Trott steers England to 229 against Sri Lanka

Updated at: 1736 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

COLOMBO: A superb 86 by Jonathon Trott helped England set a target of 230 runs for Sri Lanka in the final World Cup quarter-final here at the R. Premadasa stadium on Saturday.After captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and decided to bat, England made a poor start losing both openers for 31 but Trott rescued them with Ravi Bopara (31) and Eoin Morgan (50) as his team made 229 for six in their 50 overs.Trott’s 86 was his 11th fifty in one-day internationals and the fifth half-century in this tournament. He added 64 runs for the third wicket with Bopara and 91 for the fourth with Morgan to
anchor England to a fighting total on a slow wicket.Sri Lanka went into the match with three frontline spinners -- Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath -- who made it tough for the batsmen to score with their tight line and length.Morgan was dropped three times -- on 16, 33 and 34 – while television replays showed he was also lbw to Lasith Malinga, a decision Sri Lanka did not appeal.Strauss struggled against some accurate bowling by part-time off-spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan, who bowled the second over of the innings.Ian Bell (25) became the third batsman to be promoted to open the England innings in the tournament and got off to a confident start but chipped one straight to Thilan Samaraweera off Angelo Mathews England kept the same side which beat the West Indies in their last Group B match, still keeping paceman James Anderson on the bench and playing with two off-spinners in Graeme Swann and James Tredwell.Sri Lanka included left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for paceman Nuwan Kulasekara as the only change in the squad which beat New Zealand by 112 runs to give them three frontline spinners.The winners of the match will play against New Zealand at the same venue on Tuesday in the first semi-final.

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South Africa will rise from ashes, says Smith

Updated at: 1705 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

DHAKA: Outgoing one-day captain Graeme Smith, devastated by South Africa's sudden World Cup exit, has predicted the national team will quickly overcome their latest debacle.The Proteas collapsed from a winning position to hand New Zealand a dramatic 49-run victory in Friday's quarter-final at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in the Bangladesh capital.The Black Caps, restricted to 221-8 after taking first strike, bundled out South Africa for 172 after they were sailing merrily at 108-2 by the 24th over.South Africa, often regarded as the best team never to have won the World Cup, have now lost in three semi-finals, two quarter-finals and once in the first round.But Smith, who will stand down as one-day skipper but remain the leader in Test cricket, was confident the team will taste success again."This is an exciting period for South African cricket," he said. "We have the players and the talent. Hopefully in future we will go all the way."South Africa deserves to win the World Cup." Friday's defeat lent credence to the widespread belief that South Africa are cricket's biggest chokers, and Smith was at a loss to pinpoint the reason for the failure."It is really hard to describe what happened," said Smith, mystified by a World Cup record which shows South Africa having failed to win any knockout game in the tournament since their 1992 debut."Your guess is as good as mine. It's been happening since 1992. We just weren't good enough, but we have to take it forward and not get bogged down."There will be a new coach and new captain. We are disappointed but nothing I say is going to change that for fans back home."Smith said his team threw away a great opportunity."We had the opportunity to close out the game after we kept them down to 221 and can only blame ourselves," he said. "We let ourselves down, we let our fans down."South Africa had topped the tough Group B with five wins from six matches in the league, but fell just when the pressure of a knock-out situation came along."I can't fault the way we played in the tournament," added Smith. "We trained hard and gave our best."We certainly bowled well in this game, but New Zealand squeezed us when the ball became soft. We needed to show composure at that stage. It is difficult to recover on wickets like this." "One must give credit to New Zealand for the way they played," said Smith. "Ryder set up the 200 which I thought was very gettable. But they stuck to the task in the field."They certainly deserved to win."

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Vettori eyes big finale for little guys

Updated at: 1601 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

DHAKA: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori dismissed suggestions on Saturday that reaching the World Cup semi-finals should be the limit of his team's ambitions."I look at it as an achievement for a country so small that we make so many semi-finals. That's a better way to look at it for a country of four million people," he said. "People may put negative stamps on it but I think it's an achievement for a country like ours."New Zealand came from behind to upset South Africa by 49 runs in Friday's quarter-final at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium, their fourth win over the fancied rivals in six World Cup encounters.Vettori's men, restricted to 221-8 after taking first strike in the day-night match, bundled out South Africa for 172 in an exciting finish.It will be New Zealand's sixth appearance in the semi-finals, where they await the winners of Saturday's match between Sri Lanka and England in Colombo."I think the reputation we have is that we can beat any team on a given day," said Vettori."But consistency has avoided us a lot of the time, so it's our big chance in the semi-finals to go one or two better."Vettori said beating South Africa in a crunch game boosted morale, and praised his side for fighting till the end."Something around 250 would probably have been a really good score, but we knew 221 was defendable and the way we bowled, and particularly the way we fielded, got us through to the victory.""I think when we got de Villiers and Kallis out, we all started to believe we could go all the way, the captain said."Their top four batsmen have proved themselves for a long, long time and have an excellent track record. They also had a long tail. So we had to take wickets."South Africa, often regarded as the best team never to have the World Cup, have lost in three semi-finals, two quarter-finals and once in the first round.

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England win toss, elect to bat against Sri Lanka

Updated at: 1339 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

COLOMBO: England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and chose to bat in the last of the World Cup quarter-finals against Sri Lanka here at the R. Premadasa stadium on Saturday.England kept the same side which beat the West Indies in their last Group B match, still keeping paceman James Anderson on the bench and playing with two off-spinners in Graeme Swann and James Tredwell.Sri Lanka included left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for paceman Nuwan Kulasekara as the only change in the squad which beat New Zealand by 112 runs to give them three frontline spinners The R. Premadasa stadium pitch is likely to help batsmen but will take slow turn as the match progresses.The weather could play a major role with rain expected in the evening.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.England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Eoin Morgan, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Luke Wright, Chris Tremlett.Umpires: Billy Doctrove (WI) and Simon Taufel (AUS), TV umpire: Tony Hill (NZ)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)

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Sri Lanka, England quarter-final today

Updated at: 0835 PST,  Saturday, March 26, 2011

COLOMBO: Soon after the Sri Lanka team returned to the dressing room following a practice session on the eve of their quarterfinal against England, skipper Kumar Sangakkara exited the enclosure.Rather than walking towards the media centre for the customary interaction, he headed straight to the wicket. Sangakkara first tapped the surface to check the firmness and then had a word with the ground-staff. However, he would know that more than the nature of the 22-yard strip, the decisive factor in Saturday’s quarterfinal would be handling pressure.While Sri Lanka would have to live up to the expectations of 20 million nationals 35,000 of who would be vociferously supporting the team from the stands England would have to deal with the challenge of fielding 11 physically and mentally fit cricketers.Sangakkara tactfully avoided questions on home pressure. “That’s the way cricket is played here. World Cup or not, we get a packed house here; it won’t be different tomorrow,” the left-hander said on Friday.Though the hosts were relieved to hear about Muttiah Muralitharan’s recovery from a hamstring strain, they still have a few areas to ponder on, going into the key clash. The lower-middle order, for instance, has proved to be a big headache.Thrice in six league matches, a flurry of wickets have fallen in the death overs. With the top-four coming good on each of the three occasions, it didn’t affect the outcome of any game. But, in the event of the top-four failing to click, the lower-middle order will certainly be exposed.England, on the other hand, are hoping for a less-than-dramatic match for a change. Thanks to the numerous close finishes, they have surprisingly emerged as the most entertaining outfit in the tournament. To add to their injury woes, Michael Yardy’s depression has kept England in the limelight.“We have had a lot of injuries, lot of people coming and going, and I think that tests your resolve as a group. Also, the core of the side has to be able to welcome other people in and make them feel part of the side. That’s something we are good at,” said skipper Andrew Strauss.Whether they are good at pulling off another surprise on Saturday remains to be seen.

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ICC President Sharad Pawar praises Bangladesh for its wonderful hosting

ICC President Sharad Pawar has praised Bangladesh for its hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.Pawar, who was in attendance at the New Zealand-South Africa game on Friday, said: "It has been wonderful to experience the hospitality of the people of Bangladesh.I'd like to thank the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, Finance Minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Sports Minister, Ahad Ali Sarker, and the Government of Bangladesh for their support and cooperation in so successfully hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup opening ceremony and all of the matches in Bangladesh."The manner in which the whole country has embraced the World Cup has been a joy to behold. The passion that the people of Bangladesh have for cricket is wonderful."I have also been very impressed with the facilities here in Dhaka. The Sher-e-Bangla Stadium is a world-class venue that all of Bangladesh should be proud of."All eight matches in Bangladesh were well-attended and even those that did not feature the home team were played out in front of big crowds. The people came in and appreciated the good performances and enjoyed the game."Immense credit must go to the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, AHM Mustapha Kamal, his team at the BCB, the Local Organising Committee, the Government of Bangladesh and, of course, the people of this beautiful country."An event of the scale of the ICC Cricket World Cup poses many logistical and operational challenges for host nations and I am pleased to say that the cricket community in Bangladesh has not merely met those challenges but has exceeded them."I am sure cricket in Bangladesh has a positive and prosperous future and we look forward to returning to the country for the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier later this year and the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014."

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New Zealand stun South Africa to reach semis

Updated at: 2101 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

DHAKA: New Zealand in an astonishing effort defeated South Africa by 49 runs with 6.4 overs to spare to move into semi-finals of the World Cup in the third quarter-finals of the World Cup here at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday.Chasing a not so difficult target of 222, South Africa were all out for 172 runs in 43.2 overs.It was the fifth defeat in as many World Cup knockout matches for the South Africans since their first appearance at the 1992 tournament.South Africa were cruising to victory at 108 for two with their premier batsman Jacques Kallis well set on 47.But Kallis was magnificently caught on the boundary by Jacob Oram off Tim Southee, JP Duminy was bowled for three and AB de Villiers run out two balls later for 35.New Zealand, who had fielded tenaciously and bowled with spirit, piled on the pressure with medium-pacer Oram bowling snapping up two more quick wickets.Faf du Plessis, who was dropped by Oram on 29, hit the New Zealander for six off the next ball before holing out to Southee for 36. Morne Morkel was the last man to fall for three as South Africa were dismissed for 172 off 43.2 overs.Jesse Ryder anchored the New Zealand innings with 83, his maiden World Cup half-century. But although the Kiwis became the only team in the tournament to bat through their overs against South Africa their eventual total of 221 for eight seemed well short of a challenging total.New Zealand, who have now reached the semi-finals six times, will meet the winners of Saturday's quarter-final between Sri Lanka and England in Colombo next Tuesday.

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Sania, Shoaib in loyalty battle on Indo-Pak 'war'

Updated at: 2002 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

NEW DELHI: A mini-battle of loyalty is simmering between star couple Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik as India gear to take on Pakistan in a high-voltage World Cup semi-final clash next week.Sania, India's top-ranked women's tennis player, will be rooting for her country despite her marriage to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik."I support India and Shoaib will support Pakistan as usual! The war is on," Sania wrote on her Twitter account from Miami where she is taking part in a WTA event.India booked a last-four World Cup berth against their arch-rivals after beating defending champions Australia by five wickets in the quarter-final in Ahmedabad on Thursday.Pakistan made the semi-finals with a 10-wicket mauling on West Indies the day before.Sania, 24, married Shoaib in Hyderabad in April last year amid a lot of hype surrounding the love-struck cross-border sport stars.Sania said she would have love to catch the semi-final action in Mohali next Wednesday but for her professional commitments.The last time they played in Mohali I watched the match live. What a semi-final on the line. Wish I could be there," read another tweet from the tennis star.Shoaib and Sania's sporting marriage is unprecedented in the perennial rivalry between the South Asian nations, and some right-wing Hindu groups in India had denounced the union, accusing Sania of betraying her country.

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Pak team arrives in Delhi for Mohali match

Updated at: 1818 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

NEW DELHI: Pakistan cricket team reached here to play their arch rivals India in the semi-finals of the World Cup 2011.The team left Dhaka this morning for the Indian capital from where it will go to Mohali where the semi-finals will be played on March 30.Captain Shahid Afridi said, while talking with Geo News before the departure at the Dhaka airport, that Indian team is difficult but his players’ morale is high.Pakistan team will stay at Delhi for a few hours then proceed to Mohali.

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World Cup: Proteas restrict Kiwis to 221-8

Updated at: 1714 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

DHAKA: Despite a 114-run third wicket partnership between Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor New Zealand could reach 221 for eight wickets in their 50 overs against South Africa in the third quarter-finals of the World Cup here at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday.After captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat first but they were reduced to 16-2 by the sixth over. However, Ryder and Taylor rescued them to take the score to 130 by the 33rd over before the Proteas bounced back with three wickets for 26 runs in six overs.Jesse Ryder, who failed to reach 50 in six previous innings in the tournament, finally struck World Cup form with a fluent 83.Kane Williamson hit an unbeaten 38 towards the end to ensure South Africa chased a 200-plus target for a place in the semi-finals.Seamer Morne Morkel finished with 3-46, while fast bowler Dale Steyn and leg-spinner Imran Tahir picked up two wickets each.South Africa's ploy to throw the new ball to a spinner worked again as left-armer Robin Peterson dismissed Brendon McCullum in his second over with a superb diving return catch.It was Peterson's 15th wicket in the tournament behind only Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi (21) and Indian seamer Zaheer Khan (17).Steyn then had Martin Guptill caught at mid-off for one, but Ryder and Taylor settled in to take the attack to the rival camp.South African captain Graeme Smith introduced off-break bowler Johan Botha in the fifth over and Tahir in the 13th, but failed to secure another quick wicket.Ryder brought up New Zealand's 100 in the 28th over with a superb drive through the covers off Steyn for his seventh boundary.Taylor, who smashed an unbeaten 131 off 124 balls against Pakistan, looked set for another big knock before he holed out in the deep off Tahir in the 33rd over.South Africa choked the Black Caps with two more blows as Scott Styris was bowled by Morkel for 16 and Tahir ended Ryder's brave knock by having him caught on the mid-wicket fence.The winners will meet either Sri Lanka or England in the first semi-final in Colombo on March 29.

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World Cup: Pakistan equal Australia in reaching semi-finals for 6 times

Updated at: 1649 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

COLOMBO: Though Australia could not reach the World Cup semi-finals for the seventh time as India shattered their dream of winning the fourth consecutive title in the mega event but Pakistan equaled the record of reaching the semi-finals for the sixth time.Pakistan did so while defeating the West Indies in the first quarter-finals in the tournament.Earlier, the record of playing the World Cup semi-finals for six times was held only by Australia who have now been beaten by India. India have reached the semi-finals for the fifth time stopping England to move into the semis.England have already played the semi-finals for five times while New Zealand have qualified for the semi-final for the fifth time. Both can stand beside Pakistan and Australia if they perform well in the quarters-finals.West Indies had won the World Cup twice but they played the semi-finals only for four times.South Africa and Sri Lanka reached this stage for three times and Kenya also joined the last four teams once in the World Cup.

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Team morale high, we’ll give tough time to India : Afridi

Updated at: 1506 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

DHAKA: Pakistan captain Shahid Khan Afridi said that Pakistan has always given a tough time to India in India and his team would plan a better strategy against the hosts in their semi-finals in the World Cup.He said that the morale of the team is high and each player of his team has a sense of responsibility.Afridi said that he has fulfilled the promise of reaching the semi-finals with their nation’s prays and all his boys are confident enough to tackle India.He said that they would give positive results in the semi-finals, too.The skipper said that the Pakistan team is ready to compete with any team anywhere and he would plan an strategy according to situation.“The boys are professional cricketers,” he said. “Of course everybody likes to have the crowd supporting you but that doesn’t mean that we cannot play in front of fans, who are backing our rival team. There were over 30,000 people supporting Sri Lanka in Colombo but we won that match,” he said referring to Pakistan’s 11-run win over the tournament co-hosts in a Pool A match last month. Afridi is confident that his players were capable of giving their best at any venue.

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Singh invites PM, President to watch semi-final

Updated at: 1830 PST,  Friday, March 25, 2011

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday invited Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to watch semi-final match between Pakistan and India in Mohali, Geo News reported quoting Indian media.According to the Indian TV channel, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will witness the semi-final match to be played at Punjab Cricket Association ground in Mohali."I propose to be at Mohali to watch the World Cup semi-final match between India and Pakistan to be held on 30th March," Dr Singh said in a letter to President Zardari."There is huge excitement over the match and we are all looking forward to a great game of cricket that will be a victory for sport. It gives me great pleasure to invite you to visit Mohali and join me and the millions of fans from our two countries to watch the match," he said.Dr Singh wrote a similar letter to Mr Gilani, inviting him and his wife to join him at Mohali.

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