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Injury 'blessing in disguise' - Pietersen

2009-10-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Kevin Pietersen has admitted that he was losing his love for cricket before he was ruled out of action with an Achilles injury. Pietersen missed the final three Ashes Tests and is still recovering ahead of the tour of South Africa, but he believes the enforced break was what he needed to freshen up after a challenging year.

In January he lost the captaincy after the fallout with Peter Moores less than six months after taking over the role and after that didn't look the same player. He was rarely happy on the tour of West Indies and his form at the start of the 2009 season was unconvincing.

After limping through the Lord's victory against Australia he went off for surgery and although initially the hope was he could return for the Champions Trophy, an infection in the wound meant his recovery has taken longer than expected. However, that time on the sidelines has allowed Pietersen to clear his head of the lingering annoyance of how the year began.

"It was frustrating," Pietersen told the Independent. "I put into writing all my suggestions, as I was asked to, and [Andrew] Strauss has got the benefit of all that.

"I've just had to watch it unfold this summer, which has been extremely hard for me, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise for me to be injured and away from everything so I could try to get my hunger back, because it certainly was dwindling."

Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower have formed a strong bond as captain and coach with the pair making some tough selection calls - such as the omissions of Steve Harmison and Ravi Bopara for the South Africa tour - a level Pietersen didn't reach with Moores.

"He [Strauss] has a coach he can work with," he said. "I never had that. I didn't have the power or authority to run the team. I never had that as England captain. I loved it, I enjoyed it [the captaincy], but now I leave it to Strauss, who's doing such a great job. Mentally I've left it. I respect Strauss too much to talk about the captaincy."

Pietersen's slow recovery from his Achilles surgery seemed to put his place on the South Africa in doubt, but the England management are increasingly confident that he will be available for at least part of the one-day series followed by the four Tests.

Pietersen announced himself on the world stage on the 2004-05 tour when he hit three centuries in the one-day series, but had to endured plenty of abuse from the crowds. This time Pietersen is likely to be one of four of England's top six born in South Africa - along with Strauss, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior - and although he still expects some reaction from the home fans he thinks it will be different from four years ago.

" I take that as a compliment, the same as Ricky Ponting does when he comes here. I enjoy it, actually," he said. "But in 2005 it was extremely abusive and my mum and dad were very upset, especially my mum.

"That doesn't bring fond memories, even though I scored three hundreds and was man of the series. But I don't expect it to be as bad this time. I think people in South Africa respect me now for what I've done."

Harmison and Bopara miss out

2009-10-09T03:39:00.000-07:00

Steve Harmison's international career appears over after he was omitted from England's Test squad for the tour of South Africa. His Durham team-mate Liam Plunkett was preferred after an impressive domestic season and is recalled to the international set-up for the first time since 2007. Kevin Pietersen has been included in both the Test and one-day squads although he will miss the two Twenty20 internationals as he continues to recover from his Achilles surgery.

Geoff Miller, the national selector, explained that Harmison, who said he was keen to tour South Africa but not as a bit-part player, hadn't produced enough performances in recent times to justify selection. "Stephen has not been included in the Test squad because we feel his form has not been consistent enough over the past 12 months to justify a regular place in the side and we want to give an opportunity to other players to make a case for selection."

The selectors have made a few surprise calls to fill the vacant positions in both parties with Luke Wright included in the Test squad instead of a frontline batsman, while Alastair Cook and Sajid Mahmood are recalled to the one-day side. Wright averaged 47.90 with the bat in eight Championship matches and took 21 wickets at 33.80 to nudge the selectors, while Cook struck back-to-back Pro40 hundreds for Essex after the Ashes.

As expected Jonathan Trott comes into the limited-overs squad as a replacement for Ravi Bopara, who missed out altogether after a poor Ashes series and disappointing performances in the recent ODIs. Steven Davies has been chosen as the reserve wicketkeeper for the Test leg of the tour following his last-minute call-up for the Champions Trophy and Adil Rashid is back-up to Graeme Swann with Monty Panesar omitted. Joe Denly, who had been tipped for a Test call-up, has to make do with a place in the one-day squad only.

"We are delighted to welcome Steven Davies and Luke Wright into the Test squad for the first time," Miller said. "Steven is a player of great potential who has been a consistent performer for his county and he will act as understudy to Matt Prior in South Africa.

"The retirement of Andrew Flintoff has created a vacancy for an all-rounder in the squad and while we do not see Luke Wright as a like for like replacement for Andrew, we are excited by the way in which his all-round game continues to develop and believe he can make an impact at Test level.

"Jonathan Trott who has made an immediate impact in our Test side and has also shown through his performances at domestic level that he has the talent and temperament to succeed in the shorter forms of the game."

"Liam Plunkett has worked hard to improve all aspects of his game since he last played for England and his selection is reward for consistently putting in strong performances for Durham both with bat and ball. He will provide strong competition for a place in our pace attack this winter."

Plunkett took 60 wickets at 23.35 and scored 400 runs at 44.44 as Durham retained their Championship title and now has the chance to add to his nine Test caps, the last of which came against West Indies, at Old Trafford, in 2007. Like Plunkett, Mahmood was first selected by Duncan Fletcher but faded from the scene after the 2007 World Cup. Miller, though, feels he is ready for a return as the selectors try to find an additional cutting edge to the one-day attack.

"Mahmood is another player who has had a taste of international cricket before and will be equally keen to make an impression in the one-day arena after continuing to show good form with Lancashire," he said. "Alastair Cook has shown great determination to improve his one-day game this summer, made runs at domestic level in both 50-over and Twenty20 cricket and the selectors believe now is the right time to re-introduce him to our one-day side."

Owais Shah has been dropped despite his 89-ball 98 against South Africa at the Champions Trophy, while Bopara's omission was expected after he was left out for the final Ashes Test and also lost his one-day slot before Matt Prior's illness in South Africa last week.

"Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah will, of course, be disappointed not to be included in either squad but they are both high class players and will remain in the selectors' thoughts as we go forward," Miller said.

Paul Collingwood has been confirmed as the Twenty20 captain for the two matches that begin the tour in November. They will be followed by five ODIs before the four-Test series starts at Centurion Park on December 16.

Test squad Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Paul Collingwood, Steven Davies, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright

One-day squad Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Joe Denly, Sajid Mahmood, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright

Duminy helps Cape Cobras beat Bangalore

2009-10-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

Brilliant JP Duminy struck 99 runs in 52 balls to help Cape Cobras stun Royal Challengers Bangalore by 5 wickets in a Champions League Twenty20 match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Unbeaten Duminy hammered 8 fours and 5 sixes in his match-winning innings.

Chasing a huge 181, Cape Cobras lost flamboyant opener Herschelle Gibbs for a duck to Praveen Kumar in the first over. Kumar then removed skipper Andrew Puttick for 11 runs for the second jolt.

However, Duminy held the wicket at one end and continued to play freely and single-handedly took the Cobras home.

Earlier, Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor scored quickfire half-centuries as Royal challengers set Cape Cobras a victory target of 181 runs in the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 match.

After electing to bat, Royal Challengers scored 180 for four in their allotted 20 overs.

Uthappa knocked 51 runs off 39 deliveries while Taylor remained not out for 53 in 24 balls. Rahul Dravid contributed 28 runs.

Anil Kumble won the toss and elected to bat against Cape Cobras in the inaugural match.

RCB vs CC - ACL T 20 Match 1 Highlights

2009-10-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

The Cape Cobras have won the opening match of the Champions League T20 by five wickets having finished with 184 for 5 in 19.4 overs. Player of the match : JP Duminy

Airtel Champions League Twenty20 Anthem

2009-10-09T03:07:00.000-07:00

Airtel Champions League Twenty20's anthem by A R Rehman!

Stage set for cricket's latest twist

2009-10-08T00:36:00.000-07:00

The inaugural Champions League Twenty20 gets underway at Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday with hosts and IPL runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on Cape Cobras from South Africa. Cricket's first global inter-club tournament, it is the latest twist in a format that is only seven years but has established itself as the game's main money-spinner.

A mix of state, county, regional and franchise teams will battle it out for a US$ 6 million cash prize, with $2.5 million going to the winners. The unpredictability of the format is enhanced by the fact that there is little history between the teams, though many of the players would be familiar to each other as team-mates at some level.

That element of uncertainty was summed up by Herschelle Gibbs, a key player for the Cobras. "We have a good team and a lot of the guys have been around for a while but this is Twenty20 and anything can happen. As I said earlier it is about the team performing well on a given day that wins matches, but I think Royal Challengers will be one of the favourites."

There will certainly be a lot of anticipation in Bangalore, where the game itself is to be preceded by what the organisers claim will be a lavish ceremony featuring legendary Grammy award winner Chaka Khan and British pop star Jamelia. "It has been a while since Royal Challengers have played at home", Anil Kumble, the Bangalore captain, said. "It's almost a year now... more than a year. Everybody is looking forward to that and we will certainly take advantage of home support."

The 23 matches in the 16-day tournament are spread between Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad. The 12 teams have been divided into four groups of three each with IPL runners-up Bangalore grouped with Cape Cobras and Otago, while IPL champions Deccan Chargers are in a pool with Stanford 20/20 winners Trinidad and Tobago and the Somerset, runners-up of England's Twenty20 Cup.

Delhi Daredevils are grouped with Victoria, the runners-up in the Australian domestic competition, and the Sri Lanka champions Wayamba. The other group comprises the Australian title-holders New South Wales, South Africa's Eagles and Sussex, winner of England's Twenty20 Cup.

The top two teams will qualify for the second round where two groups of four each will compete in a round-robin league. The top four teams will make it to the semi-finals, which will be played in New Delhi, on October 21, and Hyderabad, on October 22.

Thursday's game

Royal Challenger Bangalore v Cape Cobras, Group C
Start time 20.00 (14.30 GMT)

Key contests

Anil Kumble v Herschelle Gibbs and JP Duminy: Kumble led superbly with the ball in Bangalore's 2009 IPL campaign, taking 21 wickets at 16.52. Back home in his native Bangalore, Kumble knows the Chinnaswamy Stadium very well and will be backed by a buoyant crowd. Kumble will need to be at his craftiest best against the Cobras' most experience hitters.

Charl Langevelt v Jacques Kallis: The former South African team-mates will face off as key figures to their respective sides. After a poor first IPL season, Kallis struck form in 2009 with 361 runs at a strike-rate of 108.73. Langevelt is a famed death-overs specialists and could shape up to be the Cobras' most important player. Bangalore are keen to exploit the home conditions with Kallis already making it clear that knowing the ground will benefit the hosts.

Henry Davids v Bangalore's attack: Among teams in this competition, Davids owns the second-fastest Twenty20 hundred - a 41-ball effort for the Cobras against Warriors in Cape Town.

Denly in frame as England wait on Pietersen

2009-10-08T00:35:00.000-07:00

In the aftermath of their Ashes victory, and shortly before their momentum was destroyed by a chaotic month of one-day hammerings, England's cricketers vowed to use their summer success as a platform for greater glory. There would be no repeat, said Andrew Strauss, of their tailing-off in 2005, when victory against Australia was a prelude to a run of dismal form that culminated in their 5-0 whitewashing in the return series Down Under.

To all intents and purposes, that building process begins at Lord's at noon on Thursday, when the national selector, Geoff Miller, unveils their squads for England's winter tour of South Africa. Five years ago in the corresponding Test series, Michael Vaughan's men won a thunderous contest, sneaking a 2-1 victory against opponents who began in disarray but gathered momentum with every match.

This time around, however, South Africa will start as the No. 1 Test side in the world, and in Graeme Smith they possess a steely captain who exacted the ultimate revenge by toppling Vaughan in person during last summer's triumph in England. It counts for little that England have subsequently won five completed ODIs in a row against South Africa, including the shock of the tournament in the recent Champions Trophy. As far as England's aspirations are concerned, Test success remains the benchmark.

To that end, one of the very first names on Miller's list will be a man who still speaks with a thick South African accent, but who announced himself as a bona fide Pom by producing the decisive innings of the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval. Barring a long-forgotten duck in Belfast, Jonathan Trott has been in mothballs ever since his nerveless 119. He was overlooked for the one-day debacle against Australia because the squad for the Champions Trophy had to be named in advance of his Test debut, but the assurance of his footwork and the clarity of his shot selection mean he is sure to take the squad place of the man whom he replaced at The Oval, Ravi Bopara.

Trott, in fact, could well be one of four players in England's top seven set for a return to the country of his birth - Strauss left Johannesburg at the age of six but returned with aplomb in 2004-05 with 656 runs in the five Tests, while the wicketkeeper Matt Prior also hails from the Highveld. But the most imposing returnee of the lot, fitness permitting, will be Kevin Pietersen, whose absence from the sharp end of England's Ashes campaign left the batting dangerously short of gravitas until Trott's timely arrival.

If missing out against Australia was a crushing disappointment, it will be cruelly exacerbated should Pietersen's Achilles injury deny him the chance to play his first Test in South Africa, having made his full England debut in the ODIs against Zimbabwe that preceded the last trip five years ago. A recent infection in the stitching of his wound pushed Pietersen's rehabilitation back by several weeks, but Strauss remains confident that his star man will be ready to resume his career at least in time for the Test leg of the tour that commences on December 9.

"The information we have got at the moment is that he is getting better quite quickly now," Strauss told BBC Radio Four. "We are very hopeful he will be making the trip to South Africa, hopefully playing some part in the one-dayers and then a full part in the Test series. That is great news for us. We have sorely missed him and the sooner he is back the better."

With Andrew Flintoff now retired, and Stuart Broad still feeling his way as a Test-class allrounder, England's batting will need to be bulked out regardless of Pietersen's availability. Ian Bell produced one of the best innings of his unfulfilled career when he top-scored in England's first innings at The Oval with a gritty 72, and so deserves one more chance to make the No. 3 slot his own. But with Alastair Cook under some pressure as an opener following a poor Ashes campaign, the new name in the frame is likely to be Kent's Joe Denly, whose upright technique has earned plaudits during his early forays in the one-day side, and whose calm demeanour bodes well for the tough challenge that lies ahead.

After saving the Cardiff Test with the rearguard of his life in July, Paul Collingwood finished England's Ashes campaign with his place under habitual scrutiny, but a brief break during the Australia one-dayers enabled him to return revitalised for the Champions Trophy. His subsequent buttock strain will not, in Strauss's opinion, have any impact on his selection for the Test squad, and in fact the reverse is probably true, because he will now have a chance for a proper break from the grind, having escaped his commitment to play for the Delhi Daredevils in the forthcoming Champions League.

England's bowling presents another set of conundrums entirely. James Anderson found form in the Champions Trophy after a difficult final month of the English season, and has established a handy new-ball pairing with Graham Onions, with Ryan Sidebottom seemingly assured of his place in the squad alongside Broad. However, since the retirement of Flintoff, England lack a bowler with the pace to frighten opponents ... unless, of course, they take a punt on a man who went missing spectacularly on the last South Africa tour (and for that matter on most overseas trips either side of the 2004 West Indies tour).

Steve Harmison recently declared his unwavering commitment to England, although he then tempered that resolve by hinting he could retire if overlooked for this winter's campaign. However, given the steepling bounce on offer during the recent one-dayers at the Wanderers, Harmison could be worth his squad place even if Johannesburg proves to be his only appearance of the tour.

Graeme Swann has stormed past Monty Panesar in the spin-bowling stakes, and the legspinner Adil Rashid has since slipstreamed him as well - first by impressing in the ICC World Twenty20, and then by demonstrating his allround credentials during an impressive but ultimately unsuccessful home ODI debut against Australia at The Oval. Given how brutally AB de Villiers treated the last legspinner to make his debut in South Africa, Bryce McGain at Cape Town back in March, there is an element of risk in overlooking Panesar's unspectacular offerings, but that could be said for the selection of all wristspinners. Shane Warne would never have been the player he was had it not been for some brave decisions from above, and on the evidence so far, Rashid has the demeanour to cope.

Which leaves room for one last selection, that of the reserve wicketkeeper. Prior's place is sacrosanct at present, after a summer of aggressive strokeplay at No. 6 allied to vastly improved glovework, but the identity of his understudy remains impossible to pinpoint. James Foster looked the part behind the stumps during the World Twenty and impressed in front of them as well, not least in the Pro40 when he spanked five sixes in a row against Durham.

However, it was Surrey's new signing Steven Davies who earned the call-up for the Champions Trophy when a virus cut short Prior's participation. Meanwhile, the quiet clamour of late has been for the quietest achiever on the county circuit. Geraint Jones was jettisoned in ignominious circumstances during the 2006-07 Ashes, and has barely been mentioned in dispatches since. However, five hundreds in Kent's Division Two title push - the most by a county wicketkeeper for 25 years - could yet earn him a remarkable recall.

Test squad (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Jonathan Trott, 5 Kevin Pietersen, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Graham Onions, 12 Ryan Sidebottom, 13 Joe Denly, 14 Adil Rashid, 15 Geraint Jones (wk), 16 Steve Harmison.

ODI squad (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Joe Denly, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Owais Shah, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Luke Wright, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson, 12 Graham Onions, 13 Ryan Sidebottom, 14 Tim Bresnan, 15 Adil Rashid.

England lock in 2010-11 Ashes schedule

2009-10-08T00:34:00.001-07:00

ngland's 2010-11 Ashes defence in Australia will follow a traditional path, with the five-Test series starting in Brisbane and ending in Sydney. Australia, who lost the urn in August, can start planning their way back after the schedule was released, but the visitors have made a change already by asking for three first-class games before the first Test in Brisbane from November 25-29 next year.

The second Test will be in Adelaide (December 3-7) followed by another tour match before the third rubber in Perth (December 16-20). During England's 5-0 defeat in 2006-07 there were only a couple of low-key warm-up games for the tourists and the schedule was blamed for their awful start. Melbourne's Boxing Day Test is a fixture and the series will wrap up in Sydney, starting on January 3, 2011.

"The recent Ashes series was the sporting highlight of the summer and has really whetted the appetite of all cricket supporters as England seek to retain the Ashes next winter," the ECB chief executive David Collier said. "I am sure many thousands of England cricket fans will be eager to purchase tickets when they go on sale and get behind the team in Australia." The release dates have not been announced.

"Australian cricket fans always love an Ashes series and demand for tickets is going to be strong, so it is important to put the dates in diaries now," James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, said. "We also expect to have a lot of UK fans here again." A full schedule, including one-day and Twenty20 matches, is unlikely to be announced until next year.

2010-11 Ashes series
1st Test, November 25-29, Brisbane
2nd Test, December 3-7, Adelaide
3rd Test, December 16-20, Perth
4th Test, December 26-30, Melbourne
5th Test, January 3-7, Sydney

Pakistan tour of Australia 2009/10 Schedule

2009-10-07T23:57:00.000-07:00

Pakistan team will travel in the end of December for three match test series, five match ODI series and one twenty20 international. The tour will start with Boxing Day test match at M.C.G from 26^th of December to 30^th of December.

Second test match will be played at S.C.G from3rd of January 2010 to 7^th of January 2010 while last test will feature in Hobart from 14^th Jan to 18^th Jan 2010.

Pakistan v Australia Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Timing	Teams	Venue
Sat 26 Dec – Wed 30 Dec 05:30 AM	1st Test - Australia v Pakistan	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Sun 3 Jan – Thu 7 Jan 05:30 AM	2^nd Test - Australia v Pakistan	Sydney Cricket Ground
Thu 14 Jan – Mon 18 Jan 05:30 AM	3^rd Test - Australia v Pakistan	Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Fri 22 Jan (D/N) 08:45 AM	1st ODI - Australia v Pakistan	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
Sun 24 Jan (D/N) 08:45 AM	2^nd ODI - Australia v Pakistan	Sydney Cricket Ground
Tue 26 Jan (D/N) 09:15 AM	3^rd ODI - Australia v Pakistan	Adelaide Oval
Fri 29 Jan (D/N) 10:30 AM	4^th ODI - Australia v Pakistan	W.A.C.A, Perth
Sun 31 Jan (D/N) 10:30 AM	5^th ODI - Australia v Pakistan	W.A.C.A, Perth
Fri 5 Feb (D/N) 14:05	Only T20I – Australia v Pakistan	Melbourne Cricket Ground

Australia tour of India 2009 Schedule

2009-10-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

Australia will tour India for Seven match ODI Series in the late of October 2009. They will play their first match of ODI series on 25^th of October 2009 in Vadodara Out of Seven matches six of the one day internationals will be day/night encounters between these two teams.

While there will be a two-day gap between most of the fixtures, there will be just a day's rest between the 3rd and 4th ODIs, to be played in New Delhi and Mohali respectively. Mumbai will host the last ODI between India and Australia on November 11^th 2009.

India v Australia ODIs Fixtures:

October 25: India v Australia 1st ODI, Vadodara (D/N)
October 28: India v Australia 2nd ODI, Nagpur (D/N)
October 31: India v Australia 3rd ODI, Delhi (D/N)
November 2: India v Australia 4th ODI, Mohali(D/N)
November 5: India v Australia 5th ODI, Hyderabad (D/N)
November 8: India v Australia 6th ODI, Guwahati
November 11: India v Australia 7th ODI, Mumbai(D/N)

India v Australia ODI Series 2009 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Timing	Teams	Venue
Sun 25 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	1^st ODI – India v Australia	Vadodara
Wed 28 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	2^nd ODI – India v Australia	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur
Sat 31 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	3^rd ODI – India v Australia	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Mon 2 Nov (D/N) 14:30 PM	4^th ODI – India v Australia	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Thu 5 Nov (D/N) 14:30 PM	5^th ODI – India v Australia	Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad, Deccan
Sun 8 Nov 09:00 AM	6^th ODI – India v Australia	Nehru Stadium, Guwahati
Wed 11 Nov (D/N) 14:30 PM	7^th ODI - India v Australia	Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

West Indies tour of Australia 2009/10 Schedule

2009-10-07T23:54:00.001-07:00

West Indies cricket team will tour Australia in two parts in the later part of November for three match test series and then will travel to Australia again for five ODI’s and two twenty20 internationals.

West Indies v Australia Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Timing	Teams	Venue
Thu 26 Nov – Mon 30 Nov 05:30 AM	1^st Test – Australia v West Indies	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
Fri 4 Dec – Tue 8 Dec 05:30 AM	2^nd Test – Australia v West Indies	Adelaide Oval
Wed 16 Dec – Sun 20 Dec 08:00 AM	3^rd Test – Australia v West Indies	Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth
Sun 7 Feb (D/N) 08:45 AM	1^st ODI – Australia v West Indies	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Tue 9 Feb (D/N) 08:45 AM	2^nd ODI – Australia v West Indies	Sydney Cricket Ground
Fri 12 Feb (D/N) 08:15 AM	3^rd ODI – Australia v West Indies	Adelaide Oval
Sun 14 Feb (D/N) 08:45 AM	4^th ODI – Australia v West Indies	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
Fri 19 Feb (D/N) 08:45 AM	5^th ODI – Australia v West Indies	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Sun 21 Feb 11:30 AM	1^st T20I – Australia v West Indies	Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Tue 23 Feb (D/N) 14:05 PM	2^nd T20I – Australia v West Indies	Sydney Cricket Ground

Champions Twenty20 League 2009 Schedule

2009-10-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

Finally we will witness the Champions Twenty20 League 2009 starting this October. There will be total 12 teams will participate in inaugural Champions twenty20 League 2009 with 12 teams divided into four group comprising of three teams in each group. There will be total 23 matches will be played over period of sixteen days at three venues.

The first game of the Champions twenty20 League will be played between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Cape Cobras at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. Final of Champions League will be played on October 23^rd in Hyderabad.

The top two teams from each group will advance to next round where each eight team will again be divided into two Groups. The top four teams (two from each group) will then qualify for the semi finals of twenty20 champions league 2009 which will be played in New Delhi on October 21^st and in Hyderabad on October 22^nd.

Group Stage

Group A: Deccan Chargers, Trinidad & Tobago and TBC

Group B: New South Wales, Eagles and TBC

Group C: Royal Challengers Bangalore, Cape Cobras and Otago

Group D: Delhi Daredevils, Victoria and Wayamba

Round Robin League Stage

League A: A1, A2, B1, B2

League B: C1, C2, D1, D2

Champions League 2009 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Timing	Teams	Venue	Results
Thu Oct 8 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Group C - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Cape Cobras	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Fri Oct 9 16:00 PM	Group B - Eagles v New South Wales	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Fri Oct 9 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Group D - Delhi Daredevils v Victoria	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Sat Oct 10 16:00 PM	Group C - Cape Cobras v Otago	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Sat Oct 10 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Group A - Deccan Chargers v TBC	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Sun Oct 11 16:00 PM	Group B - New South Wales v TBC	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Sun Oct 11 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Group D - Delhi Daredevils v Wayamba	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Mon Oct 12 16:00 PM	Group A - TBC v Trinidad & Tobago	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Mon Oct 12 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Group C - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Otago	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Tue Oct 13 16:00 PM	Group D - Victoria v Wayamba	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Tue Oct 13 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Group B - Eagles v TBC	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Wed Oct 14 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Group A - Deccan Chargers v Trinidad & Tobago	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Thu Oct 15 (D/N) 20:00 PM	League B - C1 v D2	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Fri Oct 16 16:00 PM	League A - A2 v B2	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Fri Oct 16 (D/N) 20:00 PM	League A - A1 v B1	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Sat Oct 17 16:00 PM	League B - C2 v D2	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Sat Oct 17 (D/N) 20:00 PM	League B - C1 v D1	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Sun Oct 18 16:00 PM	League A - A2 v B1	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Sun Oct 18 (D/N) 20:00 PM	League A - A1 v B2	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Mon Oct 19 (D/N) 20:00 PM	League B - C2 v D1	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Wed Oct 21 (D/N) 20:00 PM	1st semi-final – B1 v A2	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Thu Oct 22 (D/N) 20:00 PM	2nd semi-final – A1 v B2	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Fri Oct 23 (D/N) 20:00 PM	Final – 1^st Semifinal Winner v 2^nd Semifinal Winner	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Australia wins the Champions Trophy, 2009

2009-10-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

Shane Watson blasted his second successive hundred to help Australia retain the ICC Champions Trophy, beating New Zealand by 6 Wickets. Ricky Ponting is awarded the Man of the Tournament.

Australia became the Champions of Champions Trophy

2009-10-07T01:33:00.000-07:00

Australia announced to the world that they may have lost some of their key players but they are still the best in the world after beating New Zealand quite comprehensively by six wickets in the ICC Champions trophy final at Centurion.

Chasing a modest target of 201 runs to win, Australia achieved the target with ease in the 46^th^rd over of their run chase. over for the lost of just four wickets. But not before they have scared by fine opening bowling spell by Shane Bond and Kyle Mills. Both bowled there heart out in their opening spell to reduce the Australians to 6/2 in the 3

However young lad Cameron White (62 runs of 102 balls) and Shane Watson (105* runs of 129 balls) stood their in the middle with full determination to win the game for Australia and in the end they did exactly the same. Shane Watson went on to score his second consecutive century of the tournament.

Shane Watson reached his fourth century in style by hitting two consecutive sixes of off-spinner Jetten patel to wrap up the game also. Watson's best innings at international level, a century that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award in back-to-back Champions Trophy finals and semi finals, was critical to Australia's win.

During his inning of 105 runs, Watson showed lots of determination to save his wicket and he & Cameron White went on to test match mode once Australia reduced to 6/2 and scored just another 12 runs in the next 9 overs but they manage to see out the best bowling pair opening spell.

Once Mills and Bond opening spell is over both batsman switched their gear to up the anti to reduce the pressure mounting on Australians required rate. Rest of the bowlers looks really ruthless and never left an impact of getting wickets and gave away too many runs in the middle overs.

Vettori's last minute pull-out with a hamstring injury was just the start of New Zealand's woes and they never got going after opting to bat first at the SuperSport Park.

New Zealand never got going after electing to bat first. There had just two decent partnership during their innings, first Martin Guptill (40 runs of 64 balls) and A.Redmond (26 runs of 45 balls) put on 61 runs for the second wickets, then N.Broom (37 runs of 62 balls) and James Franklin (33 runs of 43 balls) added 65 runs for the sixth wickets.

However in the end they manage just 200 runs on the board probably 50 runs short of what could have been winning total.

Shane Watson was declared Player of the Match for his superb batting display.

R.Ponting was declared player of the series for scoring 288 runs in five innings with an average of 72.

R.Ponting was also awarded Golden Bat for scoring most runs in the tournament.

All Australian Players has been awarded Cream Color Jackets on which ICC Champions trophy 2009 Winners was written.

Australian team has been awarded prize money of $4 million as well as Champions Trophy.

Match Summary (Australia won by 6 Wickets)

New Zealand– 200/9 in 50 Overs

M.Guptill- 40 N.Broom– 37

N.Haurtiz– 10-0-37-3 B.Lee- 10-1-45-2

Australia– 206/4 in 45.2 Overs

S.Watson- 105* C.White– 62

K.Mills– 10-2-27-3 S.Bond- 10-2-34-1