Mumbai Indians : TEAM PREVIEW
Strenghts
Mumbai's batting is definetely their main strenght. Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs' explosiveness at the top of the order, Joe Root, Javed Miandad and Mark Waugh's ability to anchor an innings and Moeen Ali and Darren Sammy's finishing abilities form a devastating mix. Also, Moises Henriques' underrated batting down the order could also come handy in the unlikely case of a middle-order collapse. Their new-ball pair, Allan Donald and Tim Southee, are no amateurs either. When on song, Donald can run through any batting line-up in history. As far as spin is concerned, they're not in bad shape at all. Grame Swann can spark a collapse anywhere in the world, be it
a seaming pitch in Headingley, or
a Wankhede dustbowl.
Weaknesses
Their only weaknesses are the lack of a second specialist spinner and a quality all-rounder. Darren Sammy's no Stuart Binny, but no Imran Khan either.
Players to watch out for
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Adam Gilchrist
Simply the best keeper-batsman ever. He made his test debut in 1999 at the Gabba against Pakistan and showed a glimpse of things to come by smashing 81 off 89 balls in his first innings. In the next match in Hobart, he hit an unbeaten 149 off 163 to help Australia chase 365 in the fourth innings against a bowling attack consisting of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq. Perhaps his most famous innings in the longest format came against England at his homeground at the WACA in 2006, when he absolutely demolished the English bowlers by smashing a 57-ball century, the second fastest ever, behind only Sir Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq. Gilchrist also won 3 World Cups with Australia.He played a crucial role in the 2007 WC's final, hitting 149 to bring the cup home for a third consecutive time.
Herschelle Gibbs
Even if his career ended on a bad note, Gibbs still remains one of South Africa's best limited-overs batsmen. His worst moment , the famous drop of Steve Waugh in the 1999 World Cup, perhaps wrongly overshadows his great performances, including a 175 off 111 to guide South Africa to chasing 434, and becoming the first man in international cricket's history to hit 6 sixes in an over, against the Netherlands in the 2007 WC. He already played with Gilchrist at the top of the order, for Deccan Chargers in the 2009 IPL, and their blazing opening partnerships played a crucial role in bringing the trophy to Hyderabad. The Mumbai Indians' fans will be hoping that something similar happens this time too.
Javed Miandad
Pakistan's best ever batsman. His unorthodox , street-smart batting style revolutionized the concept of middle-overs milking in ODIs. Javed was perhaps the best runner between the wickets in the history of one-day internationals. Where other batsmen ran one, he ran two, and where othes ran two, he ran three. He is one of only two batsmen whose test average never fell below 50. His most famous moment was without a doubt the "Sharjah ka chakka", when he smashed Chetan Sharma for a last-ball six to bring Pakistan to a victory by one wicket in the final of the Australasia Cup in Sharjah in 1986. His other major achivements are, among others, a World Cup win, a double century at the age of 19 (the youngest ever to do so) and captaining Pakistan to a series win in England. Also, his sledging abilities were second to no one. His spat with Dennis Lillee at the WACA in 1981 is still remembered about today.
Mark Waugh
Even if he lived in the shadow of his more famous twin brother Steve, Mark Waugh was a crucial member of Australia's legendary team in the late 90s and early 2000s. One of the world's most elegant and gifted strokemakers, Waugh debuted in test cricket in 1991 against England at his brother's expense, and immediately scored a century in his second innings. He was at his best in the 1993 Ashes series in England, when he scored 5 half-centuries (including a 99 at Lord's), a century and a 49. He played the 1996 World Cup as an opener and scored 3 hundreds and a fifty, although Australia ended up losing to Sri Lanka in the final. His best performance came in 2001 against the West Indies in the Carlton Mid ODI series at the MCG, when he smashed 173 off 148. He retired in late 2002 after losing his place in both the Test and ODI teams.
Allan Donald
The best pacer from South Africa before Shaun Pollock and Dale Steyn came along. If Apartheid had ended a few years earlier, White Lightning would've undoubtedly been the first bowler to 1000 international wickets. His best performance came in only his 4th test in 1992, when he ripped India apart with match figures of 12-139, but perhaps his most famous moment was his run-out in the 1999 WC semifinal that condemned South Africa to being referred as chokers for more than 15 years. At his prime he was absolutely devastating, which inevitably led to him being overused and injury-prone. He retired from tests in 2002 and from ODIs after yet another hearthbreaking exit from the World Cup in 2003.