Fifth world title beckons at home for Australia

In the off chance that Michael Clarke doesn't regain his fitness, it could put Australia under pressure without their experienced captain.

                                                                        

 The mid-90s marked the arrival of the Australian brand of cricket, and after not making it to the last four of the edition they hosted back in 1992, they began a streak of four consecutive finals out of which they won three successive titles, only to lose it to eventual winners India in 2011. The ICC World Cup returns to their home territory, and Australia would look to give their fans a winning spectacle, There are no aching limbs in the Team and under a new captain in either Michael Clarke or George Bailey, the players are raring to go in a bid to win an unprecedented fifth world title.

Group: PoolA

Captain: Michael Clarke/ George Bailey

Strengths

 Australia bat well and bat deep, and their past form is anything to go by, teams will find it difficult to dislodge the four-time champions in home conditions. Clarke, Shane Watson, Steve Smith and Brad Haddin remain among the batsmen from the 2011 World Cup, but their experience will be backed up by David Warner and Aaron Finch at the top. The presence of allrounders Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner gives them plenty of lower-order firepower to take them through in crunch situations.

Weaknesses

 Despite having very capable bowlers in their ranks, Australia's weak link remains their bowling as a unit. Home conditions will definitely be to their advantage, but the batting  powerplay can get the better of most bowling attacks. While Mitchell Johnson remains their most experienced frontline bowler, opposition teams could put pressure on the inexperienced others, and their lone spinner in Xavier Doherty could be a weak link. Australia have succeeded under both Clarke and stand-in captain Bailey, but in the off chance that Clarke doesn't regain his fitness, it could also put Australia under pressure without their experienced captain.

X-factor

 David Warner: Playing his first World Cup, the stocky left-hander is coming off a superb year in Test cricket and would like to leave an indelible mark on the 2015 edition, much like his predecessor Matthew Hayden did in 2007. Warner's typically aggressive starts can takr opposition teams by surprise and a strong Australian middle order can capitalise on that. His ability to score big also gives the team stability.

Dark horse

 A format known to be cruel for bowlers can be made game-changing by them as well. Josh Hazelwood had an excellent Test debut against in the preceding Onr-Day series against South Africa and emerged as one of the finds of the series in Australia. Hazelwood's five-wicket haul came in a losing cause, but he impressed with his pace and was almost a leaf out of Glenn McGrath's book of accuracy. He put behind a modest ODI debut in 2010, and looks a bowler for the future for Australia.

ODI from guide (last six months)

Australia-South Africa-Zimbabwe tri-series: Lost in final (Away)
V Pakistan: Won 3-0 (Away)
V South Africa: Won 4-1 (Home)

What they did in 2011 World Cup

 Under pressure to make it four championship in a row, Australia began their tournament brightly enough but were bogged down by the conditions in the subcontinent as well as poor form of some of their more influential players. They made it to the quater-finals with relative ease despite looking to Pakistan and a non-result aganist Sri Lanka in third place in Group A, but their tournament ended in their next game against India at Ahmedabad. Ricky Pointing, under the pump for his form, scored a backs-to-the-wall hundred, but the bowlers couldn't contain India's run-chase, thus ending their dream sequence of making five consecutive World Cup finals.

Squad

Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (v/c), Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin (wk), Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Strac, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, David Warner, Shane Watson.

Fixtures 

February 14 v England, Melbourne
February 21 v Bangladesh, Brisbane
February 28 v New Zealand, Auckland
March 4 v Afghanistan, Perth
March 8 v Sri Lanka, Sydney
March 14 v Scotland, Hobrat

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Preview

Cricket's most prestigious event returns to Trans-Tasman territory for the first time since 1992.

 Cricket's biggest prize is here. Yes! It's time for the ICC Cricket World Cup-one of the most widely followed global sporting events. The 11th edition of the quadrennial tournament will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. This is the second time that the World Cup is staged in Trans-Tasman territory since 1992. New Zealand and Sri Lanka will kick-off the 44-day tournament in Christchurch on February 14. After 48 matches, two of the best teams of the muli-nation event will lock horns in Melbourne on March 29 for the covered title.

How was the ODI format born?

 Rain washed off the first three days of the Ashes Test match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The officials then decided to abandon the match and instead agreed to play a 40 eight-ball-over per side match on last day of the Test match thus the One-Day International format was born on January 5,1971.
 Although the birth of Twenty20 cricket has diminished the image of One-Day-International (ODI) cricket of late, the World Cup is still one of the most-awaited tournaments for an avid cricket fan.

How did the idea of a Cricket World Cup evolve?

 Limited-overs cricket began to gain popularity in the early 1960s when a number of English countries showed interest to adopt the shortened version of the game, that ended in a day. Spectators welcomed the One-Day format and soon many organisations started to stage a number of tournaments. The Internationals Cricket Conference, cricket governing body then, took note of One-Day cricket's growing reputation and came up with Ideas of staging in a Cricket World Cup and announced that England would host the first-ever Cricket World Cup in 1975.
 Since its inception, the World Cup has produced many memorable moments and this time too it promises to be a humdinger.

World Cup Winners

1975- West Indies
1979- West Indies
1983- India
1987- Australia
1992- Pakistan
1996- Sri lanka
1999- Australia
2003- Australia
2007- Australia
2011- India

Why is the tournament being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand?

 In 2006, Australia and New Zealand placed their placed their bids to ICC's executive committee, after expressing their willingness to host the 2011 World Cup. However, Asia (India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) was awarded the tournament after winning by a margin of 7 votes to 4. The ICC then announced that the next edition (2015) would be awarded to Australia and New Zealand.

How different is the Tournament to the 2011 edition?

 You could see the World Cup being shared for the first time ever! Yes, you read that right Interestingly, the ICC has revealed that the trophy would be shared, if the final ends in a tie. During the 2011 edition, if a game ended in a tie during the knockout phase, there was a provision to use the One-Over Eliminator (Super Over) to decide the winner. However, this time around, the ICC has made it clear that it would not employ the Super Over rule for tied matches during the quatar-finals and the semi-final stages. Instead, the side finishing higher in the group stage will progress to the next round.

 TV viewers finishun will be able to hear the conversation between the on-field umpire and the third umpire whenever the Decision Review System (DRS) is employed. It is the latest addition to the DRS by the ICC to give more transparency into decision making and will help viewers know the different aspects taken into consideration while making a decision.

 Only 15 overs of field restrictions will apply, which is five overs lesser than the 2011 World Cup. However, this time, only four fielders wil be allowed outside the circle during non-powerplays overs, which is one lesser than the previous edition.

 Four years ago, there was a mandatory ball change after 34 overs of an innings. However. the ICC has Scraped the idea now and has announced that two new balls, one from each end, will be used during an innings.

 The ICC has increased the prize money by 20% from the previous edition. The winners prize money has been set as USD 3,975,000. If the team remains unbeaten in the group stage, the prize money would be added by USD 45,000, meaning that the total amount would be USD 4,245,000.

 While the number of participants (14) remains the same as previous World Cup, Afghanisthan, United Arab Emirates and Scotland will replace Canada, Kenya and Netherlands from the 2011 World Cup.

Format

 14 teams, spilt into pools of seven each, will play 42 games in the group stage, with each team playing each other once in their respective pools. The top four teams from eacg pool will make it to the quater-finals, from which four teams will be filtered to from the semi-finals line up. Two winners then qualify for the final.

Participants 

 The 10 full members of the ICC qualify automatically, while the top two teams of the 2011-13 World Cricket League (Ireland, Afghanistan) and the finalists of the 2014 World Cup Qualifier (Scotland, United Arab Emirates) from the 14-member contention.

Pool A                Pool B

England             South Africa

Australia            India

Sri Lanka           Pakistan

Bangladesh       West Indies

New Zealand     Zimbabwe

Afghanistan       Ireland

Scotland             United Arab Emirates

How the top 10 teams were pooled?

 It was according to the ICC ODI Championship rankings, as of 31 December 2012, that the top 10 full member nations were pooled into two groups. The team was ranked 1 (England) and 4 (Australia) went into Pool A, while teams 2 (South Africa) and 3 (India) went into Pool B. Teams 5 (Sri Lanka) and 8 (Bangladesh) were grouped in Pool A and teams 6 (pakistan) and 7 (West Indies) in Pool B. Teams 9 (New Zealand) and 10 (Zimbabwe) joined Pool A and Pool B respectively.

Did you know?

 After the 2011 World Cup, the ICC announced that the 2015 World Cup would be contested only among the 10 full member nations. This meant that the associate nations would be not to be eligible to participate and it drew heavy  criticism, especially from Ireland, who fared decently in 2007 and 2011. The ICC then reverted back to the 14-team format followed for the 2011 World Cup.

Venues

 Totally 14 grounds, 7 from Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobrat, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney) and New Zealand (Auckland, Christchruch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington) will host the World Cup. The final will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Out of the 49 matches, 26 will be hosted by Australia.

Who are the favourites?

India- Despite the absence of their key players from the 2011 World Cup squad, the defending champions have managed to piece together a formidable unit. Virat Kholi has grown in stature since the last edition of the World Cup and is breaking many records. Captain MS Dhoni has been as cool as ever and his role in the middle-order has been key to India's success. Bhuvmeshwar Kumr has proved the world that fat-bowling is not all about muscles. Mohammad Shami's accuracy has earned him the highest wicket-taker tag in 0DIs in 2014 and he plays a big role for the side with the ball. So overall, if the batting line-up clicks as a unit and the bowlers hold their nerve at the death, India are a tough side to beat on their day.

South Africa- Surely, if you have the names, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, then you have one of the strongest batting line-up, if not the strongest, in the entire tournament. Moving focus to the bowling department, Dale Steyn superheads the attacks, while Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander from an integral part Boy! This has to be team on the paper. Give them the Cup! Oh hang on! Time and time again, the Proteas bring a strong to World Cups, but...

Australia- Home conditions give Australia a big chance to lift their fifth title. Although George Bailey has showed that he's a good enough leader, a fully-fit Michael Clarke would be vital to Australia's success. While David Warner's presence at the top-order comes as a plus, Shane Watson's role as an all-rounder is pivotal to the side. Glenn Maxwell has earned himself a reputation of being a game-changer, irrespective of the match situation. Mitchell Johnson's thunderbolts would be a batsman's nightmare on those bouncy pitches. All this forces one to rate the co-hosts highly.

Australia thrash England in final

Australia beat England by 112 runs

                                                                           

 Hello everyone and a warm welcome for the final match between Australia and England from the WACA, Perth. It's the big one, the final and although India aren't featuring in this match, a clash between the old enemies just before the start of the World Cup should make for a mouth watering clash. Australia will definitely start as favourites after going unbeaten into the final. England look like the only team who could beat them and came very close in the last match but today is another game and in a big final, anything can happen.
 The coin had spun Morgan's way and he said England will bowl. The game against India has greatly influenced his decisions and he thinks that the pitch got better as the game went on. Expects a similar thing today as well. They've gone in unchanged. George Bailey looks unsure of what he would have done but he hopes that the pitch will liven up in the afternoon. He has his trump card back. Yes, Mitchell Johnson is back and raring to go and that will be a sight to be hold as he runs in on a fast, bouncy track. The Aussies will need runs on the board. David Warner is doing well he says and will rejoin Finch at the top of the order.
 Good news for England is the fact that they have been beaten Australia in five out of seven games at Perth and that should give them more confidence going into the match. The pitch like always, has some cracks on it and the bounce at the WACA is a given. That being said, it has been a bit two-paced in the last game so it would be interesting to see what it turns out to be today.

 Australia lost early wickets after Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected o bowl first. James Anderson removed danger pair Aaron Finch and David Warner before Stuart Board stuck with the wicket of captain George Bailey. Finch departed without scoring in the match's opening over, edging an outswinger from Anderson through to Joe Root at first slip. After being joined by Steve Smith, who quickly found is feet, Warner reached 12 from 17 balls before Anderson found extra bounce and Warner tamely sliced the ball to James Taylor at point. Bailey looked out of sorts during his two from 17 balls in the face of some quality English fast bowling on a helpful pitch, finally being undone by a shorter ball from Board which he fended straight to Taylor at bat pad. But while the visiting seamers made scoring difficult for the hosts, Smith's sublime from let him craft singles from all angles, crashing fours behind point and straight down the ground to make batting look easy. So Morgan turned to the spin of Moeen Ali to halt Smith's charge. Four balls into the first over, Ali had Smith advancing and missing, and not even a fumble from wicketkeeper Jos Buttler could save the set batsman. With Smith walking off the ground with 40 of the 60 runs scored, there was reason for Australian fans to panic, but the young duo of Maxwell and Marsh calmed fears with orthodox, mature stroke play. Maxwell in particular resisted the urge to employ his wide array of dashing shots until he was closing in on his half-century, bringing up the milestone off 64 balls with a fine lap past short fine leg. Th allrounder's first half century since October bettered his 93-run effort against Zimbabwe last August. Marsh greeted the batting power play with a gigantic six over backward square leg, before Maxwell unleashed his full bag of tricks, taking down Chris Woakes for four boundaries in the 40th over including a reverse pull over fine leg, to race the partnership to 95 from 97 balls. But the lure of a maiden hundred in a single blow was too much for the Victorian, falling five shot after top edging Board to Buttler to leave the batsman disappointed and the crowd applauding and wanting more. With Maxwell gone the power game was suitably left to Marsh. Two muscular boundaries either side of the wicket promised a score close to 300, but when Brad Haddin's call for a second found the allrounder short of his ground at the non-striker's end via a relay throw, the projected dropped significantly. But Faulkner would pick up the slack, pummelling Woakes for three sixes and 24 runs off the penultimate over before hitting the last ball of the innings for six to raise his fifty and leave the field with the momentum and a compectitive total to bowl to. The pair combined for 141 to resurrect he home side's innings from 4-60 after James Anderson (2-38) struck twice with the new ball. Stuart Board finished with 3-55 to be the pick of the tourists with the ball, before a fashionably late cameo from James Faulkner, who crashed 50 from only 24 balls. Glenn Maxwell's highest one-day International score of 95 has boosted Australia to 8-278.
 If England were worried about facing Johnson on the fast WACA wicket, they'd have to wait as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood took the new balls, and the latter struck early to remove Ian Bell for eight to a wonderful catch by a diving Haddin. But they needn't wait too long, with Johnson entering the attack in the seventh over, and in the ninth normal service resumed when the left-arm quick removed James Taylor to a good catch by Maxwell at point, even if there was some doubt about the legality of the delivery due to Johnson's front foot getting dangerous close to going over the front line. Two overs later the vocal WACA crowd were on their feet when Johnson bowled a brute of ball to surprise Ali and take his edge to Finch at floating first slip, and the audience remained standing when Morgan left his first ball only to watch it clatter into his off-stump. Twenty-five runs later, Joe Root was trapped in front by Faulkner, before the allrounder left the field with side soreness. While the Australian medical staff attended to the injured Tasmanian, Maxwell's match went from good to great, removing Buttler (17) and Woakes in succesive deliveries to reduce England to 7-98 in the 25th over. Maxwell would claim two more wickets before Hazelwood castled Steve Finn to wrap up the match and series and firm Australia as a World Cup favourite.
  Australia thump their arch-rivals to win the tri-seies!  They will be very pleased with their performance today and will now go into World Cup high on Confidence. Glenn Maxwell was one of the player they wanted back in form and that exactly happened today. He not only made a match winning 95 but also proved his all-round worth by bagging a 4-wicket haul. This is also Australia's third biggest win against England in ODIs.

                                                                           

Player of the Match, Glenn Maxwell: It was nice to do that role, I screwed up a few times in the past. James Faulkner showed his class and finished it well for us. It's nice to enter the World Cup in form with both bat and ball.

                                                                           

Player of the Series, Mitchell Starc: Trying to improve with every game. It's exciting with the World Cup coming up. It's important to bowl as fast as you can and get a bit of swing to help you out. We got a great squad, we have a good bowling unit.

 Eoin Morgan: I think we could have kept them to a bit less. Batting let us down today. We need to keep grafting and growing. A lot of credits goes to the boys for putting individual efforts. We are playing Pakistan and West Indies in the warm-up in sydney and it should be a good practice before the World Cup.
 George Bailey: It's really promising to see Maxi and Mitchell Marsh rein their natural games and getting us back in the match. Always lovely to have him (Johnson) in the tank. We want to have as many as guys in form as possible.
 That;s all from this tri-series. World Cup is just round the corner and we are looking forward to your company then. Until next time, it's good bye and cheers!!!

England wobble before sealing final perth

Jos Buttler and James Taylor continue India's struggles in Australia with a nail-biting win at the WACA

  Hello everyone and welcome for the knockout game of the tri-series between England and India. The equation is simple for both teams, win match and play Australia in the finals.
 An out-of-form India were lucky to get away with two points after the washout against Australia on Monday, because that has given them a big opportunity to beat England at Perth and reach the final of the Carlton Mid One-day International Tri-series. England have five points from there three matches, while India has two, and the winners of today encounter will play against Australia in the final on Sunday, again at Perth. However, as straightforward as it may sound, the job of beating the English team won't be easy for MS Dhoni's men who are yet to register a win in the tournament. They continue to be uncertain over Rohit Sharma's fitness. The batsman hasn't played since scoring 138 in the team's opening match against Australia, on account of a hamstring injury. He had a hard training session on Wednesday, but with an eye on upcoming World Cup, it's highly unlikely India will risk playing him. With scores of 2,1 and 8, opener Shikhar Dhawan's from has hit rock buttom and that has made matters worse. The left-hander can hope to get yet another opportunity to get some form ahead of quadrennial tournament. Some run off his bat will make Dhoni's life easier as regards the composition of the eleven.
 England, on the other hand, have no such  grave worries. They beat India with a bonus point and lost twice to Australia, but they are improving with every match.When they played India at Brisbane, medium pacer Stevenn Finn had bounced out Dhoni's men. with a career-best 5 for 33. Since the WACA oitch has the reputation being the most quick and bouncy in Australia, England fast bowlers will back themselves agian. In the batting department too, Eoin Morgan's team holds the edge. Ian Bell after scoring 0 in the tournament opener against Australia, made 88* and a carrer best 141 in the following games. Joe Root, James Taylor and Morgan himself have been among the runs. 'I think it is important to win this game the lake of success we've had before this tour. we've  have build a confidence in their preparation, in the game in Brisbane and in performances leading into start of this series. So momentum and confidence goes I think it's quite a big game," Morgan said ahead of the match
 The odds are heavily stacked in England's favour when one looks at the way India haved played so far, but there is no doubt that Dhoni's team has a big chance today to put things right to some extent.

 England had won the toss and elected to field. England are unchanged. India make one change, Ishant sharma was injured and Mohit Sharma comes in for him.

Pitch report: The conditions are overcast. The pitch looks very hard. There is good grass covering on it. There will be a lot of bounce on this deck.

 England will take on Australia in the Tri-Series final after overcoming a case of the wobbles to beat India by three wickets in today's one-day clash at the WACA Ground. Chasing 201 for victory on a WACA deck possing some demons, England were in all sorts of trouble at 5-66 in the 20th over. India can turn their full attention to the World Cup following a disastrous Test and one-day tour Down Under that failed to yield one win. With England in desperate need of a savage mission, James Taylor (82) and Jos Buttler (67) came to rescue with a 125-run stand to lift England to victory with 19 balls to spare. The result catapults England into Sunday's final against Australia in what will be a precursor to their World Cup showdown on February 14.
friday's result could have been vastly different had Ajinkya Rahane hit the stumps from short range to run Buttler out for three. Instead of being 6-72, England made the most of the reprieve as Buttler and Taylor combined for a match winning partnership. Earlier, India's batsmen struggled to score freely on an unpredictable pitch that offered varying bounce. Rahane made a patient 73 and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan made a scratchy 38, but their 83-run stand one of few highlights for the Indians.
 At 1-103, India had a chance to build a competitive total despite their slow run rate. But collaspses of 4-33 and 4-13 ended any hopes of India building anything sizeable, with their innings eventually brought to an end after 48.1 overs. Paceman James Anderson conceded just 10 runs from his first six overs before finishing with 1-24, while spinner Moeen Ali snared the key wickets of Virat Kohli (8) and Suresh Raina (1). Anderson wasn't just miserly, he was also destructive. One delivery kicked off the pitch to such an extent that it struck MS Dhoni flush on the front of the helment. Dhoni was unhurt and even had a bit of a giggle about it. But he wasn't laughing a few balls later when an Anderson delivery kept remarkably low to trap him lbw. Tail-ender Mohammed Shami  provided some highlights at the death, with the 24-year-old cracking 25 off 18 balls to push the total to 200.
 "In a perfect world, it wouldn't have got that tight, but it was definitely a tough pitch, and their bowlers extracted the most out of it," Taylor said. "We showed some character. "I'm delighted to score some runs in a pressure situation. "That's what I pride myself on- finishing games and winning games. We got over the over line, which is the most important things."
 Indian captain MS Dhoni is confident on his team's winless tour of Australia won't dent their World Cup prospects. " From a confidence point of view, we are quite good because we always try to give more emphasis on what needs to be done- the proper planing and where we need to execute," Dhoni said. "We've been in this situation (before), so we know what exactly we feel and how to overcome this feeling."
 Man of the Match is bagged by James Taylor for his brilliant innings of 82 that held one end when the wickets were tumbling around. That is from our side. Do join us for the finals on Sunday between two heavyweights, Australia and England at Perth on Feb 1, 2015. Until then it's goodbye and cheers!!

Scorchers secure Big Bash League

A final-ball thriller had it all as Perth Scorchers claim back-to-back Big Bash League titles

 Hello everyone and  a warm welcome to the all important  final of the 2014-15 Big Bash, Australia's glitzy domestic T20 competition, as a defending champions Perth Scorchers take on Sydney Sixers at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. The most talked-about Twenty 20 competition in the world. Three Englishman. The final game of the Australia legend Brett Lee's career.

The Englishmen abroad

England fans will be familiar with Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry, who played his last winter's Ashes series in Australia and he is one of the leading lights of the Scorchers side. He lines up allongside fellow English Riki Wessels (who was born in Australia), while Nottinghamshire team mate Michael Lumb a member of the England team won the competition in 2012. Both Carberry and Lumb have shone with the bat in this season's competition and, just helped persuade those Aussies who witnessed the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash that the poms aren't quite as hopeless as they thought.

Road to the Final:

Scorchers: The defending champions lost a thrilling opening game against the Strikers, but bounced back with back-to-back wins in the next two games. Although they lost to the Thunders in their next encounter, they won three consecutive matches, which assured them a place in the semifinals. The Stars stunned them in their last league game, but the Scorchers used all their experience and successfully defended a relatively low total and knocked the Stars out to seal a place in final.

Sixers: The Sixers had a great start to the season,winning their first three games convincingly. However, they lost a bit of momentum with their lost to the Scorchers and tied their next games against the Stars, before eventually losing in the Super Over. Although they lost to the Strikers, victories over the Heat and the Thunder kept them in good space and they went on to the Strikers in the semifinal.

Teams:

Perth Scorchers (playing XI): Shaun Marsh, Michael Klinger, Adam Voges(c), Michael Carberry, Sam Whiteman, Ashton Turner, Nathan Coulter-Nlie, Yasir Arafat, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Brad Hogg.

Sydney Sixers (playing XI): Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Nic Maddinson, Moises Henriques (c), Jordan Silk, Ryan Carters, Sean Abbott, Steve O'Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger.

 If you look at the history, maybe you would say the Scorchers are the favourites, for they have played the final thrice before since the inception of BBL in 2011-12. On the other hand, the Sixers have played just one, but managed to get better of the Scorchers, their opponents, and win the title. So it will be interesting to see how both teams handle pressure. 

 After 34 hard fought games, they are left with two teams who are desperate to get their hands on the trophy. Defending champions Scorchers lock horns with the Sixers at the Manuka Oval. Both teams have been crowned champions in the competition. If the Scorchers lifted the title last season, the Sixers won the inaugural edition in 2011-12. It is quite clear that both teams know what is to play in the final. 

Lee's final farewell: 

So it's time to say goodbye to Brett Lee, one of the Australia greats and among the finest fast bowlers to have played the game. He retired from international in 2012, but he announced earlier this month that this game is the last of his career. Win or lose, we can expect some tears.

 Perth Scorchers have made it back-to-back triumphs in the KFC T20 Big Bash League in the most thrilling circumstances in Canberra, chasing down 148 against a valiant Sydney Sixers with four wickets in the hand off the final ball of the match. 

 A match that ebbed and flowed from the outset seemed destined to come down to the final over, fittingly bowled by retiring superstar Brett Lee, who claimed two wickets to be on a hat-trick with the final delivery of his career.

 But it wasn't to be, as Yasir Arafat dug out the yorker and took off for what seemed a suicidal single, only for the Sixers to miss a run-out opportunity and the Scorchers scrambled home to claim the title for the second time.

 Justin Langer's men dominated the early stages of the match, taking four wickets inside the first 10 overs, but a superb innings from Moises Henriques (77 off 57) and capable support from Ryan Carters (35 not out off 25) swing the match back on an even keel at the mid-innings break.

  Henriques has won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that looked like it would contain a little something for both pace and spin, and the former quickly proved true.

 Nathan Coulter-Nile continued his fine comeback from with the breakthrough wicket of Michael Lumb (3), and seven ball later, it was opening partner Jason Behrendroff's turn to knock over an import, as Riki Wessels (2) dismissial left the Sixers reeling at 2-7 after three overs. Nic Maddinson and Henriques looked the pair most likely to resurrect the innings, and for a while they set about doing exactly that, until Yasir Arafat broke the 37-run stand with a lethal yorker that castled Maddinson for 19. And when Brad Hogg bowled Jordan Silk through the gate the very next over, the Sixers were in all sorts of trouble at 4-49 in the 10th. Sixers fans were hoping for someone to stand up alongside Henriques, amd they found their man in Carters. The keeper batsman joined his skipper fightback, combining for a 98-run stand that revived the contest, as the two collected 63 from the last five overs before Henriques was run out from the final ball of the innings. Scorchers pair Shaun Marsh (73 off 59) amd Michael Klinger (33 off 37) utilised their considerable experience to negotiate their way through the first half of the innings, upping the run rate as the partnership wore on as they expertly took  control of proceedings. Klinger set the tone early with a couple of well-timed fours through the off side, before Marsh broke the shackles by lifting Nathan Lyon over wide long on for a maximum. The gifted left-hander looked the part from there as Henriques rung the changes and finally the reintroduction of Lee did the trick. The veteran quick tricked Klinger with a slower ball, who picked out Sean Abbott at backward square leg to leave the Scorchers at 1-70 in the 12th over. Marsh and Scorchers captain Adam Voges grafted away but it was the Sixers who suddenly started piling on he pressure, with Lee conceding just three from his first two overs and Abbott also containing well. Voges (20 off 13) attempted to force the pace off Doug Bollinger but skied a chance to Carters, who made no mistake. But Marsh was the main man, and the turning point came after he had passed his half-century when Lee returned and was no-balled for having just three men inside the circle. Bollinger was the culprit, and Marsh faced a wide before capitalising on the free hit with a six, and with two taken on the initial no-ball, the Scorchers had effectively taken 10 from one Lee delivery, reducing the equation from 32 needed off 18 to a much more manageable 22 off 17. Henriques bravely gambled in the penultimate over by bringing on Lyon, who promptly repaid his captain's faith, enticing Marsh into the the big shot first up, with the opening batsman picking out Abbott at deep mid-wicket. Two balls later, Ashton Turner was out for a golden duck. also holing out to Abbott who was seemingly everywhere in the field. A six from Lyon's final delivery from Coulter-Nile meant eight was needed from the final over- Lee's final in a wonderful career and after Carberry went 4,2,1 from the first two deliveries to levels the scores, the contest looked done and dusted. But the highest drama was yet to come. Charging in for the final few times, Lee knocked over Coulter-Nile, sending Manuka with his trademark chainsaw celebration. Next ball, incredibly, he repeated the dose, clean bowling Sam Whiteman to suddenly raise the psddibility of a Super Over from almost nowhere. The 38-year-old was on a hat-trick, and Arafat was on strike with two deliveries remaining. Yasir Arafat made contact, squirting it out to wide midwicket where the throw came in but Henriques, standing over the stumps, failed to hang onto the hot return a miss that cost him the opportunity to run out the standard batsman.

 With that, the title was retained by the Scorcher, who solidified their dominance on the Big Bash League and will represent Australia, along with the Sixers, at this Year's Champions League Tournament.

 Jacques Kallis receives the Man of the Tournament.

 Shaun Marsh receives the Man of the Match.

 That's all from our side, We enjoyed bring you the tournament, hope you enjoy it as well. looking forward for your company on another day, Until then, it's goodbye and cheers!!!

Superb Scorchers fly into Big Final

Melbourne Stars' semi-final curse continues as Perth make it four-straight BBL final

 Hello and a warm welcome for the second semi-final between Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars. The hosts, Perth Scorchers have made it a habit of making it through to the Knock-out phase of the tournament. Despite missing some of their stars performers. On the other hand, the Stars have rebounded spectaculary after three successive defeat. They had won five on the bounce and will be confident of reaching their first ever Big Bash finals.

 The two teams met in their last league match with the Stars completing a stunning win, courtesy a superb century from young batsman, Peter Handscomb. Cameron White and his men will be boosted by that result, although past performances doesn't count for much during the semi-final stage of the tournament.
Perth Scorchers had won the toss and elected to bat first.

Teams

Perth Scorchers (playing XI): Shaun Marsh, Michael Klinger, Adam Voges (c), Michael Carberry, Sam Whiteman, Ashton Turner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Yasir Arafat, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Brad Hogg.
Melbourne Stars (playing XI): Cameron White (c), Rob Quieny, Kevin Pietersen, Luke Wright, Peter Handscomb, Triffitt, John Hastings, Clint Mckay, Scott Boland, Jackson Bird, Michael Beer.

 Melbourne Star's finals cruse has continued for a forth straight season in a low-scoring thriller against Perth Scorchers, who valiantly defended their total of 7-144 in front of a full house at The Furnace to book their annual spot in the Big Final with an 18-run victory.
 The Stars looked to be a cruising midway through their innings at 1-67 with English pair Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen dictating terms, but for the third time in four seasons, they came unstruck in semi-final against the relentless Scorchers, spectacularly losing 9-59 to completely fall out of the contest.

 The Scorchers now face Sydney Sixers in Canberra on Wednesday evening, and will be looking to become the first BBL side to go back-to-back in the tournament's brief history.

 Andrew Tye continued his breakthrough Tournament , claiming 4-18 to make amends for earlier facing out a maiden over to complete Perth's innings in the most remarkable low-key fashion.

 But to single out Tye would be doing the rest of the Scorchers attack a disservice, as they again produced a superb all-round effort and continued their happy knack of expertly defending small total in BBL/04.

 Earlier, John Hastings (3-27) got the jump on Scorchers quick Jason Behrendroff as the tournament's leading wicket-taker during a high-class spell, renoving Klinger (5) and Adam Voges (3) in quick succesion well on top at 2-19.

 Klinger top-edged an attempted pull shot to Clint MckaY at fine leg, while Voges couldn't avoid a diving Cameron White at short cover as the pressure fell right back on Shaun Marsh and Michael Careberry.

 The pair put on 68 before Marsh, who never quite found his groove in making 35 (34) looked to up the tempo but succeeded only in picking out Jackson Bird at long off from the bowling of Michael Beer. 

 Ashton Turner (one) came and went, edging Boland through to Tom Triffit, and when Carberry fell soon after for a well made 50, the Scorchers had lost 3-12 and were in serious strife at 5-99.

 Sam Whiteman's 11-ball cameo of 14 kept the score ticking along but was all too brief, leaving the returning Nathan Coulter-Nile to do the bulk of the big hitting at the death. 

 Coulter-Nile managed what proved to be a crucial 22 from nine deliveries, before he too nicked behind as Hastings returned to collect another wicket. 

 Tye's failure to add a single run in the final over looked to be a costly finale to the innings for the home side, but the paceman's double breakthrough of Wright (31) and the Peter Handscomb (0) in the 11th over swung the contest.

 Coulter-Nile then followed suit in the 15th over, removing first Rob Quiney (7) and the danger man Pietersen (31) in the space of three balls to leave the Stars reeling at 5-88.

 It only got worse from there for the visitors, who succumbed to the suffocating attack of the Scorchers, just as the Sixers, Strikers and Hurricanes have done before them this season. Do join us for the big final between Perth Scorchers Vs Sydney Sixers at Manuka Oval, Canberra on Jan 28, 2015. Until then it's goodbye and take care !

Sydney's Australia Day a dump squib

Match abandoned after rain forces washout with just 16 overs of play possible at the SCG

  Hello everyone and welcome for the fourth match of the tri-series at the SCG. The match was between Australia and India. Australia and India, pre-tournament favourites for the upcoming Cricket World Cup, have taken largely contrasting routes in the build event. By virtue of the three wins, Australia sit pretty at the top of the table, having already booked their final place for the final. The effect of a long tour has affected India adversely and they now find themselves facing, potentially two must win games to make the tri-series final. Alternatively, if they lost the next one, they'll have to then beat England by a bonus point and ensure that the trumpt Eoin Morgan's men, even in the Net Run Rate battle. 26th of January marks a special day for both these Commonwealth countries. Australia Day and India, the Republic Day- An added motivation for both teams to put up a good show.

Australia:

Australia have enjoyed the perfect tune-up thus far. Their first two victories were set up by Mitchell Starc and their bursts with the new ball. Then, in the earlier against England, Starc and James Faulkner came up with a fine exhibition of death bowling to restrict England to 303, when they looked set to get much more. The batting has remained solid, if not flamboyant. The depth in batting has allowed the top-order to bat with freedom.

 For the game India game, there are welcome returns to he squad. George Bailey will take over as captain missing the last game due to suspension. Mitchell Marsh has sufficiently recovered from an injury sustained during the Brisbane Test against India. David Warner and Shane Watson missed the Hobart ODI with Hamstring injuries and it remain to be seen, if the think-tank would rush them for inconsequential game. Mitchell Johnson, though fit, will make a return only for final. However, Josh Hazelwood are expected to play today.

India:

The defending World Champions had a sorry day at the office against England. They were blown away by Steven Finn and James Anderson and there appear to be cracks creeping up into the famed batting line-up. There are question marks surrounding Shikhar Dhawan's place in the side and Virat Kholi's batting position. India's two aggressive batsman at the top of the order have failed to started. Rohit Sharma, India centurion against Australian in Melbourne, has been sidelined by a hamstring injury and will miss the encounter in Sydney.

India, however, will be boosted by Ishant Sharma's and Ravindra Jadega's steady return to fitness. Stuart Binny, who shone in an otherwise forgettable day against England, may keep his place even if India opt to for a two-spinner attack. Jadeja's bowling readiness may help the team management make the choice among the three available spinners. A five day win after their twin defeats may augur well for a team that looks to regain his mental freshness.

Pitch and Conditions:

The wicket at Sydney is expected to be dry and is said to assist spin. However, there is a 60% chance for rain, late on today afternoon. That may influence the team composition.

 Just to remind all of you- If India lose today or the match get washed out, their ODI against England on Friday, becomes a knock-out game. India will have to secure a bonus point win in case of a loss today.
 For India, it has been a sorry tale. opting to bat first in their games , the visitors stuttered in the initial overs. They were able to post a decent 267 against Australia in the first match, but it was no match for a flamboyant Australian batting attack. Against England, it was yet another story. Collective failure from the batsman meant that India could post a mearge 153 on board. The continues to be a big question mark over Shikhar Dhawan's from and Virat Kholi's batting position still seems uncertain. Even Rohit Sharma continues to remain out of the side due to hamstring injury.
 The hosts are in terrific touch. Their bowling attack is solid, with Mitchell Starc enjoying a dream run, He was ruthless in their first two games, and combined well with other bowlers in their last match to put up an admirable display of death bowling. Although their batting lacks the same consistency as their bowling, their depth has allowed to play more freely. George Bailey, who missed the last game due to suspension, will take over the captaincy from Steven Smith. Shaun Marsh will make way for David Warner. Mitchel Johnson is fit but it remain to be seen whether Australia would rush him for a seemingly inconsequential game. The fact that Australia are already offers them a good chance to experiment.
 January 26- A very special day for both the teams. while India celebrate their 66th Republic Day, the hosts will be celebrating Australia Day, their official national day. A win in today game will be of momentous significance for both the teams. Australia are already through the final and will be looking forward to keep the momentum going. On the other hand, winless India find themselves in a do-or-die situation.
 Finally we had got a start here! As it was delayed due to consistent drizzle and a wet outfield. After sometime the condition had gone brighter. Australia had won the toss and elected to field first.

Teams:

India (playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Virat Kholi, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c), Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma.

Australia (playing XI): Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith, George Bailey (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty, Josh Hazelwood.

 Hazelwood, Mitchell Marsh, Bailey, Warner and Doherty come in for Australia. They replace White, Shaun Marsh, Cummins, Henriques. India bring on Ishant and Jadeja in plce of Umesh and Bhuvmeshwar.

 These match got underway in rainy condition at 3pm, before play was interrupted 15 minutes later with the score 0-6 after 2.4 overs. After sometime play was resume at 4.06pm but the player was again exited the field after India reached 2-69, with Shikhar Dhawan out for eight, caught at the first slip by Aaron Finch off Mitchell Starc, and Ambati Rayudu  making 23 for 24 before skying a chance out to deep point that was held by David Warner from the bowling of Mitch Marsh.
That it! The umpires have had enough of discussion and they have decided to call it off. Both the teams got two points each. The next game to be played between England and India at Perth on the 30th of the January will be the decider. The net run rate and bonus point are out of equation. Simple logic, the one who wins it goes through to the finals. That is all from our side. Do join us on 30th January for the sixth match of the series. Hope we get a full 50-over game. Until then, it's goodbye and cheers!!