It was good to see Ricky Ponting back in form last Thursday night in the vital quarter-final clash against India, scoring a century that could save his career. But some wild, senseless bowling by Shaun Tait at the death, and rear-guard action from India’s in-form left-hand all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, derailed Australia.
It is the first time since 1992 that Australia has failed to qualify for the Cricket World Cup (CWC) semi-final.
And now Tait, 28, has announced his decision to retire from ODIs to concentrate on Twenty20 cricket. He will retire from the Australia and South Australia one-day teams in an attempt to prolong his career.
“This is not a decision I have taken lightly but I believe it is one that will help me to prolong my cricketing career through the many Twenty20 avenues available. In reality, playing all year round for Australia and South Australia is not allowing my body to stand up as I would like and I do not want to be forced into retirement through career-ending injuries”, he said.
In other words, more money for less work, eh!
The 2011 CWC has seen the transformation of hit-or-miss six symbol Yuvraj into a match-winner. Till this February, he was remembered for belting England’s fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in Durban.
But in the vital do-or-perish tussle against Australia, Yuvraj took the valuable wickets of Brad Haddin (53) and Michael Clarke (8) to have figures of 10-0-44-2. He also scored 57 not out off 65 deliveries with 8 fours, adding 74 enthralling runs with Suresh Raina (34) for the unbroken 6th wicket.
Yuvraj’s eighth four enabled India to get in the semis. In the process, he got his fourth Man of the Match award in the current CWC.
This makes him the third player to be adjudged Man of the Match four times in a single CWC, joining Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka, 1996) and Lance Klusener (South Africa, 1999). Another match-winning performance would fetch the Indian all-rounder his fifth Man of the Match award – a record.
Also, Yuvraj has become the fourth player to perform the double of 300 runs and 10 wickets in a single CWC.
The others are: India’s Kapil Dev (303 runs at 60.60 and 12 wickets at 20.42 in 8 matches in England, 1983), Zimbabwe’s Neil Johnson (367 runs at 52.43 and 12 wickets at 19.42 also in 8 matches in England, 1999) and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya (321 runs at 40.13 and 10 wickets at 31.50 in 10 matches in South Africa, 2003).
With at least one, possibly two matches, to go for India, Yuvraj looks set to overtake them. So far, he has scored 341 runs at a fabulous average of 113.66, and taken 11 wickets at 24.63.
Yuvraj has recorded the following successful scores while chasing the winning target at the CWC. He is yet to be dismissed while chasing successfully in five matches in the 2011 CWC.
Here are his unbeaten scores while on the victory trail: 50 runs off 53 balls (SR 94.33) against Pakistan at Centurion, and 58 off 64 (SR 90.62) against Kenya at Cape Town – both in 2003.
And now in 2011, 50 runs off 75 balls (SR 66.66) against Ireland at Bangalore, 51 off 73 balls (SR 69.86) against Netherland at Delhi and 57 off 65 balls (SR 87.69) in the thrilling quarter-final against Australia at Ahmedabad last Thursday.
Below are Yuvraj’s all-round efforts of scoring 50 runs and taking two wickets in the same match in the current CWC:
50 not out and 5-31 vs. Ireland at Bangalore
51 not out and 2-43 vs. Netherlands at Delhi
113 and 2-48 vs. West Indies at Chennai
57 not out and 2-44 vs. Australia at Ahmedabad
India’s noted cricket statistician, Rajesh Kumar, informs me that Yuvraj is the only cricketer to accomplish the all-round double of fifty runs and two wickets in a match four times in one competition in the history of CWC.
Also, he is the only all-rounder to register a fifty and capture five wickets in the same CWC match – against Ireland in Bangalore.
Yuvraj had a disappointing time in 2010, with injury problems, and was dropped from the national team.
Speaking about this amazing turnaround in fortunes, Yuvraj revealed on ESPNSTAR.com: “While everything I touched last year turned to mud, this year so far whatever I have touched seems to be turning to gold.”
The semi-final between neighbours India and Pakistan tomorrow will be a corker.
For India, Sachin Tendulkar is batting like a dream, Virender Sehwag’s aggressive hitting gives nightmares to opposing bowlers, and nobody quite knows whether Zaheer Khan is swinging, reverse-swinging or swinging at all.
For Pakistan, skipper spinner Shahid Afridi is the top wicket-taker in the tournament, with 21 scalps at 10.71. If their opening bowler Umar Gul gets Tendulkar, Sehwag and/or Gautum Gambhir cheaply, the middle order may collapse in a heap, as they did recently against England and South Africa.
But with Yuvraj Singh flying high as a knight in silver padding, India starts as favourites.
Also India has never lost to Pakistan in a CWC.
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