ICC T20 World Cup 2012 Schedule

GROUPS:

FIXTURES - Qualifiers & Super 8s:

 

FIXTURES - Semi-Final & Final:

Ireland’s SUPER HERO

The match between England and Ireland started in low profile fashion as most of the seats were found unfilled in the Bangalore's M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, but the match result pulled everyone’s attention towards it. The result ranks as one of the great world cup shocks - taking its place alongside Ireland's victory over Pakistan in 2007 and Kenya's wins against West Indies in 1996 and Sri Lanka in 2003.  It had all been going so smoothly for England earlier and Jonathan Trott becoming the equal fastest batsman to 1,000 ODI runs as they piled up their 10th highest total in the format. England managed to put awesome score of 327-8 on board with a run-a-ball 92 contribution by Trott. Pietersen and  Ian Bell also did his bit on the day, slamming 59 off 50 balls 81runs respectively. With a huge total to chase, Ireland started but lost its skipper William Porterfield in the first delivery from Anderson. However his opening partner Paul Stirling with 5 fours and a six scored 32 from 28 balls. Ireland almost went out of the game as they were buried at 111-5 with 217 more runs to win with high required rate. There come the superman of Ireland, Kevin O'Brien who scored a 50-ball century as Ireland chased down a target of 328 to upset England by three wickets at the World Cup. He launched into a furious counter-attack, going to 50 off 30 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Further he took just another 20 deliveries to complete the sixth quickest hundred in ODIs. Finally he blasted 113 off 63 deliveries, including 13 fours and 6 sixes, and shared a 162-run stand in 17 overs with Alex Cusack (47) which paved way for a history victory. It is the highest run chase of this format in World cup. To lose against a team like Ireland, who played really well towards the end of their batting innings, was very unexpected but a good wake-up call for the England team.

FLINTOFF says 'Bye' to Cricket

Andrew Flintoff, usually called as Freddie by all with love, a great asset to England Cricket team in all formats has announced his retirement after suffering with injuries. In the international cricketing career, he has played 79 Tests for England, with five centuries on his way to 3,845 runs at an average of 31.77 and 226 wickets at an average of 32.78. He has taken 52 catches of which most of them in the slips. In his 141 ODI matches, he scored 3394 at an average of 32.01 at a strike rate of 88.82. he had his test debut against South Africa on 1998 and ODI debut against Pakistan on 1999. He was one of those loveable rogues and an iconic figure within the game and his reputation was gained as much off the pitch as on it. He was voted BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2005 for his role in England's famous Ashes victory. Unfortunately, he had been plagued with injuries for much of his career, most of them affecting his back and knees. The latest of his injuries though, which required yet another operation on his knees, proved one too many and after consulting with medical advisers he decided to quit his career in cricket. In his final note, he said “My body has told me it's time to stop.I would like to thank my family, Lancashire, England, all my sponsors, friends and advisers for all the help and support they have given me throughout my career." Australian Captain Ricky Ponting was surprised to hear his retirement adding that he's been a great figure in the game. The way he's gone about his cricket, the way he's played the game and how much he's enjoyed the battle - probably particular in Ashes cricket - is something that's been very fun to be a part of for me. Freddie was the higher paid cricketer next to Kevin Pieterson in IPL. He was a fierce competitor till the end. His innings with Pietersen against Australia in Ashes, 2005 is an unmemorable moment. Let us wish him good luck for all his steps in the rest of his life.

ENGLAND win back the ASHES

Its a great time for England as they won the ASHES which is considered to be the most precious one even one step ahead higher than the world cup. After a long struggle England managed to lead the series 2-1. The final match decides the fate of the trophy which was over ruled completely by england over aussies. Flintoff leads England off with a stump in hand, leads them up the race to healthy applause. There's Kevin Pietersen in the dressing rooms, the whole England squad looks to be there, they've all played a part. The Man of the Match is Stuart Broad, he was the one who changed the game dramatically in one spell during the first innings. While England's Man of the series is Andrew Strauss for his brilliant batting and splendid captaincy-nominated by Tim Nielsen. For Australia, Michael Clarke for his dominating batting is the Man of the seriesnominated by Andy Flower. The Compton-Miller Medal goes to the player who has had the biggest impact on the series, goes to Andrew Strauss.

Broad: Greatest day of your career? 'By far'. Yea thank god, he says when Athers asks no bragging rights from the old man anymore in the family. 'No-one can replace Fred. He's been a fantastic servant to England cricket and as an up and coming allrounder it's been fantastic to play with him'.

Clarke: I would give the Mos award back for a different result today. Full credit to Eng, they have played really well throughout the series. Congrats to Freddie on a fantastic career and hope to see him in the ODIs soon. The run-outs topped the series off for us. That is the greatest learning curve about this game, just when you think you are doing OK it comes back and smacks you on the backside.

Ponting: We've given our all through the series but unfortunately it hasn't been good enough. Full credit to Andrew Strauss, he's led his side well through the series and deserves all the awards that has come his way. Eng have won some really crucial moments this series, they won the big moments and deserved to win the series. We knew that the result at Cardiff was crucial then as well and There's been countless opportunities for us throughout the series to put our stamp on the series and we haven't been able to do it. I have no idea(when asked if there will be questions about his captaincy). Will have a few questions to answer tonight and once I get back home. I wont take too many special memories from the Oval, this is one place I haven't got too many good memories. But who knows, With us losing here I might even see if I can make it back here for one more go in 2013.

Flintoff ends England's 75-year wait

Andrew Flintoff broke England's 75-year Lord's curse with his first five-wicket haul since the Ashes-clinching Oval Test of 2005. It was, unquestionably, a performance that delivered England to a 1-0 series lead heading into Edgbaston. England’s Victory was sealed 17 minutes before lunch when Graeme Swann pegged back Johnson middle stump with the Australian total at 406. Though Austalia lost 5 wickets for 128, haddin and Clarke took the team towards a safer position. They stick on to the game with their terrible batting performance remains unbeaten throughout the day with a ton in clarke’s account and haddin with solid 80 runs at the end of the day 4.

But only a famous exit from Lord's would do for "Super Fred", and England's allrounder duly obliged with the wicket of Brad Haddin from his fourth ball of the day. Things have changed in the day 5, where Australian batsmen started losing their wickets soon after the match starts. Johnson's early exchanges inspired little confidence that he would be the man to steer Australia to an improbable victory. Johnson half-ducked, half-stabbed at his first delivery from Flintoff and edges off the bowling of Flintoff and Stuart Broad fell inches in front of the slips, and Johnson may well have found pavilion-bound had Flintoff not overstepped before wrapping him on the pads with a straight full-toss that struck in line. Thus the victory fell over England and now leading the series 1-0.

Flintoff to retire from Test cricket

Andrew Flintoff has announced that he will retire from Test cricket at the end of this Ashes summer. He will be available for Twenty20 and ODI cricket and is expected to be fit for second Test against Australia. Flintoff has missed 25 of England's last 48 Tests through a variety of injuries, suffered another fitness scare on the eve of the Lord's Test.

"It's not something I have just thought of overnight, it's something that's been on my mind for a while regarding this series," said Flintoff. Also he added "I've had four ankle operations and knee surgery, so my body is telling me things, and I'm actually starting to listen. I can't just play games here and there while waiting to be fit. For my own sanity, and for my family's, I've got to draw a line under it. I've been going through two years of rehab in the past four, which is not ideal."

Since the 2005 Ashes, he has averaged 28.25 with the bat and 34.68 with the ball in 23 Tests (both figures down on his overall Test record of 31.69 and 32.51), and he has not managed a century or five wickets in an innings in any series since then. In the 25 matches that Flintoff has missed since 2005, England have won 12, drawn 10 and lost on only three occasions. In the 23 matches in which he has been present, those numbers are almost exactly reversed - won 3, drawn 7, lost 13.

ASHES: 1st Test made a thrilling end

James Anderson and Monty Panesar produced the most important innings of their lives as England's final pair survived 11.3 overs to pull off a thrilling escape at Cardiff. When Paul Collingwood fell for a monumental 245-ball 74 England still trailed by six. The Australians threw everything into the final hour in an electric atmosphere with the crowd cheering the two unlikely batting heroes as though the Ashes had been won. Panesar, the most unlikely of batting saviours, watched the ball like a hawk. Having left expertly against the quicks he played with soft hands against the spinners, and one of the biggest cheers of the day came when he square cut North for a boundary.

However, while Anderson and Panesar were there at the end to soak up the acclaim the escape wouldn't have been possible without one of Collingwood's most determined innings for his country. He came in early after Kevin Pietersen lost his off stump, shouldering arms to Ben Hilfenhaus, and soon faced an England card that read 70 for 5. He found vital support from Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad and particularly Graeme Swann, who overcame a peppering from Siddle, to share a 20-over stand.

Collingwood's fifty came off 167 balls, the slowest by an England batsman since Nasser Hussain against West Indies in Port of Spain during the 2004 tour, but the pace of his innings mattered not a jot. His only mistake proved his downfall as he chased some width from Siddle and Mike Hussey took a juggling catch in the gully. Collingwood isn't a superstar; he doesn't fit into the hero mould, but here he was both. Ponting admitted it was a tough result to take and Australia were ahead of the game virtually throughout the final day. However the Ashes thrill started at the end.