Pakistan clinched their second Asia Cup as they registered a thrilling two-run win over a heart-broken Bangladesh in Mirpur on Thursday. Sent in to bat, Pakistan compiled 236 despite none of their batsmen reaching the 50-run mark, and relied on their trusty bowling arsenal to prevent the resurgent home team from scoring the nine runs needed for what would have been a memorable last-over victory.

Bowling the last over, Aizaz Cheema conceded just six as Mahmudullah and Abdur Razzak failed to get the hosts over the line. Bangladesh, earlier, had benefited from a near perfect start to their chase. Their opening pair of Nazimuddin (16) and Tamim Iqbal (60) added 68 in 16.4 overs, before a succession of wickets left them reeling on 81 for three in the 24th over.

In came Shakib Al Hasan, and stroked his way to a third half-century in four matches, as he added 89 in 19.2 overs with Nasir Hossain (28). Tragedy struck when both set batsmen exited within seven balls of each other, leaving Bangladesh 57 to get in 38 balls, five wickets in hand.

The asking rate kept creeping up and 39 were required in four overs when Mashrafe Mortaza got stuck into Umar Gul, in the 47th over – striking two boundaries on the way to taking 14. Gul got the stick again in the 49th over – when the host needed 19 in two overs – as he leaked 10 runs, leaving Bangladesh nine to get from the last over – an ask that proved three runs too far.

To begin with, Pakistan were sent in to bat and started on the wrong foot. They found themselves four down for 70 in the 22nd over – with reliable opener Mohammad Hafeez, skipper Misbah ul Haq and Younis Khan all back in the pavilion.

Hammad Azam (30) and Umar Akmal (30) steadied the boat somewhat by compiling 59 in 12.1 overs for the fifth wicket, before both batsmen departed within four runs of each other. In came Shahid Afridi, and for a moment the erratic Pathan promised to deliver the blitzkrieg that is ever-expected of him.

Afridi struck a towering six – a murderous blow over long-off against Mashrafe Mortaza – and four boundaries in his 22-ball 32, adding 45 in just 40 balls with ‘keeper Sarfraz Ahmed (46, 52b, 4×4). Afridi, however, was out in characteristic fashion – holing out to a Shakib full toss that was there for the creaming – and left Pakistan tottering on 178 for seven in the 42nd over.

Amid the regular fall of wickets, Sarfraz marched on unabated and allianced for 30 runs in four overs with Aizaz Cheema, for the last wicket. In the last over of the innings (bowled by Shahadat Hossain) the two massacred 19 – runs which were to prove ultimately crucial.

Shakib was declared man of the series while Afridi was the man of the match for his cameo and restrictive bowling.

Source: Yahoo Cricket

Their bowling might struggle to defend 289 against Bangladesh. Their batting might not be resilient enough to dominate in all conditions. But in the subcontinent, India are the masters of the chase. And after having knocked off 321 in 36.4 overs in Hobart barely three weeks ago, they completed their highest successful ODI chase, in Mirpur, against Pakistan, who are not exactly a weak bowling side. And leading the mammoth effort was that man Virat Kohli who scored a career-best 183. Forget the obscenities, forget the extreme emotions; with 11 hundreds, including three in his last four innings, Kohli is one of the most complete ODI batsmen in the world now.

When a boundary is needed, Kohli is the man. When the singles are needed, Kohli is the man. When a gap is to be found, Kohli is the man. He kept doing all of that for 148 deliveries against Pakistan. By the time he was done, he had hit 23 boundaries and made 183. India had lost Gautam Gambhir off the second ball of the innings. They lost just one more wicket in the next 272. Kohli’s dominance was so complete, it left contrasting support performances from Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma in the shade. It certainly meant Mohammad Hafeez’s and Nasir Jamshed’s centuries were in vain, as was their 224-run opening stand, Pakistan’s highest against India, and their second-highest ever.

Not losing by a bonus point put Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup; it kept India and Bangladesh dependent on the result of the last league game between the hosts and Sri Lanka, who have been knocked out. A win for Bangladesh will see them go through, as they lead the head-to-head against India in the tournament; any other result will see India qualify.

It was Kohli who almost single-handedly kept India in the tournament with a performance so supreme it led Misbah-ul-Haq to call it one of the best ODI innings he had seen. Chasing 330 is tough. Chasing 330 against Pakistan should be as tough as it gets for an India batsman. Kohli could not bother about things such as pressure, even when Pakistan struck gold in the first over when Mohammad Hafeez trapped Gambhir in front.

Pakistan were playing five bowlers but India worked around the threat of Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul initially by targetting the others. Tendulkar and Kohli outdid each other in stroke-making. Their second-wicket partnership was worth 133 in just 19.1 overs. While Gul and Ajmal were given the respect they deserved, the shorter lengths of Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema were taken for runs. As was the quicker pace of Shahid Afridi.

The 100th century finally done with, Tendulkar was totally unrestrained and went along at a faster clip than Kohli. India found momentum in the third over, Cheema’s second, which went for 12. Kohli began with a violent pull while Tendulkar’s back-foot punch past cover was vintage. Pakistan had just started to suffer for bowling the wrong lengths. Cheema continued to be short of a good length, and Tendulkar brought out another vintage with a sly guide over slips that flew for six.

Tendulkar and Kohli dealt with the spinners in their own ways when they needed the boundaries. Tendulkar carted Hafeez over midwicket with a slog-sweep; Kohli whipped Afridi through the same region.

Riaz’s three-over spell put Pakistan under even more pressure. Not only did he bowl short, he kept on targeting Kohli’s pads and the batsman helped himself to several fours on the on side. He ultimately disappeared for 50 in four overs. Hafeez, the lone part-timer used, went for only 42 in nine.

Tendulkar , meanwhile, misread an Ajmal doosra after reaching his fifty and ended up edging it to slip, but Kohli was looking nearly unstoppable. What he needed was a sidekick and for once, Rohit rose to the occasion. He took his time before showing his range against spin with a series of cuts, pulls and lofted drives over extra cover. Kohli and Rohit went one better than Kohli and Tendulkar had as the third wicket realised 172 in 26.2 overs.

Kohli was in the zone. He went without a boundary for 32 balls, but still scored 25. In this period, he got to his century which came with the now-famous celebration. In this period, Rohit kept getting the boundaries. The asking-rate still crossed eight an over after the 39th. Kohli went after Gul in the 40th in a flurry of whip, swat, loft and clip. Sixteen runs later, the rate was below seven-and-a-half. He wasn’t done yet. Riaz was greeted with a whip off a yorker, a flick and a drive in the 41st. Thirteen runs later, the rate was below seven.

Though Kohli and Rohit could not hit the winning runs, the game as a contest between India’s batsmen and Pakistan’s bowlers had ended long ago. Hafeez and Jamshed had ensured the pressure would be squarely on the former going into the chase, with a 224-run opening partnership. After having failed to defend 289 against Bangladesh, India were once again let down by the inability of their bowlers to either strike or contain.

India had the opportunity to make first use of the Mirpur pitch, which has been harsher for bowlers in the evening, but Hafeez and Jamshed stroked boundaries at will, against a listless unit, on their way to centuries. Younis Khan, usually not one to worry attacks at the death, smashed 52 off 34 deliveries to lift Pakistan to their second-highest total against India.

India’s lack of penetration was evident when MS Dhoni threw the ball to Tendulkar in the 24th over, after having already tried seven bowlers. Five of them had already gone at more than run-a-ball by then, and none, barring Ashok Dinda, had come close to troubling the Pakistan openers.

Pakistan had taken control long before that, though, with Hafeez and Jamshed, a burly left-hander in the Graeme Smith mould, playing with assurance and eschewing any desperation.

The previous best opening stand for Pakistan against India was 144 between Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar in 1996; Hafeez and Jamshed had already rustled up 150 at the halfway mark. Both soon got to their centuries, Jamshed’s being his maiden one in ODIs.

The batting Powerplay consumed both batsmen in the search of more runs, but Younis and Umar Akmal ensured that Pakistan came nowhere to enduring the kind of middle-order collapse they had had against Bangladesh.

Younis has been criticised for being slow in this format, but today he was at ease as the innings neared its close. Orthodox punches and lofts raced for boundaries through the off side. To Pakistan’s misfortune, Kohli would hit them harder in the evening, and for longer.

Abhishek Purohit is an editorial assistant at ESPNcricinfo

Sachin Tendulkar on Friday created history by becoming the first batsman in the history of the game to score 100 international centuries but Bangladesh spoilt his party by posting an upset five-wicket win over India to throw open the Asia Cup tournament.

Embellished with Tendulkar’s milestone knock of 114 runs, his 49th ODI century, India scored 289 for five but the hosts pulled off a stunning win with four balls to spare to send thousands of their fans into a frenzy at the Sher-e-Bangla national stadium.

The heroes of Bangladeshi win were opener Tamim Iqbal (70) Jahurul Islam (53) and Shakib Al Hasan (49) as they batted with sheer grit to pull the rug from under India’s feet.

Bangaldesh skipper Mushfikur Rahim hit a fiery 46 off 25 balls and Nasir Hossain supported him well with 54-run knock to record a shock win, their first against India since 2003 World Cup.

The hosts needed 37 off the last four overs but the match tilted in Bangaldesh’s favour when Irfan Pathan leaked 17 runs in the 48th over. Skipper Rahim hit two consecutive sixes in that over and then treated Praveen Kumar with the same disdain to script a historic win.

For India, apart from Tendulkar’s knock, Virat Kohli (66) and Suresh Raina (51) were the notable contributors for India.

India will now have to win their last league match against arch rivals Pakistan to entertain hopes of making it to the final.

It had been a long and agonising wait for Tendulkar to get to this century as pressure was piling on him to achieve the landmark ever since the disappointing England tour last year.

Exactly one year and four days since he scored his 99th hundred against South Africa during a World Cup match in Nagpur, Tendulkar neatly tapped a delivery from left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan behind square leg in the 44th over of the Indian innings to complete his landmark century.

It took him 138 deliveries to reach the three-figure mark, probably one of his slowest ODI tons, but the relief was palpable more than excitement and happiness of having achieved what was unthinkable even a decade ago.

After completing his century, he however opened up hitting pacer Sahadat Hossain for back to back boundaries as his partner Suresh Raina sent the opposition bowlers on a leatherhunt in favourable conditions as he smashed a quickfire 51 off 38 balls with help of five fours and two sixes.

Tendulkar was finally out in the 47th over when he tried to hit Mashrafe Mortaza out of the ground only to edge it to Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps. It certainly wasn’t the best of knocks which came with help of 12 boundaries and a six.

The pressure of reaching 100th hundred was evident as he took 36 deliveries after reaching 80 to his 100. There were times when he would try and go for quick singles only to be denied by the alert Bangaldeshi fielders who otherwise were pathetic in the outfield.

Bangladesh made a shaky start to the chase as they lost opener Nazimuddin (5) inside fifth over with Praven Kumar getting the breakthrough for the Indians.

However, Tamim Iqbal (70) and Jahurul Islam (53) raised a fighting 113-run partnership for the second wicket.

When all the options failed to break the partnership, skipper M S Dhoni turned to Ravindra Jadeja and the spinning all-rounder reponded with the wicket of Jahurul.

The asking rate mounted and in order to accelerate Tmil too fell. He became the second victim of Praveen, who had the Bangladeshi caught by Rohit Sharma.

Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain though refused to give up and rattled up a fiery 68-run stand for the fourth wicket to raise hopes of an upset win.

Shakib played a stellar knock, studded with five fours and two sixes but R Ashiwn scalped the former Bangladesh skipper by having him stumped.

Earlier, after being sent into bat, India lost Gautam Gambhir early as he played onto a Shafiul Islam delivery that was angled across.

Tendulkar and Virat Kohli (66) added 148 runs for the second wicket. During the earlier part of the innings, Tendulkar looked in fine touch as he hit some crisp shots on both sides of the wicket.

He lifted Shakib wide of long-on for his only six. He completed his 50 off 63 balls when he hit the former Bangal captain inside out over extra cover for a boundary.

Kohli, who was eyeing a hat-trick of ODI tons having scored back to back 100s in Hobart and at this very ground was left disappointed as he dragged a wide delivery from left-arm spinner Abdur Razzaq onto his stumps.

With ball hardly doing anything and the bounce which was below knee-roll, the situation was ideal for Raina to show his pyrotechnics. He played an innings so typical of him.

The Tendulkar-Raina partnership for the third wicket yielded 86 runs in a 10.5 overs which helped India reach a commendable total. It was skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (21 no, 11 balls, 2×4) who blasted a couple boundaries to take India past 280.

Source: Times of India

India were finally knocked out of the triseries as Sri Lanka brought a heart-breaking end to their nervous wait with a nail-biting nine-run victory over Australia in the last over of a must-win contest on Friday.

India needed an Australian win to qualify for the finals but it was Sri Lanka who secured a passage to the summit showdown as they scraped past the hosts in a match which saw fortunes fluctuating from one team to another till the very end at the MCG.

Electing to bat, Sri Lanka put up a modest 238 runs and then bowled out the hosts for 229 to win with five balls to spare.

In then nerve-wrecking final moments of the game, Australia needed 10 runs in the last over off Nuwan Kulasekara but David Hussey’s mighty heave was caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan at long-off to trigger off wild celebrations in the Sri Lankan camp.

Both Australia and Sri Lanka now have 19 points each and will clash in the best of three finals, beginning at Brisbane on Sunday.

India remained on 15 points and it marked the end of the a disastrous tour, in which they suffered a 4-0 Test series whitewash and had mixed results in the triseries.

The Australian chase was guided well by stand-in skipper Shane Watson, who scored 65 runs, and David Hussey’s fighting 74, but they lacked the fire power in the end to overhaul the modest target.

For Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara (64), Dinesh Chandimal (75) and Lahiru Thirimanne (51) were the chief contributors to the total.

Lasith Malinga, who had a horrendous last match against India, was the star performer this time as he picked four wickets including that of Watson, David Warner (6) and Peter Forrest (2).

Australia were reeling at 26 for three — having lost Matthew Wade (9), Warner and Forrest — when Watson and Mike Hussey steadied the chase with a 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

The match was looking like going Australia way but Lahiru Thrimanne broke the stand by scalping Hussey (29).

David was playing well from one end but was running out of partners with Watson, Daniel Christian (3) and James Patinson (12) departing early.

David fought hard with his fighting knock and was the last man dismissed. His effort was only enough to reduce the defeat margin.

Earlier, all-rounder Daniel Christian sparkled with a hat-trick during a career-best five-wicket burst as Australia dismissed Sri Lanka for 238.

Playing only his eighth ODI, the 28-year-old Christian’s hat-trick in the 44th over was the highlight of the first session’s play in today’s match — the batsmen falling victim to him being Thisara Perera (5), Sachithra Senanayke (0) and Nuwan Kulasekara (0).

The right-arm pacer ended the day with impressive match figures of 5-31 in nine overs. James Pattinson picked up four wickets, conceding 51 runs in his 10 overs.

Opting to bat first, it was a wobbly start to the proceedings for the islanders as they lost their openers with less than 20 runs on the scoreboard.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene (5) was the first to head to the dressing room when he was run out by David Hussey in only the second over of the day.

It was Dilshan who called for a very risky single and Jayawardene responded after some hesitation. Hussey, from the second slip, pounced on the ball with one hand and managed a direct hit finding Jayawardene well out out of his crease.

Dilshan didn’t last long either with comeback pacer James Pattinson getting his scalp after the right-hander had contributed merely nine runs to the total.

Dilshan was surprised by a bouncy one that caught him on the backfoot and ended up giving a thin edge through to Matthew Wade behind the stumps. Sri Lanka were reeling at 17/2 at this stage.

But the Lankans started the rebuilding job soon enough with the experienced Sangakkara and the exciting new talent Chandimal joining hands for an entertaining third-wicket partnership of 123.

Sangakkara was perfect foil to the natural aggression of Chandimal as the duo stitched together a crucial stand that resurrected the Lankan innings.

Sangakkara’s knock came off 93 deliveries during which he struck three boundaries before Pattinson induced a top edge off his bat that was caught by Peter Forrest at deep square leg off the final delivery of the 29th over.

But Chandimal held fort for quite some while and even got a life in a bizzare manner during the course of his innings which was studded with three fours and a couple of sixes.

In the 35th over of the innings, Thirimanne pushed for a risky third run off Australian skipper Shane Watson’s bowling.

Ben Hilfenhaus made a sliding effort at the point boundary which caught Chandimal well short of crease but the batsman was saved as TV replays showed that Hilfenhaus’ foot had touched the boundary rope before he threw the ball.

Chandimal was eventually dismissed by Pattinson, caught at mid-off by McKay while trying to strike one down the ground.

Thirimanne held one end with his gritty 59-ball knock that included a couple of boundaries but Sri Lanka needed an accelerator after Chandimal’s dismissal. However, the usually effective Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera both let the team down.

While Mathews spooned a Christian delivery down the ground which was caught on the run by Xavier Doherty. Perera was dismissed when he was caught by Mike Hussey at the deep midwicket boundary.

Source: Times of India ]]> http://iplt20cricketlive.com/2012/03/australia-vs-sri-lanka-4th-odi-sri-lanka-beat-australia-by-9-runs-to-knock-india-out-of-triseries/feed/ 0 http://iplt20cricketlive.com/2012/02/india-vs-sri-lanka-4th-odi-dazzling-kohli-ton-keeps-india-alive/ http://iplt20cricketlive.com/2012/02/india-vs-sri-lanka-4th-odi-dazzling-kohli-ton-keeps-india-alive/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:55:28 +0000 admin http://iplt20cricketlive.com/?p=5346 India 3 for 321 (Kohli 133*, Gambhir 63) beat Sri Lanka 4 for 320 (Dilshan 160*, Sangakkara 105) by seven wickets…

Siddhartha Talya is a sub editor at ESPNcricinfo

Indian batting collapsed once again as chasing 253, the visitors were reduced to 156/8 by the Australian pacer in the 10th ODI of the tri-series at the SCG on Sunday. The last man to be dismissed was R Ashwin MS Dhoni who succumbed to Xavier Doherty after scoring 26.

After restricting Australia to 252/9, India got off to a poor start as both openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were back to pavilion, with the scorecard reading just 35.

After dismal start by openers, Gambhir and Virat Kohli tried to consolidate the Indian innings. However, after the duo added 44 runs together on board, Watson ended Kohli’s challenge to give India third blow at the score of 79. Four runs later McKay bowled out Gambhir to leave India reeling.

Before India could recover, Watson once again struck to dismiss Raina.

Sachin Tendulkar failed to regain his lost form at his favourite Sydney Cricket Ground as the maestro got run out cheaply. Tendulkar, who looked cautious during his stay at the crease, scored 14 runs before getting run out.

Ben Hilfenhaus took a brilliant return catch to dismiss Virender Sehwag (5) in the second over of the Indian innings.

Sehwag who finished with a brilliant 3/43 earlier during the day, failed to shine with the bat and could score just five before falling to Hilfenhaus.

Earlier, a disciplined show by India bowlers in slog overs restricted Australia to 252/9 in 50 overs.

After a poor start, Australian innings was consolidated with some gritty knock by opener David Warner, David Hussey and Matthew Wade.

However, a phenomenal comeback by the visitors prevented Australia from scoring big as the hosts could score just 40 runs in last eight overs, losing four wickets.

David Warner top scored for Australia, making 68 off 66 deliveries. His fiery knock rescued Australia from a dismal start after they elected to bat.

David Hussey, who appeared fortunate not to be given out on 17 for obstructing a throw for an attempted run out, chipped in with 54 off 64 to take over as the leading runscorer in the series with 338.

Hussey blocked a throw by Suresh Raina with his right hand but umpires deemed he was preventing injury and he was allowed to bat on much to Indian captain MS Dhoni’s fury.

The hosts lost opener Shane Watson and Peter Forrest, who scored his maiden ton against Sri Lanka in the last match, cheaply to Praveen Kumar.

Mike Hussey too failed to fire and returned back to pavilion after a poor running between the wickets. A misfield by Suresh Raina at short cover prompted Hussey to go for the second but he was sent back by his partner David Warner as R Ashwin whipped the bails to end Hussey’s 10 runs knock.

Warner, however, stood strong against the Indian attack and scored over run-a-ball to take the innings past 100-mark.

At the score of 107, Ravindra Jadeja got rid of Warner to give Australia the fourth blow. Warner went for the sweep that got the top edge as Suresh Raina ran back from the square leg and Irfan Pathan coming in from deep fine leg. There was no calling between them and crashed into each other.

David Hussey and Matthew Wade then steadied Australian innings with a gritty stand for the fifth wicket. The duo rebuilt Australia with their respective half-century.

But just after Australian scorecard crossed 200-mark, Indian bowlers scripted a perfect comeback to dent Australian progress with quick wickets.

Umesh Yadav got the crucial breakthrough for India in the 40 th over as he sent back Wade (56) after his hard fought half century.

Wade, who came to bat after David Warner’s dismissal, shared a solid 94-run stand with Hussey for the fifth wicket. Yadav got Wade caught behind stumps to break a solid 94-run stand between him and Hussey for the fifty wicket.

In his next over, Yadav ended Hussey’s challenge just after the right-hander got his half-century. Hussey scored 54 before being caught behind stumps by Indian skipper MS Dhoni.

Part-time spinner Virender Sehwag then claimed his first victim McKay to give Australia seventh blow at the score of 217. Sehwag’s magical spin the sent back Brett Lee and Daniel Christian to reduce Australia to 252/9 in 50 overs.

Clint McKay replaced fellow paceman Ryan Harris in the other change to the Australia team from Friday’s three-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in Hobart.

Australian regular skipper Michael Clarke has not recovered properly from his hamstring injury although he scored a half-century in Friday’s defeat against Sri Lanka.

India are playing with Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir as skipper MS Dhoni dropped the idea of rotating the top three players.

India’s survival in the series at stake as the defeat against the Australia on Sunday, who were outsmarted by Sri Lanka in their previous game, means the World Cup champions will be taking an early flight home.

The Men In Blue can still make it if they win both their remaining matches, they’ll surely be through with 18 points.

If they lose one of their two matches, they will require a bonus point in the other and hope that either Australia or Sri Lanka do them a favour.

If India beat Australia with a bonus point in Sydney on Sunday and lose to Sri Lanka in Hobart on Tuesday, they will have to hope for Sri Lanka to beat Australia in Hobart on Friday.

If they lose to Australia and beat Sri Lanka with a bonus point, they’ll have to hope for Australia to beat Sri Lanka. In that scenario, Australia will qualify with 22 points and India and Sri Lanka will be tied with 15 points.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Praveen Kumar.

Australia: Shane Watson (C), David Warner, Matthew Wade, Peter Forrest, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Dan Christian, Clint McKay, Brett Lee, Ben Hilfenhaus and Xavier Doherty.

Source: Times of India Cricket

Sri Lanka sure know how to keep things interesting. On a day when Peter Forrest announced himself as Australia’s new No.3 with his maiden one-day century, Mahela Jayawardene and Dinesh Chandimal helped Sri Lanka complete a record ODI chase in Hobart, where Australia’s 6 for 280 wasn’t enough to book them a place in the finals. Sri Lanka jumped to the top of the points table with their three-wicket victory, which came with four balls to spare.

In a tense finish, Sri Lanka appeared to be throwing the match away and after Angelo Mathews holed out for 24 they needed 14 off nine balls with only three wickets in hand. But Thisara Perera took on the responsibility himself and struck a boundary followed by a powerful six over midwicket off Daniel Christian’s next delivery, which left four needed off seven balls. That was no trouble at all, the winning runs coming when Nuwan Kulasekara thumped Brett Lee through cover for four.

It was Sri Lanka’s third consecutive win and they are coming good at the right end of the tournament, after losing their opening two games. They began well with the ball before allowing Australia’s score to balloon to seriously challenging proportions, but Jayawardene’s outstanding 85 at the top of the order gave Sri Lanka the perfect platform.

With six overs remaining, they needed 39 runs with six wickets in hand, and with Chandimal well set on 80, it seemed like only a formality that they would reach the target. But Chandimal was trapped lbw when he tried an ill-judged paddle off Ryan Harris and in the next over, Farveez Maharoof holed out to Ben Hilfenhaus. Lucky for Sri Lanka they had Perera.

The result means Sri Lanka and Australia are now both one match clear of India, and while both sides can still miss out on the finals, they also know that one more win will be enough to guarantee their place. Sri Lanka earned that position by beating the previous best Hobart ODI chase, the 4 for 282 that Australia scored against Zimbabwe in 2001.

Jayawardene gave them their start and was in fine touch after beginning with a couple of edgy boundaries. In the fifth over he put those behind him and took on the pace of Lee, swinging a magnificent six over midwicket from a fast, straight ball that most batsmen would have been content to defend or drive straight. The runs kept flowing for Jayawardene, the dominant partner in a 55-run opening stand.

When Tillakaratne Dilshan pulled a catch to deep midwicket off Hilfehnaus for 3 from nine balls, Jayawardene had already galloped along to 44 from 39 deliveries. The strike evened up during Jayawardene’s partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who made a run-a-ball 22 before he was caught at point off a leading edge from Christian’s bowling.

Jayawardene had already brought up his fifty with a punchy drive down the ground off Christian from his 45th ball. Jayawardene and Chandimal kept the runs coming during a 63-run partnership that featured some fine strokes, including an excellent cover-drive for four from Jayawardene, who enjoyed using the pace of Lee against him.

But on 85, Jayawardene gave Australia a sniff when he advanced to Xavier Doherty and was beaten by a delivery that turned sharply past his outside edge. Australia needed to follow the stumping with another quick wicket, and instead Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne kept their composure and put on 49, including plenty of singles, as the required run-rate hovered below six an over.

The loss of Thirimanne, who paddled Hilfenhaus to short fine leg for 24, could have hurt Sri Lanka, but ultimately their batting was too strong for Australia. Perhaps if Australia had looked for their runs a little faster through the middle of their innings they could have pushed up towards 300, but it is impossible to criticise Forrest and Michael Clarke for an excellent stand that rescued the side from a wobbly start. The loss of both openers had left Australia at 2 for 27 in the seventh over and consolidation was required.

Especially impressive was the way Forrest batted in his first match at No.3, carrying the pressure of replacing a champion in the position. But in Australia’s first match of the post-Ricky Ponting ODI era they might just have found a man who can fill his spot for some time. Forrest’s hundred was his not only his first for Australia but also in any List A match, and no Australian has scored more in his first four ODIs than Forrest’s tally of 238.

He brought up his century by dropping the ball into the off side and haring off for a quick single from his 136th delivery, and it brought fist-pumps from Forrest and a hug from his partner Michael Hussey. He was caught at deep cover off Mathews in the next over for 104 as he tried to keep the tempo rising and it ended a fine innings, and one that has boosted his chances of winning a place on the Test tour of the West Indies.

He struck 10 fours and two sixes but avoided risks wherever he could, generally preferring to force the ball through gaps instead of over fielders. When he did go for the aerial route it nearly brought about his downfall – he was lucky deep midwicket was a couple of paces wide of where one shot landed. A cover-driven boundary off Kulasekara was especially impressive, zipping off the bat with speed and perfect placement.

For much of his innings, Forrest had the support of Clarke during a 154-run stand. The partnership ended when Clarke lifted Mathews to deep midwicket and was well taken by a tumbling Perera. Clarke had played well for his 72 from 79 balls, including two sixes over midwicket, one a fearsome, flat pull early in his innings off Maharoof, who had been impressive early.

Maharoof had claimed David Warner caught behind for 7 after Matthew Wade lobbed a catch to mid-off to give Sri Lanka a strong start. In the end, the Clarke-Forrest partnership and some valuable late runs from David Hussey (40 not out off 28 balls), Michael Hussey (21) and Lee (20 not out) helped Australia to a strong total.

It wasn’t enough for Australia, but it has kept all three sides in the race for the finals. And it has made Sri Lanka clearly the form team in the tournament.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo.

Sri Lanka produced fine display of bowling and batting to register convincing 51-run victory over India in the 8th ODI of the tri-series at the Gabba in Brisbane.

This is India’s second defeat in a row after losing to Australia by 110 runs on Friday. With this defeat, Sri Lanka moved to second spot as India went down to bottom of the table.

Irfan Pathan waged a lone battle in the end as he scored quick-fire 47 off just 34 balls with the help of seven boundaries. Thisara Perera scalped the dangerous southpaw to end Indian innings at 238 in the 46th over.

Chasing a stiff target of 290, India were never in a match got as they lost top three batsmen under the 12 overs.

Pacer Farveez Maharoof gave Sri Lanka a crucial breakthrough as he removed Suresh Raina to dent Indian run chase.Raina added valuable 92 runs partnership for the fourth wicket to revive India after losing early wickets. Raina contributed 32 runs in 55 balls with the help of a boundary.

Virat Kohli, who slammed 20th ODI fifty, made hard fought 66 in 83 balls that included two boundaries.

Nuwan Kulasekara dismissed Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir in his alternate overs to rattle India.

Kulasekara took his second wicket when he had Gambhir caught by Thisara Perera at gully.

Kulasekara took his first wicket when Tendulkar edged a delivery onto his stumps.

India’s run chase got off to a disastrous start as stand-in captain Virender Sehwag fell on the second delivery.

Sehwag reached out to a wide delivery from Lasith Malinga and slashed it straight into the hands of Nuwan Kulasekara at third man.

Earlier, half-centuries by Lahiru Thiramanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan and an unbeaten 49 by Angelo Matthews powered Sri Lanka to 289/6.

Virat Kohli, who was made to bowl the last over of the Sri Lankan innings, conceded 14 runs.

Lahiru Thiramanne hit a run-a-ball 62 before hitting a R Ashwin delivery in the covers for Suresh Raina to take the catch.

Thiramanne reached his 50 off 53 balls.

Irfan Pathan clean bowled Dinesh Chandimal with a yorker as Sri Lanka lost their fourth wicket.

Chandimal and Thiramanne put up a 71-run stand for the fourth wicket to steady Sri Lanka.

Sachin Tendulkar took a good catch at fine leg to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara off Umesh Yadav as Sri Lanka lost their third wicket.

Ravichandran Ashwin gave India the second breakthrough when he had Tillakaratne Dilshan caught behind by Parthiv Patel.

Ashwin struck with a length delivery well outside off that did not turn much but bounced more than Dilshan expected it to and he got a thin top edge through for Patel to take a good catch.

Dilshan reached his 26th fifty soon after stand-in Indian captain Virender Sehwag took a superb diving catch at mid-wicket to dismiss Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene off Irfan Pathan.

Jayawardene pulled a short of length delivery over the leg side, but didn’t time it too well and Sehwag flew to his left at mid-wicket to pull off a stunner.

Openers Dilshan and Jayawardene brought up the Sri Lankan fifty in the eighth over.

The start came after Jayawardene won the toss and chose to bat.

For India, Virender Sehwag, Parthiv Patel and R Ashwin come in place of Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan. Sri Lanka are unchanged from the last match.

The pitch looks a good batting track but it would be difficult to chase under lights as the bowlers will get some movement under lights.

A win for Sri Lanka on Tuesday will put them on par with India on 10 points, that too with one less game. Besides, they also boast of a much better run-rate. As of now Australia are sitting pretty with 14 points from 5 matches, India have 10 from 5 while Sri Lanka have 7 points from 4 matches.

Teams:

India: Virender Sehwag (Capt.), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (Capt.), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thiramanne, Angelo Matthews, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath.

Source: Times of India Cricket

Ben Hilfenhaus and Brett Lee splintered India to return Australia to the top of the table with a 110-run victory that reaped a bonus point at the Gabba. On a day when Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar both glimpsed their mortality in the limited-overs game, Australia’s 5 for 288 proved far too tall a target for India’s batsmen, who looked as uncomfortable as ever when faced by Brisbane’s bounce and a home side recovering from two straight losses.

Making use of a hard, fast pitch and the early swing offered by the new ball, Lee and Hilfenhaus nipped out four wickets between them to slide India to 4 for 36, and had snared eight by the end of the night. Hilfenhaus was playing his first ODI since November 2009, in place of the ill Clint McKay, and made a strong case for his retention by moving the ball at good pace on a disciplined line to take five wickets for the first time. He had an ideal counterpoint in Lee, who offered slippery pace and plenty of aggression.

Tendulkar played a particularly fretful innings, struck on the helmet by Lee, caught at third man off Hilfenhaus. Soon after, Kohli lingered unhappily at the crease after video evidence was used to confirm he had been caught at slip by David Hussey. MS Dhoni’s innings proved merely a parting shot as the match faded out.

Ponting won the toss in what is expected to be his last match in charge before Michael Clarke returns. David Warner made a wasteful exit for a swift 43, Ponting struggled badly for placement and occupied 26 balls for 7, and Matthew Wade fought his way to 45 only to give it up with a tame return catch.

Peter Forrest and Michael Hussey righted the ship with a century partnership, but Christian and David Hussey made equally vital contributions with a stand of 65 in the final six overs. Michael Hussey’s innings might have been over on 1, when MS Dhoni appealed for a stumping. Replays showed Hussey may have had some of his back foot safely behind the line, and there was some surprise when the red “out” signal flashed on the big screen. However Hussey’s trudge off the field was swiftly aborted by the umpires, as it emerged that the wrong verdict from the third umpire Bruce Oxenford had somehow been relayed.

Needing close to six runs per over, India needed a strong start, but were unlikely to get one from the moment Lee found a way past Gautam Gambhir. In the Tests Gambhir had often been out fencing at deliveries going across him, but Lee’s delivery gave him little choice, starting to bend in before seaming the other way off the track to clip the outside edge.

Tendulkar’s unhappy tour gained another chapter of discontent against the new ball. Struck a hefty blow on the head by a Lee bouncer, he struggled to lay a bat on Hilfenhaus’ away swing, and when he did connect, the ball floated down to Xavier Doherty, who had dropped Kohli the ball before. Tendulkar seems even further away from the barrier of 100 international centuries than he had been at the start of the summer.

Not for the first time, Kohli had looked distracted by crowd chants in the field, and he carried that anger with him to the crease. He watched Rohit Sharma’s undoing, waving his bat at Lee’s bounce and away movement, then took his dismissal for 12, via Hussey’s low catch, as something approaching a personal slight. He waited for some time after the verdict to leave the field.

Suresh Raina sallied forth to deposit Mitchell Starc into the stands. However Christian was delivering a neat spell, and he gained the break with a delivery running across Raina that caught a nick.

Dhoni went on to 56 as the required rate climbed, but his dismissal, pulling Hilfenhaus to midwicket, signalled the end of formal resistance.

During the Australian innings, Wade and Warner found the early going slow against tight bowling from Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan. Wade enjoyed an escape off the second ball of the match, edging Zaheer towards Tendulkar at first slip, only for Rohit to dive across from second and knock the ball away from the man best placed to catch it. Warner began to look fluent, but he was to curse himself with some venom when he chipped the last ball of the 13th over to a waiting midwicket.

The ensuing passage was dominated by Ponting’s struggles. He made a deliberate start, defending staunchly against Raina’s modest offerings, then found himself struggling to find the boundaries to counterbalance this early conservatism. One charge down the wicket resulted in an edge to third man, and Ponting was still searching for momentum when he picked up a Zaheer delivery and sent it looping into deep midwicket’s hands. His scores for the series now read 2, 1, 6, 2 and 7.

Hussey and Forrest fought with determination and intelligence, finding the odd boundary but mainly keeping the innings going with their running between the wickets. Apart from his stumping reprieve, Hussey was also dropped twice, while Forrest endured numerous periods without free-scoring but lifted his rate as he went.

Their stand was worth 100 when Hussey fell to combination of urgency and fatigue, swinging Irfan into the deep, and in the same over Forrest did likewise, ending another innings of promise by the prospective Test batsman. David Hussey and Christian added some clean blows to swell the total in the final overs, distorting Vinay’s figures by taking his last over for 18 runs. Another 15 were spirited away from the last, leaving India with a chase that proved well beyond their means.

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo.

Sri Lanka posted their biggest-ever one-day international over Australia in Sydney on Friday with a crushing eight-wicket victory with 101 balls to spare in their tri-series ODI.

Sri Lanka bounced back into finals contention with a bonus-point victory on the Duckworth-Lewis method after skittling out Australia for 158 off 40.5 overs and rattling up a revised winning target of 152 for two in just 24.1 overs.

The Sri Lankans, who were winless before Friday’s game after being held to a tie in their previous match by leaders India, moved to within three points of the Indians after four games in the tournament.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene steered his side to victory with an unbeaten knock of 61 off 67 balls with opener Tillakaratne Dilshan hitting 45 off 41. Kumar Sangakkara reached 10,000 career ODI runs in his innings of 30 off 29 balls.

Thisara Perera was judged man-of-the-match in a wide open vote having taken two for 29 and also effected two run outs in Australia’s innings.

It was Australia’s fifth-biggest loss in one-day cricket in terms of balls remaining. It was also Australia’s second straight defeat in the tournament and they face India in Brisbane on Sunday, when they are likely to be again led by Ricky Ponting in the absence of injured skipper Michael Clarke.

Only Clint McKay (1-23 off six overs) enjoyed a good night with the ball while Brett Lee, on his return 16 days after fracturing his toe, finished with one for 42 off seven overs.

Sri Lanka set up their emphatic victory by dismissing Australia for 158 off 40.5 overs in the match, which was reduced to 41 overs-a-side by afternoon rain.

David Hussey rescued Australia from an even lower score with a determined 58 off 64 balls for his third half-century of the tournament after being dropped on eight and 31.

David Warner went for 13 being deceived by a slower ball from Lasith Malinga and hitting straight to Farveez Maharoof at mid-on.

Ponting’s run of single-figure scores in the series continued when he was caught and bowled by Maharoof for two. Michael Hussey (13), brought in for Clarke, clouted a huge six off Angelo Mathews but was caught behind off the next ball and Peter Forrest followed shortly afterwards for 16 to leave Australia 74 for five.

All-rounder Maharoof, brought in for spinner Sachithra Senanayake, claimed two for 18 off eight overs.

Source: Yahoo Cricket