Celebration day for West Indies Cricket

West Indies Team celebrating their ICC World Twenty20 Title after remarkable win
of a ICC title since 2004 against host Sri Lanka on Sunday, October 7, 2012   

It was an historic day for West Indies cricket as the Caribbean side, thanks largely to an astonishing lone hand by Marlon Samuels, overcame the home team Sri Lanka by 36 runs to win the ICC World Twenty20 at the R Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo on October 7, 2012.

The final was billed as the battle between West Indies stylishness and Sri Lankan discipline, but when it came to their on-field displays it was the men from the Caribbean who displayed the stronger discipline, as they wore down Sri Lanka's formidable batting line-up with sharp fielding and incisive bowling, particularly by mystery spinner Sunil Narine. 

Chasing a challenging 138 to win on a sluggish turning wicket, Sri Lanka's batsmen were put under pressure from the start as Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled by a peach of a delivery from Ravi Rampaul in the first ball of the second over. It was always going to come down to a battle between the Sri Lankan big three -- Dilshan, skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara -- and the West Indian bowling.

What a long waited victory for Gayle!

Jayawardene and Sangakkara, after Dilshan's departure, consolidated well by putting on 42 runs for the second wicket, although at a slow pace. But Sangakkara's dismissal in the 10th over, caught at deep square leg off Samuel Badree, opened the floodgates. Angelo Mathews went three runs later, bowled by West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, and then in the thirteenth over Sri Lanka's last hope, Jayawardene, fell trying to reverse sweep Narine. Then Jeevan Mendis and Thisara Perera were run out in the space of four balls, as the pressure of the climbing run rate became too hot to handle for the home team. 

At 64 for six, the game was as good as won, although Nuwan Kulasekara briefly threatened a coup with a 16-ball 26. But it was to be West Indies' day as Malinga became Narine's third wicket, and the one that sealed West Indies first ICC multinational tournament triumph since the 2004 Champions' Trophy. 

Earlier, the West Indies batsmen faced similar problems when at the start of the innings. Johnson Charles was out in the first over trying to clear the infield against Angelo Mathews, and Chris Gayle's innings could not have been in sharper contrast to what fans have come to expect of the big-hitting Jamaican. Gayle played and missed for 15 balls for only three runs before being trapped in front by Ajantha Mendis in the sixth over, by which time West Indies had crawled to just 14. 

The real leader and future of West Indies Team who
 received the title for  his team victory

Samuels was watching from the other end as his side's ambitions of lifting the treasured title seemed to have vanished with Gayle's departure. At the end of ten overs West Indies had reached 32 for two and Samuels on 20 off 32 balls, a competitive score a distant dream. Nuwan Kulasekara then dropped Samuels on the boundary, and then the match turned, mostly through some astonishing strokeplay by Samuels. He picked the opposition's best bowler, Lasith Malinga, for particularly harsh punishment. 

Malinga's second over, the thirteenth of the innings, was hammered for 21 runs, with Samuels clobbering three sixes. Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka's other danger man in the bowling department, was having a much better day. He trapped Dwayne Bravo leg-before -- an erroneous decision as Bravo had inside-edged the ball on to his pad -- in the next over with the score on 73, but Samuels went on his way hitting a six and a four in the next over by Jeevan Mendis. 

Ajantha then put Sri Lanka on top again, picking up two in two balls -- that of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell -- leaving West Indies at 89 for five at the end of the sixteenth. But it was Samuel's day and he again reserved his best for the best as 19 came off Malinga's last over, which saw a boundary and two sixes off Samuel's bat. The second of the two maximums, an almighty crack over the long on boundary, was recorded as the biggest six of the tournament at 108 metres. 

In all, Samuel's had plundered 39 runs off the 11 balls he faced from Malinga. He was finally dismissed in the next over, attempting his seventh six off Akila Dananjaya to be caught at midwicket for 78 off 56 balls, including 52 off his last 19deliveries. It was then left to captain Darren Sammy, who scored 26 off 15 deliveries to take West Indies to 137, a total scarcely imaginable ten overs previously. 

West Indies won World Twenty20 Championship 2012

West Indies won the ICC World Twenty20 Championship 2012. WI has beaten Sri Lanka by 36 runs.  Meanwhile, Sri Lanka reached 101 losing 10 wickets playing 18.4 overs in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Marlon Samuels of West Indies has become the Man of the Match. 

Shane Watson of Australia has become the Man of the Series for ICC World T20 2012. He is the Player of the Tournament.

West Indies team: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (Captain), Andre Russell, Denesh Ramdin, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul and 11 Samuel Badree.

Sri Lanka team: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath/Akila Dananjaya. 

Sri Lanka lost 9 wickets to reach 100

Sri Lanka has lost 9 wickets to reach 100 at 18 overs in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is bating for a target of 138 in their own country.

Sri Lanka 96 for 8

Sri Lanka is bating for a final target of 138. Meanwhile Sri Lanka has reached 96 losing 8 wickets at 16.3 overs in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka.

West Indies favorable, Lanka 69 for 7

Sri Lanka is bating for a final target of 138. Meanwhile they have reached 69 losing 7 wickets at 14.3 overs in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka scores 61 for 5 at 12.2 overs

Sri Lanka is bating for a final target of 138. Meanwhile they have reached 61 losing 5 wickets in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka scores 51 for 3 at 10.2 overs

Sri Lanka is bating for a final target of 138. Meanwhile they have reached 51 losing 3 wickets in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka.     

West Indies scores 137 for 6 in T20 final

West Indies has scored 137 for 6 playing total 20 overs today in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka. 

Earlier the Caribbean won the toss and decided to bat first against the host at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

The West Indies stormed into the final on Friday after beating Australia in the second semifinal by 74 runs.

Sri Lanka had qualified for the final beating Pakistan by 16 runs in the first semifinal on Thursday.

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath/Akila Dananjaya.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (Captain), Andre Russell, Denesh Ramdin, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul and 11 Samuel Badree.

Asia or America who wins T20 final

The  ICC World Twenty20 reaches its climax today with two deserving, talented teams in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka and West Indies will face off in the final at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

The match to be started at 7:30 pm Bangladesh Time. State-run Bangladesh Television will show the match live.

West Indies last won a multi-nation ICC event in 2004 when they won the Champions' Trophy in England, while Sri Lanka last tasted global success when Arjuna Ranatunga led the country in 1996 to the 50-over World Cup of which they were a co-host.

Sri Lanka may have a slight edge as they have the support of their fans and are also the form team, having lost only one of their six matches, to South Africa in the first round. They also have the added psychological edge of having beaten their opponents in their Super Eights match by the sizeable margin of nine wickets.

But while they enter the final on a four-match unbeaten streak, they will be wary of a West Indies team packed to the brink with explosive hitters and a bowling attack that seems to have hit form at the right time, as their dismantling of a formidable Australian line-up in their semifinal on Friday proved. Also, during that semifinal the West Indies proved that they are unfazed by past results in the way they put their first-round loss to Australia out of their minds.

With West Indies in the final, the Chris Gayle factor is always a huge consideration. The powerful Jamaican hit an unbeaten 75 against Australia, an ominous sign for the home team as it shows that his appetite for runs is as big as ever. Then there are the likes of Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard -- who hit three sixes in the final over of the semifinal -- and Dwayne Bravo to contend with.

It is Sri Lanka. They not only have two of the world's best T20 bowlers in pacer Lasith Malinga and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, but also a slew of disciplined bowlers in Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera and all-rounder Angelo Mathews.

Their batting too is formidable, with the big three of captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan invariably pulling off special performances.

West Indies have a mystery spinner of their own in Sunil Narine. Pacer Ravi Rampaul has also been hitting form, spinner Samuel Badree has proved incisive and economical, while Samuels has proved to be one of the better 'death overs' spinners with his speared-in full deliveries.

In Twenty20 cricket, much depends on who performs better on the day. Sri Lanka have the consistency, but West Indies carry the threat of the unexpected. Either way, the ICC World Twenty20 will have a new winner.

Sri Lanka to play in ICC T20 final 2012

Sri Lanka in final against Australia or West Indies. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 16 runs.Veteran spinner Rangana Herath grabbed 3-25 to lift hosts Sri Lanka into the World Twenty20 final with a 16-run victory over Pakistan in Colombo on Thursday. 

Sri Lanka, restricted to 139-4 after electing to bat, hit back to keep Pakistan down to 123-7 in a thrilling semifinal before 35,000 screaming fans at the Premadasa Stadium. Herath, the 34-year-old left-arm spinner playing only his sixth T20 international, was supported by two wickets each from seamer Angelo Mathews and unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis. 

It was Sri Lanka's second appearance in the World Twenty20 final, having lost to Pakistan in the 2009 title clash at Lord's. It was also the first time in four editions of the tournament that began in 2007 that a host country had made it past the semifinal round.

Rival captains Mahela Jayawardene and Mohammad Hafeez top-scored for their teams with 42 each, but the other batsmen struggled to force the pace on a sluggish pitch that hampered stroke-making.

Sri Lanka wasted a sound start to plod to 123-4 in 19 overs, before Thisara Perera smashed three boundaries in the final over of seamer Umar Gul, which realised 16 runs. 

Pakistan's openers Hafeez and Imran Nazir began the reply on a confident note, putting on 31 for the first wicket in six overs. Mendis, brought on to send down the sixth over, broke the stand with the last delivery by bowling Nazir for 20. 

Pakistan moved to 55-1 in the ninth over when Mathews grabbed two wickets in four balls to swing the match Sri Lanka's way. Mathews first had Nasir Jamshed leg-before -- an unfortunate dismissal for the batsman since replays showed the ball pitch outside the leg-stump -- before getting Kamran Akmal caught at mid-wicket.

In the next over, Herath bowled new batsman Shoaib Malik for six to leave Pakistan tottering at 64-4 in 11 overs. Hafeez, dropped by Lasith Malinga on 24, added 18 more runs when he was stumped off Herath, who then bowled Shahid Afridi first ball. 

Earlier, Sri Lankan openers Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 63 in 10 overs, a slow start by Twenty20 standards but crucial nevertheless with their team having all their wickets in hand. Jayawardene liberally employed the reverse sweep during his knock of 42 off 36 balls, but was caught at fine-leg while attempting the same shot off Afridi. 

Kumar Sangakkara made a promising 18 from 11 balls when he was snapped up on the long-on fence as he tried to hit Hafeez out of the ground. Gul was unlucky to see the TV umpire declare a no-ball after he had Jeevan Mendis given out leg-before in the 18th over. 

But Gul removed Dilshan two balls later with another leg-before decision that made Sri Lanka 117-3. Dilshan was unusually subdued during his innings, taking 43 balls to score 35 with the help of three boundaries. Australia and the West Indies will clash in the second semifinal today. The final is scheduled for Sunday.

Sri Lanka scores 139 in T20 Semi Final

Sri Lanka were 139 for 4  in 20 overs against Pakistan in the first semifinal of the World Twenty20 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday.
Captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and decided to bat. Pakistan have dropped Abdul Razzaq and drafted in Sohail Tanvir. Sri Lanka have left out Akila Dananjaya in favour of Rangana Herath.

T20 Semi without India

India could not keep its position in the ICC World Twenty20 Championship.The 1st Champion of the ICC World Twenty20, India failed to overcome the Super Eight stage of the tournament.

Out of total four times, they were knocked out three times from the Super Eight phase. They tried the best and also won the match against South Africa. It was their challenge to restrict SA in 121 to reach in the Semi obstructing Pakistan.

However, this challenging target was not possible for them. SA bat opening their hands and crossed the Indian need even when more than 20 balls remain. They also run ahead of India some time at the ending. SA scored 151 losing all their wickets and India won the match by 1 run only.

This victory of India could not lead them to Semi to be held on Thursday, the 4th October 2012. Indian Peoples with millions of fans have become disheartened from this premature adieu of India.

Besides, Pakistani supporters became very happy due to their entrance in Semi when India is dropped.                      

Pakistan defeats Aussies by 33

Australia scored 117 for 7 in their 20 overs, falling 33 runs short of their winning target against Pakistan in the Super Eight stage match on Tuesday. 

Despite the result, Australia ensured their spot in the semis by scoring the 112 runs required for it, with Michael Hussey (54 off 47 balls) being the lone warrior for his side at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. 

Saeed Ajmal went through the defences of Mathew Wade (13), moments before trapping Pat Cummins (0) leg before to end with figures of 3 for 17. 

Cameron White (12) was sent packing by Mohammad Hafeez for a catch to Imran Nazir, while Glenn Maxwell was dismissed moments later to leave them reeling at 65 for 5. 

Aussie openers, Shane Watson (8) and David Warner (8), were both trapped leg before by Hasan Raza and Hafeez respectively early in their chase. Skipper George Bailey (15) was taken out by Ajmal in the same fashion. 

Ajmal bagged three wickets, while Hafeez and Raza took two wickets each. 

The result also dismissed South Africa's chances to progress in the tournament. 

To deny Pakistan their place, India will need to beat the South Africans by a huge margin to boost their Net Run Rate past their arch-rivals. 

Earlier, Pakistan put up 149 for 6 in their 20 overs. 

Umar Akmal (9) and Shoaib Malik (4) saw the team through to the total. 

Shahid Afridi (4) was dismissed clean bowled off Mitchell Starc while, Abdur Razzak (27) mistimed a Pat Cummins delivery for an easy catch to Shane Watson at backward point. 

Back to back wickets saw Kamran Akmal (32) and Nasir Jamshed (55 off 46) back to the pavilion. Akmal went back for a catch to Cameron White at extra cover off Stark, while Akmal was taken out by Xavier Doherty for a catch to David Warner at long on. 

The third wicket stand between Nasir and Kamran Akmal was worth 79 runs. Jamshed whacked four boundaries and two sixes. 

Opener Mohammed Hafeez (4) was trapped in front of the stumps by Starc, while the other opener Imran Nazir (14) was taken out by a Watson full toss for a catch to George Bailey at mid-off. 

Stark claimed three wickets while Doherty, Watson and Cummins bagged a wicket each. 

S Africa played, Pakistan won

South Africa played for a target of 153 in return of India who bat first and set a target for SA for 121 to go into Semi. But, SA did very good.

South Africa run 151 for all wickets, India won the match beating SA by 1 run only. However, SA did well but when 2 run needed from 2 ball then last wicket was bold out.