1st ODI: Australia win by 180 runs!

As expected, Australia have beaten Bangladesh by a big margin of 180 runs in the first ODI and lead the series 1-0.

Match: 1st ODI
Venue: Marrara Cricket Ground, Darwin
Date: August 30, 2008
Teams: Australia and Bangladesh
Captains: Michael Clarke and Mohammad Ashraful
Toss: Bangladesh won the toss and decided to field
Result: Australia won by 180 runs
Series: Australia lead the series 1-0
Man of the Match: MEK Hussey off Australia
Score:

Australia 254 for 8 in 50 overs (SE Marsh 76, JR Hopes 22, MJ Clarke 14, MEK Hussey 85, DJ Hussey 24, BJ Haddin 3, CL White 9, MG Johnson 0, B Geeves 0 not out, Extras-21 (b 1, lb 7, w 6, nb 7), Mashrafe Mortaza 0 for 31, Shahadat Hossain 3 for 42, Nazmul Hossain 1 for 55, Shakib Al Hasan 2 for 46, Abdur Razzak 1 for 44, Alok Kapali 1 for 28) beat Bangladesh 74 all out in 27.4 overs (Tamim Iqbal 21, Mehrab Hossain Jr. 0, Mohammad Ashraful 5, Raqibul Hasan 14, Shakib Al Hasan 7, Alok Kapali 12, Dhiman Ghosh 1, Abdur Razzak 4, Mashrafe Mortaza 5 not out, Nazmul Hossain 0, Shahadat Hossain 0, Extras-5 (w 5), NW Bracken 0 for 23, SR Clark 1 for 18, MG Johnson 2 for 10, MJ Clarke 1 for 7, B Geeves 2 for 11, CL White 3 for 5)

Bangladesh's Tour to Australia!

Bangladesh is touring Australia in August and September 2008 to play 3 ODI matches. Sure that it will give them another round of experience playing against the world champions.

Though they were treated as minnows till date, they have surprised the world champions, the West Indies and the Indians in the last world cup. So, you can expect some out of turn wins.

The tour details:

Aug. 30, 2008: 1st ODI at Marrara Cricet Ground, Darwin

Sep. 03, 2008: 2nd ODI at Marrara Cricet Ground, Darwin

Sep. 06, 2008: 3rd ODI at Marrara Cricet Ground, Darwin

Australia is lead by Michael Clarke and Bangladesh is lead by Mohammad Ashraful. Injured Ricky Ponting is not playing in this series.

Australian Squad:

Michael Clarke (Captain), Miachael Hussey (Vice-Captain), Nathan Bracaken, Stuar Clark, Brett Geeves, Brad Haddin, James Hopes, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Matthew Hayden, and Brett Lee

Bangladeshi Squad:

Mohammad Ashraful (Captain), Mashrafe Mortaza (Vice-Captain), Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Dhiman Ghosh, Dolar Mahmud, Farhad Reza, Junaid Siddique, Mahmudullah, Mehrab Hossain Jr., Nazmul Hossain, Raqibul Hassan, Shahadat Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Tammim Iqbal, Nazimuddin, Shahirar Nafees, Mosharraf Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Naeem Islam

5th ODI: Sri Lanka gets Consolation Win! Beat India by 112 runs!

Finally Sri Lanka have won the last ODI and restored the pride! Sri Lanka scored 227 in the 50 overs. I would say that India missed a chance of making it 4-1. They were struggling at 104 for 5 with skipper Jayawardane also gone. When Kapugedera got out in the 37th over, they were 133 for 6. Mubarak (47 not out) and Thushara (54 not out) added 93 runs of for the 7th wicket which never fell. They scored this 93 in the last 13 overs, which I would say, a poor and lethargic captaincy by Dhoni.



Was the match already decided even before the start that SL should win? What was going on in Dhoni's mind? It was okay to given chance to less experienced players, but not literally giving away the match.

Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 3rd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 4th ODI Result!

How did Raina got out with a stupid shot especially after playing a superb and responsible innnings in the preivous match? He knows that it will rain and in fact, it has started raining. Why would anyone go against the bowler?

With rain intervening at the 15th over and India were 70 for 3, the target was revised to 216 from 44 overs. When play resumed, India needed 146 in 29.4 overs. Dhoni played a wrong line and lost his stumps.

Kulasekar and Mendis picked 4 wickets each while Muralitharan did not play in this match.

Kulasekara was awarded the man of the match and Dhoni was given the man of the series award.

Match: 5th ODI
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo,
Date: August 29, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and MS Dhoni
Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Sri Lanka won by 112 runs (D/L Method)
Series: India win the series 3-2
Man of the Match: KMDN Kulasekara off Sri Lanka
Man of the Series: MS Dhoni off India
Score:

Sri Lanka 227 for 6 in 50 overs (ST Jayasuriya 1, BSM Warnapura 30, ML Udawatte 43, KC Sangakkara 1, DPMD Jayawardene 12, CK Kapugedera 26, J Mubarak 47 not out, T Thushara 54 not out, Extras-13 (lb 6, w 6, nb 1), MM Patel 7-1-20-0, Z Khan 10-1-49-1, RP Singh 8-0-54-1, IK Pathan 10-0-52-2, PP Ojha 10-4-28-2, RG Sharma 2-0-7-0, Yuvraj Singh 3-0-11-0) beat India (revised target 216 in 44 overs) 104 all out in 26.3 overs (V Kohli 31, G Gambhir 11, Yuvraj Singh 17, SK Raina 10, RG Sharma 3, MS Dhoni 1, IK Pathan 7, Z Khan 3, RP Singh 4, PP Ojha 5, MM Patel 4 not out, Extras-7 (b 1, lb 2, w 4), KMDN Kulasekara 9-2-40-4, T Thushara 6-0-26-0, CRD Fernando 7-1-24-2, BAW Mendis 4.3-2-10-4)

Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 3rd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 4th ODI Result!

4th ODI: India win the Series! First Series win in SL!

India has won the first ever series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. Dhoni & Co. was able to achieve this extra-ordinary feat. Congratulations Guys, you have made India proud!

Winning the crucial toss and deciding to bat first, India made 258, which could have easily crossed 280 runs. They scored 43 runs in the last 10 overs losing 5 wickets. Once again skipper Dhoni played a crucial innings and lead by example. India were 81 for 3 in the 18th over when Dhoni joined Raina. Yuvaraj did not score once agian and got out for a duck.

Both Raina and Dhoni handled Mendis and Muralitharan well. It looked like Indians have found a way to handle the spin duo. They added 143 runs for the 4th wicket in 141 balls. Raina, man of the match award winner scored 76 and Dhoni scored 71.

Earlier, Kohli scored his first half century of his career. His 54 came off 66 balls with 7 fours. Thushara picked 5 wickets.



Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 3rd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 5th ODI Result!

Chasing 259, Sri Lanka once again failed in the top order except for Jayasuriya. He scored 60 off 52 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes. Waranapura (0), Sangakkara (6) and Jayawardane (16) fell cheaply. Munaf Patel provided the required break through by taking two quick wickets in his first spell.

Bhajji provided the break through when Jayasuriya was going all guns. He was caught in slips by Raina in the first over of Bhajji. After that, it was a piece of cake for Indians and they finished it with a 46-run victory.

Match: 4th ODI
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Date: August 27, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and MS Dhoni
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 46 runs
Series: India lead the series 3-1
Man of the Match: SK Rain off India
Score:

India 258 all out in 49.4 overs (V Kohli 54, G Gambhir 17, Yuvraj Singh 0, SK Raina 76, MS Dhoni 71, RG Sharma 18, S Badrinath 6, Harbhajan Singh 2, P Kumar 2, Z Khan 0, MM Patel 1 not out, Extras-11 (b 1, lb 5, w 5), WPUJC Vaas 9-1-40-1, KMDN Kulasekara 8-0-38-1, T Thushara 8.4-0-47-5, BAW Mendis 10-1-43-1, M Muralitharan 10-0-56-1, ST Jayasuriya 4-0-28-0) beat Sri Lanka 212 all out in 46.3 overs (ST Jayasuriya 60, BSM Warnapura 0, KC Sangakkara 6, DPMD Jayawardene 16, CK Kapugedera 30, TM Dilshan 12, WPUJC Vaas 17, KMDN Kulasekara 12, T Thushara 40, BAW Mendis 2, M Muralitharan 1 not out, Extras-16 (b 4, lb 2, w 10), P Kumar 4-0-25-0, Z Khan 9.3-3-27-1, MM Patel 9-0-48-2, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-40-3, Yuvraj Singh 10-0-53-2, RG Sharma 4-1-13-0)


Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 3rd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 5th ODI Result!

4th ODI: Rain Post-pones match to Next Day!

Rain in Columbo forced the match to be shifted to next day. The heavy rain before the start of the game and the previous night prevented the game on the scheduled date. The umpires called off the game after waiting for the stipulated time and rescheduled the game for the next day.

India is leading the series 2-1. If rain prevents the next day's game, then there is no chance that India could lose the series. Either it could be levelled at 2-2 or India win the series 3-1.

Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

3rd ODI: India gain led in the ODI series!

India won the crucial 3rd ODI and went up in the series 2-1. Winning the toss and batting first, India made 237 in 50 overs. Once again, Dhoni played the skipper innings and built 54-run partnership with Raina for the 5th wicket and then 67-run partnershp with Rohit Sharma for the 6th wicket. Dhoni top scored with 76 in 80 balls with 8 fours. Raina scored 53 and handled Mendis very well. His run out was the crucial part in the Indian innings. Mendis picked 3 wickets while Kulasekara and Thushara picked 2 each.

Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 4th ODI Result!

Click here to read the 5th ODI Result!

Sri Lanka lost quick wickets in the early part of the innings. At the end of all power play, Sri Lanka was struggling at 70 for 6. Once again Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Khan rattled the top order through their exceptional bowling.

Skipper Jayawardane scored 94 and was a threat, but losing 6 wickets and then winning with the tail-enders was a difficult task.

Match: 3rd ODI
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Date: August 24, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and MS Dhoni
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 33 runs
Series: India lead the series 2-1
Man of the Match: MS Dhoni off India
Score:

India 237 for 9 in 50 overs (V Kohli 25, G Gambhir 8, Yuvraj Singh 12, SK Raina 53, S Badrinath 6, MS Dhoni 76, RG Sharma 32, Harbhajan Singh 2, P Kumar 2 not out, Z Khan 1, Extras-20 (b 2, lb 6, w 11, nb 1), WPUJC Vaas 10-2-33-0, KMDN Kulasekara 7-1-32-2, T Thushara 9-1-36-2, BAW Mendis 10-0-56-3, M Muralitharan 9-0-48-0, ST Jayasuriya 5-0-24-0) beat Sri Lanka204 all out in 49 overs (ST Jayasuriya 13, KC Sangakkara 9, CK Kapugedera 12, DPMD Jayawardene 94, LPC Silva 1, TM Dilshan 16, WPUJC Vaas 0, KMDN Kulasekara 11, T Thushara 30, BAW Mendis 6 not out, M Muralitharan 6, Extras-6 (lb 2, w 4), P Kumar 10-0-62-2, Z Khan 10-3-23-3, MM Patel 10-1-42-3, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-29-1, Yuvraj Singh 8-0-37-1, RG Sharma 1-0-9-0)

Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 4th ODI Result!

Click here to read the 5th ODI Result!

2nd ODI: India bounces back - beat Sri Lanka!

India bounced back in the 2nd ODI by beating Sri Lanka with 3 wickets and 62 balls remaining. Though Sri Lanka had a little chance of when India were struggling at 75 for 5, Badrinath, who came in as a replacement for Tendulakar, played a significant role in giving India the first victory of the ODI Series.

Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 3rd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 4th ODI Result!

Click here to read the 5th ODI Result!

India was in trouble when two wickets fell in the same over. Thushara dismissed Kohli for 37 and two balls later trapped Rohit Sharma for a duck. Skipper Dhoni played an innings that was an example for others to follow. He added 60 runs with Badrinath for the 6th wicket which paved the way for victory.

Earlier Praveen Kumar and Zaheer gave a good start by restricting Sri Lanka to 10 for 3. Sangakkara was bowled by a beautiful inswinger which knocked his stumps. He bowled two balls away from the batsman and then brough one into Sangakkara which he did not expect. Khan next's victim was skipper Jayawardane, the outswinger got outside edge and went to slip. Two balls later Kapugedera was caught behind with a thin outside edge of the outswinger.

Jayasuriya was trying to provide a fighting innings, but was trapped LBW of Khan. From 44 for 6, Kulasekara and Thushara took Sri Lanka beyond 100. They both added 74 for the 7th wicket.

Match: 2nd ODI
Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Date: August 20, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and MS Dhoni
Toss: India won the toss and decided to field
Result: India won by 3 wickets with 62 balls remaining
Series: Tied at 1-1
Man of the Match: Z Khan off India
Score:

Sri Lanka 142 all out in 38.3 overs (ST Jayasuriya 13, KC Sangakkara 2, DPMD Jayawardene 2, CK Kapugedera 0, LPC Silva 0, TM Dilshan 16, KMDN Kulasekara 25, T Thushara 44, BAW Mendis 0, CRD Fernando 12, M Muralitharan 11 not out, Extras-17 (lb 6, w 11), P Kumar 10-2-34-3, Z Khan 9.5-3-21-4, MM Patel 6-1-24-0, IK Pathan 5-0-21-1, Harbhajan Singh 5.4-0-26-2, Yuvraj Singh 2-0-10-0) lost to India 143 for 7 in 39.4 overs (IK Pathan 5, V Kohli 37, SK Raina 1, Yuvraj Singh 20, MS Dhoni 39, RG Sharma 0, S Badrinath 27 not out, Harbhajan Singh 1, Z Khan 2 not out, Extras-11 (b 3, lb 4, w 2, nb 2), KMDN Kulasekara 9-2-26-2, T Thushara 7-1-32-2, BAW Mendis 10-1-22-2, CRD Fernando 5-0-25-1, M Muralitharan 8.4-0-31-0)

Click here to read the 1st ODI Result!

Click here to read the 3rd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 4th ODI Result!

Click here to read the 5th ODI Result!

1st ODI: Sri Lank win the first ODI!

Sri Lanka beat the guest India in the first ODI comfortably. India was bundled out for 146, when everyone expected that the young Indian team will be able to match the Sri Lankan attack. Though, Vaas and Kulasekara gave a good breakthrough in the early Indian innings, the spin duo Muralitharan and Mendis demolished the middle-order.

The top score was 23 by Yuvaraj. Sri Lanka chased 147 in 35 overs losing just 2 wickets.

Match: 1st ODI
Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Date: August 18, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and MS Dhoni
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets with 91 balls remaining
Series: Sri Lanka lead the series 1-0
Man of the Match: BAW Mendis off Sri Lanka
Score:

India 146 all out in 46 overs (G Gambhir 0, V Kohli 12, SK Raina 17, Yuvraj Singh 23, RG Sharma 19, MS Dhoni 6, IK Pathan 7, Harbhajan Singh 12, Z Khan 12, PP Ojha 16 not out, MM Patel 15, Extras-7 (b 2, lb 2, w 3), WPUJC Vaas 9-0-34-1, KMDN Kulasekara 7-0-23-2, T Thushara 6-0-18-1, BAW Mendis 9-4-21-3, M Muralitharan 10-2-37-3, ST Jayasuriya 5-1-9-0) lost to Sri Lanka 147 for 2 in 34.5 overs (ST Jayasuriya 10, KC Sangakkara 19, DPMD Jayawardene 61 not out, CK Kapugedera 45 not out, Extras-12 (b 4, lb 3, w 5), MM Patel 9-0-32-2, Z Khan 7-1-24-0, IK Pathan 7-0-35-0, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-18-0, PP Ojha 3-0-9-0, RG Sharma 2.5-0-11-0, SK Raina 2-0-11-0)

Click here to read the 2nd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 3rd ODI Result!

Click here to read the 4th ODI Result!

Click here to read the 5th ODI Result!

3rd Test: Sri Lanka beats India, win series!!

What was a great chance to win the series, India really messed it up, especially after winning the toss. The first wicket partnership was 51 when Sehwag was dismissed for 21. Dravid (10) and Tendulakar (4) followed him. Ganguly made 35 and Laxman made 25.

Mendis, the demolition man picked 5 wickets and Murali picked 3. India were bundeled out for 249.

India had the game in hand by restricting Sri Lanka to less than 300. India picked 4 wickets with 141 on the board. The 5th wicket added 60 (between Sangakkara and Samaraveera). Sangakkara made 144 and took the total beyond 300. The 80-run stand for the 8th wicket between Sangakkar and HAPW Jayawardane helped Sri Lanka to have a lead of more than 100 runs.

The pathetic captaincy and bowling gave Sri Lanka a lead of 147 runs. India could have gone past that and added a big score in the 2nd innings, but the Indian batting failed once again. Dravid made a fighting 68 and Laxman 61 not out. It was expected that Dravid and Laxman pair would put another historic partnership, but they were not able to.

Spinners Muralitharan and Mendis pikced 3 wickets each as India was all out for 268 setting a target of 122 runs.

Sri Lanka chased 123 losing 2 wickets for 22 runs, but once again Kumble did not put enough pressure on the batsman as skipper Jayawardane (50 not out) and Warnapura (54 not out) took Sri Lankan the series victory.



Match: 3rd Test
Venue: Columbo
Date: August 8-12, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and A Kumble
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
Series: Sri Lanka won the series 2-1
Man of the Match: KC Sangakkara off Sri Lanka
Man of the Series: BAW Mendis off Sri Lanka
Score:

India 1st Innings 249 all out in 80 overs (G Gambhir 72, V Sehwag 21, R Dravid 10, SR Tendulkar 6, SC Ganguly 35, VVS Laxman 25, PA Patel 13, A Kumble 1, Harbhajan Singh 3, I Sharma 17 not out, Z Khan 32, Extras-14 (b 1, lb 8, nb 5), WPUJC Vaas 0 for 44, KTGD Prasad 3 for 82, BAW Mendis 5 for 56, M Muralitharan 2 for 58)

Sri Lanka 1st Innings 396 all out in 134.2 overs (MG Vandort 14, BSM 8, WPUJC Vaas 47, KC Sangakkara 144, DPMD Jayawardene 2, TT Samaraweera 35, TM Dilshan 23, HAPW Jayawardene 49, KTGD Prasad 36, BAW Mendis 17, M Muralitharan 0 not out, Extras-21 (b 4, lb 14, w 2, nb 1), Z Khan 3 for 105, I Sharma 1 for 33, Harbhajan Singh 3 for 104, A Kumble 3 for 123, V Sehwag 0 for 2, SC Ganguly 0 for 11)

India 2nd Innings (trail by 147 runs) 268 all out in 87.5 overs (G Gambhir 26, V Sehwag 34, R Dravid 68, SC Ganguly 18, PA Patel 1, SR Tendulkar 14, VVS Laxman 61 not out, A Kumble 9, Harbhajan Singh 26, Z Khan 0, I Sharma 0, Extras-11 (b 5, lb 3, w 2, nb 1), WPUJC Vaas 1 for 20, KTGD Prasad 2 for 60, M Muralitharan 3 for 99, BAW Mendis 3 for 81)

lost to Sri Lanka (target 122 runs) 123 for 2 in 33.1 overs (MG Vandort 8, BSM Warnapura 54 not out, KC Sangakkara 4, DPMD Jayawardene 50 not out, Extras-7 (b 4, lb 3), Z Khan 1 for 22, Harbhajan Singh 1 for 44, A Kumble 0 for 34, V Sehwag 0 for 12, SC Ganguly 0 for 4)

Click here to view 2nd Test Results!

Click here to view 1st Test Results!

2nd Test: India Equal the Series! Sehwag and Bhajji did the Trick!

Trailing 0-1 in the test series against the hosts Sri Lanka, India pulled off a sensational win in the 2nd test to equal the series. Sehwag and Gambhir laid the foundation through the first wicket partnership in the first innings, handling both Mendis and Muralitharan.

Sehwag scored a wonderful double century and helped India to put a decent total on the board. Without his double century, India would have struggled to cross 200.

The famous four once again failed miserably. Dravid out for 2 to Mendis, Sachin got out for 5, Ganguly for a duck, and Laxman for 39. India were 167 for no loss and lost Gambhir for 56. From 167 for 1, India slumpped to 178 for 4. Mendis picked 6 wickets.

Good bowling by Harbhajan Singh helped India to gain 37 runs lead in the first innings. He took 6 wickets, dismissing top order batsmen. Warnapura, Sangakkara and Skipper Jayawardane crossed 50.

Having a good chance in the match, India did not utilized it well in the 2nd innings. India had all the time in the world to score more runs in the 2nd innings which started on Day 3. Gambhir and Sehwag once again gave a good start to India, but India was dismissed for 269.

Chasing 307, Sri Lanka lost the first three wickets including skipper Jayawardane with 10 on the board. Ishanth picked 2 wickets and Zaheer picked 1. At lunch on Day 4, Sri Lanka were 24 for 3. Samaraweera provided some resistence and scored 68 not out. He along with Dilshan added 76 for the 5th wicket. There was a little threat, but once that partnership was broken by Ishanth Sharma, the remaining 5 wickets fell for 23 runs in 11.4 overs. Though Bhajji picked 10 wickets in the match, Sehwag's 201 not out in first innings and 50 in the 2nd innings won him the man of the match award.

Match: 2nd Test
Venue: Galle
Date: July 31-August 4, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and A Kumble
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 170 runs
Series: Level at 1-1
Man of the Match: V Sehwag off India
Score:

India 1st Innings 329 all out in 82 overs (G Gambhir 56, V Sehwag 201 not out, R Dravid 2, SR Tendulkar 5, SC Ganguly 0, VVS Laxman 39, KD Karthik 7, A Kumble 4, Harbhajan Singh 1, Z Khan 2, I Sharma 0, Extras-12 (b 1, lb 4, w 7), WPUJC Vaas 2 for 74, KMDN Kulasekara 0 for 40, BAW Mendis 6 for 117, M Muralitharan 2 for 93)

Sri Lanka 1st Innings 292 all out in 93.3 overs (MG Vandort 4, BSM Warnapura 66, KC Sangakkara 68, DPMD Jayawardene 86, TT Samaraweera 14, TM Dilshan 0, HAPW Jayawardene 24, WPUJC Vaas 1, KMDN Kulasekara 5 not out, BAW Mendis 0, M Muralitharan 0, Extras-24 (b 10, lb 12, nb 2), Z Khan 1 for 51, I Sharma 0 for 36, A Kumble 3 for 81, Harbhajan Singh 6 for 102)

India 2nd Innings (lead by 37 runs) 269 all out in 76.2 overs (G Gambhir 74, V Sehwag 50, R Dravid 44, SR Tendulkar 31, SC Ganguly 16, VVS Laxman 13, KD Karthik 20, A Kumble 2, Harbhajan Singh 11, I Sharma 0, Z Khan 1 not out, Extras-7 (lb 7), WPUJC Vaas 2 for 32, KMDN Kulasekara 0 for 31, M Muralitharan 3 for 107, BAW Mendis 4 for 92)

beat Sri Lanka 2nd Innings (307 to win) 136 all out in 47.3 overs (MG Vandort 10, BSM Warnapura 0, KC Sangakkara 1, DPMD Jayawardene 5, TT Samaraweera 67 not out, TM Dilshan 38, HAPW Jayawardene 4, WPUJC Vaas 0, KMDN Kulasekara 1, BAW Mendis 2, M Muralitharan 0, Extras-8 (b 4, lb 2, nb 2), Z Khan 1 for 18, I Sharma 3 for 20, A Kumble 2 for 41, Harbhajan Singh 4 for 51)

1st Test: Sri Lanka beat India in 1st Test

The Indian batting failed one more time and they succumbed to the spin attack of Muralitharan and Mendis. All the famous four fell apart and no one was able to attack or handle Mendis. India miserably failed in the test and lost it by an innings and 239 runs. Isn't it a huge margin and big loss for India?

Four centuries were scored in the Sri Lankan's innings and that helped Sri Lanka to put a huge total on the board. India was given follow on as they failed to reduce the lead to less than 200. The match was completed on the fourth day. Muralitharan was awarded the man of the match for his 11 wicket haul in the match.


Match: 1st Test
Venue: Columbo
Date: July 23-27, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and India
Captains: DPMD Jayawardene and A Kumble
Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Sri Lanka won by an innings and 239 runs
Series: Sri Lanka lead by 1-0
Man of the Match: M Muralitharan off Sri Lanka
Score:

Sri Lanka 1st Innings 600 for 6 declared in 162 overs (MG Vandort 3, BSM Warnapura 115, KC Sangakkara 12, DPMD Jayawardene 136, TT Samaraweera 127, TM Dilshan 125 not out, HAPW Jayawardene 30, WPUJC Vaas 22 not out, Extras-30 (b 4, lb 5, w 3, nb 18), Z Khan 2 for 156, I Sharma 2 for 124, SC Ganguly 0 for 24, Harbhajan Singh 2 for 149, A Kumble 0 for 121, V Sehwag 0 for 17)

beat India 1st Innings 223 all out in 72.5 overs (G Gambhir 39, V Sehwag 25, R Dravid 14, SR Tendulkar 27, SC Ganguly 23, VVS Laxman 56, KD Karthik 9, A Kumble 1, Harbhajan Singh 9, Z Khan 5, I Sharma 13 not out, Extras-2 (lb 2), WPUJC Vaas 0 for 23, DN Kulasekara 1 for 42, BAW Mendis 4 for 72, M Muralitharan 5 for 84)

India 2nd Innings (follow on and trail by 377 runs) 138 all out in 48 overs (G Gambhir 43, V Sehwag 13, VVS Laxman 21, SR Tendulkar 12, R Dravid 10, SC Ganguly 4, KD Karthik 0, A Kumble 12, Harbhajan Singh 15, Z Khan 3, I Sharma 5 not out, Extra-0, WPUJC Vaas 0 for 27, KMDN Kulasekara 0 for 25, BAW Mendis 4 for 60, M Muralitharan 6 for 26)

Champions Trophy Schedule Revised!

The champions trophy dates have been revised and the venue has been restricted to Lahore and Karachi. The matches in Rawalpindi were shifted to the other two locations.

The groups are:

Group A: India, Australia, Pakistan, and West Indies
Group B: South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka

Match 1, Fri Sep. 12, Group A: Pakistan v. West Indies, Lahore
Match 2, Sat Sep. 13, Group A, Australia v. India, Karachi
Match 3, Sun Sep. 14, Group B, England v. Sri Lanka, Lahore
Match 4, Sun Sep. 14, Group B, South Africa v. New Zealand, Karachi
Match 5, Mon Sep. 15, Group A, Pakistan v. Australia, Karachi
Match 6, Tue Sep. 16, Group B, South Africa v. Sri Lanka, Lahore
Match 7, Wed Sep. 17, Group B, England v. New Zealand, Lahore
Match 8, Thu Sep. 18, Group B, India v. West Indies, Karachi
Match 9, Fri Sep. 19, Group B, New Zealand v. Sri Lanka, Lahore
Match 10, Sat Sep. 20, Group A, India v. Pakistan, Karachi
Match 11, Sun Sep. 21, Group A, Australia v. West Indies, Lahore
Match 12, Sun Sep. 21, Group B, England v. South Africa, Karachi
Match 13, Wed Sep. 24, Semi Final 1, Karachi
Match 14, Fri Sep. 26, Semi Final 2, Lahore
Match 15, Sun Sep. 28, Final, Lahore

Mendis Demolish Continued in Test Series!

The man of the series man Mendis demolished the Indian batting and their confidence. It all started in the Asia Cup final where India was beaten comfortably. His wicket taking ability has improved over time and that showed in the 3 test match series.

Records:

1. He become the highest wicket taker in a 3 test match series for Sri Lanka surpassing Muraitharan;
2. In a test debut series, he is the highest wicket taker in the 3 test match series;
3. He took 5 wickets in an innings twice;
4. He took 10 wickets in a match once;

Though he demonstrated his bowling skills against India and he was on top followed by the Indian batsmen, we have to see the consistency in performance and skills in future series.

He dismissed Laxman 5 times, Dravid 4 times and then Gambhir 3 times. He also dismissed Tendular once in the last innings of the series--his ambition.

Well done Mendis!

England Wins Final Test, Consolation Win, Retains some pride!

The first time skipper of England Kevin Pietersen has tasted victory in his test captaincy debut. He has also joined the club of batsman who have scored century in their test captaincy debut.

Winning the toss and batting first, South Africa were bundled out for 194. With such a good show in the previous two tests, it was tough to believe that they were bowled out for less than 200 especially in the last test. All the bowlers delivered for England and provided an opportunity for England to put a huge total on the board.

Though England got past the total, but the lead was not as big as they would have planned. Except skipper Pietersen's century and Collingwood's 61, they would have struggled to go beyond 200. Nitni sent 5 of the England batsmen to the pavilion.

Trailing by 122 runs in the 2nd innings, South Africa made just 318, not enough to restrict England. DeVilliers scored 97 and gave SA bowlers a chance to go against England.

Chasing 197 on the last day, they reached the target with 6 wickets in hand. Strauss and Cook added 123 for the first wicket. They ensured that they didn't lose their wicket in the first session.

Cook fell in the 3rd over after lunch for 67. Bell was beautifully bowled by Nitni for 4. He shuffled acorss for a ball that pitched on the middle and swung in. He tried to flick it, but missed the line and his leg stump was uprooted.

Strauss fell two balls later for 58. Three quick wickets put England under pressure at 147 for 3. The skipper fell for 13 when they were 15 runs away from victory.

Collingwod and Flintoff completed the formalities with the latter scoring the winning shot with a six over bowlers head.

Pietersen declared man of the match. He also shared the man of the series with counter part Smith.

Match: 4th Test
Venue: London
Date: August 7-11, 2008
Teams: South Africa and England
Captains: GC Smith and KP Pietersen
Toss: South Africa won the toss and decided to bat
Result: England won by 6 wickets
Series: South Africa won the serie by 2-1 with one drawn
Man of the Match: KP Pietersen off England
Man of the Series: KP Pietersen off England and GC Smith of South Africa

Score:

South Africa 1st Innings 194 all out in 64.5 overs (GC Smith 46, ND McKenzie 17, HM Amla 36, JH Kallis 2, AG Prince 4, AB de Villiers 39, MV Boucher 3, M Morkel 17, PL Harris 13 not out, A Nel 4, M Ntini 9, Extras--4 (b 1, lb 1, nb 2), SJ Harmison 2 for 49, JM Anderson 3 for 42, A Flintoff 1 for 37, SCJ Broad 2 for 60, MS Panesar 2/ for 4)

England 1st Innings 316 all out in 95.2 overs (AJ Strauss 6, AN Cook 39, IR Bell 24, KP Pietersen 100, PD Collingwood 61, A Flintoff 9, TR Ambrose 4, SCJ Broad 1, SJ Harmison 49 not out, JM Anderson 13, MS Panesar 0, Extras--10 (lb 4, w 1, nb 5), M M Morkel 0 for 78, M Ntini 5 for 94, A Nel 0 for 56, JH Kallis 3 for 51, PL Harris 1 for 33)

South Africa (trail by 122 runs) 318 allout in 99.2 overs (GC Smith 0, ND McKenzie 29, HM Amla 76, JH Kallis 9, AG Prince 24, AB de Villiers 97, MV Boucher 12, M Morkel 10, PL Harris 34, A Nel 3 not out, M Ntini 2, Extras-22 (b 6, lb 8, w 5, nb 3), JM Anderson 2 for 85, SJ Harmison 2 for 84, A Flintoff 1 for 53, MS Panesar 2 for 37, SCJ Broad 3 for 44, KP Pietersen 0 for 1)

lost to England 2nd Innings (target 197 runs) 198 for 4 in 52.5 overs (AJ Strauss 58, AN Cook 67, IR Bell 4, KP Pietersen 13, PD Collingwood 25 not out, A Flintoff 11 not out, Extras--20 (b 6, lb 7, w 1, nb 6), M Morkel 0 for 43, M Ntini 2 for 55, PL Harris 2 for 56, A Nel 0 for 21, JH Kallis 0 for 10)

Sri Lanka beat India 2-1 and win Idea Cup!

Sri Lanka beat India in the 3rd Test by 8 wickets and won the series and Idea Cup. Chasing a target of 122 with more than 1.5 days of game in hand, Sri Lanka was in no hurry chasing this moderate target.

Though they lost the opener to Harbhajan Sing, who was given the new ball in the 2nd of over of the innings, a surprise move by Kumble, skipper Jayawardane scored a timely half-century and helped Sri Lanka reach the target without any trouble or danger.

With Sachin returning home due to injury, the young team to be lead once again by Dhoni should prove and outplay Sri Lanka to bring back the lost pride!

Tendular Injured! Out of ODI Series!

The master batsman Sachin Tendulkar injured his left hand while trying to catch at backward short leg. The incident happened on the 3rd day of the 3rd Test against Sri Lanka.

He did not score big runs and help India during the crucial time! India lost the series 2-1, where his century could have helped.

He also missed to become the highest run getter in the test history. All he needed was 172 runs in 3 test matche, but he scored less than 100 runs in 6 innings--a very unusual Tendulkar!

I think the media has to raise the question of his retirement / form once again, so that he start scoring runs. Everytime somebody brings this question, he neglects them saying he is enjoying is cricket and scores runs immediatley. It is time that he helps India one more time like he did in the past.

With this injury, he is out of the ODI team for the five ODI against Sri Lanka. It is not of a great concern now as Sehwag and Gamhir are performing well.

But, we always need the Greatest batsman of world cricket back in the game soon. Wishing you speedy recovery!

3rd Test: South Africa beat England and Win Series!

South African skipper Greame Smith lead from the front and by example to give his country a series win in England after a gap of 43 years. Their last series win against England in England was in 1965.

Smith scored a meaningful century in the 2nd innings of South African batting and took his side to victory target. Chasing a target of 281, South African reached their target with the loss of 5 wickets. Smith scored 154 not out and Mark Boucher added an useful 45 and they both scored 112 for the unbeaten 6th wicket partnership.

Struggling in the 2nd innings by 83 runs, England was rescued by Kevin Pietersen's 94 and Collingwood's timely 135. From 104 for 4, they both added 115 for the 5th wicket.

With this win, South Africa win the series 2-0 with one drawn and one more test to go.

Match: 3rd Test
Venue: Birmingham
Date: July 30-August 2, 2008
Teams: South Africa and England
Captains: GC Smith and MP Vaughan
Toss: England won the toss and decided to bat
Result: South Africa won by 5 wickets
Series: South Africa won the serie by 2-0 with one drawn
Man of the Match: GS Smith off South Africa
Score:

England 1st Innings 231 all out in 77 overs (AJ Strauss 20, AN Cook 76, MP Vaughan 0, KP Pietersen 4, IR Bell 50, PD Collingwood 4, A Flintoff 36 not out, TR Ambrose 22, RJ Sidebottom 2, JM Anderson 1, MS Panesar 1, Extras--15 (b 1, lb 7, w 2, nb 5), M Morkel 0 for 50, M Ntini 2 for 70, A Nel 3 for 47, JH Kallis 3 for 31, PL Harris 0 for 25)

South Africa 1st Innings 314 all out in 90.2 overs (ND McKenzie 72, GC Smith 7, PL Harris 19, HM Amla 9, JH Kallis 64, AG Prince 39, AB de Villiers 5, MV Boucher 40, M Morkel 18, A Nel 0, M Ntini 0 not out, Extras--41 (lb 35, nb 6), RJ Sidebottom 3 for 81, JM Anderson 3 for 72, A Flintoff 4 for 89, PD Collingwood 0 for 12, MS Panesar 0 for 25)

England 2nd Innings (trail by 83 runs) 363 all out in 98.2 overs (AJ Strauss 25, AN Cook 9, MP Vaughan 17, KP Pietersen 94, IR Bell 20, PD Collingwood 135, A Flintoff 2, TR Ambrose 19, RJ Sidebottom 22, JM Anderson 1, MS Panesar 0 not out, Extras--19 (b 8, lb 2, w 6, nb 3), M Morkel 4 for 97, A Nel 1 for 79, M Ntini 2 for 58, JH Kallis 1 for 59, PL Harris 2 for 60)

lost to South Africa (281 to win) 283 for 5 wickets in 80 overs (GC Smith 154 not out, ND McKenzie 22, HM Amla 6, JH Kallis 5, AG Prince 2, AB de Villiers 27, MV Boucher 45 not out, Extras-22 (b 9, lb 9, w 2, nb 2), RJ Sidebottom 0 for 26, JM Anderson 1 for 60, MS Panesar 2 for 91, A Flintoff 2 for 72, KP Pietersen 0 for 16)

Ashok Mankad passes away

Ashok Mankad, the former Indian cricketer, passed away at the age of 61. He had no ailments and hence it was a shock for the entire Indian cricketers.

He died in his sleep early on Friday, August 1, 2008. He scored 991 runs for country in the 22 tests he played. He played only one ODI match and scored 44 runs.

He represented Mumbai in the domestic cricket. All the Indian cricketers termed his sudden demise has a loss to the Indian cricket and few termed it as a loss of a good friend.

Let us pray for his soul rest in peace!

Champions Trophy Schedule

The Champions Trophy scheduled has been annouced. Pakistan retained the venue with them though there were controversies regarding the security.

Australia already declard that they will not be playing citing security reasons. It is not sure whether South Africa, New Zealand and England will play either. The teams expected to participate are, Pakistan--the hosts, India, Sri Lanka, and West Indies.

The groups are:

Group A: India, Australia, Pakistan, and West Indies
Group B: South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka

Match 1, Thu Sep. 11, Group A: Pakistan v. West Indies, Lahore
Match 2, Fri Sep. 12, Group B, New Zealand v. Sri Lanka, Karachi
Match 3, Sat Sep. 13, Group A, Australia v. India, Lahore
Match 4, Sun Sep. 14, Group B, England v. Sri Lanka, Karachi
Match 5, Mon Sep. 15, Group B, South Africa v. New Zealand, Rawalpindi
Match 6, Tue Sep. 16, Group A, India v. West Indies, Karachi
Match 7, Wed Sep. 17, Group A, Pakistan v. Australia, Rawalpindi
Match 8, Thu Sep. 18, Group B, South Africa v. Sri Lanka, Lahore
Match 9, Fri Sep. 19, Group B, England v. New Zealand, Rawalpindi
Match 10, Sat Sep. 20, Group A, India v. Pakistan, Lahore
Match 11, Sun Sep. 21, Group A, Australia v. West Indies, Karachi
Match 12, Sun Sep. 21, Group B, England v. South Africa, Rawalpindi
Match 13, Wed Sep. 24, Semi Final 1, Karachi
Match 14, Thu Sep. 25, Semi Final 2, Rawalpindi
Match 15, Sun Sep. 28, Final, Lahore

Good luck to all teams, but let India win!

Tendulkar to Act in Big Screen!

Sachin Tendulkar, though made his debut in Cricket at the aga of 17, is making his debut in the big screen towards the end of his career. He will be acting in a Marathi movie "Vighnaharta Siddhivinayak."

Though the movie is about the miracles of the Lord Ganesha, I would rather call it a social than a mythological film. I want the movie to convey a social message of friendship and have it conveyed through the easily-recognised icon, Sachin Tendulkar," Rajiv Singhvi, movie's producer, told IANS.

Several movie stars are expected to give a guest appearance giving a social message. It is expected that Amitab Bachan will give the voice for the movie.

Tendular has experience in acting ads and is an ambassador for several products. His first time experience in big screen has to wait and seen. Good luck, Sachin!