Saturday’s double header in the T20 Champions League comes from Bangalore. The Cape Cobras return to action and they face a big test against the Victoria Bushrangers who look well set for the semi finals while the Royal Challengers face Delhi Daredevils. Cape Cobras v Victoria: Virtually through to the semi-finals after a comprehensive win over Royal Challengers, Victoria Bushrangers would strive to consolidate their position when they take on Cape Cobras in their Champions League match in Bangalore. The Cobras wrapped up qualification from the initial group stage in double quick time and they have had a week without a game. They beat Bangalore on this ground in the opening game when JP Duminy excelled with the bat and they subsequently crushed Otago by 54 runs. A strong factor in the Cobras favour in terms of a semi final place is the carry forward points they have already banked from the first group stage. A Cobras win would eliminate the Royal Challengers and make it very difficult for them to be caught by the Daredevils who they face on Monday.Victoria were superb when beating Royal Challengers Bangalore with 7 wickets in hand and 25 balls remaining on Thursday. After RCB got off to a flyer, some tight bowling, particularly from Andrew Mcdonald, restricted the home side to 127/6 and their batsmen made no mistake. The boost to their net run rate could also be crucial depending on results elsewhere. Skipper Andrew Puttick, who has cracked a century and figures second in the list of highest run getters in the tournament so far, would be the mainstay of Cobras' batting order. But the captain would also rely heavily on the likes of middle-order batsman J P Duminy and experienced Herchelle Gibbs for some timely contributions in Saturday's match. Meanwhile, experienced Brad Hodge and David Hussey would lead the Bushrangers' batting department. The Bushrangers looked a promising outfit when they went off to a winning start in the tournament, beating Delhi Daredevils, but soon lost their rhythm and suffered a 15-run defeat at the hands of inexperienced Wayamba Elevens of Sri Lanka. However, the … [Read more...]
CL T20 Cricket stars: Duminy, Henriques, Hughes and Puttick
Champions League T20 is in full swing and we all are witness of some good action by ball and bat. So far there are some upsets in the tournament and some good performances shown by few known and unknown players. Some of the low profile key players of the tournament are JP Duminy, AG Puttick, MC Henriques and PJ Hughes. Some of the well known players who had good show till now are Shewag, R. P. Singh, Jayawardene, and Nannes. Following is the analysis of the star performer so far. Jean-Paul Duminy: South AfricaFull name: Jean-Paul DuminyCurrent age: 25 years 181 daysMajor teams: South Africa, Cape Cobras, Devon, Mumbai Indians, South Africa Under-19s, Western Province, Western Province BolandBatting style: Left-hand bat Bowling style: Right-arm offbreak Profile: Jean-Paul Duminy was identified very early on as a potential international player, but having made his ODI debut in 2004, it was another three years before he cemented a regular place in the team. When his Test chance came, through an injury to Ashwell Prince, he launched his career in a manner bettered by few players. On debut he helped guide South Africa to a successful chase of 414 in Perth with an unbeaten 50, and then he followed that with a serene 166 in Melbourne to rescue to his team from the prospect of a huge deficit. Those two innings confirmed him as an integral part of South Africa's future, and he built on that with impressive performances in the subsequent limited-overs game. Duminy's batting is elegant and graceful, with a silky cover-drive and a strong square cut. He has few problems when the ball is short, either, and like a lot of left-handers like to whip deliveries through midwicket. There is calmness about his play that belies his age, an approach that flows into his personality. After scoring his 166 at the MCG he said: "I guess I have a lot to live up now." Better known as JP, he broke into a strong Western Province side during the 2001-02 domestic season. Just 18 at the time, his potential was always evident and came to the fore in the South African Under-19 … [Read more...]
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