Story Global Premier League - Lahore and Colombo both into quarters

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Bangladesh and Zimbabwean Team Previews​

16. Dhaka Warriors​

Squad​

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Strengths​

The Dhaka Warriors strength should be by far their bowling line up. They will have the services of two quality opening bowlers in Shoaib Akhtar and Lasith Malinga as well as Aussie pace bowling all-rounders James Hopes and Andrew McDonald. Indian Amit Mishra will lead a spin attack which will also feature West Indian all-rounder Ryan Hinds.

Weaknesses​

They have a very weak and inexperienced batting line up. With the exception of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe their side does not feature any international regulars. Ashraful and Williams are stand outs for their respective countries but the real test will be, will they be able to mix it with other big name batsmen. They also do not have an international first team regular wicket-keeper. Jayawardene and Foster are both not very experienced at high levels.

Key Players​

Mohammed Ashraful will really have to preform with the bat. His career to date has been plagued with inconsistency and this would be a good time to stop that. Their two international quality opening bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Lasith Malinga will need to get them off to a good start. It will be interesting to see how Ashraful players them weather they will bowl lots at the top, during the middle or at the end.

Prediction​

It will be very tough for such a weak side to get far into the competition. Even just one first up win and qualification to the main draw may be treated as a success.

First Fixture​

The Dhaka Warriors first match will be a qualifying game against the Harare Heroes. It will be played at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

17. Harare Heroes​

Squad​

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Strengths​

Overall the Harare Heroes have a well balanced side with little holes. Their batting line up features one of the best test match players Rahul Dravid as well as one of the best domestic players in the game David Hussey. Their experience will be priceless as they try to lift the batting side of things. Their side will also feature all-rounders Scott Styris and Shoaib Malik. They should provide good stability with the bat during the middle stages as well as probably needing to make up at least four overs between them.

Weaknesses​

The inexperience of captain Tatenda Taibu could well be one of their let downs. He has not had that much time captaining Zimbabwe so this will be a good challenge for him. He will also have to stand up with the gloves. He is backed up by also inexperienced fellow Zimbabwean Brendan Taylor.

Key Players​

Stuart Broad is a young player but will have to lead a bowling attack that lacks international experience. He has player a strong role in some of England's wins (as well as losses) over his short career. He is also a more than capable lower order batsmen. Almost their whole batting line up are reasonably big names. It is to hard to pick out individuals but they will all need to stand up and make some big totals weather it is chasing or setting them up.

Prediction​

They really should make it into the main draw. If they progress to there they would like a few more wins to make it a successful campaign. Winning the competition may be a step to far with a weakish bowling attack.

First Fixture​

The Harare Heroes first match will be a qualifying game against the Dhaka Warriors. It will be played at Seddon Park in Hamilton.


NOTE: That concludes the team previews.


Here are some country versus player statistics you might be interested in.

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The competition will now begin! I will try to update before every couple of matches with a preview for the day, as well as scorecards and summaries once each game has been completed.

The Draw​

Day One​

Qualifying Match one: Trinidad & Tobago Pirates versus Dubai Masters at McLean Park, Napier
Qualifying Match two: Dhaka Warriors versus Harare Heroes at Seddon Park, Hamilton

Day Two​

Match A: Mumbai Indians versus Lahore Eagles at Eden Park, Auckland
Match B: Colombo Bears versus Canterbury Wizards at AMI Stadium, Christchurch

Day Three​

Match C: Cape Town Cobras versus Winner of Qualifying Match one at Seddon Park, Hamilton
Match D: London Wasps versus Victorian Bushrangers at Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Day Four​

Match E: Jamaican Kings versus Johannesburg Lions at AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Match F: Winner of Qualifying Match two versus New South Wales Blues at Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Day Five​

Match G: Auckland Aces versus Delhi Daredevils at Eden Park, Auckland
Match H: Karachi Raiders versus Leeds Rhinos at McLean Park, Napier

Day Six​

Quarter-final one: Winner of Match A versus Winner of Match B at AMI STadium, Christchurch
Quarter-final two: Winner of Match C versus Winner of Match D at Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Day Seven​

Quarter-final three: Winner of Match E versus Winner of Match F at McLean Park, Napier
Quarter-final four: Winner of Match G versus Winner of Match H at Seddon Park, Hamilton

Day Eight​

Semi-final one: Winner of Quarter-final one versus Winner of Quarter-final two at Eden Park, Auckland

Day Nine​

Semi-final two: Winner of Quarter-final three versus Winner of Quarter-final four at Eden Park, Auckland

Day Ten​

Final: Winner of Semi-final one versus Winner of Semi-final two at Eden Park, Auckland

 

[CG123]

Day One​

Qualifying Match one: Trinidad & Tobago Pirates versus Dubai Masters at McLean Park, Napier
Qualifying Match two: Dhaka Warriors versus Harare Heroes at Seddon Park, Hamilton

Trinidad & Tobago Pirates versus Dubai Masters​

The first match of the World Premier League gets underway in front of a full house at McLean Park in Napier. Two reasonably strong sides will do battle in a fight to get into the main draw and an opening round match with the Cape Town Cobras. The Trinidad & Tobago Pirates are the second West Indian side and are seeded 15th while the Dubai Masters based out of the United Arab Emirates are seeded 18th.

Prediction​

I will be picking the Trinidad & Tobago Pirates but not by much. Their batting line-up should just out way that of the Dubai Masters as well as having a hard hitting middle order. The Masters may end up having the stronger bowling line-up but even this is marginal. On paper this should be a very even contest.

Team News​

Trinidad & Tobago Pirates (likely) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Michael Vaughan, 4 Xavier Marshall, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (capt), 6 Cameron White, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Jeetan Patel, 10 Lakshmipathy Balaji, 11 RP Singh

Dubai Masters (likely) 1 Alistair Cook, 2 Luke Ronchi (wk), 3 Thilina Kandamby, 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Ryan ten Doeschate (capt), 7 Vernon Philander, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Nikita Miller, 11 Doug Bollinger

Dhaka Warriors versus Harare Heroes​

The second and last of the qualifying matches will be played at Seddon Park in Hamilton in what may also prove to be a sell out. In contrast to the first match this will be between two of the weaker sides in the competition. The Dhaka Warriors and Harare Heroes are seeded 16th and 17th respectively meaning a win first up would give them a first round clash with the 1st seeded New South Wales Blues.

Prediction​

The Harare Heroes should really take this one out. They should have a much stronger batting line-up as well as more good all-round talent. A positive for the Dhaka Warriors is that they have two quality opening bowlers in Shoaib Akhtar and Lasith Malinga. They would most likely have to fire if Dhaka are to have a change at producing one of the first upsets of the tournament.

Team News​

Dhaka Warriors (likely) 1 Jamie How, 2 Imraan Khan, 3 Callum Ferguson, 4 Mohammed Ashraful (capt), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Ryan Hinds, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 James Hopes, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Lasith Malinga

Harare Heroes (likely) 1 Sewnarine Chattergoon, 2 Murali Vijay, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 David Hussey, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Tatenda Taibu (capt) (wk), 7 Shoaib Malik, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Sohail Khan, 11 Chris Martin

 

[just_cricket]

I actually think the Dhaka Warriors will win their match, and Trinidad and Tobago will beat Dubai, but if Dubai qualify I'll be backing them all the way because I love Alastair Cook.
Nice Presentation, kiu

 

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Qualifying Match One​

Welcome to Napier for the first ever World Premier League match between the Trinidad and Tobago Pirates and the Dubai Masters. It will be played in front of a sold out McLean Park. I'll send you down to the toss.

Presenter: Shivnarine your call.
Shivnarine: Heads.
Presenter: Tails it is. Ryan you've won the toss what are you going to do?
Ryan: We're going to have a bat, it looks to be a good track. I feel if we can start off well and not lose early wickets a big total is on offering.
Presenter: Where will you be batting?
Ryan: I'll probably slot in at number 6. Just behind Mike and Rohit and ahead of Vernon.
Presenter: Thanks for your time and good luck. Shivnarine what would you have done?
Shivnarine: I would of liked to of had a bat, but its not the end of the world. If we are going to get anything out of the pitch it is likely to be early on.
Presenter: Whats your bowling attack look like.
Shivnarine: RP and Morne will probably open up followed by Lakshmipathy and spinners Jeets and Cam.
Presenter: Thanks Shiv and good luck.

We'll now take a look at the two line-ups

Trinidad & Tobago Pirates



Dubai Masters

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Join us on the other side of this break for live World Premier League 20/20 action between the Pirates and the Masters.

 

[just_cricket]

Nice pre match stuff, there. Some combination of Hussey, Ronchi, Sharma or Cook have to have a good partnership for Dubai, then Lee has to somehow rip through the sensational top order of the Pirates- Ryder and Gambhir are the key players for them, because neither team's bowling is very strong.
My prediction is that if Ryder or Gambhir get going the Pirates will win, otherwise the Dubai Masters might just sneak through.

 

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First Innings​

Welcome back to McLean Park Where play is all set to begin. Alastair Cook and Luke Ronchi are out in the middle and it will be Morne Morkel to open up the bowling.

First 6 overs​

Ronchi survived a close LBW shout in a first over before being cleaned bowled by RP Singh in the second for just 4 off 4. The Masters were left in trouble at 10/1 after 1.2 overs with Cook not out on 6.
It was left to Cook and Sri Lankan Thilina Kandamby to steady the ship after their first blow, but sadly for Dubai Cook did not last that much longer. He was caught and bowled by RP Singh off his next over being the forth of the innings. Kandamby was left not out on 13 with the Masters score at just 25.
Kandamby and new batsmen Michael Hussey decided to attack the bowling and made quite a good fist of it bringing up the Masters 50 off just 5.3 overs. After 6 overs at the end of the fielding restrictions Dubai had smashed their way up to 57 even after 2 early casualties. Both Kandamby and Hussey were both going along well with strike rates well in excess of 100.

Middle 8 overs​

Both batsmen continued along very nicely hitting 16 off each off the 7th and 8th overs taking the Masters score up to 89/2 after just 8.
The Pirates really needed a brake through and it came from New Zealander Jeetan Patel. With the score just short off 100 Patel bowled one straight through Michael Hussey. He had however played a key role in resurrecting the innings hitting 40 from just 24 balls including 5 fours.
Just 4 balls and 6 runs later Kandamby succumbed to Cameron White. He had survived two close caught behind shouts just a couple off overs early but this time he was given. Kandamby made a really good 43 which included 4 fours and a six. With two new batsmen at the wicket could the Pirates manage to slow the run rate?
This wasn't to be as Rohit Sharma and skipper Ryan ten Doeschate came together. They continued the onslaught pushing the Masters up to 145/4 after 14, making the middle eight overs cost a huge 88 runs for just 2 wickets.

Last 6 overs​

The Pirates really had to finish strongly if they were going to have any say in this match. The Masters however continued, hitting Ryder for 2 consecutive boundaries to boast them up to 153, their 150 coming in under 15 overs.
Balaji finished off his spell of 4 overs strongly, his last 2 just going for 15. But that wasn't to stop Rohit Sharma as he brought up his 50 after 19.2 overs in just 33 balls. Ryan ten Doeschate may feel a bit unlucky as he was in a similar situation. He went into the last over needing just 2 for his fifty but ended up not facing a ball.
RP Singh will feel he had the last say but it may of been too late. He bowled Sharma for a well crafted 54 off 35 and then finished off with a dot ball.

Summery​

A middle order blitz from the Dubai Masters resulted in them getting a very competitive total of 203/5 on the board. It resulted in all four of their middle order batsmen (3-6) getting past 40 in double quick time.
With the likes of Lee, Sammy, ten Doeschate and Miller the Masters shouldn't have any trouble defending the total they have on the board.
But beware the Trinidad & Tobago Pirates have no mug batting line-up. It features some of the games best 20/20 opening batsmen in Gambhir and Ryder, as well as hitting power down the order in White, Prior and Morkel.

Scorecard​

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We'll be back after this brake as Trinidad & Tobago pursue the Masters total of 203/5.

 

[just_cricket]

Very nice presentation, interesting to read. I'm impressed at how even using card cricket you can create a very interesting game, capturing the dynamics of a T20 innings well.

The Masters should cruise home here- unless for some reason card cricket T20s have ultra high scores. They have the better bowling side and they have an above par total.

 

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The Masters should cruise home here- unless for some reason card cricket T20s have ultra high scores. They have the better bowling side and they have an above par total.

Yeah, I probably should of updated you on this...
I worked out the average score to be about 200/8. (before the tournament started)
So yeah they will be reasonable high scoring matches, but this should make for more excitement... if anything.
Just don't be surprised by a few big scores.

Also please if you are reading this feel free to post a comment on what more you would like to see in my story.

 

[CG123]

Second Innings​

Welcome back to McLean Park Where we are all set to begin the second innings. Gautam Gambhir and Jesse Ryder are out in the middle for the Pirates and Brett Lee has the bowl for the Masters.

First 6 overs​

It was just the start Dubai wanted as they picked up Jesse Ryder in the first over. He went back to the pavilion for just 3 with the score on 5. Another tight second over lead to Dubai almost picking up another wicket but LBW shout against Michael Vaughan was turned down. A big third over left the pirates at 25/1 after 3.
A miracle over by Darren Sammy then restricted the Pirates to 30/3. Gambhir was sent back for 7, caught behind and then new batsmen Xavier Marshall just 3 balls later, caught ten Doeschate for 2.
A similar situation happened in this innings as to what happened in the first as the Pirates countered early wickets with attack bringing up their 50 off just 5 overs. After 6 overs when the fielding restriction came off, the Pirates were 59/3 compared to the Masters 57/2. At this stage it happens to be a very even game with both Vaughan and captain Chanderpaul both settled in.

Middle 8 overs​

The middle period of overs did not start off well for Dubai. The Pirates hit 18 off Philander's first over and then took 15 of Sammy's final over taking their total up to 92/3 after just 8. Michael Vaughan who had played a splendid knock at number 3 brought up his 50 off just 27 balls. His knock was much needed as when he was on 16 the score read 30/3.
It was getting to the stage where the Masters now desperately needed a wicket. Ten Doeschate brought his left arm spinner, Nikita Miller into the attack. He provided the vital breakthrough of Vaughan just a few balls after he had brought up his 50, LBW for 52. That wicket meant the score was now 93/4 with Chanderpaul still at the wicket on 26 and White to join him.
It was however in the next over that the Pirates brought up their 100 before 9 overs were up. Chanderpaul was going for everything at this stage, would this be his downfall?
Three more wickets fell before 50 more runs were put on the board. They were Chanderpaul for a 34 ball 14, White for 10 and wicket-keeper Matt Prior for 27 in the 14th over. They ended the middle period on 144/7 just 1 short of the Masters score at the same stage but had lost a further 3 wickets.

Last 6 overs​

The last 6 overs began with Trinidad & Tobago bringing up their 150 after 14.4 overs moving them up to 151/7. The run rate slowed but not dramatically Morkel and Patel need 50 off 5 then 42 off 4 then 32 off 3. Morkel was striking at well over 100 while Patel kept on rotating the strike.
It was going to be a close one as ten Doeschate brought Lee back, but he went for 11 off the 3rd to last over meaning they required 21 off 2. Philander then came back into the attack to bowl the penultimate over and made a good job of it going for 1, 1, 0, 4, 1, 0 and 7 proved to be a really good job as they now required 14 runs off 6 balls.
It was down to Brett Lee and he was up against fellow bowler Morne Morkel who had played an outstanding knock of 38 off 21. Lee drilled the first one in short and Morkel went after it pounding it for the first big one of the innings meaning they now need 8 off 5. Off the second ball of the over Lee picked up the much needed brake through of Morkel caught ten Doeschate for 44 and putting a stop to the 8th wicket partnership off 53.
The new batsmen was Lakshmipathy Balaji, who needed 8 off 4. He played a blinder hitting Lee for a four and then a six off the very next ball to win a spectacular game with 2 balls to go. Credit also has to go to Patel who stayed calm scoring 12 off 13.

Summery​

What an outstanding performance by the Trinidad & Tobago Pirates to get up and win this match. An amazing lower order batting effort has got them home after at one stage they were 30/3.
Credit must go to the Dubai Masters a team based where cricket is not at its strongest. They batted brilliantly putting 203 on the board but really were let down by their bowlers especially Brett Lee bowling 3.4 overs and going for 46 runs.
Dubai's middle order helped them through to the imposing 203/5 but it is Trinidad & Tobago who has prevailed here in Napier by 2 wicket and 2 balls remaining.

Scorecard​

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We'll be back after a short break for the post match presentation with the two captains the the Man Of The Match.

 

[just_cricket]

Damn, looks like my favourites bow out without even qualifying
Good work on the statistics- what I would like to see more of in your story?
Not much. The writing is very good, and although some people may like a screenshot or two, I think your style of graphics makes it distinct from others' stories.
KUTGW

 

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Post Match Presentation​

Presenter: Hello and welcome back to McLean Park in Napier for the post match presentation with the two captains and Man Of The Match. I'd now like to invite in losing captain Ryan ten Doeschate to say a few words on behalf of his team. That's a tough loss to take.
Ryan: Yeah it is... I thought we batted really well in posting over 200, but we still knew we had to come out and bowl well, which we didn't. We got the start we wanted restricting them to about 30/3 but it just went downhill form there.
Presenter: Talk us through the bowling side off things. Should you have maybe brought yourself on a bit earlier?
Ryan: I don't think so... I was always going to keep Brett for the death, and bowling Darren out at the beginning may of been a mistake on my behalf. He had bowled three top class overs and I thought just one more and we would of had it ***** up. But that wasn't to be. They attacked him, Doug, Vernon and Nikita and it wasn't really until I brought myself on that the run rate started to slow. I don't think it would of made too much difference where i bowled because I still got through my four.
Presenter: Where to for you guys now?
Ryan: We'll stay together for another few days, access our performance as a unit and look at what we could of done better. I'll probably stay and watch the rest of the tournament but after that it's up to the guys themselves what they want to do.
Presenter: Thanks for your time Ryan

Presenter: We'll now bring in the winning captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul. I can see the relief all over you, what a nail biter first up.
Shivnarine: Yeah it was... We always though we were in with a chance. When me and Michael came together we were in trouble, but being our two most experienced players we managed to dig ourselves out of that hole and find a way back into the match.
Presenter: What about Morne Morkel at the end, maybe learning some things off his brother?
Shivnarine: Yeah Albie has always been a big hitter, but when Morne got named in our squad at the beginning we felt something might run in the family... and it did.
Presenter: You guys have one day off and your back into it against the Cape Town Cobras in Hamilton, how do you rate your chances?
Shivnarine: We'll probably run a light training session tomorrow and try to keep some of the momentum we got in this game. We now know we are always in the game no matter what the situation is, so I rate our changes quite highly and a win will be what is expected from the boys.
Presenter: Thanks for your time Shiv, and good luck with your next game

Presenter: We now come to our man of the match award. He had a really good day in all three aspects of a cricket game. He found himself not out two short of 50, bowled the spell of the match taking 3 for 27 off his four and took two good catches. Could I please invite forward Ryan ten Doeschate from the Dubai Masters. Man Of The Match in a losing cause, how does it feel?
Ryan: Hmmm... It shows how we defiantly deserved to win but we did not want the win enough and they did.
Presenter: How did you rate your performance?
Ryan: I was stoked with how i batted, I couldn't of really done much more. I felt I fielded well taking two reasonable catches as well as getting us right back into it with the bowl. On the bowling side of things I would of liked more support from the likes of Brett and Doug. As I said before we didn't want the win as much as they did, and that cost us in the end.
Presenter: Again thanks Ryan for your time and good luck with your cricket for the future.

That's all we have for you at McLean Park, join us from Seddon Park later on for coverage of the Dhaka Warriors up against the Harare Heroes.

NOTE: Each day i will try to do one feature length match and a summery of the other. Of course that was the feature length match so the Dhaka Warriors versus the Harare Heroes game will be much more of a summery.

 

[CG123]

Qualifying Match Two​

Welcome to Seddon Park in Hamilton for this World Premier League qualifying match between the Dhaka Warriors and the Harare Heroes. Out in the middle Tatenda Taibu has won the toss for the Heroes and has elected to bat.

We'll now take a look at the two line-ups:

Dhaka Warriors



Harare Heroes



First Innings​

It was a horrendous start for the Harare Heroes, as Shoaib Akhtar and Lasith Malinga mauled through their top order reducing them to a woeful 17/5. David Hussey and Shoaib Malik tried to build a partnership but wickets just kept on falling and they found themselves 68/9. Bowlers Sohail Khan and Chris Martin tried to add some respectability to their total but Khan fell for 22 leaving them steamrolled for just 89 after only 10.4 overs. All four bowlers Ashraful used picked up wickets but the stand out was Shoaib Akhtar who bowled 3 overs taking 3 for 19.

Second Innings​

Chris Martin struck in the second and Stuart Broad in the third to reduce the Warriors to 21/2. But warriors as they are, fought back going past the Heroes total in under 10 overs with 7 wickets in hand. Captain Mohammed Ashraful hit 26 off 17, while Ferguson remained not out 30 and Williams not out 10.

Summery​

Overall a very comprehensive win for the Dhaka Warriors. They bowled first which they probably wanted to do and their key bowlers being Akhtar, Malinga and Hopes all stood up. Left a very small total to chase their inexperienced top order got their with some ease. Ashraful stood up as he probably needed to and they found some talent at number 3 with Callum Ferguson.

Post Match Presentation​

Taibu spoke off how disappointed he was with such a terrible batting effort, himself included. Ashraful was stoked that first up they notched up such an easy win and was very happy with how his bowlers preformed. Shoaib Akhtar was named Man Of The Match for his deadly spell at the beginning of the game which was 3 overs, no maidens, 3 wickets for just 19 runs.


I hope you enjoyed our coverage from Day One of the World Premier League, in which we saw Trinidad and Tobago and Dhaka both progress to the main draw. I hope you can join us next time as we preview the matches to come for you on Day Two.

 

[CG123]

Day Two​

Match A: Mumbai Indians versus Lahore Eagles at Eden Park, Auckland - Feature Match
Match B: Colombo Bears versus Canterbury Wizards at AMI Stadium, Christchurch - Summery Match

Mumbai Indians versus Lahore Eagles​

The first match of the World Premier League main draw will be played at New Zealand's largest stadium Eden Park. It should be a good game between two teams based in neighboring countries, Mumbai and Lahore. The Mumbai Indians are seeded 3rd while the Lahore Eagles are 14th as they are Pakistan's second team. Both the squads contrast each other well and are both reasonably strong.

Prediction​

Pretty hard to pick, but I'm going to go with Mumbai. They have more renowned big hitters including Gibbs, Haddin, Patel and Morkel as well as greater all-round ability. The Lahore Eagle may decide to go into this game with only five bowlers as this would really strengthen there batting line-up, meaning they would end up batting deeper than Mumbai. It should be a good game of cricket.

Team News​

Mumbai Indians (likely) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Steve Tikolo, 4 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 5 Vaughn van Jaarsveld, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 Daren Powell

Lahore Eagles (likely) 1 Neil Mckenzie, 2 Michael Vandort, 3 Owais Shah, 4 Mohammed Kaif, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Dinesh Karthik, 8 Yusuf Pathan, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Stuart Clark, 11 Muttiah Muralitharen

Colombo Bears versus Canterbury Wizards​

The Colombo Bears up against the Canterbury Wizards will be the second game on Day Two. It will very much be a battle of two of the best wicket-keeper batsmen going around today. Kumar and Brendon will both bat in the top order, wicket-keep as well as captain their teams. If one of them has a blinder it could win them the game.

Prediction​

I will be picking the Wizards to take this one out. They will be on home soil giving them a massive boast with most of AMI Stadium behind them. Both teams should be well balanced with plenty of bowling options each. Colombo may end up having the stronger of the batting line-ups as they will feature Jaffer, Amla and Raina.

Team News​

Colombo Bears (likely) 1 Wasim Jaffer, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (capt) (wk), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Grant Ellliot, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Abdur Razzak, 9 Andre Nel, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Fidel Edwards

Canterbury Wizards (likely) 1 Simon Katich, 2 Brendon McCullum (capt) (wk), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Brendan Nash, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Fawad Alam, 8 Paul Harris, 9 Sreesanth, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 Makhaya Ntini

 

[CG123]

Match A​

I welcome you all the Eden Park in Auckland for this World Premier League Match between India's Mumbai Indians and Pakistan's Lahore Eagles. As the stadium is filling up I'll send you down to the toss.

Presenter: I'm out here in the middle with the two captains, Sachin Tendulkar and Mishbah-ul-Haq. Mishbah you've got the coin.
Sachin: Heads.
Presenter: Head is the call... Tails it is. Mishbah you've won the toss what are you going to do.
Mishbah: We're going to have a bat, it looks to be a good track and i feel it may brake up a bit later on bringing Muttiah and Yusuf into the game.
Presenter: What's your take on the pace of the game?
Mishbah: Well we saw with the couple of games yesterday that the run rate was up around 10 an over. That's defiantly setting the standard and it will be tough as we try and follow it.
Presenter: Thanks for your time Misbah and good luck... Sachin what would you have liked to have done?
Sachin: I would of liked to of had a bat. It looks to be a good track to bat on but you just never know. If we can come out fired up like Dhaka did yesterday, we could pick up a few early wickets as well and put them on the back foot.
Presenter: What seamers have you gone with for this game?
Shivnarine: We have included Daren, Tim and Chris in our eleven, as well as all-rounder Albie Morkel... So that leaves out Kumar, Simon and Angelo. I would of liked to have picked them all, but you just can't.
Presenter: Thank you Sachin and good luck... And that's all from down here at the toss I'll send you back upstairs to look at the two line-ups.

Here are the two line-ups:

Mumbai Indians



Lahore Eagles

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We'll take a short commercial break and be back for live World Premier League 20/20 action between the Indians and the Eagles.

 

[CG123]

First Innings​

Welcome back to Eden Park Where play is all set to begin. The two Lahore opening batsmen Neil McKenzie and Michael Vandort are out in the middle, as well as Daren Powell who will be opening the bowling for Mumbai.

First 6 overs​

The Eagles innings started with a BANG as they raced to 27/0 after 2.1 overs, but it was then when they lost their first wicket. Michael Vandort had survived an early LBW appeal but this time was caught by Steve Tikolo off the bowling of Daren Powell for 12.
Lahore where batting at frantic pace with a run rate in excess of ten as they raced to their 50 off just 4.4 overs with only 1 wicket down. But the first 6 overs produced several good opportunities for wickets. Owais Shah survived an LBW appeal that could of easily of been given, while Neil McKenzie wasn't given out on a caught behind shout as well as a stumping chance.
Powell's first spell had been a good one bowling 3 overs, and taking 1 for 28 while the other 2 bowlers Tendulkar used in the first 6 overs, Southee and Tremlett had both been expensive. Lahore ended the first period of fielding restrictions on 65/1

Middle 8 overs​

The middle lot of overs continued at a steady pace. Albie Morkel came into the attack and went for 13 so was taken of immediately. Tendulkar brought spin into the attack from both ends. Johan Botha's first up over was a good one only going for 7 after a last ball 4 but it wasn't until Samit Patel's first over from the other end that they finally broke through. He bowled fellow Englishman Owais Shah for 32 off 20 deliveries.
The Eagles hundred came up after 9.2 overs and the next over Neil McKenzie brought up a well deserved 50 off only 28 balls.
Mohammed Kaif came to the wicket at Shah's dismissal and was going along nicely until he was stumped by Brad Haddin in Botha's 3rd over. His 26 came off just 14 balls. In the next over Tendulkar brought Kenyan Steve Tikolo into the attack and he struck first up getting rid of opener McKenzie for 55.
The middle period of play produced 74 runs at 9.25 an over taking their total up to 139/4 with the last 6 over slog remaining.

Last 6 overs​

Lahore brought up their 150 with Oram and captain Mishbah-ul-Haq at the wicket in the 15th over, but then Sachin brought youngster Tim Southee back. This move immediately paid divergence as he picked up New Zealand team mate Jacob Oram caught and bowled for a 12 ball 15.
That wicket brought to the middle wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik who played a vital role as he punched the Indians attack smashing 7 boundaries in his 33 at a strike rate of over 200.
Their 200 came up in the last over of the innings bowled by Powell. His over only went for 4 off the first 5 balls but Karthik had the last say hitting the last delivery for four. Marquee player Mishbah-ul-Haq finished up on a well deserved 29.

Summary​

A great batting effort from the Eagles resulted in them getting through to 207/5. South African opener Neil McKenzie stared for them picking up the 3rd half century of the tournament but again failing to get past the 50's.
The pick off the bowlers were Daren Powell and Johan Botha. Powell bowled 4 overs, taking 1 for 36 while Botha also bowled four, taking 1 for 33. They both went at 9 or under and that was a good effort considering Lahore's total was in excess of 200.
The Mumbai Indians will bat all the way to number nine but 207 will still be no easy task to chase. Tendulkar will be vital and may need to score big if Mumbai are going to get through. Lahore have only gone into this game with 5 recognized bowlers so they will all need to preform.

Scorecard​

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When we come back we'll have the second innings, as Mumbai try to chase down Lahore's 207/5.