Hafeez, Pakistan staff at loggerheads?

KARACHI: Trouble seems to be brewing in the Pakistan cricket team in the ongoing World Twenty20 Championships in Bangladesh with speculation rife of differences between skipper Mohammed Hafeez and the team management.

There are reports that Hafeez is not seeing eye to eye with the team management which includes head coach Moin Khan, cricket consultant Zaheer Abbas and manager Zakir Khan on a number of issues within the team specially on selection matters.

"It is not a good sign for Pakistan cricket that such rumours are even circulating before the start of our campaign in a world event. I just hope they are not true but definitely I would like to see the Pakistan cricket Board step-in and talk to all the main stakeholders in the team so that the team can focus on winning the tournament," former head coach and chief selector Mohsin Khan said.

Rumours started circulating after Hafeez made some caustic comments about the head coach and cricket consultant referring to their lack of experience in modern cricket and how the sport had changed in the last couple of years.

Similar rumours had also circulated when the team returned from the Asia Cup.

"Yes there are indications that Moin, Zaheer and the fielding coach Shoaib Muhammad in particular feel that Pakistan needs a new captain for future assignments and the names of Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan are being taken frequently now," one source close to the team said.

There are question-marks over whether Hafeez will be able to sustain the pressure of playing India in Friday's high-pressure tournament-opener.

Hafeez was captain when Pakistan lost to India in the last World T20 Cup in Sri Lanka in 2012.

"Definitely if you compare Hafeez with Mahendra Singh Dhoni than you can see a visible difference but the thing in his favour is that he is a senior player and an ideal all-rounder for T20 format," former cricketer Basit Ali said.

Interestingly, neither Afridi nor Younis have made any attempts to reject talk about them being candidates for the captaincy and both have said if such a situation arises, they will give it a serious thought.

Pakistan won the 2009 World Twenty20 under Younis while Afridi led them to the semifinals of the event in 2010.

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India set for stern test against Pakistan

MIRPUR: Battered and bruised in the first quarter of 2014, India will aim to take fresh guard when they open their World Twenty20 campaign against traditional foes Pakistan on Friday in what promises to be a cracker of a contest.

While form favours Pakistan even though they were battered by South Africa in a warm-up game on Wednesday, history would be on India's side as they have never lost to their arch-rivals on all three meetings of the previous editions of World T20.

The Pakistan national team has played more T20 Internationals than its Indian counterparts, who last played an official T20 International against Australia in October last year.

There will be some great inner battle within the main contest. Shahid Afridi's pyrotechnics against Ravichandran Ashwin's variations, Umar Gul's pace against Virat Kohli's bravado, Saeed Ajmal's guile against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's flair.

But then, cricket is a fickle game and India have not had a great run this year so far. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side has won only two official international matches this year having beaten Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup last month.

They have lost to all major teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

They even lost to Sri Lanka in the first warm-up game before beating England convincingly by 20 runs in the final warm-up tie to somewhat redeem themselves.

While a victory acts as a morale booster after having inculcated the habit of losing, it would be a completely different ball-game when the 'Men In Blue' take the field against Mohammed Hafeez's men.

It is impossible to think that Afridi's last-over exploits wouldn't play on the Indian cricketers' minds ahead of the game although the format is completely different.

There would be immense pressure on both sides and one can expect a full house at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium as people are going crazy for the tickets of the match.

For Dhoni, there are a number of issues that he needs to fret upon although Wednesday's England game was an indication as to what kind of line-up he is planning to field on Friday.

There are still some concerns with both batting and bowling. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's performance in shorter versions hasn't been good enough but the skipper is not known to tinker too much with his side.

Also the fact that Ajinkya Rahane, who can be an option as an opener having done the job for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, is also not inspiring confidence of the highest order.

While critics have panned Dhoni for not being flexible with his team selection, he did try something 'Out of the Box' during the last edition in Sri Lanka where Irfan Pathan came in as an opener.

His run-a-ball 31 was one of the primary reasons that India lost to Australia and were subsequently knocked out of the tournament. Dhoni has never really experimented big time after that.

A good start is always crucial as it helps to seize the initiative early on in the match. Both Rohit and Dhawan would be aware that a couple of defeats could mean end of the road for India in this edition.

The relief for the skipper would be his mainstay Virat Kohli's form. The team's No 1 batsman looked in great touch against England as he smashed an unbeaten 73 off only 47 balls.

Dhoni's trusted lieutenant Suresh Raina is also showing signs of getting back his touch which had deserted him for the better part of the last season.

A 30-odd against Sri Lanka and a 31-ball-54 against England in two practice games would certain do his confidence a world of good.

Yuvraj Singh's scratchy form continued as he looked good against the Sri Lankan spinners during the first warm-up game while he played a poor shot in the next game.

However, with four man-of-the-match awards in India's last five official T20 Internationals, Yuvraj is a force to reckon with in this format as he can take the game at any point of time.

Dhoni himself is coming back from injury but he looked in good touch during his 14-ball-21 against England. The skipper's form will be crucial to India's future in the tournament.

The bowling is a worrying factor for the Indian team. Ravichandran Ashwin's form in the run-up to the tournament has been good with economical spells against both Sri Lanka and England.

Ravindra Jadeja also had a decent outing with the ball against England. His terrific fielding and improved batting at No 8 makes him an automatic choice.

But Amit Mishra hasn't done too well in the practice games and with Yuvraj, Raina, Rohit in the team, there is a doubt whether a third specialist spinner would fit into the scheme of things.

But it will be a choice between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron as Mohammed Shami is a certainty in the playing XI unless he has a niggle.

Bhuvneshwar's pace has been like cannon fodder for the batsmen and has been easy pickings for batsmen of all teams. Aaron's pace is impressive but he has very little variations which can be a worry for captain during the death overs.

Pakistan were all-out for 71 in their last warm-up game against South Africa but that had more to do with trying to test the batsmen by changing the order.

While Ahmed Shehzad, skipper Hafeez, and the Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar -- will be itching to have a go at India, the two fear factors for Dhoni's men will be none other than Afridi and Ajmal.

Ajmal's four overs with the kind of variations he possesses can create a lot of trouble for Indian batsmen. Afridi on the other hand can change the complexion of the game with both bat and ball.

In Umar Gul and Sohail Tanveer, they have a more than capable right-left bowling combination, who are never easy to get away.

In all, brace up for what is going to be a riveting Friday blockbuster.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt.), Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (Capt.), Ahmed Shehzad, Bilawal Bhatti, Junaid Khan, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Talha, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Zulfiqar Babar.

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Bowling is an area of concern: Dhoni

MIRPUR: Underlining his bowling concerns, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said they need to bowl well at the death and hoped that batsmen would give the bowlers more than the par score on board.

India will begin their ICC World T20 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan here tomorrow.

"Bowling is an area of concern compared to batting. Getting off to a good start is important as it will help us get 10 to 15 runs more than the par-score. Our aim will be to do well in death bowling and also bat well and we will have a good chance (in the tournament)," Dhoni said on the eve of the opening group league match tomorrow.

He said the likes Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar have not played a lot of T20 Internationals but the IPL experience will certainly come in handy for them.

"Agreed they haven't played a lot of T20 International cricket but the experience in IPL will help them a lot. We would want the bowlers to get one or two wickets with the new ball, their job will be much easier," Dhoni said.

While he was happy about Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina's performance, he was non-committal on sending Ajinkya Rahane up the order.

"Overall, we have achieved a lot during the two practice games. The idea was to give the guys some fair time in the middle. Yuvi and Raina contributed in bowling."

About Rahane opening, he said, "That's under consideration. You will have to wait and watch."

The skipper agreed that presence of a few genuine all-rounders in the Pakistan team would help the rivals.

"Playing proper all-rounders always adds to the strength of a side. If you have players who are equally capable with bat and ball, one can play more than five bowlers and still have the same batting strength," the Indian captain opined.

Among the rival bowlers, pacer Umar Gul and wily spinner Saeed Ajmal came in for special praise from the Indian captain.

"Umar Gul is a fantastic bowler. I remember during the 2007 ICC World T20, he would be introduced in the 11th or 12th over and bowl till the end. Having said that, they have other fast bowlers also, who are equally dangerous."

Dhoni conceded that it is difficult to score freely against mystery spinner Saeed Ajmal.

"Ajmal is a bowler against whom you can never score freely. It's also the manner how they have used him (Ajmal) to stop batsmen from scoring runs in the slog overs. They gave him an over in the first six (Powerplay) and then couple of overs in the middle. If you see on an average, all countries have had difficulties in facing Ajmal," Dhoni explained.

Having been clubbed with Pakistan, West Indies and Australia in the group makes an even tougher challenge and the skipper wants to win each and every game in order to ensure a smooth passage to the last four.

"We have to do well in each and every match. If you look at the last World T20 in Sri Lanka, we lost one match (vs Australia) and were knocked out of the tournament. It is a tough group. Also you have to realize that in this format, the difference between a good team and a not so good team is very less. I believe even they have the talent to upset big sides. It depends on what kind of cricket you play on that particular day," he added.

However the captain said that Afridi's innings in the Asia Cup will have a very little bearing on tomorrow match.

"No," was a mono-syllabic reply to the question on Afridi.

When someone queried as to what exactly he was doing when Afridi hit the winning six off Ashwin's bowling, Dhoni smiled and replied, "I was watching (the match) on television. Initially, I thought that the ball was going to the fielder but then I saw that it went for a six. It was an exciting match."

In a roundabout manner, a scribe queried if it's difficult for him to focus on his game considering what all is happening around him, he smilingly counter-questioned, "What all is happening around me? You tell me! Well, there's plenty that goes around you and irrespective of that you have to focus on your job. These things are a part and parcel of the game," he said.

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'Want Afridi to repeat Asia Cup show'

MIRPUR: Pakistan's T20 captain Mohammed Hafeez is not bothered about the fact that they have never beaten India in World Twenty20 but he has a lot of expectations from Shahid Afridi as he wants the dashing all-rounder to yet again put up a match-winning performance against arch-rivals tomorrow.

It was on the back Afridi's whirwind knock that Pakistan had beaten India in the Asia Cup.

"We would always want Afridi to come lower down the order and finish the game for us. It's important that he (Afridi) is in good form and frame of mind. We want him to repeat the performance of the Asia Cup match against India," skipper Hafeez said at the pre-match media conference here today.

While Ravichandran Ashwin is slowly regaining some form and will be itching for revenge, Hafeez is confident that eldest statesman of his side is well prepared to face him.

"Each and every individual does his homework," was his reply.

Pakistan have never won against India in three ICC World T20 encounters but Hafeez is hardly bothered about "history".

"History does not really bother us. Irrespective of whether it is good or bad, it is history. All days are not great days. You should be ready for the next day," Pakistan captain brushed aside the statistical factor.

The skipper also begged to differ from team's batting consultant Zaheer Abbas' logic that Dhoni's absence was a big factor during Asia Cup and his presence will make a difference.

"I respect Zaheer bhai's statement and he has his own logic. Dhoni has been a great captain and has led the team well in the last five or six years. But if you are prepared well then you can overcome any challenge."

Hafeez is also of the opinion that having all-rounders like Afridi and veteran Shoaib Malik will help them a lot.

"We do believe that having all-rounders helps. We have all-rounders like Shoaib Malik, Afridi and Kamran Akmal, who is a wicketkeeper-batsman."

Indian haven't exactly done well in the Powerplay overs but the Pakistan captain refused to read into it.

"Statistics like these can help but on the day, you need to execute your plans. It also helps that we have played a lot of matches in Bangladesh. We have won the Asia Cup over here and are aware about the conditions. But similarly, the Indian team also has a lot of experience in these conditions," he explained.

While there were reports of rift between Hafeez and some other members of the team management, the skipper rubbished the rumours. "Any decision that we take is a team decision. We have one aim and that is to win."

The skipper was ecstatic about how senior speedster Umar Gul has worked on his fitness and is looking sharp as ever.

"It has been an outstanding comeback by Umar Gul. He has done a lot of hardwork to get his rhythm back. He is our No 1 pacer."

Hafeez is confident that youngsters such as Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal will play for Pakistan for a long time as they have the talent to be consistently successful.

"Umar and Shehzad have played a lot of cricket together from the U-19 days. There are four five boys who are really talented. There's Umar Amin, Sohaib Maqsood who are also very talented and will only get better day by day."

Pakistan were bundled out for 71 in the final warm-up game against South Africa in Fatullah, yesterday but Hafeez is not really worried about the performance.

"Some players needed to be given a chance," was his answer. The skipper is also of the opinion that best XI players should play and that's the reason he is ready to do away with Sharjeel Khan-Ahmed Shehzad opening combination after Kamran Akmal scored 52 runs in the first warm-up game against New Zealand.

"I have always believed that the form players should play."

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UAE to host 20 matches in IPL first leg

CHENNAI: The United Arab Emirates was on Wednesday awarded the hosting rights of 20 matches in the IPL's first leg with defending champions Mumbai Indians opening the tournament by squaring off against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 16 in Abu Dhabi.

The IPL Governing Council announced the schedule for the first phase of the tournament after a meeting here.

The UAE leg of the IPL, a part of which has been shifted out of the country due to general elections, will wind up on April 30 with Mumbai facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai.

"The opening match on April 16 will be played in Abu Dhabi between @mipaltan and @KKRiders (8 pm IST/6:30 pm local)," the IPL organisers announced in a series of tweets.

"20 matches will be played in 3 stadiums: Sheikh Zayed Stadium- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah CA Stadium, Dubai International Cricket Stadium #PepsiIPL.

"The IPL GC has confirmed that the first phase of the #PepsiIPL 2014 season matches will be played in the UAE from April 16-30," another tweet said.

The second leg of the tournament has been tentatively kept for Bangladesh but could be held in India between May 1-12 if the government agrees to provide security to the event.

The IPL has been refused security by the government as its schedule is clashing with the general elections, scheduled to be held in nine phases from April 7 to May 12.

The last leg of the IPL from May 13, including the play-offs and the final slated for June 1, will be held in India.

This is the second time the event has had to be forced out of the country due to elections. In 2009, the entire tournament had to be shifted to South Africa, a country which was in contention to host the event even this time.

Due to the lesser number of teams, the duration of the league has also been shortened this time to 47 days and 60 matches -- much less than the 76 games played last season which was spread over 54 days.

The schedule of the second and third phase of the tournament will be released later.

IPL fixtures for first phase

April 16: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi

April 17: Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah

April 18: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab in Abu Dhabi

April 18: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi

April 19: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians in Dubai

April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils in Dubai

April 20: Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab in Sharjah

April 21: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils in Abu Dhabi

April 22: Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sharjah

April 23: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings in Dubai

April 24: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah

April 25: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Daredevils in Dubai

April 25: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians in Dubai

April 26: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi

April 26: Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi

April 27: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians in Sharjah

April 27: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah

April 28: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab in Dubai

April 29: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi

April 30: Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai.

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UAE to host 20 matches in IPL first leg

CHENNAI: The United Arab Emirates was on Wednesday awarded the hosting rights of 20 matches in the IPL's first leg with defending champions Mumbai Indians opening the tournament by squaring off against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 16 in Abu Dhabi.

The IPL Governing Council announced the schedule for the first phase of the tournament after a meeting here.

The UAE leg of the IPL, a part of which has been shifted out of the country due to general elections, will wind up on April 30 with Mumbai facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai.

"The opening match on April 16 will be played in Abu Dhabi between @mipaltan and @KKRiders (8 pm IST/6:30 pm local)," the IPL organisers announced in a series of tweets.

"20 matches will be played in 3 stadiums: Sheikh Zayed Stadium- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah CA Stadium, Dubai International Cricket Stadium #PepsiIPL.

"The IPL GC has confirmed that the first phase of the #PepsiIPL 2014 season matches will be played in the UAE from April 16-30," another tweet said.

The second leg of the tournament has been tentatively kept for Bangladesh but could be held in India between May 1-12 if the government agrees to provide security to the event.

The IPL has been refused security by the government as its schedule is clashing with the general elections, scheduled to be held in nine phases from April 7 to May 12.

The last leg of the IPL from May 13, including the play-offs and the final slated for June 1, will be held in India.

This is the second time the event has had to be forced out of the country due to elections. In 2009, the entire tournament had to be shifted to South Africa, a country which was in contention to host the event even this time.

Due to the lesser number of teams, the duration of the league has also been shortened this time to 47 days and 60 matches -- much less than the 76 games played last season which was spread over 54 days.

The schedule of the second and third phase of the tournament will be released later.

IPL fixtures for first phase

April 16: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi

April 17: Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah

April 18: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab in Abu Dhabi

April 18: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi

April 19: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians in Dubai

April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils in Dubai

April 20: Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab in Sharjah

April 21: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils in Abu Dhabi

April 22: Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sharjah

April 23: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings in Dubai

April 24: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah

April 25: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Daredevils in Dubai

April 25: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians in Dubai

April 26: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi

April 26: Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi

April 27: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians in Sharjah

April 27: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah

April 28: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab in Dubai

April 29: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi

April 30: Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai.

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'I don't play IPL for making comeback'

NEW DELHI: Determined to fight his way back into the national side, Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday said he would be happy grinding it out in the domestic circuit for long rather than using the Indian Premier League as a "platform" to make a "personal comeback".

Once considered as Indian batting's mainstay, Gambhir now finds himself in cricketing wilderness owing to his indifferent form, but the out-of-favour opener has not lost hopes of returning to international cricket and would be happily plying his trade in the Deodhar Trophy for North Zone and Kolkata Knights Riders in the IPL.

"I will never use the IPL (as a platform). I will use the IPL as a platform to do well for my side KKR. What all matters to me is good showing for KKR. I don't play the IPL for my personal comebacks. I play IPL for my team and do well for them. Performing for KKR is all that is in back of my mind," Gambhir.

"It's (domestic cricket) the stepping stone for making it to the Indian team. Till the time love for the game is there, I don't mind playing at any platform, be it domestic, IPL or the international cricket. I love the game and that's what really matters to me," Gambhir said on the sidelines of a Red Bull event, Wings For Life, to spread the message of World run that aims to raise funds for spinal cord research, in the capital.

It's been more than a year since Gambhir last took guard in international game against England at Dharamsala in January 2013. Talking about Test cricket and T20s, it's been around 15 months for the southpaw.

The 31-year-old scored 578 runs in the Ranji Trophy this season with a top score of 153 against Haryana but failed to make the cut for the Test squad to South Africa.

He got unlucky for the second time too, missing out on a Test spot for the New Zealand tour despite other opener Shikhar Dhawan's poor outing with the bat in South Africa.

Gambhir again failed to win the hearts of national selectors when they ignored him for India's limited-overs campaign in the Asia Cup, where the team even failed to qualify for the final.

With India touring England in June followed by the 50-over World Cup in Australia-New Zealand, Gambhir still has opportunities to knock on the doors of national selectors.

But, at the moment, Gambhir is focusing on the domestic tournaments.

"Look, I don't predict what's there in future for me. I am looking that far (England tour and World Cup). It's a long time to go. The reality is that I have to play the Deodhar Trophy and the the IPL," he said.

Gambhir also refused to set any time frame like Virender Sehwag before thinking about quitting the game.

Sehwag had on Tuesday said that he still has 2-3 years of competitive cricket left in him before taking a decision on retirement.

"I don't know. I have not thought about it. I don't look at for how long I am going to play. The day I feel like I can't contribute to the team's success, that's the day I am going to call it quits," he said.

"The only thing on the back of my mind is to do well in Deodhar Trophy and IPL. If I am able to make a comeback, I'll definitely give my 100 per cent," he added.

Talking about India's chances in the ongoing World T20, Gambhir said India have the "firepower" to do well in the biennial event.

"All the games are very important in this format. Whoever plays well on a given day, will win. India have the firepower. If they will play with freedom and flair, they will definitely do well," he said.

Gambhir said most of the franchises in the IPL have a well-balanced team set-up and it's going to be a competitive season.

"Most of the sides are well balanced. It's going to be a competitive tournament and that's what we are looking at in the IPL. I would be playing domestic T20 tournaments. It's actually going to be good practice before IPL. The more you play T20, the more you get into that groove. It's better to have certain number of games under your belt before you go into the IPL," he said.

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England elect to bowl against India

DHAKA: England skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to field against India in their World T20 Championships warm-up match on Wednesday.

Scorecard

Teams:

England: Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan (c), Stephen Parry, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright, Ravi Bopara.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron, M S Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Mohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh.

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Stirling helps Ireland beat Zimbabwe

SYLHET (Bangladesh): Opener Paul Stirling smashed 60 off 34 balls to set Ireland up for a last-ball victory over Zimbabwe in their first-round match in the World Twenty20 championship on Monday.

Scorecard

Stirling's fifth Twenty20 half-century, including nine fours and a six, helped Ireland to a three-wicket victory on St Patrick's Day at the Sylhet stadium.

Ireland needed four runs off the last over but lost Ed Joyce (22) and Max Sorensen, run out without scoring, before winning through a bye off the last ball of the over -- bowled by paceman Tinashe Panyangara who finished with 4-37.

Stirling and skipper William Porterfield, who scored a 23-ball 31 with three fours and a six, had given Ireland a fiery 80-run start in 8.2 overs as their run chase began confidently.

A ruthless Stirling hit paceman Panyangara for four boundaries in one over before he fell with the total on 100.

Ireland then lost three quick wickets to Panyangara, including that of hard-hitting Kevin O'Brien (17), before their last-gasp victory.

Zimbabwe earlier owed their total to a solid 46-ball 59 by Brendan Taylor. The Zimbabwe skipper hit six boundaries and two towering sixes, while Elton Chigumbura made 22 and Hamilton Masakadza scored 21.

But spinners George Dockrell (2-18) and debutant Andy McBrine (2-26) restricted Zimbabwe to 163-5 in their 20 overs.

The Group B defeat has put Zimbabwe in a tight corner as only one team will go on from each of the two Groups into the Super-10 stage.

Hosts Bangladesh beat Afghanistan and debutant Nepal downed Hong Kong in Group A matches on the opening day of the World Twenty20 on Sunday.

The two top teams from each Group will join the top eight seeds in the Super-10 stage, starting from March 21.

The final is on April 6 in Dhaka.

Brief scores:

Ireland 163-5 in 20 overs (B. Taylor 59, E. Chigumbura 22, H. Masakadza 21; G. Dockrell 2-18, A. McBrine 2-26)

Ireland 164-7 in 20 overs (P. Stirling 60, W. Porterfield 31; T. Panyangara 4-37)

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2015 will be my last World Cup: Sanga

DHAKA: Having announced his retirement from T20 internationals, Kumar Sangakkara on Monday said that he would like to call time on his ODI career after the 2015 ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The veteran Sri Lankan batsman termed it a "natural progression".

"As far as ODI and Test cricket are concerned, it's hard to make a time frame. I am 36 years old now and will be 37 next year during the time of World Cup. By next World Cup, I will be 41 and I don't hope that I am playing then. So 2015 World Cup will be my last. It's a kind of natural progression," Sangakkara said during an interaction during the open session of Sri Lankan team.

"For Test cricket, form, fitness and enjoyment factors are there for you to continue. There is no denying I am in the twilight of my career," he said.

With Mahela Jayawardene also announcing his retirement from T20 Internationals, the transition phase in Lankan cricket is about to start just like it happened in India a few years back. But Sangakkara felt that Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal are two players who will carry the Sanga-Mahela legacy.

"I think it's going to be fine. If you look at Thirimanne and Chandimal, they are ready to play in any form of cricket. I think that if me and Mahela decide to quit today, tomorrow or whenever we do, it's not going to make a huge difference.

"Angelo Mathews is maturing as the Test and ODI captain. Dinesh is also a young captain. Sri Lankan cricket is in very good hands," said the man who has played 122 Tests, 369 ODIs besides 50 T20 Internationals.

According to Sangakkara, the key to success is to withstand the rigours of international cricket for long time.

"The key is to refine the talent and make the players ready to withstand the pressures of international cricket. And it's not just for one or two years but for longer periods," he said.

While Sangakkara is calling it quits as far as T20 Internationals are concerned, the veteran left-hander will continue playing franchisee based T20 cricket.

He made no bones about the fact that financial considerations have to be seriously taken into account as far as T20 cricket is concerned.

"Firstly, I enjoy the format and that's very important. Secondly, cricket is how I make my living and hopefully that would not change for a couple of years. I know a lot of people say that that's how (T20 leagues) cricketers make their living but that is what the case is. We are professional cricketers," he said.

Coming back to the timing of his retirement, Sangakkara said that it wasn't a difficult decision as Sri Lanka won't play too many T20 Internationals until the 2015 World Cup.

"It wasn't too difficult really. There are no significant T20 tournaments in the near future. I think we will play just one or two T20 international games until the 2015 World Cup. Whether I would have announced it or not, this would have been my last T20 international tournament. You always hope that the day when you retire never comes but that day definitely comes," he said with a smile.

Sangakkara, who has been a part of last edition of Indian Premier League, said that it has played its part in popularising the game.

"With IPL, everyone knew that T20 is here to stay. The format has created a new fan base and ICC has also done their bit to promote it."

Sri Lanka have played two finals in four editions of World T20 but Sangakkara rued having not won a single of them. They have also lost two finals in the 50-over World Cups.

"In 2007, in South Africa, we were pretty raw but to reach the final in 2009 (England) was great. In 2012, at home again, we reached the finals but let it slip. I think in the two finals, we made enough mistakes to let it slip," he said.

While speaking about the memories, Sangakkara said, "14 years is a long time in international cricket. You share the dressing room with a very rare group of players. These are the best memories that you can walk away with."

On his part, the team's young gun Thirimanne said that it will be the best parting gift for the former captain if they can win the ongoing World T20.

"It is very difficult to match Sanga or Mahela's record. It will be a great gift if we could win the World T20 for Sanga," Thirimanne said.

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