Vettori Retires From T20 Internationals

New Zealand cricket captain Daniel Vettori has announced his retirement from Twenty20 internationals and says he is considering his future in one-day internationals.
The 32-year-old Vettori confirmed after New Zealand's World Cup semifinal defeat by Sri Lanka on Tuesday that he will stand down as captain in all forms of the game.
He said he will continue as a Test player but has not yet decided whether the five-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo would be his last one-day international. Vettori said with New Zealand not scheduled to play again until it tours Zimbabwe in October he will take time to consider his one-day international future.
"I've played my last Twenty20 match ... (but) it's about six months to the next one-dayer so I have a lot of time to sit down and think about it and talk to my family," he said.
"Tests are a big part of why I play the game, for team and myself, because there is no better feeling than winning a Test."
Vettori announced his decision to relinquish the captaincy before New Zealand's departure for the World Cup. New Zealand Cricket has yet to appoint a successor but batsman Ross Taylor is expected to take over.

Sehwag, Dhoni Reach 1,000 Runs Against Pakistan

Indian opener Virender Sehwag and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday completed their 1,000 runs against Pakistan in one-day internationals during the high-octane second semifinal of the World Cup.
Sehwag hit the third ball of the semifinal off pacer Umar Gul to the cover boundary to touch the 1,000-run mark at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium.
The ball was a touch too full outside off and Sehwag brought his bat down swiftly to crash the ball through the in field.
Dhoni completed his 1000 runs in the 42nd over of the Indian innings, bowled by pacer Wahab Riaz.
The skipper got a thick edge off Riaz on the second ball of the over, which flew past Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, hitting the fingers and bouncing out.
Akmal stretched to dive but could not hold on to the ball.
Two balls later, however, Riaz got the prized wicket of the Indian skipper, trapping him lbw.
Dhoni tried to shuffle to his off as the ball rapped onto his pad, clearly hitting the off stump. Dhoni went for the review but it did not help his cause as all three indicators came out red.
He made 25 off 42 deliveries, hitting two fours. The other five batsmen who have scored 1,000 runs or more in ODIs against Pakistan are Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.
Batting first after winning the toss, Indian openers Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar pummelled the Pakistan pace attack, especially the former picking 21 off Gul from the third over of the innings.
But Sehwag's exploits soon came to an end when he was declared leg-before by umpire Simon Taufel off Riaz's bowling. He made 38 off 25 deliveries.

India Beat Pakistan To Reach World Cup Final, Face Sri Lanka

India set up a World Cup final clash with Sri Lanka by inflicting a 29-run defeat on arch-rivals Pakistan in their semifinal match clash at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.
Misbah-ul-Haq top scored for Pakistan with 56 and his was the last wicket to fall as India bowled out Pakistan for 231 runs in 49.5 overs.
Ashish Nehra dismissed Wahab Riaz and Umar Gul in his successive overs to take India to the verge of victory.
Nehra had Riaz caught by Sachin Tendulkar and in his next over trapped Gul plumb in front.
Harbhajan Singh tightened the Indian stranglehold on Pakistan by having Shahid Afridi caught by Virender Sehwag in the covers off a full toss
Munaf Patel clean bowled the dangerous Abdul Razzaq with a superb leg-cutter to choke Pakistan's run chase.
Munaf bowled a good length delivery that landed on middle, just straightened after pitching and Razzaq was caught napping inside the crease as he tried to defend it but he missed it completely and the off-stump was shaken.
Harbhajan Singh struck when it mattered the most when he clean bowled Umar Akmal with a superb delivery.
Harbhajan bowled a flatter, faster delivery on middle that skidded on with the angle, Akmal tried to cut it but was beaten for pace and his off-stump was disturbed.
Yuvraj Singh dismissed Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan in his successive overs to lead the Indian fight back.
Yuvraj gave India the third breakthrough when he clean bowled Shafiq and in his next over had Younis caught by Suresh Raina in the covers to reduce Pakistan to 106/4.
Munaf Patel took the second wicket when he had Mohammad Hafeez caught behind by MS Dhoni.
Hafeez was trying a scoop shot to fine leg but the ball took an edge and went straight into the hands of Dhoni. Hafeez hit 7 fours in his 59-ball 43.
Zaheer Khan gave India the first breakthrough when he had Kamran Akmal caught by Yuvraj Singh at backward point.
The breakthrough came after Pakistan got off to a good start with an opening stand of 44 runs.
Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar rode his luck as India made 260/9.
India's total would have been considerably less had not Tendulkar been dropped four times on his way to top-scoring with 85 -- an innings that still left him one shy of a hundred international hundreds.
Wahab Riaz kept Pakistan in the match with an impressive display of left-arm fast bowling on his way to a career-best 5/46.
The 25-year-old's performance was all the more admirable as he would have been omitted had Pakistan recalled veteran fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.
But Riaz, who took a wicket in his first over and later struck twice in two balls, was a constant threat as he surpassed his previous best of three for 22 against Bangladesh in Dhaka three years ago
"I think 260 will be enough. The wicket's taking spin and if we bowl in the right places it will be very difficult for them," said Suresh Raina, who finished unbeaten on 36.
Virender Sehwag made a typically brisk start after India captain MS Dhoni won the toss, with 21 runs coming off Umar Gul's second over -- the paceman's eight costing 69 in all.
However, a bowling change saw Riaz strike fifth ball when he had Sehwag, hitting across the line, lbw for 38 including nine boundaries.
Tendulkar, opening with Sehwag, subsequently square-drove Riaz for four to become the first batsman ever to score 400 runs in World Cups.
But off-spinner Saeed Ajmal nearly had him out twice in successive balls for 23, a reviewed lbw and tight stumping call both going against Pakistan.
Then, on 27, Tendulkar pulled Pakistan captain and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi hard to short mid-wicket only for Misbah-ul-Haq to drop the two-handed catch.
And Tendulkar was dropped again, on 45, when he mistimed a drive off Afridi and Younis Khan at mid-off failed to hold on.
Tendulkar completed a 67-ball fifty with his eighth boundary, off Afridi, before Riaz struck again.
He had Virat Kohli fending to Umar Akmal at backward point and next ball clean bowled Yuvraj Singh, the hero of India's quarter-final win over champions Australia, for nought on the batsman's home ground with a swinging full toss.
Dhoni survived the hat-trick after the ball just missed his outside edge.
Tendulkar was given a third reprieve by Pakistan on 70 when wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal failed to hold a tough chance off an edged Afridi leg-break.
And he was on 81 when a leaping Umar Akmal at short mid-wicket dropped a checked drive against off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez.
However, Afridi -- who had vowed Tendulkar would not reach the landmark score in this match -- ended his innings when he took a sharp catch at short extra-cover off a hard-hit drive against Ajmal.

Sri Lanka Look For Spin to Beat Injury-hit England

Injury-ravaged but battle-hardened after playing a string of humdingers, England will aim for another upset when they take on strong contenders and co-hosts Sri Lanka in the last quarterfinal match of the World Cup on Saturday.
England endured a tumultous campaign in the league stage besides dealing with one injury crisis after another but they have proved themselves a resurgent team and would look to carry forward that spirit against the title-favourites.
Sri Lanka, in contrast, have had a smooth ride into the quarters and would be contemplating whether to reverse back to a three-strong spin attack for the match at R Premadasa Stadium.
The Sri Lankans tried that formula against Australia in a Group 'A' match, but couldn't see how successful it would be as the game was abandoned halfway through due to rain.
The ploy could return when they take on England but leaving out seam bowler Nuwan Kulasekara would prove to be a tough decision.
But for England, it would be about keeping their minds focussed given the tough road to the last-eight stage.
Before arriving in Sri Lanka they had three players, Kevin Pietersen, Ajmal Shahzad and Stuart Broad withdrawn due to injury while on Thursday, all-rounder Michael Yardy returned to the UK due to depression.
"It's not by choice that we've had a few injuries. Broad and KP would always be in your first XI. But Tredders has come straight in having not played for a long time and got man of the match. Myself against South Africa coming in and getting Man of the Match," England all-rounder Ravi Bopara told reporters.
England have had a roller-coaster first round. While they tied a high scoring game against co-hosts India, they were stunned by Ireland a few days later.
They recovered with another tight win against South Africa, but lost to Bangladesh in the penultimate Group 'B' game.
Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene, said the fact that England have done well against stronger teams in this competition made them intimidating.
"They have had a very tough World Cup. All their games have been very close. If you analyse properly; the two games they lost were against minnows and they beat some of the top teams and that means they do turn up for the big game," Jayawardene said.
Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who was nursing a hamstring injury that he sustained during Sri Lanka's last group game against New Zealand in Mumbai, has recovered and is expected to play on Saturday.
While Sri Lanka's top four batsmen have scored hundreds in the competition, there has been some worry about the team's middle order batting.
For England, the batting will revolve around in-form skipper Andrew Strauss, Ravi Bopara and Paul Collingwood but with strike pacer James Anderson struggling for form, the bowling looks a bit suspect especially in crunch situations.
But given that England have proved many a naysayers wrong this World Cup, they are capable of springing another surprise against the Lankans.

Sachin Tendulkar Crosses 18,000 Runs in ODIs

Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday crossed another milestone as he went past the 18,000-run mark in ODIs during India's World Cup quarterfinal match against Australia.
Playing in his 451st ODI, Tendulkar reached the milestone with a single off Australian fast bowler Brett Lee in the 14th over of India's run-chase at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera. He was 45 short of 18,000 runs before the match.
The 37-year-old Indian maestro is the highest run-getter in both Tests and ODIs. He has till date scored 14,692 runs from 177 Tests at an average of 56.94 with 51 hundreds and 59 half-centuries.
His aggregate score in all forms of cricket before Thursday's match stands at a staggering 32,657.
Tendulkar, who is playing in his sixth World Cup, is also the highest run-scorer in the showpiece event.

Pakistan vs West Indies

The first quarter-final clash of the 2011 World Cup has Pakistan with a strangely un-Pakistan feel and West Indies who are not the world-beating champs of yesteryears but not the dust-biting team of the recent past either.

With both sides capable of hitting superb highs as well as less-spectacular lows, the venue is strangely fitting for the teams involved: it has seen the high of a Virender Sehwag 175 in the first match of the World Cup and the low of a 58-all out by the Bangladesh team and the stone pelting incident.

Pakistan: Pakistan are supposed to play mercurial cricket - genius one minute, maddening the next. It is therefore of some surprise that they have put up some very consistent performances so far in the tournament. Their only glitch was against New Zealand with Kamran Akmal and Ross Taylor combining for a freakish final few overs that swung the match. Since then Kamran has improved his performance behind the stumps, although 'caught Kamran Akmal' still remains the unluckiest mode of dismissal for a batsman (in fact, some might say it ranks second after 'adjudged out by Asoka de Silva').

Aside from Kamran's fumblings though, Pakistan have looked a very dangerous and cohesive side. They had been rocked by the spot-fixing scandal, losing key players, and losing their status as host nations, but the controversies seem to have acted for the better for the current set of players, helping them bond and play together as a team. Their strength is their bowling with Umar Gul in particular being superb along with Shahid Afridi. To put Pakistan's bowling strength in perspective, imagine a bowling attack reading the following names: Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal. By any yardstick, it would be world class. And yet the first two are serving time, while the latter two have warmed the benches for Pakistan. Akhtar and Ajmal might yet make an appearance in this game - Akthar could replace Wahab Riaz, who is steadier but lacks Akthar's X-factor, while Ajmal could come in for the efficient Abdur Rehman. England and India both used off-spinners successfully against the West Indies, which makes Ajmal's inclusion more likely.

West Indies: They had a rather strange league phase, steam-rolling the minnow opposition but coming up short against the stronger teams. They squandered a good start against South Africa to lose by an eventually comfortable margin, and repeated the act against India. Against England, they looked likely winners just 20 minutes before the game ended. And yet, they have lost all three matches. Their inability to put in a 100 overs of good cricket has hurt them against the teams that have the resources to come back into a match, and Pakistan have those in plenty.

The good news for the West Indies is that Chris Gayle and Kemar Roach are fit again and will thus make the final eleven. That will pose an interesting problem for the selectors however, in deciding which pacer to leave out for Roach. The one to get the axe could well be Ravi Rampaul, who took 5/51 against India in their last match. However, Andre Russel's 4/49 and 49 off 46 balls against England will probably tilt the scales in his favour ahead of Rampaul. West Indies only hope to win the match and make their first semi-final since 1996 is to grab the advantage at the start of the innings with both bat and ball. With the bat, Chris Gayle has to set the tone and not allow Umar Gul to settle, while with the ball Kemar Roach and co will have to get into the Pakistan middle order quickly before a platform is set for them.

Trivia:

The last time the World Cup was held in the subcontinent was also the last time the Quarter-finals were played in the tournament. Then as now, West Indies finished fourth in their group and took on the well-oiled South African team who had topped the other group. Brian Lara then decided to unleash one of his masterpieces to knock South Africa out and West Indies went to the semi-finals to meet pre-tournament favourites Australia.

The situation is eerily similar now, with India replacing Australia as the pre-tournament favourites and Pakistan replacing South Africa as the top side from the other group.

The Gayle factor:

Given that Kieron Pollard has often been found wanting against high quality pace (exactly of the sort Pakistan have), Chris Gayle is by far the West Indies most important batsman. His ODI stats of an average of more than 39 and a strike rate of almost 84 look reassuring - since with that kind of average a player has to succeed more often than fail. However, his average against Pakistan is only 32.00 and his average against the top seven nations (Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka) is 34. Those averages fall in the realm of the 'inconsistent but devastating on his day' sort of players. West Indies will desperately need Gayle to have his day in the quarter-finals.

Confident Pakistan Take on Struggling Windies in Quarter Finals

A rampaging Pakistan go into the cricket World Cup quarterfinals against a struggling West Indies on Wednesday, hoping to continue their winning run and take a step closer to the coveted title.

Pakistan had a tumultuous build up to the World Cup with the team battling spot-fixing allegations but Shahid Afridi and his men have not allowed themselves to be distracted by the scandal as they topped group-A with five wins in six outings.
Hugely talented but highly unpredictable, Pakistan started off with a bang before running into New Zealand's Ross Taylor who blew them away with a breath-taking century but Afridi's men quickly regrouped and finished the league stage with a comfortable four-wicket win over world champion.
Pakistan's clinical display in their last match not only earned them a victory but also broke four-time champions Australia's unbeaten streak of 34 World Cup matches and Afridi will hope for an encore.
For Pakistan, former captain Younis Khan has been the cog of their wheel, while Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal also chipped in nicely, scoring 192 and 211 runs at an average of 48 and 52.75.
Youngster Asad Shafiq also has shone in the two games he played in the World Cup averaging 124. But Pakistan's opening partnership has been a worry.
Both Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad have failed to give Pakistan a start, which has put undue pressure on the middle-order.
Afridi too has failed with the bat scoring just 65 runs in six games and the captain will hope to strike form in Wednesday's match.
The skipper, however, has been very effective with his leg-breaks and currently is the leading bowler in the tournament with 17 wickets. Swing bowler Umar Gul also has been among wickets taking 13 scalps.
The predicament for the 1992 champions would be Gul's pace partner. While Shoaib Aktar has not been at his best, Wahab Riaz have been expensive against Australia giving away 1-39 in six overs.
Afridi said beating Australia has boosted their confidence and they are now focused on their quarterfinal match against West Indies.
West Indies, on the other hand, have been grappling with injuries. Key players seamer Kemar Roach and former skipper Chris Gayle - didn't play the crucial match against India because of illness and abdominal strain respectively.
The Caribbean team also have struggled with their form in both batting and bowling and have been inconsistent as after three consecutive wins they lost their last two games against England and India from being comfortably placed at 222-6 and 154-2 respectively at one stage.
However, the defeats didn't spoil their quarterfinal dreams as they managed to make it to the knockout stage finishing fourth in Group B with better run-rate than Bangladesh, who also won three matches.
The first two world champion West Indies were ranked ahead Bangladesh at 8th place in the ICC ranking and have lost 18 successive matches against the leading nations but Darren Sammy's men would hope to raise their game in time.
The West Indies have good memories of Sher-e-Bangla stadium where they bundled out Bangladesh for their lowest one-day total of 58 in the league match and romped home by nine wickets.
Teams from
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Ahmed Shahzad.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (capt), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Devon Thomas (wk), Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Kemar Roach, Kirk Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Devendra Bishoo.

Motera Cricket Stadium Pitch Should Assist The Spinners

The Motera pitch, where the second quarterfinal of the World Cup will be played on Thursday, should hold no worry for the Indians. In fact, it has every thing that should excite MS Dhoni & Co.

On offer is a flat track with very low dead grass just to hold the surface together with slow bounce and carry but no lateral movement whatsoever. The early period of the innings, when the ball comes nicely to the bat, would be ideal for someone like Virender Sehwag, who likes hitting through the line on the up. Once the track is few overs old, the slowness of the pitch will give the fast bowlers something to look forward to as stroke-making becomes difficult.
That seamers bagged 14 of the 26 wickets that fell during the last two Cup matches at the venue shows that fast bowlers willing to experiment can extract some purchase from the 'dead' track. Then again, the way the Zimbabwe slow bowlers spun a web against the mighty Aussies in the first match here gives the impression that tweakers too can make life difficult for batsmen.
With the sun getting hotter by the day and the weather getting drier, there is a possibility that the pitch will assist the spinners.
If you use less water, then the outfield will be dry and even the pitch might break early. If you are using more water, you might end up having thick and tall growth of grass which will result in more work for the groundsmen and a slow outfield," curator Dhiraj Parsana had said before the first match between Australia and Zimbabwe on February 21.
Parsana however refused to talk anything about the track for the quarterfinal. "I will be able to talk in detail only on Wednesday. There is still some time before the match and we are working towards giving a good one-day wicket."

Sri Lanka Thump New Zealand by 112 runs, Move on Top

Sri Lanka produced a brilliant bowling performance to beat the Kiwis by 112 runs in their World Cup Group A clash at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday.
Chasing 266, New Zealand were bowled out for a paltry 153 runs in 35 overs.
Muttiah Muralitharan four wickets broke New Zealand's back as he got rid of James Franklin, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Scott Styris in quick succession.
Dilshan joined the party of spinners to dismiss another Kiwi hope in the form of Nathan McCullum. Dilshan bowled a full length delivery, N McCullum went for an expansive drive, got a thick outside edge and Jayawardene on the slips pouched a dolly.
After Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara, Mendis struck with the ball to scalp Jesse Ryder. Ryder feathered an outside off stump ball straight into the hands of the keeper.
Kulasekara removed Guptill plump leg before the wicket of a perfect in-swinger, landed on off and hit him low on the pad in front of all three stumps.
Mathews claimed Brendon McCullum of a good length delivery as he opened the face on that and guided it into Mahela Jayawardene's hands on first slip.
Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara led from the front to hit a fine 111 as Sri Lanka posted 265/9 against the Kiwis which was marred by an unsavoury catch controversy.
The Sri Lankan skipper also put on 145 runs for the third wicket with his deputy Mahela Jayawardene (66) to pull his team out of early trouble in the day-night match.
The two teams have already made it to the quarterfinals and the result of this game will determine their final Group A positions.
Sri Lanka lost opener Upul Tharanga early when he was run out in the third over after Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat in hot and humid conditions.
Tharanga backed up too far and Tim Southee (3-63) managed to get his hand to a straight drive from Tillakaratne Dilshan before the ball rolled on to hit the stumps.
Dilshan followed his partner to the pavilion soon, lobbing a simple catch to Jacob Oram off Southee while trying to go for an ambitious shot on the leg side, plunging Sri Lanka to 19-2.
Jayawardene got embroiled in a controversy early in his innings.
The former captain tried to play a defensive shot in the 24th over against off-spinner Nathan McCullum but ended up chipping the ball back to the bowler.
McCullum dived and managed to get his right hand under the ball to cap what looked like a stunning effort.
But even as McCullum broke into a celebration, TV umpire Amish Saheba was called in and he ruled it not out.
A furious McCullum and Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor angrily protested the decision with on-field umpire Asad Rauf.
Jayawardene, then on 26, hit six fours in a dour 90-ball innings before being adjudged trapped leg before off Southee, a decision he asked to be reviewed but in vain.
Sangakkara played a captain's innings, racing to his 11th century and completing 9,000 one-day international runs in the process, the fourth Sri Lankan player to the mark.
This was Sangakkara's first three-figure score in 63 innings, having gone without a ton since June 2008.
He was bowled by McCullum in the 42nd over after facing 128 balls and hitting 12 fours and two sixes.
Angelo Mathews provided the late impetus to the innings with an unbeaten 41 off 35 balls.

Duminy Powers South Africa Reach Quarterfinal

 South Africa produced a dominant bowling performance to beat the Irish by 131 runs in their World Cup Group B clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Ireland were expected to put up a fight against the Proteas and they did meet the expectations for some time with the ball.
Duminy came in and arrested the slide and took South Africa to safety. Ireland never really recovered after the early strikes by Morne Morkel.
To their credit the South Africans never gave them any breathing space and kept it very tight throughout with their bowling as the minnows were all out for only 141 in 33.2 overs.
Ireland will be pleased with their bowling effort though there still seems to be slight concerns over the performance of the top order. Ireland seem to have run out of steam and will do well to win the game against Netherlands.
South Africa are through to the quarters and seem to be peaking at the right time.
Ireland sunk into real trouble as Robin Peterson struck twice in his fifth over to remove Gary Wilson and big-hitting Kevin O'Brien.
There was no magic from Kevin O'Brien this time as he went for a big shot of a Robin Peterson ball and ended up lofting it straight to long off where Amla took a dolly.
Kallis claimed Niall O'Brien after Morne Morkel struck in his consecutive overs to dismiss Ireland openers.
Paul Stirling gave a thick edge to a short pitched ball of Morkel and Kallis took a simple catch in the slip.
Earlier, JP Duminy missed out on a century but rescued a shaky South Africa batting effort to drag the Proteas to 272-7 against the minnows.
Duminy topscored with 99 from 103 balls, sharing an 87-run stand with World Cup rookie Colin Ingram (46) and a half-century partnership with Johan Botha after a fighting Irish performance in the field had South Africa struggling at 117-5.
George Dockrell took a fine diving catch on the boundary to dismiss opener Hashim Amla for 18 and Graeme Smith (7) and Jacques Kallis (19) were both run out.
Morne van Wyk hit a quickfire 42, but also fell early in South Africa's carefree start, before the composed Duminy dragged the Proteas to a respectable total.
Duminy hit six fours and a six, but played a measured knock initially after South Africa's top order had tried to be too attacking against the Irish and paid for it.
Needing to win its remaining Group B games against the South Africans and Netherlands to keep alive hopes of a place in the quarterfinals, Ireland had recovered from two missed catches and had South Africa's top order reeling.
But Duminy delivered a 13th career ODI half-century and eventually fell one short of a maiden World Cup century when he skied a shot off John Mooney (1-36) and was caught three balls from the end.
Ingram supported him at better than a-run-a-ball after being called into the team in place of injured batsman AB de Villiers.
Botha finished 21 not out, while leftarm spinner Dockrell ended with 1-37 off 10 overs and was one of five Irish bowlers to take a wicket.

India Sniff Win As West Indies Stutter, Face Australia in QF

Fine all-round performance by Yuvraj Singh (113 and 2/18) guided India to a commanding 80–run win over West Indies in the World Cup Group B match at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.

With this victory, India would now play champions Australia in the last eight on March 24 in Ahmedabad while West Indies would face Pakistan in their quarterfinal clash.
Chasing 269, West Indies lost the plot after fine start as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals against India.
Yuvraj Singh struck again to dismiss seamer Andre Russell as West Indies lost four wickets in no time and were reduced to 165 for 7 from 154 for 3 in the period of five overs.
West Indies skipper Darren Sammy couldn't stay for long in the middle as he got run out in quest of a cheeky single.
Yuvraj Singh also came to the fore, after his fine stint with the bat, to dismiss Devon Thomas. Thomas was stumped by skipper MS Dhoni.
Zaheer Khan gave India crucial breakthrough against West Indies as he dismissed Devon Smith, who scored 81 off 97 balls, to break the vital 63-run stand between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan.
Harbhajan Singh got rid of dangerous Kieron Pollard cheaply soon after Smith's dismissal to reduce West Indies to 157 for four.
Suresh Raina accounted Darren Bravo's dismissal to break the crucial partnership between Bravo and Devon Smith.
Opener Devon Smith, who slammed his second fifty in the 2011 World Cup, kept the scoreboard ticking alongwith Darren Bravo as the duo added 57 runs for the second wicket after losing Edwards early.
Off-spinner R Ashwin opened the account for India as he trapped West Indies opener Kirk Edwards in front of the wicket.
Earlier, Yuvraj Singh's maiden World Cup century was the cornerstone of India's 268 all out against the West Indies but the host nation lost their last six wickets for just 36 runs.
Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul marked his World Cup debut with a career-best five for 51 which surpassed his 4-37 against India in Kingston in June 2009 -- the last time the West Indies beat a leading nation in a one-day international.
Yuvraj, who had already scored three fifties this tournament, made 113 to help revive a 38,000 capacity Chidambaram Stadium crowd stunned into silence by the early loss of Sachin Tendulkar.
Left-hander Yuvraj and Virat Kohli (59) shared a third-wicket stand of 122 after India were reduced to 51 for two following an early double strike by Rampaul, in for Kemar Roach, which included the prize scalp of Tendulkar.
India had already booked their place in the quarterfinals and many fans at the Chidambaram Stadium had hoped to witness cricket history by seeing Tendulkar score his 100th international century.
But Rampaul had Tendulkar, undone by a lifting delivery, caught behind for just two off the last ball of the first over.
Australian umpire Steve Davis rejected Rampaul's raucous appeal but a sporting Tendulkar walked off anyway.
Yuvraj was dropped twice by West Indies captain Darren Sammy -- once on nine at backward point and on 13 when the medium-pacer failed to hold an equally difficult return chance.
He piled on the agony for Sammy by striking him for two sixes.
Kohli offered sound support before he was bowled aiming across the line by Rampaul.
Yuvraj went to 96 by sweeping leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo for a boundary before a single off Kieron Pollard saw him to his hundred.
He was out caught and bowled by Pollard just before India were obliged to take the batting powerplay in the 45th over.
This again caused problems for India, with four wickets falling for 28 runs.

Shoaib Akhtar to Retire After World Cup

Pakistan's maverick paceman Shoaib Akhtar, whose colourful career has been a heady mix of on-field brilliance and off-field controversy, will quit international cricket after the World Cup. 

Akhtar made up his mind after Pakistan's 110-run defeat against New Zealand, in which he went for 70 runs in his nine overs.

"I have decided to retire. Mentally I wanted to go on forever but I have decided to make way for the youngsters," the 35-year-old said on Thursday.

"I have no regrets. I made lots of friends but some people have misunderstood me. I thank all the players who played with me and against me.

"It was an honour to have played with Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. I never imagined I would play for Pakistan. It was my greatest moment.

"Pakistan's last match in this World Cup will also be my last. I hope that will be the final on April 2."

After his mauling against New Zealand, Akhtar was rested for the match against Zimbabwe on Monday and was thought to be an unlikely starter for Saturday's last Group A match against Australia.

Akhtar, who made his international debut in 1997, took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, the last of which was against India at Bangalore in 2007.

He is three wickets short of 250 in 163 one-day internationals and has taken 19 wickets in 15 Twenty20 internationals.

Pakistan squad members hugged him in the dressing room on Thursday before captain Shahid Afridi embraced him as the players entered the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo for practice.

"I want to be remembered as an honest and patriotic player who never trod a wrong path," said Akhtar.

Akhtar, known as the Rawalpindi Express during his tearaway days as one of Test cricket's most feared if unpredictable talents, once cracked the 100mph barrier at the 2003 World Cup.

At this World Cup, which was always likely to be his swansong, he looked neat and tidy with figures of 0-10 and 2-42 against Kenya and Sri Lanka respectively.

He missed the win over Canada before being smashed all over the park at Pallekele against New Zealand -- including 28 runs off his last over -- and was dropped for the game with Zimbabwe.

His career will always be remembered for a series of fitness problems, discipline violations as well as a doping offence that put the brakes on achieving his true potential.

Most recently he was fined $2,000 for breaching discipline after the defeat to New Zealand.

Team manager Intikhab Alam confirmed the fine, which was levied after an on-field spat with wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, who missed two chances off his bowling.

Akhtar and the now banned Mohammad Asif failed drugs tests in 2006 and were suspended for two years and one year respectively, both of which were lifted on appeal.

Fitness problems forced him to miss the 2007 World Cup while he was fined heavily and banned for 13 ODIs after he hit Asif with a bat two days before the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa.

In 2008 he was banned for five years after publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Boardfollowing his exclusion from the list of centrally contracted players.

The ban was reduced to 18 months by a tribunal, which levied a fine of 7.0 million Pakistani rupees ($105,000 at the time). His appeal against the ban is still pending.

Akhtar's last delivery against New Zealand -- which may prove his final one at international level if he doesn't get another chance at the World Cup -- was hit for six by Ross Taylor.

All-round Yuvraj Helps India Beat Ireland

Yuvraj Singh registered his maiden five-wicket haul before hitting an unbeaten 50 as India beat Ireland by 5 wickets in their World Cup clash at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Sunday.

Yusuf Pathan clobbered 3 sixes and 2 fours in his 24-ball 30 to take India to victory in 46 overs

Pathan's blitzkrieg knock came after George Dockrell trapped Indian captain MS Dhoni plumb in front of the wicket to place India at 167/5 in 40.1 overs.

Dhoni went for the review but could not get the decision in his favour.

Dhoni added 67 runs with Yuvraj Singh for the fifth wicket before getting dismissed.

The partnership came after Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli fell in quick succession to leave India at 100/4 in 23.4 overs.

Kohli was run out after a misunderstanding with Yuvraj after George Dockrell trapped Tendulkar plumb in front of the wicket.

Tendulkar put up a 63-run partnership with Kohli before he tried to sweep a delivery from the left-arm spinner but missed the ball completely. After some consultation with Kohli, Tendulkar decided not to go for the review and the replays showed that the batting great was indeed out.

This was after the Indian run chase got off to a bad start as Trent Johnston dismissed Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in his alternate overs to place India at 24/2 in 5.2 overs.

Johnston took an easy return catch off the leding edge of Sehwag's willow off his very first delivery.

In the sixth over, Johnston had Gambhir caught by Alex Cusack at short fine-leg to give Ireland their second breakthrough.

Earlier, Yuvraj Singh did a star turn with the ball to bag his maiden five-wicket haul as India bundled out Ireland for a modest 207 in their group B match.

Yuvraj's figures of 5-31 are best by a left-arm spinner in the history of World Cup as Ireland were all out in 47.5 overs.

Put into bat after Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, Ireland lost two early wickets to Zaheer Khan before rival captain William Porterfield rode on an early reprieve to rescue the team from a precarious situation.

The Ireland skipper, who was dropped for nought by Yusuf Pathan standing in the slips of the second ball of the match bowled by Zaheer, ensured that he capitalised on his 'life'.

Porterfield (75 off 104 balls) along with Niall O'Brien (46 off 78) put on 113 runs off 148 balls for the third wicket to put his team back on track, but the skipper's dismissal at a crucial juncture allowed India to fight back into the match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

During his 146-minute stay in the middle, Portefield hit six boundaries and a six, while Niall O'Brien's knock included three hits to the fence. Alex Cusack made 24 of 30 balls, but overall, the Irish line-up found Yuvraj too difficult to handle on a track where batting never looked the hardest thing in the world.

After the two early blows, it was more about a battle for survival for Ireland. But Portefield and Niall O'Brien both showed gumption during an association, which not just steadied what seemed like a sinking ship a little while ago, but also yielded runs on the board.

They did a sensible thing by not taking on Zaheer, who was moving the ball both ways, but more than made it up with their cautious approach against Zaheer by milking the spinners.

Runs came at a healthy pace as long as the two were in the crease. Apart from an attack that lacked bite, the Irish duo was also helped by some sloppy ground fielding by the Indians, though Virat Kohli made up for his few lapses by running out the senior among the O'Brien brothers.

Earlier, barring Zaheer's opening burst during which he picked up the wickets of Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce, Dhoni kept rotating the other bowlers in the early part of the Ireland innings, with Munaf Patel being replaced twice within the first 15 overs.

Zaheer gave India an early breakthrough when he went through Paul Stirling's half-hearted drive with a delivery that swung in off the track.

The left-arm seamer struck again when Ed Joyce edged one to Dhoni after failing to read a ball that zipped inward on landing. What left the batsman foxed was that Zaheer, before that wicket-taking inswinger, were bowling away-going deliveries at will.

Not quitting after World Cup: Ponting

Colombo, Mar. 5: Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is not throwing in the towel come the end of the World Cup 2011. He has rubbished speculation that he would stand down from the one-day side after the global event, by saying that he is determined to guide Australian cricket through its most tumultuous period in two decades.

Ponting 

"I honestly haven't seen a finish-line yet, which is a good thing," he said ahead of his side's clash against the Sri Lankans at the R. Premadasa Stadium here this afternoon.

"Every day is still a challenge training-wise and game-wise. One thing I'm proud of is the amount of cricket I've been able to play and some of the wins I've been involved in. All the runs and hundreds are great but they've never been the reason why I've played the game . . . nothing's different now," the Daily Telegraph quoted Ponting, as saying.

Ponting knows his form must improve if he wants to avoid a tap on the shoulder from the national selectors.

The Test skipper has scored just one ton from his last 43 international innings. In 22 one-day matches in the 2010 calendar year, Ponting scored 771 runs at 36.71, below-par returns for a batting phenomenon rated Australia's best since Bradman.

"I'd love to keep playing but I'm only going to keep playing if I think I can contribute to the team and help win games of cricket," he said.

"I don't want to be standing in anyone's way. If there are players better than me to play one-day cricket or Test cricket . . . if that''s the case I''m happy to move aside," he said.

The Australians embark on a one-day tour of Bangladesh straight after the World Cup before Test trips to Sri Lanka and South Africa from August to November this year.

Notwithstanding a serious dip in form, Ponting expects to be part of the touring parties.

Ireland Have a Point to Prove Against India

Ireland Have a Point to Prove Against India

Ireland batting sensation Kevin O'Brien warned his team to beware an India World Cup backlash when the two sides meet on Sunday as the quarter-final race hots up.

India came under fire for a sloppy bowling and fielding display which allowed England to tie their 338 in Bangalore last week after letting Bangladesh make 283-9 in pursuit of 370 in the tournament opener.

But O'Brien said that the hosts' bowlers will have a point to prove in Sunday's Group B clash at Chinnaswamy Stadium. "We have seen India's attack so many times. They have a world class performer in Zaheer Khan who is very good with the new ball, and we all know about Harbhajan Singh," said O'Brien, who hammered the fastest ever World Cup century off just 50 balls in Ireland's stunning win over England.

"Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla and Ashish Nehra are also there."

O'Brien turned 27 on Friday and is determined that India do not ruin his celebrations in a game where victory could unlock the door to the last eight.

"Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are one of the best opening pairs. They are extremely difficult to bowl to when in full flow. And with Sehwag, it doesn't matter even if it's the first delivery of Test match. If the ball is there to be hit, he will go for it. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan are known power-hitters."

It has been a rollercoaster few days for the Dubliner after his pyrotechnics against England saw his team chase down a 328-run victory target, the highest run chase in the history of the event.

With his hair still dyed pink and blond as part of a cancer charity awareness drive, O'Brien has become something of a celebrity, even fielding a phone call from Irish president Mary McAleese.

"I spoke to her (Mary McAleese) for a few minutes. It's always great to get a call from the president (of Ireland)," he said.

Sri Lanka Look For Redemption Against Aussies

Sri Lanka Look For Redemption Against Aussies

If Sri Lanka can put it across Australia, unbeaten in their last 31 WC games, at the R Premadasa on Saturday, Sangakkara and Co. will be immortalized.

Sri Lankan fans and cricketers don't love anything more than beating Australia. They still haven't forgotten Murali's Boxing Day humiliation at the hands of umpire Darrell Hair in 1995. They haven't forgotten how some of their key players were wrongly given out during the Tri-series finals in Australia. They still haven't forgotten the fact that the Australian team chose not to travel to Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup, citing security reasons. 

Saturday offers the Lankans a chance of redemption. So what if their only World Cup win came on March 17, 1996 on a famous dewy night in Lahore? So what if their World Cup record stands at 1-6? So what if they have been soundly thrashed by Australia in their last four World Cup meetings? 

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan skipper, who has been part of the team in their last four losses to Australia, stressed how this team is different. "I don't think the belief in those teams was as strong as it is now." 

The captain's optimism stems from the fact that the core of the World Cup team is the same compared to the side that won an ODI series in Australia. "When we went to Australia on our last tour, the key changes that we made was to get our attitude and the way we looked at the opportunity of winning and our mental strength right. Those changes are more important than the technical changes." 

Another reason why the Sri Lankans can puff their chests out on Saturday when they walk out for the national anthems is the absence of the great names in the Aussie team. Their perennial tormentors, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath have retired. Captain Ricky Ponting is the only great player in this team which many have suggested will crumble against spin. That's one area in which the Lankans have a problem of plenty. 

There is already talk that the hosts will go in for a three-pronged spin attack (Muralitharan, Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis) considering the fact that historically, the pitch here becomes slower and batting gets very difficult. 

But that was the story when Ponting and Australia contested an ODI here on February 27, 2004. That was the last time Australia played Sri Lanka on this ground. And most people observe that the wicket has changed character after being relaid. "The new stadium looks fantastic and by what I have watched, I don't think the toss will be that much of a factor," reckoned Ponting. Indeed, even his opposite number felt batting second shouldn't be difficult. 

But what will be difficult for Ponting and the rest of the guys is decoding Lasith Malinga. The Lankan slinger picked up 6/38 including a hat-trick against Kenya and he is no doubt very much on the Australian minds. "He was one of the main topic of discussion in our team meeting. We were talking about the various ways to play him. His bowling in the middle overs, with the older ball, is particularly good. So we have to make sure when he comes into bowl in the middle overs, we don't let him take wickets." 

The Aussies too have pace to challenge Sri Lanka. In Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait, they have an explosive and potent fast-bowling attack. Australians have always loved to challenge notions and theories. There is a theory doing the rounds that an all out pace attack in the sub-continent won't win you big moments of the big games in the World Cup. By 10 pm on Saturday, we'll get to know if the theory is right or wrong. 

Teams from

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (C & WK), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene (VC), Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thissara Perera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando

Australia: Ricky Ponting (C), Michael Clarke (VC), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin (WK), John Hastings, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine (WK), Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, Jason Krejza

Amla & de Villiers Hit Tons in South Africa Big Win

Amla & de Villiers Hit Tons in South Africa Big Win

Mohali:   South Africa bowled Netherlands out for 120 to complete a 231-run victory. AB de Villiers (134 off 98), Hashim Amla (113 off 130) and Tahir (3/19) being the main performers.

De Villiers scored 134 for a second successive ton while opener Amla made 113 as the Proteas posted a mammoth 351-5 before dismissing the Dutch for a paltry 120 for their second consecutive win in Group B.

The Netherlands lost wickets at regular intervals against South Africa's disciplined pace-spin combination before being bowled out in the 35th over, slumping to their third consecutive defeat.

Seamer Jacques Kallis rattled the top order with two wickets before Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir (3-19) and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson (2-22) did more damage.

Wesley Barresi, dropped on 21 by Morne Morkel at mid-on off Kallis, top-scored with 44 in a dismal Netherlands batting performance.

"It wasn't easy up front. There was a little bit of juice in the wicket," said South African skipper Graeme Smith, praising Amla and de Villiers.

"Once we set the platform it was about making it count and the two of them definitely did that."

Losing captain Peter Borren said such a thumping defeat was hard to take but his side were still learning by playing against the top sides.

"I think we learn more from playing against this type of opposition... than playing against each other as associates," he said.

In the South African innings de Villiers and Amla dominated the Dutch attack after South Africa were put in to bat in overcast conditions before a few thousand spectators in Mohali.

The Proteas lost Smith (20) and Kallis (two) to slip to 58-2 before de Villiers and Amla put on 221, South Africa's best for the third wicket in a World Cup.

De Villiers raced to his 11th one-day hundred off just 88 deliveries, while Amla completed his eighth ton off 121 balls.

Amla impressed with his shot selection, patiently waiting for loose deliveries to punish, but de Villiers was more aggressive, once reverse-sweeping spinner Tom Cooper for a boundary.

They set the stage for the final onslaught, which saw South Africa plunder 136 in the last 10 overs. JP Duminy hammered 40 off just 15 balls with four sixes and two fours.

De Villiers, who scored an unbeaten century in the previous match against the WestIndies, smashed seamer Bernard Loots for three successive sixes before hitting Ryan ten Doeschate for three fours in a row.

Amla hit eight fours in his 130-ball knock before being caught at point off ten Doeschate and de Villiers was run out after striking four sixes and 13 fours in a 98-ball innings.

Shahid Afridi registered his fifth five-wicket

Captain Shahid Afridi registered his fifth five-wicket

Captain Shahid Afridi registered his fifth five-wicket haul as Pakistan beat Canada by 46 runs in their World Cup clash at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Thursday.

Chasing 185, Canada had got off to a poor start losing their first three wickets with 44 runs on the board in 17.1 overs.

Umar Gul gave Pakistan the first breakthrough when he trapped Ruvindu Gunasekera plumb in front of the wicket and in the next over, Nitish Kumar edged a Abdul Razzaq delivery onto his stumps.

Afridi then trapped his Canadian counterpart Ashish Bagai plumb in front of the wicket for the third breakthrough. Afridi went for the review immediately after umpire Daryl Harper adjudged Bagai not out and got the decision in Pakistan's favour.

With a 60-run partnership for the fourth wicket, Surkari and Jimmy Hansra had steadied Canada before the Pakistani spinners struck in quick succession.

Saeed Ajmal trapped Surkari plumb in front of the wicket and got it in his favour after going for a review.

Afridi then took four wickets in three overs to rock Canada. Afridi first clean bowled the big-hitting Rizwan Cheema with a googly.

In his next over, Afridi clean bowled Hansra and Harvir Baidwan to become the first bowler to take three consecutive four-wicket hauls in World Cup cricket.

In his next over, Afridi had Tyson Gordon caught by Wahab Riaz to register his fifth five-wicket haul.

Earlier, Canada produced a spirited bowling display to restrict former champions Pakistan to 184.

Pakistan found the disciplined Canada attack to hot to handle as, after opting to bat, they lost wickets at regular intervals to be finally bundled out inside the 200-run mark in 43 overs.

If not for the 73-run fifth wicket stand between Misbah-ul-Haq (37) and Umar Akmal (48), Pakistan could have folded up for a lesser total as they lost their last six wickets for just 44 runs.

India-born medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan was the pick of the Canada bowlers with figures of three for 35 runs while Jimmy Hansra (2/23), Rizwan Cheema (2/33) and Balaji Rao (2/50) snared two wickets apiece to spell Pakistan's doom.

Even though there were no demons in the pitch, Pakistan were off to a shaky start as the 1992 champions lost their first four batsmen for just 67 runs after electing to bat.

Opener Mohammad Hafeez started positively as he picked up Henry Osinde for special treatment in his first and innings second over, spanking the right-arm pacer for back-to-back boundaries.

But Osinde took his revenge in the first delivery of his next over, trapping Hafeez lbw but not before the batsman went for the review which went against him.

Baidwan struck the second blow for Canada in the ninth over, dismissing Ahmed Shehzad caught by Gordon at mid-on.

Baidwan then trapped Younis Khan lbw in the 13th over with a full length delivery that was tilting in towards middle and leg, prompting the batsman to go for another unsuccessful review.

And then two overs later, Kamran Akmal too departed caught at the backward point region by Nitish Kumar off Cheema to ensure a dream start for Canada.

But then came in ever-reliable Misbah and together with young Umar Akmal, he steadied the rocking Pakistani ship with the 73-run stand.

After the shocking start, the duo took their time to settle in as they mostly dealt with ones and twos with occasional boundaries in between during their 117-ball partnership.

But after all the hard work when it was time for Misbah and Umar Akmal to accelerate, leg-spinner Rao inflicted twin blows, dismissing both the set batsmen with the Pakistan scoreboard reading 165/6.

Rao first trapped Umar plumb in front of the wicket just two short of his half-century and then four overs later he accounted for Misbah, caught by captain Asish Bagai behind the stumps.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi (20) and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq failed to live upto their reputation with the former becoming Cheema's third victim.

The lower-order did very little to help Pakistan's cause as they lost their last four batsmen within a span of three runs.

Abdur Rehman Misses Pakistan-Canada Match

Colombo: Pakistan will be without left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman in their World Cup match against Canada on Thursday after suffering a left leg muscle injury in the 11-run over Sri Lanka.

Team manager Intikhab Alam said Rehman's injury will take five days to heal.

"Rehman sprained his leg while fielding in the match against Sri Lanka and had to put on a strapping in order to bowl. It's an adductor muscle rupture," Alam said.

Rehman, who will be 31 on Tuesday, took one wicket in Pakistan's win against the 1996 champions in Colombo on Saturday.

"We don't want to risk Rehman and will wait for him to recover," said Alam, of the spinner who has 13 wickets in 17 one-day internationals.

Alam said Rehman's place is likely to be taken by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who has yet to play in the tournament. Senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, who hurt his hamstring, may be rested, said Alam.