2011 Cricket World Cup

Since the wonderful comeback by England to snatch the Group B game last Sunday from the fingertips of the SouthAfrican’s , the news coming out of the England camp has not been quite so uplifting.

Injuries sustained during the match in Chennai on Sunday have resulted in the loss of key players Kevin Pietersen and now Stuart Broad from the England squad.

Pietersen has already returned to England after it was discovered that his hernia problem might be worse than he had originally thought, he had struggled in the field against South Africa although he did manage a few overs bowling during the game.

He has already been replaced by Eoin Morgan in the England camp, he of course had been ruled out of the World Cup himself after breaking a finger in the One Day International series in Australia.

Morgan has taken less time to recover than anticipated and the big hitting Dublin born left hander will slip into the team  as the perfect replacement for the hapless KP.

Perversely Morgan played for Ireland in the last Cricket World Cup before defecting to England and was a key member of the England team that won the ICC World Twenty20 last year. He has a batting average of a fraction over 38 from his 61 one day internationals, in which he has scored four centuries and ten 50’s.

Stuart Broad is said to be suffering from a ’significant side strain’ which occurred  during Sunday’s game against South Africa and will return to England for further assessment this week. He is definitely ruled out of any further part in the 2011 World Cup but is hoping to be fit again for the Test match at Lords on May 26th against Sri Lanka.

Broad’s replacement in the squad is likely to be Chris Tremlett who is in South Asia standing by, but this has yet to be confirmed by the England team.

The 2011 World Cup has thrown up some interesting results so far, with no one team completely dominating the competition. For anyone interested in cricket betting the favourites to win this tournament are still India and Australia.

It might be a good time to check out the odds on some of the other teams including England, Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa if you are hoping to bank some money from your bet!

Something I never thought I would hear from the Australian’s is that their only hope of salvaging something from the series is to pray for rain.

It has also been reported that a staggering 71% of Aussies would like to see 41 year old Shane Warne return to the field. I find it surprising that a country whose sportsmen never know when they are beaten and are generally able to find something extra, against England in particular, are being written off after drawing the first Test and a fair chance of a similar result, given the weather, in Adelaide.

None the less it is England who have every right to pleased with their performance so far in the Ashes Test and how good it was to see Kevin Pietersen back doing what he does best against the old foe.

It has been a tougher year for Pietersen than for most and with his brand of cavalier batting there is always the fear of things not quite turning out how you might have hoped, but in the last couple of days he has been in complete charge of the game.

A splendid Test best for Pietersen of 227 runs was topped off  by taking the wicket of Michael Clarke with the last ball of the day on the fourth day of the second test.

Not that it has been a one man show from the England team, every player has performed heroically with bat and ball to put England in the driving seat in this match, but none the less there is no finer sight in cricket than watching Pietersen it such dominant and majestic mood with the bat.

It would be a real shame for the England team to lose their grasp on this match but there is a real chance that the Adelaide weather may have the last laugh and save the game for the Australians.

It would of course be a travesty of justice given the position England have put themselves in, but it could also be Australia’s only chance of avoiding defeat although it has to be said that the likes of North,  Haddin and Hussey could easily change all that at the crease with some good old fashioned Australian spunk.

Second Ashes Test, Adelaide: Day Four
Australia 245 & 238-4 v England 620-5dec

The 11 cricketers that played in the final Test Match against Pakistan at Lords are named, along with Sussex spin bowler Monty Panesar, Surrey fast bowler Chris Tremlett and wicket-keeper Steven Davies.

After returning from injury, the other two places are given to Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell and Yorkshire seam bowler Tim Bresnan.

Upcoming Yorkshire fast bowler, Ajmal Shahzad, was probably one of the most disappointed hopefuls after a good Test debut at Old Trafford earlier this year against Bangladesh.

Kent’s James Tredwell is included, along with Ajmal hahzad in a 16 man ‘Performance Squad’ who will also go to Australia during the winter as a back-up.

England Ashes Squad 2010

Andrew Strauss (captain, Middlesex), Alastair Cook (vice-captain, Essex), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Steven Davies (wk, Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Monty Panesar (Sussex), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matt Prior (wk, Sussex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Surrey), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire).

Facing only his second ball of the innings Pietersen was given lbw after a lengthy look from the umpire after the batsman had pushed forward and the ball had hit his front pad.

It was a complete turn around from Pietersen’s magnificent 116 a few days ago in the 40 over Clydesdale Bank match against Sussex, and will at least have the selectors scratching their heads over his form in the longer game.

While on his day he is an extravagant and cavalier match winner, it is those same qualities that make Pietersen a possible liability for England particularly in test matches, and with the Ashes tour looming he faces an uphill task to stake his claim for a place in the squad.

Along with Andrew Flintoff, Pietersen was once an untouchable in the England team, it was their flair that has made them the household names of cricket. But things have moved on, Flintoff has not been around since last years Ashes due to injury and Pietersen has not seemed the same player since his own injury problems.

England no longer rely on either of these players and for the first time in years appear to have a stock of quality young players who are making the most of any chances they are given within the England set up.

While I would love KP to be among the Ashes squad, like many others  also believe that England do already have the quality of players in place to at least give Australia a hard time in the upcoming Ashes tournament.

KP dropped from England one day squad

Struggling England batsman Kevin Pietersen will make his debut for county side Surrey today (Wednesday) after being dropped from the England one day team.

The England and Wales Cricket Board stepped in to negotiate the deal on Pietersen’s behalf in an attempt to get the player back to his best form ahead of the all important Ashes tour which starts on November 25th in Brisbane.

With only four county games remaining for Surrey the team will have their work cut out in whipping Pietersen into shape and rekindling the confidence that has drained from his performances over the last few months.

Ironically Pietersen gets the chance to rebuild his international career with the Surrey side as he replaces Steve Davis who heads off to join the England limited overs side.

Pietersen could also find himself in serious trouble with the England management after broadcasting the news that he had been dropped from the team on social media network Twitter.

KP leaving Hampshire

Kevin Pietersen has confirmed that he will be leaving county side Hampshire at the end of this season, claiming that living in London is an issue in playing for the Southampton based team.

Pietersen joined Hampshire from Nottinghamshire at the end of the 2004 season, but since making his England Test debut in July 2005 has figured very little in county level cricket.

He made his first appearance for Hampshire in two years in last Sunday’s Friends Provident T20 win over Surrey, and in his six seasons with the county he has featured in just two T20 games, seven County Championship matches and 17 one-dayers.

Pietersen’s agent Adam Wheatley says that there have been no approaches from other clubs  as yet, but is hoping that now the announcement has been made things may well change.

It is possible for Pietersen to continue playing International cricket without an association to a county side, an ECB spokesman confirmed this, but added, “Practically, it’s in the best interest of the player and the England management that he is registered with a county. This is so the option exists for that player to go back to his county and play cricket when required, eg in between international series.”

Ironically Pietersen returns to Hampshire’s Rose Bowl home next week for England’s opening One Day International against Australia.

Hampshire chairman of cricket Rod Bransgrove added: “Given England’s critical dependence on KP in all forms of cricket, we have not seen anything like as much of him as we would have liked over the past six years. He remains, however, a fantastic player and we wish him continued success wherever he plays.”

T20 World Cup 2010

England batsman Kevin Pietersen hit an unbeaten 70 off 52 balls to lead his team to a well deserved win over Pakistan in their first  Super Eight match in the 2010 T20 World Cup. England won the game by five wickets with three balls to spare, having chased Pakistan’s total of 147 for 9.

While the England batsmen looked in great shape throughout the innings, they will thank the buttery fingers of Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal who had an awful afternoon in the field, dropping three dead cert catches in the first five overs, allowing the England openers to build an impressive run rate.

Ajmal moved some way to making amends when his sixth over bowling led to the stumping of Lumb for 25 runs off 13 balls. Kieswetter was then caught by Akmal at the start of the ninth over, bringing Pietersen and Collingwood to the wicket.

The England pair enjoyed a partnership that saw Pietersen reach his fifty with a cracking six in the 16th over, only for Collingwood to be caught seconds later in the same over.

At 125 for 3 with four overs remaining England’s batsman looked in control, but then up stepped Ajmal once again in the 18th over, making amends for the earlier dropped catches, he bowled Morgan who had scored just five runs.

With Ajmal back bowling in a tense final over, England managed to squeeze the runs they needed to pass the Pakistan score with three balls remaining.

Final scores:

Pakistan 147 – 9  (20 overs)

England 148 – 4  (19.3 overs)

KP

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has suggested that the increasing influence of technology in cricket in the form of HawkEye, will lead many players to reassess their own techniques as umpires are being persuaded to give more lbw decisions through the new technology.

Pietersen who has struggled through the tour of Bangladesh, scoring only 69 runs in seven innings before his comeback in the first Test at Chittagong when he amassed 99 runs.

The key England batsman says that he has had to work on his game and a minor alteration at the crease has helped overcome some of the problems.

“If you look at some of the decisions, I think HawkEye has definitely played a huge role in lbws being given off the front foot. So you’ve got to sort your technique out and make sure you use your bat as the first line of defence.

I’ve had to work a hell of a lot harder than I’ve ever worked before, I’ve always worked hard in my career but I spent hours in those nets at Chittagong and something clicked. I might get two good balls next match but in terms of my form and technique I feel good.

Batting has changed. It’s no surprise to see that three of the top ranked bowlers in one-day cricket are left-armers (Shakib Al Hasan, Daniel Vettori and Ray Price) and that tells you something: there is work to be done.”

KP back after injury

Kevin Pietersen joined up with the England squad in South Africa this week as planned and says he is mentally and physically refreshed and raring to go, following his enforced three month lay off.

On Wednesday Pietersen faced net bowlers as well as spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed and came out unscathed, he also managed to run between the wickets, but was realistic enough to say that he would not be rushing things, “I tried that a while back and got an infection in the wound” he said.

Pietersen has arrived in South Africa in good shape generally although the flight was a problem for his Achilles, but a good night’s sleep appears to have helped as he said on Wednesday “I’ve woken up feeling really good. I enjoyed the break to refresh my batteries, to get myself right and ready to know that I can compete again and want to compete again.”

Pietersen has endured a difficult year, starting out as England captain, a very public row with Peter Moores that saw KP relinquish the captaincy and then the Achilles injury forcing him to miss the last three Ashes Tests. An infection of the wound caused more complications forcing him out of the Champions Trophy tournament.

Regardless of what has happened in the past Pietersen is back in an England track suit and ready to leap into action, given the opportunity. Ironically his absence this Summer means that he is no longer an automatic choice for the selectors and he accepts that he must fight for a place alongside rising stars Joe Denly, Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan who have all made a contribution during the last couple of months.

England play South Africa on Friday night (November 13th) in the first of two Twenty20 internationals, before a five-match one-day series is followed by four Tests.

The injury that restricted Pietersen’s movement in the first two Ashes test matches first surfaced during England’s tour of the West Indies in March, It was further aggravated when Pietersen played for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League in April.

The players recovery programme was hoped to have taken just six weeks and Pietersen’s name had already been pencilled in for the NatWest series of seven, one day internationals against Australia next month.

The specialists will re-assess the player when he returns from hospital. A statement from The England and Wales Cricket Board says:

“He will be reassessed by the specialist later this week and will return to his planned programme of rehabilitation once the wound has fully healed.