Showing posts with label Victor Victoria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victor Victoria. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 18

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag,
Virender Sehwag pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: वीरेंद्र सेहवाग) (born 20 October 1978, in Delhi, India), affectionately known as Viru, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and an occasional right-arm off-spin bowler. He played his first One Day International in 1999 and joined the Indian Test cricket team in 2001. In April 2009, Sehwag became the only Indian to be honored as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his performance in 2008,subsequently becoming the first player of any nationality to retain the award for 2009.
Sehwag holds multiple records including the highest score made by an Indian in Test cricket (319), which was also the fastest triple century in the history of international cricket (reached 300 off only 278 balls) as well as the fastest 250 by any batsman (in 207 balls against Sri Lanka on 3rd December, 2009 at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai). Sehwag also holds the distinction of being one of three batsmen in the world to have ever surpassed 300 twice in Test cricket, and the only one to score two triple centuries and take a five-wicket innings haul. In March 2009, Sehwag smashed the fastest century ever scored by an Indian in ODI cricket, from 60 balls.
Sehwag was appointed as vice-captain of the Indian team under Rahul Dravid in October 2005 but due to poor form, he was later replaced by V. V. S. Laxman in December 2006 as Test vice-captain. In January 2007, Sehwag was dropped from the ODI team and later from the Test team as well. During his term as vice-captain, Sehwag skippered the team in place of injured Dravid in 2 ODIs and 1 Test. Following his return to form in 2008 and the retirement of Anil Kumble, Sehwag has been reappointed as the vice-captain for both Tests and ODIs. By early 2009, Sehwag had reestablished himself as one of the best performing batsmen in ODI cricket.

Early years

Sehwag was born in a Jat family from Haryana. The son of a grain merchant, Sehwag spent his childhood in a bungalow in a joint family, with siblings, uncles, aunts and sixteen cousins. Though now settled in New Delhi, the Sehwag family hails from Haryana. Sehwag was the third of four children born to father Krishan and mother Krishna Sehwag, with two older sisters Manju and Anju, and younger brother Vinod. His father attributes his interest in cricket to a toy bat which he was given when he was seven months old. He attended Arora Vidya School in Delhi, and pestered his parents to let him play cricket, on the basis that he was not academically gifted. His father tried to end his career when he broke a tooth as a child in 1990, but Sehwag evaded the ban with the help of his mother.
Cricketing career

Early domestic cricket
Sehwag made his debut for Delhi cricket team in first class cricket in the 1997–98 season. He was selected to the North Zone cricket team for the Duleep Trophy the following 1998-99 season, ending fifth in the total runscoring list. The following year he was fourth on the Duleep Trophy run scoring list, including a 274, the highest score of the competition. This was attained against South Zone at Agartala in just 327 balls, and followed a rapid 187 from just 175 in a Ranji Trophy match against Punjab.He was then selected for the U-19 team which toured South Africa. He was seventh in the 2000–01 season with two centuries, but his consistency earned the attention of selectors and he became a regular member of the national team in mid 2001.
Since his international career started, he has continued to play for Delhi in the domestic competition whilst he is not occupied with international duty and has captained North Zone to victory in the Deodhar Trophy in 2004–05 and 2005–-06. He also had a short stint with Leicestershire in county cricket in 2003, but a back injury lead to a mutual termination of the contract.

ODI career
Sehwag's ODI career started poorly when he scored 1 against Pakistan in Mohali in April 1999. His bowling performance was also ineffective and expensive, conceding 35 runs off 3 overs.
Sehwag wasn't given another match until the home series against Zimbabwe in December 2000. Sehwag rose to prominence in his fourth ODI match in March 2001 when he scored 58 off 54 balls, against Australia in Bangalore. Combined with his three wickets, he help earn India a victory and was awarded his first man of the match award. He followed this with an unproductive tour of Zimbabwe in mid 2001.
Sehwag had his international breakthrough in Sri Lanka in August 2001 when he was promoted to the opening slot for the tri-series also involving New Zealand. The promotion to open the innings came because regular opener Sachin Tendulkar was absent due to a foot injury.In the match against New Zealand that was to decide the finalist, he scored his maiden century from 69 balls. The century is the third fastest ODI century for an Indian behind Mohammad Azharuddin's 62 ball effort and Yuvraj singh's 64 ball effort. This was his first score beyond 50 in ten matches and saw him named man of the match. This performance earned him a regular spot in the ODI squad in the middle-order. He bettered his own record by hitting a 60-ball century against New Zealand during the 2009 tour. An innings of note in 2002 was the 22 ball half-century against Kenya in Bloemfontein, tying the second fastest 50 by an Indian. Because of his attacking cricket stroke plays, Sehwag has got many fans, including the WestIndies legend Desmond Haynes, who admitted that he is a great fan of him 
With Ganguly's injury in the India-England ODI Series in January 2002, Sehwag received another opportunity to open the innings which he seized by scoring 82 from 64 balls in Kanpur in an eight-wicket Indian victory. With good performances as opener, Sehwag was made a permanent fixture at the top of the innings. Sachin Tendulkar, who opened in the England ODI series, was moved to middle order - a strategy that reaped dividends for India in 2002 in ODI matches. In the England series and the preceding tour to South Africa, he compiled 426 runs at 42.6 with four half-centuries .
After modest returns on the tours of the West Indies and England in early and mid 2002, he scored 271 runs at 90.33 in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, with two man of the match performances. After running out Ian Blackwell, he was involved in a 192 run partnership with Ganguly, scoring 126 from 104 balls to help set up an eight wicket victory against England in a group match. He then scored 58 from 54 balls and took 3/25 including two wickets in the final over to help defeat South Africa by 10 runs to help India progress to the final.
In late 2002 he scored an unbeaten 114 from 82 balls that included a 196 run partnership with Ganguly to lead India to a nine wicket win over the West Indies in Rajkot. He was the only batsman to score a century in the 7 match New Zealand ODI Series where he made two centuries - 108 in Napier in an Indian defeat and 112 in Auckland in a one-wicket victory.
Virender Sehwag had a mediocre 2003 Cricket World Cup, scoring 299 runs at an average of 27, he top scored with 82 in the loss against Australia in the final.


Sehwag in fielding practice.
Later in 2003, he scored his fourth century and earned Man of the Match award against New Zealand in Hyderabad, scoring 130 and putting on a 182 run partnership with Tendulkar, to lay the foundations for a 145 run victory. In spite of it, Sehwag struggled for consistency in 2003 and 2003/04 ODI series where he had only one century and 3 fifties, two against minnows - Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and one against Pakistan, in 22 matches.
Even with his inconsistent form, he earned 3 MoM awards in 2004 and 2004/05 ODI season with one award each against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In the match against Pakistan in Kochi he scored 108 off 95 balls, his first century in eighteen months which set up a 95 run victory.
Sehwag then started a two year streak without a century in ODIs, as well as having his ODI tour of Pakistan in early 2006 curtailed due to a shoulder injury. His drought in limited overs cricket has puzzled cricket experts because of the consistent performances in Test matches with a high scoring rate has not translated into significant contributions in the ODI format of the game. Sehwag was dropped from the ODI Squad for the WI-IND 4 Match ODI series. With debate over whether he deserved to be included in the 2007 Cricket World Cup squad, captain Dravid's insistence on his retention paved the way to being named in the World Cup squad. However, despite this assurance, Sehwag's form continued to decline.
Sehwag started the 2007 World Cup in poor form, only being picked for the side because of Rahul Dravid's wishes. He scored poorly in the first group match but bounced back to hit a magnificent 114 from 87 deliveries against lowly ranked Bermuda. The Indian team scored 413-5, the highest team total in a World Cup match, and went on to win the match but this was their only win in the tournament.
On March 11, 2009, Sehwag blasted India's fastest ODI hundred against New Zealand by reaching 3 figures in just 60 balls. Eventually, he led India to win its first series win in New Zealand.


ODI summary
Sehwag's scoring rate is extremely quick, at 103.44 runs per 100 balls (it is exceeded only by one current player: Shahid Afridi, who has a much lower average). He has had more success in run chases, scoring seven of his twelve centuries while chasing. He has led India on seven occasions, due to the unavailability of the incumbent due to illness, injury or rotation policy.


Test career


An innings-by-innings breakdown of Sehwag's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).
Sehwag's maiden century in mid-2001 in Sri Lanka was not enough to gain selection in the Test team for the corresponding series. Sehwag made his Test debut in late 2001 in the First Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein as a middle-order batsman. He scored 105 on debut despite the South African win.He was given a one match suspension by ICC match referee Mike Denness for overappealing  in the Second Test in Port Elizabeth, which lead to political dispute amongst the ICC and the two countries. He returned for the home series in 2001-02 against England and Zimbabwe. After scoring two half-centuries in the preceding series, he was promoted to a makeshift-opener on the 2002 England tour after the failure of previous openers and an experiment with wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta. He scored 84 in the new role at Lord's and then a century in the Second Test at Trent Bridge,and has batted there in Test matches ever since. He scored his maiden home-century of 147 in the First Test against the West Indies in the 2002-03 home season in Mumbai, which was at the time his top score in Test matches, earning him his first man of the match award. After a poor tour to New Zealand, he scored passed 50 for the first time in 9 innings when he scored 130 in a Test at Mohali against New Zealand in late 2003.
He then scored 195 against Australia on Boxing Day 2003 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. His dismissal on the first afternoon lead to an Indian collapse and eventual defeat.
In early 2004, he became the only Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket, with 309 against Pakistan in the First Test in Multan, beating V. V. S. Laxman's previous Indian record(281 against Australia) and helping India to a total of 5/675, the highest ever against Pakistan. It was Sehwag's sixth Test century in 21 Tests. India went on to win by an innings, with Sehwag named man of the match. He also scored 90 in the Second Test defeat in Lahore and was named man of the series for his efforts after being the highest run scorer and average for the series. He later auctioned the bat with which he made the triple century, for Rs. 70,000, to aid in relief efforts for the tsunami victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
In the First Test of the 2004 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Bangalore, Sehwag was fined for showing "serious dissent" towards umpire Billy Bowden following an LBW dismissal. Replays showed that he had hit the ball off the middle of his bat onto his leg, which later led to an apology from Bowden. Sehwag scored 155 in the Chennai test match to set up a triple figure lead for the Indians, but the match was rained out on the final day with the Indians requiring 229 for victory In the home series against South Africa that year, he scored 164 in the drawn First Test in Kanpur, and 88 in the Second in Kolkata, which India won to claim the series. Sehwag was again named man of the series.
Sehwag failed on the tour of Bangladesh, but on the 2005 home series against Pakistan, he scored 173 in Mohali, 81 in Kolkata and then 201 in Bangalore, totalling 544 runs at an average of 90.66 to win the man of the series award. He passed the 3000 run mark in Tests during the Bangalore Test, becoming the fastest Indian to reach the mark in terms of innings played. His performances over the preceding 12 months earned him selection in the ICC Test Team of the Year as well as nomination for Test player of the year.
He earned selection for the ICC World XI which played Australia in the 2005 ICC Super Series, where he top scored in the first innings with 76. He attracted some criticism at the end of 2005, having failed to pass 50 in four Tests against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. He also missed the Second Test against Sri Lanka in Delhi due to illness, but returned to the team in the following match in Ahmedabad and captained the Indians to victory whilst Rahul Dravid was ill.


Sehwag bowling in the nets.
Sehwag scored his first century in a year when he compiled 254 against Pakistan in the First Test in Lahore in January 2005, the highest ever Test score at a strike rate of over 100 and the second fastest double century ever. In doing so he was involved in a 410 run partnership with captain Rahul Dravid, the highest ever against Pakistan and in Pakistan, and just four short of a new world record opening partnership in Test matches. Sehwag went on to lampoon the Pakistani attack led by Shoaib Akhtar. Sehwag however failed to pass 50 in the following two Tests against Pakistan, and aside from a 76* in the Second Test in Mohali against England, fell seven times for less than 20 runs to the new ball , leading criticism of his position in the team.
During the 2006 West Indies tour, Sehwag narrowly missed out on scoring a century in the opening session of the Second Test in St Lucia, ending with 99 at the interval. He went on to compile 180 in just 190 balls, and also collected four wickets for the match to be named man of the match.Although Sehwag had collected more than 50 wickets in ODIs, he was substantially used as a Test bowler for the first time on the West Indies tour, taking nine wickets in the first two Test matches when he was used in the absence of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh as India opted to only use one specialist spinner. He had previously only three wickets at Test level . He was also fined in the First Test for excessive appealing.
Poor form saw Sehwag being dropped from the Test team in 2007. In December 2007, he was recalled for India's tour of Australia after being omitted form the list of probables, amid calls for his return by several commentators, most notably Ian Chappell. 
Though he was omitted from the team for the first two matches, both of which India lost, he was picked for the third Test at the WACA in Perth after scoring a century in a tour match against the ACT Invitational XI.He played a key part in India's victory, making 72 runs at a brisk pace and taking 2 crucial wickets  He scored a match-saving 151 in the second innings of the fourth Test in Adelaide. This was his first century in the second innings of a test match, and was notable in that he rejected his usual, aggressive batting style in favour of a more defensive approach which was the need of the hour.
Sehwag continued his good form against South Africa, in the home series in April 2008]], scoring 319 in the first Test in Chennai, having reached 300 off just 278 balls, the fastest triple century in test history. Sehwag became only the third batsman after Sir Donald Bradman and Brian Lara to score 2 triple centuries in Test Cricket. He scored 257 runs the third day of the match, which was the most runs scored by an individual batsman on a single day of a Test match since 1954, when Dennis Compton made 273 runs on the second day of the Nottingham Test against Pakistan.
He has a habit of making big centuries, with his last eleven centuries having all been over 150, including two triple centuries and further three double centuries which surpassed Sir Donald Bradman's record of having seven consecutive centuries beyond 150.
In the first test against England in Chennai in December 2008, Sehwag's rapid 83 off just 68 balls, in the last session of the fourth day, set India up for its record run-chase of 4/387, the highest successful target on Indian soil. He got the man-of-the-match award despite Sachin Tendulkar scoring an unbeaten century later in the same innings and Andrew Strauss scoring a century in each of England's innings.
He has been noted for his record against Pakistan, averaging over 90 against and in Pakistan, scoring four centuries against India's arch rivals. The disparity in his average in the first and second innings is often noted, being 68 and 25 and all but one of his fifteen Test centuries having come in the first innings.
During Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2009, in the 3-match test series he finished with the highest run getter of the series with 491 runs. In the last test match, he made 293 with the help of which India won the test match. In this innings he established many records: 1. Scoring the second fastest 200. 2. Scoring the fastest 250 off just 207 balls. 3. Third highest run scorer on a single day. [284 n.o] He missed accomplishing the feat of being the only player to score three triple centuries. He was caught and bowled by Murlitharan short by just seven runs. This innings, which consisted of 40 fours and 7 sixes, was described as his third best by him after his two triple centuries.

Sehwag in Non-India Colours
He was selected in the ICC World XI for the 2005 ICC Super Series against Australia in late 2005, but only managed 64 runs at an average of 21.33 [7]. Earlier in 2005, he was selected for the Asian Cricket Council XI for the fundraising match against the ICC World XI in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami,

Playing style



Sehwag batting in the nets.
Sehwag was often compared to Sachin Tendulkar in his early days due to the similar batting style, build and appearance. He has acknowledged numerous times that he consciously attempted to model his playing style on Tendulkar's in his youth.
Sehwag's technique is often cited as being particularly unorthodox, often backing away (considered technically incorrect) to free his arms whilst playing his shots, in particular to cut or drive spinners inside out. He is frequently cited by commentators for his extremely strong (physically) square cutting and upper cutting and power through the off-side. He is also an excellent player of the late cut. In particular his tendency to strike the ball in the air and risk dismissal is a trait which has seen him noted for his chancy and adventurous mindset. He is also noted for a relative lack of footwork, with his timing often attributed to his eyesight. Of late, Sehwag has shown a proclivity to be dismissed by inswing deliveries, something attributed to his leaden-footed batting style. He has also got dismissed playing the cut shot when the ball was too close to his body to cut, especially in limited over matches.
Virender Sehwag is often noted for his extremely attacking style of batting, and in 2005 he was described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as the "most exciting opener in the world" due to his aggressive style in Test matches, his strike rate being inferior only to that of Adam Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi. Sehwag has also been noted for his apparent disregard for the match situation, exhibited by aggressive batting even when his team is in a poor position or after being out manoeuvred by the bowler in the recent past. This is a two-edged sword as it allows him to not be psychologically hindered by previous failures, but can also lead to excessive aggression. He was quoted by Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer as a sophisticated slogger. But over the years, his style has changed from "reckless hitting" to that of "controlled aggression", according to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously Sehwag was known predominantly as an offside player, with a weakness against straight short pitched bowling. However in the last 2 years he has improved his leg side and bouncer hitting considerably. This is shown in the recent ODIs against New Zealand where he utilised the pull, hook and flick shots to devastating effect.
As on 15 March 2010, Sehwag has an average of nearly 68 in the first innings of test matches where he has scored 5130 runs, 18 centuries and 12 fifties in 76 matches. In the second innings, his average drops to 31 and has scored 1561 runs, an only century and 9 fifties in 54 innings. The first and second innings difference of 37 runs is the one of the highest and indicates a lack of ability in dealing with more difficult batting conditions as the pitch deteriorates. However, his match-saving second-innings 151 against Australia at Adelaide during the 2007-08 Border-Gavaskar series, and a match winning 92 in trying situations at Nagpur during the 2008-09 series, went a long way towards repairing that image. In the 2008 Test series against England, Sehwag played a key role in the fourth innings of the first Test in Chennai. He amassed 83 runs in 68 balls, which helped India chase down an improbable target of 387 with six wickets to spare. This was the highest successful run chase in India, and the fourth highest in Test history. For this effort, Sehwag was adjudged Man of the Match.

Controversy

Mike Denness and Indian cricket team incident
In November 2001, Sehwag was involved in controversy in the Second Test match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, when he was given a one Test ban for "excessive appealing" by ICC Match referee Mike Denness. He was one of six Indian players to be receive bans, four of which were suspended bans. The unprecedented severity of the bans precipitated an international cricketing, political and administrative crisis with the Indian cricket establishment threatened to call off the tour unless Mike Denness was removed as match referee from the third test match. ICC backed Mike Denness and the South African board backed the Indian cricket establishment and did not allow Mike Denness to enter the stadium on the first day of the third test match. ICC declared that the match was 'unofficial' and 'friendly five day match'and the series was officially declared as a 2 match series and South Africa as 1-0 winners. The subsequent England tour to India was placed in jeopardy when India picked Sehwag in the test squad. Subsequent to this development, ICC issued a warning that any match with Sehwag in the cricket team will not be considered an "official" Test match until Sehwag had served his one match ban. After negotiations with ECB and ICC and in general interest of cricket, Sehwag was dropped from the team for the first Test against England.
Personal life

Sehwag married Aarti Ahlawat in April 2004 under heavy security cover in a widely publicised wedding hosted by Arun Jaitley, the then Union law minister of India, at his residence.The couple have a son, Aryavir, born on 18 October 2007.
Sehwag is fondly referred to in the media as the Nawab of Najafgarh, Najafgarh being his home locality in Delhi. A lifelong vegetarian, Sehwag owns a vegetarian eatery, Sehwag Favourites, which opened in late 2005 at the Fun Republic cineplex in Delhi, following in the footsteps of his role model Sachin Tendulkar. The majority of the products on the menu are named after cricketing themes related to his memorable innings, such as Multan Ke Sultan Ki Tikdi, meaning dish for three persons, which alludes to his triple century in Multan and is priced at 309 rupees. There are plans to expand the chain across India with a second outlet already planned in Ludhiana. Sehwag does charity work for UNICEF.
International centuries

See: List of international cricket centuries by Virender Sehwag
Achievements

Awards
Arjuna Award (2002)
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World 2008, 2009
Records
Fastest 250 in Test cricket in terms of balls faced.
Most Test runs in a single day by an Indian. Sehwag made 257 in a day against SA in Chennai. He surpassed this in making 284 in a day against Sri Lanka. The latter was the second consecutive innings in which India scored more than 400 runs in a single day in Tests. Sehwag also made a century at faster than a run a ball on the previous equation.
Only Indian batsman to have scored two triple centuries in Test cricket. He is the third batsman in the history of Test cricket to score two triple centuries, alongside Sir Donald Bradman and Brian Lara.
Fastest century in ODI cricket by an Indian - 100 runs off 60 balls against New Zealand in 2009.
Second fastest ODI 50 by an Indian.- a record, he shares with Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev and Yuvraj Singh - when he took 22 balls against Kenya in 2001
Six double centuries - the first three of which came against Pakistan.[103] Greg Chappell is the only other player to have scored multiple double centuries against Pakistan (2). Sehwag is the only Indian to have made six Test double centuries.
Highest score by an Indian batsman in Test cricket. He first achieved this when he scored 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004, and bettered his previous record in March 2008 at Chennai against South Africa by scoring 319.
Fastest triple century: His second triple century scored at Chennai on 27-28 March 2008 against South Africa was the fastest in terms of balls faced by any batsman (off 278 balls).
Consecutive 150+ scores in Test cricket: He holds the record for consecutive test hundreds converted to scores of 150+, at 11.
He is one of the only five players to have scored more test hundreds than test fifties(15c/14f), along with Don Bradman(29c/13f), Mohammad Azharuddin (22c/21f),[104] Matthew Hayden (30c/27f) and Kevin Pietersen(13c/11f) as on August 7, 2008 
Two consecutive double century partnerships in a Test innings. He achieved this record, for the first two wickets in Chennai on 27-28 March 2008 (with Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid respectively). This was the first time in Test history that the first two wickets in an innings have resulted in double-century stands. He equaled this in the innings against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, combining with Murali Vijay and Dravid for the first and second wickets.
He is the first person in the history of test cricket to hit two triple centuries and take five wickets in a Test innings.

Test Matches Awards

Man of the Series Awards
# Series Season Series Performance
1 India in Pakistan Test Series 2003/0 440 Runs (3 Matches, 4 Innings, 1x100, 1x50); 6-0-27-0; 2 Catches
2 South Africa in India Test Series 2004/05 262 Runs (2 Matches, 3 Innings, 1x100, 2x50); 1 Catch
3 Pakistan in India Test Series 2004/05 544 Runs (3 Matches, 6 Innings, 2x100, 1x50); 5-2-14-0; 2 Catches
4 Sri Lanka in India Test Series 2009/10 491 Runs (3 Matches, 4 Innings, 2x100, 1x50); 16-3-47-1; 1 Catch

Man of the Match Awards
S No Opponent Venue Season Match Performance
1 West Indies Wankhede, Mumbai 2002/03 1st Innings: 147 (24x4, 3x6); 2-0-7-0
2nd Innings: 1 Catch
2 Pakistan Multan 2003/04 1st Innings: 309 (39x4, 6x6); 2-0-11-0
2nd Innings: 3-0-8-0; 1 Catch
3 Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 2006 1st Innings: 254 (47x4, 1x6); 6-0-24-0
4 West Indies Gros Islet, St Lucia 2006 1st Innings: 180 (20x4, 2x6); 16.1-5-33-3
2nd Innings: 30-9-48-1
5 South Africa Chennai 2007/08 1st Innings: 319 (42x4, 5x6); 11-1-37-1
2nd Innings: 22-2-55-1
6 Sri Lanka Galle 2008/09 1st Innings: 201 (22x4, 4x6)
2nd Innings: 50 (6x4, 1x6)
7 England Chennai 2008/09 1st Innings: 9 (2x4); 1-0-8-0
2nd Innings: 83 (11x4, 4x6); 6-0-22-0
8 Sri Lanka Mumbai 2009/10 1st Innings: 293 (254); 1 Catch
2nd Innings:9-2-24-0

ODI Cricket Awards

Man of the Series Awards
# Series Season Series Performance
1 India in New Zealand ODI Series 2008/09 299 (5 Matches, 5 Innings, 1x100, 2x50); 2 Catches

Man of the Match Awards
S No Opponent Venue Season Match Performance
1 Australia Bangalore 2000/01 58 (54b, 8x4); 9-0-59-3
2 New Zealand Colombo (SSC) 2001 100 (70b, 19x4, 1x6); 3-0-26-0
3 England Kanpur 2001/02 82 (62b, 14x4); 1-0-9-0; 1 Catch
4 England Colombo (RPS) 2002/03 126 (104b, 21x4, 1x6); 5-0-25-0
5 South Africa Colombo (RPS) 2002/03 59 (58b, 10x4); 5-0-25-3
6 West Indies Rajkot 2002/03 114* (82b, 17x4, 2x6); 6-0-29-0
7 New Zealand Napier 2002/03 108 (119b, 9x4, 2x6)
8 New Zealand Auckland 2002/03 112 (139b, 11x4, 3x6)
9 New Zealand Hyderabad 2003/04 130 (134b, 15x4, 2x6)
10 Zimbabwe Hobart 2003/04 90 (102b, 5x4, 5x6); 10-0-40-2; 1 Catch
11 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 2004 81 (92b, 6x4, 2x6); 9-0-37-3
12 Bangladesh Dhaka 2004/05 70 (52b, 9x4, 3x6); 6-1-31-0
13 Pakistan Kochi 2004/05 108 (95b, 9x4, 3x6); 5-0-26-0
14 Bermuda Port of Spain, Trinidad 2007 115 (87b, 17x4, 3x6); 5-0-15-0
15 England Bangalore, India 2008 69 (57b, 9x4, 3x6)
16 England Cuttack, India 2008 91 (73b, 15x4, 1x6)
17 New Zealand Hamilton, New Zealand 2009 125* (75b,14x4, 6x6)
18 Sri Lanka Rajkot, India 2009/10 146 (102b,17x4, 6x6)
19 Sri Lanka Dambulla, Srilanka 2009/10 99* (100b,11x4, 2x6)

(source:wikipedia)

Vestas

Vestas Wind Systems,
Vestas Wind Systems is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines, currently the largest in the world with a 28% market share.The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, India, Italy, Britain, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Australia, China, and the United States, and employs more than 20,000 people globally.
After a sales slump in 2005, Vestas recovered and was voted Top Green Company of 2006. In December, 2008, Vestas announced a major expansion of its North American headquarters in Portland, Oregon. In late 2008 the company also announced a manufacturing expansion in Colorado.


History

Vestas was founded in 1945 by Peder Hansen as "Vestjysk Stålteknik A/S" (West-Jutlandish steel technology). The company initially manufactured household appliances, moving its focus to agricultural equipment in 1950, intercoolers in 1956, and hydraulic cranes in 1968. It entered the wind turbine industry in 1979.
In 2003, the company merged with the Danish wind turbine manufacturer NEG Micon to create the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, under the banner of Vestas Wind Systems. After an operational loss in 2005, Vestas recovered in 2006, and continues to have 28% market share.
In February 2009, the company announced the production of two new turbine types, the 3-megawatt V112 and 1.8-megawatt V100. The new models will be available in 2010.
Operations

Vestas has installed over 39,000 wind turbines in 63 countries on five continents.The company employs more than 20,000 people globally, and has built production facilities in more than 12 countries. It is currently expanding and opening up new production facilities in China, Spain and the United States. Vestas announced expansion of its North American headquarters in Portland, Oregon from 350 to at least 1200 employees on December 1, 2008. It employs a further 200 persons at a blade manufacturing facility in Windsor, Colorado, and plans to add 1400 jobs at a new blade and nacelle assembly facility that is under construction near Brighton, Colorado, and up to 125 engineers at a 47,675 square-foot product development site in Louisville, Colorado. Vestas also operates a tower facility in Pueblo, Colorado. Vestas said it decided to build its North American production facilities in Colorado because of the state’s central location, extensive transportation infrastructure and rail system, existing manufacturing base, and skilled workforce. Vestas wind turbine blades are made from high strength, light weight carbon fiber supplied by Zoltek Companies Inc. in St. Louis, MO.
Products

Some of the more recent wind turbine models made by Vestas are listed below. The rotor diameter (in meters) follows the V.
V47-660 kW
V52-850 kW
V60-850 kW (China)
V66-1.75MW
V80-1.8MW
V80-2.0MW
V82-1.65MW
V90-1.8MW
V90-2.0MW
V90-3.0MW
V100-1.8MW
V112-3.0MW
Business strategy



The Vestas protest on the Isle of Wight in 2009.
In July 2009, Vestas' operations on the U.K.'s Isle of Wight were announced to close due to lack of demand, affecting 525 jobs there and 100 jobs in Southampton. Approximately 25 workers at the wind turbine factory on the island occupied the administration offices in protest on 20 July 2009, demanding nationalisation to save their jobs.
In August 2009 Vestas hired more than 5,000 extra workers for its new factories in China, the United States, and Spain. The company said it was "expanding heavily in China and the US because these markets were growing the fastest, in contrast to the sluggish pace of wind farm development in the UK".
Sponsorship

In 2009 Vestas took over the shirt sponsorship of the Warrington Wolves from Omega. Warrington Wolves are a Rugby League Team currently competing in the European Super League and were Challenge Cup Holders Last Year [2009].

(source:wikipedia)

Saturday, May 15

Victor Victoria

Victor Victoria is a 1982 musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that involves transvestism and sexual identity as central themes. It stars Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras and John Rhys-Davies. The film was produced by Tony Adams, directed by Blake Edwards, and scored by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. It was later adapted in 1995 as a Broadway musical. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Original Music Score. It is a remake of Viktor und Viktoria, a German film of 1933.

Production

The screenplay of Victor Victoria was adapted by Blake Edwards (Andrews' husband) and Hans Hoemburg from the 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria by Reinhold Schünzel. According to Blake Edwards, the screenplay took only one month to write. There was also a 1935 remake named First a Girl, made in the United Kingdom and directed by Victor Saville, about a woman who stands in for a female impersonator and becomes a hit. Julie Andrews watched the 1933 version to prepare for her role.


Plot summary

In 1930s Paris. Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews), a struggling soprano, is unable to find work. She bombs an audition at Chez Lui, a tawdry night club where Carroll "Toddy" Todd (played by Robert Preston) also works. In the evening of that day Toddy starts a fight at Chez Lui after finding out that his boyfriend was dating a woman and is subsequently fired. Later that night Victoria runs into Toddy at a Paris restaurant where she is scheming to plant a cockroach in her food in order to get her meal for free, trying to foil the waiter (Graham Stark). The plan goes awry after the cockroach goes missing and ends up on a woman's leg, starting a riot in the restaurant, which Victoria and Toddy use to escape. They spend the night at his apartment. The next day Toddy's boyfriend shows up to pick up his things and when he insults Toddy Victoria breaks his nose and takes his spare clothes, as hers were ruined by the previous night's rain. At the sight of Victoria dressed as a man Toddy hits upon a plan to help both her and himself: Victoria will pretend to be a man pretending to be a woman, and get a job as a female impersonator in a nightclub. In order to enhance the ruse, Toddy will pretend to be her gay lover.
Soon Victoria's new persona, "Count Victor Grazinski", becomes the toast of Paris. As money and fame start to turn her (and Toddy's) lives around, an additional complication arises. King Marchand (James Garner), a gangster and nightclub-owner from Chicago, finds himself at first attracted to Victoria and repelled by "Victor". This encourages his burly bodyguard, "Squash" Bernstein (Alex Karras), to come out of the closet, but it enrages Marchand's whiny-voiced, peroxide-blonde spitfire girlfriend Norma (Lesley Ann Warren).
Marchand starts to investigate Victor, sure that a man like himself could never fall for another man but in the end declares that he does not care if Victoria is a man. Norma becomes more annoying and tawdry, in contrast to the classy Victoria, and King finally has Squash send her home to Chicago so that he is free to pursue Victoria, and has to live up to the image that he is living with a man. Victoria must come to terms with what she really wants out of life: to be true to herself by giving up her career and fame in Paris to be with the man who loves her and whom she loves, or to continue with her duplicitous profession and risk losing Marchand.
In a subplot of the film, the owner of the Chez Lui club also is trying to investigate Victor, since he suspects that "he" is the soprano whom he rejected from his club.
The vocal numbers in the film are presented as nightclub acts. However, the lyrics or situations of some of the songs are calculated to relate to the unfolding drama. Thus, the two staged numbers Le Jazz Hot and The Shady Dame from Seville help to present Victoria as a female impersonator. The latter number is later reinterpreted by Toddy for diversionary purposes in the plot. And the cozy relationship of Toddy and Victoria is promoted by the song You and Me, which is sung before the audience at the nightclub.


Awards

The movie won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Preston), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Julie Andrews), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lesley Ann Warren), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Rodger Maus, Tim Hutchinson, William Craig Smith, Harry Cordwell), Best Costume Design and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
American Film Institute recognition
2000: AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs #76


Cast

Julie Andrews as Victoria Grant
James Garner as King Marchand
Robert Preston as Carroll 'Toddy' Todd
Lesley Ann Warren as Norma Cassidy
Alex Karras as 'Squash' Bernstein
John Rhys-Davies as Andre Cassell
Graham Stark as Waiter
Peter Arne as Labisse
Herb Tanney as Charles Bovin
Michael Robbins as Manager of Victoria's hotel
Norman Chancer as Sal Andratti
David Gant as Restaurant Manager
Maria Charles as Madame President
Malcolm Jamieson as Richard DiNardo
John Cassady as Juke
Glen Murphy as boxer

(source:wikipedia)

Thursday, May 13

Skank (band)

Skank is a Brazilian britpop/reggae band, begun in 1991, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. As of 2004, they had sold approximately 5,200,000 copies of their albums. Initially intending to mix dancehall with traditional Brazilian styles, later the band changed its sonority to music closer to Britpop and local movement Clube da Esquina.

Biography

In 1983, Samuel Rosa (guitars, vocals) and Henrique Portugal (keyboards) started to play in a reggae band called "Pouso Alto", along with Dinho Mourão (drums) and his brother Alexandre (bass). In 1991, Pouso Alto arranged for a performance in São Paulo, but due to the Mourão brothers not being in Belo Horizonte, bassist Lelo Zaneti and drummer Haroldo Ferretti were called for the gig.  The band premiered on June 5, 1991, and due to the performance competing with the Campeonato Paulista final match, the audience was 37 people. After the show, the group changed its name to Skank, inspired by Bob Marley's song "Easy skanking", and began to perform regularly at "Mister Beef" churrascaria in Belo Horizonte.


Skank (1992/1993)
“ Imagine a bunch of white boys from BH playing reggae. Who would have bet on that? ”
—Samuel Rosa on their beginnings, Revista da Web, October 1999
After playing for some time in churrascarias, bars and clubhouses, the band spent US$10,000 in their first album, Skank, released as an independent CD in late 1992 with 3,000 copies, fully paid by the band members themselves. In 45 days, 1,200 were sold[5], and Sony Music signed the band as the first Brazilian act in its Chaos label. Skank was re-released in April 1993. The singles "O Homem Que Sabia Demais", "Tanto" (version of Bob Dylan's "I Want You") e "In(Dig)Nação" took the group on a 120 concerts tour around Brazil, and the album sold 250 thousand copies.
[edit]Calango (1994)
Calango (1994) was the first record produced by Dudu Marote. "É Proibido Fumar", "Te Ver", "Pacato Cidadão", "Esmola" and "Jackie Tequila" were hits, and Calango sold around 1,200,000 copies.


O Samba Poconé (1996)
O Samba Poconé was released in 1996. The album had three big hits, "Tão Seu", "É Uma Partida de Futebol", included by FIFA in the official soundtrack for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and "Garota Nacional" which topped the Spanish charts for three months[8][9] (under the Spanish title "Chica Nacional"), was the only Portuguese language song in the Sony Music compilation Soundtrack For a Century, released in 1997 to celebrate the company's centennial, and took the group on tour in Argentina, Chile, United States, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Portugal[10]. Although "Garota Nacional" literally translates to "national girl", the song is not about the women of Brazil: it celebrates the "girls of Bar Nacional", a bar and nightclub in Belo Horizonte famous in the early 1990s for the beauty of its female patrons. Manu Chao featured in "Sem Terra", "Los Pretos" e "Zé Trindade". "O Samba Poconé" sold 1,800,000 cópias - 800,000 of those in two months.


Siderado (1998)
Siderado, produced by John Shaw (UB 40) and Paul Ralphes, begins the band's movement towards a more rock and roll sound. The Clube da Esquina-influenced "Resposta" (re-recorded in 1999 by Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges, the latter the song's co-author with Samuel Rosa and Nando Reis), "Mandrake e Os Cubanos" and "Saideira" were hits. Released in 1998, Siderado sold 750 thousand copies. Daúde and Uakti participated as guest artists.
In 1999 Skank recorded an Spanish language version for "Wrapped Around Your Finger" in a tribute album for The Police entitled Outlandos d'America.
[edit]Maquinarama (2000)
With Maquinarama, the band begins in earnest its move away from the ska and reggae sound towards a more rock oriented one influence by The Beatles, Clube da Esquina, Britpop and contemporary alternative rock. Maquinarama, produced by Chico Neves and Tom Capone and released in July 2000, sold 275 thousand copies. Some of the hit singles were "Três Lados", "Balada do Amor Inabalável" and "Canção Noturna". The original cover shows a Cadillac with graffiti by Californian artist Kenny Scharf. The international version has a different cover.
[edit]MTV ao vivo (2001)
In 2001, Skank recorded the first live album in Ouro Preto as part of the MTV Brasil's series "MTV Ao Vivo". MTV Ao Vivo sold 600 thousand copies[12]. Besides a list of hits chosen by fans through Skank's website, the album had the new song "Acima do Sol", a national hit. In 2002 Samuel Rosa played acoustic guitar in "É Proibido Fumar", from the Acústico MTV (MTV Unplugged) by Roberto Carlos.
“ We would rather lose audience for sounding strange than for sounding stale ”
—Samuel Rosa on the different sound of the band from Maquinarama onwards, Revista Bizz, August 2006
[edit]Cosmotron (2003)
Cosmotron, produced by Skank and Tom Capone, was released in July 2003 and sold 250 thousand copies - a disappointment next to their vigorous previous sales figures. Nevertheless the album had many radio and ringtone hits. "Supernova", "Dois Rios", "Vou Deixar" and "Amores Imperfeitos" were the main tracks. Cosmotron won the Latin Grammy - best Brazilian rock album award in 2004.
[edit]Radiola (2004)
Released in October 2004, Radiola was the first compilation album by Skank. It included four new songs, including the Gilberto Gil cover "Vamos Fugir". The cover reproduces a painting by the hyped Los Angeles artists the Clayton Brothers. Radiola sold 200 thousand copies.
[edit]Carrossel (2006)
In March 2006 Skank began recording the new album Carrossel in their studio in Belo Horizonte, with producers Chico Neves, who also worked in Maquinarama, and Carlos Eduardo Miranda, producer the Acústico MTV album by O Rappa. Released in August, the album (a commercial disaster) had the semi-hits "Uma Canção É Pra Isso" and "Mil Acasos". Arnaldo Antunes ("Trancoso"), César Mauricio ("Lugar") and Humberto Effe ("Cara Nua" and "Notícia") were the songwriting partners.


International career

“ Brazil is big enough for us. Doing shows abroad and exposing a diverse audience to our music demands a lot of time and energy. ”
—Haroldo Ferretti
Skank had some success with "Garota Nacional", that lead the Spanish charts, and "É Uma Partida de Futebol" was shown before some games of the 1998 World Cup due to being in the championship's soundtrack. By the time of O Samba Poconé, the group toured through Latin America and Europe, and appeared in big festivals such as Super Bock/Super Rock 1997 in Portugal , Páleo Festival 97 in Suíça, St. Gallen 98 in Switzerland, Montreux Jazz Festival 2001, and SummerStage 2002 in New York City. The group was also called for Rock in Rio III in 2001, but went out along with other Brazilian bands in protest against O Rappa's exclusion.
However, the band never invested much in its international career. Some songs received versions in Spanish, such as "Chica Nacional" ("Garota Nacional"), and "Respuesta" ("Resposta"), but foreign shows are usually in places with many Brazilians, such as Miami and New York City.


Members

Samuel Rosa - vocals and guitar
Lelo Zaneti - bass
Henrique Portugal - keyboard, backing vocals
Haroldo Ferretti - drums


Discography

Skank (1993, 250,000 copies sold)
Calango (1994, 1,250,000 copies sold
O Samba Poconé (1996, 1,800,000 copies sold
Siderado (1998, 750,000 copies sold)
Maquinarama (2000, 275,000 copies sold)
Skank MTV ao vivo (2001, 600,000 copies sold)
Cosmotron (2003, 400,000 copies sold)
Radiola (2004, 240,000 copies sold)
Carrossel (2006, 200,000 copies sold)
Estandarte (2008, 70,000 copies sold)
[edit]Awards

Cosmotron won the Latin Grammy Award - Best Brazilian rock album in 2004.
Skank received the Premio Ondas in Spain as New Latin Group in 1997.
MTV Video Music Brasil: Viewer's Choice in 1996 ("Garota Nacional") and 1997 ("É Uma Partida de Futebol"); Video of the Year in 1999 ("Mandrake e os Cubanos"); Pop Video in 1996("Garota Nacional"), 1997("É Uma Partida de Futebol"), 1999("Mandrake e os Cubanos"), 2000 ("Três Lados"), 2003 ("Dois Rios") and 2004 ("Vou Deixar").

(source:wikipedia)

Thursday, May 6

Miss Universe 2009

Miss Universe 2009,
Miss Universe 2009, the 58th Miss Universe pageant, was held at the Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, Bahamas on August 23, 2009. It was the first time back to back victories in Miss Universe history: Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela, was crowned Miss Universe 2009 by outgoing titleholder Dayana Mendoza. 84 countries and territories competed for the title and the pageant was broadcasted live on NBC and Telemundo. On August 22, Jewel Selver representing Turks & Caicos withdrew from the pageant due to illness (dehydration). Only 83 contestants competed in the final on August 23.
The presentation show, rehearsals, dress rehearsal and the grand final took place at Imperial Ballroom, the main 3,650 seats convention ballroom, at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.

Placements
Final results Contestant
Miss Universe 2009
Venezuela - Stefanía Fernández
1st Runner-up
Dominican Republic - Ada de la Cruz
2nd Runner-up
Kosovo - Marigona Dragusha
3rd Runner-up
Australia - Rachael Finch
4th Runner-up
Puerto Rico - Mayra Matos
Top 10
France - Chloé Mortaud
South Africa - Tatum Keshwar
Czech Republic - Iveta Lutovská
Switzerland - Whitney Toyloy
USA - Kristen Dalton
Top 15
Albania - Hasna Xhukiçi
Belgium - Zeynep Sever
Sweden - Renate Cerljen
Croatia - Sarah Ćosić
Iceland - Ingibjörg Egilsdóttir
Final competition scores
Country Swimsuit Evening Gown
Venezuela 8.760 (4) 8.869 (5)
Dominican Republic 9.189 (2) 9.428 (1)
Kosovo 8.790 (3) 9.250 (2)
Australia 9.264 (1) 9.039 (4)
Puerto Rico 8.533 (7) 9.050 (3)
France 8.640 (5) 8.650 (6)
South Africa 8.460 (8) 8.040 (7)
Czech Republic 8.350 (9) 8.010 (8)
Switzerland 8.611 (6) 7.890 (9)
United States 8.060 (10) 7.550 (10)
Albania 7.900 (11)
Belgium 7.870 (12)
Sweden 7.830 (13)
Croatia 7.811 (14)
Iceland 7.730 (15)
Winner
First runner-up
Second runner-up
Third runner-up
Fourth runner-up
Top 10
Top 15
(#) Rank in each round of competition

Order of announcements
Top 15
1. Puerto Rico
2. Iceland
3. Albania
4. Czech Republic
5. Belgium
6. Dominican Republic
7. Sweden
8. Kosovo
9. Australia
10. France
11. Switzerland
12. South Africa
13. USA
14. Croatia
15. Venezuela
Top 10
1. Australia
2. Venezuela
3. South Africa
4. Dominican Republic
5. Kosovo
6. Czech Republic
7. Switzerland
8. Puerto Rico
9. USA
10. France
Top 5
1. Dominican Republic
2. Australia
3. Puerto Rico
4. Venezuela
5. Kosovo
[edit]Special awards
Award Contestant
Miss Congeniality
China - Wang Jingyao
Miss Photogenic
Thailand - Chutima Durongdej
Best National Costume
Panama - Diana Broce


Background music

Opening Number: "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas, "Fire Burning" by Sean Kingston
Fashion Shoot Presentation: "Body Language" by Heidi Montag (Live performance)
Swimsuit Competition: "Right Round" and "Jump" by Flo Rida (Live performance)
Evening Gown Competition: "When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland (Live performance)


Presentation show

This marks the first time the Miss Universe preliminary competition was streamed online to a worldwide audience.
At the Preliminary Competition all contestants competed in the Swimsuit and Evening Gown categories as part of the selection for the top 15 finalists who will be revealed during the beginning of the two-hour live telecast of the 2009 Miss Universe Pageant live on NBC and Telemundo on Sunday, August 23 at 0100 GMT.
The Preliminary Competition was hosted by Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza and Local Bahamas radio personality Ed Fields. London based singer Anthoney Wright performed his hit song "Wud if I Cud" during the competition.


Final show

This marked the first time the Miss Universe live telecast was introduced by Donald Trump.
84 contestants pre-taped the national costume introduction including Turks & Caicos – Jewel Selver. Top 15 were announced, followed by Dayana Mendoza sharing about her experiences as Miss Universe 2008. The Top 15 semi-finalists competed in the Swimsuit competition which Top 10 finalists completed in the Evening Gown competition. The televised audiences could see the judges' average combined scores. Before announcing the finalists, there were two special awards – Miss Congeniality and Miss Photogenic were given. Both two Asian claimed all the special awards - Wang Jingyao of China and Chutima Durongdej of Thailand. Dayana Mendoza revealed that the new Miss Universe crown was the “Peace” model. The Top 5 finalists completed in the though final question round. The 4 runner-ups announced first, followed by the new Miss Universe 2009 – Stefanía Fernández.
The live telecast was hosted by Access Hollywood, Billy Bush and Celebrity Apprentice Claudia Jordan. For the first time, special guest – Heidi Montag performed her first official single Body Language during the Top 15 fashion shoot presentation. When Flo Rida performed during the Top 15 swimsuit competition, and David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland performed during the Top 10 evening gown competition.
The pageant was also historically significant, using Skype for the first time for the final question. Mayra Matos representing Puerto Rico was asked by Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori from Japan via Skype.


]Judges

[edit]Telecast Judges
Keisha Whitaker – Fashion Maven and Founder of the Kissable Couture Lip Gloss line.
Tamara Tunie – Actress, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit".
George Maloof Jr. – Professional Sports Mogul and Hotelier.
Farouk – Founder and Chairman of CHI Hair Care.
Richard LeFrak – Chairman, President and CEO LeFrak Organization.
Heather Kerzner – Philanthropist and Ambassador for Kerzner International and Resorts.
Matthew Rolston – Leading Photographer and Director.
Dean Cain – Actor and Producer.
Colin Cowie – Author, Television Personality and Designer to the Stars.
Valeria Mazza – International Supermodel.
Andre Leon Talley – Award-winning Writer and Editor.
Gerry DeVeaux – Award-winning Producer, Songwriter and Style Guru.
[edit]Preliminary Judges[5]
Mark Wylie – Best Buddies Talent Executive.
Adriana Ching – Licensed attorney and a former real estate developer avid philanthropist.
Todd Winston – Veteran of the hospitality industry and Vice President of Sales at Creative Promotional.
Rosalina Lydster – Fashion designer for celebrities.
Tiza Tjokroadisumarto – Director of Retail Operations for Michael Kors.
Corinne Nicolas – President of Trump Model Management.
David Friedman – Last Call with Carson Daly Executive Producer.
Steven Schillaci – Talent Producer for many hit shows including American Idol.
Mario Mosley – Hollywood Choreographer of Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off.
Sarah Markantonis – Ambassador of Kerzner International Bahamas.
[edit]Historical Significance

Note: Please make sure grammar, spelling, and syntax are correct before saving your edits
Venezuela won Miss Universe back to back 2008 and 2009 (First in Miss Universe's History)
Countries who also entered the top 15 previous year were Australia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Kosovo, South Africa, USA, and Venezuela.
Croatia placed for the first time.
Czech Republic placed for the third consecutive time.
Puerto Rico, Switzerland and Sweden last placed in 2006. Zuleyka Rivera (who eventually won the crown), Lauriane Gillieron (who placed 2nd runner-up), and Josephine Alhanko (who placed among the Top 20 semifinalists), were the last placers for these countries, respectively.
Albania last placed in 2002, the last being Anisa Kospiri who placed among the Top 10 semi-finalists.
France last placed 2001, the last being Élodie Gossuin who placed among the Top 10 semi-finalists.
Belgium last placed in 1992, the last being Anke Van Dermeersch who placed among the Top 6 finalists.
Iceland last placed in 1980, the last being Guðbjörg Sigurdardóttir who placed among the Top 12 semi-finalists.
China won Miss Congeniality for the second time, the last being Zhang Ningning in 2007.
Thailand won Miss Photogenic for the second time, the last being Pasaraporn Chaimongkol in 1990.
Panama won Best National Costume for the third time, the last being Jessica Rodriguez in 2004.
Dominican Republic scored its first back-to-back placement ever in pageant history.
Australia scored its first back-to-back placement since 1992-1993 and its highest since the victory of Jennifer Hawkins.
The host delegate, Kiara Sherman of the Bahamas, failed to place in the semifinals. The last time the host delegate failed to place was in 2005 - Chananporn Rosjan of Thailand.
Billy Bush hosted the pageant for the fourth time, while Claudia Jordan hosted the pageant for the first time. Jordan sat as one of the judges during 2006 and Miss USA 2009.
For the first time, there was a "live" performance during the Fashion Shoot Presentation.


Contestants

Albania - Hasna Xhukiçi
Angola - Nelsa Alves
Argentina - Johanna Lasic
Aruba - Dianne Croes
Australia - Rachael Finch
Bahamas - Kiara Sherman
Belgium - Zeynep Sever
Bolivia - Dominique Peltier
Brazil - Larissa Costa
Bulgaria - Elitsa Lubenova
Canada - Mariana Valente
Cayman Islands - Nicosia Lawson
China - Wang Jingyao
Colombia - Michelle Rouillard
Costa Rica - Jessica Umaña
Croatia - Sarah Ćosić
Curaçao - Angenie Simon
Cyprus - Kielia Giasemidou
Czech Republic - Iveta Lutovská
Dominican Republic - Ada de la Cruz
Ecuador - Sandra Vinces
Egypt - Elham Wagdi
El Salvador - Mayella Mena
Estonia - Diana Arno
Ethiopia - Melat Yante
Finland - Essi Pöysti
France - Chloé Mortaud
Georgia - Lika Ordzhonikidze
Germany - Martina Lee
Ghana - Jennifer Victoria Koranteng
Great Britain - Clair Cooper
Greece - Viviana Kampanile-Zagorianakou
Guam - Racine Manley
Guatemala - Lourdes Figueroa
Guyana - Jenel Cox
Honduras - Bélgica Suárez
Hungary - Suzan Budai
Iceland - Ingibjörg Egilsdóttir
India - Ekta Choudhry
Indonesia - Zivanna Letisha Siregar
Ireland - Diana Donnelly
Israel - Julia Dyment
Italy - Laura Valenti
Jamaica - Carolyn Yapp
Japan - Emiri Miyasaka
Korea - Ri Na
Kosovo - Marigona Dragusha
Lebanon - Martine Andraos
Malaysia - Joannabelle Ng
Mauritius - Anaïs Veerapatren
Mexico - Karla Carrillo
Montenegro - Anja Jovanović
Namibia - Happie Ntelamo
Netherlands - Avalon-Chanel Weyzig
New Zealand - Katie Taylor
Nicaragua - Indiana Sánchez
Nigeria - Sandra Otohwo
Norway - Eli Landa
Panama - Diana Broce
Paraguay - Mareike Baumgarten
Peru - Karen Schwarz Espinoza
Philippines - Bianca Manalo
Poland - Angelika Jakubowska
Puerto Rico - Mayra Matos Perez
Romania - Bianca Elena Constantin
Russia - Sofia Rudieva
Serbia - Dragana Atlija
Singapore - Rachel Janice Kum
Slovak Republic - Denisa Mendrejová
Slovenia - Mirela Korač
South Africa - Tatum Keshwar
Spain - Estíbaliz Pereira Rabade
Sweden - Renate Cerljen
Switzerland - Whitney Toyloy
Tanzania - Illuminata Wize
Thailand - Chutima Durongdej
Turkey - Senem Kuyucuoğlu
Turks & Caicos - Jewel Selver (withdrew before the final)
Ukraine - Kristina Kots-Gotlib
Uruguay - Cintia Dottone
USA - Kristen Dalton
Venezuela - Stefanía Fernández
Vietnam - Võ Hoàng Yến
Zambia - Andella Chileshe Matthews

National pageant notes
Country changes
United Kingdom changed its name to UK last year, and this year it changed back its name to Great Britain, which was last used in 2000.
[edit]Returning countries and territories
Romania last competed in 1998.
Ethiopia, Iceland, Namibia and Sweden last competed in 2006.
Bulgaria, Guyana, Lebanon and Zambia last competed in 2007.
[edit]Withdrawals
Antigua & Barbuda
Denmark
Kazakhstan: Olga Nikitina did not compete in Miss Universe for lack of sponsoring from her country.
Northern Marianas: Sorene Maratita, Miss Marianas Universe 2009, did not compete in Miss Universe 2009 due to lack of sponsorship and funding. She will only compete in Miss International 2009.
Sri Lanka: Faith Landers did not participate in Miss Universe 2009 despite being announced that she would.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Ronique Dellimore did not compete in Miss Universe 2009, although the press in her country announced that she would.
Trinidad & Tobago: Peter Elias, the franchise holder for Trinidad & Tobago has confirmed that the Caribbean nation did not send a delegate to Miss Universe 2009 due to lack of sponsorship. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago was informed by Peter Elias in 2008 that it was difficult for him to find sponsorship and that he would no longer be able to fund the girls. The Government aware of this announced that this competition is for private investment and not Government investment.
Turks & Caicos: Jewel Selver withdrew from the competition less than 24 hours before the Presentation Night. Claiming she was suffering from dehydration.[7] Selver was the first delegate to withdraw during preparations for the event on location, for many years.


Contestants notes

Kristen Dalton, Miss USA 2009 and semifinalist
Some of the delegates have won or participated / will participate in other pageants or model contests:
Kiara Sherman (Bahamas) was Miss Teen Bahamas 2000–2001.
Zeynep Sever (Belgium) competed in Miss Globe 2007.
Zeynep Sever (Belgium), Chloé Mortaud (France), Martine Andraos (Lebanon), Anaïs Veerapatren (Mauritius), Happie Ntelamo (Namibia), Avalon-Chanel Weyzig (Netherlands), and Tatum Keshwar (South Africa) competed in Miss World 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 12, 2009. South Africa placed 2nd Runner-up and won Queen of Africa, while France finished 3rd Runner-up (Top 7 finalists).
Nicosia Lawson (Cayman Islands) competed in Miss World 2008, but did not place.
Jessica Umaña (Costa Rica) competed in Miss Costa Rica 2008, where she was disqualified due to illness. However, she entered the pageant once again a year later, and won.
Iveta Lutovská (Czech Republic) previously held the title of Miss Model of the World 2007.[8]
Ada de la Cruz (Dominican Republic) competed in Miss World 2007 and won the Beach Beauty Award, which gave her an automatic semi-finalist spot that year.
Sandra Vinces (Ecuador) placed in the Top 10 at Miss Top Model of the Globe 2008.
Elham Wagdi (Egypt), was previously first runner up in the 2005 Miss Egypt pageant. Elham won Miss Universe Egypt 2009 and has competed in Miss Earth 2005, Miss International 2006, and Miss Intercontinental 2007 (where she was a semi-finalist).
Melat Yante (Ethiopia) is the current Ethiopia's Next Top Model.
Clair Cooper (Great Britain) represented England at Miss Earth 2007, but did not place.
Lika Ordzhonikidze (Georgia) competed in Miss Intercontinental 2009 in Minsk, Belarus, where she placed at the top 15.
Zivanna Letisha Siregar (Indonesia) won Elite Model Look Indonesia, then she competed in Elite Model Look Asia Pacific Quest 2006.
Carolyn Yapp (Jamaica) was the 1st Runner-up in Miss Jamaica World and the 2nd Runner-up in Miss Jamaica Universe a few years ago.
Emiri Miyasaka (Japan) was the 2nd Runner-up at Miss International Japan 2008.
Eli Landa (Norway) competed in Model Look International 2003.
Angelika Jakubowska (Poland) and Illuminata James (Tanzania) competed in Miss International 2009, but both did not place.
Mayra Matos (Puerto Rico) previously held the title of Miss Teen International 2006.
Võ Hoàng Yến (Vietnam) was the winner of Vietnam Supermodel 2008 and the first runner-up of Miss Vietnam Universe 2008.
Andella Chileshe Matthews (Zambia) was Miss Zambia UK in 2008.


Other notes
For the first time, the Bahamas hosted the Miss Universe.
Croatia was interested in hosting Miss Universe 2009 but they backed out of the project due to economic problems related to the current global economic crisis.
Last July, investor Jonathan Westbrook tried to get Australia to host Miss Universe 2009 but his efforts were in vain as the possible venues were not interested.
Donald Trump had intentions on holding the 2009 pageant in Dubai, but backed out due to the political instability regarding relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel and also for religious reasons.


Bolivia – Peru dispute
In August 1, 2009 Bolivian officials stated that it could present a legal challenge to the organizers of Miss Universe due to the planned use of a typical Diablada costume by the Peruvian candidate Karen Schwarz. Pablo Groux, Bolivian minister of Culture, said that any use of the costume by Schwarz in the contest would be an unlawful appropriation of Bolivian heritage and threatened to bring the case to the International Court of Justice. El Comercio, a Peruvian newspaper, mentioned that this is not the first time the diablada costume is shown in the contest and that it was María Josefa Isensee, a Chilean, that first used it in the Miss Universe contest. The Peruvian foreign minister José Antonio García Belaúnde said that since the diablada dress is of indigenous Aymara origin it can not be considered exclusive of any of the countries where Aymaras lives.

Pageant notes



Stefanía Fernández, Miss Venezuela 2008 and Miss Universe 2009


]Prizes
Miss Universe 2009:
A New custom diamond tiara and jewelry designed by Diamond Nexus Labs
A year long salary as Miss Universe
A shoe wardrobe from Nina Footwear
A year’s worth of hair care products and tools from Farouk Systems
A swimsuit wardrobe from BSC Swimwear Thailand
An assortment of Love Collection video cameras from DXG USA
An evening gown wardrobe by Carlos Alberto Haute Couture
A 6 day/5 night vacation for two at Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas with air travel accommodated by JetBlue Airways
A Skype kit featuring a laptop computer with webcam, speakers and a one year Unlimited World plan to talk to friends and family
A collection of ultra light-weight, fashion fresh Heys USA luggage
Luxury accommodations in a New York City apartment for the duration of her reign, including living expenses
A 2-year scholarship from the New York Film Academy valued at more than $100,000
Personal services including membership to Gravity Fitness and hair services from John Barrett Salon
Modeling portfolio by leading fashion photographer Fadil Berisha
Casting opportunities and professional representation by the Miss Universe Organization
Extensive travel opportunities representing sponsors and charitable partners
Access to various New York city events including movie premieres and screenings, Broadway shows and launch parties
Consultation with stylist Billie Causieestko and access to a personal appearance wardrobe
Professional media/public relations representation by Rubenstein Public Relations and Planet PR in New York City
Dermatology and skincare services provided by Dr. Cheryl Thellman-Karcher
Professional health and nutrition consultation by Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD
1st Runner-up:
$3000 cash award
Gift from Diamond Nexus Labs
2nd Runner-up:
$2000 cash award
Gift from Diamond Nexus Labs
3rd Runner-up and 4th Runner-up:
$1000 cash award
Gift from Diamond Nexus Labs
Top 10 and Top 15:
$500 cash award
Special awards winners:
$1,000 cash award
Gift from Diamond Nexus Labs
All contestants:
An assortment of Farouk Systems hair care products
Swimsuit from BSC Swimwear Thailand
Designer shoes from Nina Footwear
Fashions by Carlos Alberto Haute Couture
A Luxe collection video camera from DXG USA
An assortment of items from Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
A Skype starter pack including a headset and a One year unlimited World Plan
Cosmetics from Kryolan professional make-up


International Broadcasters

Some networks outside the United States (telecasted on NBC and Telemundo) showed the Miss Universe 2009 pageant live (or recorded earlier) in their respective countries and territories:
Albania: RTV21
Australia: Seven HD
Argentina: TNT
Belgium: Star! Benelux
Bolivia: Unitel
Brazil: Rede Bandeirantes and TNT
Chile: TNT Latin America
Colombia: Caracol and TNT
Costa Rica: Teletica
Dominican Republic: Telemundo, Color Vision and TNT
Ecuador: Gama TV (Spanish) and TNT
Egypt: Melody Screen
El Salvador: TCS
Estonia: Star! Baltics and Viasat Baltics
Finland: Star! Scandinavia, MTV3 and NonStop Television
France: Paris Première
Germany: Das Vierte (German)
Greece: ANT1
Hong Kong: STAR World
Iceland: Star! Scandinavia and NonStop Television
India: STAR World
Indonesia: Indosiar
Israel: Arutz 2
Italy: Stream
Kosovo[a]: RTV21
Lebanon: LBC and MBC3
Malaysia: STAR World
Mexico: Televisa and TNT
Netherlands: Star! Benelux
Nicaragua: Televicentro
Norway: Star! Scandinavia, TV2 and NonStop Television
Panama: Telemetro and TNT
Peru: ATV and TNT
Philippines: ABS-CBN, Studio 23 and Velvet
Puerto Rico: Telemundo
Singapore: STAR World, MediaCorp Channel 5
Serbia: RTS
Sweden: Star! Scandinavia and NonStop Television
Thailand: Channel 7
Turkey: CNBC-e and NTV
Venezuela: Venevisión and TNT
Vietnam: HTV7 and STAR World


Ratings in the United States

In the United States, the Miss Universe telecast (by NBC) grewed from the first half of the show to the fourth and final, increasing in rating by 73% among audiences ages 18 to 49 (from 1,5/4 to a 2,6/7). The second hour of the pageant beated combinated ratings from ABC (which aired a new episode - "Rubicon" - from now-cancelled sci-fi series Defying Gravity) and CBS (what aired a rerun of Cold Case's episode "Libertyville"), ratings in adults, men and women ages 18 to 34 and 18 to 49.

(source:wikipedia)