Huge offer awaits Twenty20 champs - BBC

Huge offer awaits Twenty20 champs

Stanford wants to stage a high-profile game in the Caribbean

New World Twenty20 champions India will be invited to play a match worth £2.47m against a West Indies all-star side.

The best players from next year's Stanford Twenty20 tournament will be chosen for the Stanford Super Team.

India earned the invitation to meet them after beating Pakistan by five runs in Monday's inaugural ICC World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg.

Billionaire Texan Sir Allen Stanford, who lives in Antigua, is behind the project, putting up the $5m prize.

Stanford said: "Since this is the first World Twenty20 and that is the format of our tournament, we felt it was fitting to have the winners play our team next year."

Stanford organised a game between his Super Team and South Africa last year, after the first running of the island tournament, won by Guyana.

But the match, set to take place in November, was cancelled because of a scheduling conflict.

The second running of the Stanford Twenty20 takes place for the second time in January and February and includes 21 islands.

Stanford's Twenty20 project has the backing of the West Indies Cricket Board.

WICB president Julian Hunte said: "I am extremely pleased to be working with the Stanford Twenty20 board in their initiatives to bring West Indies cricket back to its former glories.

"This added international component will go a long way to achieving that goal."

Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is all praises for team India

Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is all praises for team India
27 Sep 2007, 0000 hrs IST,AFSANA AHMED ,TNN

The world saw him out there at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Monday, cheering the Men in Blue, shouting Chak De, India and punching the air in triumph as M S Dhoni’s Demons demolished Pakistan to win the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup. Shah Rukh Khan spoke to CT after the euphoria had sunk in.

His trip wasn’t planned. The BCCI and Sharad Pawar had invited him. It was kind of them, said SRK. I was sitting at home doing nothing because of the Ganpati holiday. The game was just for three hours, I could make it. I would never have been able to go for a day-night One-dayer. My son Aryan wanted to go. And I was glad I could take him for a World Cup final, everything just fell into place, he added, explaining his presence at the stadium.

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif had mentioned earlier that it was SRK’s presence that inspired Dhoni and his men to victory. He was the ‘X’ factor that lent that extra edge to a team that was already riding a wave of confidence with Lady Luck alongside them.

Amused at being described as Team India’s lucky mascot, Shah Rukh Khan said, That’s not true at all. Success isn’t about one person, it’s a collective effort. Let’s not take away from the boys their dues. This success belonged solely and only to Dhoni and his boys. They played superbly. We can only thank them for making us proud.

But did he not think that his role as hockey coach Kabir Khan in Chak De! India had inspired all of India to compete at whatever it was doing more fiercely and proudly? Well, yes, Chak De has enthused India with a new spirit. But Chak De, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai are defining movies of my career.

I am glad to be able to contribute through them. But, in this case, I was another Indian among the spectators cheering the boys with my mind, body, heart and soul. Yeah, I was praying fervently as well, but then so was everyone else, laughed SRK.
His role as the hockey coach has emboldened SRK to offer this tip to the new One-day captain M S Dhoni:

It’s important to instill confidence in the team. A captain has to be in sync with his players. Success is all about team spirit. Treat every player as an adult who has his own mind. Leave them with responsibility and you see magic. You just channelise their energy and help them put things in perspective when they require it. He added, Dhoni scores on all these counts.

The new threat to cricket

The new threat to cricket
---The Nation

Any new product put out on the shelves will always be reviewed with a great deal of circumspection initially. After a period of time it will either become a hit with the public or a flop depending on what it has to offer.

That is how the new format of cricket introduced by the world governing body for the game the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be reviewed. Diversified opinions on the ICC’s new tournament the Twenty20 World Cup which is currently taking place in South Africa have been expressed by virtually all and sundry with critics, past captains, past players and officials all joining the bandwagon.

Whether the new format of instant cricket will come to stay only time will tell, but it is a new innovation of the game and from the way it has been projected to the public in South Africa and to millions of television viewers around the world gives one the impression that it has caught on. It has brought a new dimension to the game of cricket and to the spectators who seem to enjoy not only the action in the middle but also the side attractions like the super models, the music and the fireworks display all of which go to make it a carnival like atmosphere.

Certainly the cricket dished out in the middle is not for the purists who would always prefer the traditional five-day Test which actually tests the skills of a cricketer. For a great many years, in fact for more than a century, Test seemed to be what international cricket was all about. But times changed and the public became bored with too many drawn matches and the sight of seeing batsmen prodding at the crease for hours without scoring a single run led to a fall in attendance at cricket matches. In order to address this alarming trend, limited overs cricket was introduced in the early sixties. It began with the English counties and following its success, the first international match was played between Australia and England in 1971. Four years later the ICC moved in to introduce a World Cup tournament to be held every four years and to this day it has proved to be globally popular.

The advent of limited over internationals gave the cricketing public something new in cricket to lap up. Here was a 100 overs game where a result could be obtained by the end of the day rather than in a Test match where even after five days of play the result could still be a draw.

One-day cricket became popular at a time when everything else in the world was becoming ‘instant’ like for instance instant coffee, instant tea and instant food. It was revolutionised to some extent in the late seventies when a business tycoon Kerry Packer started his rival World Series Cricket where he signed up some of the top cricketers in the world to play in a limited-overs tournament played under lights with coloured clothing, white balls and black sightscreens. By starting the matches in the afternoon and playing till late in the night Packer targeted the working class public giving them an opportunity to come and watch the cricket after work. He also brought a new dimension to television broadcasts by having multiple camera angles, effects microphones to capture sounds from the players on the pitch, and on-screen graphics.

This style of cricket was wholly criticised by the traditionalists and termed ‘pyjama cricket’ because players of different countries were attired in diverse coloured clothing. But this new trend caught on fast and the ICC, which initially objected to Packer and fought a legal battle in the courts, finally accepted the so called ‘pyjama cricket’ when the fifth edition of their World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand in 1992 included all the features introduced by Packer. Today it is commonplace to see a one-day international played in Packer style.

The thrill and close contests one-day international cricket brought withstood the times for over three decades. Signs that one-day cricket was becoming boring and sometimes rather predictable saw the ICC trying out new methods to sustain it for a longer period by introducing power-plays and supersubs. The latter was dispensed off with after a six-month trial period when it became evident that the supersub was of far more benefit to the side that won the toss, unbalancing the game. The powerplays still continue to be in use.

The Twenty20 World Cup from what it has so far produced seems to be popular with the spectators with plenty of excitement and tension squeezed into matches inside three and a half hours. Despite the advent of one-day international cricket the following and popularity of Test cricket never diminished. It will in all probability continue to reign supreme in the future. The question remains whether one-day cricket can ride the storm of Twenty20 cricket.

World Twenty20 results

World Twenty20 results



****************************************
India beat Pakistan in an exciting final
****************************************
September

GROUP STAGE (all start times BST)

Group A: Bangladesh, South Africa, West Indies
Group B: England, Australia, Zimbabwe
Group C: New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Kenya
Group D: India, Pakistan, Scotland

* 11 South Africa v West Indies, Johannesburg
South Africa won by eight wickets


* 12 New Zealand v Kenya, Durban
New Zealand won by nine wickets


* 12 Pakistan v Scotland, Durban
Pakistan beat Scotland by 51 runs


* 12 Australia v Zimbabwe, Cape Town
Zimbabwe won by five wickets



* 13 West Indies v Bangladesh, Johannesburg
Bangladesh won by six wickets


* 13 England v Zimbabwe, Cape Town
England won by 50 runs


* 13 India v Scotland, Durban
Match abandoned, rain

* 14 Sri Lanka v Kenya , Johannesburg
Sri Lanka won by 172 runs


* 14 Australia v England, Cape Town
Australia won by eight wickets


* 14 India v Pakistan, Durban
India win bowl-out 3-0 after tie


* 15 Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Johannesburg
Sri Lanka won by seven wickets


* 15 South Africa v Bangladesh, Cape Town
South Africa won by seven wickets


<<<<<<<<<<<SUPER EIGHTS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

*** How the Super Eights work:

*** Top two teams in each group qualify for Super Eights.
*** Each team plays three games against teams they have not already played. (Teams divided into Group E and Group F)
*** Fixtures are predetermined and have no connection to who finished first and second in the group.
*** No points are carried forward from group stages.
*** As in the group stages, tied matches will be settled by a bowl-out.

Top two teams in Groups E and F qualify for semi-finals.

************************************************************
* 16 New Zealand v India, Johannesburg
New Zealand won by 10 runs


* 16 Australia v Bangladesh, Cape Town
Australia won by nine wickets


* 16 South Africa v England, Cape Town
South Africa won by 19 runs


* 17 Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Johannesburg
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 33 runs


* 18 New Zealand v England, Durban
New Zealand bt England by five runs

* 18 Australia v Pakistan, Johannesburg
Pakistan bt Australia by six wickets


* 18 Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Johannesburg
Sri Lanka bt Bangladesh by 64 runs


* 19 South Africa v New Zealand, Durban
South Africa won by six wickets


* 19 England v India, Durban
India won by 18 runs


* 20 Australia v Sri Lanka, Cape Town
Australia won by 10 wickets


* 20 Bangladesh v Pakistan, Cape Town
Pakistan won by four wickets


* 20 South Africa v India, Durban
India won by 37 runs


<<<<<<<<<<<<<SEMI-FINALS/FINAL>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* 22 1st semi-final: New Zealand v Pakistan, Cape Town
Pakistan won by six wickets


* 22 2nd semi-final: India v Australia, Durban
India won by 15 runs


* 24 Final: Pakistan v India, Johannesburg
India won by five runs

Twenty20 is Over Now, But : Speed reins in hype over Twenty20

Speed reins in hype over Twenty20
By Oliver Brett - BBC


The meteoric success of the first World Twenty20 will not lead to fewer 50-overs-a-side matches, insists the International Cricket Council.

There have been calls to drop the Champions Trophy event following the successful debut of the shorter format and India's eventual victory.

But ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed told BBC Sport: "We are committed to the Champions Trophy in 2008 and 2010.

"We have a problem of fitting Twenty20 into the international calendar."
There will be another ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009.

But Speed claimed 50-over internationals - such as the four-yearly World Cup, the Champions Trophy and most limited-overs series between member nations - would not diminish in importance.

He said: "Everyone is very pleased with the success of the [Twenty20] tournament.

"We thought it would be well received in South Africa, and the reception by the public, the media and the players has exceeded our expectations.

"I don't agree with much of the criticism about the last two World Cups, although some of it is valid.

"But in any event we're very pleased that we've had a very successful event."

The World Cup in the Caribbean earlier in 2007 was criticised for having draconian regulations for spectators and half-empty grounds due to high ticket prices.

At the World Twenty20, tickets were cheap, grounds were full, and the fans were allowed to bring in huge flags - which created a spectacular atmosphere for the final between India and Pakistan.
"There were an amazing number of flags," said Speed.

"We try to learn from previous events; the fans seem to want to bring their flags in, and express their patriotism for their country so it was great to see that."

He acknowledged that the ICC faced a challenge to fit a third format of the game into a calendar already packed with Tests and 50-over internationals.

But he confirmed that the next World Cup would be much shorter, down to five weeks from seven.

In addition, the 2008 Champions Trophy would be completed in just over two weeks.

"We are committed to the Champions Trophy," Speed insisted.

"It will be an eight-team event, with two groups of four - a short, sharp tournament with the best teams playing in Pakistan next year in September. I think that will be a great event.

"It's a terrific problem to have, now we have three forms of the game.

"As cricket administrators we are very committed to Test cricket, the primary form of the game - it's important we preserve and maintain that.

Olympic sport?

"Fifty-over one-day cricket has proved to be very popular - we have just seen in England a seven-match series with sell-outs in every venue.

"So far the policy is that we have limited the number of international Twenty20 matches each team can play - three home matches and four away matches in a year.
"We'll review that but at this stage we are very comfortable with that formula."


Speed did concede that if cricket ever became an Olympic sport, Twenty20 would be the best format.

But his view that the Champions Trophy will continue, albeit in a shortened format, may well still disappoint many observers of the game.

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said on Monday: "I don't see how they can seriously consider running three global tournaments in a four-year cycle.

"Something has to go and hopefully the Champions Trophy will get cut."

But the ICC was roundly applauded for its handling of the World Twenty20.

The Independent's cricket correspondent, Stephen Brenkley, said on Test Match Special: "I would go so far as to say it's world cricket reborn, and most importantly the players have embraced it as well."

Dhoni, Pathan croon after India's sensational win

Dhoni, Pathan croon after India's sensational win


- Daily News








CRICKET: Basking in the glory of their stunning triumph over mighty Australia, Indian cricketers let their hair down and indulged in a long night of celebration that began in the dresssing room and ended with a victory dinner at the team hotel.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's young squad was over the moon after stunning world champions Australia to seek a date with Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup final. Dhoni himself was heard rehearsing for a sing-song session, while the crooner in Irfan Pathan too found himself in demand.

Right after the win, the team shut itself up from public eye to have their own celebration in the privacy of the dressing room. "The boys were singing and dancing with joy.

They cheered each other wildly and hugged every colleague, praising each other's performances on the field. It was quite a sight, a memory to last a lifetime," said India Cricket Manager Lalchand Rajput.

For someone whose voice has been well appreciated by Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan was all charged up for a long session of singing. "This has been an unbelievable performance. Our first round exit in the World Cup left us with some sad memories but now I can afford to enjoy our success," said Pathan who just couldn't stop singing.

"Today I will sing whatever song my colleagues would request me to sing," he said. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni too was in a mood to showcase his passion for singing.

He was humming "...Iske aage ki ab dastan mujh se sun, sun ke teri nazar dab daba jayeegi...", a Kishore Kumar number from Mukaddar Ka Sikandar and was also very keen to sing it for his teammates at the celebratory dinner that started around midnight.

"This is one of my favourite songs and I'm just rehearsing it," said Dhoni, who added he had a hunch of a great day in offing when Pakistan defeated New Zealand earlier in the day to qualify for the finals.

"Pakistan was very impressive against New Zealand. They played brilliantly and when they won, I said to myself, 'maybe the stage is set for an India-Pakistan final'.

"You guys talked about a dream final but I was focused on taking one match at a time. But, somehow, after Pakistan's win over New Zealand, I felt if we could stay calm and confident and concentrate on playing well, we could surprise Australia. And that we ended up doing!"

Rocking Twenty/20 changes rules of the game drastically

Rocking Twenty/20 changes rules of the game drastically
Daily Mirror


Cricket has shed its image as a dull, unattractive and lengthy sport after the spectacular success of the inaugural Twenty20 world championships.

The event, which ended on Monday with India beating Pakistan by five runs in a rousing finale, created such a stir that Twenty20 is now being hailed as a revolution that will change the leisurely sport for ever.

There were more thrills and excitement packed into two weeks of non-stop action than in the entire six weeks of the 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean earlier this year.

Crowds thronged the three venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban as sixes, boundaries and heart-stopping finishes provided a cricketing spectacle unmatched in recent times.

West Indian Chris Gayle slammed the first ever T20 century, Zimbabwe stunned Australia, Bangladesh ousted the West Indies, Aussie Brett Lee took a hat-trick and India's Yuvraj Singh hit six sixes in an over.

There was even a tie between India and Pakistan in the league, India winning the bowl-out not by runs or wickets but with a 3-0 football-type scoreline previously unheard in cricket.

That two of the youngest and most inexperienced teams in the shortest version of the game outwitted the big guns from Australia, South Africa and England to contest the final only added to the drama.

India had played just one Twenty20 international before the tournament, Pakistan only two against major teams, yet the arch-rivals conjured a dream final at the overflowing Wanderers stadium.

The champions celebrated in wild style, the losers went out with their heads held high, knowing there was very little to choose between the traditional rivals.

Many want Twenty20 cricket to replace the 50-overs-a-side internationals as the limited-overs game complementing Test matches, but all three versions have a place -- for now.

Tournament director Steve Elworthy, a former South African Test seamer, said the Twenty20 format will help improve Test and one-day standards.

“The change is going to impact all of cricket,” he said. “If you can go eight an over in 20 overs, in the 50-over game you can go at six at least.

“So 300 in a 50-over game should be a par score.

“The impact on Test cricket is going to be just as profound. Teams will be much more positive and think that if we bowl out the opposition and need 200 in the last hour, it's still on because in 20-over cricket we're scoring 200.”

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed admitted the success of Twenty20 had thrown down a challenge on how to balance the world game.

“Test cricket we value greatly, 50-over cricket is the financial driver of the game and now we have Twenty20 which has proved immensely popular,” said Speed.

“It's a great problem for us to have, a format of the game that is so popular with fans, players and broadcasters.”

Ali Bacher, the former South African captain and noted cricket administrator, cautioned against playing too much Twenty20 cricket because it could have an adverse impact on youngsters.

“Young cricketers may start thinking that batting is only about hitting sixes and slogging,” said Bacher. “They need to be told that to become quality cricketers, they still need to observe and adhere to the basic rules of the game.”

Ironically, the tournament was won by a country that had shunned the short version fearing it would sideline the lucrative one-day internationals.

Not any more. India will now not only have its own T20 Premier League but also take part in a five-million dollar Champions League involving some other ICC nations.

India have also been invited by American businessman Allen Stanford to take part in a winner-takes-all five-million dollar T20 game against the Rest of the World in Antigua next summer.

ICC World Twenty20 final, - India 157-5 (20 overs) bt Pakistan 152 (19.3 overs) by five runs

ICC World Twenty20 final, Johannesburg:
India 157-5 (20 overs) bt Pakistan 152 (19.3 overs) by five runs

By Paresh Soni


India fought back superbly to become the first World Twenty20 champions




India beat Pakistan in the World Twenty20 final by five runs to clinch their first major trophy since 1983.

They were up against it when Umar Gul (3-28) helped restrict them to 157-5, despite Gautam Gambhir's 75.

But RP Singh struck twice early on and Irfan Pathan took 3-16 as a succession of Pakistanis gave away their wickets.

Misbah-ul-Haq (43) rallied them with three sixes off Harbhajan Singh and another in the final over, but fell to Joginder Sharma to end an amazing game.

It brought a hugely entertaining tournament to a fitting climax, which was always likely - after all, the teams tied their group game.

There was a similar frenzied atmosphere when the latest instalment in their rich rivalry commenced at a packed Wanderers.

Gambhir was a figure of calm assurance, however, after debutant Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa perished with mis-timed heaves during a frenetic opening.

He placed and timed the ball elegantly, particularly through the covers, in bringing up his fifty in 38 balls.

The left-hander put India on course for a formidable total, but Yuvraj Singh - the hero against England and Australia - never got going as Gul exerted control with his clever variations in pace and length.

Gul took a return catch after Yuvraj top-edged a pull and sent skipper Mahendra Dhoni's leg-stump flying as the scoring slowed dramatically between the 14th and 18th overs.


Umar Gul pegged India back during an impressive spell






Gambhir quite literally hurt Gul's figures by smashing the ball into the scoreboard over the mid-wicket fence but Gul had the last word by having him snapped up at short fine-leg to become the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 13.

Rohit Sharma collected successive fours off Yasir Arafat, while Mohammad Hafeez helped a swipe off Sohail Tanvir over the wide long-on boundary to take the score past 150.

But India still had a lot of work to do to clinch their first major silverware since the 1983 World Cup final and deny their neighbours the chance to emulate their 1992 50-over triumph.

Their prospects looked brighter when Hafeez guided RP Singh's fifth ball to Robin Uthappa at slip and Kamran Akmal lost his off-stump to an inswinger from the left-arm paceman.

As long as Imran Nazir stayed at the crease the run rate was never likely to be an issue.

He battered two fours and two sixes off an atrocious first over from the erratic Sree Santh which cost 21 runs.

Younus Khan was nowhere near as convincing, although he managed to get bat on ball to collect successive leg-side fours off Santh to take the team past 50 in the sixth over.

The innings then capitulated from 52-2 to 77-6 as Dhoni's bowling changes took the pace off the ball.

Nazir, who went into the game with a groin problem and was refused a runner, was short of the crease when Uthappa's throw from mid-off hit the stumps.





RP Singh took three wickets as India fought back

Younus holed out to mid-on, while skipper Shoaib Malik and dangerman Shahid Afridi, who went first ball, tossed their wickets away with ambitious heaves off Irfan Pathan.

The seamer cleaned up Yasir Arafat to end a brief revival but Misbah swung off-spinner Harbhajan between cow corner and long-on for three thumping sixes, and Tanvir flicked the returning Santh for two more maximums to provide a massive twist in the tale.

Crucially, Santh knocked out the tail-ender's off-stump and RP Singh cleaned up Gul with his penultimate delivery.

The inexperienced Joginder Sharma was entrusted with the final over and began with a horrible wide and when Misbah battered another six down the ground the game looked up.

But Misbah's gamble of trying to loft the ball over the keeper's head backfired horribly and handed a stunning victory to India.

Sri Lanka has been eliminated from the finals of T-20 !

Unexpected expectation, Sri Lanka has been eliminated



The 1st Twenty20 world cup dream for the Sri Lankan is shattered. That dream never comes true in any case. The runner up for the World Cup was unable goes through
In to the top four countries. Are you going to blame on Jayasuriya ? No, Sanath is not the team. He is in the team. Then, Murali ?We must not mentally ill when Sanath and Murali the both are not there. But, There’s a team. The best eleven players of the country are there. They must play and show the best! The burden mustn’t target only the top players but the whole team.

T-20, Is Sri Lanka ready to play?

Twenty-20 is a new game to the world of cricket. If we say Sri Lanka has lack of experience, for the most of the countries same. With Australia , Sri Lanka lost the 7th wicket before 50 on the score card. That seems lack of knowledge on T-20. There wasn’t a plan to fulfill the dream to reach another round. With Jayasuriya to the duck, other end Upul Tharanga for 4 runs ,created the links for the rest of the team to go out. They haven’t a good plan or they didn’t use the plan. They thought big ones will bring more marks forgetting to be in the ground without giving any more wickets. If any one did that, the result won’t be the same!

England tour!

T-20 is gone. With learning from the past, prepare for the future. England tour will begin from next month. Lot of hard work to do escape from the poor situation now in. In these days England team is not much better as out of the torment so early. Sri Lanka has the chance to get profit from the situation.

If you want to see the England – Sri Lanka matches schedule in October,Or more information regarding cricket or sports,
http://cricketschedule.blogspot.com

Is Australia good enough to be in the TOP of the world.




If we use something unusual to win a game , others tell we are cheaters. So Adam Gilchrist used to have a Golf ball (broken) in his glove, when the last World Cup went on. Is he using it right now again? He has said that ball have given some more power to hit. If it’s real, Some fours come down to 2 or 3 runs. Sixes must be less than six likes four or less than four….
Another thing is some people who head some important positions feel “Open batmen’s of the Australia team are using some drugs, if not so , why anyone else can’t bats like them.”

Then, there are some rumors , Australia isn't good enough to play a genuine game. We can't come to conclusion that is same. Some times excellent people have been blamed by jealous ones, if so, Australia well be get rid of the rumors.

What do you think,
Is Australia team genuine ?

-Author : Priyantha De Silva

Pakistan 141-6 (19 overs) bt Bangladesh 140 (19.4 overs) by four wickets

WORLD TWENTY20 Super Eights, Cape Town:
Pakistan 141-6 (19 overs) bt Bangladesh 140 (19.4 overs) by four wickets

By Paresh Soni

Junaid Siddique impressed as Bangladesh lost to a misfiring Pakistan
Siddique impressed but his team-mates failed to support him
A misfiring Pakistan warmed up for the World Twenty20 semi-finals with a four-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

They bowled the Tigers out for 140 despite never really hitting top gear, as only debutant Zunaid Siddique resisted with 71 off 49 deliveries.

After Imran Nazir retired hurt in the first over, Shahid Afridi blasted 39 before the spinners slowed the scoring.

From 59-0 Pakistan slumped to 119-6 and though Nazir returned to see them home, they will need to improve in the semis.

They slipped into their old complacent habits to give Siddique three lifelines - Misbah-ul-Haq fluffed an easy opportunity at mid-wicket when he was on two, while Nazir and Umar Gul failed to grasp more difficult catches at deep square-leg and long-on when he was on 26 and 44.

After that the 19-year-old left-hander produced some delightful straight and cover drives, and took a real liking for thrashing the ball over the mid-wicket region as he reached his fifty off 35 balls.

But there was little support for him as Aftab Ahmed was stumped off Mohammad Hafeez, captain Mohammad Ashraful was lbw to a quicker one from Afridi and Saqibul Hasan got a leading edge back to Hafeez.

Siddique responded by dispatching Hafeez over mid-wicket for successive sixes but his eventful knock was ended when another big hit off skipper Shoaib Malik was snapped up by Misbah at deep mid-wicket.

Malik also had Nadif Chowdhury caught behind and Mohammad Mahmudullah was run out after Mashrafe Mortaza's drive deflected off him and into the hands of Gul.

Mohammad Asif, who had been lacklustre earlier, returned to bowl Mortaza with another lifeless delivery and burst out into laughter after ending Abdur Razzak's bid for a reckless single by hitting the target.

There more smiles all round when Gul cleaned up Syed Rasel in the final over - it was one of those days.

Nazir did not share in the mirth around the ground when a delivery from Mortaza hit him in the nether regions and he was forced out of the action in the first over of the reply.

The way Afridi set about the bowling, there was the risk of more injury as he blasted the seamers and spinners away with regularity, while Hafeez also took a liking to Rasel as 50 came up inside five overs.

But Hafeez mis-timed Rasel to long-off, Afridi chopped Abdur Razzak behind after belting Rasel over the long-on rope, and left-arm spinner Razzak had Younus Khan stumped off a wide.

The runs dried up as Malik was snapped up at deep square-leg and Misbah was lbw second ball after missing a straight one from Mortaza.

When a casual Salman Butt was run out by Mushfiqur Rahim to make it 119-6, Bangladesh were still in the game.

However, Nazir came back to thrash Mahmadullah over square-leg for six and crash two more boundaries off Mortaza to help seal a far from convincing victory.
******************************************************************************
* Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful:
"Again we were 10-15 runs short but our boys have done a very good job in this tournament.

"We beat the West Indies and played some decent cricket but here and against Sri Lanka we were 20 runs short, we bowled well but didn't bat well.

"Still, I think it's been a very good tournament.
******************************************************************************
* Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik:
"We must give credit to their spinners, they bowled superbly, on the right spots and that's why they took a few wickets.

"In Twenty20 you don't have much time to take decisions - if you have plans you have to stick to them.

"I asked Afridi where he wanted to bat - I don't want to put pressure on any player.

"He said he wanted to open and I said fine, it's good for our team."

WORLD TWENTY20, Johannesburg: Sri Lanka 147-5 (20 overs) beat Bangladesh 83 all out (15.5 overs) by 64 runs

WORLD TWENTY20, Johannesburg:
Sri Lanka 147-5 (20 overs) beat Bangladesh 83 all out (15.5 overs) by 64 runs

Sri Lanka kept alive their hopes of a place in the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals with a 64-run victory over Bangladesh in Johannesburg.

Bangladesh's bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to just 147-5 in their 20 overs.

But their batsmen never looked likely of achieving their target from the moment they lost Mohammed Nazimuddin in the first over.

Man-of-the-match Dilhara Fernando finished with 2-21 as Bangladesh were bowled out for just 83.

Both sides went into the game needing a win and Bangladesh's bowlers were right on the mark from the start after winning the toss and electing to put Sri Lanka in.

Sri Lanka lost Sanath Jayasuriya for a first-ball duck when he was caught on the boundary by Mohammad Mahmudullah without scoring.

Upul Tharanga hit a brisk 23 but was removed during an inspired spell of bowling from left-arm paceman Syed Rasel, when an edge was caught between the legs of wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim.

Rahim twice missed the chance to remove skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who went on to add an unconvincing 30.

Sri Lanka's total was helped by a rapid sixth-wicket partnership of 51 in the last five overs from Jehan Mubarak and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Chaminda Vaas struck an early blow for Sri Lanka when he trapped Nazimuddin lbw for a duck and Fernando then collected the scalps of Tamim Iqbal and Aftab Ahmed.

Vaas claimed his second wicket when Mohammad Ashraful found Dilshan after adding just four.

A combination of economic bowling and good fielding ensured Bangladesh never looked like reaching their target of 148.

Jayasuriya came on to remove Mahmud Ullah and then completed the win by having Abdur Razzak caught by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka's win ensures Pakistan one of the two semi-final berths from the group.

The winner between Australia and Sri Lanka in Cape Town on Thursday will take the other spot.
*******************************************************************************
* Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene on Thursday's crucial tie with Australia:
"It's basically a quarter-final, it's an important game, but it's in our hands as to whether we reach the semi-finals.

"We've had a couple of hard games bit we're looking forward ot Australia.

"Against Bangladesh, Dilhara Fernando and Chaminda Vaas set the tone for us. We had a plan and they produced."

* Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful:
"Our top order batsmen just did not do enough today, from the openers down."

WORLD TWENTY20 Super Eights, Durban: New Zealand 164-9 bt England 159-8 by five runs , ENGLAND OUT !!! Again !

WORLD TWENTY20 Super Eights, Durban:
New Zealand 164-9 bt England 159-8 by five runs

By Sam Lyon




Stuart Broad (right) trudges off as New Zealand celebrate victory


England fell five runs short of New Zealand's total to leave their World Twenty20 bid in tatters in Durban.

Craig McMillan (57) and Scott Styris (42) rebuilt after a fine start from England's opening bowlers, helping New Zealand to 164-9 off their 20 overs.

Darren Maddy, who had taken two wickets and a run out in the field, then struck a 50 to put England on course at 80-1.

However, they crumbled to 159-8 after that, meaning England must beat India and hope other results go their way.

It is an unlikely scenario for Paul Collingwood's side, who must defeat India by a big margin on Wednesday and hope that South Africa are well beaten by India and New Zealand.

And that after England had started so well, James Anderson taking two wickets and Andrew Flintoff, who looked in discomfort on his ankle throughout, and Stuart Broad one apiece as the Black Caps limped to 60-4 off the first 10 overs.

However, McMillan and Styris struck out in the middle overs, sharing eight sixes, and at one point the pair looked like taking the Kiwis to a huge score.

Maddy, recalled at Jeremy Snape's expense, looked to have kept England in it, though, with two wickets and a run out.

It was a vital contribution from the medium-pacer, who removed McMillan and dangerman Jacob Oram in his first over, having run out Styris with a fabulous piece of fielding from long-on.

And it was in stark contrast to fellow medium-pacers Paul Collingwood and Dimitri Mascarenhas, who received some brutal punishment as McMillan and Styris shared eight sixes.





McMillan's brutal knock rescued New Zealand's innings



After 10 overs of their reply, England looked on course, Vikram Solanki, who had acquitted himself well behind the stumps in the absence of the injured Matt Prior, and Maddy putting on 62 for the first wicket.

Daniel Vettori (2-20) came into the attack to turn things New Zealand's way, though, removing Solanki before Maddy was run out for exactly 50 after turning back on a needless run.

Kevin Pietersen struck a six and two fours as he attempted to lead an England rearguard action.

But he fell to Vettori attempting an ill-advised reverse-sweep and Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff went in quick succession to leave the chase in tatters.

Still the match looked to have turned England's way once again when Owais Shah combined with Luke Wright to put on 42 from 4.3 overs and leave them needing 20 off the last two overs to pull off victory.

But Shane Bond's final over proved decisive, with Shah being run out for 21 and the pace bowler dismissing Mascarenhas for a first-ball duck and Wright for 24 as England fell agonisingly short.
*********************************************************************
* England captain Paul Collingwood:
"We just seem to be teasing ourselves all the time. We're getting so close to knock the runs off and then we lose an important wicket and that partnership we need at a vital time we've just not been able to get.

"Whether that's experience or not I don't know, but it's a game that puts you under immense pressure.

"You have to go in and score from ball one and we just weren't up to it."

* New Zealand man-of-the-match Craig McMillan:
"I think this cricket is made for me. It was a good win. The boys scrapped pretty hard after a couple of tough periods.

"We have got hitting power all the way down and at 30 for four we were struggling but we knew if we got 160 on the board we could defend it."

WORLD TWENTY20, Johannesburg: Pakistan 165-4 (19.1 overs) beat Australia 164-7 (20 overs) by six wickets

WORLD TWENTY20, Johannesburg:
Pakistan 165-4 (19.1 overs) beat Australia 164-7 (20 overs) by six wickets




Misbah-ul-Haq hit the biggest six of the tournament in his 66 not out







A superb stand of 119 between captain Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq helped Pakistan to a six-wicket win over Australia in the Super Eights.

The pair came to the crease with Pakistan struggling at 46-4 in the seventh over after Stuart Clark had taken three top-order wickets.

Malik ended on 52, while Misbah was unbeaten on 66. The win is likely to secure Pakistan a semi-final place.

Earlier, Sohail Tanvir claimed three wickets in Australia's 164-7.

Misbah's innings also included the biggest six of the tournament so far, a tremendous front foot drive off Nathan Bracken which travelled an incredible 111m to usurp home favourite Albie Morkel at the top of the big-hitter's league.

Malik won the toss and elected to field - and his decision immediately paid dividends when Tanvir had Matthew Hayden (1) caught by Younus Khan at mid-wicket in the second over.

Adam Gilchrist (24) played his usual flamboyant innings before slashing an easy catch to Mohammad Hafeez at point in the fourth over.

Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds began to repair the early damage, although Symonds was dropped on 26 by Hafeez, who shelled a tough caught and bowled chance in the eighth over.

It was Shahid Afridi who made the vital breakthrough, bowling Symonds (29) as he attempted to smash the leg-spinner over long-on in the ninth over.

And Hafeez then took the vital wicket of Ponting (27) two overs later, bowling the Australian captain as he hit across the line.

Hussey and Hodge began to build a dangerous partnership, with Hussey in particular looking dangerous.

But left-hander Hussey (37) succumbed when he drilled Tanvir to Imran Nazir in the deep in the final four overs.

A superb direct hit from Afridi ran out Michael Clarke before Asif claimed the final wicket of the innings when Hodge (36) holed out to Younus in the deep.

Australia got off to the ideal start when Clark ripped through Pakistan's top order, courtesy of undisciplined batting from Imran Nazir (10), Hafeez (15) and Younus (4), all of whom were dismissed playing needlessly expansive strokes.

But thanks to their intelligent partnership, Malik and Misbah guided Pakistan through a rough patch to mount the perfect opportunity to counter-attack, pinpointing the off-spin of Symonds as a weak link.

The pair plundered 17 from the 14th over of the innings, bowled by Symonds, to give them a target of 31 from 30 balls.

And the duo reached the winning runs courtesy of a wide from Symonds with five balls to spare.
*****************************************************************************
* Australia vice-captain Adam Gilchrist:

"I don't think our bowlers let us down, it was with the bat where we let ourselves down today."

* Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik:

"After the 16th over I thought they might make 200 plus, but I must give credit to Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi - the way they were bowling was superb."

Sanath and T-20 Cricket World Cup

Some times win ! Some times lost ! That's the game of our life !Not always on the TOP ! ,


Now it's the second round of World Twenty20 cricket world cup. The game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan is over with breaking the hearts of all Sri Lankan cricket lovers. For the 1st time , Sri Lanka lost in the T20 world cup.Every one want to see Sanath Jayasuriya's batting than anyone else . Is it a good sign ?

Sanath Jayasuriya Factor,

In 4 overs , Sanath has given them more than 64 runs, so he was unable to make runs to the score. The one who had made the winning of last 2 games , was in a big trouble in bawling and batting.He is a top class cricketer in from any kind of games, like Test, One day or T-20 etc.with unbelievable records. Then, anyone don't have the right to blame him in such a tiny fault with comparing his past.jayasuriya , 38 of age with good fitness to the game , must remain till next Worl cup, that comes after next 3 years. Wait and see what will happen in the next games , Will Jayasuriya be able to keep his reputation ( That'll never last anyway) in next Twenty20 matches ?
Only the time tells !

WORLD TWENTY20, Johannesburg: Pakistan 189-6 (20 overs) beat Sri Lanka 156-9 (20 overs) by 33 runs

WORLD TWENTY20, Johannesburg:
Pakistan 189-6 (20 overs) beat Sri Lanka 156-9 (20 overs) by 33 runs


Afridi took three wickets in four superb overs

Shahid Afridi starred with the ball as Pakistan completed a 33-run victory over Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 Super Eight match in Johannesburg.

Afridi (3-18) picked up the wickets of Mahela Jayawardene (28) and Chamara Silva (38), while Mohammad Asif chipped in with two important wickets.

A partnership of 101 between Shoaib Malik (57) and Younus Khan (51) helped Pakistan to finish on 189-6.

Lasith Malinga (3-43) and Dilhara Fernando (2-17) shone for Sri Lanka.

The victory was entirely deserved as Pakistan's talented line-up produced a performance worthy of a place in the last four of this exciting tournament.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene had won the toss and opted to bowl first on a wicket which has seen its share of runs since the very start of the tournament.

The seamers made the ideal start when Chaminda Vaas had Imran Nazir caught at cover off the third over.

Dilhara Fernando then removed Salman Butt (12), who was comprehensively bowled attempting to make room on the leg-side, and a fine yorker took care of Mohammad Hafeez (10) to leave Pakistan struggling at 33-3.

It was left up to captain Malik and man of the match Younus to consolidate Pakistan's innings and build a competitive total to defend.

The captain was the more dominant of the pair, but Younus began to unleash his array of strokes in the 13th over, smashing Jayasuriya for two sixes along with a reverse sweep four.

The pair brought up the 100 partnership from just 53 balls, although Younus's entertaining innings came to an end when he attempted to loft Malinga back over his head, but instead found the safe hands of Tillekeratne Dilshan at long-off.

The dismissal brought the dangerous Afridi to the crease, but it was his captain who continued the onslaught, mowing Gayan Wijekoon over the deep mid-wicket boundary for another fine six.

Malinga eventually removed Malik but big-hitting at the end of the innings from Afridi (17 from nine balls) and Misbah-ul-Haq (16 from six balls) helped Pakistan to a very competitive total.

Sri Lanka made the worst start possible when opener Upul Tharanga top-edged Mohammed Asif to Umar Gul at third man off the second ball of the day.

His opening partner Jayasuriya soon followed when he was cleaned up by Sohail Tanvir in the next over to leave the World Cup finalists struggling at 6-2.

Sangakkara and Jayawardene attempted to rebuild after Sri Lanka's faltering start, but Sangakkara's innings came to an end when he deflected the ball off his arm onto his stumps.

Jayawardene and Chamara Silva began to build a promising partnership, taking advantage of indiscipline from one Asif over to plunder 22, which included two free hits for two no-balls.

But Sri Lanka's hopes of victory faded when captain Jayawardene was caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Mohammad Hafeez off Afridi for 28.

Silva continued to attack but his risky attacking strategy cost him his wicket as he was bowled attempting to smash Afridi across the line for 38.

Mubarak, who had scored an incredible 46 runs from 12 balls against Kenya, could not repeat his heroics and he tamely top-edged Gul to mid-wicket for a simple catch for Afridi at mid-wicket.

With all aspirations of victory gone, Dilshan threw the bat at everything, hitting 38 runs before he was caught on the boundary by Younus off Hafeez.

* Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik:

"When I was walking out to the wicket I was thinking, Let's forget about the three wickets and display positive cricket.

"Sanath Jayasuriya is a superb batsman, if you get him early it's good for any team."

* Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene:

"Losing a couple of early wickets did not help our cause, but Pakistan played good cricket, all credit to them.

"It's not a lost cause for us yet, it's the first game we have lost (in the tournament).

"It's up to us to show character and come back strongly."

ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights, Johannesburg: New Zealand 190 (20 overs) beat India 180-9 (20 overs) by 10 runs

ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights, Johannesburg:
New Zealand 190 (20 overs) beat India 180-9 (20 overs) by 10 runs

By Paul Grunill




Daniel Vettori
Vettori led from the front as the Kiwis claimed a vital win

Daniel Vettori produced a superb spell of spin bowling as New Zealand beat India by 10 runs at the World Twenty20.

Vettori took 4-20 as India squandered a flying start in reply to New Zealand's score of 190 all out in Johannesburg.

Gautam Gambhir (51) and Virender Sehwag (40) put on 76 in 5.5 overs but wickets fell regularly after Sehwag was caught and they came up short on 180-9.

Oram earlier made 35 in a crucial stand of 73 with Craig McMillan for the Kiwis after they slumped from 69-1 to 91-5.

The pair struck seven sixes between them but the innings ended in chaos with four wickets falling in the final over, including three run outs.


606: DEBATE
India came within 10 runs of a largish score - leaves hope for improvement if players click
Soulberry

New Zealand went into the game, the first Super Eight of the tournament, with a side showing one change to that beaten by Sri Lanka less than 24 hours earlier as off-spinner Jeetan Patel replaced Chris Martin.

But he was confined to the dug-out at the start as Mahendra Dhoni won the toss for India and chose to field first.

RP Singh struck in the second over when Lou Vincent mis-timed an attempted pull and was well caught by Dinesh Karthik diving forward at mid-wicket.

But Brendan McCullum played beautifully off front and back foot, collecting nine fours in his 45 off 31 balls as he and Peter Fulton put on 58 for the second wicket.

The introduction of spin checked their progress as Fulton fell lbw for 21, playing across the line to a doosra from Harbhajan Singh, who then had McCullum taken at wide long-on.

New Zealand had lost their way when McMillan and Oram came together in the 13th over, but sheer brute force served them well as they lifted the scoring rate.

Yuvraj Singh conceded 25 from one over as three sixes disappeared into the crowd and Sree Santh suffered the same fate two overs later before Oram finally lofted a catch to long-off.



Virender Sehwag
India were ahead of the game while Sehwag was at the crease

The final over began with Vettori (15) bowled by RP Singh and Shane Bond, McMillan and Patel were all run out in a final over which turned into a procession.

It was still a daunting target for India, but Sehwag set about the task with two fours and a pick-up over long-on for six in Mark Gillespie's opening over, and Gambhir showed little respect for Bond's pedigree by taking 18 off the next.

Patel fared even worse when he was brought on for the fifth over, conceding 20 as Sehwag hit three fours before driving over extra cover for six and it was a huge disappointment for India when the opener hit a Jacob Oram full toss to mid-wicket.

Vettori took a tame return catch and then struck a crucial blow when Gambhir, having struck a six over long-on to bring up his fifty, attempted a sweep later in the over but only succeeded in gloving a catch to the keeper.

Yuvraj only managed five before top-edging a sweep off Patel to deep mid-wicket and India could ill afford the run out of Dhoni for 24 after being sent back by Karthik.

When Pathan was bowled by a beauty from Vettori which hit the top of off stump, India only had the tail-enders left and although Fulton dropped Agarkar in the deep, it did not matter as New Zealand closed out the victory.

# Man of the Match Daniel Vettori:
"We did well to put a score on the board. It was quite tricky early on, but Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram got us to a defendable total.

"After their start I wasn't so sure but we pulled it back in the middle and our fielding and bowling was exceptional."

"It's a difficult game for a spinner, particularly with the small boundaries, so you have to be a little bit quicker and invent things at times, and I was lucky enough to get away with it today."

# India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni:
"We could have restricted them to 15 or 20 runs less and our bowlers didn't do too well at the end. That was the crucial part of the game.

"After the start we got we should have got the runs but in the middle we lost too many wickets.

"In the first match [against Pakistan], the bowlers took the initiative and in this match the batsmen did pretty well, so in the next match I hope we'll do well as a team."

ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights, Cape Town: - Australia 124-1 (13.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 123-8 (20 ovs) by 9 wkts

ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights, Cape Town:
Australia 124-1 (13.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 123-8 (20 ovs) by 9 wkts

By Jamie Lillywhite




Brett Lee celebrates his hat-trick
Bangladesh were unable to attack the pace and variation of Lee

Brett Lee took the first Twenty20 international hat-trick as Australia crushed Bangladesh by nine wickets with 37 balls to spare in the Super Eights.

The Tigers raced to 53-4 in four overs against South Africa but were 18-0 at the same stage here and totalled 123-8.

Lee yorked Mashrafe Mortaza and trapped Alok Kapali for his treble and Nathan Bracken struck twice in two balls.

Adam Gilchrist hit four sixes and Matt Hayden nine fours and three sixes in 73 off 48 balls as the Aussies eased home.

There were some rare moments of Australian profligacy, Mitchell Johnson sending down successive no-balls and Gilchrist fumbling a slower ball to allow byes.


But Bangladesh seemed uncertain how to approach their innings and were too often reluctant to attack with the same bold approach they delighted spectators with against South Africa.

Even the running between the wickets seemed indecisive and lacking conviction.

Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting quickly showed the way with a superb low reflex catch at short cover, parrying Nazim Uddin's fierce drive and collecting the rebound diving forward.

Tamim sliced to cover having struggled to 32 from 40 balls and it was not until the 16th over that Saqibul Hasan swiped the first six.

Having hit seven sixes against the South Africans, that proved to be the only maximum in this innings.

Lee's hat-trick was only the 10th overall in Twenty20 matches across the world.



Matthew Hayden
Hayden was in belligerent mood as usual in Cape Town

There could have been a twist in the tale had Kapali held on to a sharp slip catch to his left in a superb opening over of the Australian reply bowled by Mortaza.

Hayden muscled the first six in only the second over, adding successive fours in the next as the scoreboard began to motor.

It was rather reminiscent of a sixth-former big for his age playing against the first years.

Hayden stormed down the wicket like an angry parent chasing his daughter's boyfriend and bludgeoned the ball to all corners.

Over-confidence proved to be Gilchrist's downfall as he fell just short in pursuit of two, having danced down the wicket and lofted a towering six off the previous ball.
*********************************************************
* Australia captain Ricky Ponting: "We had a few too many extras with the bowling - a few wides and a few no-balls - and we can tighten that up a little bit. But the guys at the top of the order are looking good again so everything's heading the right direction for us.

"The way we've played in the last two games, hopefully we can keep building on that. We've got a couple of bigger games coming up, so we'll get a bit more of a gauge of how we're going."

# Man of the Match Brett Lee: "I've got a couple [of hat-tricks] now, which is nice. But it's one of those games where if you get the ball in the right spot, it can go for six, or you can get a wicket.

"I think the loss to Zimbabwe the other night gave us a kick in the pants and has definitely improved our performances."

* Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful: "Australia bowled well. We didn't play well. Our two openers did a very good job, but we needed more of a score."

ICC World Twenty20 Group A, Cape Town: - South Africa 146-3 (18.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 144 (19.3 ovs) by 7 wkts

ICC World Twenty20 Group A, Cape Town:
South Africa 146-3 (18.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 144 (19.3 ovs) by 7 wkts

By Jamie Lillywhite



Graeme Smith
Smith gave South Africa a solid start to their reply

Hosts South Africa made it two wins out of two in Group A, defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets in Cape Town.

The Tigers made an explosive start, passing 50 in the fourth over, but had already lost three wickets by then.

Aftab Ahmed hit 36 from 14 balls with five fours and two sixes but they were all out for 144 with three balls left.

Graeme Smith struck some fierce shots in 41 and Albie Morkel fired two sixes in his 41, before Justin Kemp sealed victory in the 19th over with a six.

With both sides having already qualified for the next phase, there was technically nothing in the contest but South Africa were no doubt mindful of their defeat by Bangladesh in the World Cup earlier this year.

Makhaya Ntini struck with his first ball, a trifle fortunate to get an lbw with his wide angle of attack, but was then hoisted for two sixes as Aftab Ahmed stepped down the track fearlessly.

Tamim Iqbal, who hit two fours in the opening over, miscued to mid-off but the shots kept coming.

Mohammad Ashraful flicked his first ball for six, turned in his crease to steer the next one over short fine-leg for four but then spliced the third ball to mid-on.

Having struck Morne Morkel's opening delivery for four, Aftab lost his off-stump to the next.





Aftab Ahmed
Aftab gave Bangladesh hope but too many batsmen fell recklessly

JP Duminy, brought in for the rested Herschelle Gibbs, swooped in from mid-off and hit the one stump on view with an underarm throw as South Africa impressed in the field.

He also took an oustanding catch diving backwards in the covers.

Faced with little more than seven an over to chase - a virtual cruise in Twenty20 - left-handers Smith and Duminy were content to ensure wickets remained intact.

Duminy, not the most aesthetic of batsmen, flat-batted the first six of the innings in the ninth over, before trapped next ball attempting another bludgeon to leg.

The burly Albie Morkel swiped a six into the second tier at mid-wicket, measured at 99 metres, two behind Chris Gayle's mighty 101 which currently leads the unratified longest hit competition

Smith offered a technical chance when 37 but bowler Farhad Reza was relieved to emerge with no broken bones, and the captain brought up the 100 next ball with another brutal drive down the ground.

He top-edged to leave a requirement of 37 from 38 balls and though the Tigers showed admirable determination to stay in contention almost until the end, Kemp dashed their hopes with a mighty swing over mid-wicket.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith: "It's two good wins for us, Bangladesh was always going to be a tough one. They came out with nothing to lose and played really aggressively.

"I liked the way we adapted and it was a good run chase, we did what we needed to."

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful: "We were 15-20 runs short but we really worked hard

ICC World Twenty20 Group C, Johannesburg: Sri Lanka 168-3 (18.5 overs) bt New Zealand 164-7 by seven wickets

ICC World Twenty20 Group C, Johannesburg:
Sri Lanka 168-3 (18.5 overs) bt New Zealand 164-7 by seven wickets
By Mark Mitchener

Sanath Jayasuriya
Jayasuriya set about the Kiwi opening attack in typical fashion
Sanath Jayasuriya smashed 61 to steer Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand who had made 164-7 in their World Twenty20 match in Johannesburg.

Jayasuriya tore into the Kiwis, adding 82 with Upul Tharanga (37) and 50 with Mahela Jayawardene (35 not out) before he holed out with the game nearly won.

Ross Taylor had hit 62 for New Zealand and shared fifty stands with Peter Fulton (25) and Jacob Oram (33no).

Both sides have already qualified for the Super Eight phase.

After Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori had won the toss, Dilhara Fernando (2-30) had openers Brendon McCullum and Lou Vincent both caught in the deep, before Fulton and Taylor put on 70 for the third wicket.

When Fulton fell, the Kiwis were 95-3 in the 11th over, but soon lost Scott Styris, who fell lbw reverse-sweeping, and Craig McMillan, who was run out, as three wickets fell for seven runs.

Pace bowler Lasith Malinga - held back until the 13th over - eventually had Taylor caught behind after the right-handed bat had added 51 with Oram, who stayed on to help them post what they hoped would be a defendable total, which included seven sixes.

Ross Taylor
Taylor struck three huge sixes on his way to making 62 for the Kiwis

But Tharanga and Jayasuriya set about new-ball pair Shane Bond and Chris Martin in brutal fashion, clubbing boundaries at will while the fielding restrictions were still in place.

Jayasuriya survived one golden chance on 40 when he hoisted Mark Gillespie to mid-on, and was already walking off when Bond spilled a simple chance.

Vettori's left-arm spin finally made the breakthrough in the eighth over, with Martin showing Bond how to hold an outfield catch, but by then Sri Lanka were already nearly halfway to their target.

Styris had Kumar Sangakkara (14) caught on the midwicket boundary, but Jayawardene survived an early run-out chance to join Jayasuriya in feasting on the Kiwi bowlers.

Although Jayasuriya was eventually caught by Fulton at deep midwicket to give Vettori a second wicket with seven runs still needed after a well-paced innings, Jayawardene and Chamara Silva closed out the victory with seven balls to spare.

As group stage points are not taken through to the Super Eight phase, where the fixtures are predetermined rather than dependant on where teams finish in their group, the match had no statistical bearing on the tournament whatsoever.

But Sri Lanka will be pleased to have scored another psychological blow against the team they beat in the World Cup semi-finals earlier this year.

* Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene:
"Our fielding wasn't quite up to scratch, but we had to make sure we bowled in the right areas.

"Dilhara Fernando and Lasith Malinga bowled well - they've been in the team for the last two years so hopefully they can use their experience now.

"We need to keep playing like this as it can be very difficult in Twenty20."

* New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori:
"We thought we could defend our score if we bowled well, but we bowled poorly.

"Dilhara Fernando bowled a good length for them, but we consistently missed our lengths.

"We also missed a couple of chances in the field which could have cost us the game in the end."

ICC World Twenty20 Group A, Cape Town: South Africa 146-3 (18.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 144 (19.3 ovs) by 7 wkts

ICC World Twenty20 Group A, Cape Town:
South Africa 146-3 (18.5 ovs) bt Bangladesh 144 (19.3 ovs) by 7 wkts

By Jamie Lillywhite

Graeme Smith
Smith gave South Africa a solid start to their reply

Hosts South Africa made it two wins out of two in Group A, defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets in Cape Town.

The Tigers made an explosive start, passing 50 in the fourth over, but had already lost three wickets by then.

Aftab Ahmed hit 36 from 14 balls with five fours and two sixes but they were all out for 144 with three balls left.

Graeme Smith struck some fierce shots in 41 and Albie Morkel fired two sixes in his 41, before Justin Kemp sealed victory in the 19th over with a six.

With both sides having already qualified for the next phase, there was technically nothing in the contest but South Africa were no doubt mindful of their defeat by Bangladesh in the World Cup earlier this year.

Makhaya Ntini struck with his first ball, a trifle fortunate to get an lbw with his wide angle of attack, but was then hoisted for two sixes as Aftab Ahmed stepped down the track fearlessly.

Tamim Iqbal, who hit two fours in the opening over, miscued to mid-off but the shots kept coming.

Mohammad Ashraful flicked his first ball for six, turned in his crease to steer the next one over short fine-leg for four but then spliced the third ball to mid-on.

Having struck Morne Morkel's opening delivery for four, Aftab lost his off-stump to the next.

Aftab Ahmed
Aftab gave Bangladesh hope but too many batsmen fell recklessly


JP Duminy, brought in for the rested Herschelle Gibbs, swooped in from mid-off and hit the one stump on view with an underarm throw as South Africa impressed in the field.

He also took an oustanding catch diving backwards in the covers.

Faced with little more than seven an over to chase - a virtual cruise in Twenty20 - left-handers Smith and Duminy were content to ensure wickets remained intact.

Duminy, not the most aesthetic of batsmen, flat-batted the first six of the innings in the ninth over, before trapped next ball attempting another bludgeon to leg.

The burly Albie Morkel swiped a six into the second tier at mid-wicket, measured at 99 metres, two behind Chris Gayle's mighty 101 which currently leads the unratified longest hit competition

Smith offered a technical chance when 37 but bowler Farhad Reza was relieved to emerge with no broken bones, and the captain brought up the 100 next ball with another brutal drive down the ground.

He top-edged to leave a requirement of 37 from 38 balls and though the Tigers showed admirable determination to stay in contention almost until the end, Kemp dashed their hopes with a mighty swing over mid-wicket.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith: "It's two good wins for us, Bangladesh was always going to be a tough one. They came out with nothing to lose and played really aggressively.

"I liked the way we adapted and it was a good run chase, we did what we needed to."

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful: "We were 15-20 runs short but we really worked hard