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Lasith Malinga came good in the Super Over, defending 13 and trumping a super effort from Tim Southee to give Sri Lanka their first Super Eights points

The Report by Sidharth Monga27-Sep-2012
Sri Lanka won the Super Over
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tillakaratne Dilshan played the defining innings in Sri Lanka’s chase•AFPTillakaratne Dilshan, who had scored 76 off 53 in regulation time, set himself under the ball at long-off, turning side ways to make sure he knew where the boundary cushions were – they were six inches from his toenails – and took the catch after the ball had passed his body and had almost entered the air space beyond the boundary. Had Dilshan missed that, this Martin Guptill hit off Lasith Malinga would have left New Zealand needing two off the last ball of the Super Over. The catch sealed Sri Lanka’s win. Such were the margins of a freak match that was tied with a freak run-out off the last ball.About 40 minutes ago, Sri Lanka were 143 for 3 after 16.3 overs, the same score that New Zealand had after 16.3. New Zealand would have been disappointed with the 31 they got after that, considering the start given to them by Rob Nicol, in association with Guptill and Brendon McCullum. With the ball, though, Southee and James Franklin pulled things back against the faltering hosts, who lost two batsmen to run-outs.Smart stats

This is the seventh Twenty20 to end in a tie. New Zealand have been involved in four of the seven. It is also the second tie in the World Twenty20 after the game between India and Pakistan in 2007.

Rob Nicol’s 58 is his highest score in Twenty20 internationals and the third-highest for a New Zealand batsman against Sri Lanka.

Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 76 is the second-highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman against New Zealand in World Twenty20 matches. It is also his second-best score in World Twenty20 games after the 96 against West Indies in 2009.

Ajantha Mendis conceded 48 off his four overs, the most he has conceded in a Twenty20 game, surpassing the 42 runs against Australia in the World Twenty20 in 2010.

New Zealand’s total of 174 is their highest score in Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka. It is also their second-highest score in Pallekele, after the 191 against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka’s score of 68 in the first six overs is the fifth-highest Powerplay score in the World Twenty20. The highest Powerplay score (20 overs per innings) is West Indies’ 71 against Australia at The Oval in 2009.

Only 30 runs had come in 5.3 overs leading to that even point, which had put Sri Lanka under some pressure. Southee added to it with an over of yorkers to leave them needing 21 off the last two. Ross Taylor risked bowling Franklin, who had helped them win a similar chase recently against India. Dilshan slog-swept the first ball for a six. On the next ball, though, he took an ill-advised second and even a desperate dive couldn’t save him.Thisara Perera scooped Franklin for a four later in the over. At eight required from seven balls, Perera was one delivery from making Southee’s last over irrelevant, but Franklin’s slower ball arrived after he had finished his swing, and it had enough legs to tickle the bail out of its groove. Southee went back to bowling full and straight from round the stumps. Angelo Mathews took a single first ball, and it was time for Lahiru Thirimanne to test weak hearts.The first ball he faced, Thirimanne moved well across to the off side in an attempt to beat short fine leg. Southee stayed in the block hole, and Thirimanne managed just the single. Another yorker, another single for Mathews: five off three. Southee remained full, Thirmanne drove and was beaten. Advantage New Zealand.Thirimanne now dug Sri Lanka out of a hole he had partly dug. Again he took the incredible risk of aiming over short fine leg, Southee missed his yorker by six inches, and Thirimanne got under it. Fists were pumped both in the middle and in the dugout as soon as the ball cleared the fielder. The best New Zealand could get now was a tie. Earlier in the afternoon, Nicol had hit debutant mystery bowler Akila Dananjaya smack on the face with a straight drive, but he and McCullum did not run off the ricochet. Would things have been different had they not been such sports?That would have been the last thing on their minds when New Zealand pulled the field in to try to save that single. Southee surprised Thirimanne with a short ball, he bat-padded it to point, where Franklin kept a cool head and returned a gentle throw on a comfortable bounce to Taylor at the non-striker’s end. Taylor fumbled the take. He missed a dolly. Sri Lanka began to celebrate, and a disappointed Taylor shook hands with the umpires, who – just to be sure – asked for the third umpire’s help. The stumps had somehow been broken.The replays showed the ball had hit Taylor’s hand and bounced on to the stumps. In real time it seemed as though Taylor had broken the wicket without the ball in his hands. Technology surprised everyone, and the game went into the Super Over. Southee continued his good work in the tiebreaker, but two of his yorkers were wides. Even so, he had conceded just 10 off the first five balls, but Perera scooped the last delivery over short fine leg to register three crucial runs.Malinga, who had an average tournament until then, decided this was a moment as good as any to make an impact. He hardly missed his length with the first four balls: two, one, two byes, one. Malinga then missed his yorker by about a foot, Guptill got under it, but this was Dilshan’s night.

R Vinay Kumar, the India seamer, has said he is confident of adapting to playing conditions in Australia and believes he is good enough to play Test cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2011Vinay Kumar, the India seamer, has said he is confident of adapting to playing conditions in Australia and believes he is good enough to play Test cricket. A regular in the ODI squad over the last couple of years, Vinay was included in India’s Test squad for the first time when he was named as a last minute replacement for the injured Varun Aaron for the tour of Australia.”I have been to Australia earlier on three occasions with the Karnataka team, and once with India A,” Vinay told the . “So the place is not new to me and I know the conditions. I don’t think adapting will be a problem for me.”I know I am good enough to play in the longer formats. In 2007, I was the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy and repeated the feat two years later. I really enjoy bowling long spells. I will have to adjust my line and length in Australia. Hopefully, I will get to play in the practice games and I will bank on my previous experience in Australia.He is not taking anything for granted though, and plans to speak to former India players about what it takes to succeed at the highest level of the game. “I will speak to former medium-pacers like Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad who know what it takes to excel at the international level. The India team bowling coach Eric Simons has been of great help and the same goes for coach Duncan Fletcher. Fletcher has told me in the past that I have the game for Test cricket.”Asked about this potential as an allrounder, Vinay said it was important for everyone down to No.11 to be able to bat. “I started my career as a batsman. Today, even the No. 11 needs to be a decent bat. Last year, Ishant [Sharma] had a partnership with VVS Laxman in the Mohali Test against Australia, which helped us win the game. It was a wake-up call for every bowler, with regard to how valuable a contribution with the bat can be.

There will be a preliminary hearing in July in the Crown Prosecution Services’ case against the three Pakistan players banned for spot-fixing and player-agent Mazhar Majeed

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2011There will be a preliminary hearing in July in the Crown Prosecution Services’ case against the three Pakistan players banned for spot-fixing – Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, and player-agent Mazhar Majeed. During a hearing on May 20, which none of the four attended, the Southwark Crown Court in London decided the trial would be held from October 4. But the judge in the case, James Sanders, has ruled that all four will have to appear for a preliminary hearing in July in person or via video conferencing.The players and the agent are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord’s Test last August in which they allegedly conspired to bowl pre-determined no-balls. The four appeared at a hearing on March 17 – at the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, which set the date and jurisdiction for the May 20 hearing – and were granted unconditional bail at the time; Majeed, who is a citizen of the UK, was told to surrender his passport.The three players have already been found guilty of spot-fixing by the ICC. Butt was banned for 10 years, Asif for seven and Amir for five. They are now facing criminal charges under Britain’s Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, which has a penalty of up to seven years imprisonment for accepting corrupt payments. They also face charges of cheating under the Gambling Act 2005, which has a penalty of up to two years imprisonment.The foursome was charged after being questioned by Scotland Yard detectives over the alleged scandal in the Test at Lord’s last August, following accusations by the tabloid newspaper.

Brian Vitori ran through Bangladesh’s top order to become the first Zimbabwe bowler to take five wickets on his ODI debut

Mohammad Isam in Harare12-Aug-2011It was the first time Brian Vitori was going to have a crack at Tamim Iqbal since the batsman’s “ordinary” jibe during the Test. After ten balls in 5.4 overs of constant pressure, Vitori dismissed Tamim with a short-of-a-length delivery that the batsman charged at and miscued to mid-on. No words were said or heard, just a simple celebration from Vitori.”It wasn’t really about me and Tamim,” Vitori said after becoming the seventh bowler in ODIs, and the first from Zimbabwe, to begin his career with a five-wicket haul. “It was about setting the tone and I actually had an idea how to bowl at these guys after the Test match.”Vitori’s opening burst was sensational but he had help too. Christopher Mpofu was disciplined from the City End, Bangladesh’s top order attacked after Tamim’s charge failed and Brendan Taylor gave Vitori two slips to work with.Shahriar Nafees found it hard to handle Vitori’s angles. A left-arm bowler can be easier for a left-hand batsman to handle, but Vitori has an inherent liking for left-handers. After spending a few overs working out Nafees, Vitori bowled one that went between his bat and pad and crashed into his leg-stump.Imrul Kayes, a left-hand batsman slightly out of form, missed a similar delivery that straightened and was leg-before. A ball before Kayes’ dismissal, Mohammad Ashraful had mistimed a hook because the ball came on to him quicker than he expected.The wicket of Shafiul Islam made Vitori the first Zimbabwe bowler to take a five-for on debut. Gary Crocker, Everton Matambanadzo, Bryan Strang and Duncan Fletcher each had four-wicket hauls on debut.Vitori’s 5 for 30 is in the same league as Fletcher’s effort against Australia in 1983 and according to Bangladesh coach Stuart Law, his performance struck a chord. “The Test win last week has given them a springboard to go forward,” Law said. “The young Zimbabwe players are keen to play, they want to play for their country. That speaks volumes, they have a lot of pride.”Zimbabwe were up for it. It was evident from ball one really, their fielding in the ring was fantastic. They were quick to the ball, accurate with their throws [and] that puts a batting line-up under pressure. We probably could have gone about it a bit differently. We looked too conservative, worrying about losing wickets. And once we worked out the ball wasn’t doing a great deal, it was up to us to work out a plan on how to knock the Zimbabwe bowlers off their length. That proved difficult to do.”For a man who struggled to buy a pair of boots only two years ago and had to lose extra weight, Vitori has come a long way and his figures could have been better if Hamilton Masakadza had taken a catch off Vitori’s final delivery. “I didn’t mind that,” he said. “I got five wickets already.”

Tim Bresnan will be available for Yorkshire on Twenty20 Finals Day after the England management reversed their decision to make him unavailable

David Hopps at Cardiff24-Aug-2012Tim Bresnan will be available for Yorkshire on Twenty20 Finals Day in Cardiff on Saturday after the England management reversed their decision to make him unavailable because of concerns about his workload.Bresnan had an inactive day watching the rain that wrecked the opening ODI between England and South Africa at the Swalec Stadium and, with Finals Day scheduled for the same ground, a few miles to the hotel and back again were not about to risk travel exhaustion.Bresnan’s involvement if the FLt20 Finals Day stretches into Sunday’s reserve day – a forecast of sunshine and showers makes that a possible outcome – would not be determined by England until Saturday evening, as they insist that preparation for the next ODI, at West End on Tuesday, takes precedence.Fatigue should not be an issue for Bresnan. He missed the final Test at Lords and has bowled only 387 overs since the start of April. He would also only bowl a maximum of eight overs for Yorkshire on Finals Day.England’s initial refusal to make Bresnan available stunned Yorkshire, who had assumed that availability would not be an issue on a day that has become the highlight of the domestic season and that the availability of all international players would be treated equally.If Bresnan is withdrawn at any stage over the weekend on England’s orders, Rich Pyrah would be likely to deputise. All other England players involved in the ODI series would be automatically available if Finals Day extended into Sunday.The Cardiff washout, meanwhile, has led to Ravi Bopara being made available for Essex’s CB40 match against Middlesex on Monday. Bopara has been in need of match practice after time off for personal reasons and made a guest appearance for Gloucestershire against the South Africans on Wednesday.For the likes of Craig Kieswetter, considering an England ODI one minute, a domestic finals day the next, adjustment has to come almost instantly. While IPL surfs along on permanent hype, England’s T20 Finals Day is crammed into an England-dominated programme.”It’s probably not ideal,” Kieswetter said. “I think a lot of the counties would prefer to see Twenty20 in a block and then move on with the rest of the season. It is no hidden fact that our schedule is pretty hectic. It would probably the most ideal set-up to have it as a block and get it done and finished with.”Somerset have lost in the last three finals, but their achievement in getting to the semi-finals of the Champions League last year has helped to dispel the feeling of perennial bridesmaids.”I think it has gotten past the stage of being an issue for us,” Kieswetter said. “It is just another finals day. Hopefully we can get over that finals hurdle.”

England Women’s bowlers, led by Laura Marsh, performed impressively to restrict South Africa Women to 110 for 8 before rain forced the second Twenty20 to be abandoned

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2011Match abandoned
ScorecardEngland Women’s bowlers, led by Laura Marsh, performed impressively to restrict South Africa Women to 110 for 8 before rain forced the second Twenty20 to be abandoned shortly after the chase began in Potchefstroom.Only two South African batsmen made double-digit scores after they chose to bat. Dane van Niekerk scored 27 and Cri-zelda Brits a run-a-ball 36. van Niekerk and Brits were dismissed in the space of two runs off successive overs as South Africa were reduced to 84 for 4. They lost three more wickets quickly thereafter as the innings ended poorly. Marsh finished with 3 for 19 while Isa Guha took 2 for 24.England’s openers, Charlotte Edwards and Marsh, had scored 15 off 2.2 overs before the match was abandoned.

Zimbabwe’s bowling options will be replenished with Brian Vitori and Graeme Cremer will both making comebacks.

Firdose Moonda24-Nov-2011Zimbabwe’s bowling options will be replenished ahead of their tour to New Zealand early next year. Left-armer Brian Vitori and legspinner Graeme Cremer will both make comebacks from injury in the country’s domestic Twenty20 tournament which starts on Friday.Vitori has recovered from a stress fracture of the shin, which kept him out of action since mid-September and will turn out for his home franchise, the Southern Rocks. Cremer has spent nine months away from the game with a serious knee injury. He played in the Mid West Rhinos Twenty20 match against Kenya on Monday and has been declared fit to compete.”It’s great to have them both back,” Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s bowling coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “When you look at where we were a year ago, people said we could play well in certain spinning conditions and we have no pacers coming through, now we have quicks and genuine attacking option as well.”Vitori formed an impressive new-ball partnership with Kyle Jarvis, signalling the start of better things for Zimbabwe when the duo made their debut in the country’s Test comeback against Bangladesh in August. Vitori, in particular, had a dream start to international cricket and took five wickets in that Test as well as five-fors in two ODIs after that. His ability to move the ball into the right-hander made him a tricky customer to face.However, he soon found international cricket tougher than it first looked and on a flatter track in Bulawayo against Pakistan, Vitori was unable to replicate his success. He did not take a single wicket in the Test and played in two of the three ODIs, where he was expensive on both occasions, with a single scalp to show for his efforts, before injury stuck.Vitori bowled a fair amount after making his debut, but Streak said the injury was not a result of overuse. “He didn’t have a pre-existing condition and he is quite a strong, solid guy so we will just have to watch out for it in future.” Vitori was out for six weeks and Zimbabwe Cricket took precautions to give him a proper rehabilitation process and not rush him back.This season he has not played a match for his franchise since the injury and Streak thinks the 20-over tournament will be a good way to get him back on the field. “It will be nice if he doesn’t have a major workload first up. He’ll be in the field for twenty overs, unlike in first-class cricket, so he won’t overstrain anything.”Cremer has also eased himself back in, with hopes high that he will be able to merit a national recall ahead of Zimbabwe’s tour to New Zealand. As the country’s premier legspinner, his skills were sorely missed during the three home series and Streak, like national captain Brendan Taylor, has said having a fit Cremer could complete Zimbabwe’s line-up.”It’s important that he gets in some cricket before Christmas and is ready to go again if we need him,” Streak said. “He has a lot of experience now and the potential to develop into an all-rounder. He is working on his batting and he is an exceptional fielder.”In Cremer’s absence, Natsai M’shangwe was used in the third ODI against New Zealand where Zimbabwe chased a record 328 to win. M’shangwe showed good control and composure but the highly-rated Cremer’s availability will add to the growing competition for national caps.

David Harker, chief executive at Durham, will step down from his role in May to pursue a private business venture.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2012David Harker, chief executive at Durham, will step down from his role in May to pursue a private business venture. He will continue as a non-executive director.Harker has worked at Durham throughout their transformation from fledgling first-class county into one of the leading clubs in the country. He initially joined as a financial controller in 1991 and became chief executive in 1999.A local-born businessman, Harker has overseen the development, and rebranding, of Chester-le-Street into an international venue, securing a first Ashes Test next summer. Under Harker’s watch, Durham secured their first major trophy by winning the Friends Provident Trophy in 2007 and back-to-back County Championship titles in 2008 and 2009.But the lure of a new business venture has proved too good an opportunity for Harker to pass up. “I have enjoyed a fantastic 20 years with Durham,” he said. “The club has changed beyond recognition since I joined the team, and it’s a real honour to have played a part in the fantastic achievements made here.”But with the Ashes secured in 2013 – something we could once have scarcely imagined happening in Durham – and a very strong and committed management team now on board, I had been thinking that the coming year may be the one in which I looked for a new challenge.”Of course, whatever you achieve, there is always the temptation to stay on and reach the next goal and the next one after that – which explains why I have been here for such a long time – but it does feel like now is the time to step aside and pass on the reins to someone else.”Harker leaves considerable boots to fill and as such, Clive Leach, Durham chairman, said there will be no rush to find a replacement. “David has made a significant contribution to the club during the course of his career and we’ll now be taking stock and ensuring that we make the decision that is right for the long term future of the club.”We are very sorry to see David go,” Leach said. “He has been so good for the club and has helped to take it from the bottom – both as a business and sports team – to the top. Durham is now an organisation that is recognised on a national and international stage and this is, in no small part, down to the hard work of David and his management team.”

Tasmania’s coach, Tim Coyle, will step down at the end of this season, ending a highly-successful seven-year tenure

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2012Tasmania’s coach, Tim Coyle, will step down at the end of this season, ending a highly-successful seven-year tenure. Coyle took charge of the Tigers in 2005 after the departure of the previous coach Brian McFadyen and in 2006-07 delivered the state’s first Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield title when they beat New South Wales in the final in Hobart.Another Sheffield Shield title followed in 2010-11, and Coyle was also at the helm when Tasmania won the one-day competition in 2007-08 and 2009-10. Coyle, 52, said he felt that with his contract expiring at the end of this summer it was a good time for Tasmania to move on under a new mentor.”I feel that the time is right for the Tigers to have a new voice and for me to finish up as head coach,” Coyle said. “It’s been a fantastic ride, and once the season finishes it is time for me to have some time away from the game and spend some more time with my family and friends.”Tony Harrison, the chairman of Cricket Tasmania, said Coyle’s outstanding record spoke for itself and he had been a fine servant of Tasmanian cricket.”Tim is passionate about what he believes in and much of that passion is for Cricket Tasmania, his teams and cricket in Tasmania, however we understand the time is now right for him to spend more time with his family and have a break,” Harrison said. “Tim has nurtured many talented Tasmanian and interstate player from the junior ranks through to national representation and can be justifiably proud of these achievements along with the sustained success of the Tasmanian Tigers.”Without doubt, Tim Coyle is the most successful current coach in Australian cricket and his contribution to our Association, State and players cannot be over-estimated. The current strength of Tasmanian cricket owes much to Tim Coyle and the culture he has developed and fostered, and we will do all we can to ensure that he remains part of our structure in the future.”Cricket Tasmania will spend the next few months searching for Coyle’s replacement.

The agent at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations tried to impress an undercover journalist, posing as an Indian businessman

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court10-Oct-2011The agent at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations tried to impress an undercover journalist, posing as an Indian businessman, with a series of boasts that included a meeting with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt about setting up a domestic Twenty20 tournament, a court in London has heard.Agent Mazhar Majeed also told journalist Mazhar Mahmood that he knew actor Brad Pitt “very well”, tennis legend Roger Federer and was good friends with former England cricketers Mike Gatting, Phil Tufnell, Geoffrey Boycott, ex-Pakistan skipper Imran Khan and former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi among others.He also bragged how he managed ten Pakistan players including Salman Butt, Kamran and Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik, and had access to other world stars like Chris Gayle, Brett Lee, Ricky Ponting, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh. A potential meeting with their mutual contact – former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf – was also referred to.The name-dropping and boasting from Majeed was heard in a recording while Mahmood was in the witness box at Southwark Crown Court in central London, on the fourth day of the trial of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, who are alleged to have bowled pre-determined no-balls for cash. Both players deny the charges.The jury also had a written transcript of the recording to follow. It was taken from the first meeting between the two men, when Mahmood had secret microphones on him that preceded an eventual global controversy after Mahmood exposed his trap. The journalist took his position in court behind a screen to hide his identity to the public and media.Mahmood lured Majeed to the meeting posing as an Indian businessman from “Tata Equity” with the promise of setting up a Twenty20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates, which would be sponsored by Etihad Airlines.The boasting raised smiles of disbelief in the court as Majeed was heard to also own seven ice cream parlours – which he has Pakistan players appear at for free, “the biggest property company in Surrey”, football club Croydon, and told of how he lived at different times in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Malaysia and Turkey as he studied religion and gave lectures.The court heard Majeed explain why he did not wish to manage former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi because “you have to kiss his arse every day”. Incredibly he also revealed how he regrettably turned down the chance of involvement in the hit movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.Majeed, who said he worked very closely with the PCB, said of the meeting with Butt: “I had a meeting with Ijaz Butt about doing a domestic tournament. What we were going to do was look at putting a sponsor with each region and do a Twenty20 league because Pakistani people are not getting any cricket to watch. They will come in droves.”In-court sketches and visible descriptions of Mahmood were not allowed to be published. His evidence is key to the prosecution and his appearance in court is expected to run into a second day. In his sting operation, Mahmood said he was backed by a Far East betting cartel, and eventually lured Majeed into revealing a corrupt plot during Pakistan’s 2010 tour of England.Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following that Lord’s Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown.