The very first match of the tournament was between the two best one day international teams. Australia who were ranked no.1 and India who were ranked no.2 in ICC odi rankings! The match was played at the sydney cricket ground. The ground was fully packed up and the spectators were eager to see the match begin. Indian team won the toss and decided to bat first. The team line ups were :
Australia : Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(WK), Ricky Ponting(C), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Xavier Doherty, Doug Bollinger
India : Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(C) (WK), Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
The Australian team interestingly made a surprise change by playing Christian and dropping Smith from the playing XI. The batting line up was quite solid, with Watson and Haddin opening the batting and then Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, White, Christian taking care of the middle order. Johnson and Lee can bat a bit but Doherty and Bollinger can't.
Indian team too made a surprise change by including Irfan in the playing line up. Praveen didn't play because he twisted his ankle in the morning, while practicing for the match. Indian team batting line up as usual was solid. With the legend, Sachin opening the batting with explosive Sehwag! A pretty long middle order with batsmen like Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Raina and even Pathan making the middle order look strong.
With batting first, the Indian team put up a good score on the board of 275/6. Gambhir top scored with a wonderful 105. Indian team was 50/2 when Gambhir and Kohli were at the pitch. They put up a good partnership of 100 runs on the board which got the Indian team back on track. Kohli departed for a well made 52. After that, some attacking cricket from Yuvraj and Dhoni resulted in India reaching to a good total of 275/6.
Irfan making a comeback to the Indian side took 3 quick wickets of the Australian team and returned to the Indian team with a bang! Like he used to do before, he was getting the ball to come in and even go out which was great to see for anyone who loves to see a bowler get some swing. Australian team was on back foot with 25/3. From other end, Zaheer too was getting some swing and the Australian batsmen were just not able to play their normal game. The two batsmen at the crease now were Ponting and Hussey.
Both of them didn't start off too well but later on when Zaheer and Pathan were taken off the attack by Dhoni, they again started to play their normal game. Hussey was rotating the strike but the Australia captain, Ponting was just at his remarkably best. He smashed Harbhajan and Ishant all around the park. Dhoni had a worried look on his face. The Australian team was back in the match, really, they were 140/3 after 25 overs with Ponting not out on 65 and Hussey not out on 43. Pathan was brought back into the bowling attack and he didn't disappoint his captain as he got the BIG wicket of Ponting for 68. Hussey too was dismissed by Pathan for 75 and that meant that Pathan got a five-for. Brilliant bowling display from Pathan, who was making his come back to the Indian side!
Two batsmen now at the crease were White and Christian. Australia's score was 175/5 after 34 overs. Christian did smash some big blows but they were not enough as White departed to Harbhajan and after that the wickets fell like pack of cards and the Australian team was all out for 235. Christian was not out till the end for 35. A good start to the series for the Indian team! Man of the match award was given to Irfan Pathan for brilliant figures of 10-0-42-5.
Match 2 : Australia vs New Zealand
Line ups - Australia : Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(WK), Ricky Ponting(C), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Xavier Doherty, Doug Bollinger
New Zealand : Brendon McCullum(WK), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(C), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills
The second match of the tournament was between Australia and New Zealand at Melbourne cricket ground. The pitch had a bit of grass and bounce which was a good thing for the bowlers and obviously not so good for the batsmen. Australian team with winning the toss elected to bowl first.
New Zealand team was having a lot of trouble in playing the Australian bowlers in the first 15 overs but as the match progressed, the pitch got a little better for batting and the New Zealand batsmen took the advantage of it. The good thing for the New Zealand team was that, McCullum kept his cool and was out there at the pitch when the conditions were difficult for batting. Though, Ryder and Guptill both failed to give him the support he needed. New Zealands final score was 285/7 with McCullum top scoring with 94. Taylor too played an excellent inning of 85. Some big shots from Williamson lower down the order helped New Zealand in putting up a good score on the board.
Australian team in reply, came with an aggressive approach which didn't go in favor of them. Watson and Haddin both disappointed their fans but it was their captain who played a remarkable knock of 125 and took his team to a memorable victory. He got some good support from Mr.Cricket (Michael Hussey) who was unbeaten till the end of the innings for 122. Australian team chased down the target in the 47th over with loosing 6 wickets in the chase after being 35/2 it was a solid performance from the middle order, to not only get the Australian team out of the trouble but also win the match.
Match 3 : India vs New Zealand
India : Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(C) (WK), Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
New Zealand : Brendon McCullum(WK), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(C), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills
This match was played at the Perth cricket ground. Indian team won the toss and on a good batting pitch and decided to bat first. They put up a solid score on the board of 345 for 6 in their 50 overs. One saw a brilliant inning from Sehwag, who made an excellent 135. Yuvraj too was good with the bat as he made a valuable 95. The score was obviously quite good and the Indian fans were hoping that it should be a match winning score.
But Brendon McCullum had some other ideas. He made a remarkable 155 and guided his team to the victory. Oram down the order, hit some big shots and was not out till the end as he played one of the better knocks of his life if not the best, he made 85 runs off just 44 balls. The Indian fans were stunned by this performance from the New Zealand team, all thanks to Brendon and Oram. The whole New Zealand team contributed actually, everyone chipped in with some good scores and won the match for their team. A solid victory in the end and the tournament was well balanced. Each team had played 2 matches so far and won one and lost one. Next match was between New Zealand and Australia.
Match 4 : Australia vs New Zealand
Line ups - Australia : Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(WK), Ricky Ponting(C), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Xavier Doherty, Doug Bollinger
New Zealand : Brendon McCullum(WK), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(C), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills
Adelaide Oval, was the ground where this match was played. New Zealand team won the toss and elected to bat first. Everyone was shocked as the New Zealand skipper, Vettori decided that he will send Oram as the opening batsmen. Oram didn't disappoint his captain as he made 80 runs. McCullum too didn't disappoint his fans as he made 90 runs. Unlucky to miss out on a century, he was timing the ball exceptionally well! A solid opening partnership resulted in New Zealand reaching to a score of 295/7.
Australian team just never looked like chasing the target. Mills was finally bowling in the right areas and getting the rewards. Mills took a five-for as the Australian team was all out for 223. Suddenly the team which was not looking to win the tournament was well in the race to win the tournament and the New Zealand fans were obviously delighted with this. Next match was between India and New Zealand. New Zealand, who beat India in the last match that they played against them in this tournament were looking to carry on the good form and beat them again.
Match 5 : India vs New Zealand
India : Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(C) (WK), Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
New Zealand : Brendon McCullum(WK), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(C), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills
Irfan was ruled out of this match due to an injury and it was expected that he might not play in the rest of the tournament, as the injury was serious.
Praveen was picked in the side. This match was played at the Sydney cricket ground. New Zealand team again won the toss and again batted first. Oram was again send as opener but this time he failed to do anything special as he was out cheaply. McCullum too disappointed but this time, Taylor, who failed to do anything in the tournament SO FAR, finally batted well and made a century. As he often does, he started off slowly but in the later part of the innings, he completely changed his batting and smashed some big blows which resulted in his team reaching to a good total again, this time 268/6.
Indian team this time around batted cautiously and chased down the target quite easily. Tendulkar showed his class and made yet another century in one day internationals. Tendulkar made 119. He was well supported by Sehwag, who made a crucial 95, unlucky to miss out on a century. A good opening partnership always helps and this time around it helped as well and India easily chased down the target and won the match by 7 wickets. India chased down the total in the 44th over. Next match was between Australia and India. Australia needed to win the match to qualify for the finals. So far, India and New Zealand both had won two matches, if Australia won their match they would qualify for the finals as their net run rate was better.
Match 6 : Australia vs India
Australia : Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(WK), Ricky Ponting(C), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Xavier Doherty, Doug Bollinger
India : Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(C) (WK), Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
Melbourne cricket ground hosted this exciting match. Irfan had not recovered from his injury and was out of the tournament. Praveen got another chance. Indian team won the toss and elected to bat first. Kohli showed what he is capable of in tough circumstances as batsmen like Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir failed to make an impression. Kohli stood up and played a solid innings of 118. He was supported by the Indian skipper, Dhoni who made 75. Indian team put up a fine total on the board of 276 for 6. It was obviously not a big total and as the pitch was good for batting, an exciting contest was on the cards.
Watson got out early but Haddin and Ponting made sure that the early blow didn't affected the team but it was Harbhajan who sent both of them back to the pavilion and got the Indian team back in the match. Michael Clarke and Mr Cricket (Mike Hussey) were just getting the Australian team back on track before they both gave their wickets to Zaheer. After that, no one really from the Australian team did anything special and the Indian team won the match quite easily in the end. Australian team finished at 225/9. That meant that the two teams to go to the finals were India and New Zealand.
Finals
1st Final : India vs New Zealand
India : Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(C) (WK), Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
New Zealand : Brendon McCullum(WK), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(C), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills
First of the three finals was played at the Adelaide Cricket Ground. Indian team won the toss and elected to bowl first. Dhoni at the toss mentioned that he believes, that the pitch will be good for batting throughout the match but the first few overs of the first innings can help the bowlers. Dan, on other hand didn't think the same. He believed that pitch will help the bowlers in the first few overs of the match but after that the batsmen should have a good day. In the second innings, the pitch might keep a little low which obviously is irritating for any batsmen.
With batting first, New Zealand put up a fine total on the board of 264. A really solid inning from Guptill helped them in reaching to that target. Guptill made 85 off 85 balls, run a ball. The whole New Zealand team chipped in with good scores and a whole team effort resulted in the New Zealand team reaching to 264. This meant that the Indian team needed to make 265 runs to win the first of the three finals.
Indian team had no trouble in chasing the target as they chased the target in the 46th over with 7 wickets in hand. Tendulkar and Sehwag put up 120 on the board for the first wicket. Tendulkar departed for 53 but Sehwag was going well and this allowed Gambhir to take his time in settling at the pitch. When the score was 150, Sehwag departed for 84. Kohli was the next batsman. Gambhir and Kohli put up 85 on the board for the 3rd wicket. Score was 235 when Kohli lost his wicket but after that Gambhir and Yuvraj made sure there wasnt any twist and turn in the match as they took their Indian team to the finishing line.
2nd Final : India vs New Zealand
India : Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(C) (WK), Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
New Zealand : Brendon McCullum(WK), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(C), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills
Perth Cricket Ground, hosted this match. The pitch was like salad, completely green , a pitch that the bowlers love to bowl on. A pitch on which batsmen hate to bat on, obviously! How often do bowlers get a green pitch to bowl on? Not quite often but in this match they did. The toss was very important because it was expected that the pitch will be good to bat on in the second innings but in the first innings the pitch will be a bowler friendly. The important toss was won by the New Zealand team and as expected, they elected to bowl first.
New Zealand bowlers were getting the ball to swing both the ways. The pitch had good bounce and New Zealand bowlers took full advantage of this. In this match, one saw a brilliant inning from Sachin Tendulkar, who made a magnificent century in tough batting conditions. He used all his experience and made sure that the Indian team reaches to a good total. Apart from Sachin, none of the batsmen found it easy to make runs. Sachin made 112 before he was dismissed by a beauty from Daniel Vettori. The bowl spun sharply and Tendulkar who was trying to leave the bowl was forced to play it as the bowl was too close to play but completely missed it and was bowled. Indian team was all out for 205. Vettori was brilliant with the bowl as he took six wickets for 32 runs in his 10 overs. Thanks to Sachin for a brilliant century because without him the Indian team wouldn't have even reached to 100. Usually, 206 is a easy total to be chased but on this pitch, it wasn't.
For anyone, who is a fan of swing bowling, it was a delight to watch Praveen and Zaheer bowl. It was just like watching a cricket match in the 1970's where the bowlers got some unbelievable swing. McCullum was cleaned up by a gem from Zaheer. The bowl was going straight to the keeper before it got some late inswing and managed to take off McCullum's off stump. McCullum stood his ground for a few seconds and wondered how this happened, he was looking completely amazed. Indian team was back in the match as the New Zealand team was 100/5 after 25 overs. Two batsmen now at the pitch were Styris and Vettori. Yes, Vettori promoted himself up the batting order. Styris and Vettori build up a sensational partnership of 78 runs for the sixth wicket. Styris was dismissed for 38. Oram was the next batsman and he continued his good form with the bat as he made a quick fire 22. New Zealand team won the match in the 47th over. Vettori was not out till the end for 42. 6 wickets and a really important 42 with the bat earned Vettori MOTM award. The commonwealth bank series final was leveled 1-1. With the 3rd and the last final to be played, it was do or die for both the teams.
3rd Final : India vs New Zealand
India : Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(C) (WK), Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma
New Zealand : Brendon McCullum(WK), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(C), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills
Sydney Cricket Ground hosted the 3rd final. The pitch this time wasn't green, it was dry. On a dry pitch, Indian team won the toss and elected to bowl first. Dhoni at the toss said "that he believes that the pitch should be good for batting in the second innings and as the conditions were hot in the afternoon, it was expected that the temperature will get cooler as the match progresses". Vettori on other hand didn't really mind batting first. He said "Well, it doesn't really matter that we are batting first. We would have batted first anyways. Batting second in a pressure game isn't a great idea" Dan said at the toss".
New Zealand team with batting first, made 292 in the first innings. Ross Taylor finally came into the act and made an unbeaten 122*. At the start of his inning, he was cautious. Didn't play too many big shots and simply concentrated on rotating the strike. But in the ending overs of the innings, he changed his gears and decided to attack the Indian bowlers and suddenly when it was looking that New Zealand will reach to a target of 260 and not more than that, Taylor took their score to 292. This total was certainly not going to be easy to be chased down. Indian team needed 293 to win from their 50 overs to win the commonwealth bank series.
The Indian innings didn't start off to a good start as they were 54 for 2. Tendulkar and Sehwag were both back to the pavilion. Gambhir and Kohli had a big task on their shoulders, in which they didn't succeed. Indian team was all out for 247. A good partnership between Yuvraj and Dhoni got the Indian team back in the match but it wasn't enough. Once both of them got out the Indian wickets fell like pack of cards. Indian team was 225/4 after 40 overs but they were all out for 247 in 48 overs. This meant that the New Zealand team won the Commonwealth bank series. A big surprise for all the New Zealand team fans this was. Man of the tournament award went to McCullum for some crucial runs with the bat and some crucial catches behind the wicket, as a wicket keeper.
New Zealand team celebrates after winning the commonwealth bank series
The only down side is that the ICC Anti-Corruption Agency will now be monitoring my enitre life, and I will probably eventually be accused of fixing the series at some point...
Great update, Aditya. Nice clean presentation and I like what you've done with the simple borders around each pic. I use them too, and imo they look a lot better.
Cheers mate! Yeah, I completely agree, those are 2PX black borders and they do go well with the pics. It's amazing that you guessed the correct team to win the tournament and also the man of the tournament.
I've decided that the updates for the remaining tournaments will be a little shorter. It took me a lot of time to prepare the last update.
Very sad to know that India have lost a big tournament, that too just before the World Cup. This will keep the confidence levels in control for team India, for winning the World Cup, just like how lose to Saffers set the confidence under control in real .
After the commonwealth bank series, the Indian team headed to Abu-Dhabi to play 3 test matches, 1 t20 and 5 odi's versus Pakistan. Cricket fans from both the countries were very eager to see this series started. After all, it was India vs Pakistan.
1st test match : India vs Pakistan
Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar
Pakistan : Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younus Khan, Mishbah-ul-Haq(C), Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal(WK), Abdur Rehmann, Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed and Wahab Riaz
Indian team won the toss and put Pakistan to bat first. The Pakistani team showed a solid batting performance and made 522-7 before they declared the innings. Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Mishbah-ul-Haq each made a century. The Indian bowler’s were absolutely clueless, Pakistani batsmen were just too good. Each of their batsmen contributed and so they put up a mammoth total of 522 on the board.
A solid batting team like India was under pressure. Just 1 session was left for the day 2 to end and it was needed that the Indian team doesn't lose a wicket in this session but that wasn't to be. India lost both of their openers to Gul. Indian team was on back foot and the two experienced batsmen, Dravid and Tendulkar needed to put up a solid partnership. On day 3, just when the Indian team was back on track with 150 for 2, Tendulkar was bowled by a beauty from Riaz. The ball got some inswing and managed to clip off Tendulkar's off stump. After that, one saw a special knock from Laxman. 225 was the score that Laxman was dismissed for. Apart from Laxman, Dravid made 108 and the Indian team was all out for 489. Pakistan led by 33 runs.
In their second innings, Pakistan again put up a good performance with the bat as they made 367. Hafeez top scored with 112. Azhar Ali again impressed with the bat as he made 95, missed out on making two centuries in two innings but still he impressed a lot by his batting. Pakistan team was all out just before the end of day 5. Indian team needed 401 runs to win on the last day with 10 wickets in hand.
It was expected that the Indian team will chase the target, even if they can’t then there is no chance of this match being won by Pakistan team because taking 10 Indian wickets on the final day wasn’t going to be a easy task. But no, Gul had some other ideas. What one saw was a, surprising collapse from the Indian team as they were all out for 185. Laxman again top scored with 85. It was a very disappointing performance from the Indian batsmen. Well, it will be unfair to not credit Gul for the brilliant bowling performance from him. He took 6 wickets for 45 runs. Man of the match award went to Azhar Ali for a brilliant century in the first innings and 95 in the second innings. Pakistan team won the match by 216 runs and were leading the series 1-0.
2nd test match : India vs Pakistan
Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Praveen Kumar
Pakistan : Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younus Khan, Mishbah-ul-Haq(C), Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal(WK), Abdur Rehmann, Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed and Wahab Riaz
This match was affected by the rain. Just 4th and 5th days play was possible. Indian team won the toss and elected to bat first. The Indian team put up a good performance with the bat this time around. Indian team batted till the 2nd session, day 5. They made 422 for 8, with Sehwag top scoring with a good century, 127. Tendulkar too found some form with the bat as he made 84. Apart from these two, rest of the players contributed as well. Pakistan team needed to bat just 1 session.
Pakistan batsmen had a chance to play their shots; they did that but lost some wickets. Pakistan team at the end of the match was 56 for 3. The match ended in a boring draw and the Pakistan team was still leading the series 1-0. Man of the match award went to Sehwag.
3rd test match : India vs Pakistan
Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Praveen Kumar
Pakistan : Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younus Khan, Mishbah-ul-Haq(C), Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal(WK), Abdur Rehmann, Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed and Wahab Riaz
The sky was clear and it was going to be like that for the next 5 days, according to weather forecast. Indian team won the toss and elected to bat first. Sehwag and Gambhir got Indian team off to a good start with 155 for 0 before Gambhir lost his wicket to Rehmann, edged and caught at slip. Indian team lost another wicket and that of Dravid and suddenly they were 162 for 2. Two batsmen now at the pitch were Sehwag and Tendulkar. They both build up a great partnership of 175 runs before Tendulkar was LBW for 102 by Gul. Indian team made 456 runs in their first innings with Sehwag top scoring with 155.
Pakistan team replied back solidly as they made 474 in their first innings. Taufeeq Umar played stylish knock of 144. He was involved in a brilliant partnership between him and Younis. Younis too made a century and in his typical fashion he was just so effortless, brilliant shots, just timing and timing the shots at his very best. Indian team was trailed by 18 runs. 2 and a half days were still left in the match and anything could happen.
Thanks to Sehwag who made a quick fire 92 before he was stumped by Rehmann, when he was trying to go big on straight! Gambhir too didn't disappoint as he made 82. Indian team declared on 344 for 5. Pakistan team needed 326 runs to win with 10 wickets in hand. Quite some time was left in the match, 1 and a half days were still left. So, a result was certainly on the cards.
This time the same thing happened to Pakistan, what happened to India in the first test. Pakistan team had a collapse as they were bowled out for 225. Most of the batsmen were out by playing a poor stroke or trying to be attacking. Irfan answered his critics and took a five-for. People started saying that Irfan has lost his touch and isn't the same that he was few years back but Irfan answered all of them by glorious peace of bowling. The series ended in a draw at 1-1. Man of the match award, not only man of the match award but also the man of the series award went to Virender Sehwag. Next to follow were 1 t20 and 5 odi's.
Was good to see Pakistan score so huge! Sehwag and Azhar played some brilliant knocks there. If it didnt rain during the 2nd Test, I feel it would have been a 2-1 win for India as that pitch was looking like batsmen's paradise. But 422 runs on a pitch which was washed with rain for 3 long days looks a bit surprising. Good writing, seems enjoyable to read it. KIU. Waiting for the t20s!
After a competitive test series, it was now time for t20's and one day internationals. These matches were very important for both the teams as world cup was just few months away and a very bad performance could really hurt a team moral. Squads were named and now it was time for the first and the only t20 match of this series between India and Pakistan.
1st T20 :IndiavsPakistan Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
Pakistan : Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal(WK), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi (C), Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal.
Nazir got a surprise call up for this t20 match. Razzaq was another surprising pick for this match. Razzaq had not been at his best from the last few months but still he got a chance to play in this match.
Indian side on other hand was looking good on paper. No real surprises in their lineup, apart from Rohit's inclusion but his form in the IPL was really good and so he got a chance to play a t20 for India. Tendulkar played a t20 match on England tour, earlier this year but he decided not to play in this match.
Indian team won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch which had no grass at all. Totally dry and a pitch that was really magnificent for batsmen! Sehwag took the advantage of this and from the ball ONE, he started to smash the Pakistani bowlers all around the park. Indian team was 72-0 after 6 overs. Sehwag was not out on 54 and Gambhir was on 16. Shows what impact Sehwag has on the scores, this is not the first time that he has made the majority of the total after certain overs, it has happened quite a few times before, hasn't it?
After 10 overs, Indian team was still going strong but they had lost Gambhir and Kohli. Indian team was 104 for 2 after 10 overs. Sehwag was not out on 78. Sehwag was dismissed for 82 in the next over, 11th over that is. But due to a really good start he gave to the team, Indian team reached to a total of 204 for 5 after 20 overs. Few big blows from Dhoni in the ending overs made sure that Indian reached to a total above 200+. Yuvraj and Rohit too played a crucial knock. Yuvraj made 25 and Rohit made 28, both made these runs in quick time.
Afridi made a surprising move as he came to bat as a opener with Nazir. This move did wonders as Pakistan team got off to a fantastic start. They were 69-0 after 6 overs. Not only Afridi but even Nazir was playing the big shots so it was really tough for the Indian bowlers to bowl the way they wanted as the big shots were coming from both the ends. One thought that the pitch was better for batting then it was in the first innings. The ball was coming even better to the bat then it was in the first innings. Nazir and Afridi were really having a great time in the middle. Harbhajan in the 9th over gave India its first wicket as Nazir was dismissed for 42. It was another master move from Afridi as Razzaq was promoted up the order and this move too worked. Razzaq took a few balls to settle but once he got his eye in, he smashed some BIG BIG BIG SIXES.
After 15 overs, Pakistan team was 150-1. Now it was time for Zaheer to show what he is capable of. Dhoni decided to give the 16th over to Zaheer and he got two BIG wickets in this over. Afridi and Razzaq, two settled batsmen departed in the same over and Pakistan team suddenly was 155-3 after 16 overs. Needing exactly 50 runs in 4 overs! Misbah and Umar didn't disappoint their fans as they won the match for their team in the very last over. Pakistan needed 12 runs off the last over. Dhoni decided to give the last over to Praveen. On the first 3 balls of the over, Praveen gave away 6 runs, which meant that Pakistan needed 6 runs off the last three balls. On the 4th ball of the over, Misbah took double and kept the strike. Now, 4 runs were needed of 2 balls. Misbah again played the ball in the gap but didn't time it too well to either get a boundary or double, he got a single and now he was on the non-striker end. Umar was on strike, 3 runs were needed off the last ball. Dhoni and Sehwag both went to Praveen to share some ideas. Praveen nodded and it seemed that he will be able to win the match for Indian but no Umar had some other ideas. Praveen tried to bowl in the block hole but Umar was already way ahead of the batting crease and smashed the ball on the leg side. Guess what, IT WAS A SIX! Pakistan won a thriller of a match.
It was really good to see the sportsmanship showed by both of the teams. Players from both the teams were smiling as it was a great game of cricket. In the end, Pakistan team played well and won the match. India vs Pakistan matches are always interesting, isn't it? We might have few more interesting matches in the ODI series, the ODI series is surely going to be a exciting one.
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
Pakistan : Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal(WK), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi (C), Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal.
It was time for some serious business now. It was time for one day internationals, with world cup just few months away; this series was going to be crucial. In the first ODI, India won the toss and elected to bat first, on a completely dry pitch. Team line ups, didn't had much changes from the t20 match. Just 1 change in both the teams : Sachin Tendulkar came in for Rohit Sharma for India and Ahmed Shehzad came in for of Imran Nazir for Pakistan. Two experienced Pakistani players, Younus and Yousuf missed out for this match due to injuries.
Indian team batting order really clicked and they posted a huge total on the board of 355 for 6. Sehwag top scored with 155, magnificent batting performance from him. It seemed as if he had decided that he will go after the bowlers from the ball 1 once the match started. A 185 runs stand between Sehwag and Sachin really got India off to a terrific start. Sachin was dismissed for 72. Indian middle order did well to make sure that they don't get carried away by the good start and took the important singles when needed and hit the boundary, when needed. So, Pakistan needed to make 356 to win.
Pakistan team never really looked like chasing the target. Whenever a partnership built, one of the two players lost their wicket. But the Pakistani SKIPPER, Shahid Afridi didn?t let the spectators leave the stadium. When he came to bat the other batsmen at the pitch was, Misbah. The score was 145/4 in 25 overs. Afridi smashed 128 off just 68 balls and got the Pakistani team back into the match but sadly he didn't had any support from the other end and was the last man to be dismissed. Pakistan team was all out for 288 in 44 overs. India won the match by 68 runs and was leading the 5 match ODI series 1-0.
2nd ODI,India vs Pakistan Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
Pakistan : Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal(WK), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi (C), Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal.
There was happy news for the Pakistan team supporters, Younus and Yousuf were back in the Pakistan playing XI. Shehzad and Rehman were dropped from the playing XI. Indian team on other hand, as expected was going unchanged. It was again a flat pitch but this time the luck favored the Pakistan skipper, as he won the toss and elected to bat first.
Pakistan from the starting of the innings was looking positive and was looking to play their shots. Pakistan's final score was 302 for 7. Yousuf top scored with a brilliant ton, 105. He shared a 135 runs partnership with Younus for the 3rd wicket. This partnership allowed the likes of Misbah, Afridi and Umar Akmal to play their shots which made sure that Pakistan reached to a total of 302. 302 was a good score on that pitch. In the first match we did saw that the pitch was not the best to bat in the second innings.
Sehwag again got India off to a good start as he made a quick fire 50. His 50 came off just 45 balls. Though, Tendulkar and Gambhir were already dismissed at the other end. Sehwag was dismissed in the 16th over for 65 and now the Indian team was 104/3 with Kohli and Yuvraj at the pitch. This young lad, Kohli, really played well and showed what he is capable of. He made a century, yes a century in such a pressure situation. His century really did wonders for the Indian team as they won the match in the 48th over with 4 wickets in hand. Kohli was dismissed for 112. Dhoni smashed some big sixes in the end and was not out for 32 and took the Indian team to the finishing line.
3rd ODI,India vs Pakistan Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
Pakistan : Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal(WK), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi (C), Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal.
Pakistan just made one change to their squad and that was the young bowler, Junaid Khan came in for Wahab Riaz. Indian team was going unchanged, again. A different pitch was used for this match; this pitch had little more grass on it and was expected to help the bowlers. Pakistan team won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Umar Gul just ripped through India's top order by taking 3 out of the 4 wickets that fall. Indian team was on back foot as they were 50 for 4 after 15 overs. Gambhir and Dhoni were at the pitch and had a big task on their shoulders of taking their team score to some respectability. They both did so by sharing a much needed 115 runs partnership between them. The runs were hard to come by but both of them were consistently rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking. After a good partnership between these two, the Indian team was again put under pressure as they both departed in quick session. Indian team was all out for 202. Yusuf did well in the end, to smash some big shots and took India?s score to above 200. Pakistan needed to make 203 to win the match.
Pakistan team just didn't have any trouble in chasing the target. The openers, Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez, put up a solid 115 runs stand for the first wicket. Taufeeq departed for 55 but after that it was just too easy for the Pakistan team. Hafeez and Shafiq didn't do anything silly, they made sure that even if the runs are hard to come by, they will maintain their patience and wait for the bad balls. Hafeez departed for a well made 89 when just 2 runs were needed by the Pakistan team for a victory with 4 overs left. Younus took no time in settling down and smashed the very first ball he faced for four and Pakistan won the match and was alive in the series. The series was still led by India though with 2-1.
4th ODI,India vs Pakistan Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
Pakistan : Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal(WK), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi (C), Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal.
Both the teams were unchanged for this match. The pitch was interesting, it had a little grass cover over it but the most of the pitch was dry. So, bowlers just needed to bowl in the rights areas to get some purchase from the pitch. Indian team won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Pakistan openers got their team off to a good start this time too. This time, Hafeez went on to play a big innings as he made a brilliant 118. Taufeeq was out for 52, again he was not able to go on and play a big knock but nonetheless he made a useful 52. Hafeez was a little slow in his approach and Afridi saw this and promoted himself up the order. Afridi smashed some big sixes and some glorious fours and got the run rate to 6.00 runs per over. Afridi departed for 46 but his attacking knock really helped the Pakistan team as their final score was 268 for 4. Pakistan middle order did well and took their team to a good score. Indian bowlers bowled really well at one point, after Afridi?s exit but in the later part of the innings, Akmal and Misbah played some terrific shots and took their team to a good score.
Indian team was again put under pressure as both the Indian openers, Sehwag and Tendulkar were dismissed cheaply and the Indian team was 18 for 2 after 5 overs. Gambhir and Kohli though did well and built a much needed partnership between them. Both reached to their fifties and got the Indian team back in the match but after that what one saw was a brilliant performance from Saeed Ajmal. Ajmal dismissed Gambhir and Kohli, both in one over. Dhoni and Yuvraj though did well and shared a 72 runs partnership between them but again, both of them departed in quick session and the Indian team was again put under pressure. After this, what one saw was a very disappointing performance from Indian tail enders. Indian team was all out for 228. The series was leveled now at 2-2, with one match left to decide the winner of the series.
5th ODI,India vs Pakistan Played at : Abu-Dhabi
Line ups : India : Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C) (WK), Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel.
Pakistan : Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal(WK), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi (C), Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal.
Indian team made just one change to their team : Ishant Sharma was OUT and Munaf Patel was IN. The pitch was dry and a batting paradise. Pakistan team won the toss and elected to bat first.
This time Pakistan openers failed to do something special but Pakistan's middle order was impressive. Mohammad Yousuf was brilliant in his approach; he was positive from the ball one and made a magnificent century. A century that one must see because it was full of wonderful cover drives, on drives, straight drives and some innovative shots. Misbah's heroics at the end of the innings came in really handy as he took his team to a solid score in a final of 315 for 5. Indian team had a big task ahead, remember this match was the final and this match was the decider of the series.
Sachin for the first time in the series was looking in good touch. A solid 88 from him really got the Indian team going in this big chase. Sehwag though, failed to make an impression but Gambhir was good with the bat as he made a useful half century. Sachin was dismissed for 88 by Ajmal and five overs later, Gambhir was dismissed by Gul. Indian team was 185 for 3 after 30 overs. Dhoni had promoted himself up the order and the other batsman with him was, Yuvraj. This pair was ideal at that situation. Dhoni was rotating the strike quite well and Yuvraj was playing the big shots. 40 overs were bowled and the Indian team was 265 for 3. Yuvraj was dismissed for 62 by Gul in the 41st over and in the very next over, Kohli departed too. Dhoni had finally started playing the big shots and the hopes of Indian team winning the match were still alive. After 45 overs, Indian team was 272 for 5 but they were put on the back foot as Dhoni was dismissed for an excellent 72 in the 46th over. After that, the tail enders were really disappointing, like they were in the previous match and the Indian team fall short in winning the match by 24 runs.
What a great comeback it was from the Pakistan team, winning the 5 match odi series 3-2. After 2 odi's they were 2-0 behind and needed to win the next 3 matches to win the series and they did so and won the series. A brilliant performance from the Pakistan team!
Pakistan team celebrates after winning the odi series
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A big surprise for all the New Zealand team fans this was. Man of the tournament award went to McCullum for some crucial runs with the bat and some crucial catches behind the wicket, as a wicket keeper.
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Misbah's heroics at the end of the innings came in really handy as he took his team to a solid score in a final of 315 for 5. Indian team had a big task ahead, remember this match was the final and this match was the decider of the series. 
