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Sparks are bound to fly when West Indies skipper Brian Lara bats against ace Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in a World Cup Super Eights match in Georgetown on Sunday. The pair were involved in an engrossing duel in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2001, with Lara proving why is considered one of the best batsmen against spin.
<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=cwc_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/300732/Icon_CWC.gif" align=left border=0></a>Virender Sehwag roared back into form with a blazing century as record-setting India thrashed debutants Bermuda by 257 runs in their second World Cup match on Monday. India posted 413-5 after being put in to bat, with Sehwag (114), Sourav Ganguly (89), Yuvraj Singh (83) and Sachin Tendulkar (57 not out) making merry against a mediocre Bermudian attack.
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South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said there is no need to panic despite watching his world number one side’s batting line-up fail to click for the second successive match. South Africa lost by seven wickets to Pakistan on Friday in their final World Cup warm-up match on an awful pitch that caused so many concerns that players protested over its match-worthiness.
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Mohammad Hafeez gave an impressive all-round performance to guide Pakistan to an emphatic 77-run victory over Canada in a World Cup warm-up match on Tuesday. Middle-order batsman Hafeez top-scored with a solid 61 to help Pakistan post a challenging 273-8.
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/ 24 February 2007
The 2003 World Cup was not only about Australia’s triumph over adversity, but also about a drug ban, boycotts, protests and some prominent cricketers’ farewell. Australia suffered a setback even before the show had begun when champion leg-spinner Shane Warne was ruled out of the tournament.
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/ 1 November 2006
South Africa skipper Graeme Smith said on Wednesday adaptability would be the key to success against an unpredictable West Indies in the Champions Trophy semifinal. ”The unpredictable nature can count against them, but it can also be a major bonus for them. The key for us is to adapt to the conditions better than the other team,” Smith said ahead of Thursday’s match.
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/ 31 October 2006
South Africa go into the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal on Thursday hoping their batting line-up will back up their fast bowlers against a resurgent West Indies. Fast bowlers spared South African blushes in the last two games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, with Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock playing key roles in their team’s wins.
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/ 27 October 2006
Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit a solid 51 to build on Ian Bradshaw’s superb effort as the West Indies qualified for the Champions Trophy semifinals with a tense three-wicket victory over India on Thursday. Left-arm fast bowler Bradshaw carved out a rosy opening for his team when he grabbed three big wickets in his disciplined 10 overs to restrict India to a modest total of 223-9 in the Group A league match.
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/ 18 October 2006
Abdul Razzaq put in a superb all-round show as doping-hit Pakistan turned the formbook upside down with a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Champions Trophy match on Tuesday. Pakistan did a commendable job when they restricted Sri Lanka to 253 despite missing key pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who returned home on Monday after failing dope tests.
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/ 12 October 2006
Chris Gayle smashed an attractive century as the West Indies stormed into the Champions Trophy main draw with a 10-wicket win over hapless Bangladesh in a qualifying match on Wednesday. The left-hander hit an unbeaten 104 for his 13th century and Shivnarine Chanderpaul made 52 not out as Brian Lara’s team made a mockery of Bangladesh’s total of 161, winning with 13.2 overs to spare.