YOUNGEST AND OLDEST IN T20 WORLD CUP

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Pakistan’s Mohammed Aamer, at 17 years and 55 days, became the youngest ever player in Twenty -20 World Cup as well as in Twenty-20 cricket when he made his debut against England at The Oval on June 7,2009. Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad held the previous record in Twenty-20 cricket while Bangladesh’s Rubel Hossain was the youngest ever to play in Twenty-20 World Cup before Mohammed Aamer. Ahmed Shehzad was 17 years and 165 days old when he made his debut against Australia at Dubain on May 7,2009 while Rubel Hossain was 19 years and 156 days old when he made his debut against India at Nottingham on June 6,2009. Mohammed Aamer also became the youngest ever player to take a wicket in Twenty-20 cricket. The left-arm pace bowler, claimed Ravi Bopara’s wicket on the second ball of his first over in Twenty-20 international cricket. Mohammed Aamer’s first ball in international cricket was well wide of the off stump and Ravid Bopara let it go to the wicket-keeper. Second ball took a thick outside edge and Shoaib Malik took a superb catch at backward point. Born on April 13, 1992 at Gujjar Khan, Mohammed Aamer took 55 wickets for National Bank of Pakistan in his debut season, and earned selection to the Pakistan Twenty-20 World Cup squad. There he was a hit big time, taking over from an out-of-sorts Sohail Tanvir and bowling with pace, accuracy and courage. He hovered in the high 80mphs, touching even 90 on occasion and was a crucial opening link in Pakistan’s title run. He bowled several nerveless final overs and one absolutely crucial opening over, in the final, when he dismissed tournament top-scorer Tillakaratne Dilshan for a five-ball duck, peppering him with quick short balls. One global eye will be kept on him over the year now. Ireland’s Paul Stirling also made his Twenty-20 international debut in this tournament. He was 18 years and 285 days old when he played his first ever Twenty-20 international match against Pakistan aty The oval on June 15,2009. He became the second youngest player to appear in Twenty-20 World Cup and fifth youngest to play in Twenty-20 international matches. The right-hand batsman and right arm off-break bowler played just one Twenty-20 match before making his debut in Twenty-20 internationals. Brother of Richard Stirling - who played for Ireland Under-19 - and Ross Stirling, who represented Ireland Schools, Paul Stirling enjoyed a terrific start to his career in 2007 when he cracked 114 against Holland in the European Under-17 Championship, followed by 110 against Scotland for the Under-23s. Sanath Jayasuriya became the oldest player to appear in a Twenty-20 World Cup match. He was 39 years and 356 days old when he played against Pakistan in the final at Lord’s on June 21. The hard hitting batsman and slow left arm bowler, missed Canadian Sunil Dhaniram’s record by six days who is the oldest player to appear in a Twenty-20 international match. Sunil Dhaniram was 39 years and 362 days old when he played against Zimbabwe at Kings City on October 13,2008. Muttiah Muralitharan, 37 years and 65 days, also played in the final alongwith Sanath Jayasuriya. It was second instance in Twenty-20 international matches when two over 37 years players appeared in a match. The first instance was at Belfast on August 5,2008 when Sanjayan Thuraisingam, 38 years and 329 days, and John Davidon, 38 years and 88 days, were the part of Canadian team against Bermuda. Sanath Jayasuriya also became the second oldest player to take a wicket in Twenty-20 international matches by dismissing Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal, stumped by Kumar Sangakkara in the final. Canadian Sunil Dhaniram is the oldest player to take a wicket in this form of cricket. The slow left arm bowler was 39 years and 362 days old when he dismissed Zimbabwe batsman Chamu Chibhabha on his bowling at Kings City on October 13,2008. Over the last decade one-day internationals cricket has increasingly become a game for fitter, faster, younger men. However, there are some players who have soldiered on despite creaking bodies. If Sanath Jayasuriya plays against Pakistan in first one day international which is due to held in July 2009, he will become the only 40-year-old on the circuit - the 38th overall - and a highly successful one too. Holland batsman Nolan Clarke is the oldest man to have played one-day internationals. He was the oldest debutant as well, playing his first match, when he was 47 years and 240 days old, in the 1996 World Cup. His international career, though, lasted only 17 days, and ended with Holland’s exit from the tournament. Decades earlier Nolan Clarke may have had hopes of representing a greater cricketing nation. He had scored 159 for Barbados against England in 1973-74. His Holland team-mate Flavian Aponso, who also played in only the 1996 World Cup, was the third-oldest debutant at the age of 43 years and 112 days. Clive Lloyd played 14 one-day internationals after turning 40, all of them in Australia. The first 11 games were during the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup in 1984-85 and Lloyd, who had turned 40 a few months earlier, topped the batting averages, scoring 329 runs at 82.25. His last three limited-overs appearances were during the World Championship of Cricket, and his overall tally of 368 runs at an average of 73.60 after turning 40 is the most for any player past that age.

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Jun302009

DREAM DEBUT FOR PRAGYAN OJHA IN T 20 CRICKET

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Pragyan Ojha became the first Indian and seventh bowler overall to take four wickets on debut in Twenty-20 cricket. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Khurda achieved this feat by taking four for 21 in four overs against Bangaldesh at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on June 6, 2009. The 22-year old, Pragyan Ojha, who made his debut in Twenty-20 international cricket after playing 32 Twenty-20 matches, also became the first bowler to take a wicket on his very first ball by dismissing Shakib Al Hasan, caught by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He also claimed Junaid Siddique’s wicket, caught by Harbhajan Singh in the deep, on the fifth ball of the over to become the third bowler after England’s Darren Maddy and Pakistan’s Masoor Amjad to take two or more wickets in the first over of Twenty-20 international cricket. England’s Darren Maddy was the first bowler to take two wickets in his first over in Twenty-20 international cricket. The right arm medium pacer from Leicester achieved this feat by dismissing New Zealand’s Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram in the Super-Eight match of the Twenty-20 World Cup at Kingsmead, Durban on September 18,2007 Maddy was asked to bowl for the first time by England skipper Paul Collingwood in this match when New Zealand were 134 for six in 16 overs. First, he dismissed the dangerous McMillan, caught by Dimi Mascarenhas on the second ball and then he shattered the stumps of Oram on the fourth ball of the over. Pakistan’s Mansoor Amjad is the only bowler to take three wickets in the very first over in Twenty-20 international cricket. The leg-break googly bowler achieved this feat by dismissing Bangaldesh’s Mahmudullah, caught by Kamran Akmal then he had Mashrafe Mortaza caught by Umar Gul and his third wicket includes the prize scalp of Shahadat Hossain, who was bowled by him at Karachi on April 20,2008. The first bowler to take four wickets on debut in Twenty-20 internationals was Australian Michael Kasprowicz. The right arm fast medium bowler took four wickets for 29 runs against New Zealand at Auckland on February 17,2005.It was the very first match in Twenty-20 interantional cricket. With Kasprowicz’s four-wicket haul, Australia made it a historic three out of three by becoming the first side to win matches in all the three formats of the game. They had triumphed in both the inaugural Test, against England at Melbourne in 1877, and the inaugural one-day international, same ground, same opponents, 94 years later. T20 an apt name for what some saw as a new beginning for international cricket. McGrath proved the most expensive of the Australian strike bowlers, Lee the most parsimonious. But it was Kasprowicz who wrecked the New Zealand top order. The first bowler to claim four wickets on debut on English soil was England’s Jon Lewis. The Right-arm medium pacer took four wickets for 24 against Australia at The Rose Bowl, Southampton on June 13, 2005. England achieved a 100-run victory in this match, their biggest in terms of runs in Twenty20 international matches. It was the first Twenty-20 international match on English soil and second overall. Ireland’s Alex Cusack became the third bowler to take four wickets on debut in Twenty-20 international matches when he claimed four wickets for 21 runs against Scotland on Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast on August 2, 2008. After Alex Cusack, Canadian Harvir Baidwan joined this elite club by taking four wickets for 19 runs against Holland at Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast on August 2, 2008. It was the only time in any type of international cricket that two bowlers claimed four wickets on debut on the same day and at the same ground. Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis recorded the best bowling performance on debut in Twenty-20 international cricket by taking four for 15 against Zimbabwe at Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City on October 10, 2008. Next day, on the same ground and in the same tournament, Kaushalya Weeraratne, the Sri Lankan right-arm medium-fast bowler joined this elite club by taking four for 19 off four overs against Pakistan. Pragyan Ojha’s poise in trying conditions disguised his inexperience. Apart from having to make an international debut in a Twenty-20 World Cup opener, the Nottingham weather was unhelpful. It had rained all morning and afternoon, the sky remained overcast and temperatures were below 15C when Indians were bowling, leaving the spinner’s fingers cold and stiff. He later said that bowling during Deccan Chargers’ victorious Indian Premier League campaign in South Africa during the winter had helped him to cope with the conditions. The experience gained by him after bowling successfully to quality international batsmen had increased his confidence and helped him back himself. A stint with Slaithwaite in the Huddersfield league a couple of years ago had also prepared Ojha for English conditions. He came on in the ninth over, with Bangladesh on 72 for 2, and took two wickets in the space of five balls. He varied his pace, flighted the ball, and thrived in conditions that appeared more suited for fast bowling. His scalps were Bangladesh’s in-form players - Shakib Al Hasan, Twenty-20’s leading allrounder, and Junaid Siddique, who had raced to 41 off 21 balls. Pragyan Ojha’s figures was the second best in Twenty-20 cricket by an Indian after Rudra Pratap Singh’s four for 13 against South Africa at Durban on September 20, 2007. Now his figures is third best by an Indian bowler in Twenty-20 cricket as Zaheer Khan took four wickts for 19 runs against Ireland at Nottingham on June 10,2009.