South Africa announces T20 squad for tri-series

Ahead of the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series in Zimbabwe in June, the South Africa cricket team selectors have recalled the middle order batsman, Faf du Plessis, in a 15-man squad. The Highveld Lions all-rounder, Chris Morris, is perhaps going to make his international debut with this tri-nation series.

Senior players like AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, and the fast-bowling pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have been stored up for the upcoming series against England. These four players played extensively during the recently concluded IPL 2012. However, the young-studded South Africa team will be led by Johan Botha.

The 27-year-old Du Plessis made his debut in 2011 and since making his debut he has so far played 21 ODI matches for South Africa. He has never been part of the T20 squad. After showing good performance for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2012, he has made his inclusion in the shortest format. Although he finished 13^th in the batting charts, he was given the orange cap for his contribution with the bat. He scored three half-centuries in the tournament.

Chris Morris has caught the attention of selectors showing his all-rounder performance. With the bat he has scored two half-centuries and took 23 wickets at an average of 26.00 in the first-class competition. Taking 21 wickets, he became the leading bowler overall in the Miway T20 competition.

The tri-nation T20 series also features Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Squad: Johan Botha (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Faf du Plessis, Richard Levi, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Dane Vilas (wk). 

South Africa moves up to second position in the ODI ranking after India loses against Bangladesh

South African cricket team has moved up to second position in the ICC ODI Championship table at the April 1 cut-off date after India lost the match against Bangladesh by 5-wicket in an Asia Cup match in Mirpur.

Because of their defeat at the hands of host Bangladesh, India lost two points and slipped from 118 ratings point to 116 ratings point. Their heroic victory against the arch-rival Pakistan could not help them to regain their place. Even if they could manage to reach the final then it would not be enough to overtake South Africa.

For this achievement, South Africa cricket team lead by AB de Villiers won a prize of USD 75,000. They are just behind Australia, who are eight rating points ahead than Proteas. Australia has won a cash prize of USD 175,000 after securing their place in the top position in the ODI ranking following its victory over the West Indies in the first ODI at Kingstown.

Australia is far ahead than the second-ranked South Africa. If they lose the remaining ODI matches of the current series then they will not be dropped behind South Africa.

Besides winning the cash prize, the four-time world champions have also retained the prestigious ODI Championship shield for the third year running.

England cricket team has taken the top position in the ICC Test Championship after they finished the match with a draw against New Zealand in Dunedin and earned USD 175,000.

The three-match Test series between South Africa and New Zealand is going on. South Africa needed to win all the matches to overtake England. As the first match ended in a draw, it would not be possible for South Africa to overtake England even if they win the remaining two matches of he series before the cut-off date.

England will struggle to save their ODI series defeat

The fourth ODI match against Australia will be a tough challenge for the touring team England to keep their hope alive to make their comeback in the 7-match ODI series.

It is going to be a crucial one for England cricket team. They will have to win the match if they want to win the ODI series too. Australia is now leading the ODI series by 3-0 with three consecutive victories. Now, they need one more victory to seal the ODI series. Obviously, Australia will expect to ensure their one-day international series victory as soon as possible after winning the 4^th ODI match, which will be played on January 25, 2011.

No doubt, England will try their best to fight back in the competition and that is why they have to win tomorrow’s match. Fans may see some big changes in the England squad. England defeated Australia in the Ashes test but their form in ODI format of cricket game is not satisfactory. Looking at their poor form in the limited over cricket game, anyone may think that England cannot avoid the whitewash.

It is surprising to see that despite their thumping defeat in the Ashes test, they made their return with full of strength and confidence.

The fourth ODI match will be an acid test for England batsman, Matt Prior. He is out of form. He has failed to score any run in his last two matches. If he fails to prove his batting skill then he would be dropped from the squad for the rest of the matches.

The big question is that if England can survive their hope of winning the ODI series.

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Time of India vs South Africa 2nd Test match 2010

The second test match against South Africa is going to be a crucial one for the touring team India. Losing the first test match by an innings and 25 runs, Indian cricket team has been put under huge pressure. They should try their best to make their comeback winning the second test match at the Kingsmead, Durban.

No doubt, it is going to be a tough task for Indian cricket team. Their poor performance has raised a question about India’s inability to beat South Africa in their backyard. However, fans around the world are expecting that world number one test cricket team will make tough competition against the opponent in the second test match.

Fans of both teams should want to watch this match live by ball by. To enjoy the match live, they have to know the match start time. It will start at 10:00 South African time and 13:30 Indian Standard Time and 08:00 GMT.

The match will be shown live on Ten Cricket for South Asian sub-continent.

South Africa is always a tough ground for India. They don’t have any good experience in this country. India hasn’t won any test series in South Africa. They won just one test match that came in Johannesburg.

It is the time to see if Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team can make a record in South Africa. India needs to improve both their batting and bowling line up. Indian batting line up looked woefully out of depth in the first innings and bowling line up was found ineffective.

In the first innings, India was bundled out for 136 with three batsmen were out for a duck. Though they made good start in the second innings they were bowled out for 456 runs.

On the other hand, Indian bowlers could manage to get only four wickets with Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma shared two wickets each. Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan was out of squad due to injury. It is expected that Zaheer Khan will be picked for the second test.

Venue of India vs South Africa 2nd Test match 2010

The second test match between India and South Africa will kick off from 26^th December 2010 at the Kingsmead, Durban. It is scheduled to be held at 08:30 GMT (10:00 local time) and 13:30 Indian Standard Time. After losing the first test match by an innings and 25 runs, touring team is heading to the second test match to level the series. However, South Africa took the control of the three-match test series 1-0.

The world number one test cricket team has never won a test series in South Africa. They have won just one test. The current Indian squad are said to be the stronger side and they have best chance to beat South Africa. India is in buoyant form after getting two comprehensive series wins over Australia and New Zealand on Indian soil. So, it has become a big challenge for them to continue the success in the oldest format of cricket game.

However, Indian cricket team has once again proved that they are always weaker opponent in South Africa. Their poor performance in the first test match disappointed the fans around the world. Experienced batsmen have showed that they are helpless in bouncy tracks and not able to deal with short pitched deliveries.

India’s poor performance has raised a question of whether India can beat the South Africa in their backyard. It is not easy to answer the question. It depends on the performance of Indian batsmen. Not only batsmen but also bowlers were responsible for the defeat.

Kingsmead cricket ground will host the second test match between India and South Africa. It is also known as Sahara Stadium. It has 25000 sitting capacity. It is the home ground of KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins.

In 1923, it hosted the first test match between South Africa and England which ended in a draw. It is well known for bowling friendly pitch especially for seamers. As it is quite close to the beach, it will be watching to see how the tide affects batting conditions.

Let us see if India can make their comeback in the ongoing test series.

Schedule of India vs South Africa Cricket Series 2010

Indian cricket team’s 50 days tour of South Africa will start from 16^th December 2010 with the first test match of the 3-match Test series that will take place at the SuperSport Park, Centurion. It will end on 23^rd January 2010 with the final ODI match between them. Moreover, both India and South Africa will face each other to play only Twenty20 international and a 5-match ODI series besides the Test series. It is perhaps going to be the last full packed series for both India and South Africa before the 2011 ICC World Cup.

It is going to be a tough series for both Indian and South African cricket teams as they are holding the first and second spots respectively in ICC Test Team ranking. This series has become a big challenge for the touring team to make a new record after winning a test series as they have never won a test series in South Africa.

On the other hand, the host team will try their best to continue their dominance on their home ground. It will be interesting to see if Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team can bring cheer in the mind of millions of Indian fans.

Date	Teams	Time	Venue
December 16-20, 2010	South Africa vs India- 1st Test	GMT 8:30 Local Time 10:30 Indian Standard Time 14:00	SuperSport Park, Centurion
December 26-30, 2010	South Africa vs India- 2nd Test	GMT 08:00 Local Time 10:00 Indian Standard Time 13:30	Kingsmead, Durban
January 2-6, 2010	South Africa vs India- 3rd Test	GMT 08:30 Local Time 10:30 Indian Standard Time 14:00	Newlands, Cape Town
January 9, 2010	South Africa vs India- T20 International	GMT 12:30 Local Time 14:30 Indian Standard Time 18:00	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
January 12, 2010	South Africa vs India-1st ODI	GMT 12:30 Local Time 14:30 Indian Standard Time 18:00	Kingsmead, Durban
January 15, 2010	South Africa vs India-2nd ODI	GMT 12:30 Local Time 14:30 Indian Standard Time 18:00	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
January 18, 2010	South Africa vs India- 3rd ODI	GMT 12:30 Local Time 14:30 Indian Standard Time 18:00	Newlands, Cape Town
January 21, 2010	South Africa vs India- 4th ODI	GMT 12:30 Local Time 14:30 Indian Standard Time 18:00	St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
January 23, 2010	South Africa vs India-5th ODI	GMT 08:00 Local Time 10:00 Indian Standard Time 13:30	SuperSport Park, Centurion

Indian cricket team is in now in good form after getting two back-to-back comprehensive series wins against Australia and New Zealand at home. It will inspire them carry on their performance and cement their top position in Test ranking. On the other hand, South Africa finished their recently concluded Test series against Pakistan with a draw.

Dhoni and his teammates will have to struggle hard to play in the South African pitches as it favors the bowlers most of the time.

The South African pitches generally have pace and bounce that will help the fast bowlers to take the dominance. On the other hand, SuperSport Park is different than other playing grounds as it is considered to support batsmen too along with bowlers. It will be interesting to see if batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir can successfully face the challenge from the most successful opening spell pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

South Africa seems to be a strong favorite. All of their batsmen are now in excellent form. It will obviously be a difficult task for Indian fast bowlers to put the host team under pressure.

It seems that injury is the big opponent for the Proteas. Most of their key players are facing uncertainty to take part in the forthcoming test series. Proteas captain, Graeme Smith, is in the top of the injury list. He fractured his ring finger of his left hand in the first ODI against Pakistan in the recently concluded series in Abu Dhabi. Hashim Amla is another star player who is also not sure about his playing against India. He struck his left forearm while fielding at short leg in the second test against Pakistan. The news of their injury will boost Indian team to perform well.

India largely depends on the performance of their top order batsmen to conquer the series. Hard hitting opening batsman, Virender Sehwag, will have to play an important role to put the Proteas pacers under pressure from the beginning of the series. Gautam Gambhir has made his perfect return to form after scoring back-to-back hundreds against New Zealand in the recently concluded ODI series. He will be the perfect partner for Virender Sehwag in the opening stand. The inclusion of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni has made the Indian side much stronger on paper.

Young and promising players like Suresh Raina can also play vital role and master his ability to play the short pitched delivery. Indian selectors keep faith on new face like Wriddhiman Saha and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have the experience of playing only one test match.

Indian bowlers have always been criticized for their poor performance. It is the time to see if bowlers can help the team to clinch the series. Zaheer Khan will lead the bowling department with Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth.

Two new faces, Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, have been included in the squad. Jaidev Unadkat, nineteen year old, impressed the selectors showing his good bowling performance in the under-19 team.