South Africa Thrashed Sri Lanka in T20 Worldcup 2012

South Africa topped Group C after skipper A B de Villiers led them to a 32-run victory over Sri Lanka in a rain-curtailed match of the ICC World Twenty20 here today.

South Africa rode on De Villiers' 13-ball 30 to post 78 for four after the match was reduced to a seven-over-a-side affair. In reply, the Sri Lankans were restricted to 46 for five as the Protea bowlers took centrestage at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.

The loss meant Sri Lanka will enter the Super Eight stage as the second best team from the group.

Besides de Villiers, Hashim Amla (16), Faf du Plessis (13) and JP Duminy (12) chipped in with important runs to lay the foundation for a comfortable win, after being put in to bat.

In what was the first international T20 match between the two sides, the hosts always had a tough task at hands after the Proteas set a stiff target. It became even more difficult after the Lankans lost openers -- captain Mahela Jayawardene (4) and Tillakaratner Dilshan (0) -- cheaply.

The Sri Lankan batsmen simply failed to find their ground, even as Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis came up with tremendous bowling efforts to restrict the opponents.

The bowlers managed to tightened the noose further and the likes of Dilshan Munaweera, Kumar Sangakara (13) and Thisara Perera (1) could never get the momentum going.

Steyn finished with impressive figures of two for 10 from as many overs.

Earlier, South Africa also did not have an ideal start as Nuwan Kulasekara dismissed opener Richard Levi (4) in the very first over, when Dilshan Munaweera took a brilliant diving catch going back from mid on.

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9:48 AM

All-round Bangladesh trump Sri Lanka, enter Asia Cup final

An all-round effort with the bat, ball and in the field helped Bangladesh continue their giant-killing run and defeat Sri Lanka by five wickets in a rain-affected match at Dhaka today to seal their spot in the final of the Asia Cup.

In a must-win match for them, Bangladesh bowled Sri Lanka out for 232 and then chased down the revised target of 212 in 40 overs with five wickets and 17 balls to spare. A lengthy rain delay after Sri Lanka's innings resulted in the truncated match, but Bangladesh held their nerve despite stumbling in the chase to earn a well-deserved win.

Bangladesh had a disastrous start to the run chase when they were slipped to 40 for 3 in 7.1 overs with Nuwan Kulasekara accounting for Nazimudding and captain Mushfiqur Rahim; and Suranga Lakmal had Jahurul Islam caught by Chamara Kapugedera at midwicket.

The in-form duo of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan got Bangladesh's chase back on course with their 76-run partnership in 12.1 overs for the fourth wicket to put the pressure back on Sri Lanka as the pair kept the scoreboard ticking over by rotating the strike and also hitting boundaries at regular intervals. None of the Sri Lankan bowlers made any impact on Tamim and Shakib as they adopted a low-risk but effective approach in their partnership.

Tamim, who was surprisingly left out of Bangladesh's original squad for the tournament before being reinstated, got to his half-century from only 46 balls; with Shakib continuing his brilliant form with the bat scoring his 50 from 43 deliveries. Tamim, who scored a 57-ball 59 had 28 dots, 19 singles, a couple of twos and nine boundaries in his innings; while Man-of-the-Match Shakib (56 from 46 deliveries) had 19 dots, 14 singles, four twos, two threes and seven boundaries to his name - this is as close as it gets to a
perfect partnership in ODIs.

Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake dismissed both the set batsmen in quick succession to put the pressure back on Bangladesh with the hosts 135 for 5 in the 24th over. Senanayake dropped Tamim off his own bowling when the Bangladeshi opening batsman was on 51, but made amends soon after when he had the southpaw caught by Lahiru Thirimanne at point; before finally winning the battle against Shakib by trapping him plumb in front.

But, Nasir Hossain (36*) and Mahmudullah, who remained not out on 32 from 33 deliveries shared an unbroken partnership of 77 runs in 83 deliveries to ensure Bangladesh wouldn't be denied their just rewards.

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11:52 PM

Asia Cup Match 2 - India vs Srilanka; Will India fire in familiar territory?

Another ODI between India and Sri Lanka. Before you cringe in disgust, the mitigating factor in favour of the latest match is that it is not part of another hastily arranged bilateral series. The teams have no option but to meet once, at the least, in the Asia Cup.

One silver lining, if it can be called that, for India on the disaster that was their recent tour of Australia was their performance against Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Bank series, which culminated in that record chase led by Virat Kohli in Hobart. Out of four meetings between the two sides, India won two and tied another.

India know that will count for little; Hobart and Mirpur are two different worlds as far as conditions are concerned. For the record, they are the defending champions in this tournament. India go into this series with several questions to answer. Among them is the role and future of Sachin Tendulkar in the ODI side. At least the rotation policy at the top of the order that was employed in Australia has become dormant for the moment with no Virender Sehwag in the squad.

The middle order comes with its list of young batsmen with much to prove. Are Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma the men who will perform for India in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand? Their presence in the squad shows that the selectors believe they will; the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, unfortunately, is not the place for them to prove they can.

In a way, India are in a cannot-win situation. If they do well in this tournament, it will be said that they are back to doing what they are best at - making merry on flat subcontinent pitches. If they do not, the talk will be that if they cannot do well even in these conditions …

Sri Lanka are in a much better position. This was not a statement you could have made before the CB series. What a difference the change of captain has made. Under Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka looked rudderless and stagnant. Under Mahela Jayawardene, they seem to have found their way again. What's more, Dilshan has rediscovered himself as a batsman too.

Jayawardene has said that his appointment is short-term and his immediate goal is to make Sri Lanka win again. He started well in the CB series with Sri Lanka narrowly losing out in the finals to Australia. Back in familiar conditions, and considering how rusty Pakistan and India have looked in ODIs recently, Sri Lanka will go in to the tournament as favourites.

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12:18 AM

Jayawardene succeeds where Dhoni fails

The value of good captaincy may be debatable but there can be no disputing that strong leadership improves a cricket team's performance. Sri Lanka'sMahela Jayawardene is a good example.

His vibrant leadership during the CB Series inspired and took his team to the brink of a tournament victory. From the moment Jayawardene elevated himself to the top of the Sri Lankan order, his team became a threat. He also led the way with some brilliant fielding, but just as important as his individual contributions, it was his faith in his players and the respect he has earned that have elevated the level of Sri Lanka's play.

Good captaincy can be seen in the moves a skipper makes on the field but strong leadership is harder to quantify. It mostly involves work done behind closed doors but the rewards are reaped on the field.

Jayawardene showed enormous faith in Lasith Malinga following a horror night in Hobart. And his lead bowler continued to contribute despite a niggling injury. The rapport between the two was obvious when Jayawardene hugged Malinga after his outstanding finishing effort in the must-win match against Australia at the MCG.

In the end Sri Lanka fell just short of winning the trophy, but without Jayawardene's strong leadership and shrewd captaincy, it's doubtful they would have even reached the finals.

Compare Sri Lanka's playing-above-themselves competitiveness with India's under-performance throughout the Australian tour. There's no doubt India had a more talented line-up than Sri Lanka, but other than Virat Kohli's electrifying night at Bellerive, the Indian team was unable to live up to its reputation.

MS Dhoni is a good captain, better in the short forms of the game than Test cricket but a solid skipper nonetheless. However, he has been unable to inspire his team on two lacklustre tours and consequently eight overseas Tests have been lost on the trot. There may have been extenuating circumstances in England, where injuries took their toll, but the Australian tour was an unmitigated disaster

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11:17 PM

Australia lifted CB Series in low-scoring grand final

In a Thrilling Final match Australia beat Sri Lanka by 16 runs to win the best-of-three match one-day international tri series at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

Australia scored 231 off 49.3 overs and held off a determined fightback to dismiss the World Cup finalists for 215 with seven balls to spare in the third ODI final.

Paceman Clint McKay proved Australia's match-winner taking five for 28 off 9.5 overs, including the big wickets of captain Mahela Jayawardene for 15 and Dinesh Chandimal for just five.

Veteran Brett Lee chipped in with three wickets for a more expensive 59 runs.

Upul Tharanga topscored for Sri Lanka with 71 off 122 balls, but once he was caught behind off Shane Watson, Sri Lanka dropped behind the required run-rate and needed 22 for victory off the last two overs.

Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade topscored with 49 off 74 balls in Australia's innings, with fellow opening batsman David Warner hitting 48 off 45

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4:45 AM

Jayawardene, Dilshan flay New Zealand in first Test

Galle, Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan pulverised New Zealand`s bowlers to help Sri Lanka make a spectacular start in the first cricket Test on Tuesday.


Jayawardene hit an unbeaten 108 and Dilshan smashed 92 off 72 balls in his new role as opener as Sri Lanka, sent in to bat under an overcast sky, recovered from 16-2 to 293-3 by stumps on a rain-curtailed opening day.

Jayawardene, who gave up the captaincy earlier this year to concentrate on his batting, compiled his 26th Test century on the easy-paced wicket at the Galle International Stadium.

Dilshan hit the fastest Test half-century by a Sri Lankan off 30 balls, upstaging former captain Arjuna Ranatunga`s 31-ball effort against India at Kanpur in 1986.

Jayawardene put on 118 for the third wicket with Dilshan and 159 for the undefeated fourth with Thilan Samaraweera (82 not out) after New Zealand seamer Chris Martin struck twice in his first two overs.

Martin gave the Test a dramatic start when he had Tharanga Paranavitana, Dilshan`s fellow opener, edging the third ball of the match to wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum.

Martin then removed Kumar Sangakkara for eight, the Sri Lankan captain flicking a half-volley to the mid-wicket fielder after hitting two boundaries in the same over.

The start of the Test was delayed by 90 minutes due to early morning rain, although the pitch and outfield remained unaffected under the covers.

The umpires pushed back the lunch break by an hour to make up for lost time, but just 78 of the stipulated 90 overs were sent down before bad light forced play to end early.

Dilshan, who has batted in the middle order in all of his previous 55 Tests, was promoted to open the innings in order to accommodate fit-again keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

The right-hander, who represents Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, hit eight fours and a six by the time he reached 51 in the 11th over in Sri Lanka`s total of 67-2.

Opening the batting was the multi-faceted Dilshan`s latest role after he donned the wicket-keeping gloves in the recent three Test-series against Pakistan due to Prasanna`s knee injury.

Seamer Iain O`Brien, who bore the brunt of Dilshan`s assault and conceded 55 runs in his first six overs, denied the batsman his ninth Test century by bowling him off the inside edge soon after lunch.

But there was no further respite for the Black Caps as Jayawardene and Samaraweera settled in to tame the tiring attack.

Jayawardene reached his third century against New Zealand and the fifth at Galle when he pulled O`Brien to the square-leg fence for his 13th boundary.

O`Brien gave away 90 runs in his 14 overs, while off-spinner Jeetan Patel went for 60 runs in 15 overs.

The Black Caps will play two Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and a limited-overs tri-series also featuring India during the five-week tour.

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10:42 AM

Muralitharan back for New Zealand Tests

COLOMBO: World bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan will reinforce Sri Lanka for next week's first Test

against New Zealand after
missing the Pakistan series due to injury.

Muralitharan, who has a record 770 Test wickets, recovered from the knee injury and was included in a 15-man squad for the first Test at Galle from August 18, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a media release.

Wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene, who also missed the three Tests against Pakistan because of a finger injury, was back in the squad for the first of two Test against the Black Caps.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who kept wickets against Pakistan in place of Jayawardene and suffered injuries in the hand and face during the third Test, was also named in the squad.

The second Test will be played at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo from August 26.

Sri Lanka's Test squad:

Kumar Sangakkara (Capt.), Malinda Warnapura, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Prasanna Jayawardene, Rangana Herath.

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10:54 AM

Indian Team for CT, Lanka tour to be picked on Aug 16

Mumbai: Indian squad for next month`s triangular ODI series in Sri Lanka and ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa would be picked on August 16 in Chennai.

"Both the teams would be selected in Chennai on August 16. But the dates of the preparatory camp for the players are not yet finalised. It would be done in a short-while," BCCI sources told reporters.

The tour of Lanka features a tri-series, also involving New Zealand from September 8-14 with the teams playing each other once leading to the final.


Champions Trophy is to be held from September 22 to October 5 and all the teams have already short-listed 30 players which is to be pruned to the final squad of 15.

The Indian team`s preparatory camp, in all probability, will be held at the end of August in Bangalore prior to the September 1-8 inaugural BCCI Inter-Corporate Trophy.

The Inter-Corporate trophy will be played in four centres - Mohali, Dharamsala,Bangalore and Vishakhapatnam.

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12:00 PM

Indians involved in match-fixing in SriLanka

NEW DELHI: Match-fixing has returned to haunt the game of cricket and this time it is the Pakistani cricketers who are facing the heat after a disastrous tour of Lanka. ( Watch )

Former Pakistan chief selector Abdul Qadir made startling allegations, saying Pakistani players are linked to Indian bookies.

It came to light during the tour of Sri Lanka with stories of Pakistani players being approached by suspicious Indians, as reported by manager Saeed Yawar.

Pakistan Cricket Board has taken strict action in its bid to come clean from the match-fixing allegations. Sources within PCB told Times Now that people who are key suspects had approached the Pakistan players during the series in Sri Lanka. These people have been following the team for the last three tours. It is also indicated that strict action would be taken against Pakistan team manager in Sri Lanka, Yawar Saeed.

As contradicting reports emerged during the tour, the report came to light with ICC sources confirming to Times Now that they will look into the incident after the PCB had informed the parent governing body regarding suspicious incidents during the tour.

The report gained further prominence with former Pakistani chief selector Abdul Qadir accusing the team of having fixed matches in Sri Lanka. Qadir also lashed out at the team for its pathetic display during the tour.

The emerging Indian angle to the incident is the most disturbing. As more and more Indian bookies' names have been revealed in the match-fixing cases in the recent times.

Talking to Times Now, Abdul Qadir maintained his statement and confirmed the reports. Qadir speaking exclusively to Times Now on the match-fixing said, "This is a sensitive issue. One has to be careful. Whatever I said if it is correct of incorrect, I do it professionally."

Salman Ahmed, who is an agent who represents a few Pakistani players also confirmed the Indian angle to reports. Ahmed told Times Now, he had seen Indian bookies during various tours and also during the multi-million Indian Premier League.

Pakistan players' agent, Salman Ahmad, speaking exclusively to Times Now on the entire controversy said, "I can identify the people who were around when there was Indian Premier League. They were the same people when South Africa was playing in Pakistan. These are the same people who were in Sri Lanka when Pakistan was playing its matches. These people were there when teams like Mumbai, Punjab or any other team was playing. These were the same people during the time of Asia Cup also. From their faces, one could identify that they were from India. I am on a flight to Colombo and unless I see them tomorrow in Colombo I cannot comment further. When I identify, the relevant authorities will get to know."

Cricket journalist of Sri Lanka, Rex Clementine, speaking to Times Now said that this is nothing much to worry about. He said, "A few Indians were spotted at the place where Pakistan players were put up. From that day, these reports were coming out. Once it becomes official, the situation will be alarming. Right now, it is all unconfirmed. The security around the players is very tight. One cannot approach the players easily because they have been guarded by special forces."

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9:00 AM

Pakistan cricket under fire after S.Lanka slump

KARACHI — Former players Tuesday called for a major shake-up in Pakistani cricket after the national side lost the five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka 3-0.

Sri Lanka, who won the preceding three-Test series 2-0 to post their first home series win against Pakistan, crushed Pakistan by six wickets on Monday to secure the limited-overs contest as well.

Sri Lanka have never won a home one-day series against Pakistan before and are now eyeing a clean sweep.

Mahela Jayawardene scored a brisk 123 for his first one-day century in two years to help Sri Lanka overhaul a daunting 289-run target at the Rangiri International Stadium.

Pakistani former captain Zaheer Abbas said the defeat stressed the need for a major overhaul.

"The World Twenty20 win had hid all the weaknesses in the team and the cricket board," said Abbas, referring to Pakistan's triumph in England in June.

"The top man doesn't know much about the intricacies of cricket and is taking decisions to please his friends," Abbas said of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt. "From top to bottom we need changes.

"Since this board has taken over we have lost the Champions Trophy, we have been stripped of World Cup 2011 matches and we have failed to handle the team, so this is total mismanagement, which is unacceptable," said Abbas.

Security fears in Pakistan forced the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate the biennial Champions Trophy to South Africa in February. Two months later, the ICC also had to move World Cup 2011 matches out of Pakistan.

"The coach (Intikhab Alam) must go, and the captain (Younus Khan) also lacks the qualities of a good leader," said Abbas.

Former chief selector Abdul Qadir demanded resignations from the board and the team.

"They should feel ashamed," said Qadir, who resigned in June after alleging interference in selection matters from the PCB and Alam.

"Defeats are part and parcel of the game, but shameful defeats are unacceptable."

Former captain Aamir Sohail, who last month resigned as the PCB's development director after differences with management, also slammed the Pakistani setup.

"No one, from the board officials to the team management, seems to have a clear plan in mind," he said.

"Some of the decisions make no sense, like two regular openers were sent to Sri Lanka but we used makeshift openers in the series which we have lost now."

But another former captain, Rashid Latif, differed.

"Changes are not the solution," said Latif. "I think the team needs to go back to basics and there should be no interference in team planning. The team must play to its own plan."

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10:21 AM

Cricket- Pakistan battle back against in Colombo Test

Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria took five wickets as Pakistan claimed a 66-run first-innings lead against Sri Lanka on the second day of the third and final Test in Colombo.


Kaneria accounted for four of the last five wickets to fall, with the home side -- who have an unassailable 2-0 series lead -- crumbling in the final session to be all out for 233.

Pakistan then lost first-innings hero Khurram Manzoor in reaching 16-1 at stumps, meaning that 14 wickets fell in Tuesday's play.

Pakistan had resumed on 289-7 but lost both overnight batsmen, Kaneria and Kamran Akmal, without addition to the total.

Nuwan Kulasekara trapped Kaneria leg before wicket for one to end with figures of 3-47, while fellow paceman Thilan Thushara bowled Akmal for the same score and -- 10 runs later -- also skittled last man Saeed Ajmal to claim his first five-wicket haul in Tests.

Sri Lanka made the worst possible start when Malinda Warnapura was bowled by Umar Gul with the first delivery of the innings, then fellow opener Tharanga Paranavitana shouldered arms to an in-ducker from part-timer Younis Khan to leave the hosts 23-2.

Captain Kumar Sangakkara made a fluent 45 off 56 deliveries to steady the innings, surviving a dropped catch to Manzoor at gully before being unluckily trapped lbw by Ajmal with the last ball before lunch, which appeared to pitch outside leg stump.

Spinner Ajmal bowled Thilan Samaraweera for six, then Mahela Jayawardene was joined by Angelo Matthews in a 71-run stand.

Mathews, who was dropped on 12 by Akmal, made a stubborn 31 before being caught at slip by Misbah-ul-Haq to become Kaneria's first scalp.

Kaneria quickly trapped Chaminda Vaas lbw for 4, then ended Jayawardene's resistance when he bowled the experienced right-hander for 79.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, batting down the order due to an injured finger, stood firm as Kulasekara and Rangana Herath fell cheaply to the twin spin attack of Kaneria and Ajmal.

He added 29 for the final wicket with Thushara, who contributed only five, as he clubbed two sixes and two boundaries in his 44 despite suffering a nasty cut near his eye when a delivery from Ajmal went through his visor.

Dilshan fell short of his half-century when he was caught behind to give Kaneria his 13th five-wicket haul in Tests.

In Pakistan's reply, Manzoor, who compiled an impressive 93 in the first innings, had made only two off 28 deliveries when he was bowled by spinner Herath.

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11:31 AM

Sri Lanka wary of "temperamental" Pakistan

COLOMBO (AP): Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is wary of a Pakistan comeback in the final test of the series, acknowledging the visitors' capacity for sharp form turnarounds.

Sri Lanka has an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three match series, with the final test starting Monday.

Pakistan will be both trying to recoup some pride with a win, and to gain some momentum heading into the upcoming one-day series.

``Pakistan has always been temperamental as a side,'' Sangakkara said Sunday. ``That's what the greatest dangers about them. We don't know what to expect when we walk out on to the field.

``The thought always at the back of our heads is that 'these guys are such a great side, just watch out, one of these days they are going to come back and come back hard at you.'''

``We've just got to be ready and if that happens we absorb the pressure.''

Pakistan lost the first two tests after being in winning positions but collapsing dramatically.

``Our mental status is simple,'' Pakistan captain Younis Khan said. ``Everybody wants to win, everybody knows that if we play to our potential we deliver all the time.''

Khan said he agreed with Sangakkara's opinion that Pakistan team is unpredictable and worried about its tendency to collapse.

``It might become our habit. So we must stop these things specially in test cricket because in one-dayers or Twenty20 it's managable. But not in test cricket.''

The test will be the last in the career of 35-year-old Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas.

``Let me officially announce my retirement from test cricket after playing the third test match against Pakistan. I wish to continue playing ODIs and T20 till the World Cup,'' Vaas told reporters Sunday.

Making his debut against Pakistan in 1994, Vaas went on to take 354 wickets in 110 tests, becoming the second highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka after Muttiah Muralitharan's 770.

In his later years Vaas tuned his batting to become a useful allrounder with more than 3,000 test runs.

``It's a sad day when such a great player goes out of test cricket,'' Sangakkara said. ``He has thought long and hard.''

``Vaasy has got a great part to play in our one-day set up until the World Cup.''

Sangakkara praised Vaas' success, mostly bowling on subcontinent pitches that are unresponsive to seam bowling.

``Where spinners do well Vaasy had reveled,'' Sangakkara said.

``No matter who replaces Vaasy in the lineup they will take years and years to reach the standards that he has. May be they never will.

``He's a true champion, probably the only Sri Lankan fast bowler we can call a true legend of the game.''

Squads: Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Malinda Warnapura, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Anjelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Rangana Herath, Kaushal Silva, Suranga Lakmal and Dammika Prasad.

Pakistan: Younis Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamir, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam and Faisal Iqbal.

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10:12 AM