Dravid in comparison with other recent Indian captains:

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India win historic bowl-out

A 'bowl-out', which India won (3-0) decided the winner after Pakistan chased 141 to tie the match with India at Durban on Friday.

The first of its kind method, decided the winner after Pakistan could not score that one single off the last delivery as Misbah-ul-Haq was run out for 53, though both teams have qualified for the Super Eights.

Bowl-Out rules

Each team nominates five players who bowl at a set of stumps over 22 yards. The bowlers hit the stumps alternately and the team with the most hits emerges victorious.

Mohammad Asif who finished with the match figures of 4-0-18-4 was named the Man of the Match.

Chasing 142, first to fall for Pakistan was Imran Nazir bowled by RP Singh for 7 in the second over. In the seventh over Salman Butt (16) nicked one to Dhoni off a Ajit Agarkar delivery.

Wicket-keeeper Kamran Akmal was then run out by 'bulls-eye' Yuvraj Singh for 15. Irfan Pathan's new spell bought instant success when he bowled out Younis Khan for a mere 2 runs. He also recorded a surprising maiden-wicket over for Twenty 20.

Skipper Shoaib Malik(20) lofted one towards cover in Pathan's next spell but was caught by Harbhajan Singh.

'Turbanator' Singh got big-hitter Shahid Afridi for 7 as he got him caught by Dinesh Karthik.

The last ball where the scores were tied, saw the dismissal of Misbah-ul-Haq getting run out at 53.

Indian collapse

Earlier, Pakistan bowled fabulously to restrict India to 141 for 9. Asif was the chief architect of the Indian collapse and he was well supported by all the other bowlers.

Robin Uthappa was the sole contributor from the top-order and MS Dhoni and Irfan Pathan chipped in to take India to 141.

Asif turned the tables on India after taking four wickets for eighteen runs in his four over spell.

Gautam Gambhir fell to Asif on the third ball of the match for a duck. Virender Sehwag also fell to him in his second over after being bowled for 5.

His third spell saw the downfall of Yuvraj Singh(1) by getting him caught by Malik. Dinesh Karthik was his last victim, bowled for 11 in his last over.

Robin Uthappa scored his half century in 39 balls to raise India's hope but new baller Sohail Tanvir bought him down when he was caught by Kamran Akmal.

Pathan hit two massive two sixes in Shahid Afridi's over but was bowled after the second six for 20 runs.

Following him was Harbhajan Singh in the same manner for just one run. Captain Dhoni(33) tried to stabilize India but was caught by Younis Khan on one of the big shots, the ball bowled by Yasir Arafat.

The last ball of Indian innings saw Ajit Agarkar being run out by Akmal for 14.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik elected to field in the high voltage clash against India.

Dravid's decision raises questions

Rahul Dravid has been quoted as saying that the enjoyment has gone out of a tough captaining job.

So why was he not enjoying the captaincy, is it because of too much criticism about him being a defensive captain or too little support from his team.

Talking to NDTV before the World Cup Dravid had said: "I do enjoy the captaincy, I see it as a great honour and privilege and think I have enjoyed everything that comes with it. You got have to accept that there will be tough days as a captain."

"You turn from being a good boy to everyone's whipping boy. I don't take it personally though there will be a captain after me and he'll go through the same thing, the captain before me went through it as well. It's not about Rahul Dravid but the position that one inherits," Dravid added.

That was before the World Cup, Rahul Dravid offered to resign after the disastrous first round exit but was persuaded to stay on.

Greg Chappell however had great faith in Dravid's captaincy implying that it was the destructive influence of seniors that prevented him from doing his job.

While Dravid had test series wins in West Indies and England he was also criticized for being too defensive as a captain.

Rahul Dravid as captain:
Did not enforce the follow-on in the Oval Test
Toss error allowed England to win the Mumbai test in 2006
Toss error in the Lord's game
England won ODIs 4-3
However Dravid continuing as captain was never in doubt despite some of the mixed results but there was always speculation that he couldn't quite marshal the team and didn't always enjoy their support.

Dravid's problems:
Zaheer said 'bowlers were not tired' in the Oval test contradicting him
Dravid pulled up Ganguly for dressing room leaks
Dravid pulled up players for 'torn' jeans and using I-pods
.The speculation will continue unless Dravid sets the record straight himself.

However in the eyes of former cricketers and fans he was always the right man for the job given his ability to lead from the front.

He had no hesitation in declaring in the Multan Test when Tendulkar was on 194 not out and he had no hesitation in declaring in the Sydney Test when he was himself on 91 not out.

And it was this public stature that got Gillette to pick him as part of their campaign of global ambassadors for the game along with Roger Federer and Thierry Henry.

No doubt he's still the best a man can get, just that Dravid thinks he's the best at batting rather than at captaincy

New Zealand decimate Kenya by nine wickets

After the run-fest at the Wanderers on Tuesday night, it was back to normalcy and worse for Kenya at Kingsmead. New Zealand may have enjoyed a lengthy off-season and gone through a change at the top, with Daniel Vettori taking over from Stephen Fleming, but out on the pitch, it was very much normal service as the World Cup semi-finalists romped to a nine-wicket win after bowling Kenya out for the lowest-ever score in Twenty20 internationals, 73.

Shane Bond, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin and Vettori exploited the extra bounce on a well-grassed pitch to bowl the hapless Kenyans out with 19 balls remaining of the 20 overs, and it took New Zealand just 7.4 overs to announce their intent. But for a 36-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Thomas Odoyo and Collins Obuya, it might have been immeasurably worse. A late flourish from Rajesh Bhudia and Jimmy Kamande nudged the total further towards respectability, but it was never going to stretch a powerful New Zealand line-up.

Predictably, it was Bond's pace that started the slide, with a ball darting back into Maurice Ouma and crashing into the stumps via the elbow. When the promising Tanmay Mishra then slashed one to point, it brought the captain, Steve Tikolo, to the crease.

But worse was to follow as Gillespie took over. David Obuya went gingerly back to the first ball, and ended up treading on his stumps, and four balls later came the biggest blow as Tikolo was trapped plumb in front by a delivery that swung in at pace.

Odoyo and Obuya revived matters somewhat, taking Jacob Oram for two fours in an over when he came on, but New Zealand had too much in reserve. Chris Martin had Odoyo miscuing a pull to mid-off, and Nehemiah Odhiambo followed in identical fashion before Vettori decided to get in on the act.

Shane Bond started the top-order slide with the wicket of Maurice Ouma. He finished with figures of 2 for 12 © AFP



Obuya was smartly stumped off a leg-side wide, and Alex Obanda bowled off the pad, and after Budhia slammed a six to slightly tarnish Martin's figures, two full tosses from Gillespie finished things off.

Kenya needed early wickets, but after two vociferous appeals from Odoyo were turned down, Lou Vincent and Brendan McCullum made short work of a miniscule target. Vincent crashed four fours and a six in his 27 before smashing one low to mid-off, and after Peter Fulton survived an excellent shout from Peter Ongondo, two huge sixes off Bhudia put the seal on an emphatic display.

Bond's figures of 2 for 12 were the best for a completed spell in a Twenty20 game, but Gillespie's 4 for 7 fetched him man of the match honours. And the four zeroes at the top of the Kenyan order were an ominous sign as Vettori's team illustrated just why the All Blacks aren't the only team in with a chance of a world title in the not-too-distant future.

Fleming ousted as Test captain; retires from one-day cricket

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Stephen Fleming's 10-year reign as one of world cricket's most admired Test captains ended Wednesday when he was replaced as New Zealand skipper by his former deputy Daniel Vettori.

At the same time, Fleming announced his retirement from limited-overs cricket after leading his country to 98 wins in 218 matches over the past decade. No player in cricket history has captained his national team more often in the one-day game.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan paid tribute to Fleming as New Zealand's "greatest captain," but said it was the organization's decision to switch the Test, one-day and Twenty20 captaincy to Vettori, who is six years Fleming's junior.

"The selectors are looking to the future and have recommended that Daniel assume captaincy of the Test team as well as the one-day team," Vaughan said from South Africa.

"Daniel has demonstrated real leadership during his time with the (New Zealand team) and through his occasional performances as one-day captain, has shown he is ready to take over captaincy...in all forms of the game.

"Stephen was an outstanding captain and his legacy in the role sets a high standard for Daniel. I am sure Daniel will rise to the challenge and will bring his own particular skills and style to the role."

Fleming, 34, led New Zealand to 28 wins and 25 draws during his term as captain. Elevated to the captaincy in 1997, three years after making his Test debut aged 20, he led the team in 80 of his 104 Tests.

While debate has raged over Fleming's standing as a batsman both in New Zealand and world terms - he has scored more Test runs than any other New Zealander but only nine centuries in 177 Test innings - his acumen as a captain has been widely praised.

Australian great Shane Warne rated Fleming more highly than Steve Waugh in a recent list of his top-50 cricketers and in 2002 called him the best captain in world cricket.

Fleming said while he had made the decision to retire immediately from the one-day game, after previously stepping down as New Zealand's one-day captain, he hoped to continue playing Tests in the near future. He added the coming New Zealand summer is likely to be his last at the top level.

"I am fully committed to the (New Zealand team) and New Zealand Cricket but feel that the time is right for me to retire from the one-day game," he said from England.

"While I would have wished to remain captain of the Test team, I can also understand why the selectors prefer to have a single captain for the Test, one-day and Twenty20 teams.

Fleming's announcement ends a career in which he has played 280 one-day games, scoring 8,037 runs at an average of 32.4.

"I shall continue playing Tests as long as I have the desire and skills required to contribute. However, it is likely that the coming New Zealand summer will be my last home series," Fleming said.

Fleming's demotion has been in part as the reflection of a desire by New Zealand's coaches and selectors to make a fresh start under Vettori, 26.

At the same time, however, it is likely to be linked to his perceived interest in a breakaway cricket league being planned in India. His refusal to distance himself from the rebel competition has reportedly angered New Zealand officials.

Vettori, who made his Test debut under Fleming as an 18-year-old in 1997, succeeds him as captain after playing 73 Tests over 10 years. He is also the veteran of 201 limited overs internationals.

Cricket: Twenty20 Worlds thrill the crowds

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) — The inaugural Twenty20 world championships is taking South Africa by storm, thrilling fans who are drawn to the exhilirating speed of the high-octane game where anything can happen.

The dazzling opening of the 12-nation tournament here on Tuesday saw the 33,000 capacity Wanderers stadium overflowing as fans "rocked the house, T20 style" to a gripping batting display by South Africa and the West Indies.

While records and sixes were smashed around the park with equal aplomb, groups of scantily-dressed dancers on platforms around the stadium roused the crowd to the tunes of in-house DJ Lady Lea.

A convincing eight-wicket win for the hosts over the West Indies despite Chris Gayle scoring the first ever century in international T20 cricket, left the crowd roaring throughout the match.

The lulls in crowd excitement and slothful progression associated with Test cricket were absent as the short format introduced fireworks, loud music and screaming fans that have been dwindling in other forms of the game.

"Twenty20 cricket is a 21st century sport, and we are delighted to be the first hosts of the world tournament in this exciting new format," said South Africa's sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile when opening the event.

The International Cricket Council has placed huge stock on the championships leading cricket into the future by capturing the imagination of younger fans.

"It's exciting, it's something new. It brings a whole new audience," said 16-year-old cricket supporter Lance Bunt from Vereeniging, south of Johannesburg.

West Indies supporter Sameer Wadhwa said he loved the pure entertainment of the game.

"I love it, it is very exciting. This sport is purely for the spectators and the spectators are having a blast," he told AFP.

While many of those in the old-guard view cricket as the traditional gentlemen's game not to be messed with, it is clear the new format of party cricket is here to stay.

Former South African captain Kepler Wessels said Twenty20 cricket was "still finding its place in the pecking order"

"It's just going to gain in popularity, we are going to see more and more of these matches," Wessels told AFP.

Despite the criticism of the shorter format, Wessels feels "everything has a place" and that it definitely has a niche-market.

Twenty20 is anybody's game and the words of bowler Shaun Pollock that there would be no time to choke rang true as South Africa managed to redeem itself after losing to the West Indies in the opening match of the 2003 World Cup.

"Either whack or go home," said fan Neil Watkins of Durban, summing up the "the much better, more competitive and more exciting" game.

The 12 teams participating in the tournament will fight a swift battle over the next two weeks, in intensive 20-over, 75 minute innings' with the final to be staged on September 24 in Johannesburg.

South Africa Beats West Indies in Twenty20 Cricket Cup Opener

Herschelle Gibbs hit an unbeaten 90 as South Africa beat the West Indies by eight wickets in the opening match of cricket's inaugural Twenty20 world cup.

Gibbs, who faced 55 balls, helped the host nation to 208-2 in Johannesburg after West Indies opener Chris Gayle lifted his team to 205-6 with the first century in an international match in the sport's newest form.

South Africa, which secured the win with 14 balls remaining, has now won three of its last four Twenty20 matches. The West Indies, which has lost its last two, allowed a record number of extras today.

Gibbs was supported by Justin Kemp, who made 46 not out from 23 balls, as the South Africans set their best Twenty20 total, beating their 201-4 against Australia in February 2006. Captain Graeme Smith hit 28 and A.B. de Villiers made 16.

Gayle made 117 from 57 balls, including 10 sixes, after South Africa won the toss and chose to field first. His score surpassed the previous best mark of 98 not out by Australia's Ricky Ponting against New Zealand in February 2005. He shared a 145-run opening partnership with Devon Smith, who scored 35.