Waqar Younis apologises over team’s debacle in WT20  

LAHORE: Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis has apologized to the nation for team’s poor performance in the World Cup Twenty20 in India.

Speaking to media persons here Tuesday, embattled head coach, "Literally, I clasp my hands and beg for forgiveness. The way we performed...it should not have been like this."

Waqar Younis said, “I am ready to leave if my exit will solve the problem,” however, added that it was unfair to blame any single person for the team's poor performance.

He went on to say that sacking players or officials will not improve things for Pakistan cricket. “Cosmetic changes will not improve anything. It is imperative to change the system.”

He said that he had performed his duties as Pakistan coach honestly, and that if he is held responsible he would step down as coach.

Waqar denied reports that there were ‘groupings’ in the Pakistani team that played the WT20 tournament.

“There is no politics in the team. The truth is we performed very poorly, so there is no question of groupings,” he said.

He left it up to the higher-ups of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to determine the reasons of the cricket team's inability to perform.

WT20: Peaking England meet soaring Kiwis in first semis  

NEW DELHI: England skipper Eoin Morgan would like to believe his team peaked at the right time at the ongoing World Twenty20 while New Zealand were slightly premature going into Wednesday´s semi-final at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

Kane Williamson and his Kiwi team mates have not put a foot wrong since landing in India, winning all four group matches without really breaking a sweat to qualify for the semi-finals as the tournament´s only unbeaten team.

For a side boasting an explosive batting order and a balanced attack to go with, England´s passage proved bumpier.

Even before they could soak in the atmosphere, England were blown away by a Chris Gayle century in their tournament opener against West Indies in Mumbai.

Joe Root sparked their recovery in the 230-run chase against South Africa but the narrow victory against Afghanistan´s modest resources exposed their frailties against spin bowling.

They looked a significantly better side, however, in Saturday´s 10-run win against champions Sri Lanka.

Jos Buttler underlined his limited overs worth with a belligerent fifty, the pacemen made regular inroads, Ben Stokes delivered a tidy final over and the team held their nerve to secure a victory that seemed to tick most of the boxes.

"In these tight tournaments you can´t get through to the semis unless you are playing good cricket, and that´s what we set out to do to give ourselves a chance," coach Trevor Bayliss said.

"But it´s about peaking at the right time.

I wouldn´t say we´ve played the perfect game yet -- coaches are always looking for that absolutely perfect game, I don´t think it´s ever been played -- but it´s what any team is striving to do."

Having played their last two games at Kotla, England would also hope to cash in on their familiarity with the venue in contrast to their opponents who were on a mini-tour of India playing each of their four group games at different venues.

KIWI ADAPTABILITY

The trouble for England, however, is that New Zealand won all of them as the team, finalists in last year´s 50-over World Cup, strive to shed the tag of being cricket´s perennial bridesmaid.

Leading from the front, Williamson has also displayed the tactical flexibility needed to win a tournament like this.

New Zealand sprang a surprise in their tournament opener, picking three spinners in a gutsy gamble and went on to beat India, renowned for their batsmen´s comfort against the turning ball, in their own game.

Williamson repeated the ploy against Bangladesh in their final group match for a similar result, his immaculate pitch assessment in stark contrast to most of the visiting captains who struggled to read the track as if it was in Braille.

Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi have already forged a formidable partnership for the Kiwis, claiming 17 wickets between them in four matches.

And if Williamson has noticed England´s struggle against Afghanistan´s slow bowlers, the Kiwi captain will be tempted to harness Nathan McCullum´s control and accuracy in a three-pronged spin attack.

As demonstrated by Martin Guptill, the Kiwi batting does not lack firepower but what was more heart-warming for the fans is how batsmen like Colin Munro have tempered strokes according to situations.

"It hasn´t been the wham, bam...sort of way that T20 cricket has been," batting coach Craig McMillan said after the victory against Bangladesh in their last group match.

"They have had to assess it...and have done a really good job of putting the runs on the board to give the bowlers something to work with."

South Africa easily beat Sri Lanka in dead rubber

DELHI: South Africa comfortably won by eight wickets against Sri Lanka in the last league match of the World Twenty20 here at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday.

Chasing an easy target of 121, they completed their win with 14 balls remaining.

Hashim Amla, who opened the innings, batted through to steer South Africa to victory in dead rubber.

He remained not out on 56, hitting five fours and a six while AB de Villiers lofted  the towering winning six, his second in his unbeaten 20.

Amla was involved in second wicket partnership of 60 runs with his captain Faf du Plessis and then in an unbeaten third wicket stand of 47.

Faf du Plessis made 31 before Quinton de Kock was run out for nine.

Earlier, Sri Lanka were all out for 120 in 19.3 overs after being sent into bat.

Stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal (21) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (36) provided a good start of 45 but later their wickets fell with regular intervals as only two more batsmen could get into the double figures.

Milinda Siriwardana made 15 runs while Dasun Shanaka remained not out on 20.

For South Africa, pace bowlers Kyle Abbott and Farhaan Behardien, and left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso claimed two wickets each while fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir took one wicket each.

Dinesh Chandimal captained Sri Lanka in the absence of Angelo Mathews, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

South Africa bowl out Sri Lanka for 120 in dead rubber

DELHI: Sri Lanka were all out for 120 in 19.3 overs against South Africa in a dead rubber last league match of the world Twenty20 here at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday.

Sent into bat, captain Dinesh Chandimal (21) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (36) provided a good start of 45 but later their wickets fell with regular intervals as only two more batsmen could get into the double figures.

Milinda Siriwardana made 15 runs while Dasun Shanaka remained not out on 20.

For South Africa, pace bowlers Kyle Abbott and Farhaan Behardien, and left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso claimed two wickets each while fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir took one wicket each.

Dinesh Chandimal is leading Sri Lanka in the absence of captain Angelo Mathews, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Women’s WT20: Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 10 runs

BANGALORE: Sri Lanka Women captain Chamari Atapattu willed and rallied her side to a 10-run victory over South Africa Women in Bangalore, in the last league match of the Women's World T20.

Atapattu first stroked her maiden T20 fifty, which contained five fours and one six, even as her partners floundered. Atapattu then brought herself into the attack in the defence of 114 and her second over resulted in two wickets. She ran to her right from her follow through, collected a wristy push from Trisha Chetty and flung a throw to the keeper to catch Dane van Niekerk short for 24 off 31 balls. Three balls later, Atapattu pinned her opposite number Mignon du Preez plumb in front for a duck, a wicket the Sri Lanka captain identified as the "turning point" at the post match-presentation.

Left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari and left-arm pacer Udeshika Prabodhani backed Atapattu to squeeze South Africa's middle order. From 50 for 0, South Africa slumped to 102 for 7. Du Preez said: "We had a good start and we lost it in the middle order. We have been struggling with it in the whole tournament. It was also poor execution from us. This is something we need to work on and come back stronger."

Prabodhani speared in full balls and defended 12 off the last over, including taking the wicket of Chloe Tryon for 11 off 10 balls. Though it was only a dead rubber, Sri Lanka toasted the win, and got into a huddle only after wicketkeeper-batsman Dilani Manodara had joined the side from the dug out.

Manodara was pinged on the grille of the helmet when he missed a scoop off her first ball. She scratched around for 4 off 9 balls, before she was bowled by seamer Marcia Letsoalo. She was later sent to the hospital for a scan, and it was found that she had no major injuries.

Sri Lanka's middle order folded as well and they managed only 34 for 4 in their last five overs. Atapattu, however, had lifted Sri Lanka with a bevy of muscled slog sweeps. She hit 52 off 49 balls before she was run out by Marizanna Kapp who was featuring in her 50th T20 international. She picked up two wickets and was complemented by legspinner Sunne Luus who also scalped two wickets.

But Attapattu's act proved to be too much for South Africa.

Kohli masterclass prompts Tendulkar comparisons

NEW DELHI:  Indian great Sachin Tendulkar remains the gold standard of batting in the post-Bradman era but Virat Kohli´s latest masterclass in Sunday´s World Twenty20 shootout against Australia has prompted comparisons with his famous compatriot.

Not for the first time in the tournament, it took Kohli´s masterly knock to get India across the line in a virtual quarter-final against the reigning 50-overs world champions.

Kohli remained unbeaten after a sublime 82, burnishing his reputation as arguably the best chaser in limited-overs cricket with a knock that reminded many of Tendulkar´s 143 against Australia in a 1998 one-dayer at Sharjah dubbed "desert storm".

Shane Warne was at the receiving end of Tendulkar´s wrath in that match and 18 years since the contest, the Australian spin great saw Tendulkar´s shadow in Kohli´s latest knock.

"Great knock by @imVkohli Reminded me of one of your many special innings buddy," Warne tweeted to his great rival Tendulkar after Kohli secured India a place in the semi-finals on Sunday.

Kohli bejewelled his knock with two sixes and nine boundaries and sprinted tirelessly between wickets in a flawless display of limited overs batting under tremendous pressure.

He middled every ball, timed his shots with surgical precision and found gaps with eerie regularity to stamp his class.

"Of the modern players, I´ve always thought that Brian Lara was the best placer of the ball," former Australia captain Ian Chappell said. "I think I have got Brian in second spot now.

LARA´S PRAISE

The West Indian batting great was also bowled by what he saw and requested videos of Kohli´s early days, hailing the Indian as the "best timer of a cricket ball" that he has seen.

At 27, Kohli stands on the brink of batting greatness with 36 international centuries against his name and averages of 44 in tests, 51 in one-dayers and 55 in Twenty20 matches.

It has been a fascinating transformation of a Delhi cricketer perceived initially as yet another brash brat from the streets of a city long accused of inculcating aggression in its youth.

Since Kohli´s international debut in a one-dayer against Sri Lanka eight years ago, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has closely watched the tattoo-wearing, blunt-speaking, heart-on-his-sleeve youngster transform into a mature match-winner.

Kohli hates the idea of an on-field confrontations that doesn´t include him and Dhoni argued it suits the player who succeeded him as India´s test captain.

"He will always be the same," Dhoni said after the victory in Mohali. "He will be an aggressive character who will be ready to take on challenges and he will be aggressive on the field.

"But he will also improve. He is shifting in the right direction but he is a tremendous character. He should not lose his character because that´s what his strength is.

‘Fissures develop between selectors, manager’

LAHORE: Manager of the Pakistan senior team and former Olympian Hanif Khan will decide soon whether or not to remain associated with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) after developing differences with the national selection committee over the selection of players for the upcoming Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia.

According to sources, Hanif is not happy with the selectors over the induction of one Karim Khan into the national squad and dropping his nephew Haseem Khan apart from being in discord with them over dropping of 10 senior players in order to raise a new-look team.

On the other hand, the training camp has been in progress at the National Hockey Stadium but the team manager Hanif has left it for Karachi to take part in Chehlum activities of his wife who died a few days before his appointment as manager of the Pakistan team.

Hanif’s act to depart for Karachi is being dubbed as “his protest against the selection committee.”

When contacted, head coach Khawaja Junaid rubbished the reports that the team manager has left the camp in protest against the selectors, stating that Hanif would return to see the last match between Pakistan Seniors and Juniors scheduled to be held in Lahore on March 31.

The head coach said Pakistan captain Rashad Mahmood and Rizwan Senior would also join the camp after March 31 as they were playing league hockey in Europe for which they had sought the NOC from the PHF.

Both had requested their respective clubs in Europe to relieve them for the Azlan Shah Cup, Junaid maintained.