scope over his head. Buttler is unlikely to play unless another batter is injured or off form, his main rival Bairstow has excelled this season and is ahead in the pecking order.
• Hales - It will be interesting to see England play Hales over Lumb. If he is selected as opener he can show his aggressive play, an ability to score quickly. 

My Predictions:

England are a dangerous team, and on their day can beat any other team.The youthfulness of their side should mean they are good in the field as well as fearless. But the inexperience of their side could actually cost them. It is also notable that they do not travel well to the sub continent and do not play spin well. For this reason I predict they will be get to the SUPER EIGHT STAGE.

T20 World Cup - How it works

So there are limited overs matches for England and South Africa to contest, T20 matches between India and New Zealand, and a few matches between Pakistan and Australia. As soon as these are completed the cricket fraternity will be focused upon the World T20 competition which starts on the 18 September with the hosts Sri Lanka taking on Zimbabwe. 

The Format:

There are a total of 27 matches packed into a 20 day period. The format is quite a complicated process, involving two group stages before any straight knock out matches are played. The first group stage involves 4 groups each with 3 teams in. This is generally two of the bigger cricketing nations and one minnow but in the case of group D, there is no minnow nation. 

The top 2 in each group will go into either group 1 or 2 of "The Super Eights," this is another 2 groups of 4 teams each. The top 2 in each team will then face the semi finals. If your still confused click ESPNCricinfo link for a brief summary. 

The groups:

Group A:	Group B:	Group C:	Group D:
England	Australia	Sri Lanka	Pakistan
India	West Indies	South Africa	New Zealand
Afghanistan	Ireland	Zimbabwe	Bangladesh

The competition:

Predicting this competition seems almost impossible, for me all the major nations have an equal chance of winning. Previous winners of this tournament include England, Pakistan and India. All three teams will be confident they can match there past endeavours. I believe that along with the three past winners South Africa, and Sri Lanka have squads to be classed in a group of favourites. Australia do not seem as strong as they have been in the past, although they are still a good team that is very capable of winning any competition. The three dark horses for me are West Indies. 

Click on the major nations below to see articles on each nation:

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

Please leave comments below on the competition and who will win:

General cricket news - 26 AUG 2012

1. India win the U19 World cup:

This has been a fascinating turn of events, seeing India win the under 19 tournament. A team who limped to wins against Pakistan and New Zealand in the previous rounds, beat the favourites and home side Australia to take the title. The young Indians emulated their senior counterparts by taking the world crown. Australian captain William Bosito once again led his team from the front, top scoring and remaining not out as he has done all competition. Incredibly he has only been out once, out of six games, earning him man of the series. The Aussie skipper has shown he is a reliable middle order batsman a useful skill he could use in all forms of the game.

His Indian counterpart on the other hand Unmukt Chand has had a poor tournament, scoring less than 40 runs on four occasions out of six matches, this included a duck vs Pakistan. Chand raised his game for the occasion, scoring a majestic 111 not out. The Indian skipper has long been touted as a potential star of the future, already earning a few games for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL and breaking into his state team (Delhi). 

I believe that the tournament is about giving young players international experience. This has been a valuable experience for all the teams, especially the batsmen who have had to successfully/unsuccessfully adapt to tough batting conditions. For an Indian team of any level to triumph in Australia is a massive achievement, as this is a place where many before them have struggled. India have also show cased battling qualities which are inbred in the new generation of Indian cricketer. Both players named above have shown they have the game to make  fine senior international cricketers, but alot of hard work is needed and for media to managed expectations if they are to make it. 

2. India Beat New Zealand:

A massive victory for India here, an innings and 115 run win. There is not much more of a spanking which any team could get in a test match. This result reaffirms my belief that India are the best team in the world in the sub continent and that New Zealand test cricket is on the slow decline. The later is a big shame because there are good players in the squad but not enough good players compared to other big teams. They were also playing against a well drilled unit who are un-relentlessness when it comes to beating a weak opposition on home turf. 

3. Hampshire win English T20:

Firstly I would like to congratulate Hampshire on winning this trophy, a trophy which in my eyes needs a big change for years to come. (but this is a story for another day) Beating Somerset (my favourite English team) in the semi final and then disposing of Yorkshire ensured them the title. Hampshire lead by Mascarenhas have a very talented squad including Michael Carberry and James Vince players who I believe could play for England in the future.

Yorkshire have a squad which includes England players Bresnan and Bairstow, they  are not a squad which has performed with any greatly in past years, but put an end to that this season. 

Both Hampshire and Yorkshire now go into the Champions League in October, a great chance for some of the players to work them selves into the minds of rich IPL owners.