Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord’s in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain’s innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.

Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni – who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders – rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka’s only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.

However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara’s initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan’s day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, only to be clobbered for 17 and 18 runs in his ninth and tenth overs, as Sri Lanka monstered 63 runs in the batting Powerplay to post an imposing 274 for 6.

And India’s day got much worse before the team’s fortunes began to inch upwards. Virender Sehwag had hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India’s previous eight innings in the tournament, but this time Malinga’s slingers dealt him a second-ball duck, as he skidded a full delivery into his back pad. And then Sachin Tendulkar, for whom the script had seemingly been written, was drawn into a loose drive by a fast Malinga outswinger, having set the stadium on standby for instant history with 18 sumptuously accumulated runs from his first 12 deliveries.

At 31 for 2 in the seventh over, India were struggling to keep their toehold in the contest, and it was all too much for a faithless few in the crowd who turned their backs and set off for home. But Gambhir and Virat Kohli epitomise a generation that does not easily accept defeat, and their third-wicket stand of 83 laid the foundations for an epic turnaround. The prospect of a seam-friendly surface, allied to the grievous loss of Angelo Mathews to a thigh strain, had tempted Sri Lanka into four key changes to the team that had triumphed over New Zealand in Colombo, and with Muttiah Muralitharan lacking bite in the final wicketless appearance of his 19-year career, Malinga alone could not carry the day.

The hard-hitting of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera had been instrumental in hoisting Sri Lanka’s total to such heights, but in their primary role as front-line seamers they lacked menace and were all too easy to squeeze as 119 runs came from their combined allocation of 17.2 overs. The newcomer to the squad, Suraj Randiv, caused a moment of alarm with his high-kicking offspin when Gambhir, on 30, was dropped by a diving Kulasekara at long-off, but as the innings progressed, his lack of guile proved costly. The decision to omit both Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, whose combined efforts had been so effective against England and New Zealand, is one that will haunt Sri Lanka for years to come.

But this was a victory that still had to be grasped, and India found the men who were willing to do so. The 22-year-old Kohli, who was greeted with a stern word of encouragement as he replaced the outgoing Tendulkar, showed all the mettle for the big occasion as he eased along to 35 from 49 balls before falling to an outstanding return catch by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who dived full-length across the crease to intercept a leading edge. But it was Gambhir and Dhoni to whom the ultimate duty fell. Their 109-run stand was the highest by an Indian pairing in three World Cup final appearances, and even when Gambhir gave away the chance for an unforgettable century with a tired charge and slash at Perera, the result was no longer in doubt.

Gambhir struck nine fours in a 122-ball statement of indomitability, and both he and Dhoni required treatment for stiff backs as the sapping Mumbai heat took its toll. Dhoni at one stage looked so immobile that a precautionary retirement seemed the only logical response, but after some harsh work from the physio he resumed his stance and responded with another trademark filleting of the extra cover boundary, an area in which he scored six of his eight fours – three of which helped to blunt Murali’s attacking instincts.

Both teams contained numerous veterans of World Cup final defeat, with no fewer than five Indians still remaining from the team that lost to Australia back in 2003, and as a consequence this was a match thick with performances that spoke of the wisdom of experience. Though each of the previous five centurions in finals had gone on to lift the trophy, as well as seven of the nine teams that had had the chance to bat first, Jayawardene had the misfortune to become an exception to both rules. His stunning 103 not out from 88 balls was proof that finesse has as much of a place at this level as brutality, but ultimately it was not enough to deny India their destiny.

Four years ago at Sabina Park, Jayawardene produced a supreme century against New Zealand to carry his side to their second World Cup final, but this was an innings of even more exquisite application. He came to the crease with his side under the cosh at 60 for 2 in the 17th over, having been throttled by Zaheer’s supreme new-ball spell. But he responded with a tempo that scarcely wavered from a run a ball, until with Kulasekera for company, he opened his shoulders to power through to his hundred from 84 balls.

For an occasion of this magnitude, cool heads were the order of the day, and though his final figures did not show it, no-one was cooler in the opening exchanges than Zaheer. On his watch, Sri Lanka were limited to 31 for 1 in their mandatory Powerplay, their lowest ten-over score of the tournament, and the hapless Tharanga was restricted to two runs from 20 balls before snicking to Sehwag at slip, whose sharp low take epitomised a fielding effort that was rarely less than totally committed. Then, when he returned in the 37th over, Zaheer deceived Chamara Kapugedera with a beautiful slower ball that was driven to short cover, on route to equalling Shahid Afridi as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, with 21.

And yet, the speed with which his figures were vandalised was astounding. Though each of Jayawardene’s 13 fours was a classy stroke in its own right, none was better than the last of them, an inside-out cover-drive to one of Zaheer’s trademark outswinging yorkers, as he premeditated the late movement and filleted the ring of fielders on the off-side. The outright acceleration came from the other end, however, where Kulasekera made 32 from 30 balls before his sacrificial run-out led to a pat of gratitude from Jayawardene as they parted. And then, by the time Perera, who made 22 from nine balls, had sealed his onslaught with a dismissive thump for six over midwicket, the decibel levels in the Wankhede had plummeted.

But run by run, over by over, minute by minute, India picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and turned the screw on Sri Lanka with a determination that a lesser group of men could not have begun to muster, amid the sure knowledge that several billion countrymen were investing all their hopes in their actions. And though he himself played just a walk-on part in the wider drama, it was Tendulkar who was chaired from the field as the celebrations began in earnest. “He’s carried the burden of our nation for 21 years,” said the youngster Kohli. “It was time to carry him on our shoulders today.”

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo

India’s dream of a World Cup triumph at home is one step closer after their bowlers suffocated Pakistan’s batsmen to set up a 29-run victory in the semi-final in Mohali. Saturday’s decider will now be a battle of the hosts, and while Sri Lanka might have been surprised by the strength of India’s bowling effort, they would also have taken note of a slightly lacklustre batting performance.

In the end, India’s 260 for 9 was enough as their bowlers did a fine job, but had Pakistan helped themselves, the target could have been so much more gettable. Sachin Tendulkar was dropped four times in his 85, MS Dhoni was put down once and while Wahab Riaz was extremely impressive in collecting five wickets, Umar Gul had one of his most forgettable days, wilting under the pressure of a World Cup semi-final.

By contrast, India’s display in the field was much more professional, and that was the difference in a match that lived up to the extreme pre-match hype. The decision to leave R Ashwin out to make room for Ashish Nehra was an odd choice on a pitch offering plenty of spin, but Nehra and his bowling colleagues built the pressure and gave Pakistan’s batsmen little to attack after they made a promising start and reached 70 for 1.

The Indians didn’t give away an extra until the 37th over of the innings, and the way they put together strings of dot balls and tight overs was key to their success. Munaf Patel picked up two victims and Yuvraj Singh made up for his golden duck with a pair of wickets, but the most important breakthrough came when Harbhajan Singh bowled Umar Akmal for 29.

Akmal had struck a pair of sixes off Yuvraj, driving him over the sight screen and pulling him over midwicket, and anything was possible while he was at the crease. But Dhoni called on Harbhajan to replace Yuvraj, and with the first ball of his spell he came around the wicket and pushed one across Akmal, taking the off stump when the batsman played for the spin.

Shahid Afridi also fell to Harbhajan when he skied a catch off a full toss, and the obdurate Misbah-ul-Haq was left to steer the chase. He found it difficult to lift his tempo and was the last man out, caught on the boundary for 56 in the final over, but he ate up 76 deliveries and had he shown some more intent earlier, Pakistan might have had a chance.

It was a disappointing end for Pakistan after their top order gave them hope. Mohammad Hafeez made an encouraging 43 before a string of eight dot balls from Munaf brought a brain-fade as Hafeez tried a premeditated paddle sweep from outside off stump and edged behind to Dhoni.

Soon after, the loss of Asad Shafiq brought the Mohali crowd to life, when he tried to cut a Yuvraj delivery that was much too full and straight, and the middle stump was knocked back. Shafiq had made 30 and had displayed a cool temperament until that point, but the required run-rate started to balloon, and Pakistan never recovered.

But while India have booked a place in the final, they must hope they haven’t used all their good fortune too soon. Tendulkar might be the finest batsman of his generation, but today he was the luckiest, dropped on 27, 45, 70 and 81. It seemed as though he was going to bring up his 100th international century with one of his least convincing innings.

Misbah at midwicket was the first to put him down, before Younis Khan spilled a regulation chance at cover, both off the bowling of Afridi. The third opportunity came when Kamran Akmal didn’t move his hands quickly enough to a thick edge, again off Afridi, and while that was a tough opportunity, a pull to Umar at mid-on from the offspin of Hafeez should have been taken.

Before he had any of those lives, Tendulkar had survived two very tight calls on 23: an lbw decision that was given out by Ian Gould but on review proved to be spinning down leg, and a near-stumping the next delivery when he just got his back foot down in time after losing his balance reaching outside off. When Tendulkar was finally taken at cover by Afridi off the bowling of Ajmal, Pakistan’s relief was evident.

Soon after, a scratchy Dhoni, who was also dropped by Kamran, made the mistake of challenging Simon Taufel on an lbw decision. Dhoni had 25 when he missed a Riaz delivery that pitched just in line and was hitting the stumps. It was the second outstanding call by Taufel, who had given Virender Sehwag lbw in a similar fashion earlier, even though the left-armer’s angle meant pitching outside leg was a possibility.

Riaz was the man who Afridi had to thank for keeping Pakistan in the contest after India made a strong start and reached 114 for 1 off their first 18 overs. After Gautam Gambhir was stumped wandering down the pitch against Hafeez, Riaz grabbed two wickets in two balls – Virat Kohli caught at backward point and Yuvraj bowled by a low full toss for a golden duck.

Nobody looked as fluent as the crease as Sehwag, who took 21 off Gul (0 for 69) from the third over of the innings. What looked like a 300-plus total in those early overs became 260 when Suresh Raina helped them recover from their middle-order failures.

It was enough, but India’s batsmen will need to improve if they want to lift the trophy on Saturday. For now, they can dream of their first World Cup in 28 years.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

It all looks perfect when someone sketches it on the blackboard, below the big bold ‘Game Theory’ title:

You two blokes try and hit a few in the first ten; then everyone take a deep breath, settle down, no risks, doesn’t matter if the runs don’t come, we keep wickets in hand, then we take the power play and in the last ten, our batting depth kicks in and we smash the ball out of the park, add 100-and-plenty…

Guptill and Brendan McCullum seemed to have got the first bit right. A couple of balls from Malinga in the first over, pitched a bit short, failed to come up more than waist high. Righto, said Guptill; taking a nice stride into the ball, he cracked the Lankan quick for a four off the fifth ball, and then with Brendan McCullum, moved the score along to 29/0 at the end of six.

A minor victory was won along the way. Realizing that the wicket (the same one used in the quarters against England, dehydrated and devoid of live) had nothing in it for his premier bowler, Kumar Sangakkara had taken Malinga off after just the one over.

And then McCullum, whose World Cup has been particularly undistinguished, attempted a repeat of the slog sweep he had pulled off against Herath an over earlier; this time, the ball was fuller and quicker, it went through the shot and onto the stumps.

In came Ross Taylor, wielding his bat in gentle pacifist arcs, while at the other end Guptill lost his initial rapture. Anchors were dropped at either end – this would be the ‘consolidation phase’ spelt out on the blackboard – and the Sri Lankan bowlers, never shy to refuse such invitations, went about running out the clock on the Kiwi innings.

The Kiwis progressed, if you can call it that, from 20/0 after 5 to 38/1 in ten; 60/1 in 15 and, in bizarre fashion, added another 14 to go to 74/2 in 20 (Another way to look at it is, 43 dot balls in the first 10 overs; 58 at the end of 15; 77 not scored off after 20). The Lankan bowling, with Kumar rotating his spinners around, was good – but the Premadasa is a large ground, the field mostly stayed back, there was space especially in the V but neither batsman seemed inclined to work the ball around and make the spinners think.

Sub-continental batsmen have this down to a fine art. They play spinners with soft hands, guiding the ball around the park, picking up easy singles, forcing the bowlers to change their lines and then cashing in on mistakes. Unable to do that, Jesse Ryder swung harder and harder. A thumping drive at Muralitharan in the 19th over was stopped at short extra cover; next ball, Ryder swung even harder to a ball that was tossed up a fraction more; it bit, bounced, found the thin edge.

Kumar brought Malinga back in the 21st over looking for some reverse, and the bowler obliged with the kind of over that is scary even through the filter of the television screen – fast, swinging viciously through the air, and homing in always to the base of the stumps, one such being too good for Guptill.

At the 25 over mark, the Kiwis were 93/3. In other words, neither had they put runs on the board, nor conserved wickets. Significantly, with 25 more overs to bowl, Kumar had at his disposal seven from Malinga, and 5 each of Herath, Mendis and Murali – in other words, 22 overs.

Just when the game was beginning to look one-sided, Scott Styris turned the clock back. The 35-year-old had gone through six previous innings to scrape together a grand total of 85 runs, never looking convincing. Here, he played as if he were coming off sequential hundreds: cover driving and then straight driving Malinga in the 26th with such ease, Kumar pulled his quick off the firing line.

The Ryder-Ross Taylor partnership was, finally, the Kiwis getting a foot in the door, and slowly nudging it open. They took singles, they found the boundaries just often enough to force the Lankans back on their heels, and they stitched together a 7-run partnership at a healthy 4.7 (Styris, the more energetic of the two, contributed 47 to Taylor’s 25) that took the Kiwis to 161/3 at the end of 39.

Taylor’s wicket off the first ball of the 40th over seemed one of those blessings in thin disguise – though he had resisted the Lankan bowlers, his 36 in 54 deliveries was weighing down one end of the innings – his dismissal meant that the heavy hitters could come in and – remember the blackboard – start the planned acceleration.

The batting power play was taken in the 42nd over; the plan seemed to be working just a treat when Kane Williamson, who had hinted at class with a lovely pick-up clip off Malinga over midwicket, showed his mates how it is done, even against a bowler of Murali’s class. In the 43rd, he first waltzed out delightfully and played a controlled chip over the head of midwicket. Reading the ace spinner with ease, he waited back in his crease for the next ball, predictably bowled quicker and dragged down, and slapped it square for back to back boundaries.

21 runs came off the first two PP overs and the force seemed to be with the Kiwis even when Williamson, in an excess of exuberance, walked across the stumps and got nailed in front by a Malinga yorker he tried to flick on the on. A wristy flick for six by Nathan McCullum off Murali in the next over saw the offie, bowling his final spell on home soil, go for 12. 45 overs gone, Kiwis 204/5 and seemingly headed for a 245-255 score that could have proved challenging.

And then it all went west. A swipe at Malinga saw McCullum edge behind, and signal the start of a procession – from 204-5 to 217 all out. It was batting of the most atrocious – the plan may have been for the heavy hitters to throw the bat around, but the canny Lankan bowlers knew when to hold the ball back, when to throw it wide, when to arrow it into the stumps. Bowling tight against batsmen looking to attack them is the USP of the Lankan bowlers, and those skills were in full view here as the Kiwis crashed and burned.

The report thus far might give the impression that it was all about what the Kiwis did, or did not do: they batted slow, then batted fast, then collapsed. Not so – the Lankans turned in a signature performance with the ball and in the field. That they were not challenged is hardly their fault – without exception they stuck to their disciplines, and if one of them began to get tap, there was always another bowler, of another type, to come along and read the riot act. The Lankans are easily the best fielding side in the sub-continent; if they didn’t as a unit hit their usual high standards, they didn’t fluff any the way they had in the last game, and Dilshan had an outstanding day out, fielding either square on the off, or straight within the circle and produce some magnificent saves.

Low though the wicket was playing, 218 was never going to test the strong Sri Lankan batting on home turf. The Kiwis’ best hope of making a fight of it was to bowl with discipline at the start, keep the Lankan openers from breaking free, and put the game in holding pattern till the ball got older and softer, the spinners came into their own, and pressure began to build.

Instead, they came out and bowled rubbish – the seamers in particular operating as if they had a sign on their backs reading ‘Keep the pitch clean – deposit trash outside the boundary.’

Tim Southee was the main culprit, bowling both sides of the wicket and hitting the short length too often. On a pitch where such deliveries sat up and begged, Dilshan pulled with intent and power. Southee dropped shorter, Dilshan hit harder. (When Oram in the 24th over dropped short and Dilshan contemptuously pulled him over square leg to get to 45 off 66, four of his five boundaries and his lone six had all come on the on side, off short balls).

Lanka was 59/1 after 12. Southee had bowled 4 of those, and contributed 27; it didn’t help that Nathan McCullum, given the new ball (why, against spin-happy Lankans?), was equally ineffective (4-0-18-0). Such bowling, in defense of a small total, took the pressure right off the Lankans.

The only wicket to fall was Tharanga, who got a rank bad ball from Southee – short, wide of off – and smashed it towards the point boundary, only for Jesse Ryder to defy both his weight and the laws of gravity, fling himself to his left at point and pull off the sort of catch you watch endlessly on replay, and still don’t believe can be attempted.

Dilshan and Sangakkara then set about shepherding the chase. Though the Kiwis sporadically slowed things down with the odd good over (courtesy Vettori and McKay in particular), their normally razor sharp fielding cracked under the pressure, mistakes proliferated, the support bowlers were cannon fodder to a pair of batsmen reveling in the form of their lives. And as the target got huge chunks chipped off it, the short ball epidemic began affecting even the likes of Vettori himself.

The course of the chase was best mapped through Kiwi bowling coach Allan Donald’s expressions. Early on, he was on the boundary, talking to the bowler who had just finished an over, gesticulating, exhorting. By the halfway mark, he was reduced to shaking his head in undisguised disgust.

Just when it seemed as if the imperious Dilshan, and the silken Sangakkara, would race to the target with humiliating ease, the game turned. The catalysts always existed – the slow pitch made trickier as the ball gets softer and makes the batsman wait on his shots, to name just one.

From a cruise at 160/1, Dilshan gave Southee his second wicket, and Ryder his second catch, in a dismissal that mirrored that of his opening partner – slapping a short ball outside off straight to point, overhitting the ball in his eagerness. In came Mahela and out he went, playing down the wrong line and being nailed plumb by Vettori. Sangakkara, till then epitomizing calm assurance, played a wild upper cut at a short ball outside off from McKay and found third man – and suddenly, Lanka had slid to 164/4; the Kiwis began buzzing around in the field in a manner reminiscent of the closing stages of their game against South Africa, and Lanka’s untested middle order faced music not to their liking.

Barring the implosion against Pakistan, the Dilshan-Tharanga-Sangakkara combine had managed all along to hide the big secret: a middle order as shaky as badly set souffle. Thilan Samaraweera proved to have a bat made exclusively of edges; Chamara Silva needed 10 deliveries to get off the mark with an edge down to third man, and all things seemed possible as the Kiwi bowlers finally discovered their mojo (and Donald his smile).

Followed a remarkable passage of play, featuring full blown panic by the Lankans, and an energetic, committed display by a Kiwi unit suddenly realizing that the finals berth they had fallen short of so many times before was a possibility after all. Dilshan fell to the 4th ball of the 32nd over; the score then was 161/2. From then, till the 41st over, SL progressed to 176/4 – a total of 15 runs in 50 deliveries.

Chamara Silva broke the spell in the 42nd over, first piercing the seemingly impenetrable field with a cover drive off Ryder, then nudging the next ball down to the third man fence. And off the first ball of the next over, he fell, swinging hard at a Southee delivery to get an inner edge back onto his stumps.

By then it was pure nerves. Samaraweera slog-swept Ryder for four; the Kiwis fielded badly and threw worse to give four, all-run, in the next over. 22 to get, five overs to get them in, and the batting power play was mandatorily taken – not that it made much difference to the Kiwis, who ever since Sangakkara’s departure had been keeping six men inside the ring anyway.

McKay, till then supremely economical, let one fly down the leg side for a wide plus four. Next ball, McKay got his radar back and angled one past Mathews’ outer edge. It seemed to touch something; the umpire turned down the appeal for caught behind and was upheld on the review (There is no snickometer, no hot spot – that leaves the decision to the third umpire’s naked eye, and unless the ball was biting a chunk out of the bat, he wasn’t going to see anything his on field colleague didn’t).

Relieved to be still standing, Mathews – injured, and with Jayawardene running for him – greeted Southee in the 47th over with a heave over long on for six, followed by a lofted straight drive for four. The two counter-punches put the Kiwis on the mat; it was just a matter of finishing it off. At which one umpire forgot how many balls there were in an over, at the other end the other umpire called dead ball thanks to premature fireworks even as Samaraweera hit what he thought were the winning runs…It was all very messy, but in the end, Samaraweera sealed it. Perhaps it was appropriate that the winning run was an outer edge that neatly bisected the keeper and slip.

Sri Lanka is in the final, with the bonus of having gotten a good scare that should wake them right up to the hidden danger, just in time for remedial action. The Kiwis are out of the tournament, yet again at the semi finals stage – and have a long flight back home to rue the seven deliveries they failed to play out in their own innings, and consider what may have been.

PostScript: A wicket (Pragyan Ojha) with the last ball he bowled in Test cricket. A wicket (Scott Styris) with his last ball in ODIs on home soil.

Channeling PG Wodehouse, I’d like to be included in the list of ’100 people who asked, Who writes his scripts?’

Source: Prem Panicker, Yahoo Cricket

Sri Lanka openers Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan delivered a one-day batting masterclass to set up a World Cup semi-final with New Zealand.

Tharanga and man of the match Dilshan made light of England’s 229 for six by completing a 10-wicket triumph in 39.3 overs at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, where they will return to for Tuesday’s last-four game.

Dilshan finished on 108 from 115 balls, featuring 10 fours and two sixes, before Tharanga completed victory with his 12th four to go to 102 from 122 deliveries, including one maximum.

The first-wicket pair, who shared a 282-run alliance in the group victory over Zimbabwe, occasionally lived dangerously but prospered from an attacking approach at odds with England’s conservative effort, forced on them by Sri Lanka’s tight bowling.

Only Jonathan Trott came to terms with an attack boasting three spinners and he could afford few risks after England slipped to 31 for two.

Trott continued his outstanding winter form, taking his World Cup run-tally to 422 – the most in the competition, with 86 from 115 deliveries. The number three batsman negotiated searing afternoon heat, sharing a steady half-century stand with Ravi Bopara and a swift one with Eoin Morgan.

Morgan’s alliance with Trott was the only period during which England scored freely. Their first 100 runs occupied 28 overs in contrast to 19 for Sri Lanka. While England’s second came from a little more than 18, Tharanga and Dilshan had little difficulty in bettering that.

England were unfortunate that several outstanding deliveries, notably from Graeme Swann, were not rewarded and the chances Sri Lanka offered were not regulation. The hosts, however, could only blame themselves for the lives they gifted England.

Dublin-born Morgan enjoyed the luck of the Irish, reprieved four times including three drops, en route to 50 from 55 balls. His departure early in the batting powerplay cost England momentum and they fell short of the score they had threatened.

Andrew Strauss earlier won a seemingly important toss and announced an unchanged side – meaning Tim Bresnan had overcome a calf injury – and Kumar Sangakkara revealed one alteration with Rangana Herath playing in place of seamer Nuwan Kulasekara.

Ian Bell, promoted to open in place of Matt Prior, neatly clipped Lasith Malinga off his pads for four in the first over to reach 3,000 ODI runs and did the bulk of the early scoring as Strauss struggled against the lack of pace.

Strauss’ laboured innings ended when he misjudged an attempted pull off part-time spinner Dilshan to be bowled for five from 19 deliveries.

Bell followed in the next over, chipping Angelo Mathews to midwicket on 25, as England only managed 32 from the first 10 overs.

Bopara and Trott negotiated the immediately-taken bowling powerplay despite optimistic stumping appeals against both off Ajantha Mendis.

Herath failed with an lbw review against Bopara, who along with Trott eked out runs without finding the boundary. Their half-century alliance came from 83 balls.

They successfully negotiated Muttiah Muralitharan for four overs until Bopara, on 31, attempted to sweep only to be trapped in front by a full delivery, despite a hapless review.

Morgan struck England’s first boundary for 17 overs, chipping Malinga over cover, and a flurry of fours followed including Trott’s first – from his 65th ball – which made him the competition’s leading scorer.

Morgan was gifted his first life on 16 when Thilan Samaraweera put down a sitter off Mendis, coming in from the cover boundary. The left-hander soon reached 2,000 ODI runs and his fifty-partnership with Trott came from just 48 balls.

Sri Lanka surprisingly opted not to review a leg before appeal when Malinga struck Morgan in front on 29 – replays showed it was out – and he was soon put down twice in three balls off the exasperated Muralitharan by Mathews on the cover boundary and Herath at point.

Morgan’s luck ran out in the 43rd over – the first of the batting powerplay – when Mathews, coming off the cover rope, held on off Malinga. Swann, sent in as a pinch-hitter, lasted just one ball before he was trapped in front by Mendis attempting to reverse-sweep.

With the five overs of fielding restrictions only yielding 23 runs, Trott was held on the square-leg boundary off Muralitharan who struggled with his injured hamstring in the penultimate over. Prior’s unbeaten 22 at better than a run a ball was a welcome late shot in the arm for England.

Tharanga made an early statement of intent, lifting Swann – who opened the bowling alongside Bresnan – down the ground for six, but Dilshan rode his luck against the swinging new ball. Tharanga survived on 32 going for a similar shot off James Tredwell when Chris Tremlett pulled out of a tricky catch at long-off.

Having delayed taking the bowling powerplay, Tredwell and Luke Wright briefly stemmed the runs until Dilshan smashed the former for a maximum over long-off, reopening the floodgates.

Dilshan and Tharanga reached 50 in quick succession before the latter survived tough caught and bowled chances against Tremlett on 58 and 60.

Strauss finally took the bowling powerplay in the 29th over and Sri Lanka’s openers responded by upping the ante further with 40 coming from it.

Dilshan was relentless, sweeping Swann for six to the longest boundary on the ground and cutting the spinner for four to register his hundred. Dilshan, batting with a runner due to cramp, then reigned himself in to allow Tharanga to follow him to a century with a cover-driven four off Tremlett.

Source: ECB

Oh South Africa, what have you done? Earlier this month Graeme Smith tweeted an article titled ‘Time to ban the ‘C’ word’. Hold on to that thought Smith, for clearly that time hasn’t come yet. South Africa were cruising at 108 for 2 in the 25th over when Jacques Kallis fell and they crash-landed spectacularly to be shot out for 172. The self-destructive streak, demonically masochistic in nature, will perhaps need shrinks to decode it. Once they realised their opponents were cracking under pressure, New Zealand went for the kill with close-in fielders and disciplined bowling, led by Jacob Oram who took four wickets and a great catch.

Even when Kallis fell – to a blinder of a catch from Jacob Oram, rushing to his left at deep midwicket – there wasn’t much to suggest that this could turn into another contender for all-time greatest choke in World Cup history. The pitch was slow but there was no sharp turn; the bowlers were disciplined but there was no sensational game-breaking spell; none of the three spinners got much purchase from the wicket; and the total was below par; but for some reason South Africa were feeling extremely claustrophobic.

Their nerves were best represented by the dismissal of JP Duminy, who played an awful shot to open the choke gates. Nathan McCullum slowed up the pace on a delivery that landed on a length, outside off, and Duminy went so hard into an ugly cut that he made a complete hash of it and lost his stumps. With Duminy’s fall, South Africa were in a spot of bother at 121 for 4, in the 28th over, and the first signs of something special loomed over Mirpur.

There was more heartbreak for South Africa fans in the next over. Faf du Plessis hit straight to midwicket and ran like a headless chicken. AB de Villiers should perhaps have refused that call but he responded, only to find himself well short of the crease. It was at this moment that New Zealand really sensed that this could be their night.

The moment was so ripe that even Daniel Vettori, not known for sledging, gave some lip to du Plessis and Kyle Mills, who had carried drinks on to the field at the fall of de Villiers, got into the act. A visibly agitated du Plessis shoved Mills, the departing de Villiers returned to support his partner, and eventually the umpires had to get involved. New Zealand’s players swooped in to the crime scene and it was a classic Youtube moment. You could almost feel the pressure-cooker situation out there.

New Zealand crowded the bat with close-in men, ready to sledge and eager to pile on the pressure, and Johan Botha cracked in the 33rd over. It was a lovely legcutter from Oram and Botha played down the wrong line to lose his off stump. Oram, who was the man who started it all with that Kallis catch, wasn’t done yet. In the 35th over, he lured Robin Peterson into edging an attempted cut to the keeper and South Africa were swaying away like drunken men at 132 for 7. South Africa’s nerves were frayed further when Dale Steyn square drove Nathan McCullum in the air to backward point, where who else but Oram accepted the offering.

If Oram was the man in the forefront of New Zealand’s resurgence, du Plessis was the man seeking redemption for making that wrong call that led to the run out of de Villiers. In his brief international career, he has already shown a tenacity to remain relatively calm under pressure. And he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. He was on 14 when Steyn fell, and he took ownership of the chase. He rushed down the track to slam Tim Southee to the straight boundary in the 40th over, on drove Vettori to collect another four in the 41st, and even lifted Oram for a thrilling six over long-off in the 43rd over.

It was in the same over that the game turned for one last time, and it was also an over that captured the entire madness of the evening. du Plessis had crashed the first delivery of the over back at Oram who couldn’t hold on to a very difficult chance, and once the six was hit, one had to ask the question: was the night turning for Oram? Was it swinging towards du Plessis? But du Plessis sliced the fifth ball straight to extra cover and South Africa had well and truly sunk into oblivion.

The end was a far cry from the way South Africa started the day. They attacked with spin and seam, shuffled their bowlers regularly like a pack of cards, and hustled on the field to keep a tight leash on New Zealand. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor were at the forefront of a revival from the depths of 16 for 2; carefully, almost mindful of a potential lower-order collapse on this pitch, Ryder and Taylor battled through. The odd boundary signalled growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the end of the 30th over with New Zealand reaching 112 for 2 and the game was waiting to be seized. However, both Ryder and Taylor departed in quick succession but Kane Williamson made a vital 38 to push New Zealand to 221.

It shouldn’t have been enough, it didn’t feel like enough, but it proved enough. It was a crazy crazy night in Mirpur. Ironically, Allan Donald, the man who was involved in the other famous South African choke, was in the other camp tonight.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at ESPNcricinfo

It was billed as the blockbuster and the quarterfinal, the second of the 2011 Cricket World Cup at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera on Thursday lived up to the expectations.

India survived a Ricky Ponting masterclass (104, 118 balls, 7×4, 1 x6) and some tense moments to beat four-time World Champions Australia by five wickets and 14 balls to spare to set up a potentially explosive clash with arch rivals Pakistan in Mohali on March 30.

The hosts rose to the occasion in style, first with a superb bowling and fielding effort, then the great master Sachin Tendulkar set the stage alight with glorious strokeplay to put the side on cruise mode before some quintessential Indian harakiri.

The Aussies sensing a chance changed colours, bowled with venom, sledged hard and even bled – Brett Lee getting a cut under his eye while fielding. They did it all but couldn’t stop India from progressing.

There were many heroes for India as they set about their chase of 261, but Yuvraj Singh, yet again, emerged as the knight in shining armour coming up with a match-winning knock of unbeaten 57 runs besides picking up two wickets earlier. The effort earned the southpaw his fourth Man-of-the-match award in this World Cup.

Also rising to the challenge was young Suresh Raina with a gutsy unbeaten 34. Yuvraj and Raina realized 74 runs from 61 balls just when the Aussies had turned on the screws.

There was some intense drama before though courtesy a horrible mix-up between Gautam Gambhir (50; 64b, 7×4) and Yuvraj (their third in the span of five minutes) resulting in the run out of Gambhir. Yuvraj edged David Hussey to Cameron White at slip and even before Yuvraj could realize, Gambhir had dashed towards him from the non-striker’s end and it was a point of no return.

Five overs earlier, Virat Kohli swatted a full toss straight down the throat of Michael Clarke at mid-wicket.

Skipper MS Dhoni cracked a thundering boundary, but another attempt off Lee saw Dhoni cut the bowler straight to Michael Clarke at point. The Indians had slid to 187 for 5 in 37.3 overs and seemed to be spoiling their own party till Yuvraj and Raina came into their own.

Of course, Tendulkar (53; 68b, 7×4) was on a different planet altogether as he caressed, punched, pulled, drove and also played the upper cut, the way only he can to raise hopes of the ton of tons.

Source: Times of India

Pakistan are two games away from repeating the heroics of Imran Khan’s 1992 team after a crushing 10-wicket victory against West Indies in the first quarter-final in Dhaka. Mohammad Hafeez starred with bat and ball, beginning West Indies’ decline with two early wickets then ending it with a brisk 61, while Shahid Afridi is proving an inspirational force and led from the front again with four more scalps as the spinners produced a ruthless display to dismantle West Indies for 112.

Between the three of them, Pakistan’s slow bowlers had figures of 27.3-5-64-8 and gave another example of how there is a threat from every part of the attack. At no point did Afridi need to fill overs, especially when the weakest link of the bowlers – Hafeez – managed to take 2 for 16 in his full allocation. Hafeez then dominated an unbroken opening stand with Kamran Akmal which wiped off the target with barely an alarm and 29 overs to spare.

The match represented a contest for as long as Chris Gayle was in the middle – the sum total of 2.5 overs. His departure sucked the life and belief from West Indies line-up with the rest remaining rooted to the crease, managing just seven fours and a solitary Shivnarine Chanderpaul six as he nudged his way to a hollow, unbeaten 44.

Some early aggression had proved the falsest of dawns. Devon Smith cut the first ball of the match to the point boundary and Gayle played two thumping shots, but in attempting his third boundary, he picked out Afridi at mid-off who did well to hold on to a stinging drive. With their talisman gone, West Indies became virtually scoreless.

Hafeez, handed the new ball after Abdur Rehman was left out, caused a host of problems for the left handers, mainly with his straighter deliveries, rather than any turn. The major damage came in his third over as he skidded one past Smith’s inside edge, and three balls later, a similar delivery removed Darren Bravo as he thrust his pad down the line.

The next six overs brought just six runs as Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chanderpaul were rendered scoreless by the combination of Hafeez and Gul. The shackles were momentarily broken when Sarwan collected two boundaries off Wahab Riaz – the second a flowing cover drive – but they were the rare exception.

Hafeez was allowed to bowl eight overs for 12 runs though he was barely turning the ball and spinners continued to cause problems when Afridi had two close shouts for lbw in his first over. He used up a review with the first one but should have broken through in his second over when Gul didn’t accept a chance at long-off when Sarwan, on 14, tried to go over the top.

Runs came at a painful rate, but at least the fourth-wicket pair were trying to set a platform. However, with the pressure building and Pakistan racing through the overs Sarwan felt he had to try some shots, but couldn’t clear cover as he cut a delivery which bounced more than expected. Not for the first time, Afridi stood with arms aloft and it was just the start for the Pakistan captain.

Kieron Pollard did nothing to end the argument that he’s a bully of weak bowling attacks when he bottom-edged a cut and Kamran Akmal’s recent improvements continued with a sharp take. None of the West Indian batsman – barring Chanderpaul – had a clue which way Afridi was turning the ball and that was summed up by Devon Thomas’ dismissal as he played back to a quicker ball.

From legspin to offspin it was then the turn of Saeed Ajmal to make more lower-order batsmen look foolish. Darren Sammy, who will struggle to justify his place in the team after this tournament, was turned square by a perfect doosra and the same delivery also removed Devendra Bishoo although this time the batsman helped with an inside edge.

Kemar Roach showed some of his team-mates that batting wasn’t impossible as he accompanied Chanderpaul for 15 overs to add 40 but it was like trying to the plug the leak in the Titanic. Roach eventually chipped to midwicket and the innings ended with more than six overs remaining when Ravi Rampaul was bowled round his legs by Afridi.

Pakistan weren’t going to ease their way to the target and after two overs had 25 on the board – it had taken West Indies until the 12th over to reach that point. Hafeez rode on the confidence of his bowling display, but some of the bowling served up was as bad as the earlier batting. A couple of tough half chances were spilled without affecting the result.

The victory means their first journey to India since 2007 to face either the co-hosts or defending champions in Mohali. Pakistan won’t care who the opposition are, it will take an exceptional performance to stop them.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

See if this script seems familiar: One of the top four batsmen gets into the zone and plays out of his skin; at least one other puts his hand up for a best supporting actor nomination; the batting side cruises past the 30-over mark and looks set for a humongous score; one of the set batsmen falls and, like the nursery rhyme goes, they all fall down.

The script should surely be familiar to fans who have seen India go from 305/4 to 338 all out against England; from 268/3 to 296 all out against South Africa and, today, from 212/3 after 40 overs to 268 all out within the distance.

The last time this happened, skipper MS Dhoni had cuttingly remarked that batsmen needed to play for the team, not the crowd. Cricket has a way of coming back to bite you in the butt, and it happened today when Dhoni himself made a mess of an attempt to go down the track and helicopter Devendra Bishoo out of Chennai – the stumping that resulted triggered the all too familiar slide.

Badly as India messed up its batting in the final few overs, credit where due, Ravi Rampaul in particular, and Andre Russell some of the time, bowled superbly on a Chennai center pitch so rolled and sheltered from the elements that it offered spongy bounce. Both bowlers had at the start been so seduced by the spongy bounce that they overdid the short stuff, but in their final spell they bowled the full length, with a modicum of reverse, aiming constantly for the base of the stumps and ensuring that the tail end of the Indian innings yorked itself.

Amidst the ruins, two batsmen stood out. One was Virat Kohli, who came in to bat before the Chennai crowd had settled down, thanks to a brute of a bouncer that Sachin Tendulkar, for all his years and skill, couldn’t evade. The ball touched something as it careened through; the umpire didn’t see it but Sachin apparently felt it, for even as the official was shaking his head in negative response to the appeal, Sachin turned and walked through the stunned silence.

Kohli, getting his favored spot up the order back, settled into the kind of innings he builds so well – full of intelligent placements and sure calling and running, and punctuated by the occasional creamy strokes, mostly through the cover region, against pace and spin alike. Almost throughout his knock, his intent was to turn the strike over to his partner as quickly, and as often, as he could invent ways of doing it.

At the other end, Yuvraj started off a touch edgy particularly against pace, survived a chance when Sammy dropped him at backward point after he was squared up and found out by a Russell bouncer, but once he shook the fidgets out of his system, he remembered who he was in his prime and turned the clock back with a display as close to his best as we will likely ever see. It had everything – effortless drives characterized by immaculate timing; powerful pulls when the bowlers, particularly of the slow and/or spinning variety, dropped short…

His fitness – or lack thereof – no longer permits him to be the electric heeled runner between wickets that he was at his peak (in my book, it was when he combined with Kaif that India finally woke to the value of singles). But when he is on song, he has ability touched with that streak of genius, that allows him to convert almost any delivery into a hittable one, and he does that every time he seems in danger of slipping into a rut.

It was not the easiest knock to play on a two-faced wicket – and to add to the problems posed by the wicket, the Chennai heat and his own avoirdupois made the last quarter of his innings a labored affair, punctuated by a couple of periods of collapse, and one barf at the side of the wicket.

But he soldiered on, and India looked good for a 320-plus score as long as he and Kohli built the innings through the middle phase. But then came the first of Darren Sammy’s good bowling calls – bringing Rampaul on in the 31st over, to take advantage of any reverse before the ball change. Raina got one that darted back in after swinging late; it didn’t help that the youngster, till then all grace, aimed an ugly slog at it. Net result, the off stump went back – and India’s troubles started.

Among the many mishaps that led to wickets, there was one that went under the collective radar – the power play.

Logic dictated its taking after 35 overs. Kohli and Yuvraj were set and batting smoothly; what they needed was the trigger to begin the acceleration and set it up for the much vaunted big hitters. But then Kohli got out, and the power play was delayed ostensibly so Dhoni could settle in. By the time he did, Yuvraj was close to his hundred, and the PP was delayed again. By the time that landmark was attained, Dhoni had gotten out. And shortly thereafter, Raina. And so on. All of which led to the incongruous situation of the PP being taken, mandatorily, in the 46th over for the likes of Ashwin and Munaf to exploit.

The Windies innings was a patchwork quilt of impressions. There was the sight of MS Dhoni, taking a page from his CSK playbook, tossing the ball to Ashwin for the first over of the innings. The lanky off spinner responded with a tight opening spell that saw him give away just 26 runs in seven overs for one wicket, before Darren Bravo got going.

At the other end, there was the rare sight of Zaheer Khan having an off day; forcing Dhoni to try Harbhajan as early as the 6th over. The senior off spinner, though bowling to attacking fields featuring slip and leg slip, lost his internal radar, sprayed it around, went for 23 and had to be hastily removed.

That set up Ashwin to bowl eight unchanged overs at one end, and for part timers to rotate at the other. It also produced the best period of the chase, when Devon Smith did a Kohli, rolling the strike over so Darren Bravo could dance.

And dance he did. The lad looks so much like Lara it is uncanny – and if his looks bear a striking resemblance, his batting is an even more accurate mirror of the Windies icon: the backlift with full flourish, the extravagant ease with which he hits through lines and creates seemingly impossible angles, an airy insouciance that suggests it is all too easy…

There was magic in the way he twice took on the hitherto tight Ashwin, creaming him for a lordly six over long on, predicting that the spinner would adjust the length next ball, waiting on it and smashing it square.

But then, youth and inexperience took over. Suresh Raina bowled as bad a ball as ever took a wicket: short, flat, outside off, and Bravo overhit it in his exuberance to put the ball down the throat of long on.

From then on, it was an implosion that shaded India’s own effort earlier in the day. At the 30 over mark, the West Indies were 154/2 (India 160/2) and cruising, with Devon Smith anchoring brilliantly. 10 overs later, the Windies had slumped to 179/8, and India was thinking ahead to its quarter final game, next Thursday, against Australia.

The turnaround came with Dhoni borrowing from the Darren Sammy playbook. In the 31st over, he brought back Zaheer Khan for the same reason as the Windies captain – to see if there was any reverse swing to be had, before the mandatory ball change in the 35th over.

There was. Zaheer used it to send a couple to leave the well set Devon Smith. And as he has done with Graeme Smith time out of mind, he then produced the one that landed in the same spot, and darted in late – as with the South African Smith, the West Indian variety was also lured into playing down the wrong line, and his off stump pegged back.

The bigger blow came in the next over when Keiron Pollard had what can only be called an Afridi moment. Without even having had time to settle, he launched an almighty hit at Harbhajan Singh and picked out long on – and that rash wicket opened up the game for Yuvraj to work his magic. A beauty that had flight, loop and sharp turn lured Thomas out and had him stumped; another leg break foxed Russell into aiming a cut at it that put the ball in point’s hands…

Long, painful story short, the West Indies lost its last 8 wickets for 34 runs in the space of 13.3 overs – and lost by a margin of 80 runs with eight overs left unplayed. In other words – they were bad.

On the two-paced Chennai pitch, each innings was neatly divided into two halves. In the first half, run making was relatively easy; in the second half, not. In the final analysis, India played the first half of its innings better, thanks to the Yuvraj-Kohli partnership – and won.

The win will paper over a lot of cracks, and deflect attention from what is now becoming a habitual collapse at the fag end of the innings. India has time between now and Thursday – but on that day, Australia awaits.

On current form, the reigning world champions are vulnerable – but India will need to be at the top of its all round game, for if there is one thing Australia is not, it is forgiving of lapses.

Yahoo Cricket

Inspirational Steve Tikolo, a key member of the Kenyan cricket’s glorious years in the late 1990s to early 2000s, led the side against Zimbabwe in his final international appearance in the concluding group A World Cup tie at Eden Gardens.

With the regular skipper Jimmy Kamande spraining his right knee during yesterday’s training session, Tikolo, who had led the side into the historic World Cup semifinals in 2003, was handed the captain’s baton as he made an emotional farewell at the majestic Eden.

“Jimmy hurt his ligament muscle in the right knee and has been advised a few days rest. In his absence Tikolo was the obvious choice,” Kenyan team spokesperson said.

It was an emotional moment for Tikolo, nearing 40, to bid goodbye to his international career having made his ODI debut against India at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on February 18 in the 1996 World Cup.

The exit of Tikolo marked the end of a golden era in Kenyan cricket when they made their World Cup debut in 1996, reached semifinals under his captaincy in 2003 but only to witness the side’s downfall.

Tikolo had yesterday said it would be a great moment calling it a day at the historic Eden Gardens where he last played way back in 1998, when they lost to India by nine wickets in a Triangular series final.

“It is nice to be playing (my last match) at Eden Gardens. I remember my first game at Eden Gardens in 1998 against India which was something special for the players with a crowd of over 80,000,” Tikolo recollected.

But with the inconsequential World Cup match on a day when India take on West Indies in a crucial group B match in Chennai, the turnout was sparse at the stadium.

Tikolo represented the country in 134 ODIs in an international career spanning 15 years. The maverick batsman also featured in 11 Twenty20 matches and scored 260 runs at an average of 32.50.

The former captain regretted having not played Tests. “The ultimate in a cricketer’s career is to play in Tests. That is one thing I would have loved to do – play Test cricket,” Tikolo said.

He picked the 2003 semifinal against India as one of the high points of his career.

“It was indeed a great moment in my career. Qualifying for the 1996 World Cup was also special,” the Kenyan batsman said.

Tikolo plans to take up coaching which is next on his agenda.

“Right now, I am thinking about coaching maybe in Zimbabwe or Kenya and I will keep playing domestic cricket in Zimbabwe.”

Tikolo was part of a successful era in Kenya cricket and ironically witnessed the low points of their team.

Having played an instrumental role in the 1995 World Cup qualifiers to qualify for their maiden World Cup appearance, Tikolo was with the side when they upset the West Indies boasting of Brian Lara, Richie Richardson, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh in Pune in 1996.

Tikolo was there when they beat India in 1998 and 2001 and led his side to wins over Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Canada to make the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup as they came very close to achieving Test status.

But their dream soon faded away with the Kenyan cricket embroiled in mismanagement, as eight years after making the World Cup semis, they are still struggling to revive the game back home.

After today’s show, Kenya may disappear from the scene for an indefinite period with the International Cricket Council’s proposal to trim the 2015 World Cup to a 10-team format.

Source: Times of India

Pakistan were the last team to overcome Australia at a World Cup and it was they who brought Ricky Ponting’s 34-match unbeaten run to an end with a four-wicket victory in Colombo to secure top spot in Group A. An impressive display in the field laid the foundations as the reigning champions were bundled out for 176 on a difficult surface, their lowest total in a World Cup since 1992, and despite a mighty effort from Brett Lee Pakistan were guided home by Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq.

Despite not having either team’s progression at stake, the final group positions determine quarter-final opposition while momentum is also a factor. Both teams were hyped for the contest, and it came to an early head when Umar and Brad Haddin almost came to blows in the field. Australia were desperate not to relinquish a proud record dating back to May 23, 1999.

After their batting subsided with 20 balls unused, Australia’s only chance was to bowl Pakistan out, but in the event it required Lee himself to do most of the damage. He removed both openers in a fiery new-ball burst before returning to claim Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq with consecutive deliveries in 23rd over, leaving Pakistan wobbling on 98 for 4.

However, support for Lee was too late in coming which didn’t leave enough runs for Australia to play with. Mitchell Johnson had Asad Shafiq taken at slip off the glove for a composed 46 and Shahid Afridi brainlessly carved to long-on against Jason Krejza. Surprisingly, Lee wasn’t immediately recalled with 34 runs still needed and by the time he came back the target was down to 10. Umar played one of his most composed innings yet, and Razzaq finished the chase with consecutive boundaries.

Lee could easily have removed Kamran Akmal in the first over of Pakistan’s reply, while in his second over he squared up Mohammad Hafeez and made good ground to take the return catch. With attacking fields set by Ricky Ponting, further boundaries were notched up by Kamran and Shafiq, who had to battle some pain after twisting his ankle, but Lee kept his side in the match singlehandedly.

After being carved over the covers he thundered a rapid delivery into Kamran’s pads and this time he was given out by Marais Erasmus with the review unable to save him. However, Ponting knew he had to save some of Lee for later and his spell ended after five overs which released the pressure on Pakistan.

Shafiq, who showed his composure against Zimbabwe in his first World Cup outing, played another mature hand knowing that the required rate was always in hand. Both he and Younis had a few nervous moments – with the pair edging through a vacant slip cordon – but together they took the requirement below 100. Eventually, though, Younis flashed once too often outside off and gave a simple catch to Brad Haddin, and from the very next ball, the match was back in the balance when Misbah, the other half of Pakistan’s experienced middle order, hung his bat out at a Lee outswinger.

Umar wasn’t going to fiddle his way towards the target and drilled his fifth ball through the covers, but to his immense credit he throttled back to play a very mature hand. He picked the right moments to attack, including a six off Krejza, and didn’t panic after Lee’s rapid inroads. It helped that he had the experience of Razzaq at the end to see them across the line.

Australia have been saying how they wanted a test after easing through most of the group stage but the batting wasn’t up to it on a difficult surface that offered spin and a touch of uneven bounce. Two batsmen desperate for a substantial innings, Ponting (19) and Cameron White (8), both struggled leaving the lower order exposed to an attack that had all the bases covered on a surface offering spin and reverse swing.

Pakistan had an early scare when Gul pulled up at the start of his second over with a knee problem and needed attention from the physio. Whatever treatment was provided worked wonders because he produced a lovely nip-backer to beat Shane Watson’s ambitious drive. Ponting has been scratchy during the tournament and was again unconvincing with his first boundary came from a fortunate top-edge after he was comprehensively beaten by a Wahab Riaz bouncer.

Not for the first time spin brought his downfall when he tried to cut Hafeez, who produced a superb 10-over spell for 26, and got a thick edge that Kamran did well to take in the webbing of his right glove. However, it was originally given not out and the DRS was needed to overturn the decision in Pakistan’s favour. Meanwhile, as the players waited for the TV umpire, there was an altercation between Haddin and the Pakistanis.

Haddin has been consistent during the tournament without reaching the three-figure score the top order needs and he couldn’t convert here when he pushed at a delivery from Wahab Riaz. Misbah missed an opportunity to run out Michael Clarke but made no mistake when his next chance came around when his throw to Kamran found White short after a laboured stay.

In Clarke and Michael Hussey, Australia had two of their in-form players together but even they found scoring tough as Afridi mixed up his bowling options. Razzaq was held back until the 35th over and made an immediate impression when Clarke missed an ugly heave against a well-disguised off-cutter which trimmed the off bail.

Hussey couldn’t perform a rescue-act, either, when he chipped a simple catch to midwicket and the innings was coming off the rails as Razzaq produced a nippy delivery to find Johnson’s outside edge. It left the tail to cope with Gul and Afridi which proved too much, but Australia weren’t many short of a matchwinning total. The quarters and semi-final will be fascinating viewing if the pitches are anything like this surface.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo