I'll do the best for my country: Yuvraj

Can Team India reprise the glory days of 2007 in England? Fans will never forget those six sixes Yuvraj smashed of England's Stuart Broad in the first edition of WC T20 in South Africa. That was the match that helped to get the much needed momentum and eventually clinch the title.

Not just himself, Yuvraj also has confidence in the ability of his team members too. "One good change that has happened in the team in the last two years is the way younger members have performed and taken the pressure off seniors," he added. According to him, this has enabled the likes of Dhoni, Sehwag and Yuvraj himself to play without the fear of failure.

Among the youngsters, Yuvraj picked out Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma for special praise, saying they were 'brilliant' in IPL 2. "They're exactly what the Indian team needs to evolve and grow stronger. Without such youthful players, a team faces the danger of stagnation and decline." The dashing batsman was also impressed by the likes of Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey.

While focussed on the World Twenty20, Yuvraj admits he's a bit worn out after a hectic seasons which included the IPL. "Physically, I am fit but mentally I felt a little tired after the IPL. I reckon I'll be in a good shape for the World Cup." "The good thing is we've had solid match practice in T20 format during the IPL. Almost all the players are in good form and that gives us teeth."

Yuvraj is happy that the recently-concluded IPL has provided India with more bowling options. Yuvraj was particularly impressed with the performance of Ashish Nehra. "It was so heartening to see Nehra bowl the way he did in the IPL. He reminded us of the days when he was an India regular. I'm looking forward to him doing his stuff for India once again."

Two years back, the odds were stacked against India and no one really expected them to pull it off. This time, as the defending champions, expectations are sky-high. But Yuvraj feels the hunger for success will help the team succeed. "The attitude counts for a lot. We make a conscious effort in stoking that hunger for runs and wickets," he said.

According to him, the pitches in England are likely to assist seamers at this time of the season. "In July-August, the wickets become a little flatter. At this World Cup, expect good wickets, big scores and tight chases," Yuvraj said.

South African cricket has taken big strides over the past 12 months, including moving into top spot in ODIs, and Greame Smith has said he wants to cap that with a win in the World Twenty20.

Smith's side are among the favourites for the title, and their limited-overs prowess is illustrated by their record of only one ODI-series loss in nearly two years. They have also won their previous two Twenty20s, beating Australia twice in March.

"We have had a wonderful past 12 months which has included winning away Test series in both England and Australia and winning home-and-away ODI series against Australia to gain top spot in the ICC rankings," PA quoted him as saying.

"One of the boxes we still want to tick is to win a major ICC championship and we have two chances to do that in the ICC World T20 next month and again in the ICC Champions Trophy which will be held in South Africa at the end of September."

Twelve of his 15-member squad played for various franchises in the IPL which ended earlier this month, and Smith said it helped warm them up for the World Twenty20. "I have been very happy with the form our players have shown in the IPL in the run-up to the World T20 and this augurs well for a good performance."

South Africa open the tournament in Group D, along with New Zealand and Scotland. They play their first warm-up game against Pakistan at Trent Bridge on June 1 and take on Sri Lanka in another practice match at Lord's on June 3, before heading over to the Oval for their first match of the tournament against Scotland on June 7.

Cricket

Cricket is a bat and ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. Today, the sport is played in more than 100 countries.