Asia Cup, FINAL: Jayasuriya and Mendis Help Sri Lanka win Final!

Sri Lanka havae won the Asia Cup for the for the first time outside Sri Lanka. Though Sri Lanka was losing wickets at regular intervals, it did not stop Jayasuriya from playing his regular shots. His less than a ball century helped Sri Lanka to put a winning total on the board. Struggling at 66 for 4, Jayasuriya and Dilshan (56) added 131 for the 4th wicket in 141 balls. Jayasuriya scored 125 off 114 balls with 9 fours and 5 sixes. He punished all the fast bowlers--RP Singh, Ishanth Sharma, and Pathan. All of them were hammered by Jayasuriya.

Indian batting meekly surrendered to the bowling of Sri Lankans especially Mendis. Later in the press conference, Dhoni admitted that no batsman was able to read Mendis. Having chased 309 in their last encounter, the target of 274 seemed easy in this kind of wicket.

The start was good with 36 in the first 5 overs. Gambhir got out for 6 in the 5th over. Sehwag was the culprit for the fall of the Indian innings. He was playing Mendis for the first time and bowling his first over.

He stepped out for the first two balls and was not successful. He should have waited and played sensibly. He came out for the third time and got stumped way out of the crease and that is stupid cricket. Well,one can argue that if he hits for runs we appreciate, but still I would say that is an early stage for hitting and it is a final. Everyone has a role to play, especially understaning their responsibilities. He was the first wicket of Mendis and gave all the confidence to him.

Yuvaraj Singh, still in the party mood, did not read the straight faster one and went for back foot. It was too late and the ball hit the stumps. Raina trying to pull a short ball was also bowled. Dhoni stayed and played a fighting innings but was not useful as the wickets were falling at the other end. Mendis picked 6 wickets giving away 13 runs in his 8 overs and was declared both man of the match and series.

Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 13
Final
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: July 6, 2008
Teams: India and Sri Lanka
Captains: MS Dhoni and DPMD Jayawardene
Toss: India won the toss and decided to field
Result: Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup by 100 runs
Man of the Match: BAW Mendis off Sri Lanka
Man of the Series: BAW Mendis off Sri Lanka
Score:

Sri Lanka 273 all out in 49.5 overs (ST Jayasuriya 125, KC Sangakkara 4, DPMD Jayawardene 11, CK Kapugedera 5, LPC Silva 0, TM Dilshan 56, WPUJC Vaas 19, KMDN Kulasekara 29 not out, T Thushara 5, BAW Mendis 8, M Muralitharan 2, Extras--9 (lb 8, w 1), RP Singh 9-1-67-3, I Sharma 10-1-52-3, IK Pathan 9.5-0-67-2, PP Ojha 10-1-38-0, V Sehwag 8-0-30-1, RG Sharma 3-0-11-0) beat India 173 all out in 39.3 overs (G Gambhir 6, V Sehwag 60, SK Raina 16, Yuvraj Singh 0, MS Dhoni 49, RG Sharma 3, RV Uthappa 20, IK Pathan 2, RP Singh 0, PP Ojha 6 not out, I Sharma 8, Extras--3 (b 2, w 1), WPUJC Vaas 9-0-55-2, KMDN Kulasekara 6.3-0-26-1, T Thushara 8-0-51-0, BAW Mendis 8-1-13-6, M Muralitharan 8-0-26-1)

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Asia Cup, Super Four, Match 5: India Win! India v. Sri Lanka in the Final!

India beat Sri Lanka in the crucial do or die match and enter the final. They will play Sri Lanka again. Pakistan's chance to enter final is no more a reality and hence their match against Bangladesh is mere a play for pride game.

Chasing a target of 309, the start was good with Gambhir and Sehwag adding 92 for the first wicket in 11.4 overs. Raina scored 54, while skipper Dhoni lead from the front. He scored 67 off 78 balls with 5 fours and a six. Dhoni and Raina added 99 for the 3rd wicket in 92 balls.

This win will be a morale booster before the final against the same team.

Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 11
Super Four: 5
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: July 3, 2008
Teams: India and Sri Lanka
Captains: MS Dhoni and DPMD Jayawardene
Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 6 wickets with 19 balls remaining
Points: India 2; Sri Lanka 0
Man of the Match: MS Dhoni off India
Score:

Sri Lanka 308 for 8 in 50 overs (ST Jayasuriya 43, KC Sangakkara 7, DPMD Jayawardene 50, CK Kapugedera 75, LPC Silva 50, TM Dilshan 15, K Weeraratne 23, T Thushara 23, KMDN Kulasekara 6 not out, M Muralitharan 1 not out, Extras--15 (b 1, lb 11, w 3), RP Singh 10-1-44-1, I Sharma 10-0-55-2, IK Pathan 10-0-80-1, P Kumar 6-0-36-1, PP Ojha 10-0-55-1, V Sehwag 3-0-22-0, RG Sharma 1-0-4-0) lost to India 310 for 4 in 46.5 overs (G Gambhir 68, V Sehwag 42, SK Raina 54, MS Dhoni 67, Yuvraj Singh 36 not out, RG Sharma 22 not out, Extras--21 (lb 11, w 9, nb 1), CRD Fernando 9-0-52-0, KMDN Kulasekara 9.5-0-71-1, T Thushara 8-0-67-0, M Muralitharan 10-0-44-2, K Weeraratne 5-0-36-0, ST Jayasuriya 3-0-19-0, TM Dilshan 2-0-10-0)

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Asia Cup, Super Four, Match 4: Younis Khan's ton beat India!

Though India scored 308, Younis Khan's 123 not out gave Pakistan a ray of hope to enter the final and helped them to stay in the competition. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq scored 70 and put a 144-run unbeaten partnership for the 3rd wicket.


For India, Dhoni top scored with 76 while Rohit scored an useful 58.

India have to beat Sri Lanka in their next match or the match should end in a tie or wash out. Else, Pakistan would enter the final. So, it will be a do or die for India on July 3rd.


Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 10
Super Four: 4
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: July 2, 2008
Teams: India and Pakistan
Captains: MS Dhoni and Misbah-ul-Haq
Toss: India won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 8 wickets with 27 balls remaining
Points: Pakistan 2; India 0
Man of the Match: Younis Khan off Pakistan
Score:

India 308 for 7 in 50 overs (G Gambhir 35, V Sehwag 49, SK Raina 1, Yuvraj Singh 37, MS Dhoni 76, RG Sharma 58, YK Pathan 0, IK Pathan 38 not out, P Kumar 1 not out, Extras--13 (b 1, lb 4, w 8), Sohail Tanvir 10-0-87-1, Abdur Rauf 10-0-66-2, Iftikhar Anjum 10-1-51-3, Shahid Afridi 10-0-52-0, Saeed Ajmal 10-0-47-1) lost to Pakistan 309 for 2 in 45.3 overs (Salman Butt 36, Nasir Jamshed 53 (retired hurt), Younis Khan 123 not out, Mohammad Yousuf 21, Misbah-ul-Haq 70 not out, Extras--6 (lb 1, w 2, nb 3), P Kumar 8.3-1-61-0, IK Pathan 10-0-68-0, I Sharma 10-1-63-0, YK Pathan 4-0-29-0, PP Chawla 8-0-53-1, V Sehwag 5-0-34-0)

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Asia Cup, Super Four, Match 3: Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by Huge Margin!

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 158 runs and confirmed their birth to the final. It is a question of whom they will meet in the final. Jayasuriya and Sangakkara exploited the poor and inexperienced bowling. They both scored century and put 201 for the first wicket. Jayasuriya scored 130 off 88 balls with 16 fours and 6 sixes. Sangakkara scored 121 off 128 balls with 16 fours and a six.

For Bangladesh, Raquibul Hasan scored 52, Muralitharan picked 5 wickets for 31 in his 10 overs.

Tournament: Asia Cup
Match: 9
Super Four: 3
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Date: June 30, 2008
Teams: Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Captains: DPMD Jayawardane and Mohammad Ashraful
Toss: Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Sri Lanka won by 158 runs
Points: Sri Lanka 2; Bangladesh 0
Man of the Match: ST Jayasuriya off Sri Lanka
Score:

Sri Lanka 332 for 8 in 50 overs (ST Jayasuriya 130, KC Sangakkara 121, DPMD Jayawardene 20, CK Kapugedera 1, LPC Silva 4, TM Dilshan 2, WPUJC Vaas 7, T Thushara 10, KMDN Kulasekara 18 not out, BAW Mendis 8 not out, Extras--10 (lb 3, w 5, nb 2), Mashrafe Mortaza 10-0-78-1, Shahadat Hossain 7-1-46-1, Abdur Razzak 10-0-71-1, Farhad Reza 9-1-51-2, Mahmudullah 8-0-43-0, Alok Kapali 6-0-40-2) beat Bangladesh 174 all out in 38.3 overs (Tamim Iqbal 8, Nazimuddin 47, Mohammad Ashraful 14, Raqibul Hasan 52, Mushfiqur Rahim 8, Alok Kapali 9, Mahmudullah 8, Abdur Razzak 7, Farhad Reza 5, Mashrafe Mortaza 2, Shahadat Hossain 0 not out, Extras--14 (lb 6, w 7, nb 1), WPUJC Vaas 5-0-21-1, KMDN Kulasekara 6-1-26-0, T Thushara 5-0-36-1, BAW Mendis 7.3-0-29-2, M Muralitharan 10-1-31-5, CKKapugedera 5-0-25-0)

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Match 4 of Tri-Series: Pakistan Wins Kitply Trophy! Stuns India!

Pakistan have beaten India in the final of the Kitply tri-series tournament!

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Match Details:

Trophy: Kitply Cup - Tri-Series in Bangladesh
Match #: 4 (Final)
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Date: June 14, 2008
Teams: India and Pakistan
Captains: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shoaib Malik
Toss: Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 25 runs
Man of the Match: Younis Khan of Pakistan
Man of the Series: Salman Butt of Pakistan

Score:

Pakistan 315 for 3 in 50 overs (Salman Butt 129 retired hurt, Kamran Akmal 15, Younis Khan 108, Misbah-ul-Haq 33, Shahid Afridi 10 not out, Shoaib Malik 11 not out, Extras--9 (b 2, lb 4, w 2, nb 1), P Kumar 10-1-37-0, I Sharma 10-0-57-1, IK Pathan 10-0-59-2, PP Chawla 10-0-85-0, V Sehwag 3-0-26-0, YK Pathan 2-0-11-0, Yuvaraj Singh 4-0-23-0, SK Raina 1-0-11-0) beat India 290 all out in 48.2 overs (G Gambhir 40, V Sehwag 2, RG Sharma 24, YK Pathan 25, Yuvaraj Singh 56, SK Raina 24, MS Dhoni 64, IK Pathan 28, P Kumar 5, PP Chawla 2, I Sharma 0 not out, Extras--20 (lb 7, w 11, nb 2), Umar Gul 9-0-57-4, Sohail Tanvir 10-1-60-1, Iftikhar Anjum 10-0-58-2, Shahid Afridi 9.2-0-56-2, Shoaib Malik 4-0-28-0, Fawad Alam 6-0-24-1)

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Match 3 of Tri-Series: India beat Bangladesh, Enter Final!

In a match where Bangladesh to enter the final, had to beat India and restrict them within 177 while chasing.

Gambhir's century saw the Indians through to the finals without any trouble. Both Sehwag and Gambhir started the chase and built a strong foundation. Sehwag could have gone to score a century, but his rash hook of a short boall found the only fielder outside the ring in the deep square leg.

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For Banglasdesh, Raqibul Hasan top scored with 89 while RP Singh took 3 for 46 in his 10 overs.

Gambhir was awarded the man of the match for his wonderful 107 not out off 101 balls with 13 fours and a six.

Match Details:

Trophy: Kitply Cup - Tri-Series in Bangladesh
Match #: 3
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
Date: June 12, 2008
Teams: India and Bangladesh
Captains: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mohammad Ashraful
Toss: Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat
Result: India won by 7 wickets with 89 balls remaining
Man of the Match: Gautam Gambhir of India
Score:

Bangladesh 222 all out in 49.5 overs (Tamim Iqbal 0, Shahriar Nafees 9, Mohammad Ashraful 36, Raqibul Hasan 89, Mushfiqur Rahim 6, Alok Kapali 20, Mahmudullah 24, Farhad Reza 5, Mashrafe Mortaza 13, Abdur Razzak 8 not out, Dolar Mahmud 0, Extras--12 (lb 2, w 10), P Kumar 10-2-32-1, RP Singh 10-1-46-3, IK Pathan 8.5-0-48-2, PP Chawla 10-0-42-1, Yuvaraj Singh 2-0-10-0, YK Pathan 2-0-9-1, V Sehwag 7-0-33-0) lost to India 223 for 3 in 35.1 overs (G Gambhir 107 not out, V Sehwag 59, RG Sharma 26, Yuvaraj Singh 26, SK Raina 0 not out, Extras--5 (w 5), Mashrafe Mortaza 8-0-33-0, Ferhad Reza 5.1-0-45-1, Dolar Mahmud 4-0-42-1, Abdur Razzak 10-0-48-1, Mahmudullah 7-0-42-0, Alok Kapali 1-0-13-0)

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England need 5 wickets to Win Series!

Resuming the Day 4 at 416 for 5 with a over all lead of 501, England delcared their 2nd innings at 467 with the target of 553 to win. Strauss was out on 177 and Ambrose was out for 31.

New Zealand were 222 for 5 at the end of Day 4 in the allotted 82 overs. They have to play the full quota of 90 overs or score 331 runs. Bell and Fleming were playing well and scored their half-century. They both added 99 runs for the 2nd wicket when the partnership was broken by Panesar. Soon Fleming followed him, out for 66 off Panesar. Broad picked 2 wickets and Panesar 3 wickets.

Short Score:

England 1st Innings: 253 all out in 96.1 overs (Pietersen 129, Collingwood 30, Broad 42, Martin 2 for 74, Southee 5 for 55, Patel 2 for 37)
New Zealand 1st Innings 168 all out in 48.4 overs (How 44, Fleming 59, Sidebottom 7 for 47, Broad 3 for 54)
England 2nd Innings 467 for 7 declared in 131.5 overs (Cook 37, Strauss 177, Pietersen 34, Bell 110, Ambrose 31, Broad 31 not out, Patel 2 for 104, Vettori 4 for 158)
New Zealand 2nd Innings (553 to win) 222 for 5 in 82 overs at the end of Day 4 (Bell 69, Fleming 66, Taylor 34 batting, Broad 2 for 40, Panesar 3 for 49)

Final 2: India Wins the CBS Cup! Aussies Stunned!

India wins the Commonwealth Bank Series for the first time! Australia has lost it for the 2nd consecutive time and they will not get a chance again because this is the last triangular series in Australia!

Chasing 259 runs at 5.18 runs per over, Australia had the equal chance of winning this game and moving to Adelaide. The Brisbane wicket was good and it the score was not that tough to reach especially for the world champions!

The chase did not start well. Gilchrist was caught behind in the 3rd ball of the first over. Once again Praveen Kumar provided the good start for the Indians. The poor shot selection of Ricky Ponting continued here as well. He tried to play his best short--the pull, but he didn't pick it at the right time and gave an easy catch to Yuvaraj at mid-on. He was out for 1 with the score board reading 8.

Clarke and Hayden were timing the ball well and picking ones' and twos'. The poor shot selection of Aussies continued when Clarke tried to pull Praveen Kumar, which didn't rise as he expected, but knocked the top of the off stump. He was out for 17 and the score was 32.

Once again Hayden and Symonds Company were under pressure to score runs without losing the wicket. Hayden, the in-form batsman was timing the ball well and hit lofted shots, stepped out of the crease and hit over mid-wicket for few fours. Symonds hit a huge six of Piyush Chawla and a four of Harbhajan. They were maintaining the score just under 5 runs per over picking singles and converting them to two's at times. Hayden scored another half-century and proved that he is a danger batsman who can turn the match towards Australia anytime.

When everyone was thinking that the match was going away from India, poor calling from Symonds, good fielding by Yuvaraj, nice collection of ball by Harbhajan ran out Hayden. Symonds defended the ball by playing forward and started for a single. When he realized Yuvaraj was approaching the ball faster than anticipated, Hayden was already half way through the pitch and couldn't back on time to save his wicket. Yuvaraj proved that he is one of the best fielder's in the world, picked the ball, saw that Hayden was half-way, threw the ball one bounce at the bowler's end where Harbhajan collected it neatly and completed the rest of the job. The big break-through came in the form of Hayden's run out. He was out for 55 off 68 balls with 7 fours. In the same over, Symonds was trapped leg before and Harbhajan dismissed him one more time and proved that he is on top.

The two blows put India back into the game. From 121 for 3, Aussies slipped to 123 for 5. But, Hussey and Hope built the innings for Australia with a crucial 76 run partnership for the 6th wicket. Hussey's running between the wickets was very good and Hopes also matched him well. They were hitting the ball well and when Hussey edged Sreesanth, the decision was referred to third umpire to ensure that the catch was cleanly taken by Dhoni. The decision was in favor of India and the score was 199 for 6 in 42 overs. Hopes was timing the ball and taking the match away from Indians. He swept Piyush Chawla and pulled Pathan.

The last 30 balls required 36 runs with 4 wickets in hand. The 46th over added 9 runs to Australia's total and the last 24 balls required 31. The next 24 balls requiring 31, Praveen Kumar started the over. The fourth ball of the over got a wicket in the form of Lee. He missed to read the slower ball when he tried to hit the ball across the line and was bowled for 7. Johnson joined Hopes and tried to take Australia to Adelaide. Johnson's nick of Harbhajan to a four of third man reduced some tension. With 21 runs requiring 12 balls, Sreesanth had Johnson nick the ball to Dhoni. With 8 balls and 20 runs, Hopes hit a flat six which added more tension to the Indian camp. With one more ball in Sreesanth's over, it was tension all over the ground and viewers. Sreesanth's full toss fetched one run to Hopes.

Dhoni had only two choices--Pathan or Piyush and he picked Pathan to bowl the last over. Australia needed 13 runs and India either requires 2 wickets or bowl the six balls by giving less than 12 runs. Pathan was picked to bowl the over and the first ball went for a single to third man which brought Bracken to strike. The 2nd ball got a wicket when Bracken tried to hit over long on, but the slower ball had him hit to mid on where Piyush Chawla held his nerve and took a shaky running catch. Australia lost the 9th wicket, but was sort of okay because it brought Hopes on strike. With 4 balls, 12 runs, Hopes sent the ball to long-off and the quick running brought 2 runs and also Hopes back on strike. Last 3 balls needed 10 runs, but this time, the full toss, Hopes hit the ball straight to the fielder in mid-on at the edge of the circle and the celebrations started! India won the cup for the first time! Pathan bowled the last over very well and took his 2 wickets.

Earlier, the Indian innings started once again with a good partnership of 94 runs for the first wicket. Sachin's innings was remarkable as he was driving and hitting Lee over point for four. Uthappa timed the ball well and was cautious of running as well. Sachin's groin injury was playing in the minds of the batsman. The drive in the air of Stuart Clark and then straight pull in the same over showed his control over the game. He reached his 50 in 70 balls. Soon, India lost Uthappa when he tried to hit the ball over long on but the edge went in the air to mid-off. He was out for 30 of 49 balls leaving India at 94 in the 21st over.

Gambhir was looking good and was maintaining the run rate along with Tendulkar. His over ambitious shot of hitting Michael Clarke for a six over mid on went straight to the fielder. He was out for 15 off 16 balls leaving India at 121 for 2 in 25.2 overs.

Yuvaraj started with a huge six of Michael Clarke played few good shots. His run a ball innings had 2 fours and 2 sixes. His six over the longest boundary in mid-wicket off Symonds was his best shot. But, in the same over, the short ball provoked him to hit similar shot which went straight to the fielder near the boundary line. He was out for 38 when India was going well at 175 in 35 overs. Tendulkar once again showed his disappointment over Yuvaraj's irresponsible shot.

Tendulkar when tried to place the ball to long-on and take a single, scooped the slower ball in the air, but beautiful diving catch by skipper Ponting sent him to the pavilion, 9 short of his 43rd ODI century. His wonderful 91 came from 121 balls with 7 fours. India playing well at 205 for 4 in 39.2 overs, it was a good chance for India to go beyond 280 runs on the board. But quick wickets of Sachin and Rohit Sharma put the brake in the Indian innings. Rohit was caught by Symonds--a straight forward catch at extra cover off Michael Clarke--his 3rd wicket.

It was left to Dhoni and Pathan to score some runs. Pathan scored 12 in 20 balls, with runs are not easily adding, Dhoni also got out when he tried to hit over long-on but only found the fielder. Harbhajan was LBW to Lee for 3. India was struggling at 240 for 7 in 48 overs--35 in 52 balls, Praveen Kumar was facing Lee. You could say that 3 fours of Lee's over turned the match and helped India to go past 250. Lee's short ball hit Praveen's arm guard and went for 4 in third-man, then he hit him over point, giving himself room for another 4. The single brought Harbhajan to strike, but he was trapped in front of the wicket. Piyush edged the next ball to third man boundary. The 49th over added 13 to the total and the last over was bowled by Bracken. He bowled well with a wicket and gave only 5 runs. India finished their innings with 258 for 9. Michael Clark and Bracken were the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets each and Symonds was costly, ending with 1 for 27 in 3 overs.

Man of the Match was rightly given to Praveen Kumar for providing early break-throughs', taking key wickets. Thanks to Sachin for his important 91, Yuvaraj for his brilliant fielding that ran out Hayden.

Final Score:
India 258 for 9 in 50 overs (Uthappa 30, Sachin 91, Yuvaraj 38, Dhoni 36, Bracken 3 for 31, Michael Clarke 3 for 52) beat Australia 249 in 49.4 overs (Hayden 55, Symonds 42, Hussey 44, Hopes 63, Praveen Kumar 4 for 46, Sreesanth 2 for 43, Pathan 2 for 54)

Man of the Match: Praveen Kumar (India)
Man of the Series: Bracken (Australia)

Final 1: Sachin Guides India to Win the First Final!

Do you believe that Sachin haven't scored an ODI century in Australia? The first century in Australia and that has helped India to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match final--the last of the triangular tournament in Australia.

After winning the toss and rightly electing to bat first, Australian's top order was rattled by Praveen Kumar, the surprise move by Dhoni. Gilchrist and Ponting tried to pull Praveen, but Gilly ended scooping the ball to mid-on and Yuvaraj took it easily. Ponting dragged the ball to the stumps. Michael Clarke was given a rough caught behind decision in Ishanth Sharma's bowling. When Aussies were struggling at 24 for 3 in 5.5 overs, Hayden continued his good form against Indians and scored a good half-century. Symonds provided a good company and both of them were cruising along well. The 100-run partnership came in 104 balls off which Symonds scored 31. Harbhajan got his man once-again through a flighted delivery. Though Symonds was successful in hitting Harbhajan for couple of fours, he hit straight to the fielder's hand in long on. Hussey and Hayden tried to continue from where Symonds left, but the sweep by Hayden in the air to deep mid-wicket was brilliantly caught by Piyush Chawla leaving Australian score to struggle at 135 for 5 in 27.3 overs.

Hussey's 45 really helped Australia to put a decent score and go beyond 200-run mark. The 5 run per over when Hayden was dismissed was brought under control by Indians. At the end of the 47th over, the score was 212 for 7 with Hopes and Hussey back in the pavilion. The quick 17 by Lee in 10 balls took the score to 239 for 8. India gave 27 runs in the last three overs, which was crucial while chasing.

The moderate score of 240 was thought to be difficult because in the previous occasion against Australia, Indians failed to chase 204. So, Australia had possibilities of winning the game and the Indian innings started with a good 50-run first wicket partnership of this series. Uthappa and Sachin brought the 50 in the 11th over. Uthappa was dismissed when he played a beautiful pull of Hopes was thought to be a good four, but Hussey at deep mid-wicket proved otherwise by taking a very good catch. Gambhir was run out for 3 when he responded late to Sachin's call for 2nd run. It was an easy run but he was watching the ball and fielder by the time Sachin was almost in half-of-the pitch.

Yuvaraj started the innings well, but didn't last long. He was bowled by Hogg. The younger Rohit joined Tendulkar at 87 for 3 and they both played well pulling, sweeping, driving the best bowling attack.

Tendulkar suffered cramp, which prevented him from playing few strokes. Lee apologized to Tendulkar when he sent a beamer, which slipped from his hand. The two top-cuts by Sachin was an example why he is stamped as best batsman in the world. Rohit on the other hand was giving good company to Sachin. He played sensibly listening to Sachin's advise and picking one and two. His drive and pulle of the fast bowlers were treat to watch. He started his scoring with a beautiful drives of Bracken which should have given him the world of confidence to build a long innings.

They both added 123 runs for the 4th wicket in 128 balls. Rohit was bowled by Hopes through a straight delivery which knocked his off stump. With 30 to win in 51 balls, Dhoni joined Tendulkar. They both finished the game in 4.2 overs. Dhoni was not out on 15 in 12 balls with 3 fours and Sachin was not out on 117 off 120 balls with 10 fours.

This is the first win in Sydney in the 12 encounters against Australia. This is Sachin's first hundred against Australia in 39 matches.

Final Score:
Australia 239 for 8 in 50 overs (Hayden 82, Symonds 31, Hussey 45, Praveen Kumar 2 for 49, Harbhajan 2 for 38) lost to India 242 for 4 in 45.5 overs (Tendulkar 117 Not Out, Rohit Sharma 66, Hopes 2 for 42)

Man of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Match 11: India enters Final with easy win over Sri Lanka!

Everything went right for India including the crucial toss and rightly asking Sri Lanka to bat first. In this crucial tie between India and Sri Lanka, the win for India would take them to Finals and if Sri Lanka wins, they have to win the other match to move to Finals.

Perera, lacking experience, was bowled by Sharma for 8. Then Jayasuriya and Sangakkara created a new partnership and posed a threat to Indians. Praveen Kumar broke the partnership and struck 3 times in each of his first three overs.

Sangakkara was the first victim of Praveen Kumar caught by Dhoni. Jayawardane was caught at point and then Silva was caught by Dhoni again.

Jayasuriya was dismissed for 34 by Pathan and Ishanth dismissed Dilshan for 8 and Vaas for zero. Ishanth two blows left Sri Lanka struggling at 93 for 7 in the 26th over. The 46-run partnership between Kapugedera and Malinga helped Sri Lanka to set the score beyond 150. Kapugedera was the last batsman to be dismissed for 57 off 86 balls with 4 fours.

Uthappa along with Sachin added 18 for the first wicket before Uthappa was caught by Amerasinghe of Malinga. Tendulkar and Gambhir played sensibly and added 102 for the 2nd wicket. Tendulkar was back to his form and was showing the way to the rest of the youngsters in the team. While trying to play over extra covers of Muralitharan, Tendular's lofted shot ended in long off fielder's hand leaving India another 60 runs in 30 overs. Yuvaraj scored a quick 36 off 35 balls with 4 fours and a six. He was out of Perera when the score was 171. With 9 to get in 20.2 overs, it was easy for Gambhir and Rohit Sharma to finish the task. Gambhir was not out on 63 off 89 balls with 5 fours.

With this win, India's point tally raised to 17 including bonus point and Sri Lanka is out of the tournament. India qualify for the final!

Final Score:

Sri Lanka 179 in 47.1 overs (Jayasuriya 34, Sangakkara 33, Kapugedera 57, Ishanth Sharma 4 for 41, Praveen Kumar 4 for 31) lost to India 180 for 3 in 32.2 overs (Tendulkar 63, Gambhir 63 not out, Yuvaraj 36)
Man of the Match: Praveen Kumar (India)

Match 10: Aussies win the thriller! Do-or-Die for India and Sri Lanka!

One more thriller and the result in favour of Australia! Although the match was in favour of Australia all through the game, the later part of the Indian innings created havoc in Aussies mind. If Uthappa and Harbhajan had stayed for few more deliveries, probably India would have clinched the spot to the final with ease.

Australia won the toss and decided to bat first in the beautiful track. Gilchrist played superb shorts, but fell quickly to Sreesanth. The catch was taken by Dhoni using the controversial gloves. Then skipper Ricky and Hayden studied the innings well with Ricky finally getting back to his form with fluent strokes. Let it be a shot ball on the off or on, it was easy for Pointing to score either a four or a six. Few shots in the air didn't land in the fielders hand, but that didn't stop Pointing from scoring a brilliant century.

From the beginning, Australia maintained more than 8 runs per over and the score was 100 for 1 in 12 overs. Hayden scored 54 and he was run out by Rohit Sharma. The good fielding by the youngster in the covers and throw at the non-strikers end was thought to be a break through by the Indians, but Symonds changed the course of the game through his powerful hits. He scored 59 off 49 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes. Thke sower in-swinger from Ishanth Sharma bowled Symonds--some words were exchanged.

India lost Tendulkar early, but superb century from Gambhir, sensible batting from Dhoni and aggressive batting of Uthappa provided a light chance for India to win. The game turned towards India when Uthappa and Dhoni were batting. Even when Uthappa and Harbhajan were batting, everybody thought of a winning chance for India! Brilliant slower off-spin from Lee remove Harbhajan and the next delivery sent Uthappa to pavilion when he tried to hit over long on. The chance was very slim and India lost the game by 18 runs leading to a crucial game against the Do-or-die battle with Sri Lanka.

Gambhir scored his 113 off 119 balls with 10 fours and 1 six, Uthappa's 51 came from just 46 balls with 4 fours and a six; Lee took 5 wickets and the pick of the bowler.

To enter final, India has to either win or make this as a no-result game or make it a tie. If India loses this match, then India's chances depends on the match between Sri Lanka and Australia!

Final Score:
Australia 317 for 7 in 50 overs (Hayden 54; Pointing 124; Michael Clark 31; Symonds 59; Sreesanth 2 for 58) beat India 299 all out in 49.1 overs (Gambhir 113; Dhoni 36; Uthappa 51; Lee 5 for 58; Stuart Clark 2 for 55)

Man of the Match: Pointing (Australia)