Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014 India-Pakistan rivalry on show at World Twenty20 MIRPUR: Traditional rivals India and Pakistan kick-start some things right in time. “Our bowling is an area of arguably the most successful captain in limited overs the Super 10 stage of the World Twenty20 yesterday at concern and we also need to get good starts with our cricket, having led his team to victory in the 2007 World the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. Grouped along with anoth- batting. If we have wickets in hand, we are always capa- T20, 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. er former champion, the West Indies, powerful Australia ble of scoring some 10-15 runs above par,” Dhoni said. Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said his team and a qualifier from Group A of the ongoing prelimi- The Indian spinners will have to make up for an inex- would take inspiration from a recent victory in the Asia nary stage, the two teams know it is only the beginning perienced pace attack and it could well be a contest Cup against India but conceded that Dhoni’s return of a testing league competition in the tough Group 2. between India’s batting lineup, which has the likes of would bolster the Indian team. Pakistan has never beaten India in five meetings in Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni, and Pakistan’s “Dhoni’s leadership is a key factor as he has done the World Cup and three in the World Twenty20. bowling, which boasts of pace bowler Umar Gul and well over the past five-six years,” Hafeez said. “They’re a Pakistan has also won only one of five T20s against off-spinner Saeed Ajmal among others. good batting side but having played in Bangladesh India. But India captain Mahendra Singh Dhonis said “They have some very good bowlers like Gul and during the recent Asia Cup we have prepared well.” yesterday that records don’t matter. “A lot of people Ajmal. They also have some good allrounders which Hafeez said he was not worried about statistics con- talk about that (results in ICC world events) but every- makes things difficult for any opposition,” Dhoni said in cerning the teams and that this was not necessarily the thing depends on what we do on the field,” Dhoni said reference to Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Pakistan all-important game fans on either side of the border on the eve of the high-profile game. “In fact, the gap captain Mohammad Hafeez. make it out to be. “This is not the whole tournament. between teams is very narrow and the smaller sides too India has played only one Twenty20 international We have to do well as it is important to strike a good have the talent to upset top sides in this format.” since December 2012 but Dhoni said he was relying on rhythm for the other matches ahead,” he said. India looks a little vulnerable with Dhoni missing the the experience of the cash-rich Indian Premier League Meanwhile, matches of Group 2, which consists of Sri recent 50-over Asia Cup in which it lost to both Pakistan for his team. “Our players have the experience of the Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, England and a quali- and Sri Lanka. Dhoni said it is only a matter of getting IPL and also of the conditions here,” said Dhoni, fier, commence in Chittagong tomorrow. — AP Top seeds take centre stage at World Twenty20 DHAKA: The World Twenty20 steps up a rounds. T20 title to their packed trophy cabinet, gear today as cricket’s top eight sides “The matches to follow are as impor- have opted for experience, bringing in 39- enter the fray, with Pakistan seeking a his- tant as the one on Friday, but we are not year-old batsman Brad Hodge and 43- toric win against India in the second looking beyond our first game yet.” True year-old spinner Brad Hogg. round’s standout clash. to the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket, But the Aussies will miss fearsome fast Minnows of international cricket have there have been different champions bowler Mitchell Johnson due to an infect- been slogging it out in the expanded 16- each time. England won in 2010 and the ed toe, while England will be without the nation tournament, with two qualifying West Indies triumphed in 2012, adding to injured Joe Root and Ben Stokes. spots and a chance to join the big boys up the victories for India and Pakistan. England are also missing batsman for grabs from round one. Darren Sammy’s West Indies, who Kevin Pietersen, who was the star of their CHITTAGONG: Nepal’s Subash Khakurel plays a shot as In the Super-10 stage, Asian giants open the defence of their title on the back lone title triumph four years ago. Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, right, Pakistan and India will be joined in Group of a confidence-boosting T20 series win England’s all-time leading run-scorer watches during their ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match Two by the West Indies, Australia and one against England, boast one of the most across all formats was controversially axed in Chittagong, Bangladesh, yesterday. — AP of the successful qualifiers. The other destructive batsmen in world cricket- following a 5-0 Ashes series loss Down qualifier will join South Africa, Sri Lanka, opener Chris Gayle. Under, even though he was their highest England and New Zealand in Group One Sri Lanka-the top-ranked T20 side-have scorer. South Africa, starting a new era Bangladesh progress with two sides from each group advanc- prepared by spending more than six after the recent retirements of Graeme ing to the semi-finals. weeks in Bangladesh, winning bilateral Smith and Jacques Kallis, and New in World Twenty20 The identity of the two qualifiers from contests in all three formats before taking Zealand will also be strong contenders in round one will be known just hours the Asia Cup. the wide open tournament. The final is on before Pakistan bid to defeat arch rivals Australia, hoping to add a first World April 6. — AFP despite loss to HK India for the first time at the World Twenty20. CHITTAGONG: Hosts Bangladesh crawled into the main draw “It has nothing to do with history,” of the World Twenty20 despite an embarrassing two-wicket Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez told defeat by Hong Kong in their final qualifying match in a packed media conference in Dhaka yes- Chittagong yesterday. terday. “Beating India will be important Skittled out for a paltry 108 in 16.3 overs, Bangladesh because a good start will give us momen- risked losing the super 10 stage berth to Nepal if Hong Kong tum in the tournament. could chase down the target in 13.1 overs. “I am glad we are playing India first up. Their bowlers, however, ensured Bangladesh stayed afloat We are all excited about this game. The in the tournament but could not stop associate nation Hong morale is good because we beat them in Kong from achieving a memorable victory over their test play- the Asia Cup. But we have to be at our ing rivals with two balls to spare. best to win.” Bangladesh now join three former champions - India, Pakistan and West Indies - and Australia in Group Two where Unpredictable format such sloppy play would invite humiliation. Pakistan qualified for the semi-finals in Put into bat, Bangladesh lost two wickets in the first over all four editions of the World Twenty20, before Shakib Al Hasan (34) and Anamul Haq (26) steadied the winning the tournament in 2009 in ship. Cheered on by their passionate fans, the home side England after being runners-up to India in cruised to 85-3 in the 11th over before their spectacular col- the inaugural event in 2007. lapse at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. India, however, have not made the For Hong Kong, Nadeem Ahmed (4-21) and Nizakat Khan semi-finals since their title win despite the (3-19) wreaked havoc as Bangladesh folded for a below-par popularity of the T20 Indian Premier score. League over the last six years. Hong Kong’s inexperience showed in their wobbly chase Unpredictable format - For Indian captain but Munir Dar (36) plundered 15 runs off a Farhad Reza over Mahendra Singh Dhoni, previous results to turn the match on its head and Haseeb Amjad hit a six to will be irrelevant when the teams take to score the winning run for them. the field at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Earlier, Nepal upset Afghanistan by nine runs in another the Bangladeshi capital on Friday Group A match for their second victory in the qualifiers. evening. “Nothing of the past matters in DHAKA: Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi (L), Umar Akmal (2nd L) and Umar Gul (R) Put into bat, Subash Khakurel (56) and Sharad Vesawkar this game,” he said, reminding critics that stretch at a training session during the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament at (37) helped Nepal to a competitive 141-5 before they returned India lost just one game at the 2012 edi- The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka yesteday. — AFP to restrict Afghanistan to 132-8. — Agencies tion and yet failed to make the knock-out.