Sri Lanka's Easy Win

Rangana Herath starred with the ball in both innings (5-65 and 6-43) as Sri Lanka won the match on the third day by 10 wickets against New Zealand in Galle on Monday.
The debutant Dimuth Karunaratne (60) has the joy of hitting the winning runs on debut. After an evenly matched second day, the third was all Sri Lanka's. New Zealand have extended their losing streak to five now, having lost two each to West Indies and India before this.
Karunaratne hits nine boundaries in 60-ball. Tharanga Paranavitana not out on 31. Rangana Herath declared man of the match for his 11-wicket in the match.
Earlier, New Zealand were shot out for 118 in their second innings after lunch.
Middle-order batsman Daniel Flynn top-scored for New Zealand with 20, while Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with 6-43.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 247 in their first innings on Day 2 in reply to New Zealand's 221.
New Zealand had collapsed to 96/8 in their second innings at lunch on the third day after failing to cope with Herath's left-arm spin.
The tourists, trailing by 26 on first innings, were just 70 runs ahead with two wickets in hand. They lost seven wickets in the morning session for 61 runs after resuming on 35/1.
Fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara did the early damage with two wickets in his opening three overs before Herath, who took one wicket on Sunday, struck four times in five overs to have New Zealand reeling at 79/7.
Herath, who took 5/65 in the first innings, was on a hat-trick when he bowled Daniel Flynn (20) and then trapped Doug Bracewell leg-before.
The Sri Lankan spinner started the slide when he had skipper Ross Taylor leg-before for 18 before accounting for James Franklin (2) for his first two wickets.
Kulasekara struck in his second over of the morning when he bowled opener Martin Guptill before dismissing Williamson, caught down the leg-side by a diving wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene.
Guptill fell on his overnight score of 13, while Kane Williamson (10) added just one run in the morning.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 247 in their first innings on Sunday in reply to New Zealand's 221, with skipper Mahela Jayawardene scoring 91 and vice-captain Angelo Mathews 79.
Fast bowler Tim Southee took four wickets and off-spinner Jeetan Patel three for New Zealand.

Brief scores
New Zealand 221 (McCullum 68, Flynn 53, Herath 5-65) and 118 (Flynn 20, Herath 6-43)
Sri Lanka 247 (M Jayawardene 91, Mathews 79, Southee 4-46) and 93 for 0 (Karunaratne 60*)
Result Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets
MOM Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

Mathews Named T20 Captain

Mathews Named T20 Captain, Malinga Named Vice-captain


All-rounder Angelo Mathews was named Sri Lanka Twenty20 captain on Wednesday for the next 12 months in an appointment which could lead to him taking over as leader of the Test side.
Mathews, 25, the Sri Lanka vice-captain in all three formats of the game, succeeds Mahela Jayawardene who resigned as T20 captain after his side lost this month's World Cup final to West Indies.
"We are giving Mathews a free hand to captain the T20 side for one year after which we will review his performance," said chief selector Ashantha de Mel.
Mathews' first assignment will be to lead Sri Lanka in a one-off T20 international against New Zealand at Pallekele on Oct. 30. Fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been named at the T20 vice-captain, also for a one-year term.

Champions League T20 2012 Schedule

QUALIFIERS POOL A	QUALIFIERS POOL B
Hampshire Sialkot Stallions Auckland Aces	Yorkshire Trinidad and Tobago Uva Next

GROUP A	GROUP B
Kolkata Knight Riders Titans Perth Scorchers Delhi Daredevils Q1	Chennai Super Kings Highveld Lions Sydney Sixers Mumbai Indians Q2

Date and Time

Match Details and Series

Oct 9  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Qualifiers Pool 2 : 1st T20 - Uva Next vs Yorkshire  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Tue Oct 9  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Qualifiers Pool 1 : 2nd T20 - Auckland Aces vs Sialkot Stallions  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Wed Oct 10  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Qualifiers Pool 1 : 3rd T20 - Auckland Aces vs Hampshire  SuperSport Park, Centurion
Wed Oct 10  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Qualifiers Pool 2 : 4th T20 - Trinidad and Tobago vs Yorkshire  SuperSport Park, Centurion
Thu Oct 11  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Qualifiers Pool 2 : 5th T20 - Trinidad and Tobago vs Uva Next  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Thu Oct 11  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Qualifiers Pool 1 : 6th T20 - Hampshire vs Sialkot Stallions  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Oct 13  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group A : 1st T20 - Titans vs Perth Scorchers  SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sat Oct 13  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group A : 2nd T20 - KKR vs DD  SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sun Oct 14  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group B : 3rd T20 - CSK vs Sydney Sixers  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun Oct 14  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group B : 4th T20 - Highveld Lions vs Mumbai Indians  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Mon Oct 15  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group A : 5th T20 - KKR vs TBC  Newlands, Cape Town
Tue Oct 16  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group B : 6th T20 - Sydney Sixers vs TBC  Newlands, Cape Town
Tue Oct 16  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group B : 7th T20 - CSK vs Highveld Lions  Newlands, Cape Town
Wed Oct 17  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group A : 8th T20 - Titans vs TBC  Kingsmead, Durban
Wed Oct 17  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group A : 9th T20 - KKR vs Perth Scorchers  Kingsmead, Durban
Thu Oct 18  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group B : 10th T20 - Highveld Lions vs Sydney Sixers  Newlands, Cape Town
Thu Oct 18  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group B : 11th T20 - Mumbai Indians vs TBC  Newlands, Cape Town
Fri Oct 19  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group A : 12th T20 - DD vs TBC  Kingsmead, Durban
Sat Oct 20  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group B : 13th T20 - Highveld Lions vs TBC  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sat Oct 20  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group B : 14th T20 - CSK vs Mumbai Indians  The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Sun Oct 21  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group A : 15th T20 - Perth Scorchers vs DD  Newlands, Cape Town
Sun Oct 21  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group A : 16th T20 - KKR vs Titans  Newlands, Cape Town
Mon Oct 22  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group B : 17th T20 - CSK vs TBC  Kingsmead, Durban
Mon Oct 22  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group B : 18th T20 - Sydney Sixers vs Mumbai Indians  Kingsmead, Durban
Tue Oct 23  13:30 local | 11:30 GMT	Group A : 19th T20 - Perth Scorchers vs TBC  SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tue Oct 23  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	Group A : 20th T20 - DD vs Titans  SuperSport Park, Centurion
Thu Oct 25  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	1st Semi Final T20 - TBC vs TBC  Kingsmead, Durban
Fri Oct 26  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT	2nd Semi Final T20 - TBC vs TBC  SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sun Oct 28  17:30 local | 15:30 GMT

Airtel Champions League T20, 2012

Coming Soon................
Airtel Champions League T20, 2012....

Sri Lanka Enter World Twenty20 Final

Discipline Sri Lankan bowlers powered the hosts to the final of the 2012 World Twenty20 as they beat 2009 champions Pakistan by 16 runs in a low-scoring thriller at Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Thursday.

Sri Lanka will meet the winner of second semifinal between Australia and West Indies in the summit clash on Sunday.

Rangana Herath derailed Pakistan's chase as he dismissed danger man Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi in quick succession to reduce Pakistan to 91 for 6.

Earlier, Ajantha Mendis gave Sri Lanka first breakthrough as he bowled out Imran Nazir (20) after a steady start by Pakistan in their chase of 140.

Angelo Mathews then trapped Nasir Jamshed leg before wickets and got Kamran Akmal caught behind the stumps to hurt Pakistan's chase.

Herath then joined the party by getting rid of Shoaib Malik.

Herath stretched the show further in the 15th over by quick wickets of Hafeez and Afridi.

Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 139/4 in their semifinal clash at the R Premadasa stadium on Thursday.

Some 35,000 fans at the Premadasa stadium watched Sri Lanka struggle to force the pace after Mahela Jayawardene elected to take first strike on a sluggish pitch that hampered stroke-making.

Sri Lanka plodded to 123-4 in 19 overs when Thisara Perera smashed three boundaries in the final over bowled by seamer Umar Gul which realised 16 runs.

Openers Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 63 in 10 overs, a slow start by Twenty20 standards but crucial nevertheless for Sri Lanka still had all their wickets in hand.

Jayawardene liberally employed the reverse sweep during his knock of 42 off 36 balls, but was caught at fine-leg while attempting the same shot off leg-spinner Shahid Afridi.

Kumar Sangakkara made a promising 18 from 11 balls when he was snapped up on the long-on fence as he tried to hit Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez out of the ground.

Gul was unlucky to see the TV umpire declare a no-ball after he had Jeevan Mendis given out leg-before in the 18th over.

But Gul removed Dilshan two balls later with another leg-before decision that made Sri Lanka 117-3.

Dilshan was unusually subdued during his innings, taking 43 balls to score 35 with the help of three boundaries.

Brief scores

Sri Lanka 139 for 4 (Jayawardene 42, Dilshan 35)

Pakistan 123 for 7 (Hafeez 42, Umar Akmal 29*, Herath 3-25)

Result Sri Lanka won by 16 runs

MOM Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

Aussies Big Win

David Warner and Shane Watson blasted their way to propel Australia to an emphatic nine-wicket victory over India in the Super Eight match of the ICC World Twenty20 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
David Warner and Shane Watson stitched unbeaten 100 runs stand in just 10 overs to pile misery on Indian bowlers in the Super Eight match of the ICC World Twenty20 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Watson notched up 28-ball fifty, smashing six huge sixes and a four as he took the full advantage of clueless Indian bowling. Warner, on the other hand, also complimented his partner with a 37-ball fifty, smacking six fours and two sixes.
Chasing 141-run target, the Warner and Watson duo gave Australia steady start as they took team's fifty in 6.4 overs.
Indian batsmen struggled to tackle the top class Australian bowling as they were restricted to modest 140/7. Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh were remained unbeaten on 12 and 1 respectively.
Australian fast bowlers on a roll as they sent half of the Indian batsmen back to the pavilion inside 12 overs. Shane Watson was pick of the Aussie bowler, capturing three wickets including the prize scalp of Yuvraj Singh.
Shane Watson struck twice in one over to dismiss Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan and left India struggling at 74/4 in 11 overs. Mitchell Starc also joined the party in the next over by removing Rohit Sharma to put India in deep trouble.
Pat Cummins struck in his first over of the second spell to give Australia huge breakthrough, dismissing Virat Kohli. Kohli and Irfan Pathan tried to build on the Indian innings, adding 35 runs for the second wicket in 26 balls. It was rare failure for Kohli, who contributed 15 runs with the help of two boundaries.
India suffered early blow when Gautam Gambhir got run-out by Australian pacer Cummins. The southpaw started off well as he smashed three fours in his 17 runs knock off 12 balls after Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat against Australia.
India made the good use of the mandatory powerplay after losing the vice-captain as Irfan Pathan and Virat Kohli took the team past fifty-run mark in six overs.

Brief scores
India 140 for 7 (Pathan 31, Watson 3-34)
Australia 141 for 1 (Watson 72, Warner 63*)
Result Australia won by 9 wickets
Points Australia 2, India 0
MOM Shane Watson (Australia)

ICC World T20, Super Eight: South Africa vs Pakistan

Colombo: They have so far maintained a clean slate and there is very little to separate the two teams as South Africa lock horns with Pakistan in what is expected to be a battle of attrition in their ICC World Twenty20 Super Eight match on Friday.
Both teams will be equally confident after their emphatic showings in the group stage of the tournament, and it will be interesting to see who emerges winner at the R Premadasa Stadium stadium.
Pakistan, winner of the 2009 edition, won both their group league matches with ease.
If skipper Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed shone in their win over New Zealand, Imran Nazir led the way with an onslaught that left the Bangladesh bowlers shell-shocked in their last game.
Hafeez deserves mention as he led admirably with both bat and ball, his canny off-spinners often proving to be a perfect foil for Saeed Ajmal, who has become a sort of a headache for batsmen the world over.
Flashy wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has also shown glimpses of his brilliance and looked in good nick against their South Asian rivals.
Pacers Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir haven`t really fired, but Yasir Arafat made an impact with three Bangladeshi wickets, and Pakistan are unlikely to make any changes to the squad that played in the last game.
The match assumes more significance for Pakistan as a win against the Proteas will put them in the perfect frame of mind ahead of the big-ticket encounter with arch-rival India on Sunday.
South Africa have been their consistent self in the group stage, but the real tournament starts now, and more so for the Proteas.
The shocking 2011 World Cup quarterfinal defeat to New Zealand still fresh in mind, South Africa would once again would look to shed the tag of perennial chokers in ICC tournament, and a win tomorrow will be a positive step in that direction.
A look at their performance in the group stage will only add to South Africa`s confidence going into the competitive round.
Led by the explosive A B de Villiers, the team hammered neighbours Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to start the tournament in the best possible manner.
In the rain-reduced seven-over hit against hosts Sri Lanka, the Proteas were well served by the skipper, who helped them to a 32-run win in Hambantota.
There is no dearth of strokemakers in the SA line-up and right from the in-form Hashim Amla to the great Jacques Kallis, each one of them is capable of single-handedly turning a match on its head.
The presence of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and his brother Albie make for an effective pace battery.

Teams (from):

Pakistan: Mohammed Hafeez (c), Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Imran Nazir, Kamram Akmal, Mohammed Sami, Nasir Jamshed, Raza Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat.

South Africa: AB de Villiers (c), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Richard Levi, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe. 

Pakistan Thrash New Zealand

New Zealand's late fightback went in vain as Pakistan beat the Kiwis by 13 runs in a thrilling encounter in their World T20 match in Pallekele on Sunday.
The Kiwis were left stranded requiring a high run rate when they lost Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum in quick succession before Saeed Ajmal struck for the second time to dismiss Jacob Oram.
McCullum was left completely bemused when Umar Gul's swinging delivery trickled back slowly to knock off the leg stump bail.
After a steady start to the innings, the Kiwis lost both their openers when Kane Williamson (15) was run out immediately after Shahid Afridi struck to dismiss Rob Nicol (33).
Afridi gave Pakistan an important breakthrough in his first over as he dismissed Kiwi opener Nicol for 33 runs, which included three 4s and a single six.
A beautiful Afridi swinger, which depicts his natural style of bowling, was instrumental in knocking Nicol's off stump out of the ground.
Williamson on the other hand failed to capitalize on his impressive start as a splendid effort in the field led to him falling short of reaching the crease.
Chasing a target of 178, openers Nicol and Kane Williamson gave the New Zealand innings a steady start by putting up a speedy 50-run partnership in just 38 balls.
Earlier, after being spearheaded by Nasir Jamshed (56), Pakistan set up a formidable target of 178 for New Zealand.
Daniel Vettori scalped the dangerous Jamshed after he scored a quick 27-ball fifty that included two 4s and four 6s to lead the Pakistan attack.
Jamshed put up a blistering partnership with Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez (43) before Hafeez lost his wicket to James Franklin.
A perfect delivery by Franklin was able to find the off stump of Hafeez, who was earlier dropped by Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor on the third ball of the innings.
Jamshed while trying to make room on the offside hit a slower Vettori delivery towards the boundary where Nathan McCullum made no mistake in catching a simple catch.
Earlier, Jacob Oram was able to get the better of Kamran Akmal when the Pakistan wicketkeeper was caught comfortably on the cover boundary by Rob Nicol.
The Pakistan duo of Jamshed and Hafeez added quickfire 50 runs for the second wicket after losing opener Imran Nazir, which helped Pakistan scored 100 runs in just 10.5 overs.
The first Pakistan wicket fell when seamer Tim Southee gave New Zealand crucial breakthrough as he got rid of dangerous Pakistani opener Nazir.
Nazir and skipper Hafeez gave Pakistan terrific start as the duo added 47 runs for the opening wicket. Pakistan just lost only one wicket while added 51 runs during the first six overs of powerplay.
Nazir was hitting well before being caught and bowled by paceman Southee, who held up a fine catch on his follow through. Nazir scored a quickfire 16-ball 25 with the help of five boundaries.

Brief scores
Pakistan 177 for 6 (Jamshed 56, Hafeez 43)
New Zealand 164 for 9 (Nicol 33, B McCullum 32, Ajmal 4-30)
Result Pakistan won by 13 runs
Points Pakistan 2, New Zealand 0
MOM Nasir Jamshed (Pakistan)