Sangakkara Appreciated Middle Batting Order

Sri Lankan captain Kumara Sangakkara has appreciated the performance of middle batting order. He praised the performance and said that it was the temperament of middle order that had saved them in the semi final. Sangakkara said that the pressure of semi final was high but the batsmen respond in the right way.

Sri Lanka’s Malinga ‘likely to face Pakistan’

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said dangerous fast bowler Lasith Malinga was likely to feature in the crucial World Cup clash against Pakistan on Saturday.

The 27-year-old quick, whose slingy action has made him the spearhead of Sri Lanka’s attack, bowled in the nets under close scrutiny from team physio Tommy Simsek.

He missed Sri Lanka’s comprehensive 210-run win against Canada on Sunday because of a back strain and had not bowled until Friday.

“He (Malinga) had just pulled up a bit stiff before the first game. We are just making sure that he is 100 per cent before we start playing him because we have a long World Cup campaign,” Sangakkara said.

“I am sure he is pretty fit for selection for this one and, hopefully, if the physio clears him, we can have him on the park tomorrow.”

But Sangakkara said Sri Lanka were anxious not to rush Malinga back as he “is the most important player for us in a big tournament like this.”

The skipper said Group A opponents Pakistan were a dangerous side.

“I think Pakistan is a great side. They’ve got great balance, they’ve got match-winning cricketers, not just one but quite a lot of them, so any opposition is wary of them and we are not going to take anything lightly or for granted.

“We are just going to go out there, do the best that we can do and hope that’s enough,” said Sangakkara, who played down Sri Lankan’s record of no wins against Pakistan in World Cups.

“I wasn’t really aware of that history so maybe it’s time to change that now and hopefully tomorrow if we can do our basics better than Pakistan, I think we have a pretty good chance,” said Sangakkara.

Pakistan have won all six World Cup matches against Sri Lanka, but the sides have not met in cricket’s showpiece event since the 1992 edition in Australia and New Zealand, which Pakistan won.

Sangakkara said he hoped there would be a sell-out 35,000 crowd to back the home team, co-hosts of the event with India and Bangladesh, despite problems with tickets being sold on the black market.

The skipper said unscrupulous people took advantage of the passion for cricket in Sri Lanka in a bid to make money.

Sri Lanka win T20 against Australia by seven wicket

PERTH: Sri Lanka beat Australia by seven wickets in the one-off Twenty20 international at the WACA Ground here on Sunday.

In reply to the home team’s 8-133 after winning the toss and electing to bat, Sri Lanka cruised to 3-134 in 16.3 overs.

Brief scores:

Australia 8-133, 20 overs (S Randiv 3-25)

Sri Lanka 3-135, 16.3 overs (K Sangakkara 44 no)

Result: Sri Lanka won by seven wickets. AGENCIES

Colombo Test: Lanka declared at 642-4

COLOMBO: Sangakkara scored a classy 219 and Mahela Jayawardene struck 174 as Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 642-4 on day two of the second Test against India on Tuesday.

Original post: 
Colombo Test: Lanka declared at 642-4

Sri Lanka dominate first day in 2nd Test against India

COLOMBO: Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara flayed India”s bowlers for centuries in consecutive matches as Sri Lanka dominated the opening day of the second Test on Monday.

The left-handed duo, who made hundreds in their victorious first Test in Galle, put on 174 for the second wicket to help the hosts pile up 312-2 by stumps at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

Paranavitana, a 28-year-old playing his 12th Test, revelled in the familiar environs of his home club to follow his maiden century at Galle with a fluent 100.

Skipper Sangakkara returned unbeaten on 130, his 23rd Test hundred, after he won the toss and elected to take first strike in typically good batting conditions at the SSC.

Both players reached their centuries in the same over, the 71st of the innings, as Paranavitana took three runs off a Pragyan Ojha misfield and Sangakkara lofted Virender Sehwag for a boundary.

Paranavitana was dimissed in the next over, bowled by seamer Ishant Sharma off the inside edge, but former captain Mahela Jayawardene kept Sangakkara company at stumps on 13.

The easy-paced wicket left India”s bowlers facing an uphill struggle in hot and humid weather after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost his seventh straight toss.

Young seamer Abhimanyu Mithun went for 0-75 in 17 overs and leading spinner Harbhajan Singh gave away 61 runs in 22 wicketless overs.

India, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, suffered twin blows when opener Gautam Gambhir and middle-order batsman Yuvraj were ruled out of the key match.

Gambhir failed to recover from a knee injury, while Yuvraj developed high fever overnight.

The duo were replaced by left-hand batsman Suresh Raina, making his Test debut after playing 98 one-day internationals, and opener Murali Vijay.

Sri Lanka changed the entire frontline bowling attack that won them the first Test by 10 wickets.

With Muttiah Muralitharan now retired and fast bowler Lasith Malinga injured, the hosts replaced them with spinner Ajantha Fernando and Dilhara Fernando.

Also out were left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and seamer Chanaka Welegedara. Their places went to debutant off-spinner Suraj Randiv and fast bowler Dammika Prasad.

Paranavitana and Dilshan gave Sri Lanka a flying start by hammering 99 for the first wicket in 18 overs.

Dilshan smashed 54 off 42 balls before he was caught at short extra-cover by Venkatsai Laxman off left-arm spinner Ojha to provide India their only success of the morning session.

Dilshan hit Sharma for four consecutive boundaries and then took three in one over from Mithun.

When Paranavitana lofted Harbhajan for a six over mid-wicket, he brought up both the century partnership with Sangakkara and the 200 of the innings.

Paranavitana also struck 10 boundaries.

Bradley”s late strike seals US draw with Slovenia

JOHANNESBURG: Midfielder Michael Bradley”s late goal sealed the United States” fight back as they drew 2-2 with Slovenia at the World Cup on Friday night to keep their hopes of reaching the Last 16 alive.

Slovenia were heading to their second win of the tournament, and unexpectedly becoming the first team into the last 16, having led 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals by midfielder Valter Birsa and striker Zlatan
Ljubijankic before the US fought back to force the equaliser.

First right-wing Landon Donovan scored a superb goal on 48 minutes, then the equaliser came with eight minutes left as US striker Jozy Altidore flicked on a header deep in the penalty area and Bradley – son of the coach Bob – fired his shot home.

Slovenia had got off to the ideal start when Auxerre”s Birsa drilled in a long-range shot from 30 metres out which flew into the back of the net with US goalkeeper Tim Howard rooted to the spot after 13 minutes.

Centre-back Oguchi Onyewu”s challenge on Birsa looked to have left the goalkeeper unsighted.

Slovenia centre-back Bostjan Cesar then picked up the first yellow card of the match when he fouled Altidore on 35 minutes and Francisco Torres” free-kick forced the Slovenian goalkeeper into a diving save.

The US threatened with half-time approaching as a Bradley shot was saved off the line, but in the melee striker Robbie Findley was booked for hand ball and misses the next game against Algeria next Wednesday in Pretoria.

With three minutes left of the half, Ljubijankic latched onto a well-timed pass which split the US defence and drilled his shot past Everton”s Howard to make it 2-0 at the break.

US coach Bradley made two changes at the break bringing Maurice Edu in as a defensive midfielder and putting Benny Feilhaber on the wing.

It paid off as US Galaxy”s Donovan controlled the long-ball, dribbled into the area and drilled his shot into the roof of the net past Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic just three minutes into the half.

Slovenian centre-back Marko Suler was booked on 69 minutes for hauling down Altidore just outside the area and the forward managed to latch onto the end of the resulting free-kick but fired his shot at Handanovic.

With the US upping the pace, Slovenia”s left-wing Andraz Kirm also went into the referee”s book as did Bojan Jokic for a foul on Donovan just before Bradley”s late equaliser.

The US looked to have taken a sensational lead when Edu scored with time almost up, but the referee judged the goal off-side.

Both teams now have all to play for in their last group match when Slovenia play England in Port Elizabeth next Wednesday and the US face Algeria.

England play Algeria later on Friday in Cape Town.

Dilshan shines as Sri Lanka crush Bangladesh

DAMBULLA: Tillakaratne Dilshan starred with bat and ball as Sri Lanka trounced Bangladesh by 126 runs on Friday to virtually book their place in the Asia Cup final.

Dilshan smashed 71 off 51 balls and claimed three wickets as the defending champions piled up a commanding 312-4 in their 50 overs and then shot out Bangladesh for 186.

It was Sri Lanka”s second win in a row after the 16-run defeat of Pakistan in their opening match and helped them step closer to becoming the first team to take a berth in the June 24 final.

Bangladesh, who had lost to India on Wednesday, are virtually out of contention in the four-nation tournament.

Sri Lanka put on a dazzling batting performance to record the highest total ever at the Rangiri international stadium in Dambulla.

Dilshan and Upul Tharanga set the ball rolling with an opening stand of 111 by the 16th over after Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night match.

Tharanga (54) and Sangakkara (52) hit half-centuries to build on Dilshan”s aggressive knock which included 11 boundaries and a six.

Mahela Jayawardene chipped in with 43 during a third-wicket stand of 69 with Sangakkara.

Angelo Mathews (42 not out) and Chamara Kapugedera (37 not out) hammered 73 runs in the last 10 overs to set Bangladesh a tough target of six runs an over under lights.

Bangladesh found the task beyond their reach despite a typically aggressive 51 off 53 balls by left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal.

Tamim put on 57 for the second wicket with Junaid Siddique (38) after opening partner Imrul Kayes was caught in the slips off Nuwan Kulasekera for three.

Bangladesh, who were 77-1 at one stage, lost five wickets for 66 runs as Dilshan and Muttiah Muralitharan sliced through the middle order.

Dilshan, bowling off-spin, sealed Bangladesh”s fate in the space of nine deliveries when he had Tamim stumped by Sangakkara and then trapped Mohammad Ashraful leg-before.

Dilshan also removed Mushfiqur Rahim, while Muralitharan dismissed Junaid Siddique and skipper Shakib Al Hasan at the other end.

Sri Lanka win toss, bat in Asia Cup opener

DAMBULLA: Sri Lankan skipper Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat first atainst Pakistan here in opening match of the 10th Asia Cup on Tuesday.

The rest is here:
Sri Lanka win toss, bat in Asia Cup opener

England ”not far off Australia”: Collingwood

GROS ISLET: Australia may have been the team to beat at the World Twenty20 but England captain Paul Collingwood is confident his side can stay with them should their old rivals reach the final.

England swept into Sunday”s tournament finale at the Kensington Oval in Barbados with a dominating seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka, last year”s losing finalists, at the Beausejour Stadium here on Thursday.

They now await the winners of Friday”s second semi-final, between Australia and defending champions Pakistan.

Australia, with pace bowlers Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson leading the way and with a deep batting line-up, are unbeaten at the tournament so far.

The Kensington pitch, quicker in pace than the one at Beausejour, should suit Australia”s fast men.

But the England seamers, who reduced Sri Lanka to 26 for three inside five overs, will relish the extra bounce too.

Asked if England were playing a similar brand of cricket to Australia, Collingwood replied: “We are not far off, they are a very powerful side themselves and obviously have a lot of pace in their attack.

“It”s going to be a proper head to head that one on Sunday — if we were to play Australia. “I think everybody on the outside would want to see an England-Australia game but you”ve got to be careful,

“Pakistan are still a very dangerous side, you”ve got to show them a lot of respect. They are the world champions so no matter who we come up against we are going to have to continue to play the way we have played and hopefully that will be good enough.

“We are just happy to be in the final but we haven”t won anything yet and I am going to keep drilling that into the guys.”

Turning to the Kensington pitch, Collingwood added: “We probably put in our best performance of the tournament in against South Africa in Barbados (a 39-run win) and we played four games there, two warm-up games and two in the competition.

“I think the batters do like the ball coming on and obviously the bowlers do like the pace coming through but again we are going to have to look at who we play against.”

England have never won a major one-day international trophy — Sunday”s match will be their first final since they lost in the 2004 Champions Trophy to the West Indies at the Oval – and in Twenty20 in particular they have struggled to find a reliable opening partnership.

But it seems it may be a case of 17th time lucky – the number of opening pairs they”ve used in Twenty20 – in Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb.

The duo”s selection was not without controversy.

Both men were born and raised in South Africa, with Kieswetter a former South Africa Under-19 international although Lumb”s father, Richard, opened the batting for Yorkshire alongside England great Geoffrey Boycott.

However, there is no denying their worth to the side which was proved again on Thursday by a rapid stand of 68 in just more than eight overs which ended any lingering hopes Sri Lanka had of victory.

Neither man had played a Twenty20 international before this tournament but Collingwood said: “Sometimes they are the finishing pieces of a jigsaw.

“We had some very good players but this is what we needed, a spark at the top of the order.

“Everybody saw it as a bit of a gamble, but we selected them on potential and we knew exactly what they could do.

“They”ve batted fantastically well and really helped the middle order to overcome totals.”

Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers 55th match Video Highlights

Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers 55th match at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. Deccan Chargers won the toss and decided to bat first. Deccan Chargers made 145/7 in 20 Overs. Delhi Daredevils made 134/7 in 20 Overs. Deccan Chargers won the match by 11 runs. Man of the match : Andrew Symonds.

Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers 55th match Full Scoreboard

Deccan Chargers Batting
Adam Gilchrist (c & wk) c G Gambhir b A Nehra 10(9b,2/4)
Monish Mishra run out (M Manhas) 25(19b,2/4,1/6)
Tirumalsetti Suman b U Yadav 5(6b,1/4)
Rohit Sharma c D Karthik b U Yadav 11(9b,2/4)
Andrew Symonds c M Manhas b A Mishra 54(30b,3/4,5/6)
Mitchell Marsh c M Manhas b A Nehra 13(19b)
Bodapati Sumanth not out 7(12b)
Chaminda Vaas c A Nehra b P Collingwood 3(8b)
Rahul Sharma not out 14(8b,2/4)
Extras: (lb 2, w 1) 3
Total: (7 wkts, 20 ovs) 145

Delhi Daredevils Bowling
Dirk Nannes 4 0 22 0
Ashish Nehra 4 0 32 2
Umesh Yadav 4 0 24 2
Amit Mishra 4 0 28 1
Paul Collingwood 3 0 23 1
Tillakaratne Dilshan 1 0 14 0

Delhi Daredevils Batting
David Warner c R Sharma b M Marsh 5(4b,1/4)
Virender Sehwag c R Sharma b C Vaas 8(6b,2/4)
Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw b H Singh 11(11b,2/4)
Gautam Gambhir (c) c R Sharma b P Ojha 4(9b)
Mithun Manhas run out (M Marsh/R Sharma) 23(22b,2/4)
Paul Collingwood not out 51(42b,1/4,3/6)
Dinesh Karthik (wk) b P Ojha 1(2b)
Amit Mishra b H Singh 4(9b)
Ashish Nehra not out 21(16b,2/4,1/6)
Extras: (b 1, lb 2, w 2, nb 1) 6
Total: (7 wkts, 20 ovs) 134

Deccan Chargers Bowling
Chaminda Vaas 4 0 18 1
Mitchell Marsh 2 0 19 1
Harmeet Singh 4 0 41 2
Andrew Symonds 2 0 8 0
Pragyan Ojha 4 0 16 2
Rahul Sharma 4 0 29 0

Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers 55th match Video Highlights

HIGH 15 – MATCH55 – IPL 2010 – DD v DC

GREAT SHOTS – MATCH55 – IPL 2010 – DD v DC

WINNING OVERS – MATCH55 – IPL 2010 – DD v DC

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