Perth, February 10
Sri Lanka rode on Angelo Mathews' heroics to very nearly pull off a sensational victory before falling short by just five runs against Australia in a nerve-wrecking cricket tri-series match here today.

Chasing a modest target of 232, the islanders were in the dumps as they were 180 for nine in the 45th over before all-rounder Mathews (64) staged a remarkable fightback to give a scare at the Australians at the WACA.

Mathews unleashed a flurry of strokes at the dying stages to raise visions of a stunning come-from-behind victory with a 46-run partnership with Dhammika Prasad but eventually fell in the penultimate ball to give the hosts their second successive win in the tournament.

Mathews faced 76 balls and hit four boundaries and a six in his entertaining knock. Australia had earlier beaten India by 65 runs in their first match on February 5 at the MCG.

Left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty was the pick of the Australian bowlers as he scalped two wickets for 24 runs in his 10 overs. Pacer Daniel Christian also bagged two wickets for 47 runs.

Captain Clarke used as many as six bowlers, including himself, and all of them claimed at least a wicket. Pacers Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc and Clinton McKay as well as Clarke picked a wicket each.

For Sri Lanka it was their second successive loss in the tournament having beaten by India by four wickets in their first match at the same venue here on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka did not have any substantial partnership except for the second wicket stand of 50 runs from 11 overs between Tillakaratne Dilshan (40) and Kumar Sangakkara (22). Opener Upul Tharanga (5) was the first to go in the fourth over as he dabbed at an angled delivery off Starc without moving his feet and the resultant edge was calmly taken by Clarke at the slips.

The other opener Dilshan was going strong with some delightful and sweetly-timed shots though he also lived dangerously with some edges reaching to the boundaries. One-down Sangakkara was cautious initially but later opened up his arms. He cracked two fours in the same over bowled by Christian to make his intentions clear.

But after sharing 50 runs from 11 overs to steady the Sri Lankan innings, the second wicket stand was broken with Sangakkara departing in a mix-up with his partner. Dilshan refused to respond to the call by Sangakkara after the ball popped up close to the stumps.

Sangakkara started running for a single and reached midway the pitch but Dilshan was unmoved and McKay had all the time in the world to snap the stumps. Sangakkara's 22 came from 32 balls and had three boundaries in it.

Dilshan did not last long as he was out in the 21st over off Harris as he inside-edged a delivery to wicket-keeper Matthew Wade for a tame dismissal. Dilshan made his 40 from 57 balls with the help of four boundaries.

Captain Mahela Jayawardene (13) fell cheaply as he tried to guide a Christian rising delivery to the third man only to tamely dab it to Wade in the 27th over. — PTI

Scoreboard
Australia
Warner b Mathews 34
Wade c S’kara b Kulasekara 1
Ponting lbw b Malinga 1
Clarke c J’dene b Mathews 57
MHussey c & b K’kara 23
DHussey c Thirimanne b Malinga 27
Christian st S’kara b Senanayake 33
Harris c K’kara b Senanayake 3
McKay c Thirimanne b Prasad 25
Starc c Tharanga b Prasad 14
Doherty not out 2
Extras (lb 6, w 5) 11
Total (all out; 49.1 ovrs) 231
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-26, 3-50, 4-81, 5-130, 6-186, 7-190, 8-192, 9-224.
Bowling: Malinga 10-0-48-2, Kulasekara 10-0-39-2, Mathews 9-0-37-2, Prasad 9.1-0-55-2, Senanayake 10-0-45-2, Dilshan 1-0-1-0.

Sri Lanka
Tharanga c Clarke b Starc 5
Dilshan c Wade b Harris 40
Sangakkara run out 22
Chandimal lbw b Clarke 37
J’dene c Wade b Christian 13
Thirimanne b Doherty 3
Mathews c Christian b Starc 64
K’kara c Wade b Christian 8
Senanayake st Wade b Doherty 9
Malinga c Wade b McKay 1
Prasad not out 15
Extras (lb 3, w 6) 9
Total (all out; 49.5 ovrs) 226
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-61, 3-88, 4-110, 5-119, 6-129, 7-143, 8-175, 9-180.
Bowling: Harris 10-0-43-1, Starc 9.5-0-50-2, McKay 10-0-50-1, Christian 8-1-47-2, Doherty 10-0-24-2, Clarke 2-0-9-1.

New Delhi, February 10
Undergoing chemotherapy for a malignant lung tumour, Yuvraj Singh has gone bald and the Indian cricketer has posted his latest picture showing the after-effects of the treatment on social networking site Twitter.

"Finally the hair has gone! But liv strong yuv strong," Yuvraj posted alongside a link to a picture of him without hair on the site.

The 30-year-old left-hander has been in the US since last month and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the Cancer Research Institute in Boston.

"I will fight and come back as a stronger man cause I have the prayers of my nation ! Thank you to the media for their support and respecting my privacy," Yuvraj had written earlier.

"and of course everyday I look forward to come back and wear my India jersey my India cap and represent my country again jai hind," he had stated.

Yuvraj has played 37 Tests, scoring 1775 runs at an average of 34.80. He has 8051 runs at an average of 37.62 from his 274-match ODI career, the highlight of which was his stellar role in India's World Cup triumph last year.

Giving a glimpse into his routine there, Yuvraj on Thursday tweeted "20 minutes cycle in the gym felt good after a while!"

"Amuls new ad is very cute I must say!" he added referring to a new print ad by the dairy product company which goes with the tagline 'Yu and Vi will fight it out together'. — PTI

Adelaide, February 10
Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar is set to be rested from India's next ODI tri-series match against Australia here on Sunday but if past record is to go by, the move could end up hurting the beleaguered team.

In the last 22 years, India has won only five matches against the hosts in Australia and Tendulkar has always featured prominently in all those victories. In 1991-92, during his visit to these shores, India beat Australia by a staggering margin of 107 at WACA, Perth.

Tendulkar was then the second top scorer with 36 off 65 balls while Kris Srikkanth, presently the chief selector, led the way with 60 off 60 balls. It took India a good dozen years to beat Australia again after being hammered for 11 straight matches.

In 2003-04, India beat Australia by 19 runs at Gabba. Tendulkar this time weighed in with 86 runs off 95 balls with eight fours. And India actually topped 300 runs on the scoreboard.

India's next three wins came all in one golden summer of 2007-08 series. It began in Melbourne where India, chasing a relatively modest total of 159, won with five wickets to spare. Tendulkar top scored with 44 from 54 balls with three fours.

India then won two straight finals to claim their first-ever one-day series in Australia. In the first finals in Sydney, Tendulkar slammed 117 off 120 balls with 10 fours to allow India to canter home with six wickets to spare.

The stats above have two pointers - one, Tendulkar still is key to India's chances against Australia. Two, without one or the other opener firing successfully, India has never been able to pin down Australia. — PTI

Sharjah, February 10
Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and Imran Farhat set up an emphatic win against Afghanistan with 77 balls to spare in their first-ever day-night international at Sharjah Stadium on Friday.

Earlier, Afridi took five wickets haul when Afghansitan elected to bat but could only manage 195.

The 31-year-old leg-spinner took four wickets in his first spell to derail Afghanistan — who won the toss and batted — from 54-1 to 101-5 before finishing with 5-36 in his 10 overs.

Afridi also became the second spinner with the highest one-day wickets (338) behind Muttiah Muralitharan (534), surpassing India's Anil Kumble who had 333 wickets in his bag.

But despite Afridi's brilliance, the Afghan batsmen put up an excellent show and had they not lacked experience - playing their first one-day international against a top nation - they would have scored more.

There was plenty of fireworks on and off the field as Afghan batsmen hit six sixes during their innings which delighted the bumper 15,000-strong weekend crowd - mostly Pakistan and Afghan expats.

Paceman Umar Gul provided Pakistan with the early breakthrough when he caught Noor Ali (nine) off his own bowling before Afridi dismissed Mohammad Shahzad (20), Nawroz Mangal (11), Gulbadin Naib (seven) and Karim Sadiq (40) in his first spell.

Sadiq hit two boundaries and two sixes during his aggressive 47-ball knock. — AFP

Manchester, February 10
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp is "the best man" to replace Fabio Capello as England coach.

Redknapp, 64, is the overwhelming favourite to replace Capello following the Italian's shock resignation on Wednesday in protest at the decision to strip Chelsea's John Terry of the England captaincy.

"There is no doubt Harry Redknapp is the best man," Ferguson said Wednesday.

"The press has decided. Harry is the best man," added the Scot, whose reigning Premier League champions are currently second in the table, just five points clear of third-placed Spurs.

"He has the experience and personality and the knowledge of the game. He has changed the fortunes of every club he has been at," Ferguson said of his veteran English counterpart.

"He is the right choice. You should try to get the best man with the best qualities. A young manager has no chance."

Tottenham are bidding for their first English title in more than 50 years and there have been suggestions that Redknapp, with the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine just four months away, could be a part-time England manager while remaining in charge of Spurs.

But Ferguson, thrust into a similar caretaker role with Scotland at the 1986 World Cup while Aberdeen manager following the death of Jock Stein, warned against a dual-role. — AFP

Dubai, February 10
Jeev Milkha Singh found the going tough as he dropped five bogeys, two in his last thee holes, to end up with a card of 73 and slip from overnight 11th to tied 26th at the midway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic today.

Another Indian, SSP Chowrasia, however, missed the cut with a 79.

On a day when the scores and scoring conditions were once again good, Rory McIlroy held the spotlight adding a stunning 65 to his first day 66. But a hole-in-one from Martin Kaymer made things even more exciting as the German was at 11-under to McIlroy's 13-under.

But before the day was over, the seasoned Thomas Bjorn had joined McIlroy at the top with a bogey free 65, a score that was achieved no less than four times in the day. Lee Westwood too scored 65 and moved to 10-under and tied seventh.

Jeev started on the 10th with a bogey. He had another bogey on 16th but birdies on 13th and 17th saw him turn in even par. On the second stretch he birdied third and sixth, but bogeys on fourth, seventh and eighth saw him finish at a disappointing 73.

SSP Chowrasia made an early exit with a dreadful 79. Starting on 10th he was one-over for his first 10 holes before bogeying six of his next seven holes.

World number four Kaymer, playing in the group behind McIlroy, aced the 186-yard seventh and with a 67 was only two behind. The pair have gone head-to-head in the Middle East before. They were first and second in Abu Dhabi last year, with Kaymer winning by a staggering eight shot margin.

Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who led overnight with a nine-under, added a three-under 69 and was sole third.

McIlroy will rue a succession of missed long birdie chances as his putting often failed to match his long game. "I definitely think it could have been better than 65, I missed a putt on the 18th for an eagle, I missed a putt on the first for a birdie that was pretty short," McIlroy, 22, told reporters. "I hit a couple of really good putts on the back nine this morning which could have dropped (in)." — Agencies

Manila, February 10
It was tough day out there for the Indians as only four of the eight who started survived the midway cut at the ICTSI Philippine Open on Friday.

Rahil Gangjee, who was close to missing the cut after a first day 75, shot a two-under 70, one of the few under-par rounds to leap up to tied 17th at the halfway stage.

On a tough day also making the cut among Indians were Digvijay Singh (71-75), Anirban Lahiri (73-76) and Sujjan Singh, who squeezed inside the line with a birdie on the 18th for a card of 76 after a first round 74.

The fairways are narrow and missing them or the greens can prove costly. There were also swirling winds adding to the problem.

The other four Himmat Rai (73-78) at seven-over, Ajeetesh Sandhu (76-76), Chiragh Kumar (74-78), and Gaganjeet Bhullar (74-78) at eight-over missed the cut that came at six-over.

Singapore's experienced Mardan Mamat produced a masterful two-under-par 70 in tough conditions. Chasing a third Asian Tour victory but first since 2006, the veteran tamed the notorious Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s East course with two birdies against no bogeys to lead American Ben Fox and local hopes Antonio Lascuna and Ferdinand Aunzo with his two-day total of five-under-par 139.

Lascuna battled to a 71, Aunzo shot a 70 while Fox scrambled to a 73 in Asia’s oldest national championship to lie on 142. Korea’s Mo Joong-kyung and Sam Cyr were amongst those bunched on 143 going into the weekend rounds. — PTI

Sunday slotted home the match-winner in the 22nd minute. In the second match, PIFA Colaba (Mumbai) and Simla Youngs of Delhi played a 1-1 draw. Both the goals came off spot kicks. Badru Keke Ibrahim of Simla Youngs scored first in the fifth minute while PIFA drew parity through Clifford Garrett. — TNS