T 20....World Cup 2010...may the best team win !!!

The T20 World Cup 2010 at the exotic locales of Caribbeans has taken off......
Going by the opening matches, it looks to be a tournament that would well be dominated by the bowlers, rather than the batsmen.......a seemingly opposite of what is expected in this slam bang format of the game. The pitches seem to be very slow & run making looks laborious.

In the first match Sri Lanka managed a mere 135 runs in their full quota, thanks to an outstanding 81 off just 51 deliveries by the inform Jayawardane...others simply struggled to put bat to the ball. After his dismissal, the innings simply folded away. Shane Bond got two crucial wickets in the last over to restrict the Lankans from posting a big total.
In reply, the Kiwis lost mercurial Brenden McCullum in the first over itself for a duck, but managed to keep in contention through some super hitting by Jesse Ryder.... however, runs were hard to come by & wickets at regular intervals kept the match alive till the last 2 deliveries. It was Brendon's younger brother Nathan, who with his imaginative hittings, finally got the New Zealand to victory....The Kiwis needed 10 runs of the final over by Malinga...a tough ask, but Nathan managed a boundary & a six to manage an improbable win.
It had been the Lankans on the driver's seat, till Nathan spoilt their party.....

The second match was the home team against minnows Ireland.....One expected the Windies to fire right away, but they labored to an unimpressive 138 only, with the top order simply struggling...it was only the late flourish of Darryl Sammy, who hit 30 off a mere 17 deliveries that got them the total. However, in reply the Irish batters were all at sea & folded for a mere 68, with extras being the top scorer at 19. Sammy again had been in the thick of action taking 3 wickets for a mere 8 runs. He was the obvious choice as the man of the match.

The pitch & the surface have avery broken & tired look about them & run scoring would get progressively difficult. Unless someone gets his eye in first & then goes for the big hits!!!...

This will be an interesting tournament, with quite a few teams capable of claiming the Sliverware...the trophy. India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka from the subcontinent, all look in good nick & have the potential to be the Champions, while Aussies & the Kiwis from down under, seem to have all the necessary arsenal to walk away with the laurels. We cannot overlook the talented Proteas, who have always choked at the crucial stages & the Caribbeans with their hme support can be a handful too.

Timings of the matches for us Indians, is tough & late in the night, but, I guess, a few die hard supporters of the game like me, would do anything to keep wide awake, even if it means being drowsy for the better part of the next day...hehehehe..all for the love of  cricket......Jai Ho....