Zimbabwe crush Kenya by161 runs

Updated at: 1613 PST,  Sunday, March 20, 2011

KOLKATA: Zimbabwe recoded a massive 161-run victory against their African neighbours Kenya in the last Group A match of the World Cup here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday Zimbabwe showed their batting prowess to post 308-6, their highest total of the tournament, with man-of-the-match Craig Ervine (66), Vusimuzi Sibanda (61) and Tatenda Taibu (53), all making the most of a mediocre Kenyan attack.Kenya, who have looked out of their depth on the Indian subcontinent, losing all six of their matches, put in another disappointing batting performance, slumping to 147 all out in 36 overs at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.Nehemiah Odhiambo (44 not out), Rakep Patel (24) and opener Alex Obanda (23) were the mainstays of their batting.Left-arm spinner Raymond Price, who shared the new ball, off-spinner Greg Lamb and leg-spinner Graeme Cremer took two wickets apiece for Zimbabwe.Both African nations were already out of contention for a place in the quarter-finals, but Zimbabwe had the consolation of ending their World Cup campaign with two wins in six matches.Zimbabwe were earlier struggling at 36-2 after electing to bat, but Sibanda steadied the innings with a 110-run stand for the third wicket with Taibu, who also completed 3,000 one-day runs during his half-century.Ervine and skipper Elton Chigumbura (38) then added 105 for the fifth wicket as Zimbabwe plundered 104 runs in the last 10 overs, with Prosper Utseya (19 not out) smashing three fours and a six in seamer Elijah Otieno's final over.Left-handed Ervine, who cracked one six and nine fours in his 54-ball knock, survived a stumping chance on 15 off spinner James Ngoche as stand-in wicket-keeper Patel failed to collect the ball.Patel kept wicket for a brief spell in place of regular wicket-keeper David Obuya, who suffered an injury while trying to stop a wide delivery.Veteran all-rounder Steve Tikolo, making his last World Cup appearance, led Kenya in the absence of Jimmy Kamande, who was ruled out of the match due to a knee injury.Sibanda hit one six and seven fours in his 57-ball knock before being run out following a mix-up with Taibu.hit seven fours before being trapped leg-before by Ngoche.

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India to bat against Windies in last group match

Updated at: 1338 PST,  Sunday, March 20, 2011

CHENNAI: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first against the West Indies in the final World Cup Group B match here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday India were already through to the quarter-finals before this match, the last of the World Cup group phase, while only a mammoth defeat at the Chidambaram Stadium would prevent the West Indies reaching the last eight.Co-hosts India made two changes after opening batsman Virender Sehwag was ruled out with a knee injury.Suresh Raina replaced Sehwag while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on his home ground, was handed a tournament debut in place of left-arm fast bowler Ashish Nehra. For the West Indies, opening batsman Chris Gayle, who had been an injury doubt, was replaced by Kirk Edwards while Ravi Rampaul came in for fast bowler Kemar Roach.India batsman Sachin Tendulkar headed into the match needing just one more hundred to become the first player to score a hundred international centuries.Victory for India would see them play champions Australia in the last eight while defeat would see them face fellow hosts Sri Lanka.But if the West Indies win they will play Australia while a defeat, assuming it was not by a colossal margin, would see them facing Pakistan.India: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wkt), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf PatelWest Indies: Devon Smith, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kieron Pollard, Devon Thomas (wkt), Darren Sammy (capt), Andre Russell, Sulieman Benn, Devendra Bishoo, Ravi RampaulUmpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Simon Taufel (AUS), TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford (AUS)Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SL)

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Zimbabwe plunder 308-6 against Kenya

Updated at: 1255 PST,  Sunday, March 20, 2011

KOLKATA: Craig Ervine and Vusimuzi Sibanda hit brisk half-centuries as Zimbabwe recovered from early setbacks to post a challenging 308-6 against Kenya in their last World Cup match on Sunday.Zimbabwe were struggling at 36-2 after electing to bat at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, but Sibanda (61) steadied the innings with a 110-run stand for the third wicket with Tatenda Taibu (53).Ervine and skipper Elton Chigumbura (38) then added 105 for the fifth wicket as Zimbabwe crossed the 300-mark for the first time in the tournament.Zimbabwe plundered 104 runs in the last 10 overs, with Prosper Utseya (19 not out) smashing three fours and a six in the final over bowled by seamer Elijah Otieno.Both the African nations are out of contention for a place in the quarter-finals, with Zimbabwe having earned two points and Kenya none after five matches before this game.Left-handed Ervine, who cracked one six and nine fours in his 54-ball knock, survived a stumping chance off spinner James Ngoche as stand-in wicket-keeper Rakep Patel failed to collect the ball.Patel kept wicket for a brief spell in place of regular wicket-keeper David Obuya, who suffered an injury while trying to stop a wide delivery.Veteran all-rounder Tikolo, making his last World Cup appearance, led Kenya in the absence of Jimmy Kamande, who was ruled out of the match due to a knee injury.Sibanda hit one six and seven fours in his 57-ball knock before being run out following a mix-up with Taibu.hit seven fours before being trapped leg-before by Ngoche.

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Zimbabwe elect to bat against Kenya

Updated at: 0840 PST,  Sunday, March 20, 2011

KOLKATA: Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura elected to bat after winning the toss against Kenya in their final World Cup match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday Steve Tikolo, making his last World Cup appearance, led Kenya in the absence of Jimmy Kamande who was ruled out of the game due to a knee injury Both the African nations are out of contention for a place in the quarter-finals, with Zimbabwe having earned two points and Kenya none after five matches.Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Regis Chakabva, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Greg Lamb, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Vusimuzi Sibanda Kenya: Steve Tikolo (capt), Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, James Ngoche.Umpires: Asoka de Silva (SRI) and Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

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Line-up and schedule for quarter finals confirmed

With the group matches completed today, the fixtures and venues have now been confirmed for the knock-out stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.The quarter-final matches will take place in the following order:

Match C Pakistan v West Indies in Dhaka on 23 March
    Match E Australia v India in Ahmedabad on 24 March
    Match F New Zealand v South Africa in Dhaka on 25 March
    Match D Sri Lanka v England in Colombo on 26 March
    The semi-final matches will take place as follows:
    Winner Match D v Winner Match F in Colombo on 29 March
    Winner Match C v Winner Match E in Mohali on 30 March

    The final will be contested in Mumbai on 2 April.

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Pakistan halt Aussies winning streak, take top spot

Updated at: 2126 PST,  Saturday, March 19, 2011

COLOMBO: Pakistan stopped Australia’s unbeaten 34-match run in the World Cup and secured top spot on their group table, beating the defending champions by four wickets in their final match of the Group A here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.Chasing an easy target of 177 runs, Pakistan completed victory with nine overs to spare but they lost six wickets in the process.Umar Gul took three for 30 to help Pakistan dismiss Australia for 176 -- their lowest World Cup total since 1992 -- before Umar Akmal hit an unbeaten 44 to steer Pakistan to victory in 41 overs, finishing top of the pool with 10 points.Pakistan, champions in 1992, will play the fourth placed team in Group B, while Australia (nine points) finished third behind Sri Lanka (nine points) on run-rate and will play the second placed team from Group B.This was Australia's first defeat in the World Cup since losing to Pakistan by 10 runs in Leeds in 1999.But the champions, led by spearhead Brett Lee (4-28), fought hard and twice raised hopes of an unlikely win.Pakistan were cruising along on 98-2 before Lee derailed the chase in his first over of his second spell, dismissing Younis Khan (31) and Misbah-ul-Haq for a first-ball duck -- both caught by keeper Brad Haddin.Mitchell Johnson removed Asad Shafiq (46) while Jason Krejza tempted skipper Shahid Afridi (two) to hole out in the deep, but Umar and Abdul Razzaq (20 not out) saw their team home with a cautious 36-run stand for the seventh wicket.Razzaq hit two boundaries off spinner Jason Krejza to complete the victory.Lee had taken two wickets in his first spell, taking a smart catch off his own bowling to dismiss opener Mohammad Hafeez (five) before trapping Kamran Akmal lbw for 23.Shafiq, who hit five boundaries during his 81-ball knock, added 53 with Younis and 41 with Umar to keep Pakistan on track. Earlier, Gul and Razzaq (2-8) exposed the untested Australian batting after Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to bat on a seemingly flat R. Premadasa stadium pitch.Haddin (42), Michael Clarke (34) and Steve Smith (25) offered some resistance as Pakistan applied relentless pressure to take the last seven Australian wickets for a mere 59 runs after they were 117-3.Pakistan, who opened the attack with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman from one end, forced an early breakthrough when Gul bowled opener Shane Watson for nine.Haddin added 63 for the second wicket with Ponting (19) before Pakistan struck twice, with Hafeez removing the Australian skipper off a miscued cut, caught by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.Left-arm paceman Wahab Riaz then had Haddin caught behind by Kamran in the 24th over. Haddin hit three boundaries and a six during his 80-ball knock.Pakistan then took four wickets in the space of 30 runs to reduce the Aussies to 147-7 and later Gul removed Krejza and Lee cheaply to wrap the Australian innings for their sixth lowest World Cup total.

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Pakistan bowl Aussies out for 176

Updated at: 1723 PST,  Saturday, March 19, 2011

COLOMBO: Pakistan bowled defending champions Australia out for 176 runs in 46.4 overs in their crucial match of the World Cup Group A here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.After Australia captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first in their final match in Group A, a devastating bowling and fielding display by Pakistan saw the Aussies dismissed for their lowest World Cup total since 1992..The four-time champions, unbeaten for 34 matches in the tournament dating back to 1999, struggled for momentum throughout their innings as pacers Umar Gul (3-30) and Abdul Razzaq (2-8) exposed their untested batting All the other bowlers chipped in with one wicket apiece as only Brad Haddin (42), Michael Clarke (34) and Steve Smith (25) offered resistance in a match where the winner will top Group A.Pakistan, the last team to beat Australia in a World Cup way back in 1999, pressured Australia from the start and did not relinquish their grip as the defending champions lost their last seven wickets for just 59 runs.Pakistan, who opened the attack with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman from one end, forced an early breakthrough when paceman Gul bowled opener Shane Watson with a sharp incoming delivery for nine.Haddin added 63 for the second wicket with Ricky Ponting (19) before Pakistan struck twice, with Mohammad Hafeez removing the Australian skipper off a miscued cut, caught by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.Umpire Marais Erasmus of South Africa turned down a vociferous appeal before Pakistan successfully overturned the verdict on review to leave Australia 75-2.Left-arm paceman Wahab Riaz then had Haddin caught behind by Kamran in the 24th over. Haddin hit three boundaries and a six during his 80-ball knock.Pakistan then took four crucial wickets in the space of just 30 runs to reduce the Australians to 147-7.
Cameron White was smartly run out by Misbah-ul-Haq when the batsmen tried to steal a quick single, before Razzaq bowled Clarke.Pakistan removed dangerman Michael Hussey (12), caught off a miscued drive at short mid-wicket off Rehman, who finished with 1-34, and Mitchell Johnson (nought) was the next to go.Gul removed Jason Krejza and Brett Lee cheaply to wrap the Australian innings for their sixth lowest World Cup total.Pakistan left out Shoaib Akhtar, who on Thursday announced he would retire but brought in Umar Akmal for opener Ahmed Shahzad.

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Australia win toss, bat against Pakistan

Updated at: 1341 PST,  Saturday, March 19, 2011

COLOMBO: Australian captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and opted to bat as Pakistan left out express paceman Shoaib Akhtar in the World Cup Group A match at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.
On Thursday Shoaib announced that he would retire after the World Cup and hoped he would get another chance against the defending champions.
The only change in the Pakistan side which beat Zimbabwe on Monday was the inclusion of Umar Akmal, who has recovered from a finger injury, in place of out of form opener Ahmed Shahzad.Australia kept an unchanged side from their win over Canada on Wednesday Both teams have already qualified for the quarter-finals.Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait.Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz.Umpires: Tony Hill (NZ) and Marais Erasmus (SA), Tv umpire: Tyron Wijewardena (SL)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG) 

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Bangladesh need 285 to make quarterfinals

Updated at: 1215 PST,  Saturday, March 19, 2011

DHAKA: Bangladesh were set an imposing 285-run target by mighty South Africa to reach the World Cup quarter-finals here at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.South Africa made 284 for eight after captain Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat first in their World Cup Group B match.Co-hosts Bangladesh have to defeat the Proteas for only the second time in 14 meetings if they are to stay alive in the tournament.Defeat would send Group B rivals India, England and West Indies into the last eight along with South Africa, who have already qualified.South Africa's only defeat to Bangladesh came during the World Cup 2007.Jacques Kallis hit his ninth World Cup half-century as he hit five boundaries and a six in his 69 off 76 balls, sharing a fourth wicket stand of 82 with Faf du Plessis.Du Plessis smashed a run-a-ball 52 before the lower order added 92 runs in the last 10 overs.South African captain Graeme Smith (45) put on 98 for the first wicket with Hashim Amla (51).Bangladesh will chase a stiff target of 5.7 runs an over to win against a South Africa side who rested fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and brought in left-arm seamers Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell.Leg-spinner Imran Tahir, fully recovered from a thumb injury, joined Johan Botha and Robin Petersen in a rare three-man spin attack.

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Pak-Aus encounter to decide group champions

Updated at: 1100 PST,  Saturday, March 19, 2011

COLOMBO: Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes the World Cup effectively starts for his four-time champions on Saturday in their Group A clash with Pakistan.Today's match would decide the champion of the Group A. Australia currently at second after Sri Lanka have 9 points after playing five matches and if win today would surpass the Lankans. And if Pakistan beat Australia they would top the group."As a team, we really do feel the tournament is kicking off now," Ponting told reporters in a pre-match news conference on Friday for a game which may well decide who wins the group.Australia, the only unbeaten team in this World Cup, have beaten Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Kenya and Canada by big margins.Their game against co-hosts Sri Lanka was washed away due to heavy rains, ending the much-anticipated game in a 'no result'.The skipper said his team were in good shape to play Pakistan who pulled off a surprise win over Sri Lanka before falling to New Zealand."We have trained exceptionally hard and very, very well," Ponting said.It is still not clear whether Ponting's men will face Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who announced his retirement following the World Cup on Thursday, after he was dropped for their last match against Zimbabwe on Monday."I have always said that he is the fastest bowler I have ever faced in international cricket," Ponting said of the 'Rawalpindi Express'. "With the new ball he still has good pace."Facts and figures relating to the Group A World Cup match between Australia and Pakistan (0900 GMT) at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Saturday.Head-to-head record:Australia lead 52-29 (Tied: 1; NR: 3)In the World Cups: Australia lead 4-3In the sub-continent: Australia lead 7-5* The last time they played in the World Cup was in Johannesburg in 2003 when Australia cruised home by 82 runs.* Whoever wins Saturday's match will finish top of Group A.* Australia (WW, NR, WW) will look to extend their 34-match unbeaten run in the World Cup.* While Australia are the only undefeated side left in the World Cup, they have looked far from invincible. They notched up a 91-run win against Zimbabwe, allowed second-tier side Kenya to rack up 264-6 before beating them by 60 runs and struggled to tame the inexperienced Canadian batting line-up before securing a seven-wicket triumph. * Pakistan (WLWWW) supporters are perennially unsure of which side will turn up. They have been brilliant against Kenya (205 run win), Sri Lanka (11 run win) and Zimbabwe (seven-wicket win) but they were quite shoddy against Canada (46 run win) and were humiliated by New Zealand in a 110-run loss.* The tie is likely to be a clash between the Australian batting -- Shane Watson (256 runs), Brad Haddin (237 runs) and Michael Clarke (191 runs) -- and the sharp bowling of the tournament's leading wicket-taker Shahid Afridi (16 wickets) and Umar Gul (10 wickets).* The Australian bowling led by the pace trio of Shaun Tait (10 wickets), Mitchell Johnson (nine wickets) and Brett Lee (eight wickets) might be considered somewhat one dimensional in the context of spinning sub-continental conditions. However, the Pakistani batting has not been very convincing either, with only Misbah-ul-haq (192 runs), Umar Akmal (167 runs) and Younus Khan (141 runs) among the runs. (Reuters)

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South Africa bat against Bangladesh

Updated at: 0810 PST,  Saturday, March 19, 2011

DHAKA: South Africa captain Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat in the World Cup Group B match against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Saturday.Bangladesh, who need a win to qualify for the quarter-finals, replaced left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo with off-break bowler Naeem Islam from the side that beat the Netherlands in Chittagong.South Africa, already through to the last eight, rested fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and brought in left-arm seamers Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell in their place.Leg-spinner Imran Tahir, fully recovered from a thumb injury, joined Johan Botha and Robin Petersen in a rare three-man spin attack.Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees,Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam.South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk.Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Daryl Harper (AUS)TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)Pitch conditions: A slow wicket where the ball does not come on to the bat, but it has provided equal opportunities for fast bowlers and spinners.

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