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ICC Champions Trophy 2009
The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy, originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan in 2008, was moved to South Africa by the ICC. The eight-team tournament is scheduled to take place from 24 September to 5 October at the Wanderers and Centurion stadiums.
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ICC Champions Trophy Cricket 2006 News
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ICC Champions Trophy 2006 Finals 
Australia claim Champions Trophy
After bowling out West Indies for 138, the Aussies cruised to victory in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy. Australia were chasing a target of 116 runs set following the D/L method after three hours of rain delay.West Indies started off strongly scoring 80 runs in the first 10 overs, but Bracken slowed them down after bowling out Chanderpaul and Gayle. The Windies scored only 23 runs in the next 10 overs at the loss of 5 wickets. For Australia, Watson scored 57 runs and Martyn was unbeaten at 47 at the end of play. West Indies (Playing XI): C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, R R Sarwan, B C Lara, R S Morton, M N Samuels, D J Bravo, C S Baugh, C D Collymore, I D R Bradshaw, J E Taylor.
Australia (Playing XI): A C Gilchrist, S R Watson, R T Ponting, D R Martyn, A Symonds, M J Clarke, M E K Hussey, G B Hogg, B Lee, N W Bracken, G D McGrath
ICC Champions Trophy, Mumbai: West Indies 138 all out
Australia determined to break Champions Trophy jinx
Australia's quest for their elusive Champions Trophy will face its toughest challenge when they take on the unpredictable and defending champions West Indies at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. Both team captains are equally determined to win the coveted trophy. World Champions Australia, appearing in the final for the first time, have a slight edge over the Caribbeans with a five man pace attack. West Indies, who had to suffer the ignominy of qualifying to defend their title, will be helped by the convincing victory over South Africa in the semifinals. In the last four matches they played, they are 2-2, with West Indies winning the encounter in the group stages by 10 runs as Australia fell short of Windies' score of 234 for 6. West Indies (from) Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara (Captain), Dwayne Bravo, Runako Morton, Dwayne Smith, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh (Wicket Keeper), Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor.Australia (from) Shane Watson, Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper), Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath.
ICC Champions Trophy 2006
Second Semi-Final, SA vs WI: Gayle puts Windies in Final
Nov 02, 2006
Chris Gayle hit 133, his 15th ODI century, as West Indies beat South Africa by six wickets to reach the ICC Champions Trophy final. He put on 154 in 26 overs for the first wicket with Shiv Chanderpaul, who retired hurt on 57. It was his third century of the tournament.Earlier South Africa lost 8 wickets, reaching 258 in their allotted 50 overs. Gibbs top scored with 77, while Taylor, Bravo and Samuels took 2 wickets each.
Proteas skipper Graeme Smith, who won the toss and elected to bat, was bowled by Jerome Taylor for 19. Both the teams have made two changes each. Ian Bradshaw and Dwayne Smith replace Corey Collymore and Fidel Edwards in the West Indies team, while Robin Peterson and Loots Bosman have come into the South African playing XI in place of Boeta Dippenaar and Charl Langeveldt. Both the teams have won the Trophy once. South Africa won the inaugural tournament in 1998 in Dhaka, while West Indies lifted the trophy in England in 2004. The winner of this semifinal will take on World Champions Australia in the final to be played on November 5 at Mumbai. South Africa (Playing XI) : Graeme Smith (Captain), Mark Boucher, Loots Bosman, Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock.
West Indies (Playing XI) : Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels.
ICC Champions Trophy, Jaipur: West Indies 262-4 (44 ovs) bt South Africa 258-8 (50 ovs) by 6 wkts
Tough test for West Indies
Nov 02, 2006
Defending champions West Indies will face a stern test when they take on South Africa in the second semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy in Jaipur on Thursday.
A lot, however, will depend on the condition of the pitch at the Sawai Man Singh stadium. South Africa fielding coach Jonty Rhodes put the Proteas through the paces at Jaipur on Wednesday. This is surely one are where the South Africans think that they are number one, even ahead of Australia. West Indies' fielding like everything else can be very good on its day. The defending champions set the tone for this tournament by beating Australia and though they lost an inconsequential game to England, they're still the definite dark horse despite the captain's injury problems. The South African steam rolled past Pakistan in Mohali, bowling them out for 89. But one should not expect an encore of that kind of a score in Jaipur since the wicket at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium looks fairly different. South Africa team (from) : Graeme Smith (Captain), Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Abraham Devilliers, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Andrew Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterseon, Loots Bosman and Charl Langeveldt.
West Indies team (from) : Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds.
First Semi-Final, AUS vs NZ: Australia in Finals
Nov 01, 2006
Australia reached their first Champions Final with a 34-run victory over New Zealand in Mohali. They made 240/9 in 50 overs in the first semifinal on Wednesday and then restricted New Zealand to 206 with 4 overs to spare.Australia recovered from 4-2 as Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds both hit 58s, but lost wickets at regular intervals. Chasing 241 for victory, the Kiwis tumbled to 35-6, Glenn McGrath taking 3-22 in a 10-over spell.
Jacob Oram (43) and Daniel Vettori (79) shared a seventh-wicket stand of 103 and the lower order kept thrashing boundaries. The loss put an end to New Zealand hopes of another shot at the title they won in Kenya six years ago.
Kyle Mills takes four wickets as New Zealand limit Australia
Nov 01, 2006
Australia made 240/9 in 50 overs against New Zealand in the first semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy at Mohali on Wednesday. Australia recovered from 4-2 as Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds both hit 58s, but lost wickets at regular intervals.
Kyle Mills sent back both the openers after his skipper Stephen Fleming won the toss and elected to field first. Shane Watson was caught by Peter Fulton for naught when he top edged a delivery. In the same over Adam Gilchrist flicked a delivery off his pads only to find Jacob Oram hold on to a blinder. New Zealand has left out Scott Styris and brought in Hamish Marshall. Australia has gone in with an unchanged side. Australia has never got past the last four stage in the Champions Trophy, while the Kiwis won it beating India in the finals in 2000. The Aussies certainly hold an edge over the Kiwis, winning 70 of the 100 ODIs played against them. But in 2006, New Zealand are on a hot streak with the best winning percentage in ODIs. Australia (Playing XI) : Ricky Ponting (Captain), Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Watson, Andrew Symonds.
New Zealand (Playing XI) : Stephen Fleming (Captain), Nathan Astle, Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum, Peter Fulton, Hamish Marshall, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond.
Australia has upper hand in first semifinal
Oct 31, 2006
Australians are the clear favourites in the Champions Trophy semifinals on Wednesday against New Zealand in Mohali.
Both sides had played and won their respective matches here last week Australia defeated India by six wickets Sunday and New Zealand beat Pakistan Oct 25 by 51 runs. On paper and in the field, the Australians clearly have an upper hand. That is also reflected from the fact that the Kangaroos are eager to win the tournament this time the only title that has eluded the cricket world champions. Except for the shock defeat they suffered at the hands of the West Indies in the tournament at Mumbai Oct 18, the Australians have not shown any weaknesses in batting, bowling or fielding.
The Kiwis, on the other hand, will have to rely heavily on their performance Wednesday, as they do not have a steady winning record. Batsmen like Stephen Fleming, Scott Styris, Nathan Astle and others will have to come good here The Kiwis will depend heavily on paceman Shane Bond and Jacob Oram in the bowling department. The Aussies, however, have a lethal bowling attack in Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Shane Watson and Nathan Bracken. Ponting admitted that both sides were familiar with the ground conditions at Mohali. He added the wicket and conditions here were to the liking of the Australian team Australia team (from) : Ricky Ponting (Captain), Adam Gilchrist (wicket-keeper), Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brett Lee, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Dan Cullen (replaced Stuart Clark), Glenn McGrath and Mitchell Johnson
New Zealand team (from) : Stephen Fleming (Captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum (wicket-keeper), Hamish Marshall, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori and Lou Vincent
Group A, Match 6 IND vs AUS: Australia looks solid
Oct 29, 2006
Australia methodically disseminated the Indian seamers and reached the target with 6 wickets and 26 balls to spare.
Watson 50, Ponting 58 and Martyn 73* all hit half centuries while Sreesanth took 2 wickets.
They will meet New Zealand in the Semis.Earlier India lost Sachin Tendulkar early for 10 (26 balls), but fought back with fifties by Virender Sehwag (65) and Rahul Dravid (52) to reach 249/8 in 50 overs. Kaif (30) and Dhoni (28) also chipped in with useful runs. The injured Yuvraj Singh and Ajit Agarkar were replaced by Shantakumaran Sreesanth and Dinesh Mongia, while Mohammad Kaif is in for Rudra Pratap Singh. Reported Earlier:
Australia is keeping the same side which beat England as they look to go beyond the semis for the first time in the tournament's history. If India lose it will be the first time since the 1975 World Cup that no subcontinental team will be in the last four of a major competition.
Australia (Playing XI): A C Gilchrist, S R Watson, R T Ponting, D R Martyn, A Symonds, M E K Hussey, M J Clarke, M G Johnson, B Lee, N W Bracken, G D McGrath
India (Playing XI): Sehwag, S R Tendulkar, I K Pathan, R Dravid, D Mongia, S K Raina, M S Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, M Kaif, M M Patel
ICC Champions Trophy, Mohali: Australia (250-4) beat India 249-8 by six wickets
India versus Australia - the Virtual QF
Oct 29, 2006
India are playing Australia in their last league tie at Mohali in a do-or-die situation.
In the 13 games that India played Australia after the last World Cup, they managed to win only twice - both times with the help of centuries from VVS Laxman.
But VVS Laxman is not in the team, and the ODI sepecialists who replaced him are not doing any thing special for some time now.
With openers Sehwag, who averages just 22.15 against them and Sachin, with scores of 5, 8, 27, 12 and 4 in the last five innings against Asutralia, things are not looking bright for the Indians.
Sreesanth, who was left out of the team might play today inplace of Agarkar who is out with an injury. Yuvraj is also out of the list, after injuring himself while playing Kho-Kho just before the all important game!
Group A, Match 5 WIN vs ENG: Consolation three-wicket win for England
Oct 28, 2006
Pietersen hit nine fours and a six in his unbeaten 90 as he guided England to a 3 wicket victory with nine balls to spare. Earlier Flintoff bowled for the first time since an ankle surgery but failed to take any wickets as West Indies hit 272-4. For Windies Gayle (101) put on 174 for the second wicket with Bravo (112) in the Champions Trophy match in Ahmedabad.
West Indies (Playing XI) :C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, R R Sarwan, B C Lara, R S Morton, M N Samuels, F H Edwards, D J Bravo, C S Baugh, C D Collymore, J E Taylor
England (Playing XI) :A J Strauss, I R Bell, A Flintoff, M H Yardy, K P Pietersen, P D Collingwood, J W M Dalrymple, C M W Read, S I Mahmood, J Lewis, J M Anderson
ICC Champions Trophy, Ahmedabad: West Indies 272-4 lost to England 276-7 by three wickets
Windies looks like champion material
Oct 28, 2006
After beating two of the best sides in the tournament World champions Australia and hosts India - West Indies's entry into the semifinals is guaranteed. And after losing to the same two teams, and now having to face West Indies, England is a totally off-colour team with no confidence. England is continuing a poor run in limited-overs games which has seen nine defeats in 12 matches. However, the English captain Andrew Flintoff says they are determined to finish the tournament with a flourish in Ahmedabad. "We're playing for pride - and pride's a strong thing - so we'll go in there trying to beat the West Indies and go home on a high. West Indies Captain Brian Lara, meanwhile, has dismissed suggestions that they might rest key players, including himself, for the England game. "It's important that we get the best team out there. We don't want to have a hiccup at this time," he explained.
Group B, Match 6 PAK vs SA: South Africa reach semis
Oct 27, 2006
South Africa tore through Pakistan's top order for a landslide 124-run win in Mohali to book their place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals. Chasing South Africa's 213/8 Pakistan lost all their wickets for 89 by the 25th over. South African paceman Makhaya Ntini took 5-21 off six overs,as all-rounder Shahid Afridi offered Pakistan brief hope with a four and a six in his 14, and Yasir Arafat (27) and Umar Gul (7) staved off the inevitable with a late stand of 30. None of the top seven reached double figures. Pakistan's record lowest one-day score is 43 off 19.5 overs against West Indies in Cape Town in 1993.
Earlier, the Proteas won the toss but were reeling at 42-5 before Mark Boucher (69) and Justin Kemp (64) ground out 131 to set a total of 213-8. Reported Earlier:
It's a must-win match for both the teams, as the winner of this contest will move into the semifinals of the tournament. Both the teams have made one change. Yasir Arafat, who was called into the Pakistan side after Shoiab Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were sent back, has been included in the playing XI in place of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. South Africa has dropped Robin Peterson and included Charl Langeveldt. Pakistan (Playing XI) : Younis Khan (Captain), Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Rao Iftikar Anjum, Imran Farhat, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Arafat, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul.
South Africa (Playing XI) : Graeme Smith (Captain), Mark Boucher, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Langeveldt, Shaun Pollock.
ICC Champions Trophy, Mohali: South Africa 213-8 (50 overs) bt Pakistan 89 (25 overs) by 124 runs
Pakistan, South Africa to fight for semifinal berth
Oct 27, 2006
After their defeat against New Zealand, Pakistan will have to regroup quickly and find their best form when they clash with South Africa in the Champions Trophy at Mohali on Friday.
It is a contest which would decide the second semi-finalist from group-B. Both sides need a victory to make it to the semi-finals of the high-profile event having lost one of their two games played so far, staging the set for a cracker of a match under floodlights.
Form and odds, however, favour South Africa as they are not only above Pakistan in the run rate table, but have shrugged off the first match defeat to the Kiwis with a handsome win against Sri Lanka in their last match and put their campaign back on track. The story has unfolded a little differently for Younis Khan's men. From captaincy drama, change of regime and worst still the doping scandal, which forced them to pull out the important pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, Pakistan were totally in shambles. But nothing mattered to the talented Pakistanis when they took the field in the first match against Sri Lanka and beat them in a keenly contested game. Pakistan team (from) : Younis Khan (Captain), Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Naved-ul-Hasan, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat, Rao Iftikhar and Umar Gul.
South Africa team (from) : Graeme Smith (Captain), Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Justin Kemp, Abraham Devilliers, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Andrew Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterseon, Loots Bosman and Charl Langeveldt.
Group A, Match 4 IND vs WI : Windies on to the Semis
Oct 26, 2006
West Indies won the match against India by 3 wickets with 2 balls left after losing 4 quick wickets towards the end. India made 223/9 in 50 overs after being put into bat first in their ICC Champions Trophy match at Ahmedabad on Thursday. India had slumped to 69-3 following the dismissals of Virender Sehwag for 17, Irfan Pathan for 0 and Sachin Tendulkar for 29. Skipper Dravid took India to a healthy position of 131-5 before being run out for 49 in the 31st over. His 61 run partnership with Yuvraj Singh (27) in 13.2 overs was the highest in the Indian innings. Dhoni scored 51 from 65 balls with 2 sixes and one four and put on a 49 run partnership with Harbhajan (15). Bradshaw took 3 for 30.Both teams have made one change. India has left out Romesh Powar and included R P Singh, while Shivnaraine Chanderpaul replaces Wavell Hinds in the Caribbean side. Both teams have won their opening matches in the league stage, India beating England and West Indies upsetting Australia. India (Playing XI): Rahul Dravid (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, R P Singh.
West Indies (Playing XI): Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels.
ICC Champions Trophy, Ahmedabad: India 223-9 (50 overs) lost to West Indies 224-7 (49.4 overs) by 3 wickets
West Indies ready for India
Oct 24, 2006
After suffering a humiliating loss against Sri Lanka in the qualifiers, they picked up their game to pull off a huge upset against Australia.
And now, they are up against a team they have beaten six times in their last 10 games and 21 out of the 33 times they have played in India. Brian Lara's back might be hurting since the last game against Australia, but he is expected to return on Thursday. The West Indies, however, are not giving anything away about his position in the batting order. If the Windies beat India in their game on Thursday, they would be considered the favourites against England on Saturday and be all but through to the last four. India team (from): R Dravid (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohd Kaif, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Mongia, Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Rudra Pratap Singh, Romesh Powar.
West Indies team (from) : Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh (Wicket Keeper), Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds.
Group B, Match 5 NZ vs PAK: Kiwis beat Pakistan to make semis
Oct 25, 2006
Pakistan were all out for 223 in 46.3 overs, chasing New Zealand's formidable 274 for seven at Mohali. Scott Styris and Stephen Fleming both hit half-centuries in a pitch where early conditions helped the Pakistani Pace attack.
With this win New Zealand reached the Semis at the expense of Sri Lanka. The result leaves Pakistan needing to beat South Africa in their final group game to qualify for the semi-finals. Pakistan were struggling at 83-4 before Mohammad Yousuf (71) and Shoaib Malik (52) added a vital fifth-wicket stand of 96. New Zealand (Playing XI): Stephen Fleming (Captain), Nathan Astle, Lou Vincent, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, Peter Fulton, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Younis Khan (Captain), Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Rao Iftikar Anjum, Imran Farhat, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul.
ICC Champions Trophy, Mohali: New Zealand 274-7 (50 overs) bt Pakistan 223 (46.3 overs) by 51 runs
Pakistan could miss speedsters on bouncy Mohali pitch
Oct 24, 2006
When Pakistan take on New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy one-day international encounter at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) ground, Mohali Wednesday, they will definitely miss the services of fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif on a "hard-rolled and bouncy track".
Till Monday evening, it was not the Pakistani side which was going the extra yard to practice in the early winter chill of north India. Though some Pakistan players did come out to practice later in the evening, it was the New Zealanders who sweated it out at the nets. The Pakistan side, which has been camping in Chandigarh, 10 km from here, since Thursday, has not had a full-fledged cricket practice over the last four days. All that the Pakistan players did was to have some fielding practice for two hours in a stadium in Chandigarh, play football, watch a couple of Hindi movies, do sight-seeing and shopping, enjoy Diwali festivities and dine at the residence of their liaison officer.
New Zealand will depend a lot on the services of paceman Shane Bond on the grassy, bouncy pitch here. It is here Pakistan will miss their real fast bowlers - Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif - both of whom made an unceremonious exit from the Champions trophy with bowling a single delivery after testing positive for doping. Pakistan's bowling coach Waqar Younis said that the side was also trying to concentrate on the batting department. New Zealand team (from): Stephen Fleming (Captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum (wicket-keeper), Hamish Marshall, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori and Lou Vincent
Pakistan team (from) : Younis Khan (Captain), Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Faisal Iqbal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Rana Naved, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Imran Farhat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez and Rao Iftikhar Anjum.
Group B, Match 4 SA vs SL: 78 run victory for South Africa
Oct 24, 2006
Sri Lanka were all out for 141 with 10.5 overs remaining while chasing South African score of 219/9 in their ICC Champions Trophy match at Ahmedabad. With this loss, Sri Lanka would need Pakistan to win their remaining games and would still only progress if their run-rate was superior to South Africa or New Zealand. Man of the match, Medium-pacer Shaun Pollock took two early wickets in a masterly 10-over spell. He conceded just 21 runs, dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya for three and Kumar Sangakkara for nought. He then ran out Jayawardene and caught tail-ender Muralitharan.
Earlier, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and elected to field first. At one stage, South Africa were 30-3. AB de Villiers (54) and Jacques Kallis (43) put on 80, but they were unable to score quickly. Chaminda Vaas was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers with 2-16 from his 10 overs, while Lasith Malinga took 4-53.
It was a do-or-die battle for the Proteas, who lost their opening match against New Zealand by a big margin. The Lankans, on the other hand, were looking to consolidate their position for a semi-final berth after one loss and one win in the group stage.
South Africa (Playing XI): G Smith (Captain), B Dippenaar, H Gibbs, J Kallis, AB de Villiers, M Boucher (Wicket Keeper), J Kemp, S Pollock, R Peterson, M Ntini, A Nel
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) : U Tharanga, S Jayasuriya, M Jayawardene (Captain), K Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), M Atapattu, T Dilshan, F Maharoof, C Vaas, L Malinga, M Muralitharan, D Fernando
ICC Champions Trophy, Ahmedabad: South Africa 219-9 (50 overs) bt Sri Lanka 141 (39.1 overs) by 78 runs
Andrew Hall could lose his place
Oct 23, 2006
Andrew Hall could lose his place in the South African cricket team as the Proteas weigh their options before the crucial ICC Champions Trophy match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
A decision to play AB de Villiers as an additional batsman could result in the versatile Hall being dropped from the team that lost by 87 runs to New Zealand in Mumbai. Hall is one of South Africa's leading bowlers in one-day cricket and a specialist at bowling at the end of an innings. However, coach Mickey Arthur said on Sunday they were considering one change to the team. "The decision we have to take is whether we want to play an extra batsman of a bowler. "We had an extra bowler against New Zealand. Maybe there will be a change in strategy. If we decide on an extra batsman, AB de Villiers will regain his place. We should make a final decision by Monday afternoon after taking another look at the wicket." The Proteas will go through to the semi-finals if they beat Sri Lanka and win their last group match, against Pakistan in Mohali on Friday. South Africa team (from): Graeme Smith (Captain), Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher (Wicket Keeper), AB de Villiers, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jusin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robi Peterson, Shaun Pollock
Sri Lanka team (from) : Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Malinga Bandara.
Group A, Match 3 ENG vs AUS: England faces early exit
Oct 21, 2006
England lost by 6 wickets after their batting failed again in the Champions Trophy game in Jaipur. They were bowled out for 169 by Australia who reached the target in 36.5 overs. Birthday boy Damien Martyn scored an effortless 78 after Australia's top order cracked under pressure for the second consecutive match, losing 3-4. But Martyn, who hit 12 boundaries and faced 91 deliveries, combined with Mike Hussey for a match-winning partnership of 118 for the fourth wicket.Earlier Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson, the two youngest members of the Australian team, took three wickets each after England had reached 83-0. Only Ian Bell (43) and Andrew Strauss (56) shone in a total of 169. Even a victory over West Indies is now unlikely to secure England a semi-final place. They were shot out for 125 by India at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium last Sunday in their opener. Meanwhile the win put Australia back in the hunt for a semi-final place in the tournament, with another key game to come against India on October 29.England (Playing XI): A J Strauss, I R Bell, A Flintoff, M H Yardy, K P Pietersen, P D Collingwood, J W M Dalrymple, C M W Read, S I Mahmood, S J Harmison, J M Anderson
Australia (Playing XI): A C Gilchrist, S R Watson, R T Ponting, D R Martyn, A Symonds, M J Clarke, M E K Hussey, M G Johnson, B Lee, N W Bracken, G D McGrath
ICC Champions Trophy, Jaipur, Australia 170-4 (36.5 overs) bt England 169 (45 overs) by six wickets
Australia, England clash in a battle for survival
Oct 20, 2006
World champions Australia and 2004 finalists England clash in a sudden-death Group A Champions Trophy match on saturday. The match is slated in the North-western city of Jaipur on the day India celebrates Deepavali, the festival of lights, which is marked by ear-splitting fireworks that begin at dusk and continue for hours, leaving a dark haze of smoke and heavily polluted air.
Andrew Flintoff, captaining England against Australia for the first time, will be batting at the number 3 position. Australian captain Ponting played down the significance of the result before the Ashes, pointing out that not many of his team would be in Test action.
Both teams have lost their first of the three group league matches and must win their second one at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here to keep their challenge going for the game's second most coveted title after the World Cup. While India beat England here Sunday, defending champions West Indies stunned Australia in Mumbai Wednesday night to throw the group wide open in the eight-nation tournament. Australia will, however, start with a slight psychological edge as they have beaten England in their last two head-to-head matches. But that was three months ago and in a completely different environment, in England in the NatWest Challenge. Australia won that series 2-1 in July. Another remarkable statistic that would encourage the Australians is that in the last 22 matches they have beaten England 16 times, lost only three matches, one has ended in a tie and one in a 'no result'. Both teams will be well aware of the dew factor - and the importance of winning the toss - that will come into play for the team that bats second under lights, as it was evident when England bowled Sunday evening against India here. Australia team (from): Ricky Ponting (Captain), Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper), Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brett Lee, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Dan Cullen, Glenn McGrath and Mitchell Johnson
England team (from): Andrew Flintoff (Captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Rikki Clarke, Paul Collingwood, James Dalrymple, Steve Harmison, Ed Joyce, Sajid Mahmood, Jon Lewis, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Read (Wicket Keeper), Andrew Strauss and Michael Yardy
Group B, Match 3 NZ vs SL: Sri Lanka keep semi hopes alive
Oct 20, 2006
Chasing 166 in the must-win match after losing their opener to Pakistan, Sri Lanka reached the target against New Zealand with 14 overs to spare in ICC Champions Trophy at Mumbai.Kumar Sangakkara and Marvan Atapattu remained unbeaten on 19 and 10, respectively at the end of the innings. The first session of play saw yet another Muttiah Muralitharan show as he picked up four wickets for 22 runs from his 10 overs and was adjudged the Man of the Match. New Zealand were dismissed for 165 in 49.2 overs with the last wicket pair of Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel putting up 47 crucial runs to take their team past the 150-run mark. New Zealand team (Playing XI): N Astle, L Vincent, S Fleming (Captain), P Fulton, H Marshall, M Gillespie, B McCullum (Wicket Keeper), S Styris, J Franklin, D Vettori, J Oram, K Mills, J Patel, S Bond
Sri Lanka team (Playing XI): U Tharanga, S Jayasuriya, M Jayawardene (Captain), K Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), M Atapattu, T Dilshan, K Kapugedera, F Maharoof, D Fernando, L Malinga, M Muralitharan, P Perera, M Bandara, C Vaas
ICC Champions Trophy, Group B, Mumbai: Sri Lanka 166-3 beat New Zealand 165 by seven wickets
Bond still in doubt at ICC Champions Trophy
Oct 19, 2006
Pace bowler Shane Bond remains in doubt for New Zealand's next ICC Champions Trophy cricket match against Sri Lanka on Friday due to a continuing back problem.
Black Caps coach John Bracewell said Bond bowled seven overs in a light workout at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India, and still felt a bit stiff. He said they were in contact with a specialist in New Zealand and the Canterbury paceman would have another bowl overnight, unless the stiffness persisted.
Bond, 31, has a history of back problems and missed the Black Caps' opening match in the tournament against South Africa yesterday. The Black Caps won by 87 runs. Meanwhile, all rounder Scott Styris remained in doubt for Sri Lanka with a back strain and slight hamstring twinge. Lara's West Indies could only muster 80 runs against Sri Lanka at Brabourne Stadium on Saturday and yesterday Smith slammed the pitch after his team went down to New Zealand. New Zealand team (from) : Stephen Fleming (Captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Brendon McCullum, Hamish Marshall, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent
Sri Lanka team (from) : Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Malinga Bandara.
Group A, Match 2 WIN vs AUS: Jerome Taylor's trick gives Windies 10 run victory
Oct 18, 2006
Jerome Taylor (4-49) bowled Mike Hussey and Brad Hogg, trapping Brett Lee lbw in between as the Aussies ended on 224-9 in their 50 overs chasing Windies score of 234-6.After struggling initially at 63/4, Brian Lara and Ruanko Morton put on a great partnership to bring their total to a decent 234. Morton remained not out at 90 and Lara was dismissed at 71 caught by Symond off a ball by McGrath. For the Aussies, Bracken took two wickets and McGrath, Clark, Lee and Watson picked up one each. The world champions were on course to reach their target when Adam Gilchrist (92) and Michael Clarke (47) added 101 but they fell in quick succession. Australia now face a crunch clash with England in Jaipur on Saturday, with the losers facing elimination. Australia (Playing XI): A Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper), S Watson, R Ponting (Captain), D Martyn, M Clarke, A Symonds, M Hussey, B Hogg, B Lee, N Bracken, G McGrath
West Indies (Playing XI): C Gayle, R Morton, R Sarwan, B Lara (Captain), D Bravo, W Hinds, M Samuels, D Smith, C Baugh (Wicket Keeper), I Bradshaw, J Taylor
ICC Champions Trophy Group A, Mumbai: West Indies 234-6 (50 overs) bt Australia 224-9 (50 overs) by 10 runs
Group B, Match 2 SL vs PAK: Pakistan wins after a slump
Oct 17, 2006
Pakistan won their opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka by 4 wickets with 11 balls remaining. Sri Lanka were all out for 253 in 49.2 overs in Jaipur after winning the toss and electing to bat first.For Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya top scored with 48 from 35 balls with five boundaries and two huge sixes. Upul Tharanga, who put on 63 runs with Jayasuriya and 45 runs with skipper Mahela Jayawardene, was caught behind by Kamran Akmal off a Abdul Razzaq delivery for 38 runs. Razzaq ended up with 4 wickets for 50 runs in 7.2 overs. For Pakistan Imran Farhat hit a 53 of 64 balls while Mohammad Yousuf was run out for 49. Shoaib Malik remained unbeaten on 46. Sri Lanka (Playing XI): U Tharanga, S Jayasuriya, M Jayawardene (Captain), K Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), M Atapattu, T Dilshan, F Maharoof, C Vaas, L Malinga, M Muralitharan, D Fernando
Pakistan (Playing XI): I Farhat, S Malik, Y Khan (Captain), M Yousuf, M Hafeez, A Razzaq, K Akmal (Wicket Keeper), S Afridi, N-ul-Hasan, I Anjum, U Gul
Champions Trophy Group B, Jaipur: Pakistan 255-6 (48.1 overs) bt Sri Lanka 253 (49.2 overs) by four wickets
Australia start as favourites against Windies
Oct 17, 2006
A crack line-up makes world champions Australia clear favourites but countering a slow and unpredictable track could pose a big challenge when they clash with title holders West Indies in their ICC Champions Trophy group A clash here tomorrow.
The Australians yet to win the tournament in the past - stand head and shoulders above the Carribeans in all departments of the game and will be keen to launch their campaign on a triumphant note at the Brabourne Stadium. The bowlers expecially spinners, regular or part-time - have managed to extract lot of help in the last two matches on these early-season pitches, with even a part timer offie like South African captain Graeme Smith turning the ball square against New Zealand in yesterday's Group B opener that saw neither team crossing the 200-run mark. The heat and humidity factor may also work against the Aussies who, however, have made it a point to practice extensively in the mid-day sun whenever the chance has come their way.
While West Indies would bank on their non-regular slow bowlers Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels if selected and Ramnaresh Sarwan if the pitch shows signs of aiding the spin bowlers, Australia have left arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg, off break exponent Andrew Symonds and left arm orthodox slow bowler Michael Clarke to do the needful. The players from the land of the kangaroos have a pretty good past record against the Caribbeans, recording 14 wins in 19 encounters between the two sides in this decade. Where the Windies hold a slight upper hand is in the fact that they have already played four matches in the competition while the Aussies have not featured in any tie so far and had to be content with playing practice ties in Mumbai against India s domestic teams which lacked the arsenal to pose any real threat. Australia team (from): Ricky Ponting (Captain), Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper), Nathan Bracken, Dan Cullen, Michael Clarke, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Watson, Andrew Symonds.
West Indies team (from) : Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh (Wicket Keeper), Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds.
Sri Lanka wary of crisis-hit Pakistan
Oct 17, 2006
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has warned his team against taking a depleted Pakistan side lightly in Tuesday's Champions Trophy Group B tie.
Pakistan strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were withdrawn from the tournament on Monday after the pair returned positive tests for the steroid nandrolone in pre-tournament tests conducted at home. Pakistan cricket is still reeling from a ball-tampering fiasco which caused the team to forfeit the recent fourth test against England at The Oval, controversy over the captaincy and the resignation of board chairman Shaharyar Khan. However, even without the injured Shoaib, Pakistan were still strong enough to defeat hosts Sri Lanka in the test and one-day series in March-April.
Jayawardene said his team would miss the challenge of facing Shoaib, one of the most colourful characters in cricket and rated the sport's fastest bowler along with Australia's Brett Lee. Sri Lanka eye their 11th consecutive one-day victory on Tuesday after skittling out defending champions West Indies for 80 in their nine-wicket victory in the final qualifier on Saturday. Sri Lanka team (from) : Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Malinga Bandara.
Pakistan team (from) : Younis Khan (Captain), Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Naved-ul-Hasan, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat, Rao Iftikhar and Umar Gul.
Group B, Match 1 NZ vs SA: Fleming guides New Zealand to victory
Oct 16, 2006
South Africa lost by 87 runs chasing New Zealand's 195 on an ultra slow wicket that took plenty of spin. South Africa won the toss and sent New Zealand to bat first. Fleming with 89 top scored with 11 fours while Kallis was the pick of the South African bowling with 3 for 28 in 7 overs. South Africa were then bowled out for 108.
South Africa (Playing XI): G C Smith, H H Gibbs, H H Dippenaar, J H Kallis, M V Boucher, J M Kemp, S M Pollock, A J Hall, R J Peterson, A Nel, M Ntini
New Zealand (Playing XI): S P Fleming, N J Astle, L Vincent, P G Fulton, H J H Marshall, J D P Oram, B B McCullum, D L Vettori, J E C Franklin, K D Mills, J S Patel
Champions Trophy, Group B, Mumbai: New Zealand 195 beat South Africa 108 by 87 runs
Group A, Match 1 IND vs ENG: India starts tourney with stuttering win
Oct 15, 2006
India made heavy weather of a small target chasing 126 to beat England in the ICC Champions Trophy opener in Jaipur. Tendulkar scored 35 and Yuvraj Singh remained not out on 27 as India managed to reach 126/6 in 29.3 overs.Earlier Munaf Patel and Ramesh Powar each took three wickets after England were out for 125, captain Andrew Flintoff out for a duck in his 100th ODI. Dravid won the toss and decided to bowl first, having his team packed with five bowlers.
The best performance from any batsman in the match was Paul Collingwood's 38. England (Playing XI): A Flintoff (Captain), AJ Strauss, IR Bell, MH Yardy, KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood, JWM Dalrymple, CMW Read, SI Mahmood, SJ Harmison, JM Anderson
India (Playing XI): Rahul Dravid (Captain), V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, SK Raina, MS Dhoni, IK Pathan, AB Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, RR Powar, MM Patel
ICC Champions Trophy Group A, Jaipur: India 126/6 (29.3 ov) beat England 125 all out (37 overs) by 4 wickets
India, England kick off Champions Trophy
Oct 14, 2006
Champions Trophy hosts India will kick start three weeks of intense action among the world's top eight teams with the opening main round match against 2004 finalists England in Jaipur on Sunday.
The teams face off in the first fixture in Group A, which also includes England's Ashes rivals Australia, who are thirsting to win the one title that has eluded them since the biennial event began in 1998. Prior to the main tournament, defending champions West Indies and Sri Lanka advanced from a four-team qualifying league by virtue of wins over minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe this week. The two meet on Saturday to decide which nation tops the group and joins former winners South Africa and New Zealand in Group B along with Pakistan. The loser of the match will go into Group A.
England skipper Andrew Flintoff returns after ankle surgery with one eye on the Ashes series starting in Australia on Nov 23 and hoping to atone for a 5-1 ODI series rout in India in April. The inspirational all rounder may only bat after announcing he would not bowl in the early stages of the event to avoid breaking down. India are under pressure after their form dip led to a 4-1 series defeat in West Indies, who also pipped them to the final against winners Australia in the Malaysia tri-series last month. England (from): A Flintoff (Captain), AJ Strauss, IR Bell, KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood, MH Yardy, JWM Dalrymple, CMW Read, SJ Harmison, JP Lewis, JM Anderson, SI Mahmood.
India (from): R Dravid (Captain), S Tendulkar, V Sehwag, Y Singh, M Kaif, S Raina, D Mongia, M Dhoni, I Pathan, A Agarkar, H Singh, M Patel, R Pratap Singh, R Powar.
Qualification Standings
| Team | MP | W | D | L | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 3 | _ | _ | 6 | Qualifier 1 |
| West Indies | 3 | 2 | _ | 1 | 4 | Qualifier 2 |
| Bangladesh | 3 | 1 | _ | 2 | 2 | DNQ |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | _ | _ | 3 | 0 | DNQ |
Match 6, WIN vs SRI: With the best bowling figures in ICC Champions Trophy history, Maharoof the man of the moment
Oct 14, 2006
Farveez Maharoof took 6-14 for Sri Lanka as they hammered West Indies by nine wickets in the final Champions Trophy qualifier. Windies', after winning the toss decided to bat first, and were all out for 80, their second lowest score in ODIs. Only Wavell Hinds (28) and Brian Lara (13) reached double figures.Upul Tharanga fell first ball but Sanath Jayasuriya (45) and Mahela Jayawardene (34) saw Sri Lanka home with almost 37 overs to spare. Sri Lanka now joins New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa in Group B, while the Windies face the daunting prospect of lining up alongside hosts India, world champions Australia and England. Sri Lanka Team U Tharanga, S Jayasuriya, M Jayawardene (Captain), K Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), M Atapattu, T Dilshan, F Maharoof, C Vaas, D Fernando, L Malinga, M Muralitharan
West Indies Team C Gayle, S Chanderpaul, B Lara (Captain), R Sarwan, W Hinds, M Samuels, D Bravo, C Baugh (Wicket Keeper), D Smith, F Edwards, C Collymore
ICC Champions Trophy qualifying round, Mumbai: Sri Lanka 83-1 (13.2 overs) bt West Indies 80 (30.4 overs) by nine wickets
New Zealand win warm-up match against Baroda
Oct 14, 2006
New Zealand scored a comfortable 59 run win over Baroda in a Champions Trophy cricket warm-up game at the MIG Club ground in Bandra.
New Zealand piled up 267 for eight and then restricted Baroda to 208 for nine to emerge winners. New Zealand, without the services of skipper Stephen Fleming who was rested, got home on the back of a fighting 52 from Scott Styris, who retired hurt, and strong efforts from Hamish Marshall, 40, Nathan Astle 36 and a breezy 43 from 42 balls by tail-ender Shane Bond, cricinfo website reported. For the home side medium-pacer Murtuza Vohra with three for 10 and left-arm spinner Vishwanath Parmar two for 31 were impressive with the ball. Bowling for New Zealand paceman Mark Gillespie struck early in the Baroda run-chase to grab 3 for 19 while Bond and left arm spinner Daniel Vettori claimed a wicket each. New Zealand play their first match in the Champions Trophy tournament against South Africa on Monday
Warm-up match, Mumbai: New Zealand 267-8 beat Baroda 208-9 by 59 runs
Match 5, ZIM vs BAN: Bangladesh consolation win
Oct 13, 2006
Shahriar Nafees made 123 for Bangladesh as they completed a 101-run win over Zimbabwe in the Champions Trophy.
Earlier, Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya won the toss and elected to field first. Nafees remained on 123, only the second Bangladesh batsman to score two ODI centuries and the second to carry his bat in an ODI innings - a feat Javed Omar achieved twice without scoring a hundred.
Neither team was able to qualify for the main tournament after both were beaten by Sri Lanka and West Indies. Bangladesh : S Nafees, R Saleh, A Ahmed, S Hasan, H Bashar (Captain), F Reza, K Mashud (Wicket Keeper), M Rafique, M Mortaza, A Razzak, M Hossain jnr
Zimbabwe : B Taylor (Wicket Keeper), C Chibhabha, H Masakadza, G Strydom, E Chigumbura, G Brent, S Matsikenyeri, P Utseya (Captain), A Ireland, T Kamungozi, E Rainsford
ICC Champions Trophy qualifying round, Jaipur: Bangladesh 231-6 (50 ovs) bt Zimbabwe 130 (44.4 ovs) by 101 runs
Sri Lanka, Windies look to top qualifying stage
Oct 13, 2006
Having already booked their place in the main stage of the ICC Champions Trophy, titleholders West Indies and Sri Lanka would be keen to keep their momentum going when they clash in the qualifying match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
There's very little to choose between the cricketers from the Emerald Island and those from the Caribbean and the tie, the first international outing in the splendid setting at the Cricket Club of India in more than a decade, promises to be thrilling contest. The victors in the match would qualify for Group B that comprises of South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand. The losers would be pooled together with World Cup champions Australia, hosts India and England in Group A.
West Indies captain Brian Lara said after his team's comprehensive ten-wicket win over Bangladesh at Jaipur on Wednesday that his team was keen to finish as the number one team by beating the Lankans. "We want to continue the momentum. No team likes to go to the next stage of the tournament with a loss, and three (wins) in a row would be nice." Sri Lanka would be equally interested in making it ten victories in a row in ODIs starting with a very creditable 5-0 whitewash of England in the latter's backyard. The Lankans are an improved lot, a far cry from the one that visited India a season ago with Marvan Atapattu at the helm and was swamped in both Tests and ODIs, and have shown that the Mahela Jayawardene-led outfit is no pushover.
Bangladesh to play for pride
Oct 13, 2006
Bangladesh will have more to prove than Zimbabwe when the two teams clash in an inconsequential Champions Trophy qualifying match today.
Both the sides are out of the reckoning following two defeats each in as many matches, against Sri Lanka and the West Indies who have clinched the two spots available in the Super Eight stage. Zimbabwe were handed a nine-wicket thrashing after being bundled out for 85 by title holders West Indies and then Sri Lanka pasted them to register a 144-run victory. Nothing more could have been expected of a team that has been stripped of its Test status and comprises a bunch of raw youngsters whose average age is 21. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have consistently flattered to deceive. They started the tournament with a reasonable performance against the Lankans in the first tie at Mohali where they held themselves while chasing a tall target of 304.
But the batting crumbled when asked to set a target against the West Indies, crashing to their 113th loss in 135 matches. Captain Habibul Bashar, who has failed to score a run and has lasted only three balls at the crease from the two innings he has played so far, said it was a "bad game" and did not expect it to be repeated again. Bashar would also remember the recent one-day series loss to Zimbabwe. Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (Captain), Shahriar Nafees, Khaled Mashud, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza, Rajin Saleh, Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Farhad Reza, Saqibul Hasan, Mehrab Hossain.
Zimbabwe (from): Prosper Utseya (Captain), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Anthony Ireland, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ed Rainsford, Piet Rinke, Gregory Strydom, Brendan Taylor.
Flintoff shines in England victory
Oct 12, 2006
England gave a good performance in all areas against a Rajasthan Cricket Association XI, with Andrew Flintoff hitting 59 from 53 balls in a 144-run victory.
England notched up 295-8 in their 50 overs, with Jamie Dalrymple hitting four sixes in an unbeaten 79. Sajid Mahmood took three wickets as the RCA XI were bowled out for just 151.
Flintoff reached his half-century from 44 deliveries, sharing 100 with Ian Bell.
England will face India on Sunday.
Warm-up match, Jaipur: England 295-8 beat Rajasthan Cricket Association XI 151 by 144 runs
Pakistan beat RCA XI in the warm up match
Oct 12, 2006
Pakistan Captain Younis Khan made a half-century and Shoaib Akhtar bowled a good spell (8-3-13-0) as Pakistan won against another RCA XI selection by 93 runs at the Neerja Modi School ground, Jaipur.
Warm-up match, Jaipur: Pakistan 280-8 beat Rajasthan Cricket Association XI 187-4 by 93 runs
Habibul Bashar wants to go back home with win
Oct 12, 2006
Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar desperately wants to end his Champions Trophy campaign on a winning note with his team's final qualifying match against Zimbabwe on Friday.
"We need to win this game and get our pride back," Bashar said. Bashar is yet to score a run in Champions Trophy qualifying, in which Bangladesh has lost to Sri Lanka and the defending champion West Indies so far. "We came here in this tournament to do a lot better and we want to win at least one game," Bashar said. Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are out of contention for the main round of the biennial limited-overs tournament, while the West Indies and Sri Lanka have already earned their berths.
Bangladesh' top-order batting lineup failed to chase a strong Sri Lankan total of 302 in the first match and lost the game by 37 runs, before Brian Lara's West Indies hammered it by 10 wickets on Wednesday. The West Indies outclassed Zimbabwe by nine wickets and Sri Lanka crushed it by 144 runs in its two qualifying matches. But the African team will have some confidence heading into Friday's match after beating Bangladesh 3-2 at home in a five-match limited-overs series earlier this year. "We need to be on top when we play Bangladesh tomorrow," said Zimbabwe coach Kevin Curran "We beat them 3-2 recently, we have that advantage."
Match 4, WIN vs BAN: Windies in the main stage after 10 wkt victory over Bangladesh
Oct 11, 2006
West Indies cruised to a 10 wicket win over Bangladesh and a place in the main stages of the ICC Champions Trophy.The Tigers collapsed from 95-1 to 161 all out after Shahriar Nafees (38) and Aftab Ahmed (59) had put on 85. For Windies, Gayle hit 104 in 118 balls, while Chanderpaul scored 52 in 104. West Indies Team C Gayle, S Chanderpaul, B Lara (Captain), R Sarwan, W Hinds, M Samuels, D Bravo, C Baugh (Wicket Keeper), I Bradshaw, J Taylor, F Edwards
Bangladesh Team S Nafees, M Ashraful, A Ahmed, S Hasan, H Bashar, F Reza, K Mashud, M Rafique, M Mortaza, A Razzak, S Rasel
ICC Champions Trophy qualifying round: Bangladesh 161 (46.3 overs) lost to West Indies 164/0 (36.4 overs) by 10 wickets
Ramnaresh Sarwan recovers, to play against Bangladesh
Oct 11, 2006
West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan has recovered from a viral infection and will play against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy qualifying match at Sawai Man Singh stadium today.
"Sarwan was suffering from viral infection but had recovered. He took part in the net session on Tuesday," team manager Tony Howard said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. He said the status of Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith, who were also down with viral fever, will be known this morning. "No one has been ruled out of selection for the playing eleven today," Howard added.
Meanwhile, captain Brian Lara said the side would not take any chances and they would play the best team possible. "We are not taking Bangladesh lightly. They had sprung some surprises in the past by beating India and Australia and there is no room for complacency as it is a qualifying tournament," Lara said when asked whether he would try to experiment with some new faces. "Playing good cricket is important than looking at whom you play with." Answering another question on the enormous form of batmen Chris Gyale, he said, "Gayle is an important cog in the wheel of West Indies cricket. He is a match winner and integral part of West Indies Cricket." Bangladesh Team (from): Habibul Bashar (Captain), Shahriar Nafees, Khaled Mashud, Mohammad Rafique, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza, Rajin Saleh, Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Farhad Reza, Saqibul Hasan, Mehrab Hossain.
West Indies Team (from): Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds.
Match 3, SRI vs ZIM: Sri Lanka through to the next round
Oct 10, 2006
Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 144 runs and made it to the group stage of Champions Trophy. Chasing 286 to win, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 141 runs in 42.3 overs. Zimbabwe is yet to win a match in the five editions.Upul Tharanga who hit his second century in two matches, was adjudged Man of the Match. He scored 110 and was involved in a 168-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who hit his 34th one-day fifty.
Sri Lanka Team M Jayawardene (Captain), M Atapattu, M Bandara, T Dilshan, D Fernando, S Jayasuriya, C Kapugedera, F Maharoof, S Malinga, M Muralitharan, P Perera, K Sangakkara (Wicket Keeper), U Tharanga, C Vaas
Zimbabwe Team T Duffin, T Mufambisi, C Chibhabha, E Chigumbura, S Matsikenyeri, P Rinke, B Taylor (Wicket Keeper), G Strydom, H Masakadza, P Utseya (Captain), A Ireland,T Mupariwa, T Kamungozi, E Rainsford
Champions Trophy qualifier, Ahmedabad Sri Lanka 285-7 (50 overs) bt Zimbabwe 141 (42.3 overs) by 144 runs
Sri Lanka aim to raise tempo against Zimbabwe
Oct 10, 2006
Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody will raise Zimbabwe to the same league as Australia and India when they clash in Tuesday's Champions Trophy qualifier.
"Quite clearly we'll be approaching this game just like any other - whether it's Zimbabwe, England, Australia or India, it makes no difference," said Moody. The Sri Lankans, considered one of the favourites to win the 10-nation tournament, began their campaign with an emphatic 37-run win over Bangladesh in Mohali on Saturday. Lowly Zimbabwe were thrashed by nine wickets by Brian Lara's West Indies here on Sunday, the match ending towards the close of the first session even before the lights were switched on in the day-night game.
Sri Lanka will qualify for the main tournament with their second win on Tuesday and the West Indies will join them if they defeat Bangladesh in Jaipur on Wednesday. Moody, a two-time World Cup champion as a player with Australia in 1987 and 1999, said his team will not take victory for granted against cricket's whipping boys. "My emphasis to the players will be that we're going in to win this match, the opposition is irrelevant," he said.
"Whether Zimbabwe have world class players in their side or not is not relevant. What is more important is that we have a game to play with the intensity we have with any match." "If anyone thinks they can come into a match like this with a foot off the gas and not quite switched on they can be in for a rude shock." Moody rubbished suggestions Sri Lanka would prefer to bat on winning the toss to gain useful practice rather than field and bring about a quick end to the match - like the West Indies did with Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka Team : Jayawardene (Captain), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakarra, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Malinga Bandara.
Zimbabwe Team : Prosper Utseya (Captain), Stuart Matsikenyeri, Hamilton Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura, Terrence Duffin, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Brendan Taylor, Harry Rinke, Gregory Strydom,Tawanda Mupariwa, Edward Rainsford, Anthony Ireland, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Tafadzwa Mufambisi.
Inzamam ruled out of ICC Champions Trophy
Oct 9, 2006
The International Cricket Council have informed Pakistan that suspended skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq will not be eligible to play in the ICC Champions Trophy even if they reach the final.
The 36-year-old is currently ruled out of the group and semi-final stages of the tournament in India after being handed a four-match ban for bringing the game into disrepute following the controversial scenes at the fourth Test against England at the Oval. However, even if Pakistan, who face South Africa, New Zealand and a qualifier in their group, reach the final Inzamam will not be allowed to make an emotional return.
Pakistan's decision to replace the big-hitting Inzamam, who has amassed 11,549 runs in one-day cricket, with Faisal Iqbal for the early part of the competition means that the captain cannot be reinstated.
Match 2, WIN vs ZIM: Windies thrash Zimbabwe
Oct 8, 2006
Chris Gayle starred with ball and bat as holders West Indies began their ICC Champions Trophy qualifying campaign with a nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe. Skipper Prosper Utseya (27) was one of only three Zimbabweans to make double figures as they were shot out for 85. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara eased them home off only 14.2 overs - and before the scheduled dinner break.
Champions Trophy, qualifying round, Ahmedabad: West Indies 90-1 (14.2 overs) bt Zimbabwe 85 (30.1 overs) by nine wickets
Lara to play in India after 10 years; West Indies not taking Zimbabwe lightly
Oct 8, 2006
West Indies captain Brian Lara, who is playing in India after almost 10 years, said his team would not take depleted Zimbabwe lightly in Sunday's ICC Champions Trophy qualifier. Defending champions West Indies and Sri Lanka are expected to advance to the main rounds from the four-team qualifiers which also involve Bangladesh. Although Lara has played 128 Tests and 275 one-day internationals, the last time he was in action in an ODI in India was in the 1996 World Cup semi-final, against Australia at Mohali. The last time he played a Test in India was in December 1994, at Chandigarh. Since Lara took over as captain for a third term in April, the West Indies routed Zimbabwe 5-0 and stunned India 4-1 at home, before edging out the Indians to reach the Malaysian tri-series final last month. Zimbabwe were routed 3-0 by South Africa in a recent ODI series, but a 3-2 victory in a preceding home series against Bangladesh offers hope of winning at least one match against an established side.
Match 1, SRI vs BAN: Upul Tharanga's century instrumental in Srilanka's victory over Bangladesh
Oct 7, 2006
In the first qualifying match for the Champions Cup in Mohali, Srilanka pulled off an easy victory against Bangladesh, thanks to a century by Upul Tharanga. In response to Sri Lanka's score of 302 runs at the loss of 8 wickets, Bangladesh could come up with only 265 runs in 50 overs and just one wicket in hand.
Tharanga anchored himself at the crease to hit 105 runs off 129 balls and was instrumental in the Srilankan victory. The rest of the top order batsmen all contributed to the score by forming lasting partnerships with Tharanga to help Srilanka get to a comfortable total of 302. Bangladesh fought back by taking 4 wickets in quick succession towards the end, but Srilanka still managaed to get their score past the 300 mark as Muralitharan and Tillakaratne amassed 28 runs in the last two overs.
Though Bangladesh suffered some early setbacks when their turn came to bat, they did put up a fight. The efforts worth mentioning include Saqibul Hasan's unbeaten 67 runs which included his first 50 in ODIs, Aftab Ahmed's 33 off 31 balls with 5 boundaries and a six.
But in the end, Srilanka turned out to be the better team, beating Bangladesh by 37 runs to win this first qualifying match for the ICC Champions Trophy.
The next match will be between Australia and Zimbabwe on Sunday in Ahmedabad.
Champions Trophy qualifying round, Mohali: Sri Lanka 302-8 (50 overs) bt Bangladesh 265-9 (50 overs) by 37 runs
Bangladesh face Sri Lanka in opener today
Oct 7, 2006
The first match of the Champions Trophy will be played at Mohali on Saturday between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The 1996 World Cup champions and the joint winners of the 2002 Champions Trophy Sri Lanka begin as overwhelming favourites in this encounter which kicks off the qualifying stage. The Sri Lankans have been in pretty good form of late including a 5-0 whitewash of England in England. Bangladesh on the other hand were beaten by a young Zimbabwe team 3-2 in a five match series recently and will be keen to cause an upset although they have beaten Sri Lanka just once in 17 matches. Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody said his team would treat Bangladesh with the respect they deserve. But he said his players would tread cautiously against the improving minnows, who have beaten Australia, India and Sri Lanka in recent times. Visiting Sri Lanka whitewashed England 5-0 in a One-Day series in July. Moody said the qualifiers would help his team prepare for the Champions Trophy main rounds which start on October 15. Sri Lanka failed to clinch one of the automatic main-round berths as only the top six teams in the One-Day rankings on April 1 made the cut. Sri Lanka Team (from): Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Marvan Atapattu, Malinga Bandara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chamara Kapugedera, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ruchira Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga, Chaminda Vaas.
Bangladesh Team (from): Habibul Bashar (Captain), Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful, Saqibul Hasan, Mehrab Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Khaled Mashud, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Rafique, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Farhad Reza, Rajin Saleh.
Zimbabwe ready to take on Windies
Oct 7, 2006
Zimbabwe will hope to take a few lessons from batting great Brian Lara when they clash with his West Indian team in a Champions Trophy qualifying match here on Sunday.
Zimbabwean cricket is attempting to rebuild after being battered and bruised by political turmoil at home that forced top stars like Andy Flower, Heath Streak and Tatenda Taibu to quit the country. Zimbabwe, now coached by former international Kevin Curran and captained by 21-year-old Prosper Utseya, will cause a major upset if they progress beyond the qualifying round also featuring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The top two teams in the round-robin qualifier will join world champions Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, England and New Zealand in the main tournament that begins on October 15. Since Lara took over as captain for a third term in April, the West Indies routed Zimbabwe 5-0 and stunned India 4-1 at home, before edging out the Indians to reach the Malaysian tri-series final last month. West Indies Team (from): Brian Lara (Captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Carlton Baugh, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds.
Zimbabwe Team (from): Prosper Utseya (Captain), Stuart Matsikenyeri, Brendan Taylor, Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Terry Duffin, Tawanda Mupariwa, Ed Rainsford, Piet Rinke, Anthony Ireland, Gregory Strydom, Chamu Chibhabha, Tafadzwa Kamungozi.
ICC Championship News - Archives
Champions Trophy History
As one of cricket's most prestigious events, the ICC Champions Trophy sits alongside the World Cup as one of the two "majors" of international cricket.
The two tournaments are the only occasions on the cricket calendar when all 10 Test-playing nations come together to compete in the one event.
Originally introduced as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and staged every two years since that time, the event has evolved into a round-robin competition with teams split into pool groups based on their official ICC one-day international rankings.
In 2002, the tournament was renamed the ICC Champions Trophy to reflect the new competition format.
Year Venue Winner Runners up Format 1998 Bangladesh South Africa West Indies Knockout 2000 Kenya New Zealand India Knockout 2002 Sri Lanka India/Lanka* Round robin 2004 England West Indies England Round robin 2006 India Round robin
