Bailey is missing Johnson

World T20 — Mitchell Johnson has been ruled out due to a toe infection.

Dhaka — Australia captain George Bailey on Tuesday said the team would badly miss in-form speedster Mitchell Johnson, the hero of their recent Ashes win over England.

WARM UP MATCH;- India beat England by 20 runs..

WT20 WARM-UP: Kohli, Raina shine with half-centuries as India defend 178 at Mirpur.

MIRPUR: India’s WorldT20 campaign received a boost ahead of the business end of the tournament as MS Dhoni’s team defeated England by 20 runs in a warm-up game here, on Wednesday. The stars for India were Virat Kohli (74*) and Suresh Raina (54), who helped them post 178/4 batting first, and the spinners, who disallowed England from consolidating on a terrific start that opener Michael Lumb (36) had provided them with.

Raina deserves a special mention here as he had Lumb stumped when the batsman was on a rampage. The part-time spinner bowled his four overs for just 23 and was complemented by off-spinner R. Ashwin, who gave away three less in his own quota. England finished on 158/6.

Moeen Ali contributed a solid 38-ball 46, but he was late in upping the scoring late and no sooner that he did he get going, he mis-timed a pull to be caught at deep square leg, off Ravindra Jadeja. This left Jos Buttler (30, 18b) the difficult job of scoring 25 off Jadeja’s last over of the match. Buttler was stumped attempting the unlikely, and India prevailed, despite their new-ball bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-0-27-1) and Mohammad Shami (3-0-29-1) getting the stick yet again.

TWO PARTNERSHIPS

India’s innings comprised two partnerships of note. Raina and Kohli came together at 39/3 in the sixth over and added 81 in 8.5 overs. This was followed by Kohli and skipper Dhoni providing the final flourish with a stand of 58 in a shade above 5 overs.

Kohli’s unbeaten, 48-ball 74 contained no sixes, just eight fours, and good pacing that derived from energetic singles converted opportunistically into doubles. He, however was not the principal aggressor. When India were in a slump, it was Raina who pulled them out.  

Form has deserted Raina of late. He was dropped for the Asia Cup, his Test credentials remain dodgy despite century on debut, but in the shortest format he is undoubtedly a clear and present danger. Raina had made 41 in the first practice match. Against England, he punished seamer Chris Jordan for boundaries on the leg-side and drove Stuart Broad back over his head for a four. 

India's slump was not unexpected. Their opening stand had been worth 3 in the warm-up against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan bettered that by 12 against England, before Rohit (5) failed to keep a fast Dernbach bouncer down and was caught at backward square-leg in the fourth over. 

Dhawan had proved to be up to opening the batting in difficult New Zealand conditions, mainly because he had curbed his instinct to go for the big shot on the off-side. Tempted with marginal room again by Bresnan, off whom he had just rasped a boundary through covers, he again connected well, but was snatched smartly by a diving James Tredwell at cover for 14. Tredwell played a key role later with his off-spin and conceded just 19 in his four overs.

YUVRAJ FAILS

For several reasons, Yuvraj Singh was always going to be in the cross-hairs. He had collected a soothing 33 in the first practice match. But five balls into his stay at Mirpur, Yuvraj was caught behind trying to cart Jordan over the leg-side. 

It was in the 13th over that India go going as Raina and Kohli took 17 off left-arm spinner Stephen Parry, and soon the innings 100 came up.  From here on it was regulation IPL cricket. Raina made room to loft Bopara over cover and swept him for six to reach his half-century in 29 balls. He was out in the same over - caught splendidly by a running Jordan as he went for his fifth consecutive boundary - but by then he had placed India 120/4 with five overs remaining.

Fifty came in the last four. Dhoni upper-cut Derbach for six, Kohli completed his half-century and Tim Bresnan bowled a pathetic last over in which India – assisted by edges and gratuitous full-tosses – added 17 to what was already a target to reckon with.

Suresh Raina of India celebrates the wicket of Michael Lumb of England, after he was stumped by MS Dhoni during the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 Warm Up match between England and India at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on March 19, 2014 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Corey Anderson, New Zealand: The new kid on the block, Anderson grabbed eyeballs when he broke the record for the fastest century in international cricket with his 36-ball hundred against West Indies on the first day of 2014. The 23-year-old has played just eight Twenty20 matches for New Zealand but the left-hander's big-hitting ability is tailor-made for the format. He has a five-wicket haul with his left-arm medium pace bowling in the 50-over format and will be a decent bowling option for captain Brendon McCullum in Bangladesh.

Zimbabwe win their qualifier match against Netherlands 

Zimbabwe's Vusi Sibanda jumps on to the back of teammate Timycen Maruma in celebration after winning their ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match against the Netherlands in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

Ireland's wicketkeeper Gary Wilson, left, successfully dislodges the bails to dismiss United Arab Emirates's Faizan Asif during their ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

IPL 2014: Australia's George Bailey to lead Kings XI Punjab

Australia Twenty20 captain George Bailey will captain Kings XI Punjab in the seventh Indian Premier League beginning April 16.

"He was the unanimous choice. He has got success as a leader in domestic tournaments like Sheffield Shield in Australia," coach Sanjay Bangar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"He had also led Australia in the Twenty20 format. And then the overall type of character he is, who can understand a range of players from the bigger names to ones that have limited ability. We are confident he has the ability to bring out the best from everyone."

Bailey gets into the shoes of compatriot Adam Gilchrist, who led the franchise for two years before retiring last year.

The Punjab team bought the right-hand batsman for Rs.3.25 crore at the IPL auction last month, along with fellow Australians Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell and Shaun Marsh

Five things to know about the India team at the World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh:

1.FLYING START

2.PLYAING IN THE SHADOWS

3.CAPTAIN COOL

4.KEEPING PACE

5.SINGH ON SONG

Twenty20 World Cup: Stirling's fifty sets the stage for Ireland's win over Zimbabwe

Sylhet: Paul Stirling struck a blistering half-century to guide Ireland to a three-wicket win over Zimbabwe in a Qualifying Group B match of the ICC World T20, here Monday.

Chasing a challenging 163 for five set by Zimbabwe, Stirling (60) and skipper William Porterfield (31) got Ireland off to a blazing start and shared 80 runs off just 8.2 overs for the opening stand to set the platform for the win.

Stirling`s 60 came off just 34 balls with the help of nine boundaries and one six, while Porterfield laced his 23-ball knock with three fours and one hit over the fence.

Going strong at 100 for two, Ireland lost their next five wickets in a hurry to make life difficult for themselves towards the end with medium-pacer made Tinashe Panyangara (4/37) doing the bulk of the damage.

After Stirling`s dismissal, Ed Joyce (22), Andrew Poynter (23) and big-hitting Kevin O`Brien (17) did the bulk of the scoring but failed to ensure the victory for Ireland as they all became victims of Panyangara.

But Ireland finally managed to scamper home in the final delivery of their innings with Stuart Thompson remaining unbeaten on three off six balls.

Earlier sent into bat, Zimbabwe rode on skipper Brendan Taylor`s 46-ball 59 to reach 163 for five from their alloted 20 overs.

Apart from Taylor, Elton Chigumbura (22 not out), Hamilton Masakadza (21), Sean Williams (16) and Vusi Sibanda (16) made significant contributions with the bat.

Left-arm orthodox bowler George Dockrell (2/18) and off-spinner Andy McBrine (2/26) shared four wickets between them for Ireland.

Ireland will play UAE in their next qualifying match on Wednesday here, while Zimbabwe will be up against Netherlands.


World T20: Kamran, Hafeez take Pakistan to a nervy-win

Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez made the difference with stroke-filled half-centuries to guide Pakistan to a nervy six-wicket win that came in the penultimate ball over New Zealand in their first ICC World Twenty20 warm-up game at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Monday.

World T20: India lose warm-up game against Sri Lanka Mirpur: India went down to Sri Lanka by five runs in their first ICC World Twenty20 warm-up game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Monday.

Chasing a target of 154, India came close to kissing distance of a win, thanks to a cameo of Ravichandran Ashwin`s 12-ball 19 but were bowled out for 148 runs in 20 overs. Curiously skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn`t come out to bat due to an injury.

Lasith Malinga was again the destroyer-in-chief with his four for 30 and did the trick for Sri Lanka in the last over when India needed 12 runs. Ashwin flicked the second ball for a four to raise hopes but Stuart Binny (14) was run out in the next ball to dash all hopes. Malinga clinically wiped out the tail in the last two balls to wrap up a good win for Sri Lanka.

India also made a poor start losing the openers Shikhar Dhawan (2) and Rohit Sharma (4) inside five overs for just 19 runs on board. Suresh Raina (41 off 31 balls) and comeback man Yuvraj Singh (33 off 28 balls) brought back the innings on track with their 35-run stand.

Just when it looked that India had recovered some ground, Raina, who struck five fours and a six, departed as he mistimed a shot and Rangana Herath took a good catch at long-off off spinner Ajantha Mendis.

Ajnikya Rahane didn`t trouble the scorers and soon from 54 for two, India were soon struggling at 56 for four.

Virat Kohli (17) and Ravindra Jadeja (12) got good starts but failed to convert them into match-winning scores.

Earlier, Sri Lanka overcame an unimpressive start to make a competitive 153 for six in 20 overs.

Mahela Jayawardene was the top scorer with 30 while skipper Dinesh Chandimal made 21. Nuwan Kulasekara made a quick-fire unbeaten 14-ball 21 while Thisara Perera remained not out on 18 from 11 balls.

Ashwin was the pick of the Indian bowlers with three for 22 from his four overs while Varun Aaron also picked up one for 18 from his three overs.

Put in, Sri Lanka lost three quick wickets as they reached 77 for three in 11 overs. Kumar Sangakkara (4) also fell in the 12th over that left Sri Lanka at a precarious 77/4.

But a captain`s knock from Chandimal rescued the Sri Lankans. It was a patient but a responsible knock of 25 balls that had one four and a six, and it help both Kulasekara and Perera to go after the Indian bowlers in the death overs.

The Sri Lankans spanked 50 runs off the last five overs including 17 runs off the last over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kulasekara hit the Indian pacer for a four and a six in consecutive deliveries while Perera rounded off the innings with a four, a clever scoop past the short-fine leg.
IANS

Bangladesh get Afghan revenge

(Reuters) - Hosts Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by nine wickets to exact sweet revenge in the World Twenty20 opener at Mirpur, while Nepal bulldozed Hong Kong by 80 runs in another one-sided group A match in Chittagong on Sunday.

Barely two weeks after being stunned by the same opponents in the Asia Cup, Bangladesh skittled Afghanistan for 72 runs in 17.1 overs and cruised to victory with eight overs to spare for the loss of one wicket.

It was an ominous sign for Afghanistan when they lost Mohammad Shahzad to the first ball of the tournament after being asked to bat first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Shakib Al Hasan was denied a hat-trick but claimed three wickets for eight runs with his smart left-arm spin as only Gulbadin Naib (21) and two other Afghan batsmen reached double figures.

Bangladesh got off to a flying start before losing Tamim Iqbal (21) in the eighth over.

Fellow opener Anamul Haque (44 not out) played aggressively and brought up the winning runs with his third six to boost Bangladesh's chances of reaching the Super 10 stage.

Nepal crush Hong Kong

In the battle between tournament debutants at Chittagong, Gyanendra Malla (48) and captain Paras Khadka (41) missed half-centuries but powered Nepal to 149-8 after being put into bat.

In reply, Hong Kong reached 58-3 at the halfway stage before a spectacular collapse saw them dismissed for 69 in 17 overs.

For Nepal, the left-arm spin duo of Shakti Gauchan (3-9) and Basant Regmi (3-14) shared six wickets as slow bowlers dominated the opening day of the tournament. (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty; editing by Josh Reich)

England smash out west indies ..

West Indies fall six runs short against England in exciting final match.

Bridgetown, Barbados: West Indies failed in their bid to complete a clean sweep, as England held their nerve to record a consolation victory, in an exciting finale to their three-match Twenty20 International series here.

Set a challenging but achievable 166 to win, West Indies were propelled by Lendl Simmons who top scored with 69 and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin who got 33, as they finished six runs short of their target at Kensington Oval, reports CMC.

They required 17 from a nerve-jangling last over but despite a six from West Indies captain Darren Sammy (15 not out), the hosts just failed to get over the line, with six needed from the last delivery.
Ironically, Barbados-born seamer Christopher Jordan proved to be England’s hero, snatching three for 39 from his four overs, including the crucial wicket of Ramdin in the penultimate over.

The spell followed up his explosive unbeaten 27 as England rallied 165 for six after winning the toss and opting to bat first in great conditions.

Opener Michael Lumb smashed 63 and partner Alex Hales chipped in with 38, in a 98-run stand off 65 balls, but England fell away badly at the end as the left-arm Jamaican seam duo of Krishmar Santokie (2-27) and debutant Sheldon Cottrell (2-37) picked up two wickets apiece.

Jordan then belted four sixes off seamer Dwayne Bravo’s last over which cost 26 runs, to rally England at the death.

West Indies had the worst possible start when Dwayne Smith chopped on to the first ball of the innings from pacer Jade Dernbach and Johnson Charles followed for four in the next over, when he got a leading edge back to Jordan.

Marlon Samuels looked in superb form, stroking three fours off Dernbach’s second over, the third of the innings, in scoring 15 off 13 balls. His fireworks were short-lived, however, as he dragged on to Jordan, leaving the Windies precariously perched at 28 for three in the fifth over.

Simmons combined with Dwayne Bravo (16) to repair the innings with a 38-run, fourth wicket stand before the latter became the first of Ravi Bopara’s two wickets.

Andre Russell lasted two balls before slogging Bopara to cover without scoring at 67 for five but Simmons and Ramdin sensibly went about their business, adding 73 for the sixth wicket.

Simmons faced 55 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes while Ramdin struck four fours and a six off 21 balls. Both fell with the charge on at the end and Sammy’s efforts at heroism proved futile this time.

Earlier, England were given a rousing start by Lumb and Hales, as the West Indies bowlers wilted under early pressure. Cottrell, especially, came in for a hiding in the day’s second over which cost 17 runs, with Lumb helping himself to four boundaries as he capitalised on loose bowling.

Fellow Jamaican Santokie felt the pinch next over, conceding 16 runs, as Hales gathered off-side boundaries from the first two deliveries before clearing the ropes with a clean straight hit.

Captain Darren Sammy quickly turned to mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine but he fared no better, leaking 14 runs. Lumb swept his third delivery for four, dispatched the fourth over the square leg boundary before edging the fifth for another four, as England raised their fifty of just 23 balls.

Sammy wrung the changes to good effect with the next six overs costing just 44 runs, building pressure and forcing Lumb to sky one from Cottrell to Bravo on the off-side.

The West Indies struck again 11 balls later when the dangerous Hales found Simmons in the deep at the end of the 13th over, giving Cottrell his second wicket off the final delivery of his four-over spell.

Captain Eoin Morgan smashed a four and a six in gathering 18 from 17 balls but his innings was cut short when he holed out to Smith at deep mid-wicket off Narine in the 16th over.

Santokie then crippled England with a lethal double strike in the next over, first having Jos Buttler (3) skying to Sammy on the off-side and two balls later, removing Ben Stokes’s middle stump with a clever slower ball before the batsman had scored.

Slumping badly at 129 for five, England were thrown further into turmoil when Moeen Ali was run out at the start of the 19th over, courtesy of sharp work by Santokie on the follow through.

Jordan, who has played first class cricket for Barbados, then produced a whirlwind cameo to lift England.

Brief scores:

England 165 for six in 20 overs (Michael Lumb 63, Alex Hales 38, Chris Jordan 27; Krishmar Santokie 2/27, Sheldon Cottrell 2/37)

West Indies 160 for seven in 20 overs (Lendl Simmons 69, Denesh Ramdin 33; Chris Jordan 3/39, Ravi Bopara 2/28).

IANS

IPL entangled in Lok Sabha poll schedule, matches in UAE and India, Bangladesh stand-by

India Premier League 2014 schedule has got entangled in the nine-phase General Elections and uncertainty prevails over match venues from May 1-12. It will either be Bangladesh or India.

The tournament is anyway kicking off from the UAE from April 16. The elections in India begin on April 7.

Also, there will no matches on May 16 - the counting day.

The IPL season will conclude on June 1.

The BCCI on Wednesday said at least 16 matches will be played in the UAE from April 16 to April 30.

In a press statement issued by BCCI honorary secretary Sanjay Patel, the cricket board said it was grateful to the Emirates Cricket Board and the government of the UAE for their support to host the IPL.

It is not yet clear if the next round from May 1-12 will be held in India or Bangladesh.

The BCCI said that it has approached the Home Ministry seeking permission to hold IPL matches in India in cities where polling for the Lok Sabha elections is over.

If denied permission, the matches will be held in Bnagladesh.

"If it is not possible to play in India during this period, IPL matches will be held in Bangladesh and BCCI is thankful to the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the government of Bangladesh for their support," said the board.

However, from May 13, after polling is over across the country, the remaining league matches plus playoffs will be held in India.

There will however be no match on May 16- the vote counting day.

"BCCI will take the advice of the authorities if any further restrictions are required around the counting day," the board said.