Champions League T20

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Yorkshire beats the stronger on paper Uva Next club from Lanka.
and not surprisingly.....a south african David Miller sees them throuhg......with an unlikely good not out score from Adil Rashid..who had a good game.

and a strong Aukland side beats a strong Sialkot club side.

Condtions ...the moment pitches are outside the subcontinent.....the Kiwi and English sides are getting the better of the super strong looking Pakistan and Lankan sides

I think Rudolph would be viewed primarily as a Test player by SA, although with his mediocre returns since coming back is probably now 7th in line and so is susceptible if AB de Villiers can't keep because of an injury or they decide to stop using him as a 'keeper because of the possible effects on his batting.

As a one-day player, he may be worth a try, particularly in 50-over game where I'd suggest he'd be a better option than du Plessis and the like.

lol Rudolph has one good innings in limited overs cricket and is now being touted for SA in one day cricket!

I gurantte that wont happen, they have Faf. Ingram,Miller,Behardien etc...who are all better options than rudolph in limited overs cricket.

outside his comfort zone of subcontinent...Dhoni's CSK get's clobbered......with mayhem in the last 3 overs that yielded 50 odd runs

but CSK goes down fighting...while MI game was used by Tendulkar as a test match practise.....scoring at 60% SR...and they duly lost

I was quite surprised at how well the Lions did last night, they don't really have much of a batting line up and not many stars at all, but McKenzie played a beautifully constructed innings last night, rarely taking any risks and getting the required runs by virtue of a host of fours, de Kock the youngster took a few chances, but showed a good head on his shoulders.

You wouldn't say they are the favourites in their pool at all.

They did well. So far I have tipped 0/4 - even thought my own lot would lose.

Don't feel bad, I think I am 1/4

azhar Mehmood is in prime form...wins Aukland anotehr game singlehandedly.....Gambhir's horrendous form continues.
Hope he gets some Ranji Trophy games under the belt before the England series

Starc, Cummins and watson crush Yorkshire to 96...and have scored half the runs in 4 overs.
Unlikely that Yorkshire can pull this back...the damage to NRR will be immense

Big defeat for Yorkshire today. Sydney sixers have a terrific line-up and we would never be expected to beat them although it would have been good to have put up a little more of a fight than we did. Lets hope we put on a better showing in our next game on Thursday(?)

Indian born Gulam Bodi after a sedate start plays a blinder..and goes...someone need to play anotehr mini blnding cameo to see them throuhg vs. Chennai

^and one Jean Symes it is with his 39 off 23 that pulls the rug from under the feet of and increasingly clueless and tired loking Djhoni's

The Lions must be careful, they might start to convince people they are in fact a decent team.

This Phangiso seems like quite a bowler.

IPL teams struggling with the extra pace and bounce in these SA wickets, which was always gonna happen.

Aukland's brave run...runs out of steam as Mahmod fails to fire and they are crashing to what seems like a big defeat...60odd-7 in 11overs chasing 175ish

In today's games:

Sydney beat the lions comfortably.

Mumbai are 156-6 in the 18th against yorkshire

tendulakr yet another failure

to be fair he was run out...

A good interview with the chief of cricket SA....he answers a number of questions explaining very well the operating and profitability model of CLT20


http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/585808.html

'The Champions League's success relies on the Indian market'Four IPL teams head to South Africa for the tournament, but the home board's chief executive isn't too worried about Indian domination or about fan fatigue

Interview by Firdose Moonda

October 8, 2012

Comments: 14 | Text size: A | AFor some, the Champions League Twenty20, now in its fourth year, is just an extension of the IPL. For others, it is a truer test of 20-over cricket, because it involves teams from other countries. What everyone agrees on is that it is an exercise in how to make money and an exhibition ground for some of the world's most entertaining cricketers. ESPNcricinfo spoke to Jacques Faul, Cricket South Africa's acting chief executive, who is on the CLT20 governing council, about how the tournament started, who makes money from it, and whether the quality of cricket has lived up to expectations.


The Champions League brings in much-needed revenue for the three shareholding boards © AFP

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Although you were not in office when the CLT20 was conceptualised, can you explain what the three boards involved in it had in mind?
It was formed as a partnership between us [Cricket South Africa], Cricket Australia and the BCCI to give an opportunity to domestic teams to play at the next level and provide another platform for them. It is also a very lucrative tournament for all of us in that we share the broadcasting rights and the commercial rights. So it made commercial sense to do it.

Are all three boards equal shareholders in the deal?
No, India is the biggest shareholder. But India is also the biggest commercial draw card. You've got to seek combinations that work.

India and South Africa are the two countries where the tournament has been held so far. It looks unlikely that Australia will have the same opportunity because of their time zones. Does CSA make a significant amount of money from hosting it, and does Cricket Australia lose out?
We don't make any money from hosting it. We only make money within the shareholding, which we would make no matter where it is hosted. A lot of people confuse the CLT20 with the big money of the IPL, but that is not the case. We work on a much lower cost base. As far as CSA is concerned, we host the tournament on behalf of CLT20 and then we get our shareholding distribution. There is no big financial benefit for CSA if the tournament happens in South Africa versus if it happens somewhere else. By the same token, CA get their shareholding, so they don't miss out.

Do the hosting franchises make any money?
They get a hosting fee that is actually paid out of our shareholding because we are hosting the tournament. So if we host at venues that are more costly, CSA will make less profit. That's why we are under pressure to host it in a way that's cost-effective. In 2010, we managed to do that. This time there are different pressures. For example, electricity has gone up 29%, so that will influence cost.

Then a shareholder could make more money out of not hosting the tournament, because then you would not have to pay the stadium fees? If that is the case, then why does CSA want to host the tournament?
Yes, it is possible that you will make more money if you don't host it. But I believe our stadiums benefit. We've got to serve cricket and it's good to be able to give the stadiums content. We are very happy to have that.

Are you happy with the standard of cricket the CLT20 brings?
I'm happy with the opportunity it provides the players. I'm happy to see a player like Chris Morris - who we want to look at as a future T20 option in South Africa - compete with the real world stars. We've also got different conditions here, and it's amazing to see true world stars adapt to playing here. Cricket has become a world game and to be successful you've got to be able to play all around the world. Our players benefit playing in India. I know it might not be that logical after losing to India in the World Twenty20, but we do get better. And other international teams benefit from playing on more bouncy wickets in South Africa.

There is criticism that the tournament is not a true "champions league". The domestic tournament winners from those countries who are not shareholders have to qualify for the competition but the shareholders' teams are automatically through. Is that a legitimate point?
Yes, it is, but I can also understand why teams would still want to be part of it. I think it's going to evolve and we want to get more teams involved. You've got to take into account their willingness to be involved and their time schedules. The name is probably a debate, isn't it?

Especially as there is not even balance in the shareholding, because there are four IPL teams. Might it reach a stage where each of the shareholders wants the same number of teams?
No, I don't think so. To start with, we're not all equal shareholders. The commercial success of the tournament relies on the Indian market, so it makes a lot of sense to have a lot of Indian teams in there. It doesn't bother us that there are more Indian teams because we've also got a lot of South Africans playing in Indian teams. Although the IPL is based in India, it has become a true international tournament. So I wouldn't see that as a negative. As CSA, we are happy with the two teams that go through. We've only got six franchise teams anyway, so even if we made it three out of six that play CLT20, that may be a bit too much.

There is the also the possibility that non-shareholders will not want to play in the CLT20 anymore. England said they will not be sending teams to next year's event because they are forced to shorten their domestic season to make their teams available. Does their decision concern you?
We would love the English team to play in the competition but it's clear that scheduling is a problem. We've got to respect their decision to give their domestic cricket priority. We'd probably do the same if it was to be hosted at a different time. We are always talking to them about how we can include them. They've got valid reasons for saying they won't come but there are ongoing conversations in that regard to change that.

This year, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are the only Full Members who do not have representatives at the CLT20. If England withdraw from future editions, might it open the door for either or both to be involved?
It would be lovely to have them both, and, for me, to have Zimbabwe involved, especially from an African perspective. Kenya is the same, but I think it would be good to get Zimbabwe in. They are a better team than was shown at the World Twenty20 and they will benefit from this competition.


"We would love the English team to play in the competition [next year] but it's clear that scheduling is a problem. We've got to respect their decision to give their domestic cricket priority" © Getty Images

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More teams would probably mean a longer tournament. There are big concerns about the amount of cricket being played worldwide and about player fatigue. What are your thoughts on that?
We are very wary of the volume of cricket, and managing our world stars is something we've got to look at. I was at the ICC chief executives' meeting and it's definitely in discussion. We are talking about when is it too much. Having said that, we've got an obligation, and so do the other shareholders, to play our best players in this competition, and we will honour that. At the same time, players have got a responsibility to not over-extend themselves. Maybe they can cut out some of the other competitions, but I know that is tough. We've still got players keen to play in the UK and the IPL. I am happy if somebody can make a good living out of it. But they've got to be careful as well. You've only got one body and there are not a lot of spare parts for it.

What about fan fatigue? At the end of this tournament, spectators would have seen two months of 20-over cricket, and it's a format South Africans may not be taking too kindly to at the moment, given the national team's showing at the World Twenty20.
It's a real fear, especially, because you don't know some of these things when you plan to host the event. If South Africa had won the World Twenty20, interest could have gone in the other direction. We are mindful of an overload of cricket, but I think South African fans love cricket and love world stars. We've also got such a diverse community and this tournament can cater to that because there are teams from all over.

It's also important to note that CLT20 creates interest for a different group. It's a product that brings new cricket fans into the stadium. Outside World Cup events, it's a major tournament, so we hope that will bring people in. We accept that if you are a Test cricket fan this might not appeal to you at all. But just as Test cricket has got its rightful place, T20 has also got its rightful place.

Does anyone know how the CL is rating in India? I know a couple of years ago there were reports that ESPNStar thought they'd massively overpaid for the rights and were doubtful about renewing.

well considering its not in india this year, the ratings may well have taken a bit of a dip..

Pete C (Kiwireddevil) wrote:Does anyone know how the CL is rating in India? I know a couple of years ago there were reports that ESPNStar thought they'd massively overpaid for the rights and were doubtful about renewing.

It ain't a super duper crowd puller like IPL...
BUT in many households instead of a soap opera or movie...it is cricket that is running.I..so I hear from my friends and acquaintainces

i am surprised to see CL on Eurosports with commentary in German

its not in german...

CF wrote:its not in german...

I think it is if you are in Germany

What is the commentary like? Do they know much about cricket?

Shelsey93 wrote:

CF wrote:its not in german...

I think it is if you are in Germany

What is the commentary like? Do they know much about cricket?

i live on the swiss german border.....and understand very little
Ich verstehe bissen Deutsch

KKR beat the titans by 99 runs yesterday, and they will be reflecting on why these sorts of performances didnt come sooner before it was too late!

two games today, Yorkshire play in the latter.

no Chennai-Yorkshire match is first... in about an hour, then Mumbai-Sydney is on later.

ah yes my mistake

ha ha...

The 2nd match starts at 2:20am here. So bloody late!

I am happy for the Lions supporters, their Super XV team has been dropped, at least they can celebrate a semi final spot in the CL.

dear me, the standard of cricket in this comp has been shocking...

the standard of the commentary being of course even worse:

"there's only one person who doesn't want this ball to be scored off, and that's HD Ackerman who wants to get his prediction spot on". Yeah, Yorkshire really want CSK to score runs don't they?

Yorkshire fought hard, but go down by 4 wickets.

Am a bit jealous of KP_fan hearing it in German, wish I couldn't understand the repetitive drivel the usual bunch of idiots spout in English - my favourite so far is one of them bleating "you can't pitch it up to Kieran Pollard, you can't pitch it up to Kieran Pollard", bowler dropped it short, got hammered for 4 or 6 & the next line was "you can't drop it short to Kieran Pollard" delivered in an exasperated tone as though the bowler was a bit retarded.

& as I type that they're on about not pitching it up to Kieran Pollard even though neither he nor his team are batting.

Apparently you can get it in French on Eurosport 2 in France also...

Would be great to hear French and German commentary.

The Sixers seemed to be going for everything early until they lost a few wickets. Some awful mistimed strokes or maybe they weren't able to read the pitch properly and failed to adjust.

Agree with most of those comments above. The quality of the commentary is so poor.
Harsha Bogle forgetting names, getting the name wrong, having a little dig at our guys without Watson, getting excited when an MI player hit a wobbly single, Ackerman going on and on about 'spidercam'.... it was cringeworthy talk of the highest order possible. Also crossing over to some 'nobody'... who is that guy? (not Pollock... he was good to hear) when wickets are falling out in the middle.

Anyway, after toying with Mumbai with the bat and then throwing wickets away the Sydney pace bowlers simply shattered Mumbai to pieces. No surprises there. They are blessed with the best bowlers by a mile... but they will definitely need to bat better next time.

Only the Australian and South African teams have shown any real mettle and are rightfully through to the semis. Delhi is doing well with their foreign imports I'd rather see a team who nurtures it's home grown talent win this competition.

Delhi is doing well with their foreign imports I'd rather see a team who nurtures it's home grown talent win this competition.

actually Delhi has a largely home grown pace attack of Yadav ( who sehwag uses in limited overs foramt far betetr than Dhoni), Pathan and Agarkar in the late years of his career has blossomed again.

Morkel is the only foreign pacer on display for DDD

Don't forget the batsmen KP_F.

Delhi vs Titans is today, IMO delhi are the overwhelming favourties!

not long until the first SF now, strange to think that David Warner hasnt played any part in the comp at all so far!

So Delhi demolished.

This Lions team has done very well as a team and it's great to see a home side already in the final.

Did you see the bowling figures of Morris?

4 overs, 7 runs, 2 wickets, 17 dot balls.

Incredible, those are the best T20 figures I have ever seen.

Excellent figures.

The Lions seem to be a happy and confident team unit which is a very important attribute to have in a tournament like this.

Is the final at Centurion, Wanderers or Durban?

Wanderers.

I just have an uneasy feeling that the Sixers might stumble in this next SF even though I still tipped them to win.

An all SA Final would be good for you guys though.

so there you go, despite stacking the odds as heavily in their favour as they possibly could get away with, India will have no teams in the final. Can't help but be pleased about that. Some bizarre tactical decisions by DD (in particular, the selection of Chand who has a T20 SR of just 84, and even more bafflingly the fact that he and Irfan Pathan batted ahead of Ross Taylor) it has to be said, but a very solid preformance by the Lions, their bowling esp. impressive. Nice to see KP get a few runs I guess too from an England perspective.

I'm backing the sixers tomorrow, they look the stronger all-round team: them and the Lions have been the comfortable stand-outs.

Overall though, the qualtiy of the cricket has been pretty disappointing, not helped by the tournament coming just after a major international comp. and a lot of players missing through injury, etc. A re-think is probably needed if this tournament is to keep thriving you think...

Yeah, it certainly has not been in favour of the batsmen. Are conditions at various grounds tricky for batting (Durban especially) or is it simply the nature of this shorter format that every team (bar a couple) have struggle to post 180+ run totals? Some terrible dismissals and/or lack of judgement. Some big hits too but no player has reached a ton. Also some comical fielding as well as some brilliant catches and run outs too. A real mixed bag all round.

Credit must go to many of the top performing bowlers in this competition. The thought of a score of 140 would normally scare me (when I see the team batting 2nd line-up on paper I still think it will be a shoo-in at 7 r.p.o) but it has sort of surprised me (in a good way) that there have been some surprisingly low totals in response to a score of 140.

Agree MFC, format needs to change but I guess we are living in hope. It's not about 'sport' unfortunately - it's all about money. To think there will be no English teams represented next year is a joke. For it to be a proper competition there needs to also be at least one team from each of SL, Pakistan and West Indies. 2 x India, 2 x Aus, 2 x Eng, 2 x SA, 1 x NZ. A 12 team competition for a proper event.