TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016 SPORTS Williamson wary of spin challenge at World Twenty20 NAGPUR: New Zealand is wary of the India’s Ravichandran Ashwin-led spin record has any meaning. We go into Bangladesh as well as a 3-0 series vic- threat Indian spinners could pose for attack that also boasts allrounders the match tomorrow with a clean tory in Australia. Kohli led the way, its batsmen in the World Twenty20 Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja, slate. India is a strong side and scoring 352 runs in eight T20 games at Super 10 opener, captain Kane part-timer Suresh Raina and the back- Twenty20 cricket is fickle in nature,” a strike-rate of 134 and an average of Williamson said yesterday. up of Harbhajan Singh. said Williamson, who has match-win- 117.33, with openers Rohit Sharma “The pitch will be on the slow side New Zealand has the added chal- ners of his own, such as batsmen Ross and Shikhar Dhawan also among the and perhaps take a little turn,” lenge of adjusting quickly to the for- Taylor and Martin Guptill and all- runs. “The middle-order has not got Williamson said. “In Indian conditions mat as its last engagement was a test rounder Corey Anderson. too much of an opportunity in recent we can expect spin to play a big part series against Australia, but India’s in-form batsman Virat Kohli games. So it becomes our responsibili- and it’s important that we adjust our Williamson played down this concern. said the team’s fine recent run gave it ty to get the runs at the top of the game accordingly.” “In international games you get to a lot of confidence. order,” Kohli said. “I come in at No. 3 so The pitch used here for a test match change formats consistently,” “We’re pretty confident after win- have a better chance of getting runs against South Africa last year had Williamson said. Host India is the ning 10 of 11 games and hope to take than batsmen to follow. We all under- been rated as poor by the favorite to win the tournament but that momentum into the stand that.” International Cricket Council with the starts its campaign against an opposi- World Twenty20,” Kohli said. “This is India and New Zealand are with game ending inside three days. tion it has never beaten in four previ- going to be far more challenging. This Australia, Pakistan and Bangladesh in The World T20 qualifying games ous meetings, including in the 2007 is a big event and the whole feeling, Group 2. Group 1 consists of West also saw the ball turn. That could mag- edition which India won in South vibe is different.” India’s recent success- Indies, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka nify the challenge in batting against Africa. “I don’t think our previous es include winning the Asia Cup in and Afghanistan. — AP New Zealand captain Kane Williamson Key players in world T20 1 NEW DELHI: As the group stages of Group 2 cricket’s World T20 begin this week, Players to watch from Group 2 of AFP takes a look at some of the players the World Twenty20, featuring India, who are expected to light up the tour- New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia and nament. The following is a list of poten- Bangladesh, as the tournament’s main tial match-winners from the five teams draw gets underway today: competing in Group 1, which features Ravichandran Ashwin (India): the West Indies, South Africa, England, With question marks over India’s pace Sri Lanka and Afghanistan: attack, Ashwin will be the team’s go-to man in home conditions. The off-spin- Group 2 ner comes into the tournament as the Chris Gayle (West Indies): It’s been top-ranked T20 bowler in the absence a while since Gayle played Test cricket of the West Indies’ Sunil Narine. With but his appetite for T20s appears many variations including the ‘carrom undimmed. While the biggest head- ball’ up his sleeve, Ashwin is feared on lines from his recent stint in Australia’s Indian wickets and he’s also handy with Big Bash League revolved around his the bat lower down the order. bid to chat up a TV reporter, he also Colin Munro (New Zealand): bludgeoned a stunning 12-ball 50. Forget Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill Gayle racked up the highest ever score and Corey Anderson, New Zealand in T20s while playing for the Bangalore suddenly has another big-hitter in the Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier form of Munro, 29. The unheralded League three years ago, hitting an left-hander has been in sensational unbeaten 175 off 66 balls. And he lit up form this year and starred in the Black the first World T20 in 2007 by notching Caps’ 74-run thrashing of Sri Lanka in up the format’s first international cen- Thursday’s warm-up match in Mumbai. tury. It could be the last chance for glo- Munro smashed 67, including seven ry for a player, now aged 36, that cap- sixes, off 34 balls, leading Anderson to NAGPUR: India’s Virat Kohli prepares for the training session at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur yesterday. India plays tain Darren Sammy describes as “the call him “one hell of a player”. His form against New Zealand in the World T20 cricket tournament today in Nagpur. — AFP most destructive” in T20 cricket. is timely for New Zealand, after the Imran Tahir (South Africa): With retirement of their swashbuckling cap- paceman Dale Steyn struggling with tain Brendon McCullum. injury, the hopes of South Africa’s David Warner (Australia): Arguably Kohli urges calm as bowling attack will rest largely on the the most brutal opener in Test cricket, shoulders of leg-spinner Imran Tahir. Warner has been handed a new role in The 36-year-old has been in the form the middle order of Australia’s T20 side. of his life in 2016 and was the stand- A blistering 77 off just 40 balls against out bowler in the recent T20 series India begin campaign South Africa last weekend showed how against Australia and England. Born in quickly he has adapted to the change Pakistan, Tahir broke into the Proteas’ and he says he is relishing the opportu- NAGPUR: Star batsman Virat Kohli urged his with them into the side. (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit side at a relatively late age because of nity to face more spin bowling. Warner team-mates to stay calm yesterday amid grow- “They have backed their skills and I think this Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, issues over his eligibility, but quickly made his debut for Australia’s T20 team ing fervour about India’s prospects in the World is what has been the x-factor for us.” Like many Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Mohammed became a fans’ favourite due to his even before he played first-class cricket Twenty20, ahead of the host’s tricky tournament of his fellow skippers, Williamson believes that Shami, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik ability to turn matches. The stylish but is now an automatic pick in all for- opener against New Zealand. India are the team to beat but says his side- Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Rohit spinner wears his heart on his sleeve mats. His in-your-face approach has After winning 10 of their last 11 T20 interna- which is still to win a world cup-do not lack in Sharma, Yuvraj Singh New Zealand (from): and is a natural entertainer, famed for landed him in trouble, including his tionals, India are red-hot favourites for the World belief. “No doubt India will be possibly the Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, his often dramatic appeals for a wicket. infamous 2013 ban for punching T20 and former batsman Virender Sehwag said favourites for this tournament but I think all the Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Grant Elliott, Joe Root (England): He may have England’s Joe Root in a bar. But as vice- last week he was “99 percent certain” they would teams will come here thinking they can win it,” Colin Munro, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan the appearance of a choirboy but the captain in what is a relatively inexperi- become the first team to win the trophy for a he said last week. McCullum, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Luke chirpy Yorkshireman is a steely com- enced squad, much responsibility now second time. But Kohli, who is sometimes Teams Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim petitor who gets up the noses of oppo- rests on the 29-year-old’s shoulders. regarded as something of a firebrand, tried to India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni Southee, Ross Taylor. — AFP nents. Widely seen as a captain-in-wait- Shoaib Malik (Pakistan): The mid- put a dampener on expectations in a press con- ference on the eve of the match in Nagpur and ing, Root has excelled at all forms of dle-order batsman made his interna- the game and appears to relish the said it was important not to get carried away. tional debut back in 1999 when still a “I think the key is to learn from the past more aggressive style of cricket that teenager, beginning a rollercoaster World T20 squads England have pursued in the last year. where calmness is required in big tournaments ride which seems to be drawing to a Still only 25, he has already scored like the ICC (International Cricket Council) events close. Still only 34, he dropped a more than 6,000 international runs because you can get sort of carried away or over NEW DELHI: Squads for the group stages sixth Group 2 bombshell last November by announc- since making his debut in India four anxious or over excited,” said Kohli, who is India’s edition of the International Cricket Council’s AUSTRALIA ing his retirement from Test cricket, years ago.