Story The Natwest Pentangular 2005 -- Begins April 24th

[aditya123]

India Start Off Superbly ! 107/0 after 10 overs

Sourav Slams a Quick 50 ! Sachin supporting him well !

India made a confident start to their runchase with the help of an outstanding opening stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly reminding many of their superb pairing in the 90s . The latter notched up his first half century of the tournament and also ending his run draught in the past few months . Sachin Tendulkar who is in peak form following his 178 at Derby continued to bat fluently to support his partner well . The Aussies were put to the sword very early on forcing them to finish Gillespie and Mcgrath`s quota of 4 overs vry early . B.Hogg lookedthe best of the lot keeping it tight . India have hitters like Yuvraj and Dhoni to follow and need 123 runs from 60 balls !

 

[aditya123]

Sourav comes out of his poor run of form !

GANGULY smashed the aussies to all parts of Rosebowl

 

[aditya123]

Sachin made a steady 37*

 

[The Champ]

Cant believe ganuguly in this form, anyway happy to see him score a lot

 

[boss]

Ya!, the opening duo working fine again for INDIA!, grt to see!, nice story presentation mate!.

Boss

 

[aditya123]

Australia crush India ! Secure finals Berth !

Australia beat India by 47 runs ! India Collapse after a good start !

Australia secured their place in the Natwest Pentangular Finals with an easy 47 run win over India in a rain affected 20 over a side contest . India who were in quest of a huge 225 runs got off to a rollocking start with the help of the old duo of Sachin and Sourav . Sourav Ganguly ws out for 65 . Sachin Tendulkar followed soon for 43 . Then came the collapse . MS Dhoni was run out . Yuvraj and Kaif never got going . Pathan was bowled round his legs and Dravid who was the only hope was stumped after 3 huge strikes of Hogg who picked up 4 wickets . The tailenders tried hard but it was only a mere formality before Australia wrapped up a professional win to take them to the finals after an indifferent start to the tournament .
India are now with 28 points from 7 games and a point of the Wst Indies match would take them through to the Finals ahead of Pakistan by one point . The Indians however would like to reach the finals with a win over West Indies at the Oval .

 

[sohail]

oh boy!!

 

[aditya123]

Team Standings :

*Australia are through to the finals.
*India have almost secured a berth in the finals .
*Even a defeat without conceding a bonus point to the windies will see them qualify for the finals

 

[indiancricketer]

Second place for india Not bad come on india

 

[aditya123]

there is still the finals to be played ! India might just win it , who knows ?

 

[aditya123]

Rain abandons India V West Indies match at the Oval !

Torrential rains cause India V West Indies tie to be called off : India make it to the finals

A wet Day at The Oval !

Two teams came to the Oval with different thoughts . India, almost sure of a finals berth were eager to register a victory before the finals and the West Indies were looking to register their first win of the series . Both went back dejected as the heavens opened up at The Oval to ensure a washout . Umpires decided that the outfield was too damp for play to be possible . The result of this washout is that India take on Australia in the finals of the Natwest Pentangular 2005 . The Indian team looked relaxed and the fact that they secured a place in the finals helped . Rahul Dravid and his boys must be looking to turn the tables on their rivals in the finals to avenge their World Cup 2003 finals defeat .

The Aussies look in unstoppable form . It would require an Indian special performance at Lords to cause an upset !

Stay Tuned For more on the Natwest Pentangular 2005 Finals :
INDIA V AUSTRALIA at Lords , Sunday 29th June 2005

 

[aditya123]

Brian Lara speaks to the media

Reporter : Brian , end of your Natwest PEntangular campaign . You go back without a win . How is the team`s morale after this ?


Lara : Obviously, they are disappointd . We did not deserve to win a game , the way we played . Other teams were far better and we have to accept it .


Reporter : Your personal form was not great .. Did it affect the side ?


Lara : Yes, it did but its not an excuse . Its a team game and we just did not play well .


Reporter : What are the positives out of this series ?


Lara : Its tough to find any but the experience for some of the youngsters to play against thse quality opponents is a valuable one.


Reporter : What is your next campaign ?


Lara : We play a triseries involving India and Srilanka in Srilanka . Looking forward to better performances then .

 

[aditya123]

Battles within the war!

Sachin Tendulkar Vs Glen Mcgrath
A contest that has enthralled us for many many years now and it would be a prime feature in the Finals . The way Sachin would tackle Glen Mcgrath would set the tone for the rest of the Indian innings . Would Sachin take the attack to Glen as he did in the ICC Knockout 2000 or will he bat in his solid manner ? Wait and watch as this battle takes place within the war !

Sehwag Vs Hogg
V.Sehwag loves facing spinners and B.Hogg is no exception . Hogg found that out when h was hit for 3 sixes by Sehwag in the WC 2003 finals . Hogg though has been in quite some form with his chinamen picking up 4 Indian scalps in the match at Southampton .

Mattew Hayden V I.Pathan
Matty Hayden was Pathan`s first international wicket. Since then the young left armer from Baroda has emerged as a strike bowler and also picked up Hayden in the VB Series match at the GABBA in 2004 . Hayden has been in quite outstanding form in the series and Pathan has ben patchy . If Pathan can get him and his partner early , India would be well on course for an upset !

Ricky Ponting V Harbhajan Singh
Ricky Ponting may be Australia`s best batsman but if he has one weakness, it is against the `turbanator`. The offie has scalped him many tims in tests but in ODIs, the aussie has had the better of the contest , the most notable being the WC 2003 finals .

 

[aditya123]

The Lords Factfile

A LOOK AT THE VENUE FOR THE FINALS

Lords, London
Despite a major rebuilding programme in recent years, Lord's remains a cricket ground as opposed to the largely impersonal stadiums many other leading venues which have become. Playing in a Test at Lord's, still widely regarded as the home of cricket, remains to many cricketers the pinnacle of a career.

The third of Thomas Lord's grounds was opened in 1814 and soon became the major venue as cricket became the world's leading sport in the 19th century. While cricket has been overtaken by other international events, and the game itself has become overtly commercial, Lord's has retained its place as the spiritual home.

The ground is privately owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club (membership 18,000), is the home to the ECB and, from 1909 to 2005, the ICC.

The dominant building is the terracotta-coloured pavilion, built in 1890 and still one of world sport's most recognisable structures. Going round the ground in a clockwise direction, next to the pavilion is the Warner Stand, opened in 1958 and named after the eminent player and administrator Sir Pelham "Plum" Warner.

The main grandstand was built in 1997 and replaced the architecturally unique structure designed by Sir Herbert Baker which was opened in time for the 1926 Ashes Test. Baker presented MCC with Father Time, the weathervane which topped his creation until it was moved to the other side of the ground in 1996.

The far end - the Nursery - is enclosed by the Compton and Edrich Stands, a pair of low-level two-tier stands built in 1990 which are remarkably similar to those they replaced (which were known as the Free Seats on account of them being available to those who had paid the basic ground admission - entry to other areas required extra payment). Legend has it that Gubby Allen, MCC's long-time self-appointed guardian, steadfastly refused to allow any larger structure as it would have blocked the view of the Nursery and the tree-lined park on the other side of the Wellington Road.

The Nursery itself is named after Henderson's agricultural nursery which was acquired in 1887 (not, as widely believed, because it is home to the MCC Young Cricketers, hence the nursery for the game's next generation). It houses a second pitch which is used for end-of-season Cross Arrows matches as well as the women's Varsity match. The award-winning Mound Stand, was opened in 1987. Its predecessor , constructed in 1898, was on the site of the old tennis courts and at one time contained a bakery with a small underground railway to take produce to various points of sale.

The Tavern (1967) is the least distinguished of the stands and typifies the bland functionality of the 1960s. Until the late 1980s spectators could stand on the concourse in front of the stand and watch proceedings, but increasing rowdyism ended that. The previous Tavern, an ivy-clad building, was much loved by patrons.

The final stand before returning the the pavilion is the Allen Stand (formerly the Q Stand), a rather diminutive in-fill which serves as a pavilion overflow on big-match days and Middlesex's club room at other times.

INDIA HAVE WON BOTH FINALS THEY PLAYED AT LORDS
INDIA HAVE WON THEIR LAST 4 ODIs played at LORDS

 

[MWaugh]

Ricky Ponting V Harbhajan Singh
Ricky Ponting may be Australia`s best batsman but if he has one weakness, it is against the `turbanator`. The offie has scalped him many tims in tests but in ODIs, the aussie has had the better of the contest , the most notable being the WC 2003 finals .

very nice work there aditya. however i think in this case ponting has it all over singh. harbhajan may have done well when australia lost the series over there a few years ago but ponting mauled him in the 03 final (along with everyone else in the stadium with a hint of blue on them) and also in most games since. GO AUSTRALIA! GO ADITYA! great work keep it up