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A round-up of the second day’s action from the seventh round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2009

Group A

Rohit Sharma sent the national selectors a strong message•K Sivaraman

Scorecard
Mumbai’s bats have continued to make headlines this season, but none more sensational than Rohit Sharma. “There are several batsmen who score a hundred on a given day in Ranji cricket. I need to continue and score and a really big knock to stand out,” Rohit told the after he batted himself to 145 on day one at the Brabourne Stadium. A day later Rohit walked the talk with the first triple-century of his career, an unbeaten 309 from 322 deliveries, that formed the fulcrum of a massive first-innings total, leaving a weary Gujarat facing a mountain to climb.Rohit was a hulk on the second day on a flat track, extending his overnight stand with Sushant Marathe (144) to 342. Marathe’s dismissal was followed by two wickets, but Vinayak Samant chipped in with an unbeaten 50 to further torment Gujarat in Rohit’s company. Rohit, whose previous best was 205, outdid that by some distance, hitting 36 fours and four sixes. Four of seven bowlers carried the burden of the bowling attack against an enormous innings, and it was legspinner Salil Yadav who leaked the most runs: 201 in 50 overs for one wicket. The bowlers even resorted to a negative line but Rohit was batting on a whole different level.”After hitting the first ball for four I felt like I could continue to bat like yesterday,” he told reporters after the day’s play. “The track was good and I knew it would be more easy for me once Gujarat opts for the new ball. I just wanted to take it ball by ball. I was prepared to play my natural game even if I get out. But after crossing 200 I didn’t want to take a chance.”
Scorecard
Hyderabad’s chances of avoiding relegation to the Plate League next season took a beating on day two against Tamil Nadu at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. They pressed on from 269 for 4 to 347, with Anoop Pai scoring 51, but a mute performance with the ball let them down majorly. Tamil Nadu’s openers Srikanth Anirudha (70) and Abhinav Mukund (66*) put on 96 after which Arun Karthik came out and made an unbeaten 49 to help Mukund get the score to 189 for 1. If Hyderabad get three points via a first-innings lead, they could equal Himachal Pradesh but the latter have one outright victory. It’s not looking too bright for Hyderabad.
Scorecard
A brisk 144 from Orissa’s Halhadar Das gave the visitors a 191 first-innings lead over Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala, which was reduced to 144 by stumps. Resuming day two on 55 for 2, Orissa were boosted by Halhadar’s 155-ball effort and 53 from Niranjan Behera to put up 316. Halhadar tucked into the attack with gusto, adding 90 with Behera, and hit 20 fours and three sixes. Mohinder Sharma, with 5 for 102, carried Himachal Pradesh’s attack with determination. They then reached 47 for 2 at the close with defeat looming large.
Scorecard
Two wickets before stumps on day two at the Karnail Singh Stadium denied Punjab the day’s honours. Railways had been boosted from 191 for 6 to 276 thanks to Karan Sharma’s unbeaten 59 from the No. 8 spot, against a six-wicket haul from young Rahul Sharma. Punjab then made a good start after an early wicket, through Mayank Sharma (54) and Sunny Sohal (30), but Railways pegged them back. Murali Kartik, Railways’ captain, snapped up Sohal, after which Sidhana and Uday Kaul put together 86. From 123 for 2, however, Punjab lost Sidhana and Pankaj Dharmani for 0 in the space of three overs in the last hour of play.

Group B

ScorecardA second day of bat-powered domination allowed Bengal to tighten their grip over Delhi at the Jadavpur University Ground. Delhi’s hopes of running into the lower order and aiding their chances of claiming the needed first-innings lead
were given a boost when Pradeep Sangwan dismissed Wriddhiman Saha for 120 to snap a 249-run stand, but in walked Bengal’s captain, Laxmi Shukla. Shukla eased himself in alongside Sourav Ganguly, and by the time the former India captain went for 150, followed by Saurashis Lahiri for 0, Shukla was firm. Ashok Dinda, back after making his first India appearance, made 41 and with Shukla carried Bengal close to 500. Shukla was last out for 132 from 137 balls. Bengal were further lifted by veteran workhorse Ranadeb Bose, who took out Delhi’s openers in his first 19 deliveries. Aditya Jain and Mithun Manhas put on 50 before stumps, leaving Delhi with much to do on day three.
Scorecard
A pair of centuries from two experienced players helped Baroda claim the second day’s honours in Pune. Baroda batted the entire day, moving from a 277-run deficit into a small lead and with it vital points, thanks to Connor Williams’ 18th ton and Shatrunjay Gaekwad’s maiden ton. Williams, in his 115th game, hit 129 and Gaekwad, son of former India opener Anshuman, made a patient 103. They put on 214 for the third wicket. Baroda lost two wickets in relative succession following Williams’ exit and will look to a vigilant Gaekwad for more.
Scorecard
Ganesh Satish’s second first-class century rallied Karnataka to a strong total on day two in Rajkot. From 45 from 41 balls overnight, Satish pressed on to 120, adding 125 for the fourth wicket with Amit Verma (68). Satish’s dismissal at 250 for 5 was followed by a century stand between Manish Pandey (55) and his captain Robin Uthappa (62 from 56 balls)as Karnataka put up 384. For Saurashtra, spinner Vishal Joshi picked up 4 for 77 and was supported by Kamlesh Makvana’s 3 for 82. The home side was given a good opening stand in the 16 overs remaining in the day, with Chirag Pathak dominating, but Saurashtra face a tough third day.

The hosts of the 2011 World Cup will enjoy home advantage for the quarter-finals and semi-finals if a proposal to this effect is approved by the ICC board

Cricinfo staff01-Dec-2009

ANZ Stadium granted ODI status

The ANZ Stadium in Sydney was also granted ODI status by the CEC. The 80,000-capacity stadium in Homebush, had hosted the 2000 Olympics and New South Wales chief executive Dave Gilbert had recently suggested that it could host next year’s Ashes Test, moving cricket from its traditional home at the SCG.

The hosts of the 2011 World Cup will enjoy home advantage for the quarter-finals and semi-finals if a proposal to this effect is approved by the ICC board. It means India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will play at home if they make the knockout stage but, if two of them play each other, the higher-ranked side from the group stage will host the match.The chief executives’ committee (CEC), meeting in Dubai on Tuesday, supported a request from the World Cup’s central organising committee and has passed it on to the ICC board, which will take it up when it holds the first of its four meetings in February next year.At the announcement of the tournament’s match schedule last month, the venues for the knockout phase, and not the match-ups, were specified. While two of the quarter-finals will be played in Mirpur, Ahmedabad and Colombo will host the other two. Colombo will also be hosting a semi-final along with Mohali.As the immediate permutations stand, either India or Bangladesh, who have been placed in Group B, are likely to meet Sri Lanka, from Group A, in the final eight. The semi-finals may also throw up a likely scenario where all three are involved, if paired against non-hosts in the quarter-finals.Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice-president, is the chairman of the 2011 World Cup’s organising committee, while Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, is the tournament director. The 43-day event comprises 49 games spread over three countries and 13 venues and will be a week shorter than the 2007 edition in the West Indies.The ten Full Member countries and four Associates have been divided into two groups of seven each, with the top four from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. Group A includes Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya. Group B comprises India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands.The CEC also approved a recommendation from the women’s committee that the top four sides from the Women’s World Twenty20, to be held in West Indies next year, will earn direct qualification for the following edition in Sri Lanka, while the four remaining teams will have to go through a qualification process.

The new year ushered in New Zealand Cricket’s new domestic Twenty20 competition, the HRV Cup, and in the opening game Northern Districts snuck a five-run win over Auckland

Cricinfo staff02-Jan-2010The new year ushered in New Zealand Cricket’s new domestic Twenty20 competition, the HRV Cup, and in the opening game at Mount Maunganui , Northern Districts snuck a five-run win over Auckland.
In front of a crowd of 5100, ND successfully defended a total of 164 by taking wickets at the right time while never allowing threatening partnerships to form.Opening the innings, BJ Watling hit 73 off 59 balls and with Daniel Vettori added 61 in 6.3 overs. Vettori, promoted to opener, made 43 from 22 balls with seven fours and a six. Daniel Flynn (18) threatened to do damage but his dismissal in the 14th over was followed by a period in which Auckland took three more wickets for 18 runs in 17 deliveries.However, Watling managed to keep up one end even as his scoring rate dipped somewhat. He found assistance from Joseph Yovich (17) and the pair added 26 before being dismissed off the last two deliveries of ND’s innings. Watling’s 73 easily surpassed his previous best of 48.In reply to that target, Auckland lost Lou Vincent to the impressive Brent Arnel in the third over. That dismissal set in motion a pattern of the batsmen getting a footing but slipping before managing to impose themselves. Martin Guptill smacked 37 from 22 balls before he was run out by Vettori, who opened the bowling, and Tim Southee. Two deliveries later, with the score still 53, Auckland lost Ravi Bopara cheaply, bowled by Vettori. Scott Styris made 22 from 20 balls – a slow rate of scoring given the target – before Arnel returned and got rid of him with a slower ball that was chipped to mid-off.Gareth Hopkins, the wicketkeeping-captain, launched into the attack for a 33-ball 50 yet didn’t find sufficient support down the order. Bruce Martin, bowling his slow left-arm spin, accounted for Reece Young and Colin de Grandhomme in the 17th over, and from there Auckland fell five runs behind their target. Hopkins was dismissed by Arnel off the last ball of the 19th over, and from there Auckland needed 12 from the last over but Southee bowled a tidy six deliveries to deny them.A full round of matches will be played on Sunday and Monday, with Sunday’s action including the ND taking on 2009 champions Otago, at Blake Park, Central Districts playing Wellington in New Plymouth, and Auckland hosting Canterbury at Colin Maiden Park.

A round-up of the third day’s action of the third round of the WICB Four-Day Competition 2009-10

Cricinfo staff25-Jan-2010Spinners Shane Shillingford and Rawl Lewis picked up four wickets each to help Windward Islands seal a nine-wicket win over Combined Campuses and Colleges in Barbados. CCC began the day with two wickets down and still 90 adrift of their deficit but, barring a determined 71 by captain Floyd Reifer and 34 from wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, there was little competition from the others as their side was bowled out for 198, a lead of just 70. Reifer and Walton added 54 for the seventh wicket but the spinners tore through the line-up. Devon Smith, who scored a century in the first innings, followed up with a crisp 44, ensuring victory was achieved in just 12.5 overs and with a day to spare.The Windwards and the CCC both have 12 points now but the Windwards have
only played two matches to the CCC’s three. CCC host Guyana at this same venue next Friday while the Windwards head a few miles south to Kensington Oval where they face Barbados in an historic day-night encounter.Nikita Miller put Jamaica squarely on top against Guyana in St Philip, grabbing six wickets to skittle the opposition out for just 166 and secure a first-innings lead of 263. Jamaica imposed the follow-on and Dave Bernard proved Guyana’s nemesis in their second innings, grabbing three wickets and effecting a run-out to leave them at 161 for 4 at stumps, still 102 adrift. The highlight for Guyana on a disappointing day was Assad Fudadin, who top scored in their first innings with 39 and hit a half-century in the second before being dismissed. Guyana’s effort in the second innings was an improved one, with three of their top and middle order batsmen going past 30. However, they failed to convert them into substantial scores to cripple the possibility of a fightback.”I am happy with the way we played over the last few days,” said Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert. “We completely outplayed Guyana. The hundreds from Wavell Hinds and Carlton Baugh jnr really set us up well, and our first innings total of 429 over five sessions was the perfect start to the match for us.”We talked to a few of the Barbadian players, and they told us that the pitch would be slow and would turn a bit, so it was surprising to see them win the toss and put us in to bat. Knowing Guyana through the years, they always pack their sides with spinners, so I thought that they would have batted first, and then bring their players into play over the last few days of the game.”Barbados retained the advantage against Trinidad and Tobago at the Kensington Oval. Ryan Hinds, who began on 111, finished on 139 but legspinner Imran Khan’s best first-class haul of 7 for 71 limited Barbados’ lead to 115. T&T were in trouble in their reply, as a three-wicket burst from Pedro Collins had reduced them to 98 for 4. But Justin Guillen, their opener, fought hard, smashing 134, his best first-class effort. Guillen was involved in a 138-run fifth-wicket stand with Denesh Ramdin, who made an unbeaten 94 and remains the key to T&T’s fortunes heading into the final day. Trinidad finished the day on 299 for 7, just 184 ahead and will need much more to pose a challenge.

Zimbabwe may be the underdogs for the upcoming limited-overs series against West Indies, but wicketkeeper-batsman Tatenda Taibu has said the team will be going all out for victory

Cricinfo staff25-Feb-2010Zimbabwe may be underdogs for the upcoming limited-overs series against West Indies, but batsman Tatenda Taibu has said the team will be aiming to “play hard cricket” and win games.”We really want to start playing hard cricket again,” he said. “We really want to stamp our authority now and start performing as expected.”Zimbabwe announced in 2006 that they were temporarily withdrawing from Tests, having last played India at home in September 2005. They continue to play ODIs and Twenty20s but languish at the bottom of the world rankings.Zimbabwe will begin their tour with a warm-up game against a WICB Vice Chancellor’s XI but will be without wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, who did not arrive with the squad because his transit visa for London was misplaced. “He should be able to travel 48 hours later and join up with us on Thursday night,” coach Walter Chawaguta said.However, Taibu said this team had a good mixture of youth and experience in the 15-man squad and would perform well. He said Stuart Matsikenyeri and captain and offspinner Prosper Utseya, who have played 105 and 101 ODIs respectively, would be key to their fortunes.”They’ve [Matsikenyeri and Utseya] played a lot of games,” Taibu said. “They’ve got a lot of maturity at the moment. So we’re looking to play a lot of good cricket. I’ve been here before, so it’s great to play cricket here again.”There are a lot of times the guys have said there is a lot of talent in Zimbabwe, but we really have to put it to show now. It’s not (just) about the talent, we really have to join the two (talent and maturity) and play good cricket.”Zimbabwe take on West Indies in a Twenty20 in Port of Spain on Sunday and Taibu said the format wasn’t only about explosive cricket. “It’s about mental cricket, reacting to situations. It will be exciting. Twenty20 will be exciting for the crowd. I’m sure they’re going to come for some good cricket.”Zimbabwe will play five ODIs after the Twenty20 between March 4 and 14.

Steven Smith and Peter Forrest steadied New South Wales on a two-paced first day as they finished at 4 for 326 in Hobart

Cricinfo staff03-Mar-2010New South Wales 4 for 326 (Jaques 88, Smith 71, Forrest 62, Hughes 58) v Tasmania

ScorecardSteven Smith’s 71 took the Blues safely to stumps•Getty Images

Steven Smith and Peter Forrest steadied New South Wales on a two-paced first day as they finished at 4 for 326 in Hobart. The Blues sped through Phil Jaques and Phillip Hughes to register 140 in the first session before being held back in the second and easing away in the third.Smith and Forrest overcame some tight bowling from Tasmania during a stand of 119 for the fourth wicket that regained the momentum. However, Forrest gave Tim Paine his third catch late in the day to depart with 62, but Smith made it to stumps unbeaten on 71.Jaques and Hughes opened with 118 in 25.1 overs – about the rate expected in a one-day game – before Hughes (58) was caught behind off Adam Griffith, who had 2 for 72. Jaques moved confidently towards a century but fell for 88 trying to sweep Xavier Doherty.The loss of Usman Khawaja (22) three overs later left the visitors at 3 for 175, but Smith and Forrest steered the side away from danger. New South Wales are almost certainly out of contention for the final while Tasmania are currently third.

Chris Swan and Luke Feldman demolished South Australia in one session to give Queensland a big lead at the close of a day on which 20 wickets fell at the Gabba

Cricinfo staff04-Mar-2010Queensland 160 (Putland 4-55, George 3-32) and 2 for 132 (Townsend 74*) lead South Australia 72 (Swan 5-26, Feldman 4-14) by 220 runs

ScorecardChris Swan starred with 5 for 26•Getty Images

Chris Swan and Luke Feldman demolished South Australia in one session to give Queensland a big lead at the close of a day on which 20 wickets fell at the Gabba. The Redbacks capitulated for 72 in reply to Queensland’s 160 and then watched as the Bulls top order reached 2 for 132 in the second innings to extend the lead to an imposing 220.Swan and Feldman, the tailenders who batted the Bulls to victory against Victoria recently, did the job with the ball as the Redbacks collapsed in 30.3 overs. Swan picked up a career-best 5 for 26 and Feldman grabbed 4 for 14 as the swinging ball proved a major weapon against a South Australian line-up in which only two men reached double figures.Tim Ludeman top scored with 20 after Michael Klinger had reached 11 and the failure of the South Australian tail to wag was the big difference from Queensland’s first innings. The Bulls had been in big trouble at 9 for 93 when Feldman (31 not out) and Nathan Rimmington (32) fought back with the biggest partnership of the innings.Their 67-run stand proved vital after Gary Putland tore through the top order and finished with 4 for 55. Despite rain washing out almost the entire first day’s play, the pitch held up well and that was shown by Ryan Broad and Wade Townsend, who put on 127 for the opening wicket when Queensland batted for the second time.Broad was caught off the bowling of Peter George for 49 and Lee Carseldine fell in the same over for a duck but the Bulls were well and truly on top already. At stumps, Townsend was unbeaten on 74 and the teenage debutant Chris Lynn was on 4.

Brett Lee will be back in Australian colours at the World Twenty20 after being chosen for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery last year

Peter English30-Mar-2010Brett Lee will be back in Australian colours at the World Twenty20 after being chosen for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery last year. Lee, 33, retired from Tests to prolong his limited-overs career and his reputation has won him a spot alongside Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson for the tournament starting in the Caribbean next month.Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, would have liked Lee to have played more this summer but hopes he will regain match fitness with Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. “At his best he is one of the best Twenty20 cricketers in the world,” Hilditch said. “He also has the opportunity of continuing to play in the IPL as preparation for this tournament.”Ryan Harris, who made his Test debut in New Zealand, was “extremely unlucky” to miss the 15-man squad while Travis Birt was overlooked after playing three matches during Australia’s summer. The allrounder Daniel Christian holds his spot and Michael Hussey’s experience and strong recent form earned him a trip. It is a strange selection because Hussey hasn’t appeared in a T20 international since the 2009 global event in England.”Dan Christian had limited opportunities in the lead-up to this selection but we see him as an exciting Twenty20 cricketer with his all-round skills with bat and ball,” Hilditch said. “We’ve also added Tim Paine to give us cover in case of injury to Brad Haddin and, of course, Tim’s ability with the bat more than warrants his selection.”Australia must finish in the top two of a group also including Pakistan and Bangladesh to avoid going out in the first round for the second tournament in a row. Their opening game is against Pakistan on May 2 in St Lucia before facing Bangladesh on May 5 in Barbados.Australia men’s squad David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Dirk Nannes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Shaun Tait.Australia women’s squad Jodie Fields (capt, wk), Alex Blackwell, Jessica Cameron, Sarah Elliott, Rene Farrell, Rachael Haynes, Julie Hunter, Shelley Nitschke, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton, Lisa Sthalekar, Clea Smith, Elyse Villani.

The BCCI has suspended Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, for “alleged acts of individual misdemeanours”

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2010The BCCI has suspended Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, for “alleged acts of individual misdemeanours”, bringing down the curtains on one particularly unsavoury episode in the BCCI’s history but very possibly leaving the door open for more twists in this saga. Modi’s three-year reign was effectively ended moments after the conclusion of the tournament final in Mumbai on Sunday and he responded in melodramatic fashion with an emotional speech at the awards ceremony.The suspension notice was served on him by Rajeev Shukla, a BCCI vice-president, at the conclusion of Sunday’s game, with N Srinivasan, the board secretary, sending an email to the same effect. It followed a day of negotiations with interlocutors attempting to persuade Modi to resign but pre-empted a potentially flashpoint at Monday’s scheduled IPL governing council meeting, which Modi had said he would attend. He is now officially barred from participating in the affairs of the Board, the IPL and any other committee of the BCCI and has 15 days to respond to the charges levelled at him.The public confirmation of his suspension came in a statement from BCCI president Shashank Manohar issued shortly after the end of Sunday’s final. “Alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr Lalit K Modi, chairman IPL and vice president BCCI, have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself,” it said.”I have waited for IPL 2010 to conclude in order to respond to the situation as I did not want the event to be disrupted in any manner. Immediately after the conclusion of the IPL final, the secretary, BCCI Mr N Srinivasan has in consultation with me issued a show cause notice to Mr. Lalit K Modi under Rule 32 (iv) calling upon him to show cause within 15 days why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. Simultaneously, in exercise of the powers vested in me under Rule 32 (vii), I have suspended Mr. Lalit K Modi from participating in the affairs of the Board, the IPL, the working committee and any other committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.”Modi had apparently received that notice by the time he went up to the podium for the post-match presentations, and it prompted an emotional, lengthy speech. “We have had some off field unpleasant dramas only based on innuendo, half truths and motivated leaks from all kinds of sources,” he said. “I assure you all decisions have been taken jointly by the governing council and approved by the general body… Still, as the leader of the team, if there is any flouting of rules or any other financial irregularity, I will take full responsibility.”Earlier, before he received the notice, he had taken a similar combative stand while talking to . Informed of the imminent suspension, he said: “”Good for them. Are they so scared of me attending? Are they so scared of the truth?”His allusion was to the growing perception that Modi alone was not responsible for the alleged misdemeanours, that there were other, possibly more powerful forces at play as well. Those forces would have preferred Modi to resign, resulting in a swift and clean break, rather than be sacked, which would necessitate a formal inquiry and the production of potentially damaging documents.In any case, Modi’s suspension rules him out of Monday’s IPL governing council meeting. The meeting had been convened by Srinivasan but Modi had, on Sunday evening, sent out an agenda that included “a discussion on any complaints received in writing from members of the governing council against the chairman, other members of the council and/or the BCCI.”It also said members of the governing council “had been requested to give all such complaints in writing with the requisite supporting documents”.The agenda is now likely to focus more on life after Lalit: picking an interim IPL chairman and working out a plan for the future. BCCI sources say for the moment Manohar will himself take charge of the IPL sub-committee. The first few weeks are likely to be spent in a clean-up operation and a scrutiny of the Modi-era transactions.The actual management of the league is likely to be handed over to a CEO – probably appointed from outside – with reduced powers but greater assistance. He could be assisted by department heads for marketing, finance, logistics and the like.

On the final day of the tri-series, the clock struck 12 and Zimbabwe’s Cinderella XI ran into harsh reality and were beaten comfortably by Sri Lanka

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga09-Jun-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outNuwan Kulasekara’s opening spell significantly damaged Zimbabwe’s chances of victory•Associated Press

On the final day of the tri-series, the clock struck 12 and Zimbabwe’s Cinderella XI ran into harsh reality. Put into bat, they were accosted by top-quality swing bowling from Nuwan Kulasekara and Dilhara Fernando, and the damage done in those early overs was too great to reverse for a resourceful Tatenta Taibu, who swept and hustled his way to 71. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga were ruthless in finishing Zimbabwe off with a 160-run opening stand.Zimbabwe were also hit hard by their batsmen’s general tendency to not play the full-blooded cut shot. Brendan Taylor, their best batsman of the tournament, and Taibu, the best on the final day, both fell to limp cuts, finding gully and point respectively. On the big day, Zimbabwe displayed muddled thinking too: with five wickets down, both Greg Lamb and Charles Coventry got out swinging, but the batting Powerplay wasn’t taken before the 46th over. Nor did they open the bowling with spin, a move that had worked well for them. By the time Ray Price bowled his first over, Sri Lanka had already reached 38 in six overs.At any rate, even Price’s best effort might not have been enough. They were forced into perennial rebuilding mode by the Sri Lankan new-ball bowlers. Kulasekara swung the ball in, Fernando out, and Zimbabwe hardly looked like challenging the norm of chasing sides winning in the tournament. Kulasekara gave four runs in his first four overs for the wicket of Hamilton Masakadza, and Zimbabwe never really recovered.If Fernando’s bowling – fuller than his stock length, thus getting outswing – was a bonus, Kulasekara’s use of the straighter delivery was just as good. When an asphyxiated Masakadza tried to counter the inswing by walking across the stumps, the ball just held its line and took a healthy outside edge. Taylor struggled against the current, going from 4 off 10 to 19 off 21, but played perhaps his worst shot of the series when he looked to steer Fernando despite the presence of a gully fielder. Thilan Samaraweera went low to his right to complete the catch, and the openers were gone inside the first 10 overs.The change-up bowlers were just as tight, and by the start of the 17th over Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine had scored 16 off 51 deliveries between them. The pressure showed in their going for risky runs: an over after Ervine survived a close one, Taibu ran him out, calling for a tight single and then sending him back.Then began Zimbabwe’s recovery. Taibu went on a sweeping spree, of both varieties. He and Lamb ran hard, putting behind them the run-out. One of those stolen singles earned them four overthrows too. In the 24th over, Taibu hit two lovely chipped boundaries over extra cover. From 7 off 24, he had moved to his fifty off just 70 balls, during a partnership of counterattack.Taibu and Lamb had added 90 when Fernando was called back in the 36th over. Taibu got one short and wide, and he went for the cut. The bat face closed a touch early, and he held back a bit too. Instead of going over point, the ball went straight to the fielder.A spell of ordinary cricket from Zimbabwe thereon resulted in a collapse. Lamb found it hard to keep alternating the strike, Elton Chigumbura played a tame chip to straight extra cover, and Lamb and Coventry succumbed to big shots without having opted for the Powerplay. Fernando and Ajantha Mendis made sure there was no final flourish, and only poor batting from Sri Lanka could now save the hosts.Poor batting they were not going to get. Dilshan loved the pace Chris Mpofu and Chigumbura provided. He whipped the first ball he faced through midwicket, and never looked back. By the time Price came on to bowl, Dilshan had hit his way to 25 off 19. Once again, the Zimbabwe bowlers made the mistake of bowling too short to him, and paid the price.With only a small target, the Sri Lankan openers didn’t offer the Zimbabwe spinners the respect they were used to. Dilshan hit boundaries in Price’s first two overs and, as has been the trend, Tharanga took over after the Dilshan blitz. By the 17th over, Tharanga had almost caught up with Dilshan, and brought up Sri Lanka’s hundred with an effortless six over long-on, off the bowling of Prosper Utseya.The only matter of interest then was the race between the batsmen to a century. It was ended when there was misunderstanding over a sharp single to short third man, and Tharanga sacrificed his wicket. With 40 runs required, Dilshan was the likelier man to get to the hundred, and he did, and overtook Taylor as the highest run-getter in the tournament.