1st Semi Final ICC Champions Trophy 2009 : England vs Australia
1st Semi Final Match will take place at Centurion
Aus vs Eng (Semi Final) Match will start at 2 October
Start Time 2:30 (Local Time ) and 12:30 GMT.
South African batsmen could not give their full percent effort in their first match. Herschelle Gibbs was ruled out of Proteas squad because of his injury. There is no guarantee that he will be included for the next match. No doubt that his absence in the national squad has created a big problem. It is time to see how South African cricket team can proceed without him.
New Zealand has become very strong after included rebel players in the squad. Their inclusion will help to increase their strength. Last they bet Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 series. This performance will inspire them to do well and dare to get a victory against second best team in ODI cricket.
South Africa slipped to the second position in the ODI ranking. This is the right time for them to regain the lost position. They can do it after winning the champions trophy. South Africa will get much importance in the betting odds.
However, New Zealand can make big upset for host team. Is South Africa ready to face them? If they are not then they will have to accept their bad luck. This match will be shown live on STAR CRICKET. Many of you may not enjoy the game live on TV. You can visit some cricket related website where you can get live score with details information.
Some warm-up matches will be taking place before the ICC Champions trophy 2009. Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka will play for in the practice matches. The matches will be played in two venues in South Africa. These will not be official ODI international matches as they are not recognized by ICC.
Former Pakistan all rounder captain Shoaib Malik has described the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy tougher than the World Cup and said that any of the eight participating teams could win the coveted trophy as there were no favourites.”The Champions Trophy is more competitive than the World Cup and no team is favourite to win the title,” Malik told media persons here. “In the first phase a team needs to win at least two matches to progress to the semi-final, so you have to do your best in each match and that’s why this event is regarded as tougher than the World Cup,” Malik added.
Pakistan has never qualified for the finals of the Champions Trophy since its inception in 1998. Terming the India-Pakistan encounter as ‘the match’ of the event, Malik said the clash between the two arch rivals would be the most intriguing contest of the tournament beginning September 22. “It is the most awaited match, both for the crowd and for the players because if you perform well and help your team win you become an instant hero, so players from both teams try to put up their best,” The Daily Times quoted Malik, as saying. Pakistan would start its campaign against West Indies on September 23 before taking on India on September 26 at Centurion.
Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam today exuded confidence that his team has the potential and depth to win the ICC Champions Trophy which begins in South Africa on September 22. Intikhab said Pakistan has the firepower and can repeat their T20 World Cup success in South Africa. “The ICC Champions Trophy is a tournament in which we have not done well. We have never won it. I think the depth we have in our side if we play to our potential we can win the event,” Intikhab told reporters at the Karachi airport before leaving for South Africa for the eight-nation tournament.The former Test captain said a very balanced side had been selected for the tournament keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa.
“The batting has experience, youth and firepower. While I think our bowling remains our strongest point. We have quality pace bowlers and in Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal we have to world class spinners,” he said. The 67-year-old Intikhab, who has been under scrutiny in recent times for his age, said the team needed to show the same form and resolve they had shown in the T20 World Cup in England. “We are carrying a lot of expectations to the ICC Champions Trophy. We are the ICC World Twenty20 Champions and we need to perform like Champions. I have told the boys to focus on the group matches which are going to be tough and challenging against teams like India and Australia,” he added.
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