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Lanka sink Kiwis in Super Over
WI brave late Morgan charge
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Viru gets Akram nod
Indian women lose to Australia
India likely to opt for five bowlers against Aussies in Super
Choosing between Sehwag and Yuvraj toughest decision of life: MS Dhoni
Patil named chief selector, Amarnath is out
Anand held by Caruana
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Lanka sink Kiwis in Super Over
Pallekele, September 27 New Zealand cashed in on a strong start provided by openers Rob Nicol (58) and Martin Guptill (38) to post 174 for seven wickets after skipper Ross Taylor had decided to bat first on a belter of a track at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka's response was even better as Dilshan and Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene (44) added 80 runs in about seven overs in the Group 1 match. Requiring eight runs off the last over sent down by Tim Southee, Sri Lanka managed seven to finish on 174 for six and forcing the Super Over where a team nominate three batsmen to face six deliveries from a rival bowler. Sri Lanka scored 13 runs off Southee's over and then unleashed their best bowler Lasith Malinga on the New Zealanders. Malinga did not disapoint as he conceded eight runs while removing Guptill to clinch the contest. Earlier, New Zealand were buoyed by an opening stand of 57 off 45 balls between Nicol and Guptill. Nicol tore apart the Sri Lankan attack to score 58 off 40 balls and was severe on spinner Ajantha Mendis, hitting the spinner for 24 runs off his final over which included three sixes. Sri Lanka's chase was off to a flying start as Jayawardene made a fluent 44 off 26 balls with three sixes and three fours and Dilshan struck five fours and three sixes in his 53-ball 76. Even after Jayawardene fell, Sri Lanka appeared cruising towards victory but New Zealand effected two run outs to remove Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara (21) to claw their way back into the contest. Needing one run off the last ball, Lahiru Thirimanne (five) was dismissed by a freak run-out leaving the scores level. Taylor failed to collect the return from the outfield and appeared to have dropped the ball but replays showed that he had knocked it onto the stumps and Thirimanne was found short of his crease. Then came the drama of the Super Over, and Sri Lanka prevailed to start the Super Eight Stage in dream style for the organisers. — Agencies
SCOREBOARD New Zealand Nicol c T’manne b Dananjaya 58 Guptill c Perera b Dananjaya 38 McCullum c Perera b Mendis 25 Taylor b Kulasekara 23 Oram c Dilshan b Kulasekara 6 McCullum b Malinga 3 Franklin not out 8 Williamson run out 4 Extras: (lb-4, w-5) 9 Total: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 174 Fall of wickets: 1-57, 2-99, 3-137, 4-154, 5-159, 6-164, 7-174 Bowling: Kulasekara 4-0-33-2, Mathews 2-0-14-0, Malinga 4-0-30-1, A Mendis 4-0-48-1, Dananjaya 4-0-32-2, J Mendis 2-0-13-0. Sri Lanka J’wardene c Vettori b Oram 44 Dilshan run out 76 Sangakkara run out 21 Mendis c Taylor b Franklin 8 Mathews not out 12 Perera b Franklin 5 Thirimanne run out 5 Extras: (lb-1, w-2) 3 Total: (6 wickets; 20 overs) 174 Fall of wickets: 1-80, 2-119, 3-131, 4-161, 5-167, 6-174 Bowling: McCullum 3-0-25-0, Mills 2-0-15-0, Southee 4-0-44-0, Oram 3-0-26-1, Vettori 4-0-29-0, Franklin 4-0-34-2
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Pallekele, September 27 Hales was joined by Morgan in the 11th over after Jonny Bairstow fell for a 29-ball 18. England needed 125 runs from 10 overs at that stage and seemed to be down and out. Though the two hit fours and sixers at regular intervals, the required rate kept on climbing. Thirty-nine runs were required off the last two overs, and Morgan hit Ravi Rampaul for two sixers to close the gap and raise his team's hopes. That left England 23 to score off the last over, bowled by Marlon Samuels, but they could manage only seven runs, for the loss of Hales for 68 off 51 balls. Morgan remained unbeaten on 71 off 36 balls. Earlier, little-known Johnson Charles scored his maiden half-century while big-hitting Chris Gayle made a quick-fire fifty to propel West Indies to 179 for five. After an incredibly slow start, Charles used the long handle to great effect to notch up his personal best of 84 that came off just 56 balls with the help of 10 fours and three sixes. — Agencies SCOREBOARD West Indies Charles c Bairstow b Dernbach 84 Gayle c Finn b Swann 58 Samuels c Morgan b Broad 2 Pollard c Wright b Finn 1 Bravo not out 11 Sammy b Broad 4 Russell not out 10 Extras: (b 1, lb 7, w 1) 9 Total: (5 wickets; 20 overs) 179 Fall of
wickets: 1-103, 2-118, 3-128, 4-154, 5-158 Bowling: Finn 4-0-26-1, Dernbach 4-0-38-1, Broad 4-1-26-2, Swann 3-0-32-1, Patel 4-0-38-0, Wright 1-0-11-0 England Kieswetter c Pollard b Rampaul 0 Hales st Ramdin b Samuels 68 Wright c Gayle b Rampaul 0 Bairstow c Pollard b Gayle 18 Morgan not out 71 Buttler not out 1 Extras: (b 1, lb 1, w 4) 6 Total: (4 wickets; 20 overs) 164 Fall of
wickets: 1-0, 2-0, 3-55, 4-164 Bowling: 4-1-37-2, Badree 4-0-20-0, Narine 4-0-33-0, Sammy 1-0-13-0, Gayle 4-0-27-1, Samuels 3-0-32-1 |
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Colombo, September 27 "Sehwag's position in the batting line-up is a no brainer. Dhoni has to trust Sehwag's abilities," Akram said on the eve of India's World Twenty20 match against Australia. The former speedster referred to Mike Hussey's "interesting" statement that a player like Sehwag is "never out of form". "Hussey knows what he is saying and he is not far from the truth. If Sehwag is fit, he must open the batting for India. No questions asked. "India will be playing their first Super 8 match against Australia at the Premadasa Stadium. Given the nature of the wicket Sehwag is an automatic choice,” Akram wrote in a column. "The deck is perfect for his style of batting, but that does not mean Sehwag can throw caution to the wind. The longer he stays at the crease, India will profit," Akram went on. Concerns over Zaheer Khan's bowling are "legitimate" according to Akram, but he left it on the struggling seamer to decide on which format to play in and which to skip. "He is bowling well with the new ball but struggling to contain with the old ball. But no one can negate his experience,” Akram wrote. — PTI
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Indian women lose to Australia
Galle, September 27 India captain Mithali Raj made a bold decision to bat first, and for the first six overs it looked like India did everything right. Poonam Raut top-scored with 21, scoring at a run-a-ball and hitting four boundaries. Later Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur added 25 runs for the third wicket. But the run-out of Raj proved to be India's undoing. “Harman and I were batting really well, but we collapsed once again. One defeat doesn't mean the end of the road, we have to keep believing in ourselves. We can't sulk about this, surprises do happen,” rued India captain Raj. Australia's spin twins — Lisa Sthalekar and Erin Osborne — had combined figures of four for 31 from seven overs, with Osborne, who was named player of the match, picking up three of them. India lost three wickets in the last two overs to reach a total of 104, and Australia chased down the modest total in 17.2 overs. — Agencies
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India likely to opt for five bowlers against Aussies in Super match
Colombo, September 27 The comprehensive victory against England and Harbhajan Singh's brilliant comeback has raised questions as to what exactly will be a winning combination against George Bailey's men who have looked good in both their group league matches against Ireland and West Indies respectively. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has given clear indications that he would go in with five specialist bowlers, a move which will mean that India will have one batsman short. In that case, either opener Virender Sehwag or Yuvraj Singh may have to sit out of the match and Dhoni admitted that it would be a "tough decision". While India won the England match with five bowlers, it was more about testing a different combination as that result had no bearing on the Super Eights classification. It will be interesting to see what bowling combination Dhoni would prefer for the first Super Eight game and whether he would opt for three spinners or three pacers. On the current form, Lakshmipathy Balaji is a better bowler at the death overs than the 33-year-old Zaheer Khan mainly because of the variety of slower deliveries that he has in his repertoire. The two key batsmen in the Australian set-up are left-handers David Warner and Mike Hussey. The presence of the duo at the top of the order certainly means that Harbhajan's inclusion is necessary because of his stupendous record against the left-handers. Ravichandran Ashwin, who was rested against England, will also make a comeback into the playing eleven. The other certainty in the bowling department is Irfan Pathan, who has been providing the team with breakthroughs regularly. The batting, however, bears a much more settled look with the good news being that Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma are back among runs. The only thing to worry will be Yuvraj Singh's place in batting order. The talented left-hander has been struggling with the bat. While ODI matches give him a chance to settle down, the number of dot balls Yuvraj has played in the recent matches is something that he needs to figure out. Although the 22-yard strip at the R Premadasa Stadium will assist the slower bowlers, the Aussie fast bowlers are likely to test the Indian batsman with short-pitched stuff. The Indian team was seen preparing to counter the bouncers and the players were seen playing the horizontal bat shot during the nets. A lot will depend on how in-form Virat Kohli bats. Even Hussey had admitted on Wednesday that the Aussies were expecting Kohli to have one of his rare off-days against them. Rohit's half-century has certainly boosted his confidence and the innings has come at the right stage of the tournament. The main threat for India will be all-rounder Shane Watson who is in prime form having won back-to-back MoM awards. Friday's match will be a duel between two bowling units where Indian spinners are pitted against Aussie pacers in what promises to be a fantastic form. — PTI
Choosing between Sehwag and Yuvraj toughest decision of life: MS Dhoni
India captain MS Dhoni had said India will go in with five bowlers in their match against Australia but it will be one of the toughest decisions of his career to choose between Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. "We would most likely go in with five bowlers but I still don't know what will be the combination. It will be a fresh wicket and we have to take into consideration how it will be before the start of the match," Dhoni said at his pre-match media interaction.
Playing five bowlers means dropping either Sehwag or Yuvraj and Dhoni knows it only too well that it will be a tough call. "It is one of the toughest decisions I have taken so far. We will have to see what fits the combinations. Just wait and watch. Ultimately the decision we take has to be a good one that benefits the team," the captain said Asked how his bowlers will counter the devastating opening duo of Shane Watson and David Warner, Dhoni replied, "They are the best in the world and know how to play aggressive cricket. |
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Kohli can join India’s greats: McDermott
Colombo, September 27
Of course, rain during the West Indies game caused their exit from the tournament. but the 47-year-old has been passionately trying to improve the bowling skills of the young Irish players. Looking at the other teams, there is one young batsman who has been able to catch his attention with his prolific batting over the last few months. Not surprisingly, it is India's batting sensation Virat Kohli. McDermott was part of the Australian support staff when India toured Australia their last summer, when Kohli truly arrived as an international player. The Delhi batsman's good show in this tournament has enhanced his reputation among the cricket experts. "I think he has got a lot of talent. He has been very aggressive. His body language is good and he's a very good fielder. Overall, he is a very good all-round player. He is getting better and better all the time," says the man from Queensland who has taken 291 Test wickets. McDermott's current profile requires him to be patient with the young talents. It is his job to ensure that young players don't get carried away by initial success. Aware of the pitfalls of instant fame and money, the former Australian pace bowler has a word of advice for India's young batting star of the future, so that he could do justice to his enormous talent. "If Kohli can play for another 15 years he can be considered with rest of the four batsmen from India who are just at the end of their careers. We know, just one good summer is not enough," says McDermott, a member of Australia's 1987 World Cup winning team. More than two decades ago, McDermott had witnessed the rise of the greatest Indian prodigy Sachin Tendulkar. The likes of K Srikkanth, Navjot Sidhu, Sanjay Manjrekar, Dilip Vengsarkar and M Azharuddin were clueless against the hostility of McDermott in that Test series in 1991-92. Amidst the sustained failure of his experienced colleagues, Tendulkar held his own even though he was the least experienced. Tendulkar is still playing international cricket - even as McDermott's son Alister is knocking on the door of international cricket - and the Australian marvels at the sheer longevity of the Indian great. "His record speaks for him. He is a legend of the game. He still continues to play the game at the highest level and still succeeds. He played some good innings against Australia last time, though he could not get his 100th ton," says McDermott. Having seen another legend, Ricky Ponting, facing intense scrutiny from everyone, McDermott knows that Tendulkar has been facing the heat in the recent times for his relatively inconsistent show. However, he loathes joining the chorus calling for Tendulkar's retirement. "Big players are big boys. They (Tendulkar and Ponting) have been around for a long time and can make up their own mind. They are very experienced players and the legends of the game and should be left to make their own decisions," says Ireland's bowling coach. It will be interesting to see if India's new selection committee shares the sentiment of a man whose own country is quite famous for being unsentimental as far the as the ageing greats are concerned. The writer is a journalist with CNN-IBN-7
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Patil named chief selector, Amarnath is out
Mumbai, September 27 The 56-year-old Patil's appointment to the hot seat by replacing another dashing batsman K Srikkanth came as bolt from the blue, as his name was not even being talked about as a possible candidate prior to the Board's 83rd Annual General Meeting, which finalised the panel here. Roger Binny (South), Vikram Rathore (North), Saba Karim (East) and Rajinder Singh Hans (Central) comprise the rest of the new panel which had no place for Amarnath, the man of the match in the 1983 World Cup final which India won to create history. Amarnath has been dropped after just one year in his job. Not willing to spell out the reason for the ouster of Amarnath, Board president N Srinivasan said the decision not to reappoint him cannot be discussed in public and added that the Board members wanted a new-look committee. "The term of the selectors is for a maximum of four years but they have to be elected annually. It's the decision of the BCCI. One cannot go into the reasons (for not reappointing Amarnath). It's not a subject for public debate," Srinivasan told a press conference after the AGM. "But the fact is I think BCCI wanted, if possible, a new look selection committee and that's what we have. The issue is not what is the credential of a X or Y. Basically it's a one year term extended upto a maximum of four years. "It's not a fixed four-year term. The selectors are elected annually. But they can be there for a maximum of four terms. The selection committee is appointed by the Board and there is a process of consultation. "The process has been going on for quite some time and not just today morning. It's only that the final list was published today. There has been extensive consultation among Board members for some time. The office bearers are in touch with all the constituents). There are only 30 members in the Board," Srinivasan explained. Sources said , three units of North were against Amarnath's re-appointment and his ejection was not unexpected. But the major surprises were the inclusion of Patil instead of fellow-Mumbai player Abey Kuruvilla and Syed Saba Karim from East. —PTI
A lot of talent in region: Rathour
Chandigarh, September 27 When asked about the future of the region’s players in the Indian team, he added, “Representing the state (Punjab) as a coach and as a player will be a great help for me. I am familiar to the players and their game but there are certain criteria to follow. I can only promise that the best performer will get the best slot.” On his experience of coaching, he added: “As a coach, I have played against many teams that will help me in choosing the right talent. The region might be considered small but it is full of talent. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get the best,” said Rathour. Asked if he would miss coaching, Rathour added, “I was with Kings XI Punjab, Punjab juniors and the Ranji team for the past many years and it was a great experience. Although I need to give my entire time to the new responsibility, I will definitely miss coaching.” Revealing his latest plans, he said he would visit Rajkot for the Challenger Trophy tournament, starting from October 25. At his home in Jalandhar, Rathour had no qualms in admitting that his cousin Anurag Thakur, who is a Member of Parliament from Hamirpur and joint secretary of the BCCI, had a role in his appointment. Discussing the return of Harbhajan Singh in the team, Rathour said: “Harbhajan still has the potential to continue playing for India.” Rathour made his Test debut against England at Birmingham in 1996 and played his last Test against South Africa in 1997. He played six Tests and seven ODIs. In first-class cricket, he made 11473 runs at an average of 49.66. With inputs from Deepkamal Kaur in Jalandhar
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Sao Paulo, September 27 Anand, in fact, had to defend for a long time against the youngest participant here and it was only after a stubborn defence that the Indian ace could force a draw. Draws were the orders of the day as Levon Aronian of Armenia did not find a way to break through the defences of Francisco Vallejo Pons of Spain.
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Tillakaratne Dilshan cracked a scintillating 76 but it was Lasith Malinga's tight bowling that scripted Sri Lanka's thrilling Super Over victory against New Zealand in the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday.
West Indies weathered a stormy England resurgence to beat them by 15 runs in their Super Eight Group 1 match on Thursday night.
Set 180 to win, England lost their first two wickets with no run scored but Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan mounted a thrilling late challenge with a stand of 107 for the fourth wicket. That proved insufficient as the West Indies ended up the winners by a comfortable T20 margin of 15 runs.
