Sachin v Murali -- a farewell battle to cherish

MUMBAI: Legends Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan face-off in a mouth-watering duel for the last time when India and Sri Lanka clash in the World Cup final on Saturday.

The contest between the world's leading batsman and highest wicket-taker in their final appearance in cricket's showpiece event will add spice to the big game at the Wankhede stadium.

Muralitharan, who turns 39 next month, will leave international cricket after the World Cup with more Test (800) and one-day (534 so far) wickets than any bowler in history.

Tendulkar's batting skills have not diminished even as he celebrates his 38th birthday next month, but he is unlikely to make a record seventh World Cup appearance in 2015.

A World Cup title has eluded the Indian star despite being the sport's most successful batsman with a record 32,785 runs and 99 centuries in Test and one-day cricket.

Muralitharan tasted World Cup glory in his maiden appearance in 1996 when Arjuna Ranatunga's men stunned Australia in the final in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

The ageing superstars have led from the front in this tournament to carry their teams into the final.

Tendulkar's 464 runs in eight matches are just three behind Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan's record tally of 467, while the wily Muralitharan has claimed 15 wickets despite battling injuries.

Muralitharan has soldiered on bravely over the past six weeks despite being afflicted by hamstring and groin injuries, a side strain and a troublesome knee.

Tendulkar was 10 years old when India won the tournament under Kapil Dev in 1983, while five of his current team-mates -- Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla and Munaf Patel -- were not even born.

Pakistan outplay Windies to storm into semis

DHAKA: Pakistan thrashed West Indies by ten wickets to move into the World Cup semi-finals here at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on Wednesday.
Chasing an easy target of 113 runs, openers Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez completed the Pakistan victory without being separated, in just 20.5 overs.
Kamran contributed 47 and Hafeez 61 as both made 113 runs together, Pakistan’s biggest opening stand of this tournament.
Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, the West Indies could not resist against the Pakistan spin attack, led by Shahid Afridi, and were bundled out for 112 in 43.3 overs.
Leg-spinner Afridi, already the tournament's leading wicket-taker, took his tally to 21 as he finished with four for 30, including two wickets off successive balls.
Off-spinners Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal claimed two wickets each for 16 and 18, respectively, while pacers Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq took a wicket each.
Veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, brought back to the team after being dropped in the previous match against India, was the only batsman to defy the spinners with a dour unbeaten 44 off 106 balls.
Except Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan (24) and Kemar Roach (16), no West Indian batsman could get into double figures
The West Indies were reduced to 71-8 before a 40-run stand between Chanderpaul and Roach, which helped the former champions surpass their lowest World Cup total of 93 against Kenya in Pune in 1996.
The West Indies never recovered from the disastrous start when they lost three top batsmen, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo, by the sixth over.
Gayle, returning to the side after recovering from an abdominal strain, made eight when he drove Umar Gul to mid-off where Afridi accepted the catch.
Hafeez, who shared the new ball with Gul, trapped Smith and Bravo leg-before in the space of four deliveries to open up the middle-order.
Shell-shocked by the early reverses, the West Indies groped to 36-3 after 15 overs, with Chanderpaul making just three runs off his first 27 deliveries.
Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chanderpaul put on 42 for the fourth wicket before Afridi destroyed the innings with three wickets in 11 balls.
Sarwan, dropped by Gul at mid-off when he was on 14, added 10 more to his score before Afridi gained revenge by having him caught at point by Umar Akmal.

Waqar promises Pakistan will get ‘better and better’

COLOMBO: Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, believes that things will get better for his struggling batsmen when they go to Bangladesh or India for the knock-out stage of the World Cup.
The former Pakistan captain told reporters here at the R Premadasa Stadium after his team’s four-wicket win against defending champions Australia, that conditions would be easier for the batters out of Sri Lanka.
“Batting has been tough during most (World Cup) games here in Sri Lanka as compared to matches in other countries,” he said referring to the other two co-hosts of the World Cup — India and Bangladesh.
“Things will be easier for the batsmen when we go and play on venues where pitches are easier.”
Pakistan went through a few hiccups before chasing 177 to win their big World Cup game against Australia and Waqar believes that the result has put his team on the right course ahead of next week’s quarterfinals.
“It’s a big achievement beating Australia, who have been on a big winning streak in World Cups,” said the legendary pacer. “It wasn’t an easy wicket but I thought 177 were gettable.”
He praised Pakistan for their team effort. “The credit must go to the entire team because we played superbly.”
Waqar was pleased with the fact that his team displayed much-improved fielding and stressed that Pakistan will get better and better.
“Today we were much better in the field. We took our catches. I’m confident that it will get better and better as the big games are right ahead of us.”
He heaped praise on young batters Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal.
“Asad Shafiq is maturing fast,” he said. “He is a steady player. He is not a big hitter but can score runs and can pick up boundaries.”
[Courtesy The News International]

India beat Windies in final group match

CHENNAI: India set their clash with Australia in quarter-finals after beating West Indies by 80 runs in the final World Cup Group B match here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing a tough target of 269, the West Indies were all out for 188 runs in 43 overs after opener Devon Smith’s fighting innings of 81 ended in the 31st over.
For India, paceman Zaheer Khan was the most successful bowler with three for 26 while Yuvraj Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets each.
India's victory in the last match of the group phase means they will face Australia, bidding for a fourth straight World Cup title and fifth in total, in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
West Indies will face Pakistan in Bangladesh in their last eight clash on Wednesday.
Earlier, a brilliant hundred by Yuvraj Singh steered India to 268 after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first.
India got a major blow in the very first over when star batsman Sachan Tendulkar was dismissed by Ravi Rampaul for a mere two.
However, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli repaired the damage upto some extent but Gambhir went for 22 when India reached 51.
Then Kohli was joined by Yuvraj and both added 122 runs for the third wicket before Kohli departed for 59.
Later, Yuvraj completed his 13th one-day century from 112 balls but he was caught and bowled by Kieron Pollard for 113. His innings was laced with ten fours and two sixes.
But no other batsman could make any significant score except Dhoni (22) as India were all out for 268 in 49.1 overs.
Rampaul bowled splendidly well to grab five wickets for 51 in his ten overs while Andre Russell claimed two.

Pakistan halt Aussies winning streak, take top spot

COLOMBO: Pakistan stopped Australia’s unbeaten 34-match run in the World Cup and secured top spot on their group table, beating the defending champions by four wickets in their final match of the Group A here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing an easy target of 177 runs, Pakistan completed victory with nine overs to spare but they lost six wickets in the process.
Umar Gul took three for 30 to help Pakistan dismiss Australia for 176 -- their lowest World Cup total since 1992 -- before Umar Akmal hit an unbeaten 44 to steer Pakistan to victory in 41 overs, finishing top of the pool with 10 points.
Pakistan, champions in 1992, will play the fourth placed team in Group B, while Australia (nine points) finished third behind Sri Lanka (nine points) on run-rate and will play the second placed team from Group B.
This was Australia's first defeat in the World Cup since losing to Pakistan by 10 runs in Leeds in 1999.
But the champions, led by spearhead Brett Lee (4-28), fought hard and twice raised hopes of an unlikely win.
Pakistan were cruising along on 98-2 before Lee derailed the chase in his first over of his second spell, dismissing Younis Khan (31) and Misbah-ul-Haq for a first-ball duck -- both caught by keeper Brad Haddin.
Mitchell Johnson removed Asad Shafiq (46) while Jason Krejza tempted skipper Shahid Afridi (two) to hole out in the deep, but Umar and Abdul Razzaq (20 not out) saw their team home with a cautious 36-run stand for the seventh wicket.
Razzaq hit two boundaries off spinner Jason Krejza to complete the victory.
Lee had taken two wickets in his first spell, taking a smart catch off his own bowling to dismiss opener Mohammad Hafeez (five) before trapping Kamran Akmal lbw for 23.
Shafiq, who hit five boundaries during his 81-ball knock, added 53 with Younis and 41 with Umar to keep Pakistan on track.
Earlier, Gul and Razzaq (2-8) exposed the untested Australian batting after Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to bat on a seemingly flat R. Premadasa stadium pitch.
Haddin (42), Michael Clarke (34) and Steve Smith (25) offered some resistance as Pakistan applied relentless pressure to take the last seven Australian wickets for a mere 59 runs after they were 117-3.
Pakistan, who opened the attack with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman from one end, forced an early breakthrough when Gul bowled opener Shane Watson for nine.
Haddin added 63 for the second wicket with Ponting (19) before Pakistan struck twice, with Hafeez removing the Australian skipper off a miscued cut, caught by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.
Left-arm paceman Wahab Riaz then had Haddin caught behind by Kamran in the 24th over. Haddin hit three boundaries and a six during his 80-ball knock.
Pakistan then took four wickets in the space of 30 runs to reduce the Aussies to 147-7 and later Gul removed Krejza and Lee cheaply to wrap the Australian innings for their sixth lowest World Cup total.

Shakib apologises for Bangladesh exit

DHAKA: Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan apologised to his nation's cricket-crazy fans after the Tigers crashed out of the World Cup in disgrace on Saturday.
Bangladesh were shot out for 78 by South Africa to lose their last league match by 206 runs in front of 25,000 stunned home fans at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium and millions watching on TV across the country.
"Our fans deserved more," Shakib said after Bangladesh finished with six points in Group B, just above minnows Ireland and the Netherlands.
"The expectations were high among our people because we had played so well over the past 12 months, but we let them down.
"We have not played good cricket at the World Cup and I feel very sorry for our fans. They deserved much more that what we gave them."
Lonwabo Tsotsobe grabbed 3-14 on his World Cup debut and Robin Peterson took 4-12 after half-centuries from Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis had lifted South Africa to 284-8.
Bangladesh's batting fell apart in a match they had to win to qualify for the quarter-finals from Group B.
Shakib made 30 but none of the other 10 batsmen reached double figures as Bangladesh almost matched their lowest one-day total of 58 against the West Indies earlier in the tournament.
"There is no other reason for our failure than bad batting," the captain said. "We did not bat well throughout the tournament.
"We should probably have given away 20 runs less, but the match was over once we lost four wickets quickly. You can't find excuses once you are bowled out for 78."
Shakib said the pressure of living up to everyone's expectations got to the team.
"This was a pressure match for us. We knew we had to win. The team just could not take the pressure," he said.
The emphatic win not only cemented South Africa's place as Group B winners with 10 points, but also carried India and England into the quarter-finals with the West Indies taking the last spot.
Bangladesh ended the league with six points, the same as the West Indies, but their run-rate is so poor that even a massive win by India over Darren Sammy's men on Sunday will not help.
Shakib conceded he was not looking for miracles anymore.
"We have no chance of qualifying because our run-rate is so low," he said. "The way we have batted, we probably do not deserve to be in the quarter-finals."

We'd like to finish top of the table: Ponting

COLOMBO: Ricky Ponting said Australia were proud of their unbeaten World Cup run, but warned the defending champions were facing their first big challenge against Pakistan on Saturday.
"We are very proud of our record in World Cups, there's no doubt about that," said Ponting of Australia's unbeaten 34-match streak which started after their 10-run defeat against Pakistan at Leeds in 1999.
Since then Australia have won three World Cups, the last two under Ponting, who has yet to lose a match as captain.
"Whether it's World Cups or the Champions Trophy, Australian players get really excited to be part of them. I've been lucky over the years to play in a lot of good teams.
"But tomorrow is another good challenge for us. We don't talk about what's happened in the past as far as how many games we've won or the fact that we haven't lost a game.
"Now it's all about making sure we are prepared for the next game and the next challenge against Pakistan who have played well so far. We are going to make sure that we start to put our print on the tournament."
Australia and Pakistan have already qualified from a Group A which Ponting described as "boring because there is nothing happeining".
"We'd like to finish top of the table which means we want to win the game on Saturday. That's what we are setting out to do, we are setting out to play our best game.
"If we win and that means we finish on top, great; if we don't win the game we will finish somewhere else and I'm not concerned about that either. To win a World Cup you have to beat the best team - it's as simple as that."
Australia have nine points from five matches with Pakistan on eight, also from five matches.
"I think we will be negligent if we try to single one (Pakistan) player out," said Ponting.
"They have got a number of match-winning players... Afridi and Umar Gul are the two guys who've probably been their standout players."
Gul took three wickets in Pakistan's last win over Zimbabwe, while Afridi is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 16.
"Afridi tends to control the middle of their bowling particularly well, he doesn't go for a lot of runs either. He builds pressure and is a world class bowler, so hopefully our skills hold against him," added Ponting.
"As a team we really feel that the tournament is kicking off now. We've had our games along the way and the big game here against Sri Lanka which was washed out unfortunately. We're excited to play against Pakistan.
"I think we will get a better feel at the end of the game just where we are and how well we are placed in this World Cup. I think it's a good challenge for us."

Sri Lanka spin Kiwis out to go on top

MUMBAI: Spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis mesmerized New Zealand batsmen to bowl them out for 153 runs in 35 overs as Sri Lanka recorded a 112-run victory in their last match of the World Cup Group A here at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
Muralitharan captured four for 25 and Mendis claimed two for 24 to bundle the Black Caps out to take Sri Lanka to the top of the group with nine points but their final position will be determined only after Saturday's match between Australia and Pakistan.
New Zealand stand-in captain Ross Taylor top-scored with 33 whereas no other Kiwi batsmen could make more than 20.
Earlier, captain Kumar Sangakkara hit a brilliant century to help Sri Lanka set a modest target of 266 runs for New Zealand after electing to bat first.
They made 265 for nine in their 50 overs with the help of a 145-run partnership for the third wicket between Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, which pulled the team out of early trouble.
Sangakkara made 111 off 128 balls with twelve fours and two sixes while Jayawardene hit 66 with six boundaries.

Dramatic win keeps England’s World Cup hopes alive

CHENNAI: England kept their World Cup hopes alive with a dramatic 18-run win over the West Indies in a Group B day-night match here at the MA MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
Chasing 244, the West Indies were in sight of a certain victory needing 22 runs from 52 balls. They were 222 for six after a stand of 72 between Ramnaresh Sarwan (31) and all-rounder Andre Russell (49) rescued them from the depths of 150 for six.
But they lost their final four wickets for three runs to finish on 225 all out in 44.4 overs, with Sulieman Benn the last man dismissed when he was run out by Jonathan Trott's throw to wicketkeeper Matt Prior with more than five overs left.
Off-spinners James Tredwell and Graeme Swann took seven wickets between them.
England now need Bangladesh to lose to South Africa on Saturday.
If Bangladesh win, England can still go through if India beat West Indies on Sunday in the final match of Group B.
However, a West Indies win would see them into the last eight.
Russell, caught on 39 at long-on by Trott only to be awarded a six after the diving fielder just glanced the boundary marker, saw his 46-ball innings end when he was lbw to World Cup debutant Tredwell.
The spinner was named man-of-the-match for his four for 48 to spark the climatic slump.
England then saw Sarwan turn Swann (three for 36) straight to Ian Bell at short leg.
Two balls later Kemar Roach was caught by a diving Chris Tremlett off Swann to leave West Indies 223 for nine.
West Indies had seen fit-again opener Chris Gayle (43) make a typically rapid start as their fifty came up inside five overs.
But Tredwell took his first one-day international wicket when, fifth ball, he had Gayle, pushing half-forward, lbw to end a 21-ball innings featuring a six and eight fours.
Tredwell, in only his fourth ODI, then had Devon Smith stumped by wicketkeeper Prior as he took two wickets for nine runs in eight balls.
Tredwell then had Darren Bravo edging to England captain Andrew Strauss at first slip.
Sammy struck several sixes off Tredwell before playing onto Ravi Bopara for 41 off 29 balls.
And when Devon Thomas also played on to Bopara, West Indies were 118 for five.
Swann had the big-hitting Kieron Pollard plumb lbw for 24, despite a desperate review, and West Indies were six down.
Earlier, Luke Wright kept England's hopes alive with 44 after they'd slumped to 134 for five.
Trott (47) was the only other England batsman who made more than Strauss's 31 in an innings where debutant leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo took three wickets and Russell claimed four.

Shoaib Akhtar announces to quit

COLOMBO: 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.
"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.
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.
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.

We’ve no fear playing in India: Afridi

COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi denied on Wednesday that he feared playing a World Cup quarter-final in India, insisting a potential clash between the two neighbours can help ease strained relations.

"I have never said anything along the lines that we don't want to go to India. I never said that," said Afridi, hitting back at media reports that Pakistan wants to avoid playing their last-eight game in India.

"We are here to play the World Cup, so wherever we have to play we will go and we have no fears over going to India," said Afridi of the possibility of a mouth-watering quarter-final against their South Asian rivals at Ahmedabad.

"I think a cricket match has always brought the people of both countries together and has the capacity to improve the relations between the two," said Afridi.

The relationship between the nuclear rivals has been at breaking point since the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008, which New Delhi blamed on extremists based in Pakistan.

Those attacks also forced India to stall bi-lateral cricket series with Pakistan, although both countries played against each other in the Champions Trophy in South Africa in 2009.

Afridi said he and his team-mates have always enjoyed playing cricket in India.

"I have always enjoyed cricket in India, never enjoyed anywhere more than in India, I get maximum enjoyment there," said Afridi, whose first Test century came at Chennai in 1999.

He also hit one-day cricket's fourth fastest century off just 45 balls, against India at Kanpur in 2005.

Pakistan have eight points from their five matches and could top Group A if they beat defending champions Australia in their last match on Saturday.

Afridi says his team fear no opposition.

"The kind of cricket we are playing we fear no venue and no opposition, so India in India, and Australia in the last group match are no problems," said Afridi, who played down threats from extremists groups in India.

"What ever is the response, we will get to know it when we go there because we will be going there after a long time," said Afridi.

"We have played in India in worse situations," added Afridi, referring to Pakistan's tour in 1999 where Hindu militants dug up the pitch in New Delhi.

"For both teams, the pressure is always there and whoever handles the pressure wins the match. But before that we have an important match against Australia and I think we have the capacity to beat them," said Afridi.

Australia beat Canada in interesting clash

BANGALORE: Defending champions Australia defeated Canada by seven wickets with 15.1 overs remaining in their World Cup Group A match here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.

Already through to the quarter-finals, now Australia have extended their unbeaten run in the World Cup to 34 matches stretching back to 1999. They have also gone top of the group.

Chasing a modest total of 212, Australia achieved the winning target in 34.5 overs for the loss of only three wickets after openers Shane Watson and Brad Haddin provided a 183-run opening stand.

Later, Ricky Ponting fell cheaply for only seven runs when Australia’s victory was just five runs away.

Michael Clarke and Cameron White remained not out on 16 and four, respectively.

Watson hammered 94 off 90 balls with four sixes and nine fours while his partner Haddin made 88 from 84 balls with eleven fours and two sixes.

Earlier, Aussie bowlers restricted Canada for 211 runs all out in 45.4 overs after the minnows’ top-order batsmen provided a brave fight.

The 19-year-old opener, Hiral Patel, faced Aussie pacers boldly, blasting a career-best 54 after Canada captain Ashish Bagai won the toss.

But Brett Lee took four for 46 as the North Americans were bowled out with 26 balls to spare.

Canada were well-placed at 150 for two but Australia then took five wickets for 19 runs.

Canada had promoted 40-year-old off-spinner John Davison, playing his last match before international retirement, to open the innings.

Davison looked good making 14 before fast bowler Lee out-thought him with a slow bouncer the batsman could only feather to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin as he attempted a hook.

The undaunted Patel took Canada to the fastest fifty of any team this tournament -- in 29 balls -- when he miscued a six off Mitchell Johnson high over third man.

But Patel, whose highest score in 13 previous one-day internationals was 43, made no mistake in hooking a Lee bouncer for six.

Patel completed his personal fifty in just 37 balls, including three sixes and five fours.

However, his blistering innings ended when he slashed medium-pacer Shane Watson to Johnson at third man, leaving Canada 82-2 in the 12th over.

Zubin Surkari and Bagai kept Australia at bay with a stand of 68 until the captain, on 39, edged a cut off Tait to Haddin.

Jimmy Hansra gifted off-spinner Jason Krejza only his third wicket of the tournament when he holed out to long-on and Surkari (34), one ball after being hit on the hip by a Tait full toss, was bowled by the speedster.

Canada want World Cup, Ponting rethink

BANGALORE: Canada captain Ashish Bagai said the way his side played against champions Australia on Wednesday could force a change in plans to cut the number of teams at future World Cups.
The International Cricket Council aim to have only 10 nations competing at the 2015 World Cup, compared to the current 14.
As there are 10 Test sides, this has left second-tier nations such as Canada, who have also appeared in the 1979, 2003 and 2007 editions, fearful they could be frozen out.
Wednesday's match is Canada's final Group A fixture of a tournament where they have beaten fellow associates Kenya by five wickets but suffered convincing defeats in all of their other five first round fixtures.
What could be Canada's final-ever World Cup match has been given added spice by Australia captain Ricky Ponting's assertion that "the World Cup should be a place only for the best eight or 10 teams".
Bagai said: "I don't think it's just a point to prove to Ricky.
"It's for us to put on a good show to give reasons to the ICC to rethink their decision, not just for Ricky but for ourselves as well. To prove a point to ourselves and the people watching us."
Canada off-spinner John Davison said the way the North Americans' leg-spinner Balaji Rao had taken nine wickets at a respectable 28.11 was an example of how exposure to top-class opposition could raise standards.
"I think the performance of Balaji shows that if we get a lot of opportunity to train in good conditions and play against good teams, you can see how someone can lift their game to the standard required," said Davison.
The veteran player won't, however, be part of any future international plans as he'll retire after Wednesday's match.

Proteas into quarters, crush Ireland

KOLKATA: South Africa have become the first country in Group B to qualify for the quarterfinals in the World Cup 2011 after they outclassed Ireland by 131 runs in day-night match here at the Eden Garden on Tuesday.
Chasing a difficult target of 273, Ireland could not bat at ease as they were losing wickets at regular intervals and the whole team was out for 141 in 33.2 overs.
Gary Wilson was the top scorer with 31 with four boundaries and a six as no other Irish batsman could reach even 20.
For South Africa, Robin Peterson and Morne Morkel captured three wickets each for 32 and 33, respectively while Jacques Kallis claimed two for 20.
Earlier, South Africa managed to score 272 runs for the loss of seven wickets despite tight bowling from the minnows.
Sent into bat by Ireland captain William Porterfield, South Africa were facing difficulty in scoring fast against the minnows as they lost their top order batsmen for 117 runs in about 27 overs.
However, Jean-Paul Duminy and Collin Ingram rescued the team and took the score to 204 before Ingram was bowled by Trent Johnston for 46.
Then, Duminy found another good partner in Johan Botha (21) to add further 65 runs for the seventh wicket.
But he was unfortunate to miss his third ODI century by just one run as he was superbly caught by Kevin O'Brien off John Mooney. He hit six fours and a six in his 103-ball innings.
Among others, Morne van Wyk was the only significant contributor with a fluent 46 from 41 balls with seven fours and a six.
South Africa made one change from the side which beat India by three wickets in Nagpur on Saturday, bringing in Colin Ingram in place of their most prolific batsman AB de Villiers, who suffered a thigh strain during their win against India.
Ireland brought in fit again pace-man Trent Johnston in place of all-rounder Andre Botha, who was down with a stomach bug. This is the only change Ireland made from the team which lost to the West Indies by 44 runs.

Pakistan book quarters berth, beating Zimbabwe

PALLEKELE: Pakistan qualified for playing the quarterfinals in the World Cup 2011, defeating Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the rain-shortened Group A match here at the Pallekele International Stadium on Monday.
Pakistan, set a revised 162-run target in 38 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis formula, successfully achieved that in 34.1 overs on the back of an unbeaten 78 by Asad Shafiq and Mohammad Hafeez (49).
The victory gave the 1992 winners eight points from five matches and a place in the last eight, sending Zimbabwe packing after the first round.
New Zealand, Sri Lanka and defending champions Australia make up the other qualifiers from Group A.
The final group standings will depend on the results of the remaining matches in the first phase. The top four teams will also qualify from Group B.
Pakistan's target looked tricky as Zimbabwe bowled a tight line and length. Left-arm spinner Raymond Price (2-21), opening the attack, dismissed opener Ahmed Shahzad (eight) in his second over.
Price and Utseya then bowled two maiden overs before Hafeez and Shafiq -- playing his first World Cup match in place of injured Umar Akmal -- opened up with some attractive drives.
Hafeez fell one short of his half-century, caught off Utseya after hitting six boundaries during his 65-ball knock.
Shahid Afridi promoted himself to number four but managed just three runs. Shafiq and Younis Khan (13 not out) saw Pakistan home.
Shafiq hit seven boundaries during his sedate 97-ball knock.
Earlier, seamers Umar Gul (3-36), Abdul Razzaq (1-24) and Wahab Riaz (1-21) removed Zimbabwe's top four for just 43 after Elton Chigumbura won the toss and chose to bat in overcast conditions.
Spinners Afridi and Hafeez, with a wicket each, further derailed Zimbabwe, who at the first rain break were 96-5.
Left-hander Craig Ervine fought a lone battle, hitting a patient 52 off 82 balls with five boundaries for his third ODI fifty, before Hafeez bowled him in his first over.
Chigumbura (32 not out) and Prosper Utseya (18) added 48 for the seventh wicket.
Zimbabwe made a disastrous start, losing in-form Brendan Taylor off the fifth ball of the innings, caught off Razzaq by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.
Gul made it 5-2 when he dismissed Regis Chakabva off the last ball of the second over, before removing Vusimuzi Sibanda (five) shortly afterwards.
Ervine and Tatenda Taibu added 30 for the fourth wicket before Wahab Riaz, in for Shoaib Akhtar, had Taibu caught off a miscued drive at mid-off by Afridi for 19.
Zimbabwe play their last match against Kenya on March 20.

Tigers down Dutch, keeping quarters hopes alive

CHITTAGONG: Imrul Kais guided Bangladesh to an easy six-wicket victory against the Netherlands in Group B match, keeping alive their hopes of playing the World Cup quarter-finals, here at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Monday.
The Dutch were shot out for 160 in 46.2 overs after electing to bat first on the slow wicket, a target Bangladesh surpassed in the 42nd over with left-handed batsman Imrul Kayes making 73 not out.
Bangladesh's three left-arm spinners shared five of the six wickets to fall to bowlers with Abdur Razzak leading the way with 3-29 in 10 steady overs.
Skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Suhrawadi Shuvo, who was brought in to replace off-spinner Naeem Islam, claimed one wicket apiece.
Kayes put on 92 for the second-wicket with Junaid Siddique (35) after opening partner Tamim Iqbal was bowled by Mudassar Bukhari off the fourth ball of the innings without scoring.
Shahriar Nafees, one of the five left-handers at the top of the batting order who replaced right-handed Raqibul Hasan, made 37 in a third-wicket stand of 59 with Kayes.
Kayes, who followed his 60 against England with another half-century, was named man of the match for the second time in a row.
Bangladesh joined the West Indies and South Africa on six points, one behind Group B leaders India and a point ahead of England.
A West Indies win over England in Chennai on Thursday will enable Bangladesh ease into the last eight even before their final league match against South Africa in Dhaka on Saturday.
But an unlikely Irish win over the Proteas in Kolkata on Tuesday will once again throw open the quarter-final race from the pool.
Ryan ten Doeschate top-scored for the Netherlands with an unbeaten 53, but none of the other batsmen managed 30, six failed to reach double figures and four ran themselves out.
Openers Wesley Barrisi and Eric Szwaraczynski plodded to 28 runs in nine overs, following a tidy opening spell by seamer Shafiul Islam, who conceded just seven runs in his first six overs.
Tom Cooper (29) and Szwaraczynski carried the score to 66-2 by the 23rd over when both batsmen were run out in the space of 13 runs to set the Dutch back again.
Szwaraczynski, who made 28, was unfortunate to be dismissed at the non-striker's end when Shakib deflected a straight drive from Cooper onto the stumps.
Wicket-keeper Musfiqur Rahim, who had dropped Cooper on six, made amends when he lunged for a wide throw from the deep and threw the ball at the stumps before the batsman had regained his crease.
Shuvo had Alexei Kervezee stumped by Rahim for 18, before Razzak dismissed Tom de Grooth and Atse Buurman in three deliveries to reduce the Netherlands to 127-7 in the 38th over.
Skipper Peter Borren and Adeel Raja also ran themselves out, leaving ten Doeschate stranded at the other end.

Aussies thrash Kenya by 60 runs

BANGALORE: Holders Australia claimed their place in the last eight of the World Cup on Sunday but they were made to work surprisingly hard by Kenya who restored pride with a defiant performance despite losing by 60 runs.
Michael Clarke (93) and the returning Mike Hussey (54) bailed their team out of trouble to help set up a daunting 324-6 but Kenya defied the much-vaunted Australian fast bowling unit to score a respectable 264-6 in Group A.
Earlier, opener Brad Haddin had made 65 but Australia found themselves under unexpected pressure at one stage at 143-4.
After four straight losses, Kenya had clearly decided not to go down without a fight and Tanmay Mishra (72) along with Collins Obuya (98 not out) resisted with a stubborn stand of 115 for the fourth wicket.
The pace trio of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson regularly generated speeds in excess of 140 kmph but the Kenyan batsmen gave as good as they got and notched up their highest score in the tournament so far.
Three of the six Kenyan wickets to fall were by run-outs as the Australian fast bowlers and spinners almost ran out of ideas to dismiss a batting side which was skittled out in their previous four matches.
It had seemed as if the match was headed for a fast finish as Kenya slumped to 46-3 in the 10th over. But as the pitch lost its pace, Mishra took on the role of the aggressor and clobbered eight boundaries and one huge six.
Obuya, however, was more restrained at the start of his innings but accelerated towards the end and singled out Shane Watson for some especially harsh treatment.
Thomas Odoyo joined the African party with a 38-ball 35 at the end but the Kenyans always were well behind the asking run-rate and their valiant attempt fell short.
Earlier, Clarke (93 off 80 balls) paced his innings to perfection to avoid a middle-order collapse after Australia lost three quick wickets in the space of 15 balls at the end of the
27th over.
Clarke and Hussey (54 in 43 balls), who celebrated his return to the World Cup squad with a typically industrious innings, came together with Australia in a spot of bother and
with a 300 plus score looking a long way off.
They immediately put the Kenyan fielders under pressure with singles and twos and the odd boundary to wrest the initiative back with a 114-run partnership for the fifth wicket at better than a run a ball.
Shane Watson (21) and captain Ricky Ponting (36) also got some runs under their belt.

Fearless Bangladesh down England

CHITTAGONG: Bangladesh's ninth-wicket pair of Mohammad Mahmudullah and Shafiul Islam hammered 58 runs to send England crashing to a two-wicket defeat in the World Cup on Friday.
The Tigers appeared down for the count when they plunged to 169-8 in the 40th over chasing a modest target of 226 in the day-night game at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium in Chittagong.
But Mahmuddullah (21 not out) and Shafiul (24 not out) conjured an unlikely victory in front of 18,000 screaming home fans to resurrect Bangladesh's campaign in the tournament they are co-hosting with India and Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh, who have four points from as many games, must still beat the Netherlands and power-packed South Africa in their remaining matches to ensure a place in the quarter-finals from Group B.
England remained on five points from five matches, a point behind the West Indies who have played a game less.
Opener Imrul Kayes top-scored with 60, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket with skipper Shakib Al Hasan (32), to lift the home side to 155-3 in the 31st over.
England hit back to take five wickets for 14 runs, before Mahmuddullah and Shafiul smashed pace and spin alike to seal a dramatic win with one over to spare.
England paid dearly for bowling 23 wides as the late evening dew made it difficult for bowlers to grip the ball.
Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan were the only England batsmen to defy Bangladesh's spinners, scoring half-centuries before their team was dismissed for 225 in the final over.
Trott hit 67 and left-hander Morgan, who arrived in Chittagong on Tuesday to replace the injured Kevin Pietersen, made an immediate impact with a fluent 63 off 72 balls.
The duo put on 109 for the fourth wicket after England, sent in to bat by Shakib on a sluggish pitch, slipped to 53-3 in the 17th over.
The partnership was broken by a brilliant catch from Kayes, who dived in front at deep square-leg to hold the ball after Morgan skied a sweep against off-break bowler Naeem Islam.
Morgan's dismissal triggered a collapse in which England lost their last seven wickets for 63 runs after being well-placed at 162-3 in the 39th over.
Naeem finished with 2-29 from eight overs, and left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak and Shakib also claimed two wickets each.
Matt Prior, England's new opener in place of Pietersen, made 15 when he was dismissed in bizarre fashion, stumped by his Bangladesh counterpart Mushfiqur Rahim off Razzak's first delivery.
Rahim removed the bails off a wide ball down the leg-side, but even though Prior had dragged his back foot in just in time, he again wandered out of his crease.
Seeing the batsman out of his ground, a quick-thinking Rahim pulled out a stump to ensure the decision, which was referred to the TV umpire, went in his favour.
Bangladesh next play the Netherlands in Chittagong on Monday, while England clash with the West Indies in Chennai next Thursday.

India win amid tough Dutch fightback

NEW DELHI: India recorded a five-wicket victory after Dutch bowlers provided tough fight in their World Cup Group B match here at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground on Wednesday.
India, already leading the points table in their group, have added two more points to go to seven from four matches whereas the Netherlands did not win any of the four matches they have played so far.
Chasing an easy target of 190 runs, India lost their four top-order batsmen for 99 as Virender Sehwag (39), Sachin Tendulkar (27), Yousuf Pathan (11) and Virat Kohli (12) went back to pavilion.
Then, Gautam Gambhir (28) and Yuvraj Singh added 40 runs before the former departed and India were 139 for five on the board.
However, Yuvraj joined by captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni and both succeeded in reaching the target in 36.3 overs.
Yuvraj’s winning boundary took him to 51, his 48th ODI fifty, while Dhoni was also not out on 19.
Left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar was the most successful bowler for the Netherlands, taking three for 53.
India win amid tough Dutch fightback
NEW DELHI: India recorded a five-wicket victory after Dutch bowlers provided tough fight in their World Cup Group B match here at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground on Wednesday.
India, already leading the points table in their group, have added two more points to go to seven from four matches whereas the Netherlands did not win any of the four matches they have played so far.
Chasing an easy target of 190 runs, India lost their four top-order batsmen for 99 as Virender Sehwag (39), Sachin Tendulkar (27), Yousuf Pathan (11) and Virat Kohli (12) went back to pavilion.
Then, Gautam Gambhir (28) and Yuvraj Singh added 40 runs before the former departed and India were 139 for five on the board.
However, Yuvraj joined by captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni and both succeeded in reaching the winning target in 36.3 overs.
Yuvraj’s winning boundary took him to 51, his 48th ODI fifty, while Dhoni was also not out on 19.
Left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar was the most successful bowler for the Netherlands, taking three for 53.
Earlier, the Netherlands were all out for 189 runs in 46.4 overs after captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to bat.
Their openers Eric Szwarczynski (28) and Wesley Barresi (26) provided a good start of 56 runs but after they departed, wickets fell at regular intervals.
Peter Borren however played a captain’s innings and top scored with 38 runs off 36 balls with three fours and two sixes.
Other main scorers were Tom Cooper (29) and Mudassar Bukhari (21).
For India, spinners Piyush Chawla and Yuvraj Singh shared four wickets while fast
bowler Zaheer Khan grabbed 3-20.
Yuvraj completed his 100 ODI wickets when he had Barresi trapped leg before.

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Kiwis halt Pakistan’s winning streak

PALLEKELE: New Zealand stopped Pakistan’s winning streak by giving them a shocking defeat of 110 runs in their key World Cup Group A match against Pakistan at the new Pallekele stadium on Tuesday.
Pakistan who were leading the Group A points table with three wins in a row has now went down to second position as New Zealand are now on top.
Pakistan batsmen, who were chasing for the first time in the tournament, could not go for runs against a huge target of 303 and were bundled out for 192 in 41.4 overs.
Abdul Razzaq gave Pakistan some respectability with a defiant 62 from 74 balls with nine fours. He was supported by Umar Akmal (38) and Umar Gul (34 not out).
During his innings, Abdul Razzaq reached 5,000 runs in ODI cricket. He became the fourth allrounder with 5,000 runs and 250 wickets.
The openers failed again as both, Mohammad Hafeez (5) and Ahmed Shahzad (10) went back and then Younis Khan (nought) and Kamran Akmal (8) also departed and Pakistan were reeling at 23-4.
Later, Pakistan’s most in-form batsman Misbah-ul-Haq resisted against the Kiwi attack for a while but he was also dismissed for seven when score reached 45.
Then, captain Shahid Afridi displayed some aggression, hitting two fours and a six, but he was bowled by Jacob Oram for 17, made off nine balls.
However, Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq provided some resistance and took the score to 100 before Umar getting out for 38.
Abdul Razzaq, then found a good partner in Umar Gul and both added 66 runs for the ninth wicket partnership.
Umar Gul, hitting a six and three fours, remained not out on 34.
Earlier, Ross Taylor smashed a brilliant career-best hundred to lift New Zealand to an emphatic 302 for seven after captain Daniel Vettori won the toss.
Taylor was given two 27th birthday gifts by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal who dropped him on zero and eight off Shoaib Akhtar.
Later, Taylor unleashed some of the most incredible slugging ever inflicted on an attack in a one-day international cricket match never mind the World Cup.
He struck seven towering sixes and eight boundaries in his unbeaten knock of 131 scored off 124 balls for his fourth ODI hundred.
Taylor made the most of his good fortune and ran riot in the 47th over of the innings, hitting paceman Akhtar for two boundaries and three sixes -- 28 runs in all -- to reach his first World Cup hundred off 117 deliveries.
He then hit two boundaries and three sixes to take 30 off Abdul Razzaq's 49th over, helping New Zealand add 100 in the last five overs.
Taylor added a blistering 85 for the seventh wicket with Jacob Oram (25 off just nine balls, with three sixes and a boundary) off just 22 balls to punish a hapless Pakistan bowling attack.
Taylor's previous best of 128 not out came against Sri Lanka at Napier in 2006.
In all, New Zealand blasted 92 runs off the last four overs.

Pakistan ready for NZ on mystery pitch

PALLEKELE: In-form Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq said his team was ready for the double challenge of facing New Zealand as well as a mystery World Cup pitch on Tuesday.
The Group A rivals meet at the newly-built Pallekele stadium in the first-ever one-day match at the venue, a factor which vice-captain Misbah believes will give both teams plenty to think about.
"Of course, it adds to the challenge because we don't know how the pitch will behave but that's the same for both teams, and as far as we are concerned we are up to the challenge," Misbah said Monday.
The 36-year-old has anchored the Pakistan team in the World Cup with two half-centuries against Kenya and Sri Lanka and a hard-fought 37 in the last match against Canada.
Pakistan sit top of Group A with six points after three matches, followed by co-hosts Sri Lanka (five points in four) and defending champions Australia (five after three), with New Zealand fourth with four in three matches.
Misbah said Pakistan's recent one-day series win over New Zealand will count for nothing.
"We have done well against them in World Cups and in the recent series there but that win will count for nothing as it's a new game at a new place," said Misbah, of Pakistan's 3-2 win in New Zealand last month.
Pakistan will bring in paceman Shoaib Akhtar after resting him in the last match against Canada, while left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman will also be available after missing the last match due to a leg muscle injury.
Led by skipper Shahid Afridi's leg-spin, which has garnered a tournament-leading 14 wickets, Pakistan possess variety in their bowling with off-spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, coupled with a strong new-ball attack of Akhtar, Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz.
"I think we know how good their bowling can be," said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.
"They can probably defend any score because of the nature of their bowlers. They bring a lot to the table."
Pakistan successfully defended a below-par 185-run target against Canada and 278 against co-hosts Sri Lanka in the two of their three matches.
New Zealand, who lost to Australia by seven wickets but eased past Kenya and Zimbawe by 10 wickets in each game, have four points after three matches.
"We know to win these big games it needs complete team performances and that's what we have done.
"It's a matter of stepping up against the harder teams," said Vettori, whose country has lost six World Cup matches against Pakistan since winning their first in 1983.
Unlike the bowling head-to-head, New Zealand hold the upper hand in batting, with openers Martin Guptill (86) and Brendon McCullum (76) chasing a 186-run target against Zimbabwe without being separated.
"I'm not sure you could ask for too much more, we wanted complete performances out of ourselves and that we gave in the last match," said Vettori, whose team have made the semi-finals in the last three World Cups.
The hill town of Kandy has suffered from persistent rains and the only international match here, a Test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in December, was drawn without a single innings completed in five days.
The warm-up matches before the World Cup were also moved because of bad weather.
Teams
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran
Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Ahmed Shahzad.
Coach: Waqar Younis
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.
Coach: John Wright
Umpires: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
Match start: 02:00 PM
Pitch conditions: Heavy rains last month have hit the preparations of the pitch, and if the sun comes out in the next two days, the square will have good grass and help the seamers, provided the grass is not removed. The pitch has bounce and if it doesn't rain will help batsmen.
Pakistan v New Zealand head to head
Head-to-head record for the World Cup Group A match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the Pallekele stadium on Tuesday:
Matches: 88
Pakistan: 51
New Zealand: 34
No result/Tied: 3
First meeting: Feb 11, 1973, Christchurch - New Zealand won by 22 runs
Last meeting: Feb 5, 2011, Auckland - New Zealand won by 57 runs

Hansra, Bagai take Canada to rare win

NEW DELHI: Jimmy Hansra struck a fine half-century under pressure as Canada defeated Kenya by five wickets on Monday to register only their second victory ever in a World Cup.
Hansra hit seven fours and two sixes in his knock of 70, his best in 11 one-day internationals, to help Canada overhaul Kenya's 198 with 27 balls to spare in the day-night clash at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
The Indian-born Hansra, who came in to bat with the team reeling at 48-3, put on 132 for the fourth wicket with his captain Ashish Bagai to ensure the efforts of fast bowler Henry Osinde (4-26) did not go to waste.
Bagai remained unbeaten on 64 off 97 balls with seven fours.
"I was disappointed in myself and my team over the last three or four games so it was good to get some runs under the belt. Jimmy played a fantastic knock with me and both of us did a great job to get us over the line," said Bagai.
"We were fortunate to have no run-rate pressure really. It was four runs an over and we got a decent start and kept up with the run rate right the way through."
Disappointed Kenyan skipper Jimmy Kamande said: "We started off very, very badly and I thought it was a good recovery." He added that at one stage he thought they could post 220 or 230, which would have been defendable.
Canada's previous World Cup win came against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup at Durban.
The result had little bearing on the quarter-final hopes of either teams, languishing at the bottom of the Group A table.
Canada's chase began in a dramatic fashion with opener Rizwan Cheema being ruled leg before wicket off the second ball of the first over but the batsman asked for a review and the decision was overturned.
Cheema though did not last long as he was bowled by Elijah Otieno after carting the paceman for a six and a four in the same over. Zubin Sarkari was run out by a direct throw from Kamande and opener Ruvindu Gunasekera was stumped off the bowling of off-spinner James Ngoche.
Ngoche could have picked up a second wicket in the same over when Hansra hit straight to mid-on but Seren Waters dropped a sitter, a mistake that was to cost the Kenyans.
Earlier, Osinde picked up three wickets in his opening spell to help reduce Kenya to 57-5 by the 15th over before a fight back by Tanmay Mishra and Thomas Odoyo.
Mishra hit a composed 73-ball 51 for his fourth half-century in one-day internationals and Odoyo also chipped in with 51, containing five fours and a six.
Osinde struck early for Canada, removing opener Morris Ouma off the second ball of the innings and his partner Waters in the fifth over. The paceman then sent back David Obuya to grab his third wicket before Harvir Baidwan brought an end to a promising knock by Collins Obuya (31).
Veteran Steve Tikolo (12) was given out lbw.
Kamande sought to rebuild the innings with Mishra, putting on 52 runs for the sixth wicket but portly leg-spinner Balaji Rao had him caught behind for 22. Mishra's dogged fightback came to an end when he holed out tamely to Surkari off part-timer John Davison in the 43rd over.

"It was Broad’s man of the match"

Ravi Bopara believes Stuart Board should have been given the man of the match award following England ’s win over South Africa on Sunday.

By Prateek Srivastava in Chennai

Man of the Match Bopara scored a circumspect 60 on a very difficult pitch at the Chidambaram Stadium to help England recover from 15/3 to 171. Broad then led the English bowling attack with the figures of 4/15 as the Three Lions won the Group B thriller by 6 runs.

"I am very pleased with my efforts but Broad should been named man of the match instead of me. I think it was his bowling that did the job for us," Bopara told reporters after the match.

England captain Andrew Strauss dropped out-of-form Paul Collingwood to fit in Bopara in the XI. Clearly, the 25-year-old was under immense pressure as a bad outing here might have been the end of his tournament. The prospect of a low and slow pitch was also terrifying but the Punjabi boy was determined to make his point.

When asked what was going on in his mind when he joined Jonathan Trott at the crease, he right-handed batsman replied, "I knew it was not a great batting wicket so I had to adapt to it. Also, we had only 200 runs on our mind. And that really helped. However, we fell short of that target. Thanks to our bowlers that we were able to turn it around from there."

Strauss was also happy that his gamble with Bopara paid off.

"He has been in the wings for some time now. He has gained valuable experience in the last couple of years. It's exciting to have him back in the team. It was a tough call on Collingwood who has been an integral part of us for a long time. But in the end I am happy with what Bopara has done," he said.

Southee targets Misbah as dangerman

PALLEKELE: New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee said Sunday that in-form Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq was in his sights for the match between the Group A rivals on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old Pakistan batsman was in prime form on his side's recent tour of New Zealand, making 203 runs in four innings to help Pakistan secure a series win and has continued to score runs at the World Cup.
Misbah scored 65 against Kenya, 83 not out against Sri Lanka and 37 against Canada, playing a key role in his team's three wins in as many matches.
"He has obviously been having a great period not just against New Zealand but also in the World Cup," said Southee.
"Hopefully, we have learnt from the way we bowled against him in New Zealand and we can work on a couple of things to try and put an end to the form he is in, also (Shahid) Afridi and a couple of other guys who are standing up in key moments in games."
Southee said his team had put the defeat against Australia earlier in the competition behind them and were focusing on Pakistan in Pallekele.
"It's been mixed results so far, we've had two convincing wins but obviously you can't dwell on the loss to Australia," said Southee.
New Zealand, who have beaten Kenya and Zimbabwe, both by ten wickets, are on four points from three matches, fourth in the table behind Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia.
"We learnt from that game and moved on and we showed that in the game against Zimbabwe. It's a tournament where you can't dwell on things too much. You've got to move on and take each game as it comes," said Southee, who has seven wickets in this World Cup.
The paceman said he relishes the challenge of getting into the final eleven.
"You're never really safe in a side where you have guys like Kyle Mills coming back and playing outstandingly and it wasn't that long ago when he was number one in the world.
"It's good to have that competitiveness amongst the bowlers. That's a healthy thing but I guess your spot is never cemented in the side," said Southee, who admitted learning from tours of Bangladesh and India last year.
"We were lucky that a majority of the side came over and we played a lot of cricket on the subcontinent and although the results didn't go our way and weren't that great I think we learnt a lot on those tours," he said.

Yuvraj shines as India down fighting Ireland

BANGALORE: Yuvraj Singh put in a superb all-round display as India survived some anxious moments to post a five-wicket victory over a fighting Ireland in their World Cup match on Sunday.
The part-time spinner bagged a maiden five-wicket haul to restrict Ireland to a modest 207 and then hit an unbeaten 50 to help his side achieve the target with four overs to spare in the day-night match in Bangalore.
India were wobbling at 100-4 before Yuvraj and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (34) added 67 runs for the fifth wicket.
Yusuf Pathan gave the finishing touches to India's second win in three matches with an attractive 24-ball 30 not out, which included two sixes and one four in one over from left-arm spinner George Dockrell.
Ireland, who upset England in their last match at this venue on Wednesday, made India struggle for runs with their disciplined bowling and brilliant fielding. Paceman Trent Johnston, who became the third Irish player to figure in 50 one-day internationals, jolted India when he dismissed Virender Sehwag (five) and Gautam Gambhir (10) in his opening three overs.
Johnston, who sustained an injury after falling on his follow-through, did not bowl after five overs.
India looked in trouble when Sachin Tendulkar (38) was trapped lbw while attempting to sweep Dockrell and Virat Kohli (34) was run out. The pair added 63 for the third wicket.
Left-arm spinner Yuvraj (5-31) earlier played a key role in restricting Ireland despite an impressive 75 from skipper William Porterfield. His victims included Kevin O'Brien (nine), who hammered the fastest century in World Cup history against England, as Ireland lost their last eight wickets for 85 runs in a dramatic collapse.
Yuvraj gave the capacity crowd plenty to cheer about after left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan had rocked Ireland with two early wickets. Porterfield, dropped on nought by Pathan in the slips off Zaheer, went on to complete his fifth half-century in one-dayers before being caught in the covers off Yuvraj. He hit one six and six fours.
Ireland were on course to post a challenging total following a 113-run stand for the third wicket between Porterfield and Niall O'Brien (46) before they slipped from a healthy 122-2.
They suffered a crucial blow when well-set Niall O'Brien was run out after completing 1,000 runs in one-day internationals. His brother, Kevin, failed to repeat his heroics from the last match as he offered a return catch to Yuvraj.
There was no hint of the slide when Porterfield and Niall O'Brien were steadying the innings after Zaheer's double strike. The Irish pair never looked in trouble, comfortably gathering runs against both pace and spin.
Zaheer struck with the fourth delivery of the match when he bowled Paul Stirling for a duck before having Ed Joyce caught behind for four.

England record dramatic 6-run win against Proteas

CHENNAI: England defeated South Africa by six runs in a sensational match in the World Cup Group B here at the Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
South Africa, who were heading the Group B points table with four points from two straight wins, have now gone down to second position while England went up to lead the table with five points from four matches.
South Africa, set a seemingly modest 172 for victory, were bowled out for 165 as England, who only days earlier had been beaten by minnows Ireland, won with 14 balls to spare.
South Africa, set just 172 for victory, were bowled out for 165 as England, who only days earlier had been humbled by Ireland, won with 14 balls to spare.
Paceman Stuart Broad finished with four for 15 in 6.4 overs, ending the contest when he had Morne Morkel caught behind.
The Proteas lost four wickets for three runs to be 127 for seven having been in control at 75 for one as once again Graeme Smith's men appeared to choke on the big occasion.
Earlier, South Africa left-arm spinner Robin Peterson took three for 22, including two wickets in the first over of the match to dismiss England openers Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen.
Ravi Bopara, recalled in place of the dropped Paul Collingwood, was named man-of-the-match after top-scoring with 60 in England's 171.
With 10 overs left, South Africa only needed 30 to win with three wickets remaining.
The eighth-wicket pair of Dale Steyn and Morne van Wyk got the target down to 12 before van Wyk (13) bottom-edged a cut off Tim Bresnan.
The Proteas then needed eight off three overs but Broad had Steyn lbw for 20 before removing Morkel.
From 124-3, South Africa lost three wickets with no addition to the total.
AB de Villiers (25) was bowled by a James Anderson delivery that just clipped the top of the stumps and then Faf du Plessis (17) was needlesly run out before JP Duminy was bowled by Anderson for nought.
Peterson fell cheaply when wicketkeeper Matt Prior caught him off left-arm spinner Michael Yardy for three.
Smith (22) and Hashim Amla (42) had enjoyed an opening stand of 63.
Off-spinner Graeme Swann had Smith caught behind after a lengthy review suggested the ball had brushed the left-handed opener's glove before Amla chopped on to Broad.
Broad gave England renewed hope when he had Jacques Kallis edging to Prior for 15, the batsman taking the fielder's word the ball had carried rather than requesting a review.
When England batted, Bopara, in at 15 for three, shared a fourth-wicket stand of 99 with South Africa born Jonathan Trott (52) that ultimately proved vital to the outcome.
Strauss fell for nought when he lofted Peterson only to be well caught by de Villiers, running in from deep midwicket.
South Africa-born Pietersen (two) has a history of getting out to left-arm spinners and, off the last ball of the opening over, he pushed forward to Peterson and Kallis made no mistake with the ankle-high slip catch.
Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir took four for 38 to take his tally for the tournament to 11 from three matches.

West Indies rout toothless Tigers

DHAKA: West Indies took a giant stride towards the World Cup quarter-finals by pounding lacklustre Bangladesh by nine wickets in a key Group B match on Friday.
Lanky spinner Suleiman Benn grabbed 4-18, and fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Darren Sammy claimed three each, to bowl out Bangladesh for their lowest one-day total of 58 in 18.5 overs.
The West Indies surpassed the small target in 12.2 overs even before the lights came on for the day-night game at the packed Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka.
Chris Gayle remained unbeaten on 37 off 36 balls, while Darren Bravo was on nine after Devon Smith was bowled by off-spinner Naeem Islam for six.
With only their second win in the last 11 one-day internationals, the West Indies have four points from three matches, the same as group leaders South Africa, who have played one match less.
Bangladesh, with one win from three games, were left with a mountain to climb to stay in contention for the quarter-finals. The hosts must win their remaining league matches against England, South Africa and the Netherlands to ensure a place in the last eight.
A sell-out crowd of 25,000 jeered the home team and threw paper placards on the field after Bangladesh fell below their previous low of 74 against Australia in Darwin in 2008.
Bangladesh's reckless batting on a slow wicket saw them being bowled out for the lowest total in this World Cup after Kenya made 69 against New Zealand. It was also the fourth lowest total in World Cup history.
Sammy's men took wickets at regular intervals after Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won his third successive toss and chose to bat. The home team lost hard-hitting opener Tamim Iqbal off the third ball of the match when the left-hander attemped a lofty cover drive off Roach and edged a catch to Sammy at second slip. Sammy, who handed the new ball to left-armer Benn for one over before coming on himself, forced Imrul Kayes to edge a catch to wicket-keeper Devon Thomas with his third delivery.
In his next over, Sammy removed Mushfiqur Rahim for no score, the young batsman flicking a catch to Ramnaresh Sarwan at short-mid-wicket. Junaid Siddique hit a fluent 25 with four boundaries when he fell leg-before to Roach, a decision that was referred to TV umpire Asad Rauf.
Benn, who replaced Roach after the fast bowler's five-over spell that cost just 18 runs for two wickets, bowled Shakib with his second ball. Sammy earned another success in his sixth over, the 14th of the innings, when Raqibul Hasan drove a slower ball to point where the towering Keiron Pollard took a low catch.
Roach, replacing Sammy for his second spell, struck with his first ball when former captain Mohammad Ashraful edged a catch to the wicket-keeper after making 11.
Benn then took the last two wickets in three balls to terminate the Bangladesh innings in quick time.
Bangladesh take on England next in Chittagong on March 11, the same day when the West Indies play Ireland in Mohali.

South Africa thrash Netherlands by 231 runs

MOHALI: South Africa defeated the Netherlands by a huge margin of 231 runs in their Group B match of the World Cup here at the Punjab Cricket Stadium, Chandigarh on Thursday.
After South Africa piled up a massive total of 351-5, the Netherlands were bundled out for 120 in 34.5 overs.
Except opener W Barresi who top scored with 44, no Dutch batsman could make any significant score.
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir captured three wickets for 19 runs while Jaques Kallis and RJ Petersen claimed two wickets each for South Africa.
Earlier, De Villiers scored a dazzling 134 for a second successive ton while Amla made 113 as the Proteas set a stiff target after being put in to bat in overcast conditions before a few thousand spectators in Mohali.
The pair put on 221 runs, South Africa's best for the third wicket in a World Cup.
Amla completed his eighth one-day hundred off 121 balls, while de Villiers raced to his 11th ton off just 88 deliveries.
The pair 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 fours sixes and two fours.
De Villiers, who scored an unbeaten century in the previous game against the West Indies, 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.
The Netherlands had some success early on, removing skipper Graeme Smith (20) and Jacques Kallis (two) in the space of seven runs, with Loots and ten Doeschate taking one wicket apiece.
But their joy proved short-lived as Amla and de Villiers dismantled their attack

Afridi power steers Pakistan to win against Canada

COLOMBO: Shahid Afridi made up for Pakistan's ragged performance with the bat by collecting his second five-wicket haul of the World Cup as the 1992 champions beat Canada by 46 runs on Thursday.
Canada looked as if they could produce the second shock of the tournament when they skittled Pakistan for 184 in just 43 overs and followed it up with some sensible batting from Zubin Surkari (27) and Jimmy Hansra to reach 104 for three.
But once leg-spinner Afridi (5-23) bowled Hansra for 43, the Canadians lost their way and were all out for 138, handing Pakistan their third successive win in Group A.
Afridi, who took five for 16 against Kenya last week, now tops the wicket-takers list with 14 scalps from three matches.
His stunning performance saved Pakistan's blushes on Thursday as the Canadians were well ahead of the required run rate and had seven wickets in hand at the start of the 34th over.
However, once Saeed Ajmal trapped Surkari lbw, the Canadian challenge quickly folded as Afridi ran riot bowling his leg-spin at a faster pace which completely bamboozled the North American batsmen.
They lost their last seven wickets for 34 runs.
Despite the win, Pakistan skipper Afridi admitted his team cannot repeat such a scrappy display with the bat if they are to win a second title.
"We did not have good shot selection and I think it's a very good wake-up call for us for the next game," said man-of-the-match Afridi.
"Myself and coach Waqar Younis will definitely talk to the boys and this will not happen again.
"We needed some partnerships and that's what we were missing and that's what the coach was saying. Partnerships are very important."
VERY DISAPPOINTING
Canadian captain Ashish Bagai was left to rue a missed opportunity.
"Very, very disappointing loss for us," Bagai said.
"Fighting is one thing but getting it over that line is obviously taking it to another level.
"We had a good chance today to show to everybody what we have put in over the last two years and we fell short."
Winning the toss and taking first use of the pitch, Pakistan could not get their batting rhythm going and lost wickets at regular intervals.
They slumped to 67-4 before Misbah-ul-Haq (37) and top scorer Umar Akmal (48) posted the best partnership of the innings with 73 for the fifth wicket.
Once the stand was broken at 140, the rest of the Pakistan batting collapsed with the last five wickets tumbling for 19 runs unable to cope with the medium-pace and spin combination of Canada who had heavily lost their first two matches to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Canada lost their paceman Khurram Chohan, who failed to complete his fourth over, but he was not missed as the rest of his team mates bowled a tight line and length.
Medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan was the pick of the attack with three for 35 while Rizwan Cheema, Balaji Rao and Hansra shared six wickets among them.
But despite restricting Pakistan to such a low total in a tournament where most of the title challengers are posting 300 plus scores, the Canadians were unable to pull off the upset.
Ireland beat England in Group B on Wednesday to create the first upset of this year's event.

Canada eye reversal of fortune against Pakistan

COLOMBO: Canada's veteran opening batsman John Davison admitted on Wednesday that his struggling team's biggest challenge will be to counter Pakistan's devastating reverse swing in Thursday's World Cup clash.
Canada have lost to Sri Lanka by 210 runs and were similarly mauled by 175 runs against Zimbabwe to leave them second from bottom of Group A with only Kenya below them.
The 40-year-old Davison, the oldest player in this World Cup, said his team have made plans for Pakistan's swing bowlers.
"We haven't played them before but know that they are a great team with a very varied attack and, besides reading their spinners, the big challenge in the sub-continent is to play reverse swing," Davison said.
"We saw in the Kenya game that pace is lethal for guys not used to it, so we have to have plans," said Davison of Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga's 6-38 in his team's nine-wicket win over Kenya on Tuesday.
Davison is famous for the fastest World Cup century off just 67 balls against the West Indies in the 2003 World Cup -- a record broken by Australia's Matthew Hayden with a 66-ball hundred against South Africa in 2007.
But the current World Cup has not seen the best of Davison who has failed to score in both matches, leaving him to doubt whether he can still do well at his age.
"Personally for me, it's more of a mental game. I am 40 years old and probably have those self-doubts... do I have the ability to perform at this level?" said Davison.
"I've been hitting the ball pretty well in the nets. I got a good ball against Sri Lanka and then had a plan to hit Zimbabwe spinner Ray Price but probably could've given myself a few more balls to get in."
Davison admitted the two defeats after one-sided contests had disappointed the Canadian players.
"This World Cup is not so great compared to the others. In the last World Cups we have scored 250-plus against England and New Zealand but at the moment everybody is pretty down," said Davison.

Kevin’s record ton helps Ireland stun England

BANGALORE: Kevin O’Brien’s record century helped Ireland to hand England a humiliating three-wicket defeat with five balls remaining in their World Cup Group B match here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Chasing a huge total of 328 runs, Ireland set a World Cup record of achieving the highest winning target as they finished on 329 for seven to pull off the sensational victory with five balls to spare.
The previous highest successful run chase was 313 made by Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe in the 1992 World Cup.
The main architect of the Ireland’s astonishing victory was Kevin O’Brien, who made his second One-day International century from only 50 balls – the fastest ever hundred in World Cups. He broke the previous fastest century record off 66 balls made by Australia’s Matthew Hayden against South Africa at St Kitts in 2007.
O'Brien's whirlwind innings of 113 off 63 balls, including six sixes and 13 fours, ended when he was run out going for a second run by Stuart Broad's throw to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
He was ably supported by Alex Cusack who made 47. Both added 162 runs for the sixth wicket partnership.
Earlier, England piled up 327 runs for the loss of seven wickets after captain Andrew Strauss won the toss.
Strauss and Kevin Pietersen opened the innings and provided a good start of 91 runs before Strauss was bowled by George Dockrell for 34.
Pietersen also went after getting his 22nd one-day international half-century, caught behind off Paul Stirling for 59.
Later, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell got together to take England to 278, adding 167 runs for the third wicket.
Then, John Mooney and Trent Johnston struck back and began sending England batsmen to pavilion at regular short intervals. First to go was Bell caught Stirling b Mooney for his 86-ball 81 with eight fours and a six.
The runs later, Trott was bowled by Mooney for 92, eight short of his fourth ODI hundred. His 92-ball innings was laced with nine boundaries.
Paul Collingwood could make only 16 from 11 balls and he was also dismissed by Mooney who later got Tim Bresnan out for three.
Johnston also captured two wickets, dismissing Matt Prior for six and Michael Yardy for four while Graeme Swann remained not out on nine.
Mooney finished on four for 63 and Johnston claimed two wickets.

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