Smith leads South Africa to historic series victory

England v South Africa, 3rd npower Test, Edgbaston, 4th day

August 2, 2008

South Africa 314 for and 283 for 5 (Smith 154*, Boucher 45*) beat England 231 and 363 (Collingwood 135, Pietersen 94, Morkel 4-97) by five wickets
Scorecard
How they were out - England
How they were out - South Africa

	Graeme Smith cracks another boundary during his epic match-winning innings © Getty Images

Edgbaston has provided heartbreak for South Africa in the past, but nine years on from their lowest point in the 1999 World Cup they exorcised some ghosts by claiming their first series win in England since 1965. Graeme Smith produced a performance that will go down in South Africa sporting history with an unbeaten 154, one of the finest centuries in a run chase. The victory was clinched by a 112-run stand with Mark Boucher, after they claimed the extra half hour against a spent England attack.

It was a crowning moment for Smith, whose love-affair with Edgbaston continued following his 277 in 2003. On that tour he was a young and inexperienced captain and his team failed to build on twice leading the series. Smith didn't want this contest to go to a deciding match at The Oval. Not that the winning moment needed to be any sweeter, but the final boundary came off Kevin Pietersen.

The next-highest score was 45, but it was an equally valuable innings from Boucher, an ideal man to have at the other end. He came in at 171 for 5 and England's tails were once again up following Monty Panesar's removal of AB de Villiers, who'd added a vital 78 with Smith. But all the emotional and physical exertions caught up with them during a final session that extended beyond three hours. By the time the extra overs were claimed, England had just about given up hope of repeating their 2005 heroics. Lightening doesn't strike twice.

Smith wore a steely determination throughout his innings as he steadily lost partners and had to be at his very best to combat a wearing surface, which offered particular assistance to Panesar from the footmarks. His century wasn't without its moments of fortune, but batsmen deserve a dose of luck in the final innings of a Test. To highlight the difficulty of chasing runs at Edgbaston, the previous best successful pursuit was 208 and Smith's hundred, which came off 177 balls, was also the first fourth-innings century at Edgbaston.

He played positively from the outset, but without being reckless, and his main moments of concern came against Panesar. On 74 he padded up to a delivery that ripped out of the footmarks and, although replays showed it hitting middle, Aleem Dar would have been guessing to give it. Then, on 79, he had a clear let-off when Tim Ambrose's lob to the stumps wasn't collected by Ian Bell after Smith and de Villiers hesitated over a single.

With Smith on 85, he gloved Panesar to Ambrose but England's appeal was muted and Dar not interested. The margin between success and failure was evident next ball when his slog-sweep landed inches short of a diving Andrew Strauss at deep midwicket. However, after reaching his century progress to 150 came without major alarm, but the spark and fight had gone from England.

Smart stats South Africa's first Test win at Edgbaston sealed their first series triumph in England since 1965. South Africa's 283 for 5 is the highest fourth-innings total at Edgbaston, and their fourth-highest successful chase in Tests. South Africa are only the third team - after West Indies and Australia - to win a Test at Edgbaston. West Indies have won four times and Australia thrice. Teams losing the toss have won nine out of the last 14 Tests which have ended decisively at this venue. Graeme Smith's 154 not out was the first century in the fourth innings at Edgbaston. Smith has now scored 523 runs in four innings at Edgbaston, the most for a visiting batsman at the venue. During his innings, Smith became the fourth to score 5000 Test runs while playing as captain. His unbeaten 154 was also the second-best score by a South African in the fourth innings of a Test. Mark Boucher's 45 not out was his top score in a successful chase: his four fifties in the fourth innings had all come in defeats. The unbroken 112-run stand between Boucher and Smith was the third-highest fourth-innings partnership at Edgbaston.

Amid all the praise for Smith, Boucher's role shouldn't be forgotten. He was the last barrier before the tail was exposed. But he is one of South Africa's streetfighters and nudged, nurdled and chivvied his way through the target. Boucher was one of two survivors from the 1999 World Cup side - alongside Jacques Kallis - and has witnessed more than his fair share of victories go begging at the last. This one didn't get away.

England's bowlers just couldn't make the potentially decisive sixth breakthrough. Their cause wasn't aided with Ryan Sidebottom again lacking rhythm and sending down just 10 overs, while Anderson, surprisingly, bowled only 13. Inevitably, Flintoff began to show signs of tiredness as did Panesar when he started to drop short.

Smith's outward calmness was not always replicated by his team-mates or the dressing room, and at one stage the atmosphere began decidedly heated with Flintoff's yorkers from the Pavilion End again providing the spark. He made the breakthrough in his fourth over when Neil McKenzie failed to sight a full delivery, getting struck on the boot in front of off stump as he turned away. McKenzie wore a rueful smile as he walked off, but the anger was brewing in the South African dressing room. It almost boiled over eight overs later when a screaming, low full toss thudded into the top of Kallis's leg as he, too, turned away for cover. Steve Davis made the correct decision, but Kallis was almost apoplectic, a feeling matched by Mickey Arthur on the balcony.

Life was no easier at the other end as Panesar started to find some bite and turn, both off the pitch and out of the rough. He ripped a couple past Hashim Amla's outside edge before firing in an arm-ball, trapping him in front of leg stump. The ball was also reverse-swinging and Anderson produced a good one to remove Ashwell Prince. South Africa were four down with less than 100 on board, but their captain couldn't be shifted and produced his finest performance when it mattered most. It's mission accomplished.

Murali and Mendis maul India

Sri Lanka v India, 1st Test, SSC, Colombo, 4th day

July 26, 2008

Sri Lanka 600 for 6 dec (Jayawardene 136, Dilshan 125*, Warnapura 115, Samaraweera 127) beat India 223 (Laxman 56, Murali 5-84, Mendis 4-72) and 138 (Gambhir 43, Murali 6-26, Mendis 4-60) by an innings and 239 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Muttiah Muralitharan took his 21st ten-wicket haul in Tests © AFP

In a match dominated by not one but two spin wizards, Sri Lanka completely destroyed the Indian batting line-up twice over to script their best win at home. India started the fourth day needing 242 runs to avoid the follow-on but, with 77 minutes to go to stumps, they had slumped to their third-worst Test defeat ever with an abject collapse against Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.

Murali and Mendis, assisted by the ever-alert close-in cordon, did not loosen the vice-like grip they had had over the batsmen from the moment the ball was thrown to Mendis in the 10th over of India's first innings. With Mendis keeping the batsmen on a leash - his only two bad deliveries were the full tosses in his first two overs - and leaving the batsmen mesmerised, it was Murali who smiled his way to two five-fors and his 21st ten-wicket haul, which was also his fourth at the SSC.

There was no respite for the batsmen from either end as 19 wickets fell to the spin pair, who bowled 87.5 overs out of the 117.5 that India faced in the match. Murali was always likely to be a threat, but Mendis showed that his six-wicket haul against India in the Asia Cup final was not a one-off. His bowling action is almost as intriguing as the kind of deliveries he bowls: in his final stride, the index finger of his left hand points upwards, as if giving the batsman out. On the basis of this performance, that action is completely justified as one of the most anticipated debuts of recent times turned out to be the best for a Sri Lankan.

The Indian batsmen had struggled in the first innings, but the second was a greater embarrassment as Murali and Mendis nailed the batsmen with similar deliveries to the ones that had done them in in the first innings. With India trailing by 377 in the first innings, the follow-on decision was a no-brainer. The new-ball bowlers were fresh: they bowled only 16 overs in the innings, with Murali and Mendis bowling 49 successive overs in tandem. In the second innings, the fast bowlers had even less work to do: Jayawardene summoned his spinners after five overs and the move worked immediately. Murali accounted for Sehwag in a controversial manner, with what was the last ball before lunch. Sehwag shouldered arms to one that pitched barely on leg stump and straightened. Umpire Mark Benson turned down the appeal, but changed his mind after what seemed like errors from the Virtual Eye and third umpire Rudi Koertzen.

The next session sealed the game for Sri Lanka, as India lost five wickets. Perhaps hoping for a repeat of Kolkata 2001, India sent Laxman, the first-innings half-centurion, at No. 3. He hit three beautiful boundaries off the medium-pacers, before Mendis had his number. This time it was the quicker googly which baffled him. Laxman didn't have a clue about which way it would spin, and was trapped plumb in front.

Sachin Tendulkar was a tad unfortunate when he missed a sweep outside the leg stump, the ball catching the back of the bat and lobbing to leg slip. Tendulkar stood his ground, and it needed a review to send him on his way. Gambhir was drawn forward for the second time in two innings and beaten in flight before Prasanna Jayawardene completed an exceptional stumping.

Just before tea, Murali and Mendis worked their magic again in successive overs. Sourav Ganguly hadn't looked comfortable against Murali and edged to second slip. Mendis then made Rahul Dravid revisit the first-innings horror when a quick carrom-ball legbreak just missed off stump. The next ball, a googly, had Dravid playing in front of his pad. The inside edge lobbed to short leg and, though the appeal was turned down, the review came into play again, making Dravid the third Indian batsman to perish in that manner. The rest was just a formality, which Murali and Mendis finished in style, Mendis taking the last two in the same over.

The first half of the day was slightly better only than what transpired later. Muralitharan completed his 64th five-for with Harbhajan Singh's wicket, but it was Mendis who inflicted major damage. Even Laxman had trouble picking him, the carrom ball being his main tormentor. Laxman was let off in the second over of the day, as an outside edge off Mendis bisected the keeper and Mahela Jayawardene at slip. The other batsmen were even more clueless. Anil Kumble and Zaheer were trapped by Mendis' top spinners. Harbhajan played for a Murali doosra, but got an offspinner, which resulted in an easy bat-pad catch.

Smart stats The victory margin - an innings and 239 runs - is Sri Lanka's biggest at home. For India, on the other hand, it was their third-heaviest defeat, and easily their worst against Sri Lanka. Their previous worst was on their last trip to the SSC, in 2001, when they lost by an innings and 77 runs. Ajantha Mendis's match figures of 8 for 132 is the best by a Sri Lankan debutant. It's only the third time spinners have taken 19 wickets against India, and the first in 39 years. Sachin Tendulkar has fallen to Murali seven times in 13 Tests. No other bowler has dismissed him as often. Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie have got him out six times each. Murali has won 19 Man-of-the-Match awards, which is second only to Jacques Kallis' 20.

Despite having only the tailenders for company, Laxman didn't farm the strike, twice allowing his partners to take a single off the last ball of the over. Harbhajan fell in the over that followed, while Zaheer survived. When Ishant Sharma joined him, Laxman finally took more of the strike and continued to do so until he was fairly confident in Ishant's ability. Laxman had himself grown in confidence, reading Mendis better and employing the wristy flick. Despite the odd leading edge, he continued to attack. But Mendis, having bowled an unbroken 27-over spell, returned from Murali's end to get his man. He first beat him with a 95kph legbreak, angling in and then breaking it away, before squaring him up with a googly, ending his 158-minute stay at the crease. Dravid and Laxman foxed in each innings of his first Test - as dream debuts go, there can't be many better than this.

Through the first two-and-a-half days of the match, the pitch seemed a shirtfront and a draw seemed the most likely result, especially given the inclement weather at the start. The magic of two outstanding spinners meant the game didn't go into the fifth day. Sri Lanka last lost a Test at home in April 2006, against Pakistan in Kandy. With Murali and Mendis so frighteningly effective in tandem, it's hard to imagine an overseas team defeating this double threat any time soon.

Review will eradicate obvious errors

Review of umpiring decisions

'Review will eradicate obvious errors' - Richardson

July 23, 2008

	Richardson: 'Should we have a system where the umpire is given an opportunity to review his own decision and make a final decision himself? That would be preferable.' © AFP

Terming the new umpire referral system a 'review process' as opposed to a challenge process, Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager, was confident it would work well on a long-term basis with plenty of room for improvement. He said most umpires were in favour of this system and the real purpose is to eradicate obvious mistakes.

"Our policy in the decision-making process has always been to keep an open mind," he said. "You will recall in Sri Lanka in the 2002 Champions Trophy when we first started experimenting with technology and it continued until the Super Series in 2005, during which we allowed umpires to initiate a consultation on decisions. That didn't work because the umpires didn't refer decisions they should have. And then when they discovered that they could have made mistakes they became over cautious.

"It was actually just wasting time. They were double-checking themselves and this lead to a loss of confidence of the players in the umpires. We realised it doesn't work.

"A lot of people will say reviews are contradictory to the spirit of the game and that players are challenging the umpires, but the way we look at it is - what is better or worse for the game? Umpires make mistakes and are accused of cheating, Steve Bucknor's effigies are being burnt, teams threaten to fly home from a country, boards criticise umpires. Should we have a system where the umpire is given an opportunity to review his own decision and make a final decision himself? That would be preferable."

Richardson, who was present in the South African Test side when the first third-umpire referral was made in 1992-93, was firm that the ICC was not paying the television channels for the use of this technology, but rather saw it as a piggyback process. "The very first step in this process was to approach Ten Sports (the main broadcasters) and ask if they were willing to help us. They were keen to do so and we are very grateful to them. The broadcasters, like it or not, have been guilty in the past of showing up the umpires. All we ask them to do is continue to do so, but help us instead of being negative."

The ICC normally appoints three neutral Elite Panel umpires for a series. For this contest, instead of one umpire rotating and taking a break, he will act as the official third umpire. This, according to Richardson, was the way it would be going forward and there may even be the case of recalling some more experienced umpires to be specialist television umpires. But that, he affirmed, would be based on how the players felt about the situation.

Richardson on Steve Bucknor's removal from the Perth Test in January "There were calls for Steve to be fired permanently and we have resisted that. He's a good umpire and he's had a long career. The reason for taking him out was because of the hype which made it impossible for him to stand in that Test. He was on a hiding to nothing. The slightest error would have been blown out of proportion. To make it easier on him and his colleagues in that Test, we decided to rest him and so diffuse the situation."

Over the last few days the ICC has worked with the company that provides the ball-tracking device. Cameras have been placed in correct positions around the SSC and both parties have confirmed the accuracy of the results. Camera use will differ from series to series but there are minimum specifications, clarified Richardson.

The company being used to provide the ball tracking is not Hawk-Eye, as generally employed, but one called Virtual Eye. They are similar to Hawk-Eye, said Richardson, but the ICC would only use the actual path of the ball until it hits the batsman. "It will then stop, and we won't use the predictive element because the suppliers of that technology will say that it's a bit of a computer guess.

"The trickiest part is going to be for the batsman," said Richardson. "As far as caught-behinds and bat-pads are concerned I have no doubt that every batsman, if he is honest with himself, will know he's got the finest edge. But I can understand as a batsman that you are uncertain as to whether the ball pitched on leg stump or slightly outside. It might be tricky and we may find a circumstance that you get back into the dressing room and your coach has spoken to you for not challenging the decision or asking for it to be reviewed. We must not forget what the real object of this system is - to eradicate obvious mistakes."

Mendis spins Sri Lanka to title triumph

India v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup final, Karachi

Mendis spins Sri Lanka to title triumph

July 6, 2008

Sri Lanka 273 (Jayasuriya 125, Dilshan 56, Ishant 3-52) beat India 173 (Sehwag 60, Mendis 6-13) by 100 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Yuvraj Singh was one of Ajantha Mendis' six victims © AFP

Eight years ago, in Sharjah, Sanath Jayasuriya scored a magnificent 189 before Sri Lanka's bowlers sent India tumbling to 54 all out, and a humiliating 245-run defeat. At Karachi's National Stadium, Jayasuriya, now 39, smashed another superb century before Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spinner still classed as a slow-medium bowler, bamboozled a highly rated batting line-up to finish with astonishing figures of 6 for 13.

Virender Sehwag's blistering early onslaught was rendered irrelevant as Sri Lanka stormed to a 100-run victory, retaining the Asia Cup and extending India's miserable record in tournament finals.

With Sehwag hammering an exhilarating 60 from just 35 balls, India had romped to 76 from just nine overs. Muttiah Muralitharan prefers not to bowl during the Powerplays, and it was to Mendis, who the Indians had never faced before, that Mahela Jayawardene turned as he sought to staunch the flow of runs.

Even he couldn't have predicted the impact that Mendis would have. Like a combine harvester scything through a field of corn, Mendis sliced through a line-up that has quite a reputation when it comes to playing spin. Sehwag charged his second delivery and watched helplessly as it drifted away from him. Kumar Sangakkara did the rest. Two balls later, Yuvraj Singh was utterly befuddled by one that skidded on. Suddenly, 274 appeared a long way away.

That Sri Lanka got anywhere near that was down to a man who refuses to bow to Father Time. India picked up four wickets in the first 12 overs, with Ishant claiming three of them, but Jayasuriya's 114-ball 125, and a 131-run partnership with Tillakaratne Dilshan utterly changed the complexion of the game.

It's perhaps no coincidence that India haven't won the Asia Cup since Jayasuriya became a regular at the top of the Sri Lankan order, and his mastery over the opposition was best revealed in the 16th over, bowled by RP Singh. RP had managed to escape relatively unscathed in his opening spell, conceding 24 from five overs, but when he returned, Jayasuriya took to him like a bull that had been riled by the matador's cape.

Sixes on either side of the sightscreen were followed by two wallops over cover, and after a one-ball lull, he pulled one over midwicket for six more. With Dilshan then taking three successive fours off Irfan Pathan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had no option but to turn to spin, with Pragyan Ojha and Sehwag managing to have something of a fire-extinguishing effect.

India had started poorly, with RP conceding two boundaries to fine leg in the opening over, but a mix-up between two experienced hands gave them the opening they so desperately needed. Jayasuriya tapped one to short mid-off, and Sangakkara had already hared halfway down the pitch before he realised the striker had no interest in a single. Suresh Raina's underarm flick was the ultimate punishment.

	Ajantha Mendis got a career-best 6 for 13 © AFP

But with two maiden overs bowled in the first five, India wrested back a measure of control, despite Jayasuriya's sporadic bursts of aggression. With the pressure building, it was Ishant who struck, as Jayawardene slapped one straight to Rohit at point. No bother for Jayasuriya though. A swivel pull sent an Ishant delivery for six, and Pathan's introduction was greeted with three fours in the over.

The problem was at the other end, where Ishant was wreaking havoc with the extra bounce he extracted from a comatose pitch. Bounce and a hint of lateral movement had Chamara Kapugedera playing one off the leading edge to point, and two balls later, the other Chamara - Silva - inside-edged one back on to the stumps.

Jayasuriya's version of consolidation involved a pull for six off Ishant and a slice of luck as a as a miscue off Pathan evaded RP, who ran around in circles and failed to get his hands to the ball. Dilshan contributed only four to the first 50 the pair added, from 30 balls, but he did his part, turning the strike over to allow Jayasuriya to inflict maximum damage.

With Sehwag and Ojha - Rohit contributed three tidy overs too - taking the pace off the ball, it was a different story. With the field spread, the boundaries dried up and the runs came mainly in singles. India missed a couple of run-out opportunities and Dhoni put down a sharp chance offered by Dilshan when he was on 37, but the helter-skelter pace of the Powerplay overs soon gave way to relative calm.

Eventually, the lack of action got to Jayasuriya and a flat slog-sweep off Sehwag only found Ishant at deep midwicket. After that, Sri Lanka lost their way. Dilshan eased to 50 from 68 balls, but when Pathan returned to bowl round the wicket, he popped a catch to Dhoni. Vaas, back in the fray after missing the last game, square-drove Ishant for the first four in more than 20 overs, but was castled by RP soon after.

Nuwan Kulasekara flailed the bat to finish with an unbeaten 29, but a target of 274 was expected to be well within reach for an Indian side that had included seven specialist batsmen. But after his extraordinary first over, Mendis soon set about making a mockery of the predictions.

Raina had been fortunate to survive a vociferous leg-before shout before he decided to play the worst shot of the evening, an ugly pull to a delivery that pitched on middle stump. Rohit soon followed, struck on the back pad by one that deviated away a touch, and by the time Jayawardene decided to take him out of the attack, Mendis had stunning figures of 4 for 8.

No one including the umpires knew quite what to expect, and the batsmen appeared unsure whether to play him as a slow bowler or a medium-pace one. That indecision was to prove fatal, especially against the carrom ball that was being propelled by a flick of the middle finger. As eye-catching was his accuracy. There was no width for the batsmen to work with, and hardly a loose delivery. Only Dhoni, who played the ball as late as he possibly could, showed any signs of coming to grips with him.

	Sanath Jayasuriya is unstoppable even at 39 © AFP

With Mendis casting such a spell, Murali's introduction went almost unnoticed, but with him in parsimonious mood, the tourniquet was tightening around India. Robin Uthappa and Dhoni added 38 in attritional fashion before Murali struck from round the wicket. Uthappa missed a flick, and the appeal from the bowler was just a formality.

Jayawardene waited a while longer and then brought back Mendis for the 30th over. India somehow survived that, but the game was up in his next. Pathan's attempt to flick through the leg side ended up at slip, and RP walked off bemused after one deviated away to take off stump. He should have had the hat-trick too, only Simon Taufel was as perplexed by a ball that pitched in line as Ojha was.

Dhoni had watched it all from the other end, defending stoutly and striking the odd four when he could. But once he inside-edged Chaminda Vaas to the keeper, the Sri Lankan dressing room readied for the celebrations. When Kulasekara cleaned up Ishant with 63 balls still to be bowled, they could begin in earnest. The combination of the six-hitting veteran and the six-wicket carrom-ball spinner had been far too much for India to handle.

Zimbabwe pull out of World Twenty20

Future of Zimbabwe cricket

Zimbabwe pull out of World Twenty20

July 4, 2008

	Presenting a united front: Peter Chingoka smiles for the camera after a fraught ICC annual conference © Getty Images

After weeks of backroom manoeuvring and two days of boardroom negotiations, the Zimbabwe issue was resolved with a compromise that sees them pulling out of the 2009 World Twenty20 in England yet retaining their Full Member status with access to full funding from the ICC.

Zimbabwe, whose decision to pull out from the World Twenty20 cleared the roadblock for the competition to be staged in England, will receive its full participation fee for the tournament. The scenario prompted Ray Mali, whose term as ICC president ended today, to call it a "win-win solution".

"We have decided to pull out in the larger interests of the game," Peter Chingoka, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, told Cricinfo. "We have been informed that the British government may not grant visas to our players, and that situation may prevail during the Twenty20 World Cup. We don't want to be gatecrashers; we will attend only those weddings to which we are invited."

Friday morning's meeting of the ICC executive board, which spilled over into an unscheduled third day, lasted barely 20 minutes and wound up with sighs of relief, smiles all around and a group photo session that featured Mali's successor David Morgan shaking hands warmly with Sharad Pawar, head of the Indian board and the ICC's president-elect.

The morning's session was brief only because the principal players had been working through the night on an agreement that would avert a feared split within the ICC with England and South Africa ranged against India and other Asian countries over the propriety of Zimbabwe's status as Full Member.

In the end, India is believed to have played a key role in the compromise, especially in convincing Zimbabwe that the issue was not about membership of the ICC but about getting back into world cricket.

"We have consulted and exchanged notes with everybody, including our Indian friends, last night," Chingoka said. "We are now looking forward to more tours and international cricket with our Asian friends, especially India."

2009 World Twenty20 Zimbabwe's place in the World Twenty20 may now be given to an Associate, thus bringing up the number of Associates who will take part in the tournament to three, a senior ICC official confirmed. Colin Gibson, the ECB spokesperson, told Cricinfo that tickets for the tournament "have almost entirely been sold out". "We are looking at an approximate revenue of somewhere between US$ 20-25 million already. The only matches for which tickets are still left are the two double-headers involving Zimbabwe," Gibson said. Samir Inamdar, the chairman of the ICC's Affiliates and Associates, said that it has been agreed upon that an extra associate would be invited for the tournament, instead of Zimbabwe. "The third associate will come through the qualifiers in August this year. I have had a conversation with Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, who has agreed that it is logical to replace Zimbabwe with an associate," Inamdar told Cricinfo.

Mali, it is learnt, also played his part last night in allaying Zimbabwean fears over their future. "Ray Mali, Dave Richardson, Haroon Lorgat and I decided on an adjournment yesterday to take the discussions forward. Mali took the lead (in resolving the issue)," Morgan said, before admitting "there were a number of private meetings after the adjournment."

Morgan said the issue of Zimbabwe's membership was never discussed at the board meeting, which "unanimously" accepted the country's "voluntary proposal" to pull out of the World Twenty20. There were different views on the issue during the hectic discussions, he acknowledged, but dismissed talk of the ICC being divided as a "mistake".

"It was a collective decision and I was a part of that decision," Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, confirmed to Cricinfo.

Zimbabwe's re-integration into mainstream cricket, and possibly the FTP, will be overseen by a three-member ICC sub-committee headed by Julian Hunte, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board, and including Arjuna Ranatunga, the president of Sri Lanka Cricket, and an ICC official yet to be confirmed. Hunte and Ranatunga are ICC board members and were part of the official discussions over Zimbabwe here in Dubai.

The sub-committee will advise the ICC board on all matters relating to Zimbabwe cricket; specific terms of reference for its operation have not yet been finalised but it's believed that it will report back to the ICC board in November.

The only window of uncertainty now is the one month that Chingoka has been given to get his board's approval for the arrangement, including the pullout from the World Twenty20. Chingoka calls the shots in ZC so this effectively gives him time to reassess his position, especially if he develops any second thoughts over the compromise.

West Indies v Australia, 4th ODI, St Kitts

Brutal Gayle guides strong chase

July 4, 2008

25 overs West Indies 140 for 2 (Gayle 64*, Sarwan 63) need another 143 runs to beat Australia 282 for 8 (Symonds 87, D Hussey 50)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

	Andrew Symonds top scored with 87 at better than a run a ball © AFP

Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan led the most positive batting display West Indies have produced in the series as they chased 283 for victory in St Kitts. At the halfway mark West Indies needed a further 143 as they had reached 140 for 2 with Gayle on 64 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 1.

Sarwan had just departed for 63, caught behind when Brett Lee returned for a second spell after West Indies' captain and vice-captain gave Australia's stand-in leader Michael Clarke some major headaches. Gayle's half-century came from 45 deliveries and featured some powerful strikes, including a ferocious six over long on from a Lee half-volley.

Gayle also took a particular liking to James Hopes, whom he clubbed flat and straight for six before clipping him for four through the leg side in an over that cost 14. Sarwan's half-century was slightly more restrained - it came from 69 balls - but he too enjoyed the short boundaries of Warner Park.

Sarwan pounded the part-time offspinner David Hussey straight over his head for six that left the debutant with a double-figure economy rate at the 25-over mark. Sarwan had started superbly with his first two deliveries driven straight and through cover four boundaries off Lee.

Sarwan was out there in the first over after West Indies lost Xavier Marshall to get their chase off to the worst possible start. Marshall could not get bat on a fast, straight ball from Lee and was lbw to leave the score at 1 for 1 before the recovery from Gayle and Sarwan.

50 overs Australia 282 for 8 (Symonds 87, D Hussey 50) v West Indies

A well paced 87 from Andrew Symonds guided Australia to a reasonable total of 282 for 8 after their top-order batsmen struggled to build any momentum having been sent in. Warner Park is a small ground with a lightning fast outfield so West Indies know their chase is gettable, but they will be frustrated to have let Australia off the hook after the visitors were 129 for 4.

It was Symonds and the debutant David Hussey who steadied Australia with an excellent 127-run partnership that ensured they would bat out their full allotment and allowed them to chase quick runs in the dying overs. Symonds fell short of his century when he slammed Fidel Edwards straight to mid off but his 78-ball innings had already provided plenty of entertainment.

He started sensibly and was happy to knock about singles and twos but when he began to lift his tempo there was trouble for the West Indies bowlers. Symonds lofted the debutant spinner Nikita Miller over long on for six - Symonds' 100th in ODIs - and sent an even bigger six straight down the ground off Daren Powell.

Symonds also showed off his version of the reverse sweep, an unconventional take on an already unusual stroke. When Miller pitched the ball on his pads, Symonds shaped as if to play a normal sweep, then ran the ball off the back of his bat down to the third-man boundary. It was nowhere near as gobsmacking as Kevin Pietersen's switch-hitting but it was innovative all the same.

After Symonds departed a few more wickets slowed Australia's run-rate, with James Hopes skying a catch to midwicket for a golden duck. Luke Ronchi, batting for the first time in an ODI, might have thought he had stumbled into a game of backyard cricket with a rule that batsmen cannot be out first delivery. His first ball was a free-hit after Edwards over-stepped the previous ball and Ronchi made use of the chance, driving a catch to Chris Gayle at cover and scampering through for a single.

Hussey also enjoyed his first one-day international innings and posted 50 from 51 deliveries before skying a catch to deep midwicket. Hussey initially nudged quick ones and twos before displaying his talents with a pair of sixes, one slogged over midwicket off Dwayne Bravo and another driven viciously over long off from Powell.

Edwards and his colleagues fought back well in the late overs, restricting Australia to 26 runs from the final four overs, a good result given that the previous over from Powell went for 19. Still, West Indies knew they could have kept the total even lower after Australia's top four all failed to capitalise on their starts. Clarke, captaining in an ODI for the first time in the absence of Ricky Ponting, looked like he would lead from the front until he was trapped lbw for 36 to give Miller his first international wicket.

Clarke and Michael Hussey (37) had put together a handy 60-run stand that ended when Hussey pulled Darren Sammy to deep midwicket. It gave West Indies their first moment of joy since some excellent new-ball bowling from Powell, who removed both the openers. Shane Watson started positively and had 20 from 22 deliveries when he got a corker from Powell, who nipped the ball back to collect the inside edge on the way through to Denesh Ramdin.

Shaun Marsh (16) fell to an even better ball as Powell pitched it on the stumps and jagged it away from the left-hander, who tried to clip through leg and got a thin edge behind. By the close, Powell's figures had ballooned to 2 for 66 and it was up to West Indies' batsmen to take advantage of the small boundaries.

Pakistan v Bangladesh, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Pakistan thrash sorry Bangladesh

July 4, 2008

Pakistan 116 for 0 (Butt 56*, Jamshed 52*) beat Bangladesh 115 (Rauf 3-24) by ten wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Abdur Rauf's picked up three top-order wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 115 © AFP

A clinical performance from Pakistan saw them coast to a ten-wicket win over Bangladesh in the inconsequential final Super Four match of the Asia Cup. In a refreshing change at the National Stadium in Karachi, the bowlers dominated the proceedings in the first session but for Bangladesh it was the same old story as their innings folded at 115 all out - the tournament's lowest total.

On a pitch offering sideways movement and extra bounce, Abdur Rauf sliced through the top order with three wickets and Iftikhar Anjum bowled an astonishing six maidens - equalling the record for a Pakistani - to put the hosts on course. Half-centuries from openers Nasir Jamshed and Salman Butt helped complete the formalities with more than 30 overs to spare.

The plethora of big scores that have been easily chased down hasn't dissuaded captains from choosing to bat first, and Mohammad Ashraful continued the trend. While Sohail Tanvir extracted significant lateral movement from the pitch initially, it was Rauf who got the early wickets.

On one of the cooler days of the tournament, on a difficult pitch, Bangladesh's batsmen compounded their troubles with some ill-advised shots. Opener Nazimuddin attempted to pull a short delivery in the second over from outside off and only managed to top-edge it to Shoaib Malik at cover.

Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal didn't bring out their strokes except when the bowlers erred, but their steady approach lifted Bangladesh to 41 for 2. Ashraful hadn't connected with an attempted hook in the ninth over but got hold of a short one from Rauf in the next to launch it over the midwicket boundary. Rauf's next ball was a fast bowler's classic reply: a snorter aimed at the body which forced Ashraful to give Misbah-ul-Haq a catch at point.

Raqibul Hasan has shown a heartening and - for a Bangladesh batsman - rare ability to stick it out in the middle but this time he went for an ambitious hook first ball off Tanvir to hole out at short fine leg.

With Bangladesh at a dicey 49 for 3, Rauf came up with the best over of the match. The first ball was a sharp bouncer which Tamim fended to slip, and Alok Kapali barely survived the next five torrid deliveries - a couple of well-directed bouncers, and a mixture of incoming and away-going deliveries.

Iftikhar Anjum followed the Rauf formula of throwing in a surprise bouncer while also testing the batsmen against the deliveries which seamed off a length. Kapali struck three boundaries in Anjum's first over but he was undone by the extra lift in the pitch as well. It was a superb comeback by Anjum, conceding only seven runs in his last nine overs and beating the bat on umpteen occasions. He finished with figures of 10-6-20-2 and was unlucky to not get more wickets.

Saeed Ajmal backed up the good work of the fast bowlers, picking up two late-order wickets off his doosra, which the batsmen struggled to pick as Bangladesh folded in the 39th over.

The flimsy total wasn't going to be much of a challenge for a Pakistan batting line-up that convincingly chased down 309 against India on Wednesday. Jamshed provided the early momentum, repeatedly carting the bowlers in the arc between long-on and midwicket as Pakistan went into the dinner break at 23 for no loss.

Shahadat Hossain extracted the same bounce which aided the Pakistan bowlers, and troubled both openers in the first over after the resumption but there were few alarms after that. Pakistan scored a boundary in virtually every over with a series of off drives off Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat.

There was a brief lull after spin was introduced at both ends before Butt carved Abdur Razzak through extra cover in the eighteenth over. That opened the floodgates as Jamshed pummelled Mahmudullah over long-on for six and brought up his fifty with a swept four to midwicket. Butt also completed his fifty with three sweeps to the boundary off Razzak before an authoritative cut put Bangladesh out of their misery.

Bangladesh are still without a win against challenging opposition since last year's World Cup and the poor showing at the Asia Cup isn't the sort of preparation they'd want ahead of a tough tour of Australia.

Batting take India into final

India v Sri Lanka, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Batting take India into final

July 3, 2008

India 310 for 4 (Gambhir 68, Dhoni 67, Raina 54) beat Sri Lanka 308 for 8 (Kapugedera 75, Jayawardene 50, Silva 50) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Despite keeping in back-to-back games, and playing a long innings against Pakistan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni managed two catches, two run-outs and 67 runs against Sri Lanka © AFP

For the second day in succession, a target of 309 was overhauled without much trouble. Each of India's batsmen played their part as India reached the final with a convincing six-wicket win over Sri Lanka. Muttiah Muralitharan was the only bowler to unsettle the batsmen but, with little support from the rest, India triumphed with 19 balls to spare.

In contrast to their bowling effort, four of Sri Lanka's top six made significant contributions to help them post an imposing total. However, having already qualified for the final, they rested the experienced Chaminda Vaas as well as their new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis, a decision that worked in India's favour.

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag provided their now-familiar blazing start as India started their chase in earnest. It wasn't an all-out assault from them. Runs were scored with a combination of well-timed boundaries and a host of sharp singles - even Sehwag's six over midwicket was an effortless pick-up off his pads. In fact, the only shot in the first Powerplay, based on brute force, was an on-drive from Gambhir off Nuwan Kulasekara in the 10th over.

With little in the pitch for the fast bowlers, the openers were only troubled when taking some ill-judged singles. Gambhir demonstrated his confidence level by repeatedly charging the fast bowlers while Sehwag nonchalantly pulled even length deliveries to midwicket. Though India had raced to 71 in the first 10 overs, Jayawardene decided to take the second Powerplay. The decision seemed to backfire as 21 runs came off the next nine balls but the breakthrough came when Sehwag tapped a slower ball down leg side to Dilhara Fernando at short fine leg.

Suresh Raina started off with a confident pull to midwicket but was fortunate to see a lofted drive dropped by substitute Jehan Mubarak at cover. He and Gambhir took India to 135 before Gambhir was trapped lbw for 68, failing to pick a straighter one from Murali. Dhoni promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh probably to ensure two left-handers didn't have to deal with the wiles of Murali.

Dhoni hardly showed any effects of having kept in back-to-back matches and playing a long innings yesterday as he and Raina scampered quick singles and twos. He started out cautiously before opening out after the 30th over - four fours (including a powerful, fine paddle-sweep off Murali) and a six came in the next four overs as the required-rate dipped to manageable levels.

Raina was run out soon after when going for a tight third and Dhoni was foxed by a quicker one from Murali to leave with two new batsmen at the crease, and 56 runs in the arrears. Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma, though, settled India's nerves with a composed partnership and set up a rematch in Sunday's final.

Unlike the Sri Lankan bowlers, India started off well as the new-ball bowlers turned in a much-improved performance, so much so that the first convincing boundary came only in the seventh over.

Ishant Sharma was the pick of the bowlers, exploiting the variable bounce in the pitch and effectively using the slower ball to trouble the batsmen. In one of cricket's typical quirks, amid an excellent spell, Ishant got his wickets off two of the worst deliveries he sent down - both short and down the leg side.

His opening partner RP Singh was also economical and Sri Lanka were limited to 39 for 1 after eight. The introduction of Irfan Pathan, though, let them off the hook as 26 came off his two overs. Sanath Jayasuriya had just switched to fifth gear before gloving one to Dhoni off Ishant. With the pitch easing up, Jayawardene and Kapugedera collected the singles against the spinners while punishing the loose deliveries from the faster bowlers to put on 78. Kapugedera, in particular, was impressive with a series of classical off-driven boundaries early on.

Risk-free batting took Jayawardene on to his half-century but he perished soon after as he stepped out and chipped Pragyan Ojha straight to long-off. Kapugedera was next to go, trapped lbw by Praveen, but not before he added 68 with Chamara Silva. Silva used the cut and sweep shots well against the spinners to make a well-deserved fifty and cameos from Kaushalya Weeraratne and Thilan Thushara pushed Sri Lanka beyond 300.

India's cause wasn't helped by their fielding, which has been below par right through the Asia Cup - catches were misjudged, dives at the boundary rarely saved the fours and several run-out opportunities were spurned. Ultimately, though, their batting covered up the deficiencies in the other departments to take them to the final at the expense of Pakistan.

Shoaib's ban suspended till final judgment

Shoaib's ban and its aftermath

Shoaib's ban suspended till final judgment

June 30, 2008

	Shoaib Akhtar's ban has been suspended pending a final judgement but the fine still remains © AFP

Shoaib Akhtar's ban on playing for Pakistan has been temporarily suspended by the Lahore High Court pending a full and final judgement, which technically means the fast bowler is eligible to play for Pakistan. The fine imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the original punishment remains however.

Shoaib was banned on April 1 from playing cricket for Pakistan for five years by the board's disciplinary committee, for comments he made to the media about the board earlier in the year. He had criticised the board's policy on central contracts, as well as playing conditions in a domestic tournament.

After the ban was announced, Shoaib went on to level serious allegations against Nasim Ashraf, the board chairman, in a series of TV interviews. The charges led to a defamation lawsuit being slapped against him by Ashraf and the board though the lawsuit was eventually dropped.

A subsequent appellate tribunal reduced his sentence to 18 months but imposed a hefty financial fine on him of Rs 7 million ($105,000 approximately). Unhappy with the judgement of the three-man tribunal, headed by a retired chief justice, Shoaib then filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court last month.

"Akhtar's appeal of stay against the ban was upheld," Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB lawyer said. "This means he is temporarily allowed to play until the writ petition is fully heard."

According to a source close to Shoaib's legal team, the judgement is only an interim one until the court hears out the whole case. It is unlikely that the case will proceed at any pace until at least September, after the summer break. "He is technically allowed to play for Pakistan now," said the source.

Understandably, Shoaib was pleased with the decision. "I am relieved. I want to play for my country and my fitness is up to the level," Shoaib said. "I might go to England to play a few county or league games to gain match fitness.

"I want to play in the Champions Trophy and win it for my people. I am thankful to the PCB chairman for his support in the last two months."

Ashraf said only that the decision of the court will be respected. "We have to establish what the court has said but we will always respect the decision of the court. It is up to the selectors to see whether he will be picked."

Whether or not he will have an opportunity to play is another question. It is unlikely that the selection committee will pick him, despite the paucity of pace resources in the current side, given his recent run-ins with the board. "We respect the court's decision," Salahuddin Ahmed, chief selector, told Cricinfo. "Shoaib's selection in the future will be based on his fitness and his match fitness."

The future of Mohammad Asif, Pakistan's other leading fast bowler, is also unclear: he is the subject of an internal three-man board inquiry after he was detained in Dubai for 20 days for allegedly being caught in possession with a drug at Dubai airport.

In any case, Pakistan have no international assignments until late August, when New Zealand are scheduled to visit for three ODIs, though even that is yet to be confirmed. In September, Pakistan is scheduled to host the ICC Champions Trophy.

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Regular strikes hamper Bangladesh's progress

June 30, 2008

25 overs Bangladesh 131 for 4 (Raqibul 35*, Kapali 5*) need another 202 runs to beat Sri Lanka 332 for 8 (Jayasuriya 130, Sangakkara 121)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Kumar Sangakkara didn't take the field for Sri Lanka after scoring his third century of the tournament © AFP

With Nazimuddin making a sprightly 47 and Raqibul Hasan going along at lively clip, Bangladesh were striving hard to make a decent attempt at an imposing target of 333 against Sri Lanka. In a match they need to win to keep their Asia Cup hopes alive, they had reached 131 for 4 by the halfway mark, needing to score at eight an over to pull off an improbable upset. Alok Kapali, who scored that blazing century against India on Saturday, was still around though.

Nazimuddin started very slowly, but he launched into some fine cuts and drives once he was settled. Ajantha Mendis, who had bamboozled the Pakistanis, was thumped for a four and a six by Nazimuddin, and only a miscommunication with Raqibul saw him run out when in sight of a half-century.

By then, he had already seen Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, the side's leading lights, depart. With Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara giving nothing away early on, Tamim quickly became restless, and a tame nibble at a Vaas delivery was easily taken by Tillakaratne Dilshan, deputising for Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps.

Ashraful came in and took three fours off a Vaas over, but then had one of those brain-fades that he's become prone to. He was in no sort of position to try and pull Thilan Thushara, and the top-edge came down into Dilshan's hands.

But with Raqibul starting in strokeful fashion and Nazimuddin determined to tilt at windmills, the run-rate quickly soared, with Thushara coming in for harsh treatment. However, with Nazimuddin's dismissal, and Muttiah Muralitharan coming on to snaffle Mushfiqur Rahim, it looked as though Bangladesh were coming to the end of their Asia Cup campaign.

50 overs Sri Lanka 332 for 8 (Jayasuriya 130, Sangakkara 121) against Bangladesh

	Sanath Jayasuriya helped himself to a century on his 39th birthday © AFP

As birthday bashes go, this one was pretty special, with Sanath Jayasuriya bludgeoning Bangladesh into near-submission as Sri Lanka took a giant stride towards the Asia Cup final. Some of the Bangladesh players were still in diapers when Jayasuriya made his debut, and they must have felt as helpless as babies at times when he celebrated his 39th birthday with the fluent shot-making and power-hitting that typified his halcyon years. He raced to a century off only 55 balls, and it almost escaped attention that Kumar Sangakkara eased his way to an elegant century to follow the one he made against Pakistan just 24 hours earlier. And though it turned out to be a two-man show, Sri Lanka still piled up 332 from their 50 overs.

Jayasuriya and Sangakkara added 201 in only 27.5 overs before Jayasuriya ran out of puff in the Karachi heat. A poor delivery from Alok Kapali was lofted to deep cover where Tamim Iqbal took the catch. There was scarcely any joy because, by then, Jayasuriya had pounded 130 off only 88 balls, with a heady rhythm of cuts, pulls and drives.

Sangakkara carried on though, having been reprieved by Kapali off his own bowling on 51. He drove beautifully down the ground and made good use of both the orthodox sweep and the slogged version. Occasionally, he would also come down the track and loft the ball over the infield, as Bangladesh appeared bereft of options.

When Jayasuriya lashed Mashrafe Mortaza's opening delivery past point for four, it appeared to be a sign of things to come, but with Shahadat Hossain bowling a maiden first up, Bangladesh conceded only 20 in the first five overs. The trouble started after that, with Jayasuriya dusting off his pull stroke and also driving over the infield with immense power.

Sangakkara wasn't to be left behind, piercing the packed offside field cleverly on occasion, but after a while he gave up trying to keep pace. Jayasuriya was unstoppable. When the bowlers dropped short, he would pull over midwicket. If they were too full, the disdainful flick was unveiled. Too much width and the hoardings behind the point boundary were battered with short-arm cuts. And if all that wasn't punishment enough, he would also saunter down the track before lashing the ball over the covers.

The half-century took only 31 balls, and when Abdur Razzak came on, he was taken for 19 runs in his second over. Two crisp fours off Farhad Reza and a single to long leg later, he had a century, the 26th of an illustrious career. Sangakkara, who had caressed some lovely drives himself, was the perfect foil, and Bangladesh's cause wasn't helped when Mushfiqur Rahim fluffed a catch behind the stumps off Razzak right after Jayasuriya had got his hundred.

His eventual departure did stem the tide though, with the other batsmen unable to support Sangakkara. Mahela Jayawardene eased to 20 before pulling a long hop from Kapali to midwicket and neither Chamara Kapugedera nor Silva could get going. Tillakaratne Dilshan was run out by a direct hit from Raqibul Hasan, and when Razzak finally sneaked one under Sangakkara's defence, Bangladesh had managed a comeback of sorts. But thanks to their openers becoming only the 18th pair to score centuries in the same game, Sri Lanka were nearly out of sight by then.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

Sangakkara ton sets up 64-run win

June 29, 2008

Sri Lanka 302 for 7 (Sangakkara 112, Tanvir 5-48) beat Pakistan 238 for 9 (Misbah-ul-Haq 76, Malik 52, Mendis 4-47) by 64 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Kumar Sangakkara was in sublime touch on his way to the ninth ODI hundred of his career © AFP

Kumar Sangakkara's flawless century was backed by a disciplined bowling performance as Sri Lanka took a giant stride towards the final with a comfortable 64-run win over Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi. Sohail Tanvir's five-wicket haul couldn't prevent Sri Lanka from piling 302 for 7, and a lacklustre batting performance all but ended Pakistan's hopes by the halfway mark of their chase. For the hosts, a win here was crucial and the result severely dents their chances of progressing to the final.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, opted to field today, perhaps wary after India had chased 300 in their previous game. However, once again his bowlers failed to make an impact barring Tanvir, who varied his pace and angle of attack intelligently. He got precious little support from the other bowlers, and the batsmen picked easy runs on a docile pitch. In contrast, each of Sri Lanka's bowlers played their part on a slowing track to limit Pakistan to 238 for 9. After the fast bowlers had throttled the runs, Ajantha Mendis sliced through the middle order with his bag of tricks to completely derail the chase.

Sangakkara's ninth ODI century - his second of the tournament - was the fulcrum of Sri Lanka innings, and the three sizeable partnerships he was in involved in boosted Sri Lanka to a 300-plus total. Sanath Jayasuriya was trapped lbw by the impressive Tanvir early, but the old firm of Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene set about steadying the innings with a 40-run stand.

The pair rarely had to take any risks, watchful against the good deliveries and putting away the loose ones on offer. As Sri Lanka progressed smoothly, Tanvir was brought back in the 14th over and he made an immediate impact, getting Jayawardene to cut one to Misbah-ul-Haq at point. That brought in Chamara Kapugedera, who gave Sangakkara solid support, sensibly working the singles while using his feet to unleash a couple of huge sixes.

Sangakkara was his usual classy self, compiling his runs in an assured manner, with an impeccably-timed push down the ground for four off Tanvir being the highlight of his knock. He was initially content playing from the crease against the spinners but danced down the track to them as the innings progressed.

Kapugedera had moved to 43, and added 88 for the third wicket, when he perished attempting to sweep a ball from outside off, only to top-edge it to midwicket, handing debutant legspinner Mansoor Amjad his first ODI wicket. Chamara Silva didn't learn from Kapugedera's dismissal and was lucky to see a sweep fly to the third-man boundary.

With Malik sending down some hit-me deliveries and the other spinners ineffective as well, Sangakkara and Silva kept the runs flowing. Yet again Malik turned to Tanvir to limit the damage, and the bowler responded by removing Silva with a delivery that angled in. After bringing up his hundred, Sangakkara threw his bat around before being bowled by Tanvir for 112. Thilan Thushara justified the decision to send him ahead of Tillakaratne Dilshan by crashing a 20-ball 28.

Five stats Sohail Tanvir's 5 for 48 is the first five-wicket haul in ODIs. This was his first game against Sri Lanka. Kumar Sangakkara's 112 was his second hundred in the tournament, and his second against Pakistan. Sri Lanka's 302 for 7 is their second-highest score in Pakistan. The best, 357 for 9, came against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament. Ajantha Mendis' 4 for 47 came on the back of his 5 for 22 against UAE. That after he had gone wicketless in two innings. Salman Butt's first-ball duck was his second no-show in the tournament. He has scored just 35 runs in three innings.

In quest of what would have been their most successful chase against Sri Lanka, Pakistan got off to the worst possible start when Salman Butt inside-edged Chaminda Vaas' first delivery on to his stumps. Only three runs had come off the first three overs before Malik and Younis Khan peppered the off side with boundaries to plunder 26 runs off the next two.

Just as the hosts thought the floodgates had been opened, Sri Lanka hit back with a bunch of miserly overs to maintain the stranglehold. Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara bowled a tight line and length, and once Thilan Thushara recovered from a poor start to curb the runs, the pressure began to tell.

After Younis fell miscuing a pull to midwicket, Mohammad Yousuf and Malik consolidated, picking up the singles, but struggled to keep up with the asking-rate. With the pitch assisting spinners as the match wore on, Mendis added to his growing reputation by deceiving Yousuf (19) with a straighter one and Malik (52) with a legcutter.

By the time Shahid Afridi got out to a customary ill-advised swipe, the asking-rate had ballooned to nearly ten and there was no way back for Pakistan. All Misbah's 70-ball 76, during which he repeatedly carted the spinners over midwicket, could do was make the margin of defeat a little more respectable.

India and Sri Lanka are now both on four points, and Pakistan will have to win both their remaining Super Four matches to keep alive their thin hopes of qualifying for the title clash.

New Zealand won by 51 runs

England v New Zealand, 5th ODI, Lord's

New Zealand chip away as England chase 267

June 28, 2008

25 overs England 101 for 4 need another 166 runs to beat New Zealand 266 for 5 (Styris 87*, Oram 52)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Scott Styris picks up the remains of Brendon McCullum's bat, which snapped in half © Getty Images

England's batsmen were under significant pressure at the halfway mark of their chase as they aimed to stop New Zealand winning the series, as Daniel Vettori's men chipped away to leave the hosts at 101 for 4 after 25 overs. They required a further 166 runs to overhaul New Zealand's strong total on a reasonable pitch and a lot was resting on Owais Shah, who had 4, and Luke Wright, who was yet to score.

It looked like a confident Ravi Bopara was preparing to guide the chase as he struck a couple of sweetly timed boundaries straight and through midwicket off Southee . However, when he had reached 30 from 39 deliveries, he was comprehensively beaten by a Vettori arm ball that crashed into his off stump. The heat was already building on the middle order after Kevin Pietersen failed to provide a heroic captain's knock from when he cut Southee straight to Jacob Oram at point on 6.

Pietersen was trying to lift England after the loss of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, who began well but failed to capitalise on their starts. They added 53 in 11 overs and Bell got things moving in the first over when he drove a slightly wayward Kyle Mills through the on side for a pair of boundaries that raised roars of approval from the England fans.

Cook also showed some encouraging signs in his first ODI of the series, picking off a couple of loose Mills deliveries for boundaries to reach 24 before he edged behind off Southee's second ball. It gave New Zealand two wickets in three overs after Bell walked across his stumps and was trapped in line by Mark Gillespie for 27. They had given England a solid platform but the match was destined to be in the hands of their middle-order colleagues.

50 overs New Zealand 266 for 5 (Styris 87*, Oram 52) v England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A perfectly-paced unbeaten 87 from Scott Styris and an entertaining half-century from Jacob Oram ensured England would face a challenging chase to level the series at Lord's, where New Zealand reached 266 for 5 after 50 overs. At the close Grant Elliott was with Styris on 23 and Kevin Pietersen's decision to send New Zealand in on a reasonable batting pitch was looking questionable.

After laying a solid platform of 170 for 4 from 40 overs, New Zealand added 96 in the final ten as Pietersen failed to work out how to plug the leak. At the 40-over mark New Zealand had managed only eight fours and a six, a subdued compilation for a team featuring strikers like Oram, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, but by the end of the innings they had more than doubled the boundary count.

Oram cut loose with a pair of sixes that cleared long on, giving him a 37-ball fifty and leaving Owais Shah with a double-figure economy rate and even though he departed to a catch at long off, the crowd was given further fireworks when Styris suddenly lifted his tempo. When he reached his half-century from 75 deliveries - with a miscued six - Styris had managed only two fours.

But his next 34 came from 16 balls as he powerfully launched Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson into the crowd for sixes, making England pay after he was given a life on 13. Styris flashed hard at a Graeme Swann delivery outside off stump and the ball flew over the head of the backward point Bopara, who hurled himself in the air only to see the ball bounce off his outstretched hand.

For most of his stay Styris played the risk-free anchor role that Michael Hussey does so effectively in Australia's middle order. He was happy to take ones and twos and initially had impressive support from a confident Daniel Flynn, who was dropped on 21 at cover by Ian Bell. The pair's 53-run stand soon ended when Flynn (35) misread the line and was bowled trying to drive Swann but the partnership was strong enough to steady New Zealand following their early wobbles.

The big blow came when McCullum edged a good-length Anderson delivery to slip for 23, having been tested by some short stuff in the previous few overs. For a man who usually wields his bat like a lethal weapon it was a remarkably harmless innings from McCullum, who occupied the crease for 57 deliveries.

In the early stages as he struggled to pierce the field it was almost as if his bat was broken. Perhaps there was some fault-line lurking in the middle of his willow, because later in his stay the bat unexpectedly snapped in half as he pushed Anderson to midwicket. While Anderson removed the primary danger man to leave New Zealand at 71 for 3, it was Broad who had grabbed the first two wickets. Taylor edged behind for 4 after an overexcited Jamie How (22) drove a catch to Bopara at backward point having just clubbed Broad for a four and a six earlier in the over.

It meant England did not pay too heavily for giving How a life on 4, when he top-edged an attempted pull that flew high over the head of Tim Ambrose, who ran back and grassed what he should have taken. That was hardly the start the stand-in captain Pietersen wanted after sending New Zealand in on a reasonable batting pitch and by the close the first-time skipper's concerns were mounting.

Gambhir and Raina put India on course

Bangladesh v India, Super Four, Asia Cup, Karachi

June 28, 2008

25 overs: India 152 for 2 (Gambhir 74*, Raina 46*) need another 132 runs to beat Bangladesh 283 for 6 (Kapali 115, Tamim 55)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Gautam Gambhir made his first fifty of the tournament to lead India's confident reply © AFP

Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina profited from the generosity of Bangladesh's fielders as India appeared set to breeze past another stiff target at the National Stadium in Karachi. Two days after making mincemeat of 300 against Pakistan, they were 152 for 2 at the halfway stage, in pursuit of 284 for victory. Shahadat Hossain, all lively pace and whole-hearted grunting, had given Bangladesh hope with two wickets in the first Powerplay, but the partnership between Raina and Gambhir upset Mohammad Ashraful's best-laid plans. Butter fingers didn't help.

Gambhir had made 56 when his attempt to muscle Mashrafe Mortaza over the infield was sliced up in the air towards point. Farhad Reza made a mess of the catch, and Mortaza was left to squat on the pitch and hold his head in his hands. Soon after, still in the final Powerplay, Raina experienced his own adrenaline-rush moment, top-edging a pull. But again, Mortaza's celebrations were aborted as Mahmudullah spilt the chance at fine leg. Raina had made just 16 at that stage.

Bangladesh had started well enough, with Robin Uthappa inside-edging a full delivery on to his stumps. That brought in Rohit Sharma, another whose fortunes have waned in recent times. With Bangladesh especially generous with overthrows, India didn't need to take undue risks, and Rohit soon got going with an imperious pull and a cover drive for fours.

With Gambhir cutting and pulling anything that was slightly off target, the 50 came quickly enough, but soon after Rohit flicked Shahadat straight to midwicket. Raina, in resplendent form this tournament, was content to rotate the strike early on, and Gambhir quickly got to his half-century with a four and six off Mahmudullah.

The catches were dropped soon after, and with it, Bangladesh's chances of a famous upset may just have gone off into the night sky.

50 overs: Bangladesh 283 for 6 (Kapali 115, Tamim 55) against India

	Alok Kapali's whirlwind century transformed the game © AFP

A truly breathtaking 115 from Alok Kapali utterly transformed the opening game of the Asia Cup's Super Four, with Bangladesh suddenly finding an extra gear to race to 283 from their 50 overs. Despite an attractive half-century from Tamim Iqbal at the top of the order, the innings had meandered along for 42 overs before Kapali cut loose with a ferocity that brooked no answer from the Indians. Mahmudullah turned over the strike at the other end, contributing only 24 to the century partnership as Kapali struck the ball with power and precision.

With eight overs remaining, the innings was becalmed. Pragyan Ojha had bowled a tidy spell and taken two wickets on debut, Yusuf Pathan had given little away, and Ishant Sharma had kept things quiet when called upon. But when Yusuf came on to bowl his final over, Kapali, then on 47 from 64 balls, exploded into life. Two big slog-sweeps for six set the tone, and when RP Singh returned, both batsmen scythed him over backward point for fours.

Manpreet Gony, whose second international outing was a great deal more taxing than the first against Hong Kong, then went for four, six and six as Kapali started to swing with genuine confidence. Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again turned to Ishant to apply a tourniquet, but to no avail. Kapali clipped a slow yorker beautifully through midwicket and then carved one past point as 61 came in just five overs. Of that, 50 had come off Kapali's bat.

India were left to rue another poor session in the field. Kapali had made just 25 when Gony misjudged a catch at long-on off the bowling of Yusuf. Gautam Gambhir gave him another reprieve late on, but by then he had roared into three figures, and changed the complexion of the match.

The innings had a much more circumspect start, with Tamim's cover drive for four off RP the only boundary in the first five overs. But when Nazimuddin cut RP straight to third man, it brought Ashraful to the crease, and there was no dawdling after that. He was fortunate that a slap through point off Gony just brushed Suresh Raina's fingers, but Gony didn't help his cause either by straying on to the pads once too often.

A tidy clip for four off one such delivery got Tamim past 1,000 ODI runs, and when Ashraful then took two fours from an RP over, India's early control had all but vanished. Dhoni turned to Ishant to stem the tide, but Tamim, one of the heroes of that famous World Cup win over India, greeted him with a superb straight drive and a fortuitous edge for four.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, Ashraful's profligate streak came to the fore just when his team were on top. Gony had been brought back for a second spell, and a half-hearted drive on the up went to Ojha at mid-off. A first international wicket for Gony, and a first catch for Ojha.

Raqibul and Tamim continued to pick up runs at a fair clip, and Dhoni threw Ojha the ball in the 17th over. He started tidily enough, giving little away, and was unlucky as a thick outside edge that took Tamim past 50 just evaded the man at slip.

Yet again though, a moment's carelessness cost Bangladesh dearly. Having creamed Ishant through the covers for four, Tamim then tried to deflect one fine off the pads. Too fine as it turned out, with Dhoni making good ground to his right to take a splendid catch. The second and third Powerplays had fetched just 42, and Bangladesh had to do it all over again.

Raqibul Hasan expressed the desire to push on with a big heave over long-off against Ojha, but was flummoxed soon after, leaving Bangladesh to focus on consolidation rather than acceleration. Ojha came up with a beautiful delivery that turned past the defensive prod to take off stump, and leave Bangladesh on 120 for 4.

Mushfiqur Rahim and Kapali consolidated with a 49-run partnership, but India's bowlers, with Ojha varying his flight cleverly, were slowly establishing a stranglehold. Ojha's second wicket came courtesy a little extra bounce, with Mushfiqur's attempt at a cut finding only Dhoni's gloves.

At that stage, India might have scented the kill. Instead, with Kapali in free-stroking mood, the hunters became the hunted. The last eight overs fetched 90 runs, as Bangladesh overhauled their previous-highest total against India by 26 runs. On a placid pitch, it might still not be enough, but once again, a pint-sized Bangladeshi batsman had left India with a bloody nose.