CRICKET WORLD CUP 2011

A festival of cricket for the Falklands

2010-08-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

The cricketers of the Falkland Islands may become regular visitors to Scotland if plans for further stagings of the 'Festival of the Three Falklands' cricket festival are realised.

Last month, teams representing the Falkland Islands, Falkland in Newberry, Berkshire, England and Falkland in Fife, Scotland played a series of matches.

"Tentative plans are in hand to make this triangular tournament a regular feature every 3 to 4 years which would be an excellent idea providing we can manage the logistics of fielding teams for ICC competitions and also for friendly overseas tours," Roger Diggle, Falkland Islands Cricket Association official and player, told Cricinfo.

Although it was in some respects a tournament, it's success wasn't measured by the customary wins and losses. "The Festival of the Three Falklands was a very sociable affair. It started with a traditional Scottish ceilidh (a fancy term for a good meal, lots of drink and Scottish dancing). Speeches were given by representatives of all three clubs and also the provost of Fife, Councillor Frances Melville," Diggle explained.

Among the Islanders' squad were the current and former Attorneys General of the territory and its Chief Medical Officer.

In the first match, Falkland Islands won the toss and sent Falkland (Newbury) in to bat. The English Falklanders amassed 220 from their allotted 40 overs before bowling out the Islanders for 103.

Any reduction in overs always has the potential to even things out and perhaps this was the case in the second match. Originally it was to be a 40-over contest, but torrential rain on the first day saw it reduced to a 10-overs 6-a-side affair, which was won by the Islanders by three wickets with two balls to spare. The win ensured the Falkland Islands returned home with the Drysdale Cup, donated by Falkland (Fife) resident, Karen Drysdale, whose great-great grandfather and grandfather were both captains of Falkland (Fife) CC. The tournament wrapped up with a win for Scotland as Falkland (Fife) beat Falkland (Berkshire).

It's been an unusually busy year for the Falkland Islands who played in their first ICC tournament in June when they took part in the Americas Division Four event in Mexico.

Meanwhile, back home in the South Atlantic, there are plans to install the Islands' second cricket pitch in Stanley (in addition to the existing one at Mount Pleasant). This will allow a weekday Twenty20 league and under-15 and under-17 competitions to start in the 2010-11 season.

Linked with the appointment of a development officer shortly, the Falkland Islands Cricket Association aims to have 100% of school-age children play cricket in the school sports curriculum for a minimum of 6 weeks a year. "We think we might be the first country in the world to achieve 100% participation at school age," Diggle said.

The batting talent of tailenders

2010-08-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

The two most recent Test matches, in Sri Lanka and England, both produced some remarkable lower-order batting displays. At the P Sara Oval, Abhimanyu Mithun and Amit Mishra offered plenty of resistance in India's first innings, but that effort was dwarfed by Sri Lanka's incredible late-order fightback in which Ajantha Mendis played protagonist. The last three wickets in Sri Lanka's second innings put together 180 runs - which is the second-highest for them in all Tests - to lift them from a miserable 87 for 7. Meanwhile, the resistance from Pakistan's tail at Edgbaston further embarrassed the already beleaguered top-order batsmen, with Zulqarnain Haider and Saeed Ajmal at least ensuring that Pakistan's bowlers had some sort of a target to defend in the fourth innings.

These two Tests continue a recent trend where the last four batsmen have added a fair bit to their team's total. In 25 Tests this year, the last four batsmen (Nos. 8-11) average 18.46, with two centuries and 13 fifties; in 2009 they averaged 17.96, and both these numbers figure in the top five annual averages over the last 40 years. (Click here for the full list.)

As that link also shows, though, the increase in averages hasn't been as consistent, or as significant, as one might have thought: the average in 2008 was only 15.39, while in 2007 it was 14.78. Overall in the 2000s, the average was 15.51, which was only marginally better than the previous decade, and worse than the averages in the 1980s and the 1960s. That doesn't conform to the general perception that tail-end batting has improved substantially in recent years, though the way the 2010s have started is pretty encouraging.

Decade-wise averages of No. 8-11 batsmen since 1950
Decade	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
1950s	164	19,373	14.05	8/ 43
1960s	186	24,570	15.78	8/ 80
1970s	198	24,612	14.79	2/ 70
1980s	266	33,901	16.05	10/ 104
1990s	347	42,500	14.34	10/ 122
2000s	464	61,833	15.51	27/ 177
2010s	25	3878	18.46	2/ 13

The partnership stats for the last three wickets mirror the averages table above. Again, the 1960s and the 1980s outdid the 2000s, but 2010 has so far produced some important lower-order performances.

Decade-wise partnership stats for the last three wickets (8-10) since 1950
Decade	Partnerships	P'ship runs	Average stand	100/ 50 stands
1950s	1348	18,985	14.49	4/ 62
1960s	1537	26,978	18.25	13/ 116
1970s	1624	27,464	17.59	13/ 112
1980s	2053	36,753	18.71	21/ 151
1990s	2832	47,258	17.25	26/ 187
2000s	3821	66,962	18.09	45/ 250
2010s	206	4029	20.34	5/ 16

A look at the batsmen with the highest averages at these positions since the 1950s shows that the top 10 is dominated by batsmen who played predominantly in the 1980s and the 2000s. Among those who've played at least 50 innings at these slots, a couple of South Africans head the list. Mark Boucher's preferred slot was No. 7, but he also played at eight and nine 52 times, averaging almost 35. Incidentally, in 112 innings at No. 7 he only averages 26.82. Shaun Pollock, on the other hand, played 99 out of 156 innings at Nos. 8 or 9. Both his Test centuries came when he batted at nine, making him one of 16 batsmen to score a hundred from that position, and the only one to get two.

Like Boucher, Kapil Dev played most often at No. 7 (98 out of 194 innings at that slot), but he had a more-than-handy record when he came in lower down the order, averaging nearly 33. Daniel Vettori, though, has clearly preferred batting at No. 8 or lower - in 152 Test innings, only 24 times has he batted higher. He is one of only two batsmen - Shane Warne is the other - to score more than 3000 runs at positions 8 to 11. Three of his five Test hundreds have come at No. 8, where he averages 42.28; at No. 9, though, his average slips to 23.88 in 51 innings, which is why his overall average at these positions is only 31.59. Boucher, Pollock, Kapil and Vettori are also the only batsmen with a 30-plus average.

Best batsmen at positions 8-11 since 1950 (Qual: 50 innings)
Batsman	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Mark Boucher	52	1424	34.73	2/ 9
Shaun Pollock	99	2330	32.81	2/ 7
Kapil Dev	65	1967	32.78	2/ 13
Daniel Vettori	128	3317	31.59	4/ 18
Ian Smith	75	1667	27.78	2/ 6
Syed Kirmani	76	1598	27.55	1/ 6
Kiran More	57	1180	26.81	0/ 7
Nicky Boje	52	1125	26.78	0/ 3
Chaminda Vaas	144	2785	25.55	1/ 12
Richard Hadlee	81	1641	24.49	1/ 8

Of the pairs who've batted together at least 10 times for the last three wickets in an innings, Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan have the highest average - 34.33 from 12 innings. That average is slightly misleading, though, for 313 of their 412 partnership runs were scored in a single innings, against Zimbabwe in Sheikhpura, when Akram scored that monumental unbeaten 257. In 11 other innings, their highest partnership was 26. Jason Gillespie's limpet-like abilities have been well documented, so it's hardly surprising to see his name twice in the top 10, with Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist. With Waugh, Gillespie has two 50-plus partnerships in 10 innings, while with Gilchrist he had three in 14, including a 73-run stand in Fatullah when Gillespie scored a famous double-century. Gillespie is one of four Australians who feature twice in the top 10 - Gilchrist, Warne and Brett Lee are the others - which illustrates another aspect of their cricket that was outstanding during the period they dominated world cricket.

Best batting pairs for wickets 8-11 since 1950 (Qual: 10 partnerships)
Pair	Partnerships	Runs	Average	100/ 50 stands
Saqlain Mushtaq - Wasim Akram	12	412	34.33	1/ 0
Jason Gillespie - Steve Waugh	10	308	34.22	1/ 1
Brett Lee - Shane Warne	10	340	34.00	0/ 3
James Franklin - Daniel Vettori	11	338	30.72	0/ 2
Ian Healy - Shane Warne	16	491	30.68	0/ 3
Abdul Qadir - Imran Khan	10	304	30.40	1/ 0
Adam Gilchrist - Jason Gillespie	14	382	29.38	0/ 3
Kumar Dharmasena - Chaminda Vaas	12	350	29.16	0/ 3
Adam Gilchrist - Brett Lee	17	458	28.62	1/ 2
Imran Khan - Sarfraz Nawaz	11	279	27.90	0/ 2

Sri Lanka's last four did give the Indians a lot of grief in Colombo, but it's nowhere close to what Akram and Co did to Zimbabwe's bowlers in that Sheikhupura Test. Powered by Akram's unbeaten 257, Pakistan's last four batsmen added 336, which remains a record for the most runs scored by the last four batsmen in a single innings (and this despite the Nos. 10 and 11, Waqar Younis and Shahid Nazir, getting ducks). The only other instance of the last four scoring more than 300 was way back in 1908 at the Adelaide Oval, when Australia's tail amassed 307, with hundreds for Roger Hartigan and Clem Hill.

'Our early 80s line-up was better than today's'

2010-08-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Opening in a Test with my brother was fun. I couldn't open with my eldest brother [Sunil], although our careers overlapped. When he toured I didn't, and when I toured he didn't. We always felt that they wouldn't take two brothers at that time. Mithra was actually in Hong Kong, and he had lost out on a year or two. He was an accountant there. He came back and he got into the side briefly. Then I opened with him in a Test series in New Zealand.

Winning the World Cup made cricket a lot more popular in Sri Lanka, but by 1996 we had a damn good team. Had we not won, it wouldn't have been the end of the world.

Our fitness levels were a joke. We just had fun. When I look back, we did all the wrong things. We used to burn out so much before we went on tour that the tour seemed like a break.

Roy Dias was one of the most stylish batsmen. My brother Sunil was an absolutely stylish player. Michael Tissera was a beautiful batsman to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed Anura Tennekoon. Never played in Tests. He scored a hundred against every country that toured here. He would have been a run machine.

We were very unfortunate, in that most of our tours were one-off Tests - one-off or two. We could never capitalise on form, or when we got going we could hardly convert it into a big series.

The England tour of 1984 was also one such. We toured for a month or so playing counties, and then one Test. If you failed in that Test, whatever the result of the rest of the tour, you felt you had a bad tour. I remember the match before the Test, against Sussex, I got 70-odd. John Snow wrote, "Watch out for Sid." [Wettimuny batted for close to 11 hours, scoring 190 at Lord's]

Cricket in our day wasn't exactly an elitist sport, but 90% of cricketers in Sri Lanka came from Colombo schools.

My father was extremely keen that we learn to bat properly, technically. He appreciated the art more than anything else. He actually built the first indoor school in this country for us to learn cricket, so that we could go and learn from the man I thought was the best coach, Bertie Wijesinghe.

I have always looked for and appreciated the little friendships you build along the line with players from other countries.

In the early eighties the batting line-up we had - believe it or not - was better than what we have today. But we played cricket for fun. If I look at pure batting skills - you ask Arjuna Ranatunga, he will tell you the same thing - our line-up was much better. The skills were better. They viewed us with respect.

I always liked playing on English wickets. If you played straight, you could score there.

A guy came and made us run 19 rounds around a ground, saying "This is how you keep fit." By the time the tour started we were exhausted. We never did weight training. We didn't have those facilities. It was pure skill that kept us going.

"I don't know if we were too nice. We were amateurs; even when we retired we were semi-professional. The hard-nosed cricket style came with the commercialisation of the game"

If you take the period we were in, it was very formative in Test cricket exposure. Lord's was a big step. We were beginning to tell ourselves that we could perform on the big stage. That we could battle with the big boys and still do well. We were playing at Lord's, the home of cricket. Everybody was keen to do well. It contributed in that sense; it told the coming teams that it could be done.

Arjuna was very confident from day one. He had that aggressive approach even then.

We have to give a lot of credit to Dav Whatmore for 1996. Until then we did our own thing basically. Even in 1994, that was how we played. It was not a unit playing cricket, it was cricketers doing their own thing and coming together on tour.

We have got so much of natural talent, which needs - I must qualify - to be converted into skill and performance. The natural talent, good coordination is there, you know. Our guys are well coordinated; you go to the villages and see.

I don't know whether we were too nice. Let's face it, we were amateurs; even when we retired we were semi-professional. So I think the hard-nosed cricket style came with the commercialisation of the game.

Arjuna was definitely one of the guys who went out of the way to show the opposition, "Look we can beat you." Maybe he did convey that to them better than some of the guys earlier.

Around age 30-31, I seriously thought I had come to a crossroads. For a long time we didn't get enough Test tours. Then there was trouble in the country. It was the middle of the southern uprising and we were going to have only two Tests in the next two years. That's when I retired. Unlike now, where when you retire you have made enough money to sit back and relax, we had to seriously think, "Hey what the hell do I do now?"

I believe even today you can play the game as cleanly as ever and still perform at the highest level.

When we played in India, we did well there. The three one-dayers we lost because of one man and one man only, Kris Srikkanth. In the Test, we did well too. Roy batted beautifully, Duleep got twin hundreds. I don't think our opponents thought we were bad, but we lacked five-day exposure and fitness.

When I saw the 1996 team, I thought, "What the hell were we doing?" We used to get 30 runs and get cramps.

The greatest thing Dav did was to bring organisation. Not technical skills, he brought organised thinking. He brought Alex Kountouris with him. What that did was, batsmen who would score 70 and throw their wickets away due to lack of fitness and application would go on to convert it to 140. The guy who took two wickets went on to get six because he had strength, stamina and focus. It upped our cricket by 40% just through dedicated and disciplined thinking, and the incredible increase in fitness.

In Sialkot I got 45 on a crazy green top against Imran and Wasim. Battled and battled and got 45, and in the second innings I was given lbw in the first over. That was disappointing.

Arjuna Ranatunga hits out, Sri Lanka v England, Only Test, P Sara Oval, 1st day, February 17, 1982
"Those days we were a lot more relaxed about how we played the game than today" © Getty Images
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There was bad umpiring, no doubt, when Pakistan toured in 1986. Even in Pakistan we had some terrible umpiring. I don't know if it was tit-for-tat. In Kandy I disappointed some of our management by walking, but all my life I have played my game that way. I felt it beneath my dignity to be out and then not walk. How can you look those guys in the eye after that?

Sadly I learned to stay fit only after I retired. I work hard now to stay fit, but never during our playing days.

At Lord's, when I went out to play, I still remember Mohsin Khan called me on the dressing-room phone at every break. He was playing in the leagues then. First before the match, saying, "Look, I got a double-hundred there, you can also do it". Lunch, tea, close of play, till I got out, he called me every break. Those are the sort of things you remember. Kapil and I are very good friends. Sunny. The Crowe brothers in New Zealand.

It has been a very slow turn from the mid-eighties, nineties, but today 80% of our national cricketers are from outstation. That's where we need to focus. We aren't developing enough bases. The same bases we have in Colombo, we should be having in Galle, in Kandy. We should be now having them in Jaffna.

Roy is a very mild guy - in fact, too mild. He was very sensitive, to the point of nearly being insecure. But he was different when he batted. All his confidence showed when he batted. People forget he was not only a brilliant batsman but a brilliant fielder too, possibly at one time the best cover fielder in this country.

My father used to always say, "It's a game that builds character." If you can play the game in a certain way, you will take it outside the game too. I see a lot of truth in that.

Who'll play at No.7 for India?

2010-08-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

It's six months to go to the World Cup - a long time if you are preparing for the staging of the Commonwealth Games, not quite if you are looking at the best possible combination to put together for the biggest cricket event in the world. Coaches and selectors must be hoping to have at least 10 or 11 names finalised by now, and really should have a fair idea of who the other four or five will be. A wish list would be in every coach's back pocket.

India's wish list is pretty obvious really, and a first reading will expose the biggest problem with it. Ideally this is what I suspect Kirsten and Dhoni and Srikkanth would be looking at the evening before the first game: SachinTendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar or Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha. Eleven of those 12 names look settled, but for India to be strong at the World Cup, No. 7 needs to be identified, and at the moment Irfan Pathan has gone underground.

So if Pathan Jr is not on the radar, who bats after the batsmen and above the bowlers and gives you a few, if not 10, overs? India have tried Pathan Sr - and I suspect he is still an option - and currently are investing heavily in Ravindra Jadeja, who has so far given little indication of becoming the rock star Shane Warne thought he could be. "Could be" is the operative phrase here. Early in his career Jadeja seems to have stagnated, and I suspect people will start looking for returns on investment very shortly.

I also suspect India's think tank will have started thinking seriously about a Plan B. They will need one because there is no No. 7 who answers to the job description anywhere in sight in India. You'd think the IPL would have thrown up a couple of names, but really, apart from R Ashwin, who seems better with the new ball than with the old at the moment, the canvas is blank.



	A bits-and-pieces player policy tends to be fraught with danger because you run the risk of getting neither a bowler nor a batsman, and so India need to play to their strength, which on Indian pitches is batting

And so I suspect India might have to go the way they did during that very successful run from 2002 to 2004, when the selfless Rahul Dravid took the gloves and allowed India to play a seventh batsman. Straightaway you can see Rohit Sharma playing the role that Mohammad Kaif did then, with the license to bat freely in case the team is in a good situation, and instructed to douse the fires if there is a batting collapse.

But what looks good in the mind and on paper need not necessarily be the same way on the field. So who bowls the other 10 overs? Or more if one of the bowlers has had a bad day? It's time, then, to ask the batsmen to start rolling their arms over. In home conditions that isn't such a daunting task. Sehwag is a very competent offspinner (remember Aravinda De Silva bowling 10 overs quite often in 1996?) and Yuvraj Singh is much underrated. But I think it is time to look even further afield and start throwing the ball to Suresh Raina, who seems to possess a pretty cool head when bowling in the 20-overs game. Or, for that matter, to Rohit Sharma, who can be good for a few overs.

A bits-and-pieces player policy tends to be fraught with danger because you run the risk of getting neither a bowler nor a batsman, and so India need to play to their strength, which on Indian pitches is batting. Four players to generate 10 overs between them shouldn't be a huge issue.

I am not sure that is the way the think tank is thinking at the moment, but if No. 7 remains elusive even after the Sri Lanka tri-series, it might be the right time to start asking the batsmen if they fancy six-over spells in limited-overs cricket. My gut feel is that they will jump at the opportunity.

India have eight one-day games in home conditions before the World Cup. They must know what they want at the World Cup before those games begin.

Sri Lanka Triangular Series / Scorecard

2010-08-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka Triangular Series - 2nd match

Sri Lanka v New Zealand

Sri Lanka won by 3 wickets (with 55 balls remaining)

ODI no. 3031 | 2010 season
Played at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
13 August 2010 - day/night (50-over match)


New Zealand innings (50 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
BJ Watling	c †Sangakkara b Mathews	55	104	68	8	0	80.88
23.1 And he is gone now. Jinx and stuff, if you are one of those who believe in them. It was the surprise bouncer from Angelo and Watling tried to pull it from outside off stump. But he could only top edge it straight up and Sanga moved to his left to take a dolly. Fine knock but it's over now. 101/5
MJ Guptill	c Kapugedera b Malinga	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
0.2 length delivery that straightens - perhaps cuts away a bit - does the trick. It landed on a length around middle and leg and shaped away a touch. Guptill was looking to work it to the on side and was surprised by the away movement. The ball flew of the leading edge to backward point. Pouched! 100th ODI wicket! Nice little moment 2/1
LRPL Taylor*	lbw b Mathews	16	46	34	2	0	47.05
10.1 Dead plumb! That tendency to push that front leg across has done him in. It was a length delivery that moved in towards the middle stump. Taylor, as he often does, pushed the front leg across and then tried to get the bat around the front pad. Too late. Trapped! 47/2
KS Williamson	c Samaraweera b Mathews	0	3	2	0	0	0.00
10.3 Two ducks in a row. Oh dear. He can take heart from a Sri Lankan batsman who went on to become the captain - Marvan Atapattu. This one was full and outside off stump and Kane Williamson went for the drive. The shift to the front foot wasn't quick enough, the weight transfer wasn't smooth and he ended up chasing it a bit and edged it to left of first slip where a good lunging catch has been taken. He shakes his head in disappointment as he walks away. 47/3
SB Styris	c Jayawardene b Herath	24	49	33	1	0	72.72
22.3 Important strike by Rangana. Nicely flighted loopy delivery that turns away from the off stump and Styris edges the intended cover drive. Yet another catch by Mahela at first slip. Herath is delighted. 99/4
GJ Hopkins†	c Kapugedera b Malinga	11	34	22	0	0	50.00
29.5 Was it a catch or a bump? They refer to the upstairs. Clean catch! The slow loopy dipping full delivery does the trick. Hopkins lunges forward, gets surprised by not only the lack of pace but how rapidly it dipped on him and ended up slicing it to point. Clean catch. It went straight of the bat. It bounced before it hit the bat but not after 123/6
NL McCullum	c Herath b Mendis	36	91	64	0	1	56.25
44.4 Nathan falls after a responsible hand. He went down on his knee and ended up slicing it high towards mid-off. 178/9
DR Tuffey	b Malinga	0	2	1	0	0	0.00
29.6 Clatter! Yorked! Full, pacy, straight. Gone! The bat came down late, the ball whooshed under it. Save the foot campaign was on there! It was on the leg stump and Tuffey made sure his foot didn't come in the way! 123/7
KD Mills	c Mathews b Herath	11	28	25	1	0	44.00
36.6 flighted delivery lands on the middle and leg and turns. Mills went for the big hit to the on side and got the leading edge and the long-off fielder ran in to pouch a simple catch. 143/8
TG Southee	c Dilshan b Kulasekara	13	48	30	0	0	43.33
48.1 He goes for the big hit but drags the slower one to Dilshan at deep square-leg region 192/10
AJ McKay	not out	4	17	12	0	0	33.33

Extras	(b 5, lb 4, w 10, nb 3)	22

Total	(all out; 48.1 overs; 212 mins)	192	(3.98 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-2 (Guptill, 0.2 ov), 2-47 (Taylor, 10.1 ov), 3-47 (Williamson, 10.3 ov), 4-99 (Styris, 22.3 ov), 5-101 (Watling, 23.1 ov), 6-123 (Hopkins, 29.5 ov), 7-123 (Tuffey, 29.6 ov), 8-143 (Mills, 36.6 ov), 9-178 (McCullum, 44.4 ov), 10-192 (Southee, 48.1 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
SL Malinga	10	1	35	3	3.50	(3nb, 4w)
0.2 to Guptill, length delivery that straightens - perhaps cuts away a bit - does the trick. It landed on a length around middle and leg and shaped away a touch. Guptill was looking to work it to the on side and was surprised by the away movement. The ball flew of the leading edge to backward point. Pouched! 100th ODI wicket! Nice little moment 2/1 29.5 to Hopkins, Was it a catch or a bump? They refer to the upstairs. Clean catch! The slow loopy dipping full delivery does the trick. Hopkins lunges forward, gets surprised by not only the lack of pace but how rapidly it dipped on him and ended up slicing it to point. Clean catch. It went straight of the bat. It bounced before it hit the bat but not after 123/6 29.6 to Tuffey, Clatter! Yorked! Full, pacy, straight. Gone! The bat came down late, the ball whooshed under it. Save the foot campaign was on there! It was on the leg stump and Tuffey made sure his foot didn't come in the way! 123/7
KMDN Kulasekara	8.1	1	35	1	4.28	(1w)
48.1 to Southee, He goes for the big hit but drags the slower one to Dilshan at deep square-leg region 192/10
AD Mathews	10	1	36	3	3.60	(1w)
10.1 to Taylor, Dead plumb! That tendency to push that front leg across has done him in. It was a length delivery that moved in towards the middle stump. Taylor, as he often does, pushed the front leg across and then tried to get the bat around the front pad. Too late. Trapped! 47/2 10.3 to Williamson, Two ducks in a row. Oh dear. He can take heart from a Sri Lankan batsman who went on to become the captain - Marvan Atapattu. This one was full and outside off stump and Kane Williamson went for the drive. The shift to the front foot wasn't quick enough, the weight transfer wasn't smooth and he ended up chasing it a bit and edged it to left of first slip where a good lunging catch has been taken. He shakes his head in disappointment as he walks away. 47/3 23.1 to Watling, And he is gone now. Jinx and stuff, if you are one of those who believe in them. It was the surprise bouncer from Angelo and Watling tried to pull it from outside off stump. But he could only top edge it straight up and Sanga moved to his left to take a dolly. Fine knock but it's over now. 101/5
BAW Mendis	10	0	42	1	4.20	(1w)
44.4 to McCullum, Nathan falls after a responsible hand. He went down on his knee and ended up slicing it high towards mid-off. 178/9
HMRKB Herath	10	0	35	2	3.50
22.3 to Styris, Important strike by Rangana. Nicely flighted loopy delivery that turns away from the off stump and Styris edges the intended cover drive. Yet another catch by Mahela at first slip. Herath is delighted. 99/4 36.6 to Mills, flighted delivery lands on the middle and leg and turns. Mills went for the big hit to the on side and got the leading edge and the long-off fielder ran in to pouch a simple catch. 143/8


Sri Lanka innings (target: 193 runs from 50 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
WU Tharanga	c Watling b Mills	70	162	109	9	0	64.22
36.1 Caught at deep cover. It was the slower one, fullish outside off, and he ended up chipping it to Watling in the deep. Fine knock, though. He has done his job. 162/4
TM Dilshan	c & b Mills	5	11	9	1	0	55.55
2.1 wicket! Mills has taken the swirling, curling, missile on its return to the earth! That was a length ball on Dilshan's middle and leg, he was a little early on the flick and he ended up getting the most healthy of top-edges.. that took off, it crossed the stratosphere.. it broke into free space, and then lost its momentum and decided to return to our planet.. Mills on his follow through waited.. and waited.. A few more fielders converged, but Mills was the chosen one.. and he pouched it, tumbling away on the pitch. Big wicket! 11/1
KC Sangakkara*†	c Guptill b Styris	48	82	62	5	0	77.41
19.6 Guptill takes a stunner at short extra cover. Absolute P E A C H. He flew. It was driven low and well to the right of him and he flew with his right hand stretched out. A you tube moment! 96/2
DPMD Jayawardene	c Taylor b McCullum	5	23	11	0	0	45.45
26.5 Ah! So simple. So soft. It was flighted outside off stump and Mahela chipped it straight to short extra cover! 119/3
TT Samaraweera	not out	36	76	38	4	0	94.73

AD Mathews	c Taylor b Mills	0	6	1	0	0	0.00
36.4 Caught or did it bounce just before Ross Taylor took it? Taylor is claiming it. Clean catch, too. The umpires have gone upstairs. It was flicked uppishly to right of short midwicket and Taylor dives to take it. Looks Dettol clean to me. Angelo has to go. Out for a duck. 164/5
KMDN Kulasekara	c †Hopkins b Southee	7	7	3	0	1	233.33
37.5 High bouncer outside off stump and Kula top edges the pull shot to Hopkins. He tried to fetch it from outside off but was thwarted by the extra bounce. Six down. Now then .. now then..! 177/6
HMRKB Herath	c Taylor b Mills	2	5	3	0	0	66.66
38.3 Hello! Hello! What is happening out there? They took the Batting Powerplay to go for the Bonus point but have lost wickets in a heap here. Herath tries to flick the off cutter to the on side but gets a leading edge and Taylor holds on to a dolly at short cover 180/7
CK Kapugedera	not out	9	12	9	1	0	100.00

Extras	(b 4, lb 1, w 8)	13

Total	(7 wickets; 40.5 overs; 192 mins)	195	(4.77 runs per over)

Did not bat BAW Mendis, SL Malinga

Fall of wickets1-11 (Dilshan, 2.1 ov), 2-96 (Sangakkara, 19.6 ov), 3-119 (Jayawardene, 26.5 ov), 4-162 (Tharanga, 36.1 ov), 5-164 (Mathews, 36.4 ov), 6-177 (Kulasekara, 37.5 ov), 7-180 (Herath, 38.3 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
KD Mills	9.5	1	41	4	4.16	(2w)
2.1 to Dilshan, wicket! Mills has taken the swirling, curling, missile on its return to the earth! That was a length ball on Dilshan's middle and leg, he was a little early on the flick and he ended up getting the most healthy of top-edges.. that took off, it crossed the stratosphere.. it broke into free space, and then lost its momentum and decided to return to our planet.. Mills on his follow through waited.. and waited.. A few more fielders converged, but Mills was the chosen one.. and he pouched it, tumbling away on the pitch. Big wicket! 11/1 36.1 to Tharanga, Caught at deep cover. It was the slower one, fullish outside off, and he ended up chipping it to Watling in the deep. Fine knock, though. He has done his job. 162/4 36.4 to Mathews, Caught or did it bounce just before Ross Taylor took it? Taylor is claiming it. Clean catch, too. The umpires have gone upstairs. It was flicked uppishly to right of short midwicket and Taylor dives to take it. Looks Dettol clean to me. Angelo has to go. Out for a duck. 164/5 38.3 to Herath, Hello! Hello! What is happening out there? They took the Batting Powerplay to go for the Bonus point but have lost wickets in a heap here. Herath tries to flick the off cutter to the on side but gets a leading edge and Taylor holds on to a dolly at short cover 180/7
DR Tuffey	5	0	31	0	6.20	(1w)

TG Southee	6	0	41	1	6.83	(3w)
37.5 to Kulasekara, High bouncer outside off stump and Kula top edges the pull shot to Hopkins. He tried to fetch it from outside off but was thwarted by the extra bounce. Six down. Now then .. now then..! 177/6
AJ McKay	4	0	26	0	6.50

NL McCullum	7	0	23	1	3.28
26.5 to Jayawardene, Ah! So simple. So soft. It was flighted outside off stump and Mahela chipped it straight to short extra cover! 119/3
KS Williamson	1	0	6	0	6.00	(2w)

SB Styris	8	0	22	1	2.75
19.6 to Sangakkara, Guptill takes a stunner at short extra cover. Absolute P E A C H. He flew. It was driven low and well to the right of him and he flew with his right hand stretched out. A you tube moment! 96/2

Match details

Toss New Zealand, who chose to bat
Points Sri Lanka 4, New Zealand 0

ODI debut BJ Watling (New Zealand)
Player of the match WU Tharanga (Sri Lanka)

Umpires HDPK Dharmasena and SJA Taufel (Australia)
TV umpire TH Wijewardene
Match referee AG Hurst (Australia)
Reserve umpire RMPJ Rambukwella

Match notes

New Zealand innings
Power Play 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0
New Zealand: 50 runs in 11.6 overs (75 balls), Extras 4
Drinks: New Zealand - 63/3 in 15.0 overs (BJ Watling 36, SB Styris 7)
BJ Watling: 50 off 61 balls (8 x 4)
4th Wicket: 50 runs in 71 balls (BJ Watling 25, SB Styris 23, Ex 2)
New Zealand: 100 runs in 22.4 overs (140 balls), Extras 5
Drinks: New Zealand - 123/7 in 30.0 overs (NL McCullum 10)
New Zealand: 150 runs in 38.2 overs (239 balls), Extras 11
Power Play 3: Overs 44.1 - 49.0
Innings Break: New Zealand - 192/10 in 48.1 overs (AJ McKay 4)

Sri Lanka innings
Power Play 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0
Sri Lanka: 50 runs in 11.6 overs (74 balls), Extras 2
2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 70 balls (WU Tharanga 20, KC Sangakkara 28, Ex 2)
Drinks: Sri Lanka - 74/1 in 15.0 overs (WU Tharanga 31, KC Sangakkara 35)
Sri Lanka: 100 runs in 20.2 overs (127 balls), Extras 9
WU Tharanga: 50 off 76 balls (8 x 4)
Drinks: Sri Lanka - 133/3 in 31.2 overs (WU Tharanga 61, TT Samaraweera 5)
Power Play 3: Overs 34.1 - 39.0
Sri Lanka: 150 runs in 34.4 overs (213 balls), Extras 10

NZ V/S INDIA SCORE FULL CARD

2010-08-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

New Zealand 288 (48.5 ov)

India 88 (29.3 ov)

New Zealand won by 200 runs

Sri Lanka Triangular Series - 1st match
ODI no. 3030 | 2010 season
Played at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium (neutral venue)
10 August 2010 - day/night (50-over match)


New Zealand innings (50 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
PJ Ingram	c †Dhoni b Nehra	12	23	17	2	0	70.58
5.2 135.3 kph, Nehra gets some leather on wood this time. It was in the corridor, seaming away ever so late and Ingram was looking to defend but it got the outside edge. India on the attack here. Both bowlers fresh as they didn't play the Test series and doing the job here. 27/2
MJ Guptill	c †Dhoni b Kumar	11	9	6	2	0	183.33
2.3 129.8 kph, PK has been getting some movement - both in and out - and strikes with this delivery. It moves away late from the off stump line and the batsman gets the edge on the defensive prod. He was looking to come forward to defend and tried to cover for the movement but it shaped away to catch the edge. Simple catch through to Dhoni. 15/1
LRPL Taylor*	lbw b Nehra	95	173	113	8	1	84.07
42.2 131.5 kph, Out five short of 100. He played a fab knock but he is gone now. It was the full-length delivery that straightened on the middle-stump line and he tried to work it across the line and missed it completely. Trapped! He has done the hard work and has put NZ in a strong position. Can the lower order push them on ahead? 241/6
KS Williamson	b Kumar	0	7	9	0	0	0.00
6.5 128.5 kph, Out for a duck! What a ball, though. P E A C H. It curved in the air, landed on the middle stump line and you could sense why Williamson was shaping to play it towards say mid-on. But the ball moved away at the last instant, opened him up completely, and pegged back the off stump. Clatter! Things are bound to get better from here on Williamson. You can't get such a good delivery every time you walk out to bat. He doesn't look back at the destruction. He has a look at where it landed, his mouth frozen into an bewildered expression of 'oooh' and he walks away. 28/3
SB Styris	b Ojha	89	132	95	9	1	93.68
38.3 86.9 kph, Ojha takes him out! He had problem with Jadeja in the last over, playing across the line. And he does it again now. It was a loopy delivery on the middle and off stump line, Styris lunged forward and ended up playing all around it. He isn't happy as he walks off but what a fine knock this was. Oram walks in 218/4
JDP Oram	lbw b Nehra	14	11	10	2	0	140.00
40.5 129.1 kph, Trapped! That bouncer is followed by a skidding short-of-length delivery on the middle-stump line. Oram wafted across the line, bat going across in an angle, and missed. Gone! 236/5
GD Elliott	st †Dhoni b Yuvraj Singh	7	20	13	0	0	53.84
44.4 82.2 kph, Stumped! It drifted in from round the stumps and turned away. Elliott lunged forward to drive on the up and missed. Dhoni does the rest. NZ threatening to waste the end overs. India attempt to claw their way back 254/7
GJ Hopkins†	c Karthik b Kumar	10	23	11	0	0	90.90
47.1 128.7 kph, banged in short and Hopkins goes for the big shot, attempts the pull shot but holes out at deep square-leg region 277/8
DR Tuffey	c Ojha b Nehra	19	18	13	2	1	146.15
48.4 131.9 kph, Tuffey holes out at long-on. He cleared the front foot and drilled it high but couldn't clear the fielder at the boundary. Nice little cameo from him though to push NZ towards 300. Can they reach there? 288/9
KD Mills	run out (Raina)	9	9	5	2	0	180.00
48.5 Nehra to McKay, They won't. Raina with the direct hit. It was pushed towards short extra cover. Mills charged across. His partner had frozen long time back. Raina picked the ball, Mills turned back and Raina fired. Gone! Fine performance from NZ to survive the pressure exerted by the early wickets and reach this far. 288/10
AJ McKay	not out	0	2	1	0	0	0.00

Extras	(b 1, lb 12, w 9)	22

Total	(all out; 48.5 overs; 214 mins)	288	(5.89 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-15 (Guptill, 2.3 ov), 2-27 (Ingram, 5.2 ov), 3-28 (Williamson, 6.5 ov), 4-218 (Styris, 38.3 ov), 5-236 (Oram, 40.5 ov), 6-241 (Taylor, 42.2 ov), 7-254 (Elliott, 44.4 ov), 8-277 (Hopkins, 47.1 ov), 9-288 (Tuffey, 48.4 ov), 10-288 (Mills, 48.5 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
P Kumar	9	3	43	3	4.77	(1w)
2.3 to Guptill, 129.8 kph, PK has been getting some movement - both in and out - and strikes with this delivery. It moves away late from the off stump line and the batsman gets the edge on the defensive prod. He was looking to come forward to defend and tried to cover for the movement but it shaped away to catch the edge. Simple catch through to Dhoni. 15/1 6.5 to Williamson, 128.5 kph, Out for a duck! What a ball, though. P E A C H. It curved in the air, landed on the middle stump line and you could sense why Williamson was shaping to play it towards say mid-on. But the ball moved away at the last instant, opened him up completely, and pegged back the off stump. Clatter! Things are bound to get better from here on Williamson. You can't get such a good delivery every time you walk out to bat. He doesn't look back at the destruction. He has a look at where it landed, his mouth frozen into an bewildered expression of 'oooh' and he walks away. 28/3 47.1 to Hopkins, 128.7 kph, banged in short and Hopkins goes for the big shot, attempts the pull shot but holes out at deep square-leg region 277/8
A Nehra	9.5	1	47	4	4.77	(3w)
5.2 to Ingram, 135.3 kph, Nehra gets some leather on wood this time. It was in the corridor, seaming away ever so late and Ingram was looking to defend but it got the outside edge. India on the attack here. Both bowlers fresh as they didn't play the Test series and doing the job here. 27/2 40.5 to Oram, 129.1 kph, Trapped! That bouncer is followed by a skidding short-of-length delivery on the middle-stump line. Oram wafted across the line, bat going across in an angle, and missed. Gone! 236/5 42.2 to Taylor, 131.5 kph, Out five short of 100. He played a fab knock but he is gone now. It was the full-length delivery that straightened on the middle-stump line and he tried to work it across the line and missed it completely. Trapped! He has done the hard work and has put NZ in a strong position. Can the lower order push them on ahead? 241/6 48.4 to Tuffey, 131.9 kph, Tuffey holes out at long-on. He cleared the front foot and drilled it high but couldn't clear the fielder at the boundary. Nice little cameo from him though to push NZ towards 300. Can they reach there? 288/9
A Mithun	4	0	24	0	6.00	(3w)

PP Ojha	10	0	58	1	5.80	(1w)
38.3 to Styris, 86.9 kph, Ojha takes him out! He had problem with Jadeja in the last over, playing across the line. And he does it again now. It was a loopy delivery on the middle and off stump line, Styris lunged forward and ended up playing all around it. He isn't happy as he walks off but what a fine knock this was. Oram walks in 218/4
RA Jadeja	9	0	63	0	7.00

Yuvraj Singh	4	0	23	1	5.75
44.4 to Elliott, 82.2 kph, Stumped! It drifted in from round the stumps and turned away. Elliott lunged forward to drive on the up and missed. Dhoni does the rest. NZ threatening to waste the end overs. India attempt to claw their way back 254/7
V Sehwag	3	0	17	0	5.66	(1w)


India innings (target: 289 runs from 50 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
KD Karthik	lbw b Tuffey	14	33	20	2	0	70.00
7.1 127.9 kph, Two in Two! Dinesh Karthik goes this time, it was an in-ducker from outside off and Karthik played down the wrong line as he played the forward defensive. He missed the ball and was struck flush on the pads in front of off. It looked plumb despite the fact that he was standing out of the crease. Replays suggest it would have carried over the stumps, with the bounce but well... 39/2
V Sehwag	c †Hopkins b Mills	19	31	23	3	0	82.60
6.6 132.6 kph, got him! Sehwag has never liked the short ball aimed at the body and Mills did well to persist with that line of attack. Sehwag was in trouble once earlier looking to pull, this time he gets some glove on it as it goes down the leg and it is through to the keeper for an easy take. Sehwag is gone. 39/1
RG Sharma	c Taylor b Tuffey	4	13	11	0	0	36.36
9.2 126.4 kph, Thanks for coming! It was all so simple; something that you see usually in the catching practice in the morning before the game. This delivery kicked up from short of length outside off stump and Rohit opened the bat-face and guided it straight to first slip. Simple. Tuffey smiles. 44/3
Yuvraj Singh	c Taylor b McKay	5	50	25	1	0	20.00
16.5 138.4 kph, And ladies and gentlemen, we have another man swallowed in that slip cordon. Very simple again. Fullish and outside off stump, Yuvraj has a waft and Taylor takes a catch. Too simple, some might say. Anyway that's that. India tottering at 62 for 6 62/6
SK Raina	c Styris b Tuffey	6	11	6	1	0	100.00
11.2 127.0 kph, Oh well! Edged straight to second slip. It was a short-of-length delivery outside off stump and Raina stabbed at it, bat away from the body, and it goes straight to the slip cordon. The ball cut away from him and he ended up chasing it. 50/4
MS Dhoni*†	run out (Tuffey)	2	14	9	0	0	22.22
13.5 from Tuffey, Dhoni is run out and he walks. His scratchy innings comes to an end. This one was jabbed close to the off side and he wants a single. His partner doesn't. Yuvraj took couple of steps down the track and froze. And Dhoni tries to turn back. Too late. Tuffey had already screamed past him, swooped on the ball and flicked a direct hit. Gone! 53/5
RA Jadeja	c Styris b Williamson	20	60	44	2	0	45.45
28.2 And another slip catch. Loverly! It was floated well outside off stump and Jadeja chased it for a big drive. Styris takes the catch. Where is Taylor I say? Williamson was out for a duck but picks up a wicket now. Life can't be that bad eh? 84/9
P Kumar	c Taylor b Oram	1	12	8	0	0	12.50
19.1 128.2 kph, Awww. That slip catch again. Well... the top order didn't last. Why would the lower-order batsmen? It was the short of length delivery that kicked up outside off and PK steers it straight to slip cordon. 67/7
A Mithun	c Taylor b Oram	4	25	16	0	0	25.00
25.6 127.6 kph, Yep. You guessed it right. Another slip catch. Fullish and outside off stump and Mithun edges his drive. Just two more now. How quickly can NZ wrap this up? 82/8
A Nehra	c Oram b Mills	4	13	11	1	0	36.36
29.3 And it's all over. Full and outside off and Nehra drives it straight to mid-off. NZ win by 200 runs. Magnificent thumping win! A rout! 88/10
PP Ojha	not out	0	5	4	0	0	0.00

Extras	(w 9)	9

Total	(all out; 29.3 overs; 130 mins)	88	(2.98 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-39 (Sehwag, 6.6 ov), 2-39 (Karthik, 7.1 ov), 3-44 (Sharma, 9.2 ov), 4-50 (Raina, 11.2 ov), 5-53 (Dhoni, 13.5 ov), 6-62 (Yuvraj Singh, 16.5 ov), 7-67 (Kumar, 19.1 ov), 8-82 (Mithun, 25.6 ov), 9-84 (Jadeja, 28.2 ov), 10-88 (Nehra, 29.3 ov)


Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
KD Mills	6.3	2	26	2	4.00	(1w)
6.6 to Sehwag, 132.6 kph, got him! Sehwag has never liked the short ball aimed at the body and Mills did well to persist with that line of attack. Sehwag was in trouble once earlier looking to pull, this time he gets some glove on it as it goes down the leg and it is through to the keeper for an easy take. Sehwag is gone. 39/1 29.3 to Nehra, And it's all over. Full and outside off and Nehra drives it straight to mid-off. NZ win by 200 runs. Magnificent thumping win! A rout! 88/10
DR Tuffey	8	1	34	3	4.25	(1w)
7.1 to Karthik, 127.9 kph, Two in Two! Dinesh Karthik goes this time, it was an in-ducker from outside off and Karthik played down the wrong line as he played the forward defensive. He missed the ball and was struck flush on the pads in front of off. It looked plumb despite the fact that he was standing out of the crease. Replays suggest it would have carried over the stumps, with the bounce but well... 39/2 9.2 to Sharma, 126.4 kph, Thanks for coming! It was all so simple; something that you see usually in the catching practice in the morning before the game. This delivery kicked up from short of length outside off stump and Rohit opened the bat-face and guided it straight to first slip. Simple. Tuffey smiles. 44/3 11.2 to Raina, 127.0 kph, Oh well! Edged straight to second slip. It was a short-of-length delivery outside off stump and Raina stabbed at it, bat away from the body, and it goes straight to the slip cordon. The ball cut away from him and he ended up chasing it. 50/4
AJ McKay	6	0	11	1	1.83	(2w)
16.5 to Yuvraj Singh, 138.4 kph, And ladies and gentlemen, we have another man swallowed in that slip cordon. Very simple again. Fullish and outside off stump, Yuvraj has a waft and Taylor takes a catch. Too simple, some might say. Anyway that's that. India tottering at 62 for 6 62/6
JDP Oram	6	0	15	2	2.50	(1w)
19.1 to Kumar, 128.2 kph, Awww. That slip catch again. Well... the top order didn't last. Why would the lower-order batsmen? It was the short of length delivery that kicked up outside off and PK steers it straight to slip cordon. 67/7 25.6 to Mithun, 127.6 kph, Yep. You guessed it right. Another slip catch. Fullish and outside off stump and Mithun edges his drive. Just two more now. How quickly can NZ wrap this up? 82/8
KS Williamson	3	1	2	1	0.66
28.2 to Jadeja, And another slip catch. Loverly! It was floated well outside off stump and Jadeja chased it for a big drive. Styris takes the catch. Where is Taylor I say? Williamson was out for a duck but picks up a wicket now. Life can't be that bad eh? 84/9

Match details

Toss New Zealand, who chose to bat
Points New Zealand 5, India 0

ODI debut KS Williamson (New Zealand)
Player of the match LRPL Taylor (New Zealand)

Umpires R Martinesz and SJA Taufel (Australia)
TV umpire HDPK Dharmasena
Match referee AG Hurst (Australia)
Reserve umpire SH Sarathkumara

NZ humiliate India by 200 runs

2010-08-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

Daryl Tuffey took three of the five wickets to fall as the Indians got off to a horror start

chasing 289 for victory in the first one day international of the tri-series competition in Dambulla on Tuesday.

Earlier Ross Taylor smashed a robust 95 and Scott Styris cracked 89 under pressure as the Kiwis posted a challenging total of 288.

New Zealand were struggling at 28-3 after winning the toss in the day-night match before skipper Taylor and all-rounder Styris propped up the innings with a record 190-run stand for the fourth wicket.

The partnership was New Zealand's best for the fourth wicket in one-day internationals, the previous highest being 168 between Lee Germon and Chris Harris against Australia in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final at Chennai.

Taylor looked set to complete his fourth one-day hundred when he was trapped leg-before by left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, who was the most successful bowler with 4-47. TheNew Zealand captain hit one six and eight fours in his 113-ball knock.

India paceman Praveen Kumar did the early damage when he had opener Martin Guptill caught behind for 11 and then bowled debutant Kane Williamson for no score in his lively opening spell.

Nehra was the other wicket-taker in the initial overs, having opener Peter Ingram caught behind for 12. India then had to wait for more than 31 overs to get another wicket as Taylor and Styris applied themselves remarkably well on a slow pitch to boost the innings.

Styris was bowled by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha immediately after hoisting the bowler for a straight six. He also completed 4,000 one-day runs during his 95-ball knock.

Sri Lanka are the third team in the tournament. Each side will play the other twice in the preliminary league before the top two qualify for the final on August 28.

Modi submits IPL documents to ED

2010-08-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Lalit Modi's attorney on Tuesday submitted documents relating to the cash-rich T20 league before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here.

Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi submitted three cartons of documents regarding all IPL contracts, agreements and some personal details.

"I met one assistant director of the Enforcement Directorate and as requested by them submitted all documents pertaining to IPL," Abdi said outside the agency office here.

ED had in April this year registered a case against IPL under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to enquire into unauthorised transfer of funds from abroad.

The case was registered after the investigating agency received preliminary information that funds from abroad might have come in without the mandatory RBI permission.

Modi's alleged misdeeds are also being probed by the BCCI's three-member disciplinary panel which has conducted three hearings on the matter without his presence.

The panel comprises Chirayu Amin, IPL's interim Chairman, Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Flintoff's absence not great news for CSK

2010-08-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

There is no question about the fact that the absence of Andrew Flintoff will hurt Chennai Super King's chances of repeating their IPL success when they compete at this year's Champions League in South Africa.

Freddie has had two operations in the last twelve months and will be out of action for the entire 2010 season.

Although Flintoff missed this year's IPL action his presence would have been priceless for CSK's campaign since he was a part of their squad that competed in IPL 2 in South Africa.

Flintoff is one player who is equally effective in all three forms of the game. He is deadly with the ball, powerful with the bat and dynamic in the field.

He has the ability to turn a Test match on its head within a span of minutes so the Twenty 20 format would have suited him perfectly as the entire contest is over in just over three hours.

Freddie who has had reasonable success in South Africa would have been an important cog in the CSK wheel. His teammates especially from the sub continent might struggle to cope with the pace and bounce of the pitches prepared for theChampions League. He would have been more than handy with the ball since he has the ability to swing it both ways.

Playing in his last Test series in England's Ashes winning campaign in 2009, Flintoff affected a brilliant run out of Ricky Ponting when Australia were going great guns in chasing down a winning target of 546.

Flintoff has been out of action since then and will be sorely missed this year not only by Super Kings but also by the English team who might have to do without his services in the one day series in Australia early next year.

England win by nine wickets, lead series 2-0

2010-08-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

England beat Pakistan by nine wickets in the second Test at Edgbaston on Monday, overhauling a target of 118 with a minimum of fuss in the afternoon session of the fourth day.

Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott were both unbeaten on 53 as England finished on 118-1 after 36.3 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

Mohammad Aamer (1-31) was the only Pakistan bowler to take a wicket, bowling the struggling Alastair Cook for four early in the England chase to briefly ignite Pakistan's hopes.

Earlier, Pakistan was bowled out for 296 after it began the day on 291-9.

The tourists mounted a dramatic comeback on Sunday when they recovered from 82-5, inspired by 88 from Zulqarnain Haider and 50 from Saeed Ajmal.

Pakistan's last five batsmen contributed 214 runs, but the overnight pair of Mohammad Asif (14) and Umar Gul (13 not out) added just five during Monday's morning session.

The innings ended after the 11th ball of the day, when Asif was caught at gully by Kevin Pietersen off Stuart Broad, who finished with figures of 2-66.

Graeme Swann was England's leading bowler, with Test-best figures of 6-65.

There was an electrifying start to England's chase, when Aamer ripped out Cook's stumps with the 16th ball of the innings.

Pakistan's bowlers repeatedly passed the edge and in the eighth over, Strauss nicked a ball from spinner Ajmal behind, but Haider spilled a difficult chance.

However, Strauss and Trott gradually played themselves in, reaching 71-1 at lunch.

Strauss had another escape in the second over of the afternoon session, the 25th, when Ajmal again found his edge, only for the ball to fly off the tip of Haider's glove.

Pakistan's final chance vanished in the 32nd over, when Strauss charged down the wicket to Shoaib Malik, but his miscued slog just eluded Asif at mid-off.

Strauss reached his 50 from 108 balls with three off Ajmal in the 35th over, after a misfield.

In the next over, Trott drove Malik through the covers to bring up his 50, off 100 balls, and Strauss hit the winning run five balls later with a single from Ajmal to fine leg.

Strauss glad after hard-earned victory

2010-08-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

England may have beaten Pakistan by nine wickets to win the second Test with more than a day to spare but home captain Andrew Strauss insisted the result didn't tell the story of the match.

Pakistan were bowled out for 72 -- their lowest total against England -- in the first innings as their batsmen once more struggled to cope with the swing generated by the hosts' fast bowlers in, helpful overcast conditions.

But when the skies brightened in their second innings, Pakistam made 296 with debutant wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider scoring 88 and Saeed Ajmal a Test-best 50 as they added 115 for the eighth wicket.

England were left with a potentially tricky 118 for victory. But yet more fallible Pakistan fielding - they dropped three catches to go with the seven they missed first time around - helped England go 2-0 up in this four-match series as both Strauss amd Jonathan Trott finished on 53 not out.

"This was a timely reminder you do have to work hard for a Test match," said Strauss. England off-spinner Graeme Swann was named man-of-the-match after taking a Test-best six wickets for 65 runs in Pakistan's second innings and Strauss said: "He was outstanding on Sunday.

"We were relying on him and he came to the party yet again. With his spinning there are not many better out there." England's first innings 251 saw something of a return to form for batsman Kevin Pietersen who top-scored with 80.

"Batting that second day was very tough, the innings that he played made a massive difference in the context of the game," Strauss said. However, one concern for England emerging out of this match was the form of Strauss's fellow left-handed opener Alastair Cook, who has now gone seven Test innings without getting to 30.

"I know he's a quality player," Strauss said. "I know these first two Test matches the wicket hasn't been great. He's achieved a huge amount in his career and he will continue to do so."

Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who confirmed paceman Umar Gul would miss the remaining two Tests of this series after suffering a hamstring injury here on Sunday, praised the performance of England swing specialist James Anderson.

The swing specialist took four for 20 in Pakistan's first innings and Butt said: "I think the English bowlers bowled really well on the day. I think Anderson is in the form of his life."

Butt also defended Pakistan's decision not to play Mohammad Yousuf after the former captain and experienced batsman, called up after the 354-run first Test defeat at Trent Bridge, only arrived in England the day before this match.

"The last 15 days there has been very heavy rain fall in Lahore and he didn't have a chance to practise," Butt said. "It would have been difficult to put him in and expect a lot from him."

Broad fined for throwing ball at Haider

2010-08-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

England's Stuart Broad has been fined 50 percent of his match fee for throwing the ball at Zulqarnain Haider during the ongoing second Test against Pakistan, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Monday.

Broad petulantly hurled the ball at Test debutant Zulqarnain, then on 22, at the end of the 63rd over on the third day at Edgbaston here on Sunday and hit Pakistan's wicketkeeper, who had not moved from his position, on the shoulder.

The 24-year-old Broad pleaded guilty to a charge brought by the match umpires which relates to "throwing the ball at or near a player, umpire or official in an inappropriate/and or dangerous manner".

Broad's guilty plea meant there was no need for Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle to hold a full hearing after stumps on Sunday.

"The actions of Stuart Broad were unacceptable," Madugalle said in an ICC statement issued Monday.

"I understand the frustrations of a bowler in the heat of the moment but as an international sportsman one needs to control these emotions whatever may be the situation and always respect the opponent.

"Stuart, by pleading guilty, realised his mistake and I'm sure he will not repeat the same again."

Tri-series: Dambulla not an ideal ODI venue

2010-08-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

After a Test series that proved to be a harvesting season for records, India and Sri Lanka have finally settled their duffel bags in the picturesque Dambulla, where the teams have nailed in tents to stay for the duration of the ODI tournament, with New Zealand completing its triangular nature.

The culture-rich Sri Lankan city first welcomed cricket to its shores in the year 2000, after the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium – Sri Lanka's newest – was completed in just 167 days. But since its inception, the venue has been at the heart of controversies, ranging from the lease agreement of the stadium's site to an undue advantage to the side winning the toss.

The toss – as we saw in the Asia Cup in June – had a decisive bearing on the match and the skipper winning it invariably chose to bat first on two counts: the quality of floodlights and the flattering bowling conditions in the evening.

The floodlights at Dambulla have historically come in for some criticism due to their low intensity and the area's high water table and heavy sweating amplify swing for the faster-men in the evening. That leaves no choice for the captains than to bat first after winning the toss and give both their batsmen and bowlers a chance to excel under natural and artificial lights respectively.

In the recently concluded Asia Cup – which had seven matches in all – the skipper winning the toss chose to bat first on six occasions and won on four of those. It was especially tough on Sri Lanka who won every match until the

final, where Sangakkara first lost the toss to Dhoni and then the match.

The unfair advantage that winning the toss brings for a team was laid bare in that match by the Indian pacers who reduced Sri Lanka to 51/5, chasing 268. That, though, takes nothing away from the fact that batsmen and bowlers still have to play the right shots and bowl in the right areas to get the desired results. But such compromising conditions make sighting the ball difficult for every player, including the fielders.

At a time when ODI cricket is looking for a window of an opportunity to rub shoulders with its rival T20, the limited-over format can least afford a situation where 50 per cent of the match is won at the spin of a coin.

Tri-series: India, NZ missing key players

2010-08-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Both India and New Zealand will want to fill in the blanks left by the absence of key players as they get ready to lock horns in the opening game of the tri-series that gets underway in Dambulla on Tuesday.

While the Indians will be without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan, the Kiwis will have to come to terms with the loss of captain Daniel Vettori, wicketkeeper batsman Brendon Mc Cullum and opener Jesse Ryder. The retirement of speedster Shane Bond from international cricket will also leave a gaping hole in the New Zealand pace attack.

While Vettori and McCullum are awaiting the arrival of their respective newborns, Ryder still will have to sit out because of an elbow injury which he followed up with another drunken episode.

Team India are fielding fresh blood for this tournament and will be hoping that unlike the Zimbabwe tour earlier this year, the senior players are not missed this time around.

Abhimanyu Mithun who impressed with both bat and ball in the recently concluded Test series will be hoping to make the transition in the shorter form of the game as well. Chennai Kings off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and hard-hitting batsman Saurabh Tiwary of the Mumbai Indians will want to carry on their good work from the IPL 2010 season and perform creditably in the big arena.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and vice captain Virender Sehwag will have to lead by example and take the responsibility of shepharding the troops. Yuvraj Singh will be looking to prove a point or two and Ishant Sharma will be hoping to make a memorable comeback after being in the wilderness for quite some time now.

While all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will look for a change of fortune, middle order batsman Rohit Sharma will have to come up with the right attitude.

The New Zealanders, who have always relied on collective team effort rather than individual brilliance, can be expected to fight to the finish as always. All-rounders Jacob Oram and Scott Styris, fast medium bowler Kyle Mills and Ross Taylor, who will be captaining the side, will be the players to watch out for.

There is very little to choose between the two teams when it comes to head to head battles in Sri Lanka. Both have won two matches each, the last one going in favour of the Indians at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo about a year ago just before the 2009 Champions Trophy.

Overall in the 50-over format, the Indians hold a slight edge as they have won 40 while the Kiwis have come up trumps on 36 occassions.

However, India have won the four of their last six encounters last year with one match ending without a result. Having said that past records count for very little and both India and New Zealand will want to get off to a winning start when they clash yet again in another one-day international.

Flat pitches made Ind-SL series dull: Akram

2010-08-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels apart from Sachin Tendulkar's tremendous form the just-concluded Test series between India and Sri Lanka turned out to be a rather "dull" affair due to placid tracks.

Akram was especially disappointed with the way the fast bowlers were hammered during the three-match series in the island nation.

"Fast bowlers got murdered and it was not fun at all, believe me. The 1-1 draw is a fair result but it has to be said that apart from two or three brilliant performances, it was a dull series," Akram told 'ESPN-STAR'.

But the former left-arm pacer praised Tendulkar for his performance in the series, during which he also became the most capped Test player in the world.

"Sachin was tremendous in the series. He scored those runs (at third Test) in the hour of need. Also, his double ton in the second game at the SSC, that helped India save the Test, was one of the highlights of the series," Akram said.

"(VVS) Laxman got an amazing hundred under pressure, India were struggling at 62 for four and his contribution went a long way towards the successful Indian chase. Experience is very important in Test cricket and Laxman executed it by staying right there till the end," he added.

Akram was felt a strong batting line-up gave India the decisive edge in the series.

"India have got a very strong batting attack with Rahul Dravid and Sachin coming in at three and four, Laxman comes at five, Suresh Raina at six and Mahendra Singh Dhoni at seven.

So this experienced line-up augers well for them," he said.

Besides, Akram said dashing opener Virender Sehwag once again redefined aggressive batting in the series.

"Sehwag is a phenomenal player. It does not matter whether he is playing Twenty20s or ODIs or Tests, he never changes his game and that's where his strength lies. He has such strong and quick reflexes.. He judges the line and length of the ball to perfection and plays positive attacking strokes," he said.

"He has almost single-handedly changed the approach of an opening batsman. Instead of the conventional thinking that openers have to weather the new-ball storm, Sehwag takes to the attack and forces the bowlers on the backfoot," he added.

2nd Test: Eng on top despite Pak resistance

2010-08-08T08:46:00.002-07:00

Pakistan reached 150-6 at tea on the third day of the second Test, frustrating England's hopes of a quick victory at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Zulqarnain Haider (33) and Mohammad Aamer (14) were undefeated, while Graeme Swann, with figures of 4-23, took the only wicket of the afternoon session after Pakistan resumed on 94-5 after lunch.

Pakistan still needs another 29 to make England bat again.

The tourists began the day on 19-1, needing another 161 runs to avoid an innings defeat but it was a difficult start to the session for England's Stuart Broad, who celebrated as if he'd taken Azhar Ali's wicket in his first over.

Without appealing to the umpire Broad high-fived his teammates, but England didn't ask for a review when Ali was subsequently given not out. Replays showed the ball had clearly missed Ali's bat.

Imran Farhat was dropped by Paul Collingwood at third slip off a ball from James Anderson and then hit on the helmet by a delivery from Broad.

Pakistan resisted for 54 minutes but the breakthrough came when Swann, who hadn't bowled in the first innings, replaced Anderson for the 30th over.

Swann's third ball turned sharply to bowl Farhat for 29 and in his next over the spinner bowled Ali for 19.

Shoaib Malik didn't ask for a review when he was given out for 3, caught behind to Finn off his glove in the 39th over, even though replays proved inconclusive.

In the next over Umar Akmal was lbw to Swann for 20, this time after an unsuccessful review. Haider, who was out first ball in the first innings, was given out lbw to the next ball, but this time the review showed Swann's delivery was missing leg stump.

Umar Amin (14) was out in the third over of the afternoon session, stumped by Matt Prior off Swann after an umpire review.

Swann bowled 11 consecutive maidens and 67 dot balls in a row, but Haider and Aamer showed admirable resistance.

Aamer took 24 balls to get off the mark and was on 1 when Swann found his edge in the 56th over, only for the ball to fly off the tip of Prior's glove before Collingwood dropped his second catch of the innings.

Haider advanced to 18 in the 61st over when he was given not out caught behind to Broad, prompting England to waste its final review.

England's frustration grew and, in the 63rd over, Broad appeared to hurl the ball at Haider, hitting him in the midriff.

That prompted both the umpires to warn England captain Andrew Strauss about Broad's conduct and in the next over a poor throw from Broad cost England the chance of a run out.

Alastair Cook dropped a difficult chance from Aamer off Collingwood in the 71st over and the next ball found Aamer's edge and flew through the slips, leaving Pakistan 29 runs behind at tea.

2nd Test: Eng on top despite Pak resistance

2010-08-08T08:46:00.000-07:00