Dilshan and Murali help Sri Lanka defeat Pakistan 129 runs.

Tillakaratne Dilshan who is opening the batting for Lanka these days proved his credentials, scoring a dazzling 76 in Sri Lanka’s 129 run victory in the the second ODI of the Bank Alfalah Cup. Lanka was bowled out cheaply in the previous match on the same ground and had to pick up the pieces coming into the second match. They were helped a lot by the erring Pakistani bowlers, especially Shoaib Akhtar, to get a good start.

Shoaib Malik put Lanka onto the field to bat first depending on the cloud cover. Although Akhtar looked promising in the first few deliveries, he lost it completely after a no-ball. From there on, he never looked like regaining his rhythm. He only bowled six overs which went for more than seven runs per over.

Dilshan, Thilina Kandamby who replaced Mubarak and Chamara Kapugedara were instrumental in helping Lanka reach 290. They scored 76, 59 and 44 respectively. Dilshan’s natural approach to attack helped him gain confidence. He swung, pulled and hooked the bowlers with ease whilst taking chances. Kandamby restored the faith in Lankan selectors by playing a sensible 59 inclusive of four fours. Kapugedara on the other hand took the responsibility of posting a challenging score and he held on with the tail to successfully do that. Ifthikar Anjum again proved to be the pick in the pacers with an economy rate of 4.3.

In the second innings it was Nuwan Kulasekara’s turn to show his mettle. Kulasekara is probably a clone of Ifhtikar Anjum with his sincere bowling efforts and unfashionable style of playing. He guarantees results and so he did again by scalping Khurram Manzoor and Younis Khan. The loss of quick three wickets was followed by resistance from skipper Malik and in-form Butt. Murali then introduced into the attack in the 22^nd over, dismissed Malik off a doosra. That wicket spelled Harakiri for Pakistan. From 125-4, Pakistan were packed off for 161 all out, thanks to three wickets apiece by Murali and Mendis. Shoaib Malik has to take some hard decisions and consider Shoaib Akhtar’s credibility for the next ODI at Lahore.

Previous Post : Australia level VB series, defeat RSA by six runs

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Australia level VB series, defeat RSA by six runs

Australia leveled the VB series 1-1 after defeating South Africa by six runs at the Bellerive Oval,Hobart on Sunday. Australia came out victorious in the match which was marked by the energy and determination showed by second rung bowlers in the absence of Lee,Tait,Watson and Clarke. Following the defeat at Melbourne, Australia were tighter in the outfield and Ponting marshaled his resources with aplomb. Put into bat first, the Aussies once again started well thanks to Shaun Marsh’s fifth fifty in ten matches. Skipper Ponting scored at a healthy strike-rate of 88, the partnership between these two was the base for Australia’s 249. The wicket was very tricky in terms of bounce and pace which proved to be a bane in the second innings for South Africa.

Nathan Bracken justified his top spot in ICC ODI rankings by bowling an immaculate line and length which denied the Proteas another victory. Bracken’s accuracy with Yorker length deliveries was staggering; it frustrated the South African batsmen and restricted the free flow of singles which highlighted the previous game. Jacques Kallis built a patient innings of 72 in 102 balls which kept his side in the hunt for victory, Kallis forged a 93 run partnership with AB de Villiers who scored a valuable 44. The turning point in the match was perhaps the wickets of Kallis and De villiers which disturbed the tone of Proteas chase, Duminy and Mckenzie could not reproduce the magic at Melbourne. The late flourish by Mark Boucher went in vain as the Proteas fell short by just six runs. In spite of using the Powerplay, South Africa faultered in the end owing to a slow run-rate, credit goes to Ponting and his young bowlers who kept a tight leash not only on the fours and sixes but also the one’s and two’s. Shaun Marsh was named player of the match for his 78.

Previous Post : Indian Team for Lanka

Indian Team for Lanka

The BCCI has found a way to keep the cricketers busy. After penning down a tour of Sri Lanka for late January, they announced the team that will play the five ODI’s and the one off T-20.

There were no major surprises in the team composition. Saurashtra’s Ravindra Jadeja earned a call up to the National team for the first time. Jadeja has been in phenomenal form both with the willow as well as the leather this year. He was one of the most consistent all-rounder in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy.Scoring 739 runds with the bat and claiming 42 wickets in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy Jadeja and his team fell short of lifting the title at the final hurdle.

The left arm spinner was a part of the Rajasthan Royals team which won the inaugural edition of the IPL last year. Jadeja first came to the selectors notice with his all round skills in the under 19 World Cup.

The Indian Under 19 world Cup winners who were lead by Virat Kohli misses out on the flight to Lanka. Kohli might be considering himself unlucky to sit out of the squad even though he had a decent series the last time India played against Lanka.

Jadeja, also known as Revadi said he has happy to make it to the squad and realize his mother’s dream of playing for India. Hailing from Jamnagar, 20-year-old Jadeja is only the second player from Saurashtra in over 2 decades to feature in the Indian team, the last one being Ashok Patel, an off-spinner who represented India in eight ODIs and is currently coaching the Gujarat team.

Along with Jadeja UP Pacer Praveen Kumar makes a comeback to the side after having a indifferent Ranji season. Hyderabad spinner Pragyan Ojha keeps his place, which mean MS Dhoni will have the luxury of three left arm spinners with Ojha, Jadeja and Yuvraj Singh. As Harbhajan Singh misses the trip to the Emerald Isles with a hamstring injury while RP Singh doesn’t find a place  implies Munaf Patel reserves his place in the squad.

Previous Post : South Africa win last over cliffhanger in Melbourne

South Africa win last over cliffhanger in Melbourne

Jean-Paul Duminy has proved to be the thorn in the flesh of Australian cricket team. Duminy’s century propelled South Africa to win the Test series last year, now in the first ODI at Melbourne on Friday, Duminy played a crucial 71 to top score in chasing 271 set by Australia. The southpaw was ably supported by Neil Mckenzie who was out to put his ODI credentials into place. The South African innings hinged on the 123 run 4^th wicket stand between Duminy and Mckenzie. Duminy churned out singles in the middle overs on the medium and slow offerings of Michael Clarke, James Hope and David Hussey. His was the sixth highest score in ODI’s without a six or a four.

Earlier Australia managed to post a competitive total with the help of half-centuries from Shaun Marsh and David Hussey. Others in the batting order managed to get starts but did not convert in into big scores. Apart from Duminy and Mckenzie whose contributions deserve huge appreciation, Albie Morkel also played a huge role in seeing South Africa through. Duminy and Mckenzie’s dismissals announced the comeback of Australia in the match as the Proteas lost four wickets for eight runs in less than three overs to slump to 221 for seven before the older Morkel brother and Johan Botha (12 not out) put the Australians to the sword.

South Africa should be lauded for using the powerplay smartly in the last five overs. Albie Morkel ripped Ben Hilfenhaus in the 48^th over to plunder 18 runs. Australia was benefited earlier in the first innings with a poor show by South Africa in the outfield. Shaun Marsh and David Hussey certainly made their selection count as both batsmen scored at a good rate where others failed to dominate.

Although Australia set 271 as the final score, Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis were pretty tight in the bowling department. Vaughn van Jaarsveld of South Africa had an absolutely forgettable debut as he dropped David Hussey and Ricky Ponting and also missed a couple of run-out chances which might have swung the game. The second ODI will be played at Bellerive Oval, Hobart on Sunday.

Previous Post : Ranji Trophy taken away by the Mumbaikars

Ranji Trophy taken away by the Mumbaikars

Yes, Mumbai have done it again, for a staggering 38^th time they won the Ranji Trophy defeating Uttar Pradesh by 243 runs. The only team to have won the domestic championship (First class championship) more than Mumbai is Australia’s New South Wales Blues (Also known as Speed Blitz Blues).

This is Mumbai’s 38^th win out of 48 finals which they have played in, which is another mind-boggling record to look at. Mumbai had already made it impossible for Uttar Pradesh to win the match by setting up a mountain of a 525 run target. Getting past even the 300 run mark would have been a good fight from UP, but Dhawal Kulkarni stole the thunder again with another fiver. Losing wickets at regular intervals, Mumbai bundled out UP for 281 with one entire session to spare. Dhawal Kulkarni’s fifer left him with 42 wickets in the season sharing the spoils for highest wickets with Saurashtra’s Ravindra Jadeja.

Skipper Mohammad Kaif and all-rounder Bhuvneshwar Kumar saved their side absolute humiliation by stitching a 112 run partnership which took them to 167 for five from 55 for four. Both batsmen missed out on deserving centuries which might have saved them from tumbling all the way. Their dismissals at the hands of Powar and Kulkarni ensured another mini-collapse before the UP tail wagged and finally submitted at 271. Previously, Mumbai rolled out beautifully riding high on Rohit Sharma’s back to back tons (Only the sixth batsman to do so in a Ranji final) and old warhorse Vinayak Samant’s second innings century. UP’s good work in the first innings was undone by Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Nayar, but they are themselves to blame for the defeat owing to missed run-outs, poor fielding and a missed stumping opportunity of Rohit Sharma.

The BCCI although should consider reviewing the umpiring standards in the final of a big event like Ranji Trophy Final. Thankfully the umpiring decisions did not affect the outcome drastically, but precautions can be taken for the upcoming Duleep Trophy and the next season as well.

Related Post : Dilshan and Murali help Sri Lanka defeat Pakistan 129 runs.