England win toss, bat against South Africa

Updated at: 0836 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

CHENNAI: England captain Andrew Strauss has won the toss and elected to bat first against South Africa in their Group B match here at the M A Chidambaram Stadium on SundayEngland has made one change in their team as Ravi Bopara has come in place of Paul Collingwood while there is no change in South Africa side.

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Rain stops play after Sri Lanka reach 146-3

Updated at: 1652 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011
COLOMBO: Rain stopped play in the World Cup Group A match between Sri Lanka and Australia at R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Saturday.
The pitch was covered as heavy rain fell, with Sri Lanka, who chose to bat, 146-3 after 32.5 overs.Skipper Kumar Sangakkara was unbeaten on 73 and Thilan Samaraweera on 34 not out.

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Sri Lanka win toss, bat against Australia

Updated at: 1344 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and decided to bat in their World Cup Group A match against Australia at R. Premadasa stadium here on Saturday.Sri Lanka named all three spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, in their side. They left out paceman Nuwan Kulasekera from the line-up which beat Kenya by nine wickets on Tuesday, bringing in left-arm spinner Herath on a brownish pitch which is expected to turn.Australia remained unchanged from the side which beat New Zealand last week.Defending champions, Australia, who have not lost a World Cup match since 1999, are seeking their third straight win in the tournament but the co-hosts Sri Lanka are aiming for their third win in four matches.Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, David Hussey, Cameron White, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait

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Cricket WC: Bangladesh captain's house attacked by angry fans

Updated at: 1110 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011

DHAKA: Angry fans attacked the house of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan after his team crashed to a humiliating nine-wicket World Cup defeat against the West Indies, police said Saturday.Shakib's mother and sister were inside the three-storey house in the western district town of Magura when several motor-cycle riders stopped and threw stones at the house on Friday evening, local police chief Proloy Chisim said."The stones broke one window of the house. His father spoke to me after the incident and we have already stepped up security in the area," he said.Shakib's father Mashrur Reza told reporters that a number of windows were shattered on the first floor, including those of the captain's room.Bangladesh, one of the three co-hosts of the World Cup, were bowled out for their lowest one-day-international total 58 on Friday to leave them facing a huge struggle to secure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.Fans also stoned the bus carrying the West Indies team as the players were leaving Sher-e-Bangla stadium after the match in what police claimed was a case of mistaken identity.Police said fans thought it was the Bangladeshi team bus and they hurled stones at it, shattering two windows. Police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have arrested 38 young men in connection with the attack. "We have filed cases against them and they have been sent to the court," police sub-inspector Abdur Razzak said.Up to 3,000 fans also torched Bangladesh jerseys and held protest marches on the Dhaka University campus to vent their anger at the loss.Shakib said it was his worst performance but has insisted his side's World Cup campaign was not over.Bangladesh's score was worse than their previous low of 74 against Australia in Darwin in 2008 and was also the fourth lowest total in World Cup history. The World Cup co-hosts, with one win from three games in Group B, face England, South Africa and the Netherlands in their remaining group matches.(AFP)

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Cricket WC: Australia to face S. Lanka today

Updated at: 0933 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011

COLOMBO: Defending champion Australia will face host Sri Lanka in a crucial match of group A of the tournament at R. Premadasa Stadium, Geo News reported.Geo Super will air live match from Colombo at 2:00 PST.A victory in this game will not only boost the confidence but will almost seal a place in the knock out stages.Australia are yet to lose a game in this world cup with their fast bowlers helping two comfortable wins once each against Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Same can’t be said of Sri Lanka as it dropped two crucial points against Pakistan but had easy wins against minnows, Kenya and Canada.Australia have won more than twice as many games as compared to Sri Lanka. They have won nearly all their bilateral World Cup matches -- except the 1996 final.

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