Providence (Guyana), May 4
A rain disruption cost England dearly as West Indies beat them by eight wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis system to enter the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup here. Chasing a mammoth 192 for victory, West Indies got lucky when a heavy downpour, that took away over an hour of the match, led to their target being revised to 60 in six overs yesterday.

The hosts, who were 30 for no loss when rain interrupted play, chased down the score after minor hiccups, leaving England dejected and frustrated. Put in to bat, Eoin Morgan's breezy 35-ball 55 laid the foundation of England's score. They piled up a challenging 191 for five, thanks to Morgan's 95-run partnership with Luke Wright, who scored 45 off 27 balls.

Chasing 192 to win, West Indies were 30 for no loss in 2.2 overs with captain Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul at the crease when play stopped due to heavy rain. Requiring another 30 runs from 3.2 overs after resumption, West Indies lost Gayle (25). Kieron Pollard also departed without scoring anything with Graeme Swann (2/24) scalping both the wickets. Opener Chanderpaul (15 not out) and Andre Fletcher (12 not out), however, ensured that the hosts made it to the Super Eight stage.

Earlier, England were off to a brilliant start with first three overs of the match yielding 30 runs. They suffered the first loss when Gayle removed Michael Lumb, who made 28 off 18 balls with the help of four fours, in the fourth over.

Kevin Pietersen then joined Craig Kieswetter and added 30 runs for the second wicket before a Nikita Miller delivery found Kieswetter's leg in front of the wickets. Kieswetter had struck a huge six off the second delivery of the over but Miller took his revenge by removing the batsman with the very next ball.

Captain Paul Collingwood (6) was the next man to go as Darren Sammy bowled him in the 10th over and then removed Pietersen. — PTI

West Indies have registered four wins out of five contested against England in Twenty20 Internationals.

Stat pack

England have lost eight matches so far in ICC World Twenty20 - the most by any nation.

England (191 for five) posted their highest total against West Indies in Twenty20 Internationals.

Eoin Morgan (55 off 35 balls) recorded his third half-century in Twenty20 Internationals.

Morgan and Wright shared a fifth-wicket stand of 95 - England's highest against West Indies for any wicket in Twenty20 Internationals.

Darren Sammy, with 21 wickets at 13.80 runs apiece at a strike rate of 13.0, is the leading wicket-taker for West Indies in Twenty20 Internationals.

Sammy became the first player to receive two successive Man of the Match awards in ICC World Twenty20. 

West Indies enter Super 8s

Chase down 60 in 6 ovrs, target revised after rain

England lose despite scoring 191 for 5

Collingwood wants D/L method scrapped for T20s

It was first used in international cricket in the second game of the 1996/7 Zimbabwe versus England One Day International series, which Zimbabwe won by 7 runs

It was formally adopted by the International Cricket Council in 2001 as the standard method of calculating target scores in rain shortened one-day matches.

The essence of the D/L method is 'resources'. Each team is taken to have two 'resources' to use to make as many runs as possible: the number of overs they have to receive; and the number of wickets they have in hand.

Has been criticized based on the fact that wickets are (necessarily) a much more weighted resource than overs.

Another criticism is that the D/L method does not account for changes in the proportion of number of overs during which field restrictions are in place compared to a completed match.

Providence (Guyana), May 4
Once again rain and the Duckworth-Lewis method revisited the on-going Twenty 20 World Cup in the West Indies as New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 7 runs at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday.

New Zealand were 36/1 in 8.1 overs while chasing a paltry 85, when rain stopped play and after waiting for more than an hour, the Kiwis were declared winners by 7 runs because they were ahead according to the Duckworth-Lewis system.

Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya had dismissed the in-form and dangerous Jesse Ryder in the third over to give his team an early breakthrough, but it ultimately proved to be futile as for the second consecutive game the African nation were done in by inclement weather.

Earlier, both Nathan McCullum and Scott Styris took three wickets in one over as New Zealand bundled out Zimbabwe for 84 runs. Zimbabwe lost their last 9 wickets for 26 runs after getting off to a decent start with openers Hamilton Masakadza and Tatendu Taibu putting up a stand of 36 runs. The Kiwis got their first breakthrough when Tim Southee had Taibu caught by Jacob Oram at square leg off a slow bouncer. Masakadza was then ran out by a good throw by Oram from deep square leg and from that point, the Zimbabwe collapse began.

In the next over, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori clean bowled Andy Blignaut from behind his legs. — Agencies

Brief Scores:

Zim: 84 (McCullum 3-16, Styris 3-5)

New Zealand: 36 for 1

NZ win by 7 runs

D/L method

Chandigarh, May 4
For success of any revival plan, all essential inputs in adequate proportion have to be ensured. However, in case of Punjab’s hockey revival plan, one important component — coaches — has been far short of the demand. Against a requirement of a minimum of 50 coaches, the State has only 25.

Though some Olympians, former international and national players have been roped in, still many centers are without qualified coaches. If some more Olympians and former internationals come forward to train boys and girls in their areas, problem of shortage of coaches can be solved. These volunteers can be paid honorarium under the PYKA scheme of the Union Government.

Infrastructure needs more attention. Centers without synthetic surfaces have bald or grassy fields that are bumpy and uneven. To meet other needs, it is time for the sports promoters and NGOs to come forward and lend a helping hand. For example, Ropar Hawks has been one of the pioneer organisations in the State. Besides running a hockey nursery, this Club was the first in the State to have its own clubhouse, hockey stadium, junior and senior teams besides holding a grade-I tournament. A team of dedicated volunteers led by Swinder Singh Saini has given national team several star players. Faridkot Raiders and Ripudaman Club in Nabha are other such organsiations in Punjab while Rock Rovers has done the same in Chandigarh.

Amritsar has been experiencing shortage of hockey coaches. For four hockey centers, including one for girls, it has a solo woman coach. Otherwise, the city has two residential wings at Khalsa College Senior Secondary School and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Academy. Two Academy players have played for the country in the last Junior Asia Cup. The only hockey wing for girls is at St Marry High School that has Jasmit Kaur of the Sports Department as its coach.

Other wings for day scholars are at Government Senior Secondary School in Attari, SGGS Khalsa Hockey Academy, Mehta, Udhonangal, and Butala and at Baba Bakala that also has a center for girls. Former International Balbir Singh Randhawa is the management coach.

For young Sarbjit Singh playing on Astroturf in border area of Mehta is a thrilling experience. In Tarn Taran, Government Senior Secondary School for Girls, Kairon, has hockey wings in under-14, 17 and 19 age groups.

To meet the demand for coaches, the Sports Department roped in Accenture Management Company that recruited 177 coaches from amongst diploma holders in coaching from the NIS or had been former players. They are paid between Rs 7,000 and Rs 14,000. Former national coach Sukhvir Singh Grewal and captain of 2002 Indian hockey team Ramandeep Singh have been associated with the revival of hockey project as honorary Directors of Training.

A couple of Indo-Pak wars and floods caused by Sutlej may have deprived Ferozepore of many facilities even after 63 years of independence, yet hockey has been bringing it a good name by producing international level players. Braving lack of government support and blatant ignorance by various federations, the town has been keeping its tradition of producing players of par excellence intact.

The town boasts of producing players like hockey wizard Dhyan Chand, Ajit Singh, Balbir Singh, Charles Stephen, Rajinder Singh and Gagan Ajit Singh and has been training number of urban and rural youths to propel them into the orbit where they could be selected for national and international level competitions.

Har Narain Singh Laddi, who has retired as hockey coach from the local sports department, said though Punjab government had not appointed any hockey coach so far, his son Manmeet Singh, a constable in Punjab police, had been engaged by local Sher Shahwali hockey academy to train the children.

“Punjab government has set up ‘six-a-side’ Astroturf at the local stadium where school children, mostly belonging to poor families, practice every day. About 60 trainees are given refreshment by the Sher Shahwali Hockey Academy every day,” he said. Balkar Singh Boparai, district sports officer, has repeatedly written to the government for a hockey coach.

Ajit Singh, former Olympian and Arjuna Awardee, wants a full Astroturf in Ferozepore. Satisfied at the progress of the game in this border town, he said Ravinder Pal Singh, a trainee here, has been selected to represent India in the coming Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament. “The academy has been doing its best to hunt talent and to train them,” says Surjeet Singh, secretary of the Sher Shahwali Hockey Academy. — To be concluded

With inputs from Neeraj Bagga and Chander Parkash. 

BRIEFLY

Anand draws again, leads 4-3
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Pune FC beat JCT 2-0
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Players back Houghton
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