Master Blasters- Top Ten

Shane Watson's 15 hits beyond the boundary against Bangladesh helped him take the lead in an elite list of batsmen who have slammed their way past the opposition, inflicting maximum damage allowed under cricketing laws. A look at the top ten:

1. Xavier Marshal (2008): The Jamaican came to the crease, lofted 12 massive hits beyond the boundary to help himself to 157and in the process, left behind him a completely demoralized Canadian bowling attack.

Lanka to name new skipper next week

Sri Lanka is all set to get a new cricket captain next week, days after Kumar Sangakkara stepped down following the team's runners-up finish at the World Cup.

"The selectors need to discuss the issue with the interim committee members of Sri Lanka Cricket. This meeting will take place next week after the current New Year holiday period," Chairman of selectors Duleep Mendis, who took over after the resignation of Aravinda de Silva, told the local media here.

Poor fielding let us down against Kochi Tuskers: Tendulkar

Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar expressed his disappointment over fielding of his team, and hoped to improve in the forthcoming matches of the Indian Premier League .

Despite a century by Tendulkar, Kochi Tuskers beat Mumbai Indians by eight wickets after chasing down their big total of 182 runs at Wankhede Stadium.

Recounting the mistakes of his players in the match, Tendulkar said the rival team fielded comparatively better than them.

IPL-4: We are playing IPL not to compete, but to win: Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Riders ( KKR )) skipper Gautam Gambhir has said that his team is playing in the IPL to win matches with the combination of world-class players.

After beating Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League , Gambhir said that the nine wicket win over the RR had been a moral boost up for the team and has brought a lot of positivity in the players.

"Look we are not here to compete, we are her to win. Honestly speaking we have got some world class players and once we are there we want to finish it off on a higher note and this kind of win only gives us more confidence.

Ganguly for Kochi Tuskers?

Just ask the skeptics how hard it is to deny Sourav Ganguly a successful comeback. According to sources, Ganguly, who wasn't picked in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad during the auction, could still be seen in the fourth edition of the IPL, this time in new franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala's colours.

With leg-spinner Steven Smith pulling out from the rest of the IPL season with an ankle injury, KTK's team owners have shown interest in bringing Ganguly on board as the Australian's replacement. All that remains, apparently, is the governing council nod. “Ganguly and the Kochi franchise are in talks. It is no secret that he is still training and is keen to play in the IPL,” said the source.

In T20 age, 2011 World Cup broke all records

After the World Cup storm, one was expecting a lull, a period of pause, time for celebrating and savouring a famous win. Instead, we are being bombarded from all sides by the IPL, which is once again being marketed as a glitzy product designed to rake in new audiences for the game, which is already the most popular sport in the country.

Not a great fan of this most abbreviated version of the game, I would till last year still watch a game or two, but am finding it too difficult now to assume the role of a sadist and relish batsmen butchering bowlers.

I am not the only one to feel this way, especially after the World Cup once again established the primacy of the 50-50 game.

I made error of judgement in World Cup semifinal: Afridi

KARACHI: Impressed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni' captaincy in the World Cup final, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said he too should have promoted himself in the order in the semifinal against India.

In the final against Sri Lanka, Dhoni came up the order and batted at No.5 which proved to be a masterstroke. Dhoni shouldered the responsibility, hitting a match-winning unbeaten 91.

Afridi said he is not a born leader and he could have shown better judgement in the high-pressure match against the arch-rivals.

ODI record a bonus for Watson

It wasn't until he walked off the ground that opener Shane Watson started pondering whether he had broken Australia's one-day international cricket scoring record with his unbeaten 185.

Watson's 96-ball stay in Monday's nine-wicket thrashing of Bangladesh in Dhaka also included the most sixes ever hit by a player in a single innings (15) and the highest proportion of a team total, in Australia's 1-232.

Watson only three months ago hit what is now the sixth-highest score by an Australian, 161 not out against England at the MCG.

Giving Tendulkar Bharat Ratna would require change of rules

The calls for bestowing Sachin Tendulkar with the ‘Bharat Ratna’ may have got louder after India’s World Cup triumph but giving the country’s highest civillian honour to the batting icon would require tweaking of the criteria that has been laid down for the coveted award.

The ‘Bharat Ratna’ was started in 1954 and has so far been given to 41 eminent personalities, none of whom are sports-persons, the reason being the criteria for the coveted honour.

Won't force my son to become a cricketer: Tendulkar

Mumbai: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar today said that Indian team's World Cup victory has had a huge impact on his son, Arjun, but he would not force him to become a cricketer.

Talking to reporters today at Wankhede Stadium -- the venue of the historic triumph -- Tendulkar said, "I was inspired by Indian team's victory in 1983 World Cup. The 2011 victory has made a huge impact on my son Arjun... I will not pressurise him to become a cricketer. He can choose what he wants to do."

India Storms Into The World Cup Final

Mumbai :Men in blue will play Sri Lankans for the title, a first time clash between two sub-continent teams.

Inida stormed into their third final of the ICC Cricket World Cup yesterday, beating Pakistan by 29 runs in a thrilling semi-final clash at Mohali. India conquered their arch rivals in front of a vociferous crowd of more than 30,000 that cheered all the way at every run and wicket. India will take on Sri Lanka in Saturday's final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It is the first time a World Cup final is being played by two teams from the subcontinent.

The Sri Lankan team, led by skipper Kumar Sangakkara, has arrived in Mumbai yesterday afternoon to play in the finals on April 2.

Pakistan Won by 10 Wickets With 175 balls Remaining

Mohammad Hafeez followed up his two wickets with a half-century as Pakistan thrashed West Indies in Mirpur and stormed into the semi-finals

Handshakes all around. Smiles for Pakistan, disappointment writ large on the West Indies faces. They just did not turn up today. Gul softened them by nailing Gayle, and the rest had no answers against some sharp and incisive spin. Serious questions to be answered about their combination, and the elephant in the room is their captain, whose presence in the side kept out an arguably more talented allrounder.

World Cup scoreboard: India vs. West Indies, Group B

Chennai, March 20 : Scoreboard of the last World Cup Group B game between India and the West Indies at the M.Chidambaram Stadium here Sunday.

India:
Gautam Gambhir c Russell b Rampaul 22
Sachin Tendulkar c Thomas b Rampaul 2
Virat Kohli b Rampaul 59
Yuvraj Singh c & b Pollard 113
Mahendra Singh Dhoni st Thomas b Bishoo 22
Suresh Raina c Rampaul b Sammy 4
Yusuf Pathan b Rampaul 11
Harbhajan Singh c Pollard b Russell 3
Ravichandran Ashwin not out 10
Zaheer Khan b Rampaul 5
Munaf Patel b Russell 1
Extras (b 5, lb 2, w 9) 16
Total (all out in 49.1 overs) 268

Shoaib Akhtar to Retire After World Cup

Mercurial Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar will retire from international cricket after the World Cup ending a tempestuous career that was marred by several controversies, including a dope scandal. The 35-year-old reportedly broke the news to his teammates and manager in Colombo.

With an injury-ravaged body finding it tough to withstand the rigours of international cricket, Akhtar was looking at the World Cup as his final shot at glory. He was impressive in the opening match against Sri Lanka but form began to desert to him as the event progressed prompting the team management to drop him for the last match against Zimbabwe.

Sachin Tendulkar puts integrity above quest for 100th ton

Sachin Tendulkar did not get his 100th ton on Sunday but even his early dismissal was evidence of the integrity with which he has played the game for over two decades.

Against the West Indies on Sunday, Sachin decided to walk off despite being given not out by Australian umpire Steve Davies.

A quarterfinal place had already been sealed, Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the game, yet the MS Chidambaram Stadium was jam-packed an hour before the game started.

Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 80 runs, face Australia in quarters

CHENNAI: The skeletons had started to tumble out of the cupboard when Zaheer Khan struck. Devon Smith got out, the brittle West Indian middle-order crumbled, and India glossed over the flaws with an 80-run victory.

But along the course of the Chepauk struggle on Sunday evening, it was there for everyone to see that this Indian team is not in best shape.

The lottery of knock-outs beckon the co-hosts now and a couple of good days may still take India to the final, but on current form, it can be safe to say that Dhoni and Co. are definitely not the favourites in this tournament any more.

West Indies is a team desperately short of talent these days and the side they fielded on Sunday (without Kemar Roach and Chris Gayle) would have struggled against any decent opponent.

IPL 2011 tickets online- get IPL 4 tickets now

IPL cricket 2011 is the latest buzz among cricket fans. This season of the IPL 4 will see ten teams playing cut throat competition against each other. The two new teams that have been added are from Kochi and Pune. You can also find the IPL 2011 tickets online through sites such as BookMyShow.com and KyaZoonga.com. These sites are reliable and offer user friendly interface to let the fans select and buy tickets of the matches they wish like.

IPL Live matches can also be viewed and enjoyed on the net. There are various cricket based sites that help the fans to watch live matches of the IPL 4 tournament with ease and without any buffering problem.

Group B – Possible Outcomes

The standings at the moment: SA - 8 points (5 matches); India - 7 (5); England - 7 (6); WI - 6 (5); Bangladesh - 6 (5)

SA have already qualified for the quarterfinals. Ireland and Netherlands are out of contention with one match left against each other.

1st Scenario - South Africa beat Bangladesh [Most likely]
India and England will be through to the QFs.
If WI beat India, they will qualify.
If WI lose to India, they will need a better NRR than Bangladesh to qualify.
If WI tie with India, they will qualify.

2nd Scenario - Bangladesh beat South Africa [Not very likely]
Bangladesh will qualify for quarterfinals
WI will have to beat India to reach the QFs

Sangakkara leads Sri Lanka to a win over NZ

Mumbai: Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand by 112 runs on Friday to finish their World Cup Group A campaign with a flourish.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara scored his first World Cup century to help Sri Lanka recover from the early loss of both openers and reach 265-9, then his bowlers proved far too strong for New Zealand.

Muttiah Muralitharan ignored an apparent hamstring injury to take 4-25 as the tournament co-hosts dismissed New Zealand for 153 to record their first win over a test-ranked team at the tournament.

Sri Lanka will finish second in Group A behind the winner of Saturday's match between defending champion Australia and Pakistan.

New Zealand, which also lost to Australia earlier in the group stage, can finish no better than third.

India can't win World Cup, Dhoni is dreaming: Dean Jones

Given their weak bowling and unimpressive fielding even the high quality batsmen cannot save India's World Cup campaign, feels former Australian batsman Dean Jones who says winning the coveted trophy will remain just a dream for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men.

"The three main common denominators consistent with all World Cup champion teams are: Your top four batsmen must be of a high quality. They must have the technique to play the new ball, as well as have the power and stroke play during powerplays. Your top four bowlers must be of high quality, able to absorb pressure and bowl defensively in powerplays. If you can't field, don't bother turning up!" Jones said in his column for "The Age". "All this taken into account, I do not believe India will win the World Cup with its current form. Tell Dhoni, he's dreaming," wrote Jones in his article.