why did india loose????????

The sudden and dramatic exit of Team India from the race for the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty- 20 Cup 2009 has shocked onlookers and confounded experts. Being the joint favourites along with South Africa for winning the Cup, the defending champions displayed a lack of innovation as also the absence of sheer desperation that resulted in their amazing success in South Africa in 2007 when they lifted the trophy as rank outsiders.

The ten main reasons that led to their shocking elimination are-

Complacency - There seemed to be an air of 'nothing-can-go-wrong' in the team's approach. They appeared to feel all along that the Cup was rightfully theirs and that no other team had the fire power to gun them down. That they lost to both the West Indies and England, two of the less formidable teams in the draw, indicated a sense of false superiority which did not result in runs on the board or wickets in the bag.

Sehwag's unavailability - Despite a star-studded line-up, India had no other batsman who could scare the wits out of the opposition bowlers quite like Virender Sehwag does. Yuvraj Singh is India's batting hero in this version of the game, but the task proved too much even for him, in the absence of the Sultan of Multan, whose shoulder injury cost India dear.

Wrong team selection - India bungled by playing an extra bowler in a batsman oriented format of the game. As a result, there was not enough ammunition in the late middle order to test the opposition seriously enough. Dinesh Karthik should have played instead of Ravinder Jadeja in the match against England. Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma could have bowled spin along with Yuvraj Singh to fill the breach. Ishant Sharma could have been dropped in favour of Praveen Kumar whose swing bowling was suited to English conditions. RP Singh should have played all the matches, given that he was the highest wicket taker in the IPL, and the in-form bowler in the team!

Fielding lapses - In the match against the West Indies especially and also on some other occasions, misfielding hurt India badly. Two clear boundaries went through the legs of the fielders against the Windies, and could have made the difference in a close match. More over, India's field placing was such that the slower fielders in the team found the ball coming towards them on more occasions than did the best fielders. Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan were cases in point!

Easy early matches - A factor that Team India could not do anything about, given their top-seeded billing! They had Bangladesh and Ireland for company in their group and found them to be easy meat. But the lack of serious opposition at that stage meant that they had to suddenly up the ante against better teams in the super-league, which they could not manage!

Jadeja's dilemma - By pushing green-horn Ravinder Jadeja up the order the team management exposed him to some accurate and hostile bowling from the England pacers in the crucial tie at Lords. Jadeja is a talented player and had claimed two key wickets with his left-arm spin earlier in the match but he appeared to be overawed by the occasion and could not really handle the pressure. In a match that India lost by just 3 runs, Jadeja's 22 off 30 balls was surely a match-losing effort.

Short-pitched challenge - The manner in which the West Indian fast bowlers, followed by their English counterparts, tested India's top order with short-pitched bowling was revelatory. Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina just could not get going and were tied down and then forced to find ungainly ways of hitting out or getting out while facing the bouncy stuff. India's top order has seldom looked as ruffled as it did in this tournament. Perhaps a realization that the conditions in England are such that they require pure cricketing shots in the first few overs may have done the trick.

Dhoni was out of sorts - Captain cool, MS Dhoni kept wickets reasonably well, and marshalled his forces to the best of his ability, but his batting was a let down. Even in the match against England when he and Pathan almost chased down the target, he could not really get the big shots going. His bat seemed to have lost its potency, for his shots simply lacked the explosiveness that they are known for.

Media trouble - Another factor was surely the off-the-field distraction especially the manner in which the Sehwag issue was dealt with. The media flayed the present Captain's attitude for the first time ever and the foolhardy attempt at displaying a sense of camaraderie by presenting the whole team at a Press conference was most bizarre.

Too much cricket - The current Indian team plays all around the year and big matches obviously lose their aura for the players when so much cricket is played. This was the World Cup after all, but from the look of them, Team India could well have been playing any other international series. Gautam Gambhir, who has been the most prolific scorer in world cricket in the past one year, looked totally jaded, and exemplified the mal-effects of excessive international cricket.

Fans of the Indian team are distraught and shocked at their early exit from the ICC World Twenty 20. Let's see if the team can re-group from here and win back our admiration in the coming months

Super Eight Stage

Super Eight Stage:

Placement for the Super Eight stage is determined as follows:
The first two teams in each group are placed 1 or 2. They will retain this position for the Super Eight stage, irrespective of whether they finish first or second in their group, unless they are knocked out by the team 3 in their group. In this instance, team 3 replaces the position of the team they knock out.

Group E: A1 - India, B2 - England, C1 - West Indies, D2 - South Africa
Group F: B1 - Pakistan, A2 - Ireland, C2 - Sri Lanka, D1 - New Zealand

Thursday, June 11
Ireland v New Zealand		Nottingham	18:00 IST
England v South Africa		Nottingham	22:00 IST
Friday, June 12
Pakistan v Sri Lanka	Lord's		18:00 IST
India v West Indies	Lord's		22:00 IST
Saturday, June 13
South Africa v West Indies		The Oval	18:00 IST
New Zealand v Pakistan		The Oval	22:00 IST
Sunday, June 14
Ireland v Sri Lanka		Lord's	18:00 IST
England v India		Lord's	22:00 IST
Monday, June 15
England v West Indies		The Oval	18:00 IST
Ireland v Pakistan		The Oval	22:00 IST
Tuesday, June 16
New Zealand v Sri Lanka		Nottingham	18:00 IST
India v South Africa		Nottingham	22:00 IST

The teams finishing first and second in groups E and F, based on points obtained in the Super Eight stage will compete in the semi-finals

Thursday, June 18
E1 v F2, 1st Semi-Final	Nottingham			22:00 IST
Friday, June 19
F1 v E2, 2nd Semi-Final		The Oval			22:00 IST
Sunday, June 21
Final		Lord's	19:30 IST

bangaladeshis are out tooooooooooooooooo

O'Brien brothers Niall and Kevin's scintillating knocks gave Ireland a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh and a berth in the Super Eight stage of the World Twenty20 championship, at Trent Bridge, in Nottingham, on Monday.

Niall blasted a 25-ball 40 that was studded with three fours and as many sixes, while Kevin fired an unbeaten 17-ball 39, inclusive of fours and a couple of sixes, as Ireland attained the target with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier, all-rounder Trent Johnston's three-wicket haul restricted Bangladesh to 137 for eight in the Group A match.

Niall stitched a 55-run partnership for the first wicket with skipper William Porterfield (23) to lay the foundation for victory before the left-handed batsman was dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan in the 10th over.

Ireland then lost two quick wickets in Porterfield and GC Wilson (10) before Kevin steadied the ship in a 49-run stand off 24 balls with John Mooney (17).

For Bangladesh, Mashrafe Mortaza took two wickets for 30 runs, while Shakib and Abdur Razzak bagged one each.

Earlier, Johnston had ripped through the Bangladesh top order, ejecting opener Junaid Siddique (13), skipper Mohammad Ashraful (14) and Shakib Al Hasan (7) after Ireland skipper William Porterfield won the toss and inserted Bangladesh in the seventh match of the tournament.

Bangladesh were in dire straits at 94 for seven before Mashrafe Mortaza cracked a quickfire 16-ball 33, that was studded with one four and two sixes, to take give the total respectability.

Needing a victory to keep their hopes alive in the tournament after their disastrous start against India in the opening match, Bangladesh struggled as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Had it not been wasn't for the late charge given by Mortaza, things could have been embarrassing for them.

Alex Cusack bowled the last over which yielded 20 invaluable runs for Bangladesh with Mortaza twice clearing the rope with two huge sixes

srilanka shuts aussies out of game!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Australia's hopes of capturing the only title that has evaded their grasp vanished when they were eliminated in the first round of the ICC World Twenty20.

World champions in ODIs and the top-ranked team in Tests, Australia showed they still have a lot to learn in Twenty20 cricket after losing to Sri Lanka by six wickets and an over to spare, at Trent Bridge, in Nottingham, on Monday.

This was the Aussies' second defeat in as many matches in the tournament, having lost to the West Indies by seven wickets in their first outing.

Tillakaratne Dilshan set Sri Lanka on the victory path with a blazing knock of 53 from just 32 deliveries at the top of the order. Captain Kumar Sangakkara, with an unbeaten 55 from 42 deliveries, then showed great composure in the closing stages to guide his team home and into the Super Eights of the tournament.

Jehan Mubarak hit 21 from 12 deliveries as Sri Lanka scored 160 for four in 19 overs, in reply to Australia's 159 for nine in 20.

Earlier, Ajantha Mendis crippled the famed Australian batting line-up with a haul of three for 20 in four overs and left Ricky Ponting's men facing the ignominy a humiliating first round exit. Lasith Malinga also chipped in with vital wickets at the end to finish with three for 36 in his four overs.

Australia:

Sri Lanka just about managed to reach the stadium as Tamils, protesting against the Sri Lankan government's "human right abuses" attempted to block their way. The protestors called for the British government to ban the Lankan cricket team for crimes against Tamils during the recent offensive against the LTTE.

But it was a smooth passage for the Lankans inside the ground, as Kumar Sangakkara won the toss in his debut game as Sri Lanka captain and elected to field.

It took them just four deliveries to strike -- pacer Angelo Mathews claiming the wicket of David Warner, caught at point for a duck.

Debutant Isuru Udana got off to a rough start in international cricket as Shane Watson clubbed him for two boundaries and a six in his first over.

Lasith Malinga was despatched by Ricky Ponting for three straight boundaries off the first three deliveries he bowled as Australia raced for 47 for one after five overs.

Ajantha Mendis nearly struck with his first delivery when he beat Watson with a quicker one that struck him in line, but the umpire ruled him not out.

However, Mendis was not to be denied five deliveries later when he bowled Ponting in the sixth over. The batsman had scored a quick 25.

The Sri Lanka leggie then pegged Australia further when he trapped Watson leg before wicket for 22.

With three wickets already in their bag, Sri Lanka tried to restrict Australia with some quick bowling as the boundaries dried off. The pressure paid when Brad Haddin (16 off 17 deliveries) gave himself room but was foxed by a slower delivery from Malinga. Australia had slipped to 74 for four after 11 overs.

Udana came up with a spectacular return catch off his bowling to send back Michael Clarke, who scored a subdued 11 from 15 deliveries, leaving leave Australia reeling at 79 for five in the 13^th over.

With wickets falling regularly, the flow of runs also dried up, especially against the spin duo of Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan. David Hussey tried to break the shackles when he danced down the wicket and lofted Mendis for a huge six straight down the ground.

Mendis, though, had something to smile two balls later when he scalped Michael Hussey for 1. The left-hander shuffled across the stumps but was beaten by a quicker delivery and trapped right in front.

The two spinners -- Muralitharan (3-0-8-0) and Mendis (3-0-11-3) -- had spun a web around the Aussie batsmen, bowling six overs between themselves for just 19 runs, with three wickets to boast of.

Mitchell Johnson counter-attacked right from the start and ruined Muralitharan's figures by smashing for two sixes and a boundary in his final over. Johnson raced to 19 from 5 deliveries as 21 runs came from Muralitharan's final over as Australia reached 115 for six after 16 overs.

David Hussey clubbed a length delivery from Udana over midwicket for a six but fell of the next delivery attempting a similar shot. Hussey scored 28 from 22 deliveries, with a four and two sixes, before ending up spooning a simple catch to the point fielder in the 19^th over.

But Udana continued to suffer as Brett Lee came out and hammered for a boundary and six off consecutive deliveries.

Lee made a quick 15 from five deliveries before he was bowled by an unplayable yorker from Malinga in the final over of the innings. In the same over, Nathan Hauritz fell caught behind for four before Australia finished on 159 for nine in their 20 overs.

Australia could well be ruing not making another 15-20 runs since they scored 169 for seven in their first match against West Indies, but went down by seven wickets.

Even Sri Lanka boasts of great firepower in their batting and if the explosive Sanath Jayasuriya gets going Australia could well start packing their bags.

Sri Lanka:

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who enjoyed a great run in the IPL with the bat, started with a cracking boundary off Brett Lee in the first over of the innings. He then smashed a couple more off Johnson's next over, one pulled through midwicket while the second one was driven handsomely through the covers.

Sanath Jayasuriya, however, struggled to make an impression and fell for 2 off seven deliveries. He pulled a short delivery from Lee in the third over, but David Warner came up with a brilliant catch, jumping high and completing the catch behind him just inches inside the boundary line.

Kumar Sangakkara made sure Australia did not capitalize from that opening wicket as he unleashed consecutive boundaries in that same over off Lee.

Ponting felt the heat as the pacers went for plenty of boundaries early on. Nathan Bracken was also hit for a boundary each by the two batsmen as Sri Lanka reached 37 for one after four overs.

The Lankans were in no mood to relent. Dilshan hammered Watson for four boundaries in his first over. He welcomed Watson to the bowling crease with a lofted boundary over midwicket. Two balls later he played a fine paddle sweep against the medium pacer for the same result and followed it up with two more boundaries over the point region.

Sri Lanka raced to a comfortable 53 for one after five overs -- 44 of those runs coming through boundaries.

There was no stopping the two batsmen as they added 50 runs for the second wicket in 32 deliveries, having hit nine boundaries between them.

Dilshan brought up his own half-century in amazing fashion when he scooped a good length delivery from Watson over the wicketkeeper for a boundary. It took him just 26 deliveries to reach the landmark and included 10 boundaries. He merely repeated what Chris Gayle did to the Aussie bowlers a few days back.

Australia then got a wicket out of nowhere when part-timer Michael Clarke bowled Dilshan with his first delivery of the match. Dilshan, who made 53 from 32 deliveries, inclusive of 10 boundaries, came down the wicket but was beaten by the flight and bowled.

Slowly but steadily Australia were trying to make a comeback through their spinner, who gave away just 14 runs in his first three overs while picking a wicket.

The pressure tactics seemed to pay off when Mahela Jayawardene gave his wicket away trying to hit Nathan Hauritz. He charged down the wicket to Hauritz to loft him over the cover region but ended up slicing it to Bracken at point to fall for 9 from 12 deliveries.

Sri Lanka reached 98 for three after 13 overs as the required run rate kept creeping with 62 more runs needed from the last seven overs.

Hauritz was proving to be difficult to score off as he gave away just 11 runs in his first three overs. But with the run rate on the rise, Sangakkara decided to take on the off-spinner in his final over and smashed consecutive sixes to take Sri Lanka to 122 for three in 15 overs.

Lee kept Australia in the hunt when he claimed the wicket of Chamara Silva for 11 in the 17^th over. He followed it up with three dot deliveries to pile on the pressure on newcomer Jehan Mubarak, who made up for it with a six over midwicket to make it 24 needed from the last three overs.

Bracken kept it tight in the 18th over before Sangakkara restored parity with a boundary through fine leg. That also brought up his half-century off just 40 deliveries, inclusive four boundaries and two sixes, leaving Sri Lanka an easy task of chasing 14 from the last two overs.

Mubarak ensured there was no late drama by slamming Lee for a huge six over midwicket in the 19th over and following it up with a boundary over mid-off.

It was a wide that ended it all as Sri Lanka reached 160 for four in 19 overs and won the match by six wickets with a full over to spare.

Sangakkara was quite pumped at the end, having finished unbeaten on a fine knock of 55 from 42 deliveries, that included four boundaries and two sixes.

Mubarak also made a good contribution, scoring 21 from 12 deliveries, with a boundary and two sixes, as the two batsmen added 33 runs for the fifth wicket in just 2.5 overs.

The victory ensured Australia were knocked out of the tournament, while Sri Lanka and West Indies advanced to the Super Eights

england wins over pakistaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan

England stayedafloat in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament after humbling Pakistan by 48 runs in their must-win Group B match at the Oval in London on Sunday.

Going into the match, England's chances of making the super-eight stage hung by a thread following the humiliating defeat to the Netherlands in their opening match on Friday. But, facing early elimination from the home event, their top-order responded magnificently as they posted a challenging 185 for 5 after being sent in to bat.

Kevin Pietersen made a timely return to the side and scored a masterly 58. He was well-supported by man of the match Luke Wright (34) and Owais Shah (33).

England then restricted Pakistan to 137 for 7 in their 20 overs.

Though skipper Younus Khan held one end up with a defiant unbeaten 46, Pakistan failed to recover from a top-order collapse.

Stuart Broad (3 for 17) caused the early damage by dismissing Kamran Akmal (6) and Salman Butt (28) with consecutive deliveries in the sixth over after Dimitri Mascarenhas had got rid off Ahmad Shahzad (4).

Younus and Shoaib Malik (20) offered resistance and revived the innings with a 46-run partnership, but the required run-rate soared over 12 runs per over.

And once Malik was caught behind off Wright, Younus was left stranded as his teammates came and departed in a hurry.

Earlier, Pietersen and Wright shared a 53-run stand for the second wicket to set the tone for England's innings with a 16-ball 34.

Pietersen also added 66 for the third wicket with Owais Shah (33) after Pakistan put England in to bat.

At one stage the hosts were heading towards a 200-plus score but Saeed Ajmal's double strike the 17th over pegged them back.

The tweaker first dismissed rival skipper Paul Collingwood (15) and then sent back Pietersen, whose 38-ball knock contained five fours and three sixes.

Except for opener Ravi Bopara (5), all the England batsmen made good contributions.

For Pakistan, Umar Gul (2-37) and Ajmal (2-23) did well but could not prevent England from putting up an imposing total.

Pakistan's buttered-fingered fielders only helped England's cause as they dropped catches, missed run-out opportunities and gave away some easy runs.

The 17-year-old Mohammed Aamer began well for his side by picking the wicket of the dangerous Bopara in the second ball of his first over.

Bopara slashed one hard on the off-side and an airborne Shoaib Malik took a superb catch at backward point.

Wright was tested by the young paceman but the Briton responded with stunning hits in his next over. He first lofted him for a four, then pulled him for a mid-wicket six and followed it with a four in the third man region.

Wright was in murderous mood as he hit Yasir Arafat for consecutive fours and then Pietersen closed the over with a massive six over the sightscreen.

Gul ended Pakistan's agony by getting rid of Wright, cleaning him up with a yorker. But by that time Wright had done his job, adding 53 quick runs for the second wicket with Pietersen.

The wicket coupled with tight bowling by Shahid Afridi checked the run flow as England reached 90 without any further loss at the half-way mark.

Pietersen and Owais Shah (33) batted intelligently and steadily took their side towards a huge total.

They ran hard between the wickets and did not miss any opportunity to score a boundary or six.

Gul yet again rescued his team, this time castling Shah, who tried to smash the paceman out of the ground.

Pietersen continued his splendid batting in the company of Collingwood until Ajmal came to bowl towards end.

Dimitri Mascarenhas (16) and James Foster (14) then chipped in with useful contributions towards the end

team india

Nothing is more misleading than India's emphatic triumph over Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup warm-up game. The victory gives the impression of MS Dhoni's men being in the pink of health. Nothing can be further from the truth.

I am referring to issues, on and off the field. The shoulder injuries to Zaheer and Sehwag have upset India's Plan A. The wise selectors did not think it was necessary to have a third opener in the squad. Now their short sightedness stands exposed. "I don't want to make any comment about it," Dhoni said on his deputy's fitness after the team's win over Pakistan. "Maybe you should ask the physio to issue a press release." That's terse. It is rumoured

that's not my larger point. On paper, India has at least seven proven T20 match-winners: Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Rohit, Raina, Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan. These cricketers almost single-handedly have won more than one game for their side either in a T20 international or in IPL. Some, I guess, would also like to include RP Singh in this list since he bowled so well in T20 World Cup 2007 and in IPL2.

However, appearances can be deceptive. On latest evidence, quite a few look anything but match-winners. Let us discuss them one by one:

1. The Sehwag mystery: He missed parts of IPL2 with a finger injury. Now he has a shoulder injury. One doesn't really know whether the injury happened in England or whether he was carrying it from South Africa. Which makes the issue all the more mysterious. If he missed the two warm-up games, surely it is serious enough. Some might say, with Rohit Sharma in such great form, who needs Sehwag? But if Rohit plays as an opener, it creates a middle-order vacancy. Nobody really can fill that. Certainly no Jadeja. In other words, Sehwag's absence or loss of form means India will be one match winner short.

2. A half-fit Yuvraj Singh: Another match-winner who doesn't look he's match-fit. In the past few weeks, Yuvraj has started looking like Jesse Ryder and running like Ganguly. He certainly wasn't in the greatest of batting form in IPL2. In fact, he made more headlines for his bowling. That he hasn't really put bat to ball even in warm-up games makes things more difficult for him.

3. Dhoni's self-promotion: In both warm-up games, Dhoni promoted himself to one drop. But is he the best no 3 in the team? Surely, on current form, that spot should go to either Rohit or Raina, assuming Sehwag is back. Or to Sehwag/Raina, if Rohit-Gambhir becomes the preferred opening pair. Everybody has seen how in the past one year Dhoni has lost his 'fourth gear,' the ability to hit 20 runs in one over. His T20 strike rate is a lowly 103. His hard-running skills and mature temperament still make him a valuable No 6 after Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Rohit, Yuvraj. By and large, his leadership remains exemplary but is he still the explosive match-winner that he once was?

4. An untested Yusuf: Yusuf Pathan's real reputation is built on his IPL performances. But will he be able to do it against the best bowlers in the world?

5. Multiple bowling woes: More than its batting, India's bowling looks shaky. Zaheer Khan's recovery is slower than actor Manoj Kumar's dialogue delivery. The good news, though, is Ishant Sharma is in form after an ordinary IPL2. Even better news: left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is bowling superbly. But the real question is: will he be in the eleven? Will Dhoni-Kirsten show the guts to choose him over Harbhajan, in case they play only one specialist spinner.

The rest of bowling is all confusion. RP Singh looks helpless and clueless when the ball is not moving, which seems to be the case with him in England right now. Despite his super success in IPL2, he doesn't seem to inspire confidence. On the other hand, Praveen Kumar is bowling with a lot of confidence and anger. After every delivery, he seems ready to shout a few expletives. Too bad, he is giving away runs. That's sad because he has the ability (which includes a well disguised slow ball) and the temperament.

To sum it up: we really don't know our bowling line-up?

6. Sub-par fielding: The squad has at least five below average fielders: RP, Ishant, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Yuvraj. Yes, Yuvraj. Didn't you see the warm-up games?

So what's the good news?

1. The Rohit-Raina factor: India demolished Pakistan but the key reason is Rohit Sharma's divine batting form. In both warm-up games, he was sublime. So was Raina against New Zealand. In other words, the great form of these two has papered over the other batting problems in the team. Gambhir scored a decent unbeaten half-century against Pakistan. But he's only 65% of what he was six months ago.

2. Weak early group: The good news is India is in the weakest of groups with Bangladesh and Ireland for company. That almost assures the Men in Blue of a top Super Eight spot. Which means that the injured have time to recover. And the strugglers have time to discover form.

3. The surrrprise: Who would have thought that we would win the 2007 World Cup. Certainly not BCCI who sent a team without any preparation. But then delightful surprises keep happening. Who would have thought that footballer Bhaichung Bhutia would win Jhalak Dikhla Ja? And who would have thought that Rakhi Sawant will go for a swayamvar?

THE DUTCH SHOCK THERAPY FOR ENGLAND

Hosts England suffered an embarrassing upset in the opening match of the World T20 tournament, losing to the Netherlands by four wickets at Lord's on Friday.

Chasing England's competitive score of 162 for 5, the Dutch were home off the last delivery of the match following an overthrow that fetched them two runs.

The 500-1 tournament outsiders batted with spirit and initiative while England panicked in the field, missing several run-out chances in treacherous conditions after light drizzle had forced the opening ceremony to be cancelled.

Seven runs were needed from the final over bowled by Stuart Broad and two from the last delivery.

Edgar Schiferli got his bat toball off the last delivery and set off for a run, even as the ball travelled to the bowler. Broad did well to collect and hurl the ball at the stumps at the bowler's end, but missed and the batsmen raced for two to secure a famous victory.

It was man of the match Tom De Grooth who led the Netherlands' run chase, scoring 49 from 30 deliveries, inclusive of six fours and one of his team's four sixes. He was well-supported by Ryan ten Doeschate, who scored an unbeaten 22 off 17 balls, inclusive of two fours.

None of the England batsmen could clear the boundary.

Earlier, Luke Wright hit a blazing 71 and shared a 102-run opening partnership with Ravi Bopara (46), but England's lack of power hitters was exposed after Bopara departed and only 38 runs were scored off the last five overs.

Put in to bat, openers Bopara and Wright laid a strong foundation for a big score but England, without the services of former captain Kevin Pietersen, who had to sit out of the match because of an Achilles injury, lost quick wickets and the plot in the end.

Once Bopara was dismissed in the 12th over, England struggled to forge partnerships. While their first 100 runs was raised in 11 overs, they could score just 62 runs in the subsequent overs.

Ryan ten Doeschate, who dismissed both Bopara and Wright, was the most successful bowler for the Netherlands, giving away 35 runs in his four overs.

Bopara provided an apt start to the second edition of the T20 World Cup by hitting the first ball of the slam-bang event for a boundary off Dirk Nannes.

Luke Wright and Bopara in fact gave England a decent, if not spectacular, start, hitting boundaries with ease and rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking.

The duo raised 50 runs within first six overs even though runs were not easy to come by under the conditions.

As the innings progressed, stroke-making became easier and two batsmen got involved in a sort of battle to outscore each other.

The Dutch bowlers bore the brunt of this competition between the English batsmen, as the scoreboard read 89 without loss at half-way mark.

Left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar was only the bowler who left some impact on them with an intriguing spell in the first-half of the innings.

But it was Doetschate who stemmed the rot by sending back Bopara, who went for maximum, miscued the shot and ended up in the hands of Seelaar.

Owais Shah (5) joined Wright in the middle but only to return early. Wright completed his half-century but the twin-blow put the brakes on the scoring rate.

The stage was set for a massive score but suddenly the Dutch began dominating, as Eoin Morgan (6) and skipper Paul Collingwood (11) too started their walk back to dug-out.

Wright kept one end for some time but as pressure mounted to get some runs, he tried to break the shackles and got out though not before hitting eight fours in his 49-ball knock