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Live Updates: West Indies post 129-5 against brilliant Sri Lanka

2012-09-29T08:40:00.003-07:00

20th over: West Indies 129 for 5 Angelo Mathews to bowl the last over. Russell is off the strike off the first ball and Samuels departs off the next. Pulls it really hard but finds Dilshan who runs from long-on towards his right to take a stunner on the boundary. 7 off the over.

19th over: West Indies 122 for 4 Malinga continues. Fifty for Samuels. His fourth T20 fifty. It came off 34 balls. Meanwhile, Malinga has bowled an excellent over, just two off the first five balls. Let's see what happens off the last. Russell gets a single. Just three off the over.

18th over: West Indies 119 for 4 Kulasekara returns and Andre Russell launches him into the stands at long-on. Sheer power. Now Marlon Samuels gets in on the act. Hits it straight back over the bowler's head. Another demonstration of power. It travelled 102 metres, the biggest so far in this tournament. The previous best was Shane Watson's 98 metres. Gets a four. Muscles it past the covers. Another four. Hits it straight back. Sheer power-hitting. 21 off the over. Just the over West Indies needed.

17th over: West Indies 98 for 4 Malinga returns. Five singles and a double. Tight over. The Windies need some big shots to get up a decent score against the hosts. Remember, the average first innings total here is 173.

16th over: West Indies 91 for 4 Now Ajantha Mendis comes on to bowl and he gets rid of the woefully out-of-form Kieron Pollard. The big batsman fails to read the line of the ball and gets cleaned up. Great stuff by the Sri Lankan mystery spinner. Andre Russell is the new batsman in. Just one run in the over with a wicket.

Pollard b BAW Mendis 1 (6)

15th over: West Indies 90 for 3 Jeevan Mendis comes back on and gets rid of Dwayne Bravo. The ball is a bit short and Bravo bludgeons it but finds Tillakaratne Dilshan at long-on. Pollard up next. Meanwhile, Samuels gets a six over mid-wicket. It's 93 metres.

Bravo c Dilshan b BMAJ Mendis 40 (34)

14th over: West Indies 80 for 2 Angelo Mathews returns. The lowest defended total at Pallekele is 155. To get there both these batsmen have got to up the ante. Bravo is listening to me, I guess. Gets a four off the fifth ball. Nicely timed shot that goes past point in a flash. Two off the last. This is the highest third wicket stand for the Windies in this tournament. 64 runs.

13th over: West Indies 71 for 2 Lasith Malinga returns and Samuels takes a four off the second, just guides it past the wicketkeeper Sangakkara. With that comes up a fifty-run partnership. This is the highest 3rd wicket partnership in the Sri Lanka-West Indies T20s. Eight runs come off the over.

12th over: West Indies 63 for 2 Now Ajantha Mendis. Samuels is having a hard time against him but that's not the case with Bravo, who hit a big six. It was a long hop and Bravo was onto it in a flash. A sight to sore eyes.

11th over: West Indies 55 for 2 Jeevan Mendis comes on. Bowls a tight over. Just two off it.

10th over: West Indies 53 for 2 Herath continues. Bravo goes inside out for a big six over the covers. What timing. That was 200th six for the team in T20s. The average first innings total at Pallekele is 173. WI need to up the ante to get there from here. 11 runs off the over.

9th over: West Indies 42 for 2 Mendis replaces Mathews. Samuels picks up a two off the fist. Both batsmen are having a hard time against the mystery spinner. He is the leading wicket-taker in this tournament with eight scalps. The end of another good over. Just four off it.

8th over: West Indies 38 for 2 Rangana Herath comes into bowl. He is Dananjaya's replacement for this match. Bravo fetches another boundary, off the third ball. It's a half-volley and the allrounder is onto it in a flash. It races to the boundary in the blink of an eye. Three dot balls finish the over.

7th over: West Indies 33 for 2 Angelo Mathews comes on to bowl. Marlon Samuels spring into action with a four off the second ball. The edge off his bat goes past wicketkeeper Sangakkara. Mahela now brings a slip in. Now Bravo gets in on the act. His four is more convincing. The ball is a bit full and wide. He makes the most of it, the fielders at the covers could do nothing. Good over for the Caribbean team. 13 off it.

6th over: West Indies 20 for 2 Gayle also goes. The Kulasekara delivery is too wide for a cut but Gayle still goes for it. Pays the penalty as Kumar Sangakkara takes an easy catch behind the wickets. A big blow to the Caribbean team. Dwayne Bravo comes in and opens his account with a four off the first ball he plays.

Gayle c †Sangakkara b Kulasekara 2 (9)

5th over: West Indies 16 for 1 Ajantha Mendis comes into bowl. He took six wickets against Zimbabwe in a group match. He is a dangerous man. A huge appeal against Johnson Charles off the second ball. It pitched a bit outside the offstump. Johnson out!

Charles st †Sangakkara b BAW Mendis 12 (21)

4th over: West Indies 14 for 0 Kulasekara continues. Another good over. Just two off it.

3rd over: West Indies 12 for 0 Here comes Lasith Malinga and gets treated with a four by Johnson Charles. The ball was way down the leg side and all Charles had to was just flick off his pads. Another four off the fourth ball. Charles again. Hits it straight back, a short arm jab. Eight off the over.

2nd over: West Indies 4 for 0 Nuwan Kulasekara to bowl. Accuracy is his middle name and that stands him in good stead. Great over. Just one over. Superb stuff. It's not easy to do that against the likes of Gayle and Charles.

1st over: West Indies 3 for 0 Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles walk out to the middle. Both batsmen are in form. Charles scored 84 in the last match against Engalnd, while Gayle chipped in with 58. Angelo Mathews begins the proceedings for Sri Lanka. Tight over. Concedes just three.

7.OO pm: West Indies win the toss, will bat first. Darren Sammy says Fidel Edwards returns and Samuel Badree goes out, while for Sri Lanka young injured offspinner Akila Dananjaya misses out and Rangana Herath comes in. Here are the teams.

West Indies: Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy(c), Andre Russell, Denesh Ramdin(w), Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Fidel Edwards

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene(c), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Jeevan Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis

6.45 pm: Hello and welcome to the World T20 Super 8 tie between Sri Lanka and West Indies at Pallekele. West Indies and Sri Lanka both won their first matches in Group 1, against England and New Zealand respectively. A victory today for either team will push their case for a semifinal berth not a little. Stay tuned, we'll soon be back with the toss.

World T20: Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle down England

2012-09-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

Pallekele: A brilliant allround performance by Chris Gayle led West Indies to a 15-run win over defending champion England in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20 on Thursday.

Gayle smashed 58 off 35 balls and featured in a century stand with Johnson Charles, who made 84 off 56 deliveries in a West Indies total of 179 for 5.

West Indies' four-pronged spin attack then exposed England top order's vulnerability to spinners on subcontinent wickets, restricting the reply to 164 for 4. Eoin Morgan hit an unbeaten 71 off 36 balls and Alex Hales scored 68.

Gayle bowled an impressive spell of four overs for 27 and took the wicket of Jonny Bairstow.

Ravi Rampaul had earlier derailed the run chase with two wickets off successive balls with England yet to score.

World T20: Super Eights means serious cricket

2012-09-26T10:46:00.003-07:00

With Pakistan having thrashed Bangladesh in their last encounter in the ICC World Twenty20 group stage, the tournament takes proper shape as the best teams line up for the Super Eights. Many, in fact, will tell you that the tournament begins on Thursday when Sri Lanka play New Zealand.

After nine lukewarm days of cricket, fans of Twenty20 cricket are in line for some mouth-watering cricket now that Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Bangladesh have been ousted from the World Twenty20. Four groups have been narrowed down two: West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and defending champions make up the first and in the next are India, Pakistan, Australia and South Africa. That second one is a very tight one, with India up against arguably the best three sides in the tournament.

Let’s have a look at the two groups.

Group 1: West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England

West Indies and Sri Lanka will start off as favourites for the semi-finals but England and New Zealand will definitely give them a tough fight. West Indies have yet to win a game – they progressed due to a rain-hit match against Ireland – but are being seen as contenders for the title due to the presence of Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, skipper Darren Sammy, Fidel Edwards and Sunil Narine.

At home, Sri Lanka remain a formidable side. Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara lend solidity and plenty of experience to the batting, and in Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis and Nuwan Kulasekara the hosts have three match-winning bowlers. Add in allrounders such as Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera, and Sri Lanka stand to pose a threat to all opposing teams.

New Zealand are highly dependent on Brendon McCullum, who is the leading run-scorer in Twenty20 internationals and the only batsman to score two centuries in the format, one of them being the fastest ever. After McCullum, the main man is captain Ross Taylor who can be equally destructive on his day. After that, the batting line-up is weighed down by inexperience and inconsistency. With the ball, the biggest asset is Daniel Vettori. Kyle Mills and Tim Southee are the leading fast men, followed by the allrounders Jacob Oram and James Franklin. Not a very strong team, but a capable one.

Defending champions England are not looking as strong as they were last time around. The

absence of Kevin Pirtersen and Paul Collingwood has weakened the batting, and as displayed in their 90-run thrashing by India the younger crop of batsmen have plenty of issues against spin. Their bowling, however, is one of the best in the tournament.

Group 2: India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa

South Africa look the strongest in this group owing to an amazingly balanced side. In both the main departments they have a number of match-winners. With Richard Levi and Hashim Amla opening the innings you can always expect a blistering start and in Jacques Kallis at No. 3 South Africa have a batsman capable of holding an innings together. AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis and Albie Morkel after that makes for a very formidable batting order. Leading the bowling attack is Dale Steyn, ranked No. 1, followed by Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Robin Peterson, Albie Morkel and Kallis. Definitely the team to beat.

India are highly dependent on their batting since the bowling is a area of concern, regardless of the way Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla had England in a spin. The lack of form of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir at the top is causing India trouble, and leaving too much on Virat Kohli’s shoulders. Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni are all Twenty20 match-winners, but their efforts must be backed up by good bowling. Zaheer Khan is finding it tough to get his rhythm correct, Irfan Pathan is too inconsistent and L Balaji is making a comeback so that leaves Dhoni to rely on R Ashwin – especially at the death. Whether India go in with five bowlers against Australia is a matter of huge interest at the moment.

That leaves Australia and Pakistan, both of whom have an edge over India in the bowling. For Pakistan, spin is the strength with Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul carrying the attack. Umar Gul adds control and Sohail Tanvir unpredictability, but currently the fast-bowling is pair is a bit off-key. Australia have a pace battery comprising Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Shane Watson and Daniel Christian which has contributed to victory in two matches. The concern is in the spin department, where a 41-year-old Brad Hogg and a rookie in Glenn Maxwell have to do anything of note.

The Super Eights stand to offer much more action than the group stage, so fans can sit back and enjoy the action at last.

ICC WT20 LIVE: PAK vs BAN

2012-09-25T08:47:00.002-07:00

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the final group stage match ICC World Twenty20 in Pallekele on Tuesday. Catch it LIVE!

Pitch: Great grass coverage on this strip but good amout of moisture in it. Side winning the toss will be tempted to bowl first, says Simon Doull.
Teams
Bangladesh
Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Abul Hasan, Ziaur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam
Pakistan
Mohammad Hafeez (c), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal
Brief preview
Shoaib Malik said Bangladesh have some dangerous players in the side so Pakistan will not take the neighbours lightly in their next group engagement in the ICC World Twenty20.

Pakistan have beaten New Zealand and need a victory to qualify for the Super Eights stage.

"We are not even taking Bangladesh lightly for Tuesday's match as they are a much improved side and have some dangerous players," Malik said ahead of the Group D match.

Malik said in the Twenty20 format results change in four to five overs and any team was capable of causing an upset.

"In this tournament I feel even 50 to 60 runs are hard to defend in the final four to five overs - the standards of competition are high," he said.

Malik, who captained Pakistan between 2007 and 2009, said he was enjoying his comeback to the national team.

"I am playing well and hitting the ball well so I am pretty confident of doing well in the Super Eights which will pit the strongest teams against each other," he said.

He pointed out that Pakistan's bowling was their main strength as it had lot of variety and options.

"Saeed Ajmal has been bowling outstandingly well and he is someone who every team is looking at closely."

2nd T20: India lose to New Zealand by 1 run

2012-09-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Chennai: India lost to New Zealand by one run in the second and final Twenty20 International at the MA. Chidambaram Stadium here Tuesday.

India, needing 13 off the last over, ended at 166 for four in 20 overs against New Zealand's 167 for five.

Virat Kohli made an outstanding 70 while Yuvraj Singh scored 34 off 26 balls in his comeback match.

Earlier put into bat, New Zealand made an imposing 167 for five. Brendon McCullum blasted 91 runs off 55 balls while Kane Williamson (28), Jacob Oram (18 not out) and Ross Taylor (25 not out) made valuable contributions to the Kiwi total.

Irfan Pathan was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking three wickets for 31 runs in four overs.

Dhoni's decision to bowl raised eyebrows in Kiwi camp

2012-09-17T09:26:00.001-07:00

New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni erred in his decision after winning the toss, and said the entire Kiwi outfit was surprised when the Indian skipper decided to bowl first in the second Twenty20 game at a relatively slow Chepauk pitch.

"Honestly, India's decision to field raised a few eyebrows in our camp. Having had the experience of playing IPL here, we always knew it was a win the toss and bat first pitch," Franklin said after stealing a one-win win at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk on Tuesday.

Sent into bat, New Zealand rode on Brendon McCullum's blistering 91 to post a competitive 167 for five on the board and then restricted India to 166 for four.

India, however, looked at ease till Virat Kohli's (70) dismissal, but their chase fell apart when comeback man Yuvraj Singh (34) departed in the final over. Even though Dhoni remained unbeaten on 22, it was not enough to see the Men in Blue home.

"Our plan after Virat's dismissal was to not let the new batsman settle in and get the required run-rate up and try to induce mistakes from them," Franklin said.

"Dhoni is a big hitter, but the ball was gripping and stopping a bit on the batsmen. It was about bowling cleverly."

Franklin also feels that Tuesday's narrow win over India will act as a morale booster for the Kiwis ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup to be played in Sri Lanka from September 18 to October 7.

"It has been a tough tour for us. We did badly in the Tests, but this (win) is definitely something we'll celebrate. It is good to end on a winning note ahead of the (T20) World Cup where we are heading from here," he told reporters at the post-match press conference.

"We've certainly got a tough challenge in Sri Lanka, especially since we're grouped with two sub-continent sides.

"But, we've to focus on our game and get better at what we've been doing and back ourselves to come good," added Franklin, who starred with the ball for the visitors in yesterday's game with figures of two for 26, which includes the crucial wickets of Kohli and Yuvraj.

New Zealand have been placed in a tough Group D in the T20 World Cup along side former champions Pakistan and unpredictable Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka aim to ditch choker tag in World Twenty20

2012-09-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

Sri Lanka, beaten in three ICC limited overs finals since triumphing in the 1996 World Cup and 2002 Champions Trophy they hosted, hope being back on home soil will help them avoid the chokers tag in the World Twenty20 starting on Tuesday.

Mahela Jayawardene's side play the opening match of the tournament against Zimbabwe in Hambantota aiming to go one better than in the 2009 edition and the last two 50-over World Cups.

"The people will back us and I've told the boys to try and enjoy the occasion. It's great to have a World Cup playing in your home territory," Jayawardene told reporters.

"If we enjoy the atmosphere we'll express ourselves much better out there."

The hosts are among a raft of teams who could easily win the tournament, which concludes on October7 in Colombo.

Holders England beat Australia by nine runs in a warmup on Monday while South Africa defeated New Zealand by the same score and Pakistan hammered India by five wickets.

Sri Lanka's buildup has been mixed, beating West Indies but losing to India.

"A lot of people have asked us why we have choked in the finals (in recent years)," added Jayawardene.

"I'd rather be in that situation than get knocked out in the first or second round. It means we are doing something pretty good in big tournaments and we are handling pressure pretty well and getting to those situations where we can win tournaments."

The captain dispelled any fears about an uneven wicket for the Group C opener against minnows Zimbabwe.

"The wicket looks really good and fresh and I am pretty confident it...should have enough runs on it," he said.

No favourites as World Twenty20 gets underway

2012-09-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

COLOMBO: The high-profile ICC World Twenty20 gets underway on Tuesday with no clear favourites but inaugural champions India will fancy their chances on the slow familiar tracks of the island nation where they have played a lot of cricket in recent times.

Seeded second in Group A, which clubs them along side defending champions England and qualifiers Afghanistan, India were on a high after clinching the 50-over World Cup last year. But their fortunes took a turn for the worst soon after with Test whitewashes in England and Australia.

On a roller-coaster ride since last year, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have a decent shot at the title as Sri Lanka is a home away from home for Indian cricketers.

The turning tracks which might bamboozle the likes of Australia and England would be hardly a concern for the Indians, who have the requisite spin arsenal to exploit the conditions as well.

The hosts themselves have a good chance of winning their first ICC world title after the 1996 50-over World Cup triumph in India.

The talent is there and so is the much-needed familiarity with conditions, and the only thing that Mahela Jayawardene's flock has to guard against is the pressure that would come with playing in front of adoring home fans.

Not to forget the ever-so-unpredictable Pakistan, a team which can be outstanding one day and completely pedestrian the other. Mohammad Hafeez appears to have a balanced Twenty20 side with all ends covered.

What they have to battle are non-cricketing issues. To present themselves as a cohesive unit would be the challenge for Pakistan even though they are coming into the event on a high after beating Australia.

The Asian giants aside, the tournament will be another arduous test for the Australians, once the seemingly-invincible world champions and now a struggling team in transition.

Gone are the days when the Aussies took the field as the outright favourites.

Led by a rather low-profile batsman George Bailey, the side from Down Under still has to get comfortable with the format and it would be a tough task for them to master conditions which they have traditionally found hard to cope with.

Clubbed alongside West Indies and the sprightly Ireland, the Australians will have it tough. In fact, they rank below perceived-minnows Ireland in the ICC table which quite reflects their state right now.

Defending champions England, on the other hand, don't even look the part in the absence of a certain Kevin Pietersen.

The big-hitting controversial batsman has been forced to retire from the format as he has quit ODI cricket and England Board's rules bar players leaving one-dayers from T20s as well.

His ouster has created a vacuum which would be tough to fill for any other batsman and in a format which is called slam-bang, it could prove to be decisive.

Then there are AB de Villiers' South Africa. A team which has not won a single ICC world trophy even though, it has always been counted among the favourites.

Labelled the 'chokers' for not coming good in multi-team events, the South Africans would be desperate to wipe off the tag.

They seem to have the ammunition besides being the rare non-subcontinental side which doesn't find it tough in the region's dust-bowls.

The Proteas just have to keep it steady when things get rocky, which might end up being the recipe for that elusive success in ICC events.

Dhoni happy with warm-up despite loss to Pakistan

2012-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Colombo: India captain Mahendra Singh was happy with the way his boys warmed-up for the World Twenty20 despite losing the practice game to arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets at the Premedasa Stadium here Monday.

"It was a good test for the main tournament and it was a good game. We could test which combination would be the best for the tournament," Dhoni said.

"We bowled well in the last few overs though I felt we gave too many runs with the new ball by our fast bowlers. But apart from that it was a good game for all of us," he added.

Dhoni said that India would prefer to play all the matches with seven-batsmen-four-bowler combination in the tournament.

"It's a difficult choice whether to pick an extra bowler (fifth bowler) and drop a batsman. I have batsmen who can be used as part-timers and we are a side that is comfortable playing seven batsmen," said Dhoni.

Dhoni was happy to see Rohit Sharma come back to form in the two warm-up matches.

"Rohit has been doing well. Lots of people think that T20 is very short game but I feel that at times you can use up some balls to settle down. Rohit did just that, he took some time to settle down and later went after the bowlers.

"He (Rohit) is a talented player. It's good for the team as he can also bowl a bit with his off-spin," he said.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said win has boosted the morale of his side.

"The way the boys approached the chase was very positive. We knew if India could post that total, we could get it if we worked hard. Kamran Akmal was exceptional," said Hafeez.

"We won the series against Australia in the UAE before coming here. Now we have beaten India in practice match, this will give us the momentum and boost in the tournament proper. The way the boys approached the chase was very positive," he said.

Hafeez also had words of praise for Shoaib Malik, who supported Akmal well during the chase.

"That is what experience is all about. The experience of Malik was also the key. He supported Kamran really well. The bowlers tried hard, but things didn't work out for them today."

It was Akmal (92) and Malik's (37) unbeaten 95-run stand for the sixth wicket that helped achieve the target of 186 with five balls to spare.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (4-23) gave India some hope after he had Pakistan reeling at 91/5 in 11.3 overs. But Akmal and Malik proved too good for India.

Earlier, valuable innings from Virat Kohli (75 not out off 47 balls) and Rohit Sharma (56 off 40 balls) helped India reach 185 for three in 20 overs.

Kamran’s blitzkrieg blows India away

2012-09-17T08:45:00.001-07:00

Kamran Akmal smashed a blistering unbeaten 92, as Pakistan dented India’s confidence ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 with a thrilling five-wicket win in their last warm-up game on Monday.

India posted a competitive 185 for three riding on Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 75, but their listless death bowling allowed Pakistan to overhaul the target with five balls to spare at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

At one stage, the Pakistanis were in a spot of bother at 91 for five, but Akmal launched a fierce counter-attack and together with experienced Shoaib Malik added 95 runs off 50 just balls to see the side home.

For India, Ravichandran Ashwin was the most successful bowler, scalping four wickets for 23 runs.

Earlier, Kohli celebrated his ICC ODI Player of the Year award with yet another sterling knock, while Sharma returned to form with a 40-ball 56 to power India to the challenging total.

The highlight of India’s innings was the 127-run fourth-wicket partnership between Kohli and Sharma that came off just 77 balls.

Kohli decorated his 47-ball stay at the crease with seven fours and two huge hits over the fence, while Sharma struck six boundaries and two maximum during his knock.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal starred with the ball for Pakistan with figures of two 22 from his four overs.

Chasing the competitive total, Pakistan received twin blows in the fourth over in the form of opener Imran Nazir and young Nasir Jamshed.

In search of a big hit, Nazir skied a delivery from Ashwin to a running Suresh Raina at long-on. A ball later an unlucky Jamshed fell victim to an unnecessary mix up with his skipper Mohammad Hafeez, as Pakistan slumped to 33 for two by the fourth over.

In experienced Malik, Kamran found an able partner. The duo went about their business sensibly. While Kamran was at his devastating best, Malik adopted a calm approach.

Needing 56 off 30 balls, Kamran knocked the stuffing out of pacer L. Balaji, who conceded 32 runs off his final two overs.

Kamran then hit Irfan Pathan out of the park to finish off the proceedings in an emphatic fashion.