Cook resists after wicket-burst

India A 369 v England XI 203/4

Abhinav, Tiwary make it India A's day

India A 369 for 9 (Tiwary 93, Abhinav 73, Bresnan 3-59, Swann 3-90) v England XI

Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann took three wickets apiece to help England XI cut through India A's top order on day one of the tour match in Mumbai, but it was still the hosts' day. Firstly, fast bowler Steven Finn experienced a niggle in his right thigh, for which he required a scan, and then India A forged a comeback led by a determined Manoj Tiwary. They ended the day on 369 for 9, with the last pairing of Vinay Kumar and Parvinder Awana knocking off quick runs.

Finn felt a pain in his thigh while chasing a ball within the first hour of play at the Brabourne Stadium, after bowling just four overs. Being a bowler down, however, didn't prevent England's bowlers from leaving India in some trouble at 190 for 6. India scored rather quickly all through, with opener Abhinav Mukund and Yuvraj Singh, getting to half-centuries, but none of the batsmen could kick on. It needed a 110-run seventh-wicket partnership between Tiwary and Irfan Pathan to lift them to a competitive score.

After choosing to bat on a greenish pitch, India lost opener M Vijay early through a run-out; Bresnan effected the run-out and followed it up with the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane for 4. But the other opener, Abhinav, did not back down, scoring 73 off 83 deliveries with 16 boundaries.

At 57 for 2, he was joined by Yuvraj. After being dropped first ball by the square-leg fielder, Yuvraj stuck around, sharing a 56-run stand with Abhinav. Once Abhinav fell - rather unluckily caught by Ian Bell at short leg while flicking - Suresh Raina could not make his chance count. When wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha departed in the 47th over, India had slipped to 190 for 6.

Then Tiwary and No. 8 Irfan began the repair work. They batted for 28 overs, carrying their team to 300 before Irfan fell four short of his half-century. Offspinner Swann had by then taken three wickets.

Tiwary batted differently to Abhinav; while he did play some fluent strokes, he was disciplined and patient, willing to bide his time. Four overs before close of play, Bresnan removed Tiwary, as he played over a yorker. Bresnan got No.10 Ashok Dinda off the very next delivery, but the last pair went on to add 22 and make sure England XI would have to come out again on day two.

England will play two more warm-up games after this one, against Mumbai A and - it was confirmed on Tuesday - Haryana, before the first Test begins in Ahmedabad on November 15.

Sydney maul Lions to take title

Sydney Sixers 124 for 0 (Lumb 82*, Haddin 37*) beat Lions 121 (Symes 51, Hazlewood 3-22, McCullum 3-24) by 10 wickets


The groundsman, the commentators, the general manager who played at the Wanderers on March 12, 2006, all spoke about the resemblance of the pitch to the 438 game, but the way the Lions started it took major rebuilding to go past 38. Seemingly surprised by Sydney Sixers' spin with new ball from both ends, the Lions batsmen played some average shots to be reduced to 9 for 4, and the little chance that Jean Symes' maiden T20 fifty provided them slipped through their palms with the drops of both the Sydney openers.

This was the second Champions League T20 title for a team from New South Wales; current champions Brad Haddin, Steve O'Keefe, Moises Henriques, Steve Smith and Ben Rohrer were part of the winning NSW squad in 2009 too. Like the previous final, Haddin almost missed this one with an injured thumb, but not only was he spot on with the call at the toss, he spun a rabbit out of his hat after putting Lions in.

Sixers' three fast bowlers could one day form the Australia Test attack, they have been the talk of the tournament, but they opened with two spinners on a pitch that reminded Stuart Clark of his six-over-54-run nightmare at the same venue six years ago. Nathan McCullum, who wasn't called upon to bowl and scored a golden duck in the semi-final, was to perform the opening act of the big night. And it seemed the tournament would get worse for him when Gulam Bodi lofted the third ball of the match over long-on.

Then the leading run-getter of the tournament, Bodi, didn't pause for a breath, and top-edged the next ball straight to deep square leg. A little more meat behind the mis-hit, and it might have travelled all the way in the rarefied Highveld air, and McCullum would have been 13 runs down. As it turned out, it was to be the night of the man from southern New Zealand playing for a southern Australian state.

The rest of the Lions top order then, seemingly over-reaching on the flat track, played some ordinary shots. Quinton de Kock and Neil McKenzie swiped across the line for top edges, and continuing with the momentum O'Keefe snared captain Alviro Petersen with one that turned across him. Symes then put up a lesson for his mates. His hitting through the line and along the ground showed the pitch was flat as expected, and that the shot selection hadn't been spot on.

After the promotion of Sohail Tanvir flopped to make it 32 for 5, Symes added 41 with the hit-and-miss Thami Tsolekile and 38 with the big-hitting Dwaine Pretorius. During the second of those partnerships, Sixers began to make a few mistakes in the field, but Rohrer roared back with a direct hit from point to run Pretorius out. That was Lions' final slide as they lost their last four wickets for 10.

The injured Haddin came out to open with Michael Lumb, and they were cautious against Sohail Tanvir and Dirk Nannes, reaching only 23 after five overs. At the first sight of spin, Lumb tried to break free, but Bodi dropped him at long-off. In the next over, it was Haddin's turn to be dropped, by Pretorius at deep square leg. There wasn't to be a third chance. Just to rub it in, though, Lumb overtook the man who dropped him, Bodi, as the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Mitchell Starc led the wickets tally to make it a clean sweep for Sixers.

Scorchers out, Delhi take low-scorer

Delhi Daredevils 123 for 7 (Sehwag 52) beat Perth Scorchers 121 for 5 (S Marsh 39, Morkel 3-19) by three wickets

The clouds hung heavy over Newlands but the rain that has blighted much of this Champions League Twenty20 stayed away, allowing a tight and intense encounter that ended with Delhi Daredevils moving top of the group. The headliner for Daredevils was the much-maligned Ajit Agarkar, who took two big wickets before coolly finishing off the game with the bat.

Though Perth Scorchers were eliminated after this defeat, they showed typical Australian tenaciousness to take the match to the final over. On a track where it was tough for the batsmen to time the ball, Scorchers could run up only 121, a score which is rarely defended in Twenty20 cricket and which looked even smaller given the heavyweights in the Daredevils batting. The heads didn't drop, however, and they steadily chipped away at the Daredevils.

Their appetite for a scrap was highlighted by Nathan Rimmington. In the 15th over, Virender Sehwag, nearing a half-century and the last big-name batsman remaining, slashed a chance to third man, where Rimmington fluffed the catch, and for a six too. In a low-scoring match, that seemed the slip that would seal Scorchers' fate. Instead, Rimmington hit back by removing Irfan Pathan off the very next delivery, and then getting the critical wicket of Sehwag three balls later.

That set up a tense finale. Naman Ojha, the last recognised batsman, put away a short delivery from Brad Hogg for four, but was otherwise ill at ease. He nicked a jaffa from Nathan Coulter-Nile to the keeper in the 18th over but wasn't given out, though two balls later he edged it once more, and this time there was no need for the umpire to even raise his finger as the deviation was so clear.

Three wickets in hand, and 17 to get off the final two overs on a difficult track. Not a problem for Agarkar, who carved an inside-out lofted off drive for four in the penultimate over, before crashing a low full toss for four on the first ball of the final over to ease Daredevils towards victory.

The trickiness of the pitch was shown by Sehwag's scoring pattern. Usually a batsman who loves the boundaries, and isn't the keenest between the wickets, Sehwag had to run 30 of his 52 and was regularly looking for the quick single, instead of the massive hit out of the park. He was the only one of the Daredevils batting stars to get to double-digits: Mahela Jayawardene guided a half-volley to short fine leg, Ross Taylor missed a straighter one from Michael Beer and Kevin Pietersen miscued to backward point.

Daredevils' other overseas player, Morne Morkel, was at his best, though, as were the rest of their four-pronged pace attack. After Morkel bowled Herschelle Gibbs in the first over, Shaun Marsh and Simon Katich re-built the innings with a 73-run stand. They could step up the pace, though, and just as they looked to open out, Agarkar removed both to suck the momentum midway through the innings.

Morkel, Daredevils' bowler of the tournament in the IPL, then returned to inflict more damage. The highlight was the 19th over, when with Scorchers looking to swing at everything, he conceded just a single and dismissed the dangerous Mitchell Marsh.

Despite the batting letdown, Scorchers gave it their all but couldn't dent the chances of the only IPL team still alive in the tournament.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s PP Last 5 overs NB/Wides Perth Scorchers 53 10 1 34/1 32/2 0/4 Delhi Daredevils 45 9 1 38/2 29/1 0/9

ICC World T20 Rankings on 6/10/2012

All-round Windies crush Australia

Starved of the strike at first then hampered by a muscle strain, Chris Gayle led West Indies to a lofty 205 for 4 against an increasingly bedraggled Australia in the second semi-final of the World Twenty20 at Premadasa Stadium. Taking their time early, West Indies gathered greater momentum with each over, and ended the innings on a murderous note as Xavier Doherty's final over went for 25.

Kieron Pollard did most of the damage in that final over, but the importance of Gayle's innings could not be underestimated. He was careful in his stroke choices, aggressive but not indiscriminate, and formed a trio of key partnerships with Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo and Pollard.

Mitchell Starc again bowled intelligently and Pat Cummins delivered one of his better spells of the tournament. But Shane Watson delivered his first wicket-less stint of the event, and the spinners Brad Hogg and Xavier Doherty were unable to capitalise on a powdery surface. Doherty was a curious choice by the captain George Bailey for the final over after his first two overs went for 23.

Batting first on a surface that promised to be at least somewhat more amenable to batsmen than that for the first semi-final, West Indies made a sedate start. Gayle began carefully, wary of the new-ball swing on offer for Starc, and watched from the other end as Johnson Charles heaved without foot movement and edged behind.

The non-striker's end was the vantage point from which Gayle watched an inordinate amount of deliveries, as Australia's bowlers and fielders did their best to keep him away from the batting crease. His brief encounters with Doherty were satisfying enough, but Hogg was a little more successful in keeping the runs down with his indecipherable googlies.

By the time 10 overs had elapsed, Gayle had faced only 18 balls, while Samuels and Bravo, chosen ahead of his brother Darren, took a greater share. Samuels managed a quartet of clean blows before being outsmarted by Cummins and bowled by a slower ball. Bravo soaked up plenty of dot balls but summoned a six whenever he was becalmed.

Australia's sloppiness also helped West Indies keep the momentum. Matthew Wade missed a full toss to allow four byes, Starc swung one delivery down the leg side for five wides, and the recalled David Hussey allowed a bouncing shot to burst through his hands on the boundary.

The innings still required a supercharge, and it arrived in the 15th over, delivered by David Hussey. Gayle sent one delivery into the stratosphere, and pinched two more boundaries for the over which fetched 19. In the next, Bravo crunched a steepling six but perished to a flatter hit next ball, the partnership ending at 83 from 51 balls.

Pollard offered sound support in the closing overs, as Gayle finally enjoyed a greater share of the strike, though he was by this time clearly hampered by an apparent abdominal strain. It mattered little in the final over, however, as Gayle slammed a full toss for six first ball then left Pollard to collar three more. Pollard's dismissal from the final ball of the innings was scant consolation for Doherty.

Windies power their way to 205

Sri Lanka enter World Twenty20 final

The powdery surface that had begun to explode upon impact by the third over of the first innings called for quality batting in order to score at more than a run a ball. Mahela Jayawardene was equal to the task, playing the spinners delicately and delightfully, but Pakistan rid of him before he could cause irreparable damage. They got Kumar Sangakkara out early enough too. Had Sangakkara, who scored a fluent 18 off 11, played for longer, it wouldn't have looked pretty for Pakistan. From 85 for 2 in the 13th over, Pakistan restricted the rest to an eventual 139 despite a 16-run last over, a testing total against a varied attack, but not out of reach.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the third musketeer, didn't mind looking ungainly, or a strike-rate of 50 for the first 20 balls of his innings, accelerated to 35 off 43, but he too fell before he could provide the decisive burst.

The three big breakthroughs were brought about by Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Gul, but the first impact on the night was created by Sohail Tanvir. Most of Pakistan fans would have worried about the worst when Tanvir's name was announced in the XI, but he is always a good pick for a big night, considering Pakistan can afford to have one bowler have an off day.

On his good days, Tanvir can be a pain to face. He was one on the big night, bowling the first three overs for 11, getting the upright seam to hit the flaky surface frequently. Jayawardene, though, played a gem. With the ball turning square at times, he stayed low, swept and reverse-swept often to play with the spinners' rhythm. Dilshan seemed to be batting on a different pitch.







It was not just that he was sweeping and reversing, it was the range of that shot, able to beat the two square fielders on either side. He connected with four reverse-sweeps, scoring 12. Then there was the regulation sweep and the lap shot. This innings was shaping up to be a big-stage classic when he failed to connect well with a lap off Afridi, giving Pakistan their first wicket.

That didn't bring them any relief, though. Sangakkara began with a four to midwicket first ball, and later displayed a lovely chip over extra cover. Hafeez, though, outmanoeuvred him. Watching him move too much around the crease, Hafeez pulled out off a delivery. When he did ball, he bowled it wide and out of reach of the moving Sangakkara, and prised out a catch in the deep.

Now, with Dilshan looking to break free, it was down to the two big Twenty20 men, Saeed Ajmal and Gul. Ajmal had had two ordinary overs for 20 by then, and it was Gul who subdued Sri Lanka with lovely yorkers. He had a struggling Jeevan Mendis lbw but that was later ruled a no-ball. A few bowlers in this tournament have broken down after that event, but Gul came back to trap Dilshan with an even better one to reduce Sri Lanka to 117 for 3 after 17.3.

Ajmal came back well with Jeevan's wicket in the next over, but Gul missed his yorkers by the slightest of margins in the last over. Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews took toll of it, but Gul also seemed to suggest the ball had got wet with the due. That could end up being the decisive factor later in the night.

India, SA need win and a bit of luck

The Group 2 matches on Sunday had big billings, but turned out to be far from closely fought. Australia are now the team to beat, and India, with all their selection headaches ahead of the game against Pakistan, ultimately eased to victory. That success will give India's line-up some stability for their final game against South Africa. Their opponents, on the other hand, after a comprehensive defeat against Australia, desperately need to rebound, and rebound strongly, though even that may not be enough. The requirements for each team will be clearly laid out upon conclusion of the Australia-Pakistan game in the afternoon.

Should Pakistan beat Australia, South Africa will bow out and they'll be playing for pride against India. That would leave India needing to beat South Africa by a margin large enough to overtake either Pakistan or Australia's net run-rate, depending on which of those teams is second in the table. Should Australia beat Pakistan, a win over South Africa will see India through. A win for South Africa, in the same situation, will bring it down to net run-rates between three teams - India, South Africa and Pakistan.









India will be relieved, though concerns over Yuvraj Singh's fitness, despite his impressive show against Pakistan, will remain. Their fifth bowler - the combination of Yuvraj and Virat Kohli - picked up three wickets, though it remains to be seen if they bring in an extra spinner against South Africa.

South Africa's problems against Xavier Doherty will prompt questions over how their batting will cope against India's slow bowlers. Their fielding was off the mark and the pressure created by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in their early spells proved unsustainable, as the rest of the bowling didn't deliver. The concerns are multiple, as AB de Villiers has admitted, and the slide in form in the Super Eights has threatened to push them out of another ICC tournament. The right results and the right numbers, though, may yet rescue them.








Form guide
(completed matches, most recent first)
India: W L W W L
South Africa: L L W W L
Watch out for

Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel bowled with pace, hit the right lengths, beat the bat and tested Australia's opening pair in Colombo. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir can counterattack with equal ferocity, but their approach will be interesting to watch.

Rohit Sharma, who's been under pressure, has had a good outing in Sri Lanka so far and has also had his captain's backing. He'll look back on a crucial half-century he scored against South Africa in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, when an Indian win knocked the hosts out of the tournament.










Team news

Faf du Plessis was the South African to pad up and bat in the nets on the eve of the game, and he could well be picked in place of the struggling opener Richard Levi.

South Africa (possible): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 JP Duminy, 5 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Robin Peterson, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.

South Africa have had issues against spin, and India could be tempted to play an extra specialist spinner. This could mean the impressive L Balaji may have to sit out.

India (possible): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 R Ashwin, 11 Zaheer Khan.

Pitch and conditions

There was some early morning rain in Colombo on the eve of the match, but practice was unaffected. The forecast is for partly cloudy weather during the day, but clear skies at night.














Stats and trivia
India have beaten South Africa in four of the six Twenty20 internationals between the teams, including twice in World Twenty20s.
JP Duminy is 64 runs away from becoming the first South African to reach 1000 runs in T20 internationals.
Quotes
"The first match starts at 3:30 so we can watch on television if the ball is turning or not, since all teams have good spinners. That too has an impact on deciding the playing XI."
MS Dhoni on India's selection plans for the final Super Eights game

"We haven't played well enough in the key moments. We should have won the Pakistan game. It is disappointing that we have had opportunities to close out games and we haven't done it."
Gary Kirsten on one of South Africa's problems this World T20

Sri Lanka and West Indies qualify for semis

Malinga five sends England out

And in another exciting match of the Day, the champions England are knocked out of the tournament as Sri Lanka wins the match by 19 runs...

Brilliance from Virat. Perfection from India.

Points table of ICC World Twenty20, after the 30th of September

Points table of ICC World Twenty20, after the 30th of September
4 more matches left in Super 8's.
1st of October - West Indies v New Zealand & Sri Lanka v England
2nd of October - Pakistan v Australia & India v South Africa

Which 4 teams will qualify for the semis?