World Cup 2012 Highlights

source: Getty Images

The World Cup is done and dusted for 2012 and the West Indies have taken home the major prize and their fourth major international title. They are also the fourth different champion the tournament has had since its inception in 2007, which says a lot about the excitement and unpredictability of Twenty20 cricket.

As a way to round off the tournament, we'll take a look back at some of our highlights of the Twenty20 World Cup, both on and off the field (or alternatively have a listen to the podcast, which I assure you is incredibly visual):

• The Super Eight stage was where the tournament really got going, with cricket's heavyweights going head to head on a daily basis.

• Pakistan's great escape against South Africa, while helped them qualify for the semi-finals, while conjuring horrible feelings of deja-vu for South African fans.

• Whether you are an Australian fan or not (or even a Watson fan or not!) you have to be impressed by Shane Watson's tournament. Leading run scorer, second most wickets, he pretty much did it all carrying Australia further than the team's form probably deserved.

• The match winning performances of the spin bowlers, who for most of the tournament kept batsmen under their thumbs.

• When batsmen got off the leash though, they went big:

These are some but not all of the many highlights from this crazy three week festival of cricket, if you feel we have missed any, or have your own, feel free to leave a comment below.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT

Throughout the tournament we have been awarding votes on a 3-2-1 basis in recognition of outstanding on-field performance. Now that the World Cup has been run and won by the West Indies, we can reveal our Twenty20 MVP!

The most valuable player according to our calculations was Shane Watson of Australia with 12 votes, followed by the Yuvraj Singh from India with 7 votes, with England's Luke Wright and Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene tied for third on 6. The full standings can be found here.

The Tucker Trophy

The trophy was named in honour of
Malcolm Tucker, known for his
displeasure of poor performances.

The Twenty20 World Cup has seen many awards handed out to many deserving winners; the title to the West Indies, Shane Watson was named the player of the tournament and Marlon Samuels collected the award for the best player of the final. But now we come to the award that no one wants to win: The Tucker Trophy.

West Indies win T20 World Cup after defeating Sri Lanka

Source: cricinfo.com   

• West Indies (Samuels 78, Sammy 26*) 6-137 def. Sri Lanka (Jayawardene 33, Kulasekara 26) 10-101

Summary:

In front of a sell-out home crowd of 35,000, the Sri Lankan's were on the verge of etching their own cricket folklore amongst their fans. It was the West Indies who won the toss and elected to bat first. A horror start with the bat, that included a wicket maiden in the opening over, left the West Indies middle order scrambling for whatever runs they could muster.

Opener Johnson Charles was caught for a duck after 5 balls off AD Mathews. Chris Gayle (3) followed shortly after being found out LBW for the first of Mendis' 4 wickets. Mendis also grabbed the wickets of Bravo (19), Pollard (2) and Russell (0). It took the West Indies an astonishing 12.2 overs to reach 50 runs.

It was left up to Samuels (78) and Sammy (26*) to revive the innings and finish with a defensible total of 137.

The Sri Lankan's innings started in similar fashion to the West Indies. Dilshan was gone for a duck and the home nation were 1-6. Jayawardene (33) and Sangakkara (22) steadied the ship after a wobbly start. Once Sangakkara fell the score was 2-48. In a matter of 5 overs they were 7-69 and the collapse had well and truly crippled the Sri Lankan's hopes of snatching victory in front of their home crowd.

Despite staring into the eyes of defeat, they fought on gallantly before being bowled all out for 101.

First world title after 33 years

West Indies 137 for 6 (Samuels 78, Sammy 26*, Mendis 4-12) beat Sri Lanka 101 (Jayawardene
There were celebrations all over the ground, as the West Indies defeated the host nation by 36 runs in a low scoring final.
The Gangnam- style was all over Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Sunday night as the cricket team celebrated their ICC World Twenty20 tournament. They won a world cup after 33 years and the start of a new golden chapter for Caribbean cricket.

Final preview: Sri Lanka vs West Indies

Captains Mahela Jayawardene (left) and Darren Sammy (right) with the T20 World Cup trophy.

                                   
After three weeks and 26 matches, featuring twelve the world's best T20 cricket teams, we are down to just two: host nation Sri Lanka and the West Indies, the entertainers of world cricket. But will it be Sri Lanka who shake off their bridesmaids tag to win in front of their home crowd, or will we see Chris Gayle again leading Gangnam-style celebrations for the West Indies? We break down the two teams to try to find out:

Match report: Gayle blows Australia away

Source: cricinfo.com

• West Indies 205/4 (Gayle 75*, Pollard 38) defeated Australia 131 (Bailey 63, Rampaul 3/16)

Summary:

The West Indies' two most damaging players, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard were at their destructive best as the Windies crushed Australia to advance to the final. Gayle batted through the innings to make 75 off 41 balls, while Pollard finished the work Gayle begun with a whirlwind 15-ball innings of 38. The duo particularly enjoyed the offerings of Australian spinner Xavier Doherty, and helped themselves to 48 runs from his three overs. Facing a mammoth total for victory, Australia was out of the hunt quickly, losing their top order inside the first five overs. Captain George Bailey recorded his highest T20 score of 63, but this merely limited the damage as the West Indian attack ran through the brittle Australian batting order.

Cricket terminology: A beginner's guide

The cricket world is a world filled with terminology and jargon. This can be quite confusing and intimidating, for both cricket fans and those who are new to the game. But hopefully with this guide some light can be shed on some of the more confusing aspects of the game.

Fielding Positions:

Common fielding positions
 (for a right hand batsman)

When cricket commentators are running short of things to say they will often rattle off the positions of the fielders on the ground. But where are those positions exactly? Let's start with the most common positions, seen at the start of many T20 games:

No. 1: The Wicketkeeper - the only fixed position, catches deliveries and is involved in more dismissals than any other fielder.

No. 2: The Slips - Adjacent to the keeper, most likely place to take a catch. Often multiple slips are used in longer forms of the game

No. 3: Third Man - a run saving position, a lot of balls get edged or guided in this area

No. 4: Point - About 30 yards (27 metres) from the wicket, inline with the batsman. Agile fielders with good anticipation often field here

No. 5: Cover - Similar distance from the batsman, in line with other end of the pitch.

No. 6: Mid-off - Straightest fielder on the off-side

No. 7: Mid-on - Straightest fielder on the on-side

No. 8: Mid-wicket - the mirror of the cover position, but on the on-side

No. 9: Square Leg - Similar to the point position, but on the on-side

No. 10: Fine Leg - another run saving position, for when the bowler bowls down leg-side 

No. 11: Bowler - Obviously not a fielder!

As I said before, these are the most common fielding positions. There are many, many other positions but most of which are variations of these basic ones. At the risk of causing more confusion, a more detailed image of cricket fielding positions can be found here:

Definitions

Let's break down some terminology:

Don Bradman owns the highest
career batting average (99.94)

Average (batting): A batsman's average is the number of runs they score per inning. It is calculated by the number of runs scored divided by the number of times they have gotten out. Not the number of innings. For example a batsman scores 125 runs in 5 innings. His average therefore is 25. But if in one of those innings he doesn't get out his average would be 31.25 (125 divided by 4).

Average (bowling): A bowler's average is the number of runs scored off their bowling divided by the number of wickets they have taken, i.e a bowler records the figures of 2/50, his bowling average therefore is 25.

Economy: How many runs a bowler concedes per over. For example a bowler bowls 2 overs for 10 runs. His economy rate is 5

LBW: Leg before wicket. If a batsmen is struck on the leg and the ball otherwise would have hit the stumps, they can be given out LBW by the umpire. To be out LBW they must be hit inline with the stumps and the ball must not have pitched outside the leg stump

Leg-spin: A type of spin bowling. A leg-spin delivery from a right-arm bowler would spin (as the bowler sees it) from right to left. It is the opposite for a left arm leg-spinner

Maiden: An over where no runs are scored off the bat.

Net run rate: A team's run rate in comparison to the opposition. For example if one team scores at 6 runs an over and their opponents score at 5 runs an over, that teams net run rate is +1. Used to separate teams in group competitions.

Off-spin: A type of spin bowling. An off-spin delivery from a right-arm bowler would spin (as the bowler sees it) from left to right. It is the opposite for a left-arm off-spinner.

A perfect yorker

Run rate: A team's run rate is the number of runs it has scored divided by the number of overs it has faced. For example a team scores 120 runs in 20 overs. Its run rate is 6.

Strike rate (batting): How many runs a batsman scores per 100 balls faced. It is calculated by dividing the runs scored by the balls faced. A strike rate of well over 100 is desired in T20 cricket.

Strike rate (bowling): A bowler's strike rate is how many balls the bowl, on average for each wicket. For example if a bowler bowls 5 overs and takes 1 wicket, their strike rate would be 30.

Wrong-'un: A delivery from a spin bowler that spins the opposite way to what is expected, i.e. an off-spinner bowls a ball that spins as a leg spinner should. Used to deceive batsmen if they don't detect the change. Also known as a doosra, googly and the carrom ball

Yorker: A fast full-pitched delivery that pitches around the batsman's toes, trying to either bowl them out or get an LBW decision.

Hope that's cleared a few things up!

Cricket Terminology: A couple of video guides

Bowling: A few details on the different types of bowling styles, what each is used for and an explanation of a few different terms you may have heard.

Umpiring: An explanation of each of the signals used by match umpires as well as what they correspond to.

Going out: An explanation of each of the 11 different ways a player can be dismissed. 

Semi final preview: Australia vs West Indies

Host nation Sri Lanka has qualified for Sunday's final, but who will they face in Colombo? We take an in-depth look at tonight's semi-final to find out.

Match report: Sri Lanka into dream home final

source: cricinfo.com

• Sri Lanka 139/4 (Jayawardene 42, Dilshan 35) defeated Pakistan 123/7 (Hafeez 42, U Akmal 29)

Summary:
A 63-run opening partnership between Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan has laid the platform for Sri Lanka to record a tight 16-run over Pakistan, earning it the chance to become the first team to win the T20 World Cup as the host nation. The Sri Lankan's began cautiously on what was a  crumbling, spin-friendly wicket (a rarity in T20 cricket) scoring at barely a run a ball for the first ten overs. But this enabled the Sri Lankan's to be more aggressive in the final ten overs to post a competitive score on such a bowler friendly wicket. Pakistan began in a similar manner in their innings, but unlike the Sri Lankan batsmen they were unable to lift the run rate at the innings wore on. Spinner Rangana Herath was the chief destroyer for Sri Lanka, taking 3/25.

Leading from the front:
In important matches, such as this one, what you want is your captains to have a major impact on the result and that certainly is what happened here. Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, back at the controls after a game off, turned in a man-of-the-match performance top scoring with 42 and playing with a freedom and creativity that few others matched on a tricky pitch. The second best player on the night was Pakistan's captain Mohammad Hafeez who also made 42 and took 1/6 with the ball, but unfortunately didn't have the support around him.

Who's hot:

Sri Lanka: Jayawardene was the star, but a few others made important cameos. Kumar Sangakkara made a quick fire 18 and then made two stumpings as wicketkeeper, including that of Hafeez in a moment that arguably turned the result. Herath picked up the key wickets of Hafeez and Shahid Afridi.
Pakistan: Umar Akmal was the only other Pakistani batsman to make a real contribution, continuing his solid tournament with the bat. Paceman Sohail Tanvir conceded only 11 runs from his three overs.

What it means:
Sri Lanka: They advance to the final, and have the chance to win their first piece of major silverware since the 2002 Champions Trophy. In what could be a good omen, both of Sri Lanka's ICC tournament victories have come in tournaments that were held in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan: Made the semi's or better in all four editions of the T20 World Cup, but for only one win. In the end their unpredictability proved their downfall, as there wasn't a consistent performer they could rely on in the tough situations.

The Votes:
MVP: 3- M Jayawardene, 2- M Hafeez, 1- K Sangakkara (not a big match statistically, but involved in the key moments)
Tucker Trophy: 1- U Gul (couldn't get it done with bat or ball), 2- K Akmal (finished dirty tournament with fourth single figure score), 3- S Afridi (Pakistan's talisman made second golden duck of the tournament)

Match report: India win, both teams go home

Source: cricinfo.com

• India 152/6 (Raina 45, Dhoni 23) defeated South Africa 151 ( du Plessis 65, Khan 3/22)

Summary:
South Africa has lost three wickets in the final six balls of its innings to hand India victory in the final Super Eight game, which effectively became a dead rubber. India got off to a stuttering start, dropping to 36/3 before some solid middle-order batting - headed by Suresh Raina - guided the Indians past 150. South Africa similarly got off to a poor start losing two wickets in the early overs but appeared to be cruising at 107/4 (thanks largely to Faf du Pessis) in the 15th over. But from then on they lost 6 for 44, to exit the Super Eights stage without a win.

Hollow victory:
To be able to claim a place in the semi finals, either India or South Africa had to record a massive win to boost their overall net run-rate. But it quickly became apparent that it would not be the case as the match headed toward a thrilling but ultimately meaningless conclusion. South Africa needed 14 to win of the last over, and got a great start with a six from Albie Morkel. Morkel was out next ball and was replaced by his brother Morne who also struck a six to leave South Africa with two runs to get from the last two balls. However bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji held his nerve to dismiss Morne and seal the win.

Match report: Pakistan reach semi's as Watson finally fails

Source: cricinfo.com

• Pakistan 149/6 (Jamshed 55, Akmal 32) defeated Australia 117/7 (Hussey 54*, Ajmal 3/17)

Summary:

Australia's top order has finally came undone in this year's T20 World Cup, exposing a brittle middle order as Pakistan's battery of slow bowlers spun them to victory and a place in the semi-finals. Defending a gettable target of 150 for victory, the spin trio of Mohammad Hafeez (2/22), Raza Hasan (2/14) and Saeed Ajmal (3/17) claimed all of the Australian wickets while also restricting run scoring. Michael Hussey's unbeaten 54 ensured Australia passed the magic mark of 112, the number of runs they needed to qualify for the semi's without having to rely on the result of the South Africa-India match.

Soft underbelly:

For the first time in the tournament, Australia needed runs from batsmen other than Warner and Watson, and were found wanting. The inexperienced middle order of skipper George Bailey, Cameron White and Glenn Maxwell couldn't rise to the occasion. Neither could wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who could only make 13 in his first at bat for the tournament. If not for veteran Michael Hussey, Australia could well be out of the World Cup.

Match report: Malinga sends England packing

Source: AFP

• Sri Lanka 169/6 (Jayawardene 42, Mathews 28) defeated England 150/9 (Patel 67, Malinga 5/31)

Summary:

A devastating opening over from speedster Lasith Malinga has guided Sri Lanka to victory, and in the process knocking the defending champions England out of the tournament. Bowling the third over of the England innings, Malinga claimed the wickets with his third, fifth and sixth ball to leave England stunned at 18/3. Malinga then returned later in the innings to complete the Sri Lankan victory, taking the wickets of top-scorer Samit Patel and Jos Butler. Malinga's effort came after an even performance from Sri Lanka's batsmen, with all players reaching double figures as they posted a competitive 169 for England to chase.

Which captain?:

Sri Lankan keeper Kumar Sangakkara fronted up to to the toss of the coin as Sri Lanka's captain with the explanation that "Mahela lost three tosses in a row". However when Sri Lanka took to the field normal service resumed, with Mahela Jayawardene quite clearly playing a large role in the direction of the team. The reason? Sri Lanka to their credit at least, was more open after the match about why this occurred: the team had been warned about slow over-rates, with the punishment if it happened again being the suspension of the captain. By replacing Jayawardene with Sangakkara, it effectively was a clean-slate as the threat of suspension was not hanging over Sangakkara's head.

What is T20 Cricket?

Everything you need to know about cricket's newest format!

 

T20, or Twenty/20 cricket is a short, fast, action packed version of the classic game of cricket which aims at compacting all the action of a one day or test game into the short twenty/20 format.

Match report: India thrash local rivals Pakistan

Source: Getty Images

• India 129/2 (Kohli 78*, Sehwag 29) defeated Pakistan 128 (Malik 28, Balaji 3/22)

Summary:

India has overcome a bright start by Pakistan to win by eight wickets, notching their first win of the Super Eight stage. Pakistan bolted out of the blocks, scoring 26 runs off the first two overs before their batsmen seemed to freeze in the face of what was only a steady Indian bowling attack. Pakistan captain Mohammed Hafeez was particularly culpable, scoring just 15 runs off 28 balls. Pakistan were then under pressure to score quick runs later in the innings, but this only led to a batting collapse which had them all out in the final over. India, spearheaded by Virat Kohli, was largely untroubled and unhurried in the run chase, reaching Pakistan's total in the 18th over.

Rabbit in the headlights:

Clashes between India and Pakistan always attract a lot of attention, especially when they meet in a major tournament. That extra attention and pressure seemed to get to Pakistan who were edgy and nervous throughout the match. Their batsmen were tentative often scoring at less than a run a ball, and when they did try to hit out, they often picked out fielders. Pakistan weren't much better in the field either, dropping catches (including Kohli on 42) and bowling erratically.

Match report: Watson carries Australia into Semi Finals

Source: ICC

• Australia 147/2 (Watson 70, Hussey 45) defeated South Africa 146/5 (Peterson 32, Doherty 3/20)

Summary:
Australia has sealed a spot in the T20 World Cup semi-finals thanks to another match-winning performance from Shane Watson. Watson made 70 with the bat and shared a 99-run partnership with veteran Michael Hussey after earlier taking 2/29 to help restrict South Africa to a modest total. South Africa struggled from the outset, falling to 8/2 thanks to the unusual choice of left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty as opening bowler. Their middle order steadied the ship, but apart from a late inning burst from Robin Peterson, never threatened to loosen Australia's grip on the match. Australia made a tentative start to the run chase, losing Warner with the score on ten, before Hussey and Watson guided them home.

The "chokers":
South Africa has an infamous record in major tournaments of finding a way to lose from almost any position, evidenced by their effort against Pakistan last Friday. But while they were never in a winning position against Australia, their lacklustre performance with the bat and especially in the field may suggest there is some mental issues in the South African team in big matches, particularly when you compare this performance with the ones earlier in the tournament.

Match report: Watson stars again as Aussie's thrash India

Source: cricinfo.com

• Australia 141/1 (Watson 72, Warner 63*) defeated India 140/7 (Pathan 31, Watson 3/34)

Summary:

A third consecutive man of the match performance from all-rounder Shane Watson has given Australia the perfect start to the Super Eight stage. Watson formed a threatening pace duo with Patrick Cummins (2/16 and a run-out) to restrict India to 140 on a batting-friendly wicket. He then combined with Dave Warner to thoroughly demoralise India with a 133-run opening partnership, their second century stand of the tournament. Australia reached India's total of 140 with more than six overs to spare.

The man:

Shane Watson has been putting up some silly statistics so far this tournament. He recorded 51, 41 not out and 72 for an average of 82 with the bat. He has also been Australia's chief destroyer with the ball, with eight wickets at an average of just over 11. Scary stuff.

Match report: Lower order heroics rescue Pakistan

Source: cricinfo.com

• Pakistan 136/8 (Akmal 43*, Steyn 3/22) defeated South Africa 133/6 (Duminy 48, De Villiers 25)

Summary:
Some audacious hitting by tail-end batsman Umar Gul brought Pakistan back from the brink to record a famous T20 victory. Gul formed a valuable 49-run eighth wicket partnership with middle-order batman Umar Akmal to rescue Pakistan from a precarious position at 76/7 to within sight of victory when he fell for 32 off just 17 balls. Gul had earlier been part of an unorthodox Pakistani bowling attack containing four spinners. The gamble paid off spectacularly as they were able to stifle the South Africans on a pitch that did offer some assistance to spin bowling.

The sublime and the ridiculous:
This match was a bizarre combination of technical and tactical genius and remarkable gaffes. The decision to play four spinners was a masterstroke, as was both captains use of their spin bowlers. The dismissals of many of the Pakistani top-order on the other hand bordered on the comedic, and looked to have cost Pakistan what should have been a routine victory, before Gul intervened with some remarkable hitting.

New Zealand Knocked Out

Source: cricinfo.com

• West Indies 139 (Gayle 30, Southee 3-21, Bracewell 3-31) tied with New Zealand 139 for 7 (Taylor 62*, Samuels 3-20). West Indies won the Super Over.

New Zealand won the toss and elected to field. West Indies was all out for 139 runs, led by Chris Gayle’s 30, with three balls remaining in its 20 overs in Pallekelle.

New Zealand and West Indies tied on 139 runs after their innings and moved to a ‘super over’ to decide their final eight match at cricket’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.