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M S DHONI: PLEASED WITH TEAM SHOW IN WC'T20

       India beat South Africa by one run but out of the park of the World T20. TOI lists four areas where the 2007 champs must improve..

OPENERS FAILS:

Both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir failed miserably at the top. They looked rusty, lacked application and confidence. Their lack of feet movement betrayed their nerves. While Sehwag scored just 54 runs from three innings with a highest score of 29, Gambhir managed 80 from five games with a top score of 45. 

INCONSISTENT MIDDLE-ORDER: 

As Virat Kohli bulldozed through opponents, others struggled. Be it Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh or MS Dhoni, everyone failed to live up to their reputation. Rohit looked scratchy barring his unbeaten 55 against England. Suresh Raina pulled up his socks against South Africa in India's do-or-die match but it was too little, too late. 

LACK OF VARIATION IN BOWLING: 

While the three-spinner strategy boomeranged against Australia partly due to rain, MS Dhoni's team selections have not really been convincing. Australia may have struggled against spin but to go with three specialist spinners when India have part-timers like Yuvraj and Raina who can also bowl spin is ridiculous. Again, to leave out Harbhajan Singh against South Africa when Pakistan stifled Australia with spin on the same ground was surprising. 

INSIPID BOWLING: 

Is Zaheer Khan becoming a liability? The Indian pace spearhead had an average series against New Zealand and looked woefully out of form in the World T20 as well. Lakshmipathy Balaji, who picked up nine wickets, showed good fighting spirit but went for runs against Australia. Irfan Pathan (five wickets) did what he could within his limitations. India were lucky to play all their games in Colombo, where spin gets an edge over pace. Our spinners struck but also left a lot to be desired.

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COLOMBO: Last day was a big day for cricket playing nation like India Pakistan and South Africa as well because 2 last super 8 game takes place,results are that India won against SA still out of semi's and Pak win against Aussies but dues to run rate Pak and Australia both enter's into semi's.... 

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WORLD T20: INDIA THRASHES PROTEAS STILL UNABLE TO QUALIFIED FOE SEMI'S.. 


POST MATCH PRESENTATION:

AB de Villiers: 'Disappointed is not even the right word, we have had a poor tournament. Sorry to all the people back home, we have let them down very badly. We will look to do better. Our preparations were good, we felt that we had the right players in the squad. We will go back home for the Champions League and the tour of Australia. Faf was outstanding today, he showed his class.

M S Dhoni: 'I am disappointed, but not at our quality of cricket. I think the rain intervention in the match against Australia did not help us, there was little our bowlers could have done after it rained. I am very happy with the way we played otherwise. Today's start was not good, to lose three wickets quickly did not help. We rely heavily on getting a good start, we have the hitters down to take advantage. I felt that there was no point in using all our trump cards right at the top and it was swinging around early. We have not really peaked as a team, all the three departments have not clicked together, but against top sides, we need to get out act together. We had one off-day, I blame the rain for that. Else, I am happy with our show.'

Yuvraj Singh is the MoM

Yuvraj: 'Some people suggested that I should not have been in the playing XI. Nice to pick up a few wickets, I did not do too well with the bat. I feel that I need to spend more time in the middle, hopefully I will get those in the ODI form of the game. I have practised a lot on my bowling, unfortunately we did not qualify, nice to finish off with a win. I am getting better with every day, hopefully I will get back to ny previous best.'

'

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World T20: We failed to click as a team, says MS Dhoni

Colombo: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday conceded that his side did not click as a team in all departments of the game and that led to the their early ouster from the World Twenty20 here on Tuesday. India beat South Africa by one run in their last Super Eights match here but that was not enough for them to make it to the semi-finals. They needed to beat South Africa by 31 runs for a berth in the knock-out stage which they could not do.

Dhoni, however, said that he was satisfied with the overall performance of his side. "We failed to click as a team. Our batting and bowling and also fielding were patchy, brilliant at different times. But all the three departments of the game did not click together at a particular match. But overall I'm quite happy with how the team performed," Dhoni said after India's victory over South Africa

Preview: India v South Africa

                                                                              heir campaign is back on track after the morale-boosting win over Pakistan but India can hardly afford to relax as they take on an erratic but still quite intimidating South Africa in their final Super Eight match tomorrow for a place in the semifinals of the ICC World Twenty20 here. 

The fight for the second semi-final slot from group-2 is indeed intriguingly poised as both India and Pakistan have a fair chance of making the cut although Australia seems favourite at the moment. 

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that devising a strategy without knowing the result of the Australia versus Pakistan game will be foolhardy as that will help them chart their course of action. 

In case Pakistan (-0.426), who are a shade better than India (-0.452) in terms of net run-rate happen to win against Australia, Dhoni and his men will then have to win comprehensively against the South Africans in order to make it to the last four. 

If Australia maintain a clean slate in the 'Super Eight' by beating Pakistan, the equation will be a lot easier for India as a win will be good enough. Even in case of a defeat against South Africa, India should ensure that they don't lose by a big margin as the net run rate will come into play with three teams tied with one win each. 

South Africa have lost both their matches in contrasting manners ---- a close defeat against Pakistan and a comprehensive one against Australia. 

AB de Villiers and Co. will now want to end the tournament on a respectable note and think of an outside chance of qualifying although their net run-rate might prove to be a deterrent. 

Tomorrow, the Indian team will not only have to deal with a South African team that is keen to maintain its reputation as a world class outfit but also have to counter the threat of a man who knows about them like the back of his hand. 

Gary Kirsten, definitely India's most successful coach, is now in the opposition ranks and will play a key role in trying to plot the downfall of the 'Men in Blue' 

Spin will again play a key role in the match and it will be interesting to see whether Dhoni would go for a second spinner in Harbhajan Singh by dropping senior pro Zaheer Khan. 

With the seven-batsman policy paying results and a theory that Dhoni believes in, it remains to be seen whether he would rejig his bowling resources or stick to the winning formula. 

The South African batsmen looked distinctly uncomfortable against the off-spin of Mohammed Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal in the match against Pakistan. 

Even left-arm slow orthodox bowler Xavier Doherty troubled the Proteas in the last match which will certainly encourage Yuvraj Singh, who has turned into a utility 'bowling all-rounder' in this edition of the World T20. 

The big question will be whether the Indian skipper will bring in Harbhajan who can be effective considering the South African line-up features two left-handers in Jean-Paul Duminy and Robin Peterson.

The opening woes, however, is a cause of concern for Dhoni as both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have been scratchy in the tournament. 

Sehwag, who was brought back for the Pakistan match, showed his intent to stay at the wicket and should be praised for playing an ideal second fiddle to Virat Kohli during the defining 74-run second wicket partnership. 

But at the same time, the senior opener frittered away a good start to get out at a time when he looked good for his first half century of the tournament. 

Gambhir made a useful contribution in India's victory against England but otherwise has had a very quiet tournament. 

It will again boil down to the performance of Kohli, who has been the most consistent among the Indian top-order batsmen. The team management also requires Yuvraj Singh to make a significant contribution with the bat as he has been consuming way too many deliveries. 

An interesting battle will would be on display when the Indians tackle the fiery pace of Dale Steyn and the disconcerting bounce that Morne Morkel will generate. 

In all a mouth-watering clash is on the cards on the final day of the Super Eights. 

Indian's bowling has lack of variation: Aravinda de Silva

                                                                           Despite a good bowling performance against Pakistan, Aravinda de Silva feels India have a weak bowling attack and attributed the weakness to lack of variation. 

"Whatever I have seen so far in this tournament, the Indian bowling attack seems to be weak. And when I am saying weak, it means pretty weak," de Silva told PTI. 

Elaborating his thoughts on the Indian bowling, de Silva said, "The Indian bowling attack does not have much variation in either spin or pace. On Sri Lankan pitches which are slow and offer some turn, one needs to mix it up. 

"I have not seen the Indian spinners try out different things against Australia. I felt that they were pretty flat and against sides which have good players of spin, this will be a problem," the 48-year-old explained. 

de Silva said he was surprised when India had left out Virender Sehwag in the match against Australia and also mentioned that he was not being utilized as a bowler despite being a handy off spinner. 

"Let me tell you that it's not an ideal situation to be in where you drop a player of Sehwag's calibre. Also I don't know the reason I don't see him bowling his off-breaks more often. Sehwag is more than a handy off-spinner. 

"The advantage to have a bowler like Sehwag is that he does not think like a part-timer. He is someone who thinks like a specialist off-spinner which is very important," said de Silva. 

When the question on Tendulkar's retirement was asked, de Silva said the batting legend should be "left alone" to take a call on his future. 

"Retirement is an absolutely individual decision and Sachin has the right to decide about his future in international cricket. The decision does not depend on age but more on how your body responds to rigours of international cricket at that point of time," he said. 

When asked about the future of the Sri Lankan team, with players like Mahela Jayawardene (35 plus) and Kumar Sangakkara (nearing 35th birthday) approaching the latter half of thirties, de Silva said the country has a lot of talent. 

"Look, there is a lot of talent in Sri Lanka just like there is plenty of talent in India. After myself and Arjuna (Ranatunga) retired, Mahela and Kumar took up the mantle. Both are world class performers. 

"Similarly, once they leave, there will be other talented players who will take up their place. Obviously, talent alone does not guarantee success at the international level as you need to be consistent too," he said. 

De Silva explained why Ajantha Mendis has turned out into a lethal weapon in the Sri Lankan armoury. 

"Ajantha is fresh in his mind after his comeback and that is the reason for his success. If one analyses Ajantha's international track record, only the Indians have been able to read him well. Any batsman who plays Ajantha for the first time will find him difficult to negotiate. That's why West Indies, who have not played against him struggled," de Silva reasoned. 

So, which team will win the World Twenty20? Pat came the reply from de Silva, "Sri Lanka are one of the top contenders to win the title." 

After cancer, dasher Yuvraj Singh conquers cynicism

                                                                      COLOMBO: If India can go on to win the World T20, it will make for one of the most amazing stories ever, primarily because of the presence of Yuvraj Singh in the team. 

Having conquered cancer, Yuvraj is now conquering the other 'C' - cynicism - that afflicts sports fans in India. Within six months of undergoing his finalchemotherapy session, he is back on the field doing his bit in India's victories. 

The nation had wondered if he was fit enough yet; whether his selection was just an emotional decision, coming so soon after he had just survived the battle for life. When he began his second innings, we suddenly began to look for the Yuvraj of old who would charm us again. 

When he took a bit of time to find his groove, we immediately doubted the selectors' call.International cricket can be a cruel place, and the Indian fans' demands even more so! 

It didn't matter that for a man returning from hell, Yuvraj was doing decently well. The 30-year-old scored 18 and took three wickets in the first game against Afghanistan, at a time when the minnows looked to be taking the chase to India. Thereafter, Yuvi didn't get much to do against England and got out cheaply against Australia. 

All of a sudden, murmurs began doing the rounds about his place in the team. Gossip mongers floated the weird theory of skipper MS Dhoni being faced with a choice between Yuvraj and the out-of-touch Virender Sehwag for a berth in the final XI. Most assumed that Yuvraj was undercooked for a tournament of this standard. Most also forgot how much faith Dhoni has in a man who has contributed handsomely in India's two World Cup wins in recent times. 

On Sunday night, Yuvraj silenced the Doubting Thomases again. He took two wickets while giving away just 16 runs in three overs to leave the Pakistan innings fractured. Who says India needs five bowlers in these conditions, when you have Yuvraj around? 

On subcontinental wickets, where the ball can grip and turn, Yuvraj is India's version of Shane Watson. He has taken six wickets in four games so far, at an average of 9.66 and an economy rate of 6.00. 45 runs in four games mean he should get better in batting, but an unbeaten 19 that took India home on Sunday should now give more confidence to Yuvi the batsman too. 

After the win over Pakistan, Dhoni crushed speculation that Yuvraj's place in the XI was under question. 

"The fact whether Yuvi should play or not was not even considered. Especially when we play with seven batsmen, the role of the part-timers is very important. Virat Kohli is one option but a left-arm away-going option is good to have. Yuvi's role is important. We all know that he is a good fielder too. Today, he effected a good run out. If we are playing with four specialist bowlers, it is difficult to leave out Yuvraj," Dhoni said. 

Dhoni has always been a Yuvraj fan. 

"His batting today will give him a lot of confidence. We all know once he gets going, he is a terrific batsman to have in the side," the skipper gushed. 

Dhoni has no doubts about his ace player's fitness too. "He looks very fit for this format. I think he has done a lot of work in the last few months. He looks good," the captain said. 

For a man who was vomiting after receiving chemotherapy some time back, Yuvraj does look good. He is already an inspiration for millions. He could yet hit the biggest 'six' of his life in this second innings.

World Twenty20: India might want to turn to a second spinner against South Africa

                                                                          Once again, India proved they are as dangerous as a wounded animal when pushed into a corner; needing a straight victory to stay alive in the tournament, they bared their fangs and claws to rip apart Pakistan. 

They, however, need to be much sharper on Tuesday to snare the second semifinal spot from this group of death; a simple win is not going to be enough as it might well come down to net run-rate. 

Luckily, they will know the precise margin of victory, or even defeat, before they begin their game. If Pakistan fail to beat the rampaging Australians, it will be a simple case of staying ahead in the numbers game; otherwise, India will not only need to win, but they will need to win big too. 

South Africa, numb after two stunning defeats, are not going to roll over and die though; it won't matter if Pakistan lose and open the door for them or not, they will come out with all guns blazing, hoping at least for a consolation win. India must brace for a backlash. They won't, at least, lose sleep over a question that has kept them awake for some years now: 7-4 or 6-5? 

They experimented with five bowlers against England and Australia but the thrashing from the latter has surely resolved the problem, at least for some time now. 

Captain Dhoni found himself in the deep end of this whirlpool, primarily because two of his senior players looked totally out of touch: Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag. He tried to crack the twin problem with one stroke, opening the batting with Irfan Pathan. But against a strong team like Australia, it was bound to backfire. 

India are anyway known to be vulnerable to speed so it would have made sense to adopt a defensive approach, especially against a quality pace arsenal. 

India will go through a similar test of fire against South Africa: Steyn, Morkel and Kallis will bombard them with quick, fast ones and hope to quickly storm into the middle order. Sehwag and Gambhir, whatever be their form, are still the best bet to counter any such challenge. The middle order is young and brave enough to take it forward from there. 

The big question, therefore, is: should India retain the same eleven? Does it sound cool to go in with three seamers and hope the part-time spinners will take care of the remaining overs? 

It's a tempting option: Lanka's pitches have unexpectedly shown a proclivity towards pace and it's usually smarter not to mess with a winning combination. Also, Zaheer and Balaji were handy against Pakistan while Irfan is an automatic choice in this format. You need extra courage to drop any one of them. 

But one can't ignore the impact Yuvraj has had with the ball; he has underlined that spin is equally potent there, especially if you are slower in the air. Moreover, South Africa are still vulnerable to spin, as much as they are capable of choking on their own strengths. 

Maybe, it won't be such a bad idea to bring back another spinner and hope for the best; more importantly, India must behave like a cornered animal if they want to enter the semifinal as a strong candidate for the trophy.

Virat Kohli has the X-factor: Gary Kirsten

COLOMBO: When Virat Kohli first played for India, way back in 2008, in an ODI against Sri Lanka, at Dambulla, no one imagined that four years later, he would be amongst the premier batsmen in world cricket, who would score heavily in every format of the game and become India's most dependable batsman. 

Few would have imagined that he would play such mind-boggling knocks that would see him receive the ICC ODI cricketer of the year award before this event. 

The man, who was coach of the Indian team when Kohli wore his India shirt in 2008, is happy to see his ward's progress, though he must be secretly hoping that for once, this 23-year-old has an off day. 

Gary Kirsten, handling the Indian team's reins back then, saw Kohli take baby steps in international cricket, and is pleased to see the Delhi lad's phenomenal progress since. Kirsten is now coaching South Africa and would be plotting how to dismiss Kohli as his team takes on India in a do-or-die Super Eights game at the Premadasa, on Tuesday. 

"I am very pleased for Virat. He has worked a lot on his game and is a stand-out batsman in world cricket today. He is one of those cricketers with an x-factor who doesn't get himself out. You have to get him out as he doesn't give his wicket away," Kirsten said in praise of the man who has scored 183 runs so far in the tournament in four games, at an average of 61. 

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez and his Indian counterpart MS Dhoni too had praised Kohli for his wonderful knock on Sunday. 

Kirsten, however, doesn't believe that he can provide more help to the Proteas by virtue of being with India earlier. "There is enough information available on every player to be analysed at length. There is internet, there are recordings of matches available. So there are plenty of options and I don't think we (Kirsten and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton) have anything unique to offer," said the former South African opener. 

There was no way he was going to get into why Virender Sehwag was dropped by India before being included, but Kirsten did admit that SA not being able to close out Pakistan after reducing them to 76 for seven had a big impact on their fortunes. 

"We had a chance of winning both the games and we let it slip. When we left our shores, everyone said it is a balanced side. The main thing is that we haven't played well during key moments. We had Pakistan seven down for 60-odd and we should have won that match," he rued. 

South African captain AB de Villiers had on Sunday evening promised a better show from the Proteas on Tuesday, a day that could be their last in this edition of the World T20. 

"We are not a team that ever gives up and as long as we have a chance, we will do everything to finish on a high against India, and we know we will have to raise our game considerably," he had said. To do that, they must send Kohli back early enough.

World Twenty20: Time for India to go for the kill against South Africa

                                                                               COLOMBO: Virender Sehwag is back. India are winning again and more importantly, look a happy family. If the Men in Blue have ever gone as favourites in a game of cricket against South Africa, it is for the game on Tuesday. 

Having lost both their matches in the Super Eights of the World T20, the Proteas' confidence and morale have been dented badly. India, on the other hand, barring the thrashing they received at the hands of Shane Watson and David Warner, have churned out some good cricket, none more so than on Sunday during their eight-wicket triumph over arch-rivals Pakistan. 

It was a win that put them at third position in Group 2, ahead of the bottom placed SA. At the moment, India enjoy a marginally better net run rate than the Proteas. 

All this should give confidence to MS Dhoni & Co as it tries to put it past the African team in their final Super Eight clash, at the Premadasa, on Tuesday night. However, it is not their opponents' form, but the other game in their group which must be giving India more anxiety. The good part is, India would know what exactly they would need to do, since the Australia vsPakistan game will be played first. 

A win over the Proteas may still not guarantee India a place in the semis, because if Pakistan pip Australia earlier in the day, we would have three teams (Australia, India & Pakistan) with the same number of points. The calculators would be out in that case, as it would be the net run rates which would matter. 

Australia, with a NRR of +1.712, are sitting in pole position right now, and should be through unless they lose very, very badly. It could then boil down to a close race between India and Pakistan, who currently have an NRR of -0 .426, ever so slightly better than their neighbours!

Interestingly, India had an opportunity to 'overtake' Pakistan in the NRR department when the 17th over of their chase of 129 began on Sunday. They needed to get to the target in 16.4 overs, and required three runs off the first four balls when Saeed Ajmal started his over. 

However, it took Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh an entire over to get there, as the former played out three dot deliveries before giving the strike to Yuvraj, who hit the winning runs off the last ball. Clearly, the batsmen were ignorant. 

There are more worries for India. In this part of the world, rain is never too far around and should this game be a washout, they may still have to pack their bags if Pakistan stun Australia earlier in the day. 

Funnily, India could lose on Tuesday and still go through, as long as Pakistan lose to Australia . In that case, India, Pakistan and SA would have recorded a win each, and it would boil down to the NRR. 

India, though, would fancy their chances against South Africa. The Proteas batsmen are yet to figure out how to play spin on these wickets. If they struggled against Xavier Doherty on Sunday, R Ashwin should be a handful for them on Tuesday! Even Yuvraj would be licking his fingers in anticipation! 

Harbhajan Singh wasn't played against Pakistan, but, having destroyed England earlier in the event, the offie has a serious case for being recalled for this clash. 

The Proteas' bowling begins and ends with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Once the pace duo are dealt with, there are runs to be had off others. With Sehwag and Gambhir at the top and Virat Kohli batting like a king, India should walk out feeling good.

MS likely to persist with seven batsmen

                                                       India are getting past Pakistan in the mind games by a long way. The biggest problem for the latter has been their batting against India. We keep talking about how good the Pakistan bowling is, but if they bat like this and not post totals, it will be hard for their bowlers to win matches. Also,

Hafeez's captaincy was ordinary and Dhoni beat him at it convincingly.

Pakistan's batting didn't have control. Other than Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal, no one seemed to be in control of their thought process and that showed in their batting.

The group is keenly poised at this stage. Australia have been the best team in the competition and should get into the semifinals, although anything can happen against Pakistan. For India and South Africa, it could be anyone going through. South Africa have not been in the best of form and, like India, it's a do-or-die game for them. If India get past them, they would want Pakistan to lose to Australia and that's why the pool is interestingly poised.

India went with seven batsmen against Pakistan, something Dhoni wanted at the start of the tournament and I am sure it will be the same against South Africa. It also allows him to chase, as results show that the side batting first has got stuck on the slow pitches

India Vs England ICC T20 World Cup 2012 Full Match Highlights - Ind Vs Eng T20 World Cup Match

MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh at ODEL, shopping mall in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Team India will play their next ICC T20 World Cup cricket match on Friday. Ajay Aggarwal/Hindustan Times

Virat keep himself to tryst with destiny

As a part of current situation new wall of Indian cricket is going to build faith of people in himself. Virat is new emerging player in world's cricket, he's set to keep tryst on himself with destiny. 

India spin's trio seems be a fruitful at Premadasa

                                                              At the end of the round-robin league, except for a few games it was boring. One does understand that the weaker teams need to get games, but to wait for about a week into the World Cup to get bigger games going could be a bit difficult for the paying public, and that could be a valid reason for the poor turn out the early stages. Hopefully, that will change from now on.

The rain also played spoilsport in some of the games and I hope once the Super Eights start, rain will not push a strong team out.

The teams are divided into two groups and although in this format the difference between the teams is not much, India seem to be in a strong group. It is not fair that you don't carry points into the Super Eights because in a World Cup every game is important. It is unfortunate India's fantastic showing against England will have no bearing.

India played a terrific combination and the master stroke was playing Piyush Chawla. The England players looked like they had never played spin before and looking at them, I get a feeling that without Kevin Pietersen there will be early finishes in the Test matches in India.

Harbhajan and Piyush will hopefully be persisted with, and the addition of R Ashwin will make it a formidable trio, especially on the Premadasa pitch.

India are in a tough group comprising Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. They will have to play out of their skin to beat them. It is not impossible because India’s batting has looked solid and the bowling also climbed the ladder against England.

These teams were beaten by India in similar conditions in the knockout phase of the World Cup last year and India will carry that confidence with them.

Proteas aim only to keep basic in rest of the game:Steyn

                 Proteas speedster Dale Steyn expects the bowlers to follow the same approach as they head into the Super Eight's of the ICC World Twent20 starting in Colombo this week. The conditions are expected to be different compared to those experienced in Hambantota, however Steyn backs the Proteas' firepower and their ability to adapt. 

"After playing in England on the slow decks I think we adjusted our game quite nicely there (England)," Steyn said. 

"So if we go to Colombo it won't hit us as a train smash. My game is not going to change, I'm still going to bowl 145 (km/h) or 150, whatever I can get it up to, whether it's a slow deck or not, it's still going to be tough." 

Steyn boasts one of the best economy rates of the tournament thus far, and has given away only 19 runs in the six overs he has bowled. His most impressive performance was against Zimbabwe, returning 1/9 in his four over spell. He is placed at an unusual 20th on the ICC T20 bowling rankings, only because he doesn't play many International T20's, a decision he feels will benefit the next tier of bowlers. 

"One of the main reasons I don't play a lot of International T20 cricket is purely because of the amount of other cricket that I play; one day cricket and Test cricket," Steyn said. 

"The other thing is that I'm really committed to the Proteas doing well. If I had to go and play International T20's too you'd find guys like Parney (Parnell) and maybe Lopsy (Tsotsobe), players that don't play as much IPL cricket like I do, missing out." 

The Proteas are enjoying two days off at the holiday town of Bentota in the south of Sri Lanka and will return to Colombo on Tuesday to begin preparations ahead of Friday's match. 

"I think it's highly important that you find time to get away from this game," Steyn added. 

"Gary (Kirsten) and Paddy (Upton) and everyone from the management are doing a fantastic job of finding time for us to get away from the game, especially when you have been away from home for close to 90 days. 

"A few extra days of training is definitely not going to make us a better team after we have been playing since July." 

The Proteas have regained the No.1 T20 ranking following their successive victories in the Group matches and England's loss to India. 

Simon Taufel quit's as an umpire after this WC'T20

        One of the most respected umpires in world cricket today, Simon Taufel, will resign from his job after the World T20, which is currently underway in Sri Lanka. He will move from his on-field job to take up the post of 'umpire performance and training manager' with the ICC. 

"Following the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012, I'm moving on from active international umpiring for personal and professional reasons. My wife and children have supported me immensely throughout my career and it is time for me to spend more time with them. My passion for cricket umpiring and personal professional development has shifted from on the field to off the field. In my new position as ICC umpire performance and training manager, I look forward to help create professional programmes and resources to support the current and future generations of cricket match officials. The new role includes working closely with the national cricket federations which is really exciting as is continuing to work with the entire cricket community in helping the development of our cricket umpires." 

Taufel was the ICC's 'umpire of the year' for five consecutive years starting from 2004, and has umpired in 74 tests and 174 one-day internationals. 

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson paid tribute to one of cricket's most consistent umpires. "Simon has been one of the most respected umpires for over a decade due to his excellent decision-making and man-management skills. He has been a role model for umpires globally who look to him for inspiration and guidance. I am delighted that he will be working with us to groom and develop the next generation of elite umpires and have no doubt that he will be equally successful in his new role as ICC's umpire performance and training manager. In the meantime I know that Simon, a thorough professional that he is, will want to focus on the job at hand, that of getting things right on the field, something he has done as well as any other umpire in the history of the game." 

Exceptional characteristics shown by Bhajji under current circumstances: Dhoni

       India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was all praise for comeback-man Harbhajan Singh, terming the spin veteran's four-wicket haul in the World Twenty20 match against England as a "brilliant one under current circumstances".
"I believe I have seen Harbhajan bowl better but under current

circumstances, it was a brilliant performance. He was making a comeback and got a chance to prove that he is good and under these conditions, one tends to get desperate," Dhoni told mediapersons during the post-match interaction after India thrashed the English by 90 runs.

"I would have even been happy had he got two for 24 but I believe he can bowl better," he added.

Asked what he liked about Harbhajan's bowling, Dhoni replied, "He (Harbhajan) didn't bowl any short deliveries and invited the batsmen to drive. He used the variations like top spinner and doosra effectively.

"He showed an aggressive mindset and wasn't bothered too much about field placements. He was very focused on his job," the skipper said.

Although he was non-committal about whether he is now ready to shelve his seven-batsmen theory but there were indications enough that Harbhajan is now very much in the scheme of things.

"I would say that this problem of plenty is better than not having that one extra bowler. Obviously, I don't know who all will play in the next game but obviously Harbhajan, with his ability to slog down the order, gives us an option of playing a batsman less," he answered.

Dhoni also lavished praise on Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir -- both of whom have done well after considerable amount of time.

Playing with Dhoni, Raina in IPL will certainly help: Morkel

COLOMBO: Albie Morkel, a regular in theChennai Super Kings line-up during IPL, says the experience of sharing the dressing room with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, R Ashwin andSuresh Raina will help South Africa when they take on India in their final Super Eight game of the World Twenty20.

"Well, it certainly helps having played alongside these players. IPL has got all close together. Since I have shared the change room with these guys, I will able to give inputs to my team about them and vice-versa.

"But then, they will also need to change small things in their game and I will also need to do the same. Ultimately, it's about who's going to perform better under pressure," Morkel said ahead of South Africa's training session.

The Proteas will be playing against India on October 2, besides meeting Pakistan and Australia in the Colombo leg of the Super Eights, and the all-rounder termed it a "very tough group".

"India have played very well and Pakistan also has played some fantastic cricket. The wicket here is a bit on the slower side and will offer turn. Our preparation needs to be different and we would focus on our preparation," said Morkel, who didn't play the last match due to an ankle injury.

Rain has been a factor in this ongoing edition with South Africa having to play a 7 overs-per-side game against Sri Lanka and under these conditions, it is better to "bat first", felt Morkel.

"It's something you can't really control and I believe it favours batting first. Obviously, even in those conditions you need to bat well and can't just score some 40-odd runs. But having played a curtailed match, I can assure you that it ends in a flash before you could settle down."

The elder of the Morkel brothers, Albie has often been Dhoni's 'Go-To Man' in IPL whether while needing a few big hits or bowling at the death. But he believed that for an impact player to prosper one needs a good team to rally around that particular player.

"I don't think you can survive unless you have a good team. You need 11 players to make an impact and on a given day, at least 3-4 should perform in order to win a match. If you look at the lesser teams, they have 2-3 players making in impact and they win the match."

Asked about his role in the side, he answered, "It's the same and that of a floater. While batting I am expected to give the side's score the required kick and bowl in different situations. For me, as long as I am able to make an impact even in 2-3 balls, I am happy.

"As long as you have that mindset, you don't need to worry. Whenever I go out there to bat in slog overs and need to get a few runs, I feel nervous. But I also do a lot of simulation training in the nets. If I can execute what I have done in the nets, I find it satisfying."