World Cup 2011: Sri Lanka Beat New Zealand

Sri Lanka overcame a late challenge from New Zealand to win by 5 wickets and reach the Cricket World Cup final as Muttiah Muralitharan added to his record one-day wicket total in his last match on home soil.Muralitharan took two wickets, including that of the Kiwi’s top-scorer Scott Styris (57) with his last ball, and was applauded before and after the match Tuesday by the sellout crowd at the 36,000-capacity Premadasa Stadium. Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis each claimed three wickets as New Zealand was restricted to 217 in Colombo. Sri Lanka scored 220-5 with 13 balls remaining as Thilan Samaraweera hit the winning runs with a boundary off Andy McKay.

“It’s my last game and I got a wicket with my last ball,” Muralitharan said as he left the field with figures of 2-42. “The same thing happened to me in Test cricket so I’m very happy.”

Sri Lanka, the 1996 champion, moves to the final in Mumbai on April 2, where it will meet the winner of today’s match between archrivals India and Pakistan in Mohali, India.

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India game is a mini-final - Tim Nielsen

Tim Nielsen, Australia's coach, has said his team were hoping to meet India in the final of the World Cup, and would be treating their quarter-final against the tournament co-hosts in Ahmedabad on Thursday as a "mini-grand final". He said he was aware the atmosphere at Motera would be electric, and his players were looking forward to that.

"The adrenaline will certainly be flowing and playing in front of their home crowd in Ahmedabad will be exciting and a challenge for us," Nielsen said. "We've got no fear now; we know we're in the knockout stage.

"It's exciting … a mini-grand final in itself. If you came here and thought, 'What would be the best result? It would be great to make the final against India'. Well, we've got our final against India in the next few days. I'm sure if we're on our game, they won't necessarily be looking forward to playing against us. That's something in our favour."

India have played Australia in 15 one-dayers at home in the last five years, and Australia have won nine of those matches. Both teams have lost a game each in the group stages of this World Cup, and though India will be hoping home advantage can buoy them to a victory, Nielsen warned it could also be a hindrance to them.

Nielsen said he remembered the pressure Australia faced when they played the World Cup at home in 1992, and said things would be no different for India. "It's [playing at home] a huge factor for them. There's some pressure there and if we can start the game well and maybe quieten the crowd that will play on the mind of the Indian team."

The attention on India will also help lessen the hype that usually surrounds any Australian team at a World Cup. This time around, the defending champions are not the out-and-out favourites to win the tournament, and the end of their unbeaten World Cup streak, against Pakistan in Colombo, has further lessened the aura of the side. Nielsen looks at that as an advantage, saying all the pressure was on India.

''The media and the public scrutiny will also be so great that you'd expect India to have most of the pressure on them. They will be answering all the questions; there'll be questions about the surface we play on, there'll be questions about their line-up. It would be nice to think we can sneak under the radar a bit and just go about our preparation over the next few days and be as ready to go as we can be."

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Yuvraj stars as India finish second

Oh West Indies, they have done it again. For the second match in a row they had a chase all wrapped up but some desperate inspiration from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh and some mindless cricket from the batsmen who followed Devon Smith ensured that West Indies remained without a win over a Test side other than Bangladesh since June 2009. With Smith playing as well as he has ever played, West Indies almost mocked India for the first 27 overs, getting up to 146 for 2 without a care in the world. Then came a maiden by Harbhajan and a wicked Zaheer slower ball to remove Smith, and West Indies lost the last eight wickets for 34.

That collapse outdid India's own - 7 for 50 - that had threatened to undo Yuvraj Singh's century on a track whose bounce West Indies and Ravi Rampaul exploited, but not to the fullest. Rampaul, the hero of West Indies' last win against a major side, took his first five-for in ODIs on his World Cup debut to hurt the start, the middle and the end of the Indian innings. However, West Indies' insistence on opening the bowling with Sulieman Benn despite the helpful track, and the obvious plan of trying to bounce India out meant they couldn't capitalise on a first over that claimed Sachin Tendulkar. Then there was Yuvraj, with his maiden World Cup century, fighting dehydration, vomiting on the field, and then coming back to take two wickets.

The game might have ended in a whimper, but it began explosively. As they successfully did in the last two World Twenty20s, West Indies came out with bouncers for India. Inside the first 11 overs, two deliveries bounced over the keeper's head for byes, two batsmen got out to deliveries dug in short, one was dropped off another short delivery, but Benn went for 21 off his three overs to ease the pressure. To make matters worse Darren Sammy dropped Yuvraj twice, chances not easy but not impossible, at 9 and 13.

Working with Yuvraj was Virat Kohli, for whom it was almost a homecoming to bat at No. 3 in the absence of the injured Virender Sehwag. In familiar environs of not having to score at a strike-rate of 150, Kohli did just what was required on a tough pitch after a tough start, scoring 59 off 76, letting Yuvraj take the majority of the strike in a 122-run partnership, after the two had come together at 51 for 2.

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England stay alive in another thriller

In a campaign of ludicrously slender margins, England gave themselves a fighting chance of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals after emerging victorious by 18 runs in a monstrous battle of wills against West Indies at Chennai. In a contest that fully lived up to the "arse-nipper" billing that Graeme Swann had given it beforehand, England once again teetered on the brink of oblivion before the spin of Swann and James Tredwell hauled them back into contention in a sensational denouement. Needing 244 for victory, West Indies were coasting on 222 for 6, before losing their last four wickets for three runs in 20 deliveries.

It was a finale that would have been remarkable in any other context, but coming from a team that has managed to turn each of its six qualifying fixtures into horror-shows best viewed from behind the sofa through cracks in the fingers, it was a conclusion that teetered towards self-parody. Following a schizophrenic batting performance, in which Jonathan Trott shed his demure image to crash six fours from his first nine balls, England themselves crashed from 121 for 2 to 151 for 6, before Luke Wright justified his first call-up of the campaign with a vital 44. Their eventual total was at least 30 runs below par, but not for the first time, the team's fighting spirit made up for it lacked in planning and application.

West Indies' reply was a tale of three cameos. Between them, Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy slammed 84 runs from 50 balls, while Andre Russell launched his own innings with 45 from 29 before going into his shell after a hugely controversial reprieve on the long-on boundary. While those three were cutting loose, aided and abetted by a string of silent partners, not least the obstinate Ramnaresh Sarwan, it was clear that England had no option but to take all ten wickets to progress.

Cue the spinners - one whose last dew-sodden performance had resulted in an ICC fine for an audible display of petulance; the other whose solitary appearance of the winter came in a forgotten ODI at Hobart back in January. Between them Swann and Tredwell scalped seven of the first nine wickets, including three in the last 11 balls of their allocation, before a sharp throw from fine leg sealed the victory with Sulieman Benn well short.

That it was Trott who delivered the decisive throw was fitting, because it was his superb catch running round at cow corner that looked to have removed Russell for 39 and turned the contest in England's favour at 204 for 7. However, as he landed Trott's momentum slid him agonisingly close to the boundary rope, and though the fielder insisted he had taken the ball cleanly, the third umpire overturned the decision and Russell came back to the crease with six more runs to his name.

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India-Pakistan reunited!

“Ashish Bagai, Rizwan Cheema help Canada open World Cup account,” screamed the headline of a leading newspaper a day after cricketing minnows Canada overpowered Kenya to earn their maiden victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.



For someone who does not follow the game religiously, the names mentioned above could lead to confusion whether it is in fact Canada which the report is talking about or some team from the subcontinent.



The Canadian team has, at best, fought for survival in the ongoing multi-nation tournament as they struggled to compete against some of the biggest powerhouses of the cricket world. However, the team representing Canada in the 2011 Cricket World Cup is much more than just a bunch of inexperienced cricketers. It is, in a way, a dream come true for umpteen cricket fans.



The tragic events of 1947 that led to the partition of India also resulted in heartbreak for millions of the country’s cricket lovers. The division of the nation into India and Pakistan crushed the dreams of millions who had wished to watch some of the best cricketers play together and rule the cricket world.



Imagine what it would have been like to watch a team comprising greats like Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Polly Umrigar, Hanif Mohammad, Mushtaq Mohammad and Intikhab Alam, who ended up playing for different countries, play together as a world beating unit.



But, Alas! It wasn’t meant to be.




As years passed by and the former greats were replaced by the new age maestros such as Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram, Anil Kumble and Waqar Younis, the one question that continued to intrigue cricket followers of both the countries, remained. Can we ever have an Indo-Pak cricket team playing together?



Although the idea of watching Zaheer Khan open the bowling with Shoaib Akhtar might remain an unfulfilled dream forever, the Canadian team has in a way achieved the improbable by bringing together players from both the countries.



Ashish Bagai, who is the captain of the Canadian cricket team, was born in New Delhi on January 26, 1982 before moving to Canada at the age of 11. Bagai has a healthy average of 38 in one-day international cricket and has played the most number of ODIs by any Canadian player.



Rizwan Cheema is another mainstay of the Canadian cricket team, who traces his roots to the subcontinent. Cheema was born on 15 August, 1978 in Gujranwala, Pakistan.



A relatively new addition to the team, Harvir Singh Baidwan is a vital cog that makes the Canadian side a competitive unit. The lanky all-rounder hails from Chandigarh, India and is playing in his first World Cup.




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Tough for India to win the World Cup Sir Vivian Richards

 “It is going to be tough for India to win the World Cup,” said Sir Vivian Richards on the Indian cricket team's chances. “Though Indians are among one of the favourites, they are struggling in their bowling department. They need many more bowlers like Shaun Tait and Dale Steyn."

The legendary former cricketer was at his cheerful best as he answered a volley of questions from the gathering at a city hotel, which ranged from his cricketing heydays to the ongoing World Cup.

Though optimistic about his own country, West Indies, he made it amply clear that the Caribbeans needed to pull up their socks fast if they were to win their next encounter against India on Sunday.

Amidst a series of questions from enthusiastic fans on the experience of the famous 1983 World Cup final, which the Kapil Dev led-Indian team won, Richards believes it was just a bad day at work. "We were not overconfident. Every team has a bad day. On the day of the finals, the weather was getting cloudier. Clive Lloyd was not completely fit for the game and credit must be given to the Indian bowlers who bowled really well on the day."

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Irish praying for South Africa 'hangover'

KOLKATA: The World Cup bandwagon has moved into Kolkata, the last of its 13 venues, and it was Ireland who got the first call at the storied Eden Gardens on Sunday afternoon, 48 hours before they take on mighty South Africa.



Having made the cricket world sit up and take notice by qualifying for the second round of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, Ireland kicked off their campaign in the 2011 edition with a disappointing 27-run loss to Bangladesh.



Five days later, they pulled of the biggest coup of the tournament by chasing down a World Cup-record 327 against heavyweights England. But since then the ICC's associate member nation has flattered to deceive.



With just two points in their kitty and only two matches to play, including the one against the Proteas, not even some divine intervention may help Ireland advance to the second stage this time (quarterfinals in this case, as against the Super Eights in 2007). One can imagine the Irish taming the Dutch, but do they have it in them to topple strong contenders South Africa?



"We know South Africa are one of the favourites to win this World Cup... Hopefully, they will relax a bit (on Tuesday) and give us a chance... May be they'll have a couple of hangovers (from the nail-biting last-over win against India on Saturday night)," was how 35-year-old Ireland all-rounder Andre Botha summed up their predicament before Sunday's practice session.



The Irish are coming off a 44-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies, a game in which they looked to be in business till the 37th over of their chase of 276 before completely losing the plot. "It's not just the West Indies game, we were in with a chance even against Bangladesh and India but failed to get over the line."



As Botha explained, there were no expectations from the Irish in the 2007 event as the side was made up mostly of amateur cricketers. "This time the expectations are far more, that's why it's been even more disappointing to lose those three games from good positions."



Be that as it may, the Irish players are gritting their teeth to bite hard one more time. "We know we have to win the last two games and we are not going to back out... Everyone's up for the challenge."



Brave words from one of the senior pros of the team, but whether they indeed have the class to match the Proteas is something we'll reserve our comment on for the time being.

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Fans seeking tickets lathicharged in Nagpur

Fans clamoring to buy tickets for the India-South Africa match on Saturday, March 12, were lathicharged outside the Vidarbha Cricket Association in Nagpur on Tuesday morning. (Watch)



There had been a big crowd outside the stadium since the ticket counters opened at 9am. Many people had even been waiting in line since last night.



Reports said the police had to resort to a kind lathicharge several times since morning to manage crowds at the ticket sale counter which has been closed for now.



The Nagpur stadium’s capacity is 45,000 seats, of which 26,000 seats are open for the general public and the tickets are being sold for Rs. 300, 600 and 1000.



There is heavy police deployment at the site.



Late last month, police had lathi charged thousands of fans at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore as they waited to buy tickets for the India vs England match.

Cricket World Cup 2011: Irish press in purple haze as England shocked in Bangalore

Ireland's force down have lavished praise on the heroes of Bangalore following their stunning win with England, but the news has yet to filter through to Wexford, Limerick and Galway.

"I think anyone is going to resist to beat that. I'll say that all night. 100 off 50 balls in a World Cup in front of a billion people under lights against England, it doesn't get any better.”

So said Kevin O'Brien, resplendent with purple hair, following his stunning century against England team in Bangalore on Wednesday. He is, unsurprisingly, the leading light in Ireland's broadsheets today.

Ian Callendar, the Belfast Telegraph's cricket reporter, has seen Ireland's stock rise on the international scene. He is set to get even busier after their impressive win, which features four Northern Ireland cricketers.

Meanwhile, in the same paper, Stormont's political leaders are quick to heap praise on Ireland as a celebrated achievement.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said: “There are few who would have thought it probable that Ireland could have better on their achievements at the last World Cup."

"Record Breakers" is the headline the Irish Independent, who also list the XI heroes who became the toast of Bangalore.

O'Brien's brother, Ger, seems to gather most notice and he told the paper that "something gets into us when we play the English.

"I was watching and suddenly Kevin got going and turned the match benefit down. Niall and Kevin are dedicated. They were bred for it."

William Porterfield's side also lead the reporting in the Irish Examiner, who splash with "Fighting Irish stun the world".

"Memories of 2007, and comparisons with the World Cup victory over Pakistan in Jamaica will inevitably be made. But this was even better," writes Nick Royle.

Ireland's win though didn't filter through to all parts of the island. The Munster Express opts for Hurling while Gaelic Football leads the lines in the Limerick Leader. Can't win 'em all.

I learnt a lot from watching Waqar and Wasim – Malinga

Sri Lanka fast bowler, Lasith Malinga, who became the first bowler in World Cup history to take two hat-tricks, has said that he learnt to bowl his deadly yorkers by watching Pakistan's legendary pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Malinga ran through the hapless Kenya batting to take a career best 6 for 38 runs, and pick up the Man-of-the-Match award, as the opposition crumbled under his assault for a mere 142 runs.

"This is a slow pitch and bouncers will not work so I decided to go for yorkers," Malinga said. "I didn't have any idea of how to bowl a yorker when I first came into the national team but I was taught how to bowl them by Champaka Ramanayake and Rumesh Ratnayake (two former Sri Lanka fast bowlers).

"I also watched Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis bowl and I learnt a lot from them."

Malinga missed his side's opening two matches with a sore back, but came back strongly to take the wickets of Tanmay Mishra, Peter Ongondo and Shem Ngoche with successive, full, swinging deliveries, with the latter two having their stumps rearranged. His hat-trick was spread over two overs - the last ball of his seventh and the first two balls of his eighth. In all, four of his six victims were bowled and the two others were trapped lbw.

In the 2007 World Cup, Malinga grabbed the headlines with four in a row against South Africa at Guyana. "I rate the performance in South Africa with four wickets in four balls as the best. But I am happy that I got six wickets today which was my career best."

Malinga stated that he could have played in the second match against Pakistan but did not on the advice of the team physio, Tommy Simsek. "I was sad and also lazy when I was not playing the first two matches. I didn't play because I was not fully recovered."

He said that he was happy to perform the way he did in front of the Sri Lankan public. "I didn't have much hopes to play for a long time when I was coming to cricket. My only aim was to contribute as much as I can to the team whenever I play for them. I will give my 100 percent in whatever the game I participate. That makes me happy.

"I have played for the national team for the past seven years. A lot of people have said that I would not be able to play for a long time (due to injury concerns). But I am happy to have played for the last seven years."

Contemplating his future the 27-year-old fast bowler said, "I don't know how long I could play, but I am happy to contribute to the team whenever I play. I believe I can still play Test cricket after considering my injury concerns. When I feel that I can't do anything for the team, I will happily retire."

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