Friday’s double header in the T20 Champions League comprises of the Eagles v Somerset and New South Wales v Trinidad with both matches taking place in Hyderabad. Eagles v Somerset: Both these sides scraped through the group stages with the highlight being the Eagles winning a memorable one-over eliminator against Sussex to stay in the tournament. Boeta Dippenaar could do with some runs after two low scores as the Eagles top order have battled but the team showed their character against Sussex to take their place here. Somerset pulled off a memorable win of their own against Deccan Chargers on this ground though they were walloped by Trinidad and Tobago in their subsequent match. South African’s Alfonso Thomas and Zander de Bruyn performed with credit for Somerset in the first phase though Charl Willoughby has been expensive. Led by retired Australian Test opener Justin Langer, Somerset pulled off a sensational one-run win over Indian Premier League champions Deccan Chargers but lost to Caribbean side Trinidad and Tobago.Somerset are lucky to be in the Super Eight as they would have been shown the door had Deccan not lost by three runs against Trinidad. The Eagles, on the other hand, were outplayed by New South Wales in their opening match before bouncing back to beat Sussex Sharks in a must-win match to take the last available berth in the super-eight stage from their group. Both the teams lack big names and in Somerset's case, their tail-enders did better than the top-order batsmen, clinching the last-ball thriller against Deccan. Among the bowlers, pacer Alfonso Thomas played the all-rounder's role in the win against Deccan but apart from him, the team has not yet found any bowler capable enough of either containing or taking wickets. Batting has been Eagles problem and though captain Boeta Dippenaar had blamed it on a treacherous Feroze Shah Kotla track in the group stage matches, he would have no such excuse on the batting-friendly wicket. The bowling has not been any better and the two teams' common weaknesses make it an even contest. New … [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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