End of Yuvraj's worst year as cricketer, says mother Shabnam

MUMBAI: Khaate peete ghar ka lagta hai (Looks like he comes from a prosperous family). Till a month ago, if you walked to any chowk and overheard a conversation on cricket, that's what you would have perceived about Yuvraj Singh. (Read: Yograj credits son's success to God ) ( Read: Favourite 'kadhi chawal' awaits Yuvi ) 

Yuvraj? 36" waistline, under-arm biceps, paunch.World Cup haath se gaya bhaiyya (The World Cup is already gone). It looked like a terrible decision when he was selected to play the World Cup. His form had touched its lowest ebb yet. Less than 1,300 runs in 47 one-day innings and one injury after the other seemed like the beginning of a national crisis. The fielder in him too looked lost in the woods. He was also supposed to be supercilious, almost faking his way into the team and He was living on reputation alone. 

Yuvraj was finished, wasn't he? "He used to come home, go to bed and suddenly get up in the middle of the night. He couldn't get a grip on what was happening around him. Overnight he went from being one of the nation's best batsmen to one who was struggling to find a place in the team. It had to be his worst year as a cricketer," says Shabnam, Yuvraj's mother. She couldn't understand what fans, media, experts and those who were not so expert wanted from him. "I don't know what people expected from him." 

In India, where national and regional politics, the movie industry, information technology and art and culture sell like nobody's business, cricket tops the list. 

Yuvraj couldn't understand why his two fifties in 14 innings in 2010 and a batting average of 31.73 were not cutting any ice with selectors. "It came like a jolt when I was dropped," he now admits. During this phase, a reporter called Yuvraj's father to ask him what was going wrong with his son's cricket. "Mera bachcha sher hai lad ke wapas aayega" (My son is a tiger, he'll fight back), said a confident Yograj Singh. 

As his career hit an all-time low, there were reports suggesting that had started contemplating quitting the game. Thankfully, he shrugged them off. "I would like to thank my parents and my gurus (Guru Ram Singh and Guru Ajit Singh) and my friends," says Yuvraj. 

Yuvraj is a religious man and if he has respect for certain people, it remains that way. Parents and gurus, friends and family members and one Sachin Tendulkar form the crux of those certain people. In fact, Tendulkar is the 'special person' for whom he famously declared, after India's quarterfinal victory against Australia, that he wanted to do well in this World Cup. "But this win is not just for Sachin or any team member alone. This is for all of us and the nation. We fought like champions and won the Cup. And we're very proud of it," he says. 

To many Yuvraj may come across as arrogant, brawny and egotistic even. Those close to him say these are traits that make the myth, not the man. When he says, for instance, "Our nation had been waiting for this moment for long and we're glad we've achieved it" those who know him well insist how much this means to him. 

As his mother puts it "He was challenged and he fought back." In the process, he not just changed the way people think of him but simply made them stand up and clap in awe. 

Khaate peete ghar ke ladke ne World Cup jeeta diya! The boy from the prosperous background wonIndia the World Cup.

Malinga's hat-trick help Sri Lanka beat Kenya by nine wickets

Pacer Lasith Malinga made a grand entry into the World Cup by notching up an unprecedented second hat-trick in the mega event as Sri Lanka crushed minnows Kenya by nine wickets in a group A match in Colombo on Tuesday. 

Sri Lanka bowled out Kenya for a meagre 142 with Malinga, playing his first match of the tournament, single-handedly destroying Kenya with a career-best six-wicket haul.

And replying, the hosts cruised to 146 for one in just 18.4 overs with Tillakaratne Dilshan (44), Upul Tharanga (67 unbeaten) and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (27 unbeaten) scoring freely.

Malinga also earned the distinction of becoming the first bowler to take a hat-trick in World Cup for the second time as he first achieved the feat earlier in the 2007 edition against South Africa.

It was also the second hat-trick of the ongoing World Cup in as many days after West Indies' Kemar Roach produced the first against the Netherlands in Delhi on Monday.

Obuya brothers -- Collins (52) and David (51) -- were the only batsmen from Kenya to reach the double-digit mark and it was because of their fighting 92-run third-wicket stand that the African nation could reach near the 150-run mark.

Malinga, who had not played the first two games due to a back problem, accounted for four opposition wickets, including a hat-trick, in a span of 12 balls at the R Premadasa stadium.

Kenya's lower middle-order spoilt the hardwork of Obuya brothers as they lost their last eight wickets for just 40 runs.

Opting to bat, Kenya found the Lankan pace duo of Malinga (6/38) and Nuwan Kulasekara (1/18) too hot to handle as they lost openers -- Maurice Ouma and Seren Waters -- for just eight runs.

Kulasekera struck early for the home team, trapping Ouma in the second over with a delivery that moved in after pitching. The batsman went for the review but TV umpire upheld the decision.

Malinga soon got into the act and trapped Waters in the next over with a lethal indipping yorker that hit the batsman on his toes.

Although Waters did not go for the review, he was perhaps little unlucky as TV replays later showed the ball was missing leg-stump.

Then came in the Obuya brothers, who displayed tremendous grit and determination to steady the rocking Kenyan ship. They showed exemplary patience to rescue Kenya with a 92-run partnership that came off 177 balls.

It took another lethal yorker from Malinga to separate the brothers when he cleaned up Collins but not before the right-hander notched up his maiden World Cup half-century that came off 100 balls and was studded with four boundaries.

Veteran Steve Tikolo (7) once again disappointed with the bat as Tillakaratene Dilshan pulled off a blinder at point off Angelo Mathews.

Just like his brother Collins, David too threw away his wicket after doing all the hard work and at a time when Kenya needed him the most. He was caught by Thilan Samaraweera off Muttiah Muralitharan.

Captain Jimmy Kamande did very little to his inspire his team as he was brilliantly run out by a diving Chamara Silva in the next over. And then in the last ball Malinga came up with yet another toe-wrecking yorker to end Tanmay Mishra's struggle at the crease.

Malinga then castled through the defence of Peter Ongondo and Shem Ngoche in the first two deliveries of his next over to register the second hat-trick of this tournament.

He then cleaned up the Kenyan tail with another perfect yorker which was too hot for last man Elijah Otieno.

World Cup: Bangladesh beat Ireland by 27 runs

MIRPUR: Bangladesh spinners, so ineffective against India, rediscovered their magical touch on Friday to fashion an exciting 27-run win over Ireland in a low-scoring Group B match of the 2011 World Cup at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here. 

It was a torturous win for Bangladesh, who were bowled out for a meagre 205 after frittering away a blistering start, but it kept the co-hosts firmly in contention for a berth in the knock-out stage. 

Ireland batsmen, who had no inkling about how to play the play the turning ball, were easy pickings for wily Bangla spinners, who bundled them out for 178 in 45 overs with some help from pacer Shafiul Islam, who passed a fitness test in the morning. Shafiul, who grabbed three of the last four Ireland wickets, finished with figures of 4/21. 

Ironically, it was part-timer Mohammad Ashraful's innocuous off-spin that turned the match Bangladesh's way after frontline spinners Abdur Razzak, skipper Shakib Al Hasan made the initial breakthroughs. Playing in place of Mahmudullah, Ashraful, who had earlier played a horrendous shot to get out cheaply, made amends by dismissing the experienced duo of Ed Joyce (16) and Andrew White (10), fooling both with a clever variation of pace and trajectory. 

Ireland's hopes of sneaking an improbable win under the lights rested on the O'Brien brothers, Niall and Kevin. While Niall, looked more compact of the two, Kevin showed he had the big shots. They contributed 38 and 37, respectively, but threw away their wickets after having played themselves in. 

Joyce's soft dismissal to Ashraful showed why he failed to win an England Test cap and skipper William Porterfield's unshakable faith in gangly pacer Boyd Rankin was hard to fathom, particularly as he struggled with both length and direction right through the Bangladesh innings. 

In the end, it was a crucial 23-run ninth-wicket partnership between Naeem and Razzak, that made all the difference. Bangladesh, who got off to a rousing start through their openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, ought to have posted a total in excess of 250 after Shakib elected to bat. 

Tamim, who top-scored with 70 against India, looked to be in super touch as he cut, drove and flicked Rankin and Trent Johnston to log 44 off 43 balls that won him the Man-of-the-Match award. With Kayes also joining the party with a brilliantly square-driven boundary off Rankin, Bangladesh raced to 50 off 5.4 overs. 

A smart leg-side stumping off a wide, effected by wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien to send Kayes packing, and Joyce scoring a direct hit from mid-off to catch Junaid Siddique short of the crease, brought Ireland back in the game. 

Alarm bells started ringing in the Bangla dressing room when Tamim played a lazy cut off Andre Botha shortly afterward and was held by Porterfield at point. Shakib began with a flourish, but refused to mix caution with aggression despite being dropped by Porterfield at point off Rankin when he was on 15. He paid the price for pushing early at a Botha delivery as the ball popped up for nicely for the bowler to hold. 

Mushfiqur Rahim and Rokibul Hasan rebuilt the Bangladesh innings with a sensible 61-run partnership for the fifth wicket before the former had a rush of blood and departed, top-edging an intended sweep off left-arm spinner George Dockrell. And with Mohammad Ashraful departing much in the same fashion two overs later, early 'dinner' was on cards. However, Roqibul (38), Naeem (29) and Razzak (11) ensured that Bangladesh spinners had something to bowl at.

Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2011/news/World-Cup-Bangladesh-beat-Ireland-by-27-runs/articleshow/7576580.cms