Super over better than Bowl Out

To broaden the excitement in t20 cricket, the Super overs rule has been introduced. Though test and ODI match can end up in draw, super over prevents twenty20 matches from ending in draw. It has replaced the bowl out rule in which only the bowler had a part to play.

Rules of super over in 20-20 cricket:
1. Each team decides a bowler to bowl and three batsmen to bad during one over named as the super over. The same ball used in the match will be used in super over.
2. The team batting second in the match will bat first in the super over.
3. Team A will score some runs in the first over and team B needs to chase it successfully to win the match. In case, it is unable to chase, team A wins.
3. In case scores are level, the team hitting maximum sixes in the match will win. If its also same, the teams with maximum fours win the match.

It has been brought to twenty20 cricket from Standford twenty20. The first international twenty20 in which tie was ended with a super over was New Zealand vs West Indies. In IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight riders, this rule as implemented after with Rajasthan won Kolkata.

Happy Birthday to Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar turns 36 today. The master batsman has scaled every summit in the game - except for one. He has not yet been part of a World Cup winning team. But come 2011, the master blaster is all set to change that, when the World Cup is held on the subcontinent.

When asked at a recent function what his dreams were, he laughed off the question saying, "You only dream when you are asleep." But then he added, "I want to win the World Cup for India."

The captain of the Mumbai Indians got a surprise from his team when he found that they had organized a surprise birthday party at the team hotel.

Speaking to reporters, the always humble Sachin said, "It is the good wishes and blessings that count a lot. My family is joining me tomorrow, so am really looking forward to it."

Match Preview : Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab

Preview by Saurabh Somani
Ground Reality and Pitch:
After a gloomy start, Durban has at last seen the rains keep away. With the sun coming out, conditions for batting have improved, although with a night match, bowlers won't be completely out of the equation. The previous matches showed that those who have batting depth and power could post good totals, while those who didn't, struggled.
Team News:
Bangalore Royal Challengers: Their early form seems to have deserted them, with only one thing being constant - Rahul Dravid is rolling back the years, and batting like a dream. Their star signings - Pietersen, Ryder and Taylor - have not done anything of note, and unless they fire, it will be hard for Bangalore to post or chase a decent total. On paper, their bowling attack is a good one, but as Gilchrist showed, reputations on paper count for nothing, once a good batsman gets going.

King's Eleven Punjab: They have looked like the weakest team in the tournament, and with good reason. A depleted bowling attack and a batting lineup that hasn't fired, are the main problems that the Mohali team faces. Yuvraj Singh has not looked the part of a leader, seeming bereft of ideas. Although he has a seriously weakened team, the format of Twenty20 is such that 4-5 good overs can change the game, and the King's Eleven have the players with the ability to do that. Now if only the ability translates into performance!
Players to Watch:
Rahul Dravid - Has been in prime form, since the New Zealand tour. Nobody expected him to be the mainstay of the batting for Bangalore, but that's exactly what he's been. Looks determined to prove his critics wrong, and is doing a darn good job of it.
Yuvraj Singh - Has to realize that looking good while batting is not enough, and translate his form into big runs for his side. With the team in trouble, the leader has to show the way. This is as good a chance as any for Yuvraj to show the world that he has the mental toughness that everyone believes he lacks.
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Yusuf steals the show in the super over

Unbelievable match. Really astounding. Incredible scenes at the end. Finally the IPL has come alive. Kolkata were well on course when Gayle was firing on all cylinders. Then enter the magician Warne, he nips out Gayle. Ganguly played an amazing innings as he silenced all his critics. Yashpal Singh opened the door for Royals with a poor stroke. Kamran Khan bowled a splendid final over. It was 2 from 2 when Ganguly edged one to the keeper. Ishant strode in and looked to have won it for KKR with a firm drive, enter Warne again with a diving stop. Kamran Khan kept his nerve to relay the ball back to the keeper to run out Ishant.

Fast forward to the super over - Gayle blasted 15 off the super over from Kamran Khan. Then a major blunder by McCullum to give the ball to Mendis when Yusuf was on strike. Yusuf goes on and seals a terrific match with a couple of massive hits. Yusuf was mobbed by his team mates as Shilpa Shetty went wild alongwith her sister.
Yusuf Pathan is the Man of the Match.

Too many Ifs and Buts have already come to the surface. Who's at fault? Was it Yashpal Singh who made him look stupid by doing something out of the box, even when his senior partner in the form of Ganguly warned him umpteen number of times not to do so. Ganguly will take his share of flak too, when you take your side into the final moments of the game, you're the man expected to finish it off. And then why bowl Mendis and not Gayle who is expected to be more efficient and street-smart?

Yusuf: I know it was the most important innings from me and my team. I learnt a lot of things when i got out in the first innings against Mendis. I expected him to bowl in the same areas and I was ready to play my shot.

Warne: The crowd was fantastic. In those situations, both sides would have looked back and said we would've done that. For Yusuf Pathan to just walk out there and club a few sixes like that, well done to him, it was fantastic. (On choosing Kamran Khan for the last over): I thought about Yusuf. Kamran gave 6 runs off that last over, I thought he did it well. If you can bowl such a good last over, you can bowl the super over.

McCullum: Yeah it's pretty disappointing obviously. We thought we were going to get ourselves across the line and even in the Super over we thought we had a reasonable score but the way Yusuf came out and played... He just blew us away. Sourav did incredibly well to get us back into the game. It's incredibly disappointing but we've got a game in two days time so we've got to try and rebound. (For the super over) I think Ishant was an option but in the end Mendis, he's an incredible bowler. Things could have gone differently if we had that catch taken (on the second ball) who knows how it would have unfolded.