Yuvraj dropped for 3rd Test as Rohit makes comeback

Middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh was today dropped with Rohit Sharma replacing him in India's squad for the third and final cricket Test against West Indies beginning in Mumbai from November 22.

Sharma was rewarded for his consistent performance in domestic circuit with the selectors drafting him in place of the Punjab batsman who could manage only 66 runs in the three innings he played against the West Indies.

With spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha doing well, Harbhajan Singh was again overlooked for a place in the squad, which barring Yuvraj's exclusion, remained the same. Yuvraj scored 23 and 18 in the first Test at Feroz Shah Kotla while he could manage only 25 on a batting paradise at the Eden Gardens.

The exclusion could well mean curtains for the soon-to-be 30 southpaw who had won the Player of the Tournament award in the last World Cup. Rohit on the otherhand has been rewarded for his back to back centuries against Railways and Rajasthan. While the elegant batsman scored 175 on a turner at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi, he smashed a quickfire 100 against Rajasthan in the last Ranji Trophy match.

Rohit was unlucky when he missed out on a Test cap after a freak injury while playing football at the VCA ground in Jamtha only an hour before the Test match against South Africa would have begun. With the No 6 slot vacant, it will be a tussle between Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit to grab that spot vacated by Yuvraj.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron.

Dhoni does not want Tendulkar milestone to be distraction

(Reuters) - The anticipation of Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century is the expected highlight of the team's three-test series against West Indies but India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not willing to let it become a distraction.

Tendulkar has been stuck on 99 tons (51 in tests and 48 in one dayers) since the 50-over World Cup earlier this year and fans expect him to reach the milestone on home soil against a West Indies attack not without its limitations.

"We will let him get the century and then we will speak about it. Hopefully he gets it in this (the first) game and we will speak about it on the fifth day," Dhoni told reporters after Saturday's practice session at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

"It's a milestone Sachin will achieve, whether in this game, the next game or some other game. It's bound to happen.

"So rather than discussing too much ahead of the milestone coming in, what we are doing is we said 'okay, let him get the ton and then we'll talk about it'. We are thinking about how we need to prepare for the series.

"Of course one he gets his ton, we all will celebrate with him. It will be a big moment for Indian cricket."

Dhoni's seriousness stems from his determination to guide India back to the top of test rankings after England dethroned them with a 4-0 whitewash in August.

"We want to be the best in the world but it's not something that belongs to you. You have to maintain it, you have to keep doing well.

"We did not do too well in England and that's why we are not the number one team right now. Again it becomes a process and to reach to the top of the world, you have to follow the process.

"It's the start of another process for us and hopefully we will be focussed enough to do well, get there again and try to sustain it."

With pace spearhead Zaheer Khan recovering from ankle surgery and senior spinner Harbhajan Singh dropped, India will have to rely on a relatively inexperienced attack to get those 20 wickets in each match.

Dhoni said at least two players, most likely off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and either Umesh Yadav or fellow pace bowler Varun Aaron, will make their test debuts on Sunday.

And the team would make sure they did not get too excited, Dhoni said.

"It is not a difficult thing because if you see the bowlers who have been selected, most of them have played the ODI format which means they have fair amount of exposure when it comes to international cricket.

"So I don't think they will really get excited.

"Of course, if we see something happening there are senior players who will come to their rescue and help them out."

Rain leaves West Indies & India second Test in balance

Second Test, Georgetown (day two):

India 201 v West Indies 98-5

India fast bowler Ishant Sharma snared two wickets in four balls to leave the second Test against West Indies finely balanced after day two in Georgetown.

Exploiting all the pace and bounce on offer at a damp Kensington Oval, Sharma removed nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo and Ramnaresh Sarwan in the sixth over.

The hosts then rallied with an unbroken 41-run fifth-wicket stand to close on 98-5, 103 runs adrift of India's first innings total.

Foul weather then brought an early end.

The start of play was delayed by 45 minutes after early morning showers soaked the outfield, and was then suspended after less than 13 overs when rain returned just after lunch, with bad light later ensuring there was to be no resumption even after the rain had stopped.

Already 1-0 down in the three-match Test series, West Indies sought to improve on their precarious overnight score of 30-3.

But after reaching 13, Bishoo departed, fending a short-pitched ball from Sharma to Virat Kohli at gully.

A more cautious Sarwan had made 18 when he was deceived by a Sharma inswinger which trapped him lbw in the same over - the 15th wicket to fall in the first four sessions.

But Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels - who replaced sacked vice-captain Brendan Nash - shared an unbroken stand of 41 for the sixth wicket when their progress was halted by another downpour.

On day one, India's bowlers hit back well late on after their batsmen suffered two heavy collapses in their first innings.

Meanwhile, Australian umpire Daryl Harper withdrew from next week's final Test after complaints from India captain Mahendra Dhoni about his decision-making in the previous encounter which India won by 63 runs.

Harper, a 59-year-old with almost two decades of experience as an international umpire, was recently dropped from the ICC's elite panel.

"In the wake of some unfair criticism, Daryl informed us that he does not wish to stand in what would have been his final Test," said ICC general manager David Richardson. Englishman Richard Kettleborough will take Harper's place in Roseau.

Tendulkar still works on technique

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni provided an insight into the tireless work ethic of the world’s greatest batsman on Saturday, saying Sachin Tendulkar still works on his technique and still analyses every pitch before he plays.

Even with Tendulkar’s enviable record of 99 international centuries so far in a wondrous 21-year career — where he holds most major batting records — Dhoni said the game’s most celebrated player won’t stop working or trying to improve.

“He keeps it really simple. He doesn’t look at the milestones that are coming up for him,” Dhoni said. “He knows that in every game that he plays some kind of a milestone is around the corner.

“He practices well, he still works on his technique and where he feels that extra bit of effort is needed. Of course, what really helps him is the way he analyses the wicket and his coming innings.”

To back up Dhoni’s comments, Tendulkar practiced next to the pitch at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium for about an hour on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s World Cup Group B game against West Indies - when he could become the first man to an incredible 100 centuries in internationals.

After the rest of the batsmen had departed to the dressing room following India’s main training session, the 37-year-old Tendulkar was still practicing, hitting drives and cut shots down to the boundary where a group of young stadium staff fielded the balls.

On Sunday, he goes in search of a 49th ton in one-day internationals to go along with his 51 centuries in tests. Both are records in their own right.

Tendulkar has scored 31 more hundreds in international cricket than the next best player, Australia’s Ricky Ponting. He has also scored more runs in both formats than anyone else as well as a record number of runs at World Cup tournaments.

And even when he’s not batting, Tendulkar’s influence on India’s team is immeasurable, according to his captain.

“It has been really good to have him in the side, the amount of experience he has got,” Dhoni said. “He always assists you as a senior player with plenty of ideas.

“If you are short of ideas you can definitely walk up to him. There will always be two to three ideas that he can float around and (you can) pick the best option.”

West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who will have the tough task of trying to limit Tendulkar’s prodigious runscoring in Sunday’s game, summed it up perfectly.

“Sachin. Nobody can question what he’s done in the game. Great player,” Sammy said.

More fitness worries for England

Injury worries continued to mount for an already stricken England as the group that practised at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium on Tuesday, ahead of the side's must-win clash against the West Indies, did not include skipper Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann.

Jonathan Trott clarified that Strauss, the leading run-scorer for England in the tournament, and Swann, the joint highest wicket-taker for the side in this edition, were down with a stomach bug and that a clearer picture would emerge after Wednesday's practice session.

“They are two key players in our side, in anybody's side they would be, especially with Andrew being captain, but I'm fully confident they will be alright.

“It is one of those (24-48 hours to recover from) things and I'm glad it happened sort of now and not tomorrow,” he said.

Trott himself admitted to not being ‘100 per cent,' saying: “(It is) sort of a fever, not quite sure what it is. Feeling a little better today, not a hundred per cent, but had a bit of running and exercise under my belt.”

Vital match

England is already without the services of Kevin Pietersen (hernia) and Stuart Broad (side strain), who have been ruled out of the World Cup.

Though Strauss, Swann and Trott are expected to make light of their fitness concerns and play the vital tie against the West Indies on Thursday, a win may still not be enough to ensure progress to the quarterfinals, and the side may have to wait for other results in Group B.

Trott, however, said the West Indies clash was all that England had eyes for, at least for the moment.

“There is nothing we can do (about the other results); all our attention is on the game coming up against the West Indies. It will be stupid to take our eyes off the match. We've got ourselves in this position and we got to back ourselves to get out of it. It's simple really, four knockout games for us and three for everyone else and no reason why we can't do it,” said Trott. Trott put his team's woes down to the inability to play consistent cricket across the duration of the match, saying: “I just think we haven't obviously played a good 100-over match.

“We haven't played consistently both sides. (We have been) good with the ball and poor with the bat, great with the bat and poor with the ball.

We managed to bowl out South Africa, but did not do well with the bat and the bowlers bailed us out. As a batting unit we got to put our heads down and get a big score or chase down whatever West Indies set.”

Injury worries continued to mount for an already stricken England as the group that practised at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium on Tuesday, ahead of the side's must-win clash against the West Indies, did not include skipper Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann.

Jonathan Trott clarified that Strauss, the leading run-scorer for England in the tournament, and Swann, the joint highest wicket-taker for the side in this edition, were down with a stomach bug and that a clearer picture would emerge after Wednesday's practice session.

“They are two key players in our side, in anybody's side they would be, especially with Andrew being captain, but I'm fully confident they will be alright.

“It is one of those (24-48 hours to recover from) things and I'm glad it happened sort of now and not tomorrow,” he said.

Trott himself admitted to not being ‘100 per cent,' saying: “(It is) sort of a fever, not quite sure what it is. Feeling a little better today, not a hundred per cent, but had a bit of running and exercise under my belt.”

Vital match

England is already without the services of Kevin Pietersen (hernia) and Stuart Broad (side strain), who have been ruled out of the World Cup.

Though Strauss, Swann and Trott are expected to make light of their fitness concerns and play the vital tie against the West Indies on Thursday, a win may still not be enough to ensure progress to the quarterfinals, and the side may have to wait for other results in Group B.

Trott, however, said the West Indies clash was all that England had eyes for, at least for the moment.

“There is nothing we can do (about the other results); all our attention is on the game coming up against the West Indies. It will be stupid to take our eyes off the match. We've got ourselves in this position and we got to back ourselves to get out of it. It's simple really, four knockout games for us and three for everyone else and no reason why we can't do it,” said Trott. Trott put his team's woes down to the inability to play consistent cricket across the duration of the match, saying: “I just think we haven't obviously played a good 100-over match.

“We haven't played consistently both sides. (We have been) good with the ball and poor with the bat, great with the bat and poor with the ball.

We managed to bowl out South Africa, but did not do well with the bat and the bowlers bailed us out. As a batting unit we got to put our heads down and get a big score or chase down whatever West Indies set.”

Ireland make India work for their five-wicket World Cup win

Yuvraj Singh excelled to guide India to a five-wicket victory over Ireland in their World Cup Group B match in Bengaluru on Sunday. Yuvraj scored 50 off 75 balls to follow his best World Cup bowling figures, of five for 31, as India overhauled the Irish in 46 overs. The left-hander put on 67 with his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who made 34.

Earlier, the Ireland captain, William Porterfield, had scored 75, but a lack of contributions elsewhere meant Ireland were bowled out inside 48 overs. Bowling after India had won the toss, Zaheer Khan gave them a terrific start by taking the wickets of Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce in successive overs. Porterfield and Niall O'Brien steadied the ship but a piece of brilliance from Virat Kohli ran out O'Brien, who had made a patient 46. By then Porterfield, who was dropped in the first over by Yusuf Pathan, had reached his second World Cup half-century, off 67 balls, and added 113 with O'Brien for the third wicket.

Wickets fell thereafter as the batsmen were bamboozled by Yuvraj and Ireland fell to 184 for eight from 122 for three. Kevin O'Brien, whose stunning innings had beaten England, was caught and bowled by Yuvraj for nine. The fall of Porterfield dashed hopes of a late surge as the opener played a loose shot. Yuvraj was the first left-arm spinner to take five wickets in a World Cup match. Ireland inched past 200 in the 47th over but Zaheer and Munaf Patel polished off the tail with 13 balls left. Zaheer finished with three for 30.

The visitors gave India a scare by removing Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir with just 24 on the board. But Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli eased any nerves by adding 63 in 15 overs. George Dockrell had his big moment when he trapped the former for 38.

India reached 100 in the 24th over, but a mix-up with Yuvraj sparked Kohli's dismissal for 34, bringing Dhoni to the middle. Yuvraj and Dhoni put on 37 in 10 overs to keep the chase on track and India moved past 150 in 37 overs. There was another scare when Dockrell trapped Dhoni lbw but a couple of sixes from Pathan brought the target down to 25 off nine overs.

The pair rattled off the required runs with four overs to spare as Pathan scored the winning boundary to finish unbeaten on 30 off 24 balls.

England's latest World Cup absurdity shows the value of belief

Perhaps it is time for the International Cricket Council to think about giving England a bonus for the sterling promotional work they are doing. There have been five great games in the World Cup so far, and England have featured in four of them. "We're definitely doing our bit to advertise the 50-over format," said Andrew Strauss through a wry grin. "But if I'm honest we'd like games to be a little bit less close than they are."

He may think that, but the fans could not possibly agree. Australia's supporters, for example, have endured two whitewashes and a washout in these group stages. England are where the action is, and that is surely why 15,000 or so locals came along to the Chidambaram Stadium to cheer them on against South Africa. England, loathed by so many fans in this part of world for so long, are suddenly the neutral's team of choice.

For a long time it looked as though the rollercoaster had come to the end of the run. Graeme Smith admitted after the match that he had been planning to open the bowling with Robin Peterson's spin all week long, and had had him rehearsing the role in practice. He had cooked the scheme up, he said, explicitly for Kevin Pietersen's benefit. Slow-left-armers have got Pietersen out three times in his six innings on this tour so far. What was once just a glitch now seems to have become a major malfunction. But when Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell fell as well, the squealing brakes of the freight trains pulling into the station behind the stadium seemed a pretty apt accompaniment to England's performance. Peterson had only taken as many as three wickets once before in his ODI career, for 42 runs against Pakistan. Now he had three for four.

Ravi Bopara and Jonathan Trott both earned ovations when they each reached 50. Partly, you guess, this was because they had ensured that everyone was going to get some value for their money as much as for them both playing superbly well in the circumstances. The fleeting cheers for a six hit by Bopara, the only one in the match, soon passed in the hot torpor of the late morning, and the device that is supposed to measure the volume of the crowd noise struggled up towards two out of five like the speedo on a knackered rickshaw.

And then England lost six wickets for 36 runs, undoing all that hard graft. "You're not going to defend 170-odd very often," said Strauss. Almost everyone else had come to the same conclusion. There was one exception, a poor deluded member of the Barmy Army who was belting out the chorus to Journey's Don't Stop Believin' from the top tier of the pavilion stand.

By now the heat was so intense that one lady fainted as she climbed the stairs to the top of the stands. The local fans retreated into the shade and gathered around radio sets to follow India's fortunes against Ireland. Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith batted towards their target, troubled a great deal by Swann, but not much by anyone else. Only mad dogs and Englishmen, it seemed, get out in the midday sun.

Seven wickets in hand and just 53 runs needed. The English journalists worked away at the calculations on exactly what the team would need to do to get to the quarter-finals after this defeat, while crows circled overhead looking for scraps of litter and carrion to pick at. "I thought we would be back at the pool by now," said one of the Barmy Army, glancing at his watch.

And then it all changed. The ball began to reverse swing. James Anderson bowled AB de Villiers and JP Duminy in the space of five deliveries, and Faf du Plessis was run out during the over in between. The Barmies burst into brilliant life, roaring away, living every ball along with the team. "Float it up Gardy!" "Great ball KP!" "Bring up the long-on Straussy!" All of a sudden the seats filled up again, and the stadium's catering and security staff took up viewpoints in the stairways and aisles. For a brief while it looked as though Dale Steyn was going to pull off the Heimlich manouevre on his team. No such luck. England showed enormous skill and strength of character to close the match out. And at the end, their fans were swapping high-fives and hugs with the Indians, revelling in the adrenaline rush of another absurd denouement. Don't Stop Believin' indeed.

Sri Lanka vs Australia Match Result: Abandoned

Preamble Hello. Group B of this World Cup has provided huge excitement, and has come thrillingly close to justifying the competition format, but Group A has gone precisely as nature (or the ICC) intended.

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand are going to qualify for the quarter-finals, so matches like today's between Australia and Sri Lanka are simply about jockeying for position (finish in the top two and you are likely to avoid India and South Africa in the next round) and finding form ahead of next year's quarter-finals.

This is a rematch of the 2007 World Cup final - when Adam Gilchrist played one of the great forgotten innings - and offers a nice contrast between the muscularity and pace of the Aussies and the wristiness and spin of the Sri Lankans.

Sri Lanka have won the toss and will bat first and win by 44 runs.


Sri Lanka Dilshan, Tharanga, Sangakkara (c/wk), Jayawardene, Samaraweera, Silva, Mathews, Herath, Malinga, Mendis, Muralitharan.

Australia Watson, Haddin (wk), Ponting (c), Clarke, D Hussey, White, Smith, Johnson, Krezja, Lee, Tait.

How are you all? Any good stories from last night? I'm into the whole vicarious rock 'n' roll living at the moment.

1st over: Sri Lanka 2-0 (Tharanga 2, Dilshan 0) The in-form Brett Lee starts with a good over to Upul Tharanga, conceding just a couple past backward point. "I find scary, but also quite risible, the notion that Bangladesh fans stoned the West Indian team bus believing it to be Bangladesh's," says Ravi Nair. "I imagine future headlines: "Jimmy Anderson burnt at the stake as Indian fans mistake him for golden duck Sehwag", and such like. Australia to win this easily methinks. You?" Sri Lanka.

WICKET! Sri Lanka 6-1 (Dilshan c White b Tait 4) Shaun Tait 1-0 Tillakaratne Dilshan. A feisty little contest between those two lasts just four balls. Dilshan edges Tait's first ball for four, prompting a bit of big boys' language from Tait. Then Dilshan pulls away just as Tait is about to bowl his second delivery, which prompts even more big boys' language from Ricky Ponting and a long chat between Dilshan and the umpire Ian Gould. And then Tait strikes! His fourth ball was full and in the slot outside off stump; Dilshan threw everything at it and edges to second slip.

2nd over: Sri Lanka 7-1 (Tharanga 2, Sangakkara 1) "Let me get in early with the Charlie Sheen quotes before it starts getting crowded," says Shanka Kalyanaraman. "Australia need a #winning strategy to counter the Lankan #tigerblood. You have to #earnyourself these games if you want to #chooseyourvice and win the World Cup."

3rd over: Sri Lanka 19-1 (Tharanga 3, Sangakkara 11) Sangakkara drives Lee through the covers for three, times four down the ground and then whips three through midwicket. He has started beautifully and has 11 from five balls. As ever, so much will depend on him and Mahela Jayawardene. "I suspect OBO might have been here already," says Simon Rogers, "but I don't think enough people in the world are taking the etc out of Mark Nicholas and Shane Warne for this ad." It is a thing of rare comic beauty.

4th over: Sri Lanka 22-1 (Tharanga 4, Sangakkara 13) Tait beats Sangakkara for pace, drawing an inside edge that goes wide of leg stump. Three singles from a lively over. "Crazy Friday nights," begins Ben Dunn. "I shared a bottle of Nero D'Avola, then played Tom and Jerry Top Trumps with the kids, followed by a bit of hide and seek. Later I tried to download some American TV programmes but found them all to be on a mid-season break, so I went to bed. I am Rock and Roll. I may copy and paste this into my Facebook profile to impress all those females I don't actually know but have accepted as friends because their photos are hot."

• The match has been abandoned. Shame really, as the match was shaping up nicely. So both sides now have five points and, barring a never-to-be-forgotten fiasco, are in the quarter-finals. Thanks for your emails; see you at 3am for South Africa v England.

West Indies wallops Bangladesh

West Indies routed Bangladesh by nine wickets on Friday after dismissing the home side for 58, its lowest score in a World Cup.

Bangladesh was blown out inside 19 overs on a decent pitch to finish with the fourth lowest total in World Cup history.

West Indies, led by Chris Gayle with 37 not out, took less than 13 overs to reach the winning target.

“I was expecting a bigger occasion than this,” Gayle said.

The scheduled day-night match didn’t even reach night, as the sell-out crowd of 25,000 in Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium gradually fell into silence then began angrily booing or leaving early to avoid watching the end of an embarrassing defeat for Bangladesh. It’s previous low was 108 against host South Africa in 2003.

“We have a lot of things to work on,” Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said.

West Indies spinner Suliemann Benn rebounded from conceding nine in his first over to take 4-18, and fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Darren Sammy snared three wickets each. The trio, West Indies’ only used bowlers, wrapped up Bangladesh in little more than an hour and a half.

Zunaed Siddique top-scored with 25, almost half of his side’s total. Bangladesh fielded the same side, which beat Ireland by 27 runs in its last game a week ago, but the batsman virtually gave away their wickets in the face of good bowling.

Wait for it Freddie...

Cricket fans are likely to have to wait until August to see Andrew Flintoff in action for Penwortham.

The double Ashes winner this week joined the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield club, five months after announcing his retirement from first-class cricket due to injury.

But with Flintoff having only just come off crutches after knee surgery, he won’t be gracing the Middleforth batting square just yet.

His signing still represents a major coup for Penwortham whose first XI side finished runners-up in the Palace Shield’s Premier Division last season.

The story has generated national interest, and when the 33-year-old is in a position to play again, his presence is certain to bolster attendances.

Flintoff opted to join Penwortham to give him the chance of playing alongside his older brother Chris who has re-joined the club for this campaign.

Chris played for them in 2007 and 2008, had a spell with Lancaster in the Northern League, before turning out for Whittingham and Goosnargh in the midweek Boddingtons League last season.

Penwortham skipper Wayne Maddock is delighted by Flintoff’s decision to join the club, but admits he isn’t ‘counting his chickens’ as to when the former England star will be back in action.

Maddock told the Evening Post: “We’ve got Freddie signed up and his registration has gone to the league for their approval.

“Freddie is injured at the moment, he’s had an operation when they had to break a bone in his leg to realign his knee.

“He’s just coming off the crutches this week so obviously he’s got a while to go yet.

“When he plays with us all depends on how his rehab goes.

“I’m not counting my chickens about seeing him play for us until we get him out there on to the pitch. I’m not going to build our season round one player.

Cricket World Cup 2011 Daily: 2 March

IRELAND WIN BY THREE WICKETS WITH FIVE BALLS TO SPARE! 49.1 overs: Ireland 329-7 (Mooney 33, Johnston 4)

Ireland have done it! Mooney hits the winning boundary off Anderson with five balls to spare. This is utterly astonishing, one of the most amazing victories in any sport for years. People are just charging round the Ireland dressing room in a circle, with no idea what to do. Some of the players hare onto the field, with the cameras picking up some big boys' language. I'm not sure even those words can do this justice. Ireland were completely out of it at the halfway stage, but then Alex Cusack and particularly Kevin O'Brien decided to give it a lash, with astonishing consequences. O'Brien demolished the record for the fastest World Cup hundred, smashing his off only 50 balls; and then, at the finish, Ireland were ice cool. They played with stunning maturity when the pressure was on. Ireland have also set a new record for the highest World Cup chase. More importantly, they've beaten England. At cricket. England had a shocker, but this is not about them. It's about one of the most charming and joyous wins we'll ever see, and a match we will never forget, at least not until we're in the home and the faculties have gone. Thanks for all your emails. Night.
writes Rob Smyth

Dwayne Bravo ruled out of World Cup

A West Indies team spokesman says allrounder Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the World Cup by the left knee injury he sustained in his side's seven-wicket loss to South Africa.

Team media manager Philip Spooner confirmed on Friday that Bravo was out of the tournament and would return home. He said in a text message that a replacement for the 27-year-old Bravo would be named after ICC approval.

Bravo was helped from the field during Thursday's Group B match against South Africa after his left leg twisted badly under his weight when he tried to field a ball off his own bowling.
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West Indies lost wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh and batsman Adrian Barath to hamstring injuries ahead of the World Cup.

Cricket / Bruised rib won't keep India's Sehwag out of England match

http://livecricketsctore.blogspot.com/2011/02/cricket-bruised-rib-wont-keep-indias.html

India opener Virender Sehwag will play against England today despite suffering a bruised rib in the lead-up to the Group B match.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said only pace bowler Ashish Nehra, who did not play in India's opening victory over Bangladesh in Dhaka, was not fully fit.
Virender Sehwag    

Virender Sehwag.
Photo by: Reuters

"Ashish Nehra will bowl with 80 percent intensity in the nets today. Apart from that everyone is available for selection," Dhoni told reporters ahead of the team's practice session.

Sehwag turned up for practice yesterday but opted not to exert himself. He fine-tuned his batting strokes for about 10 minutes before heading for a rest.

The 32-year-old opener later played a round of soccer with Dhoni and Virat Kohli under an overcast sky at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and looked in good shape as he jumped around to make saves in his role as goalkeeper.

Sehwag suffered an injury scare on Friday when he was struck on the left side of his ribs in the nets and collapsed to the ground requiring medical attention.

The swashbuckling opener hit a magnificent 175 in the tournament opener against co-hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka but played a major part of his innings with a runner due to an old knee injury.

Pakistan claim Colombo win

Pakistan secured an 11-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo to top World Cup Group A after the hosts failed to chase down 278 runs batting second.

Shahid Afridi's side posted 277 for seven after the all-rounder won the toss and elected to bat first, as Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq both recorded half-centuries.

Sri Lanka raced to 76 without loss, but faltered badly in their middle order as Afridi claimed four scalps for 34 runs to reach 300 one-day international wickets and their run-chase petered out on 266 for nine.

Pakistan stalwarts Khan and Misbah shared a century partnership as the pair came together after Pakistan were reduced to 105 for three and they provided a solid foundation as Pakistan seized the supremacy between the two former champions.

Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal were left wondering which of them was out after a mix-up left them both comically stranded at the same end.

Kamran Akmal scampered to the striker's end for a quick single when Hafeez swept the ball behind the wicket facing off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the 13th over. Hafeez did not move an inch, even after Sri Lanka wicketkeeper and skipper Kumar Sangakkara's initial wayward throw flew well over Muralitharan. Angelo Mathews successfully returned it to the bowler for the simplest of run outs.

Once Younus and Misbah came together, they employed a safety-first strategy and nudged the ball through gaps to pick up singles and twos instead of trying to score off boundaries against tight bowling and sharp fielding by the Sri Lankans.

Younus struck four fours in his knock of 72 before he top edged a sweep off Herath to Mahela Jayawardene at short fine leg. Misbah kept a cool head and played a solid innings to remain unbeaten 83 with six fours and batting with a runner.

Upal Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan assumed a strong early position for their side with 76 on the board for no loss, but a steady stream of dismissals followed as Sri Lanka lost their way.

Captain Sangakkara led the way with a controlled and composed 49, but Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera departed for a combined total of three runs as Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar seized the initiative for Pakistan.

Chamara Silva compiled 57 runs, but at such a pedestrian rate the number six did little to inspire or inject urgency into his side's run-chase. Indeed, it took Silva a full 67 deliveries to muster his first boundary.

Another sloppy display in the field threatened to derail Pakistan's challenge, with two missed stumpings by Kamran Akmal, a string of dropped catches and 29 extras undermining the bowlers' efforts.

Kulasekara racked up a swift 24 as Sri Lanka were left to require an improbable 18 runs off the final over, but Umar Gul ensured that Pakistan held on to claim an 11-run win.

The victory moves Pakistan above Australia with the two sides having both recorded two successive wins as the top teams jostle for position with the quarter-finals at the back of their minds.

Sri Lanka v Pakistan: Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq give visitors hope in Colombo

Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan scored contrasting half centuries as Pakistan reached 277-7 against co-host Sri Lanka in their World Cup Group A match on Saturday.

Misbah overcame cramps in his legs to remain unbeaten on 83 off 91 deliveries while Khan scored a solid 72 off 76 balls.

Sri Lanka hit back briefly in the batting powerplay with top offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan conceding just five runs in two overs that allowed Pakistan to score just 36 runs in five overs.

Pakistan built its strong total around Khan and Misbah's workmanlike 108-run fourth wicket stand off 123 balls. Both experienced batsmen frequently found the gaps and rotated the strike with singles and twos.

Leftarm spinner Rangana Herath was the top wicket-taker with 2-46.

Balance and flexibility could give Smith a winning edge

The impeccable balance and the tactical acumen they showed against West Indies signalled South Africa's serious credentials to win an elusive first World Cup.

Graeme Smith has arrived in India with a team that has more variety than any of the previous South African squad in the showpiece tournament and their willingness to experiment is an example of their flexible thinking which should aid their bid to bag the title.

Aware of the spinners' enhanced role in the subcontinent's dust bowls, South Africa have drafted three frontline tweakers of different schools -- an off-spinner, a leg-spinner and a left-armer -- in their 15-man squad.

Smith showed the rare courage of fielding all three against West Indies and even opened the bowling with one of them, off-spinner Johan Botha.

The deviation from their pace-biased tradition served South Africa well as Botha and leg-spinner Imran Tahir tied West Indies in tangles before Dale Steyn mopped up the tail.

While most teams would be happy to stick to the formula that has just given them a perfect start in one-day cricket's biggest stage, Smith remains flexible, refusing to commit to continuing with the three-pronged spin attack.

"It worked for us today and we will reassess going into the next game," Smith said, refusing to sideline the pacers yet.

South Africa seem to have done their homework well, one indication of which is the role assigned to AB de Villiers whose unbeaten century scripted their seven-wicket victory over West Indies on Thursday.

De Villiers happily slipped his hands into the keeping gloves for the first time in an ICC event and has done a decent job behind the stumps.

His role would be important if South Africa are to put behind them their heart-breaking semi-final exits in 1992, 1999 and 2007 and a shock quarter-final loss to West Indies in 1996.

Smith gave an idea of de Villiers' role in the side when he said that he would rely most on the stumper when asking for reviews of umpiring decisions.

With the bat, de Villiers is coming off a dream season that made him the ICC one-day international batsman of the year in 2010 and he seems to be carrying on the form against West Indies.

South Africa take on the Netherlands in their next Group B assignment on March 3 in Mohali.

Police clash with World Cup fans after India v England sells out

Fans queueing to buy tickets for England's World Cup match against India have clashed with police outside the stadium in Bangalore.

Policemen used force against a crowd of many thousands, after the 7,500 tickets on sale for Sunday's match ran out this morning. It was reported that at least two people were taken to hospital, but the security officer at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Ratnakar Salunke, said the admissions were as a result of exhaustion after many hours queueing rather than any injury caused by violence.

The Group B match had to be switched from the 90,000-capacity Eden Gardens in Kolkata to the Bengaluru ground, which holds 38,000, because the original venue was not ready in time. When it was announced the final batch of tickets would go on sale, Indian supporters began queueing at least a day beforehand. The majority of tickets are thought to have been made available to sponsors and commercial partners.

"The crowd was so huge that there was not a sufficient number of tickets," said Salunke. "When the tickets ran out, they didn't believe it. So that's when some of them tried to get in themselves."

He made it clear, though, that both the method of selling – and police intervention – is standard practice. "This is how we sell tickets for major matches," he said. "It is usual that crowds are dispersed like this with a small amount of force."

Asked about the reports of hospital admissions, Salunke added: "After all the queueing, there was maybe some exhaustion, and the health of certain persons may not be that good for standing in the sunlight for all that time. It is not for any other reason. I was told by the police that one or two of them were not comfortable."

The Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary, Javagal Srinath, believes it was wise to move the match to switch the match to Bengaluru despite the ticket chaos outside his association's ground. The former India fast bowler said: "Of course it was. The game was moved, and we are very pleased to host it.

"There were 7,000 tickets that were issued for sale today. Also, we had to honour the Kolkata commitment. So in total we had 15,000 tickets available for sale through the gate. We are trying to cover as much as possible. But for a match of this magnitude, even if you double [the capacity] or triple, it's not enough."

McCullum rejoins NZ squad

New Zealand spinner Nathan McCullum returned from hospital to join Saturday's practice session but the team management is still in two minds whether to play him in Sunday's World Cup Group A opener against Kenya.

Captain Daniel Vettori sounded wary of rushing the off-spinner, taken to hospital on Thursday with a high fever, into sharing the spin burden in the match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

"Nathan got back from hospital and joined us this morning for a lighter session later in the day," Vettori said of his spin colleague in a news conference on Saturday.

"He is feeling a lot better but we might take a decision at the last minute. I'm reasonably confident he can take part in tomorrow's game.

"It all depends on Nathan's fitness but I think we definitely will play two spinners (against Kenya)."

New Zealand had a poor build-up leading to the World Cup, being whitewashed in series by Bangladesh and India before losing a home series against Pakistan.

"We acknowledge we lost a lot of games and there has been some disappointing performances, particularly in the subcontinent.

"But the World Cup is a fresh start, If we play well tomorrow the guys can turn around their confidence pretty quickly."

While he and McCullum may have to shoulder the spin responsibility during the tournament, Vettori expects his pacers to do well after fine-tuning their craft under bowling coach Allan Donald's supervision.

"Allan has been an exciting addition to the team because he brings obviously his own skill and confidence. He speaks from a position of authority and the guys listen," Vettori, wearing spectacles and characteristic stubble, said of the former South African pacer.

"He knows what it takes to succeed in the subcontinent as well as other parts of the world."

Kenya, on the other hand, sounded confident of creating an upset.

"Nobody should take the associate teams lightly. At the end of the day, the result will show. We just need to go out and express ourselves," Kenya skipper Jimmy Kamande said.

Bryan Adams a sideshow as Bangladesh goes wild for the World Cup

Triumphant scenes took place in Dhaka on Thursday with tens of thousands of people lining the streets to celebrate the opening of the World Cup.

Crowds flocked to the Bangabandhu Stadium, hoping the success of smoothly pulling off Bangladesh's biggest international event would extend to the opening match on Saturday, in which the host nation face India.

"We have done brilliantly," said housewife Sharmin Sultana. "For our country to be able to do something like this – now I hope we make it to the finals. We have got Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal. I think we could do really well. Who knows, one day we might even get the football World Cup too."

While hopes of staging the football World Cup may be more elusive, Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, has said she hopes the tournament – on which the country has spent more than £62m – will allow Bangladesh to project a newer and better vision of itself to the world.

Even the opposition, the Bangladesh National Party, in the midst of a campaign of calling for strikes to protest against the ruling Awami League, has called a temporary truce between the warring factions, promising no political unrest for the duration of the tournament.

Chris Austin, the UK's country representative of the Department for International Development, added to the excitement after describing the tournament as Bangladesh's Olympics, with high hopes of the Tigers making it to the final stages.

It was a view shared by most revellers in the capital, many of whom felt the acts featured in the opening ceremony were less important than staging the show itself. Children danced in the colours of the national flags and singers from the three host nations, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, performed in all three languages, with a laser light show beamed across the audience of 40,000.

None of the acts were more irrelevant than the headline act, the Canadian rocker Bryan Adams.

Student Shawon Ali, 17, who had queued for three days to get his ticket, said: "This is fantastic for Bangladesh – if we can do this, Bangladesh will rise up as a nation. The world will understand we are not just about poverty. They will see we also have culture. I had to come because otherwise I would never get to see something like this.

"Oh, and I want to see Adams. I heard he's the big singer from Canada."

Despite the heavy police presence, parties which had begun the night before continued into the late hours following a climactic fireworks display which drew huge roars from the crowds.

Teenage boys sporting bottle-green jerseys worn by the national cricket team danced with housewives and grandparents with "I love Bangladesh" painted on their cheeks.

Police officers surveyed the scene from the minarets of mosques, while the country's self-styled "elite" crime fighting force, the Rapid Action Battalion, dressed in their trademark black uniforms with black bandanas and wraparound sunglasses, kept cheering fans away from the convoys of coaches bringing players into the stadium.

Fans were disappointed after the promise of giant TV screens turned out to be little more than four-by-five-feet displays which fluttered in the winds and were subject to technical sound hitches. But aside from minor scuffles as hundreds pushed further and further forward to try to see what was going on, police kept things under control.

As Bangladesh prepares to celebrate 40 years since winning independence next month, the country hopes the tournament will mark a turning point in its fortunes – even for those who were largely unimpressed by the ceremony.

"I think this one was weaker than when we hosted the South Asian Football Federation," said photographer Sayedur Rahman Swapan, 48.

"The displays were not as good, apart from the laser show and the bungee cricket players coming down on ropes. But the thing is that we managed to do it and we have never seen an event as big as this in Bangladesh.

"The enjoyment and excitement among people is amazing, because an international event is being held here, and we have shown that we are ready for it. It is great for our confidence and it will be great for our cricket."

England must be on the money as subcontinent gears up for Cricket World Cup party with all the trimmings

 England’s cricketers stepped groggily off the plane at Heathrow yesterday. What to do with their three precious days back home before they fly off to Dhaka? A spot of golf? Some hoovering with the baby on their hip? Anything but reflect on World Cup campaigns past.

England’s history in the competition is, umm, chequered. It is not that they haven’t tried: they’ve roped in nice, round, jolly, fellows like Ian Austin – if only Samit Patel had been born 10 years earlier; tall thin grumpy chaps, one-day specialists, and Test-match-to-the-core men. There have been happy coaches, sports-jacketed managers and track-suited team directors.

Discipline has been lax, firm or non-existent. They’ve fallen off pedalos in the Caribbean, thrown up on the field in Peshawar and refused to play in Harare on moral grounds.

None of which has made much difference: despite hosting the competition three times, they’ve never won. Another game invented and lost, and a lack of success in the commercially important one-day game has cost power and influence.

That power and influence flew eastwards of course, to India.

It was in 1996 during the last World Cup to be held in Asia, that this new reality dawned. England had expected to host it, but arrived in India to face New Zealand in dusty Ahmedabad, only to discover that the game was passing them by. Cricket had become big, bold, brash, and full of incident — good and bad.