Australia win after record ODI run chase

SYDNEY, Feb 2 (AFP): Australia conjured up their biggest ever successful run chase to beat England by two wickets in a thrilling sixth one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.

After a Jonathan Trott century helped England post their highest ever ODI score against Australia of 333-6, the home side batted their way into contention, needing six to win off the final over with two wickets in hand.

Tailender John Hastings edged a boundary off the second delivery from youngster Chris Woakes to hand Australia victory with four balls to spare, the home side making 334-8.

It was Australia’s record run chase in an ODI and extended their lead over the tourists in the seven-match series to 5-1 with one game to play.

Captain Michael Clarke’s late season return to form continued as he smashed 82 from 70 balls to lead the unlikely chase, with late support from David Hussey, who made 38.

The match seemed to be England’s to lose with Australia needing 70 off 48 balls, but the pair took 16 off James Anderson’s eighth over — the 44th of the innings.

They followed it up by notching 14 off Anderson’s ninth as the England bowler went on to finish with a disastrous 91 runs from his 10 overs.

Shane Watson, with 51 off 34 balls, got the home side off to a flying start in reply to what had the look of a match-winning total by England, before falling to the spin of Michael Yardy.

Mitchell Johnson was promoted to number four and made 57 before being stumped from the bowling of Kevin Pietersen, while the recalled Callum Ferguson was run out for 46.

An Australian win seemed unlikely after Trott’s second century of the series helped England post what was also their highest ODI score in Australia.

Trott continued his superb series by making 137, taking his haul for the series to 361 runs at 72.20, the English number three the leading scorer for either side despite his team’s indifferent form.

Before falling to the second-last ball of the innings Trott was offered good support by captain Andrew Strauss, who made 63 from just 69 balls, and Ian Bell, with 45 from 32 deliveries.

Trott, was earlier given out lbw on 82 to Shaun Tait but handed a reprieve after a review of the decision, reached triple figures for the fourth time in ODIs from exactly 100 balls, having hit seven boundaries.

In an outstanding game for the England man he took a brilliant catch to remove Brad Haddin (20), and bowled during the Australian innings.

SCOREcard

England: Andrew Strauss c Hussey b Smith 63, Matt Prior b Johnson 18, Jonathan Trott c&b Tait 137, Kevin Pietersen c Smith b Lee 29, Ian Bell c Clarke b Tait 45, Eoin Morgan c Tait b Watson 21, Paul Collingwood not out 7, Chris Woakes not out 0. Extras: (B-1, LB-3, W-6, NB-3) 13. Total: (For six wickets; 50 overs) 333. Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-121, 3-189, 4-293, 5-319, 6-330. Bowling: Brett Lee 9-1-66-1, Shaun Tait 10-0-60-2, Mitchell Johnson 6-0-43-1, John Hastings 7-0-48-0, David Hussey 4-0-25-0, Steve Smith 7-0-40-1, Michael Clarke 1-0-7-0, Shane Watson 6-0-40-1.

Australia: Shane Watson c Strauss b Yardy 51, Brad Haddin c Trott b Anderson 20, Callum Ferguson run out 46, Mitchell Johnson st Prior b Petersen 57, Michael Clarke run out 82, Cameron White c Morgan b Finn 20, David Hussey c Prior b Finn 38, Steve Smith run out 0, John Hastings not out 7, Brett Lee not out 2. Extras: (W-11) 11. TOTAL: (For 8 wkts in 49.2 overs) 334. Fall of wickets: 1-71, 2-87, 3-166, 4-194, 5-224, 6-314, 7-317, 8-327. Bowling: Chris Woakes 9.2-0-72-0, James Anderson 10-0-91-1, Steven Finn 10-0-51-2, Michael Yardy 10-0-47-1, Kevin Pietersen 6-0-43-1, Jonathan Trott 4-0-29-0.

Gambhir, Mendis top ODI charts in 2008

The year that was

There were a total of 125 one-day internationals played in 2008. While 116 of these matches ended in results, one was tied and the remaining eight were No Results. The total number of runs scored in the 125 ODIs was 51,240 in 62,186 balls with 1,766 wickets falling at an average of 29.01 and the run rate per over being 4.94.

The run-machines

India's opening batsman Gautam Gambhir with 1,119 runs in 27 matches at an average of 46.62 and strike rate of 90.53 was the leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2008. Gambhir, who hit three 100s and seven 50s had a highest score of 113. In fact, India had four batsmen in the top-five leading run scorers -- Gambhir (1st), captain MS Dhoni (2nd), Virender Sehwag (4th) and Yuvraj Singh (5th). Gambhir and Dhoni were the only batsmen to have scored more than 1,000 runs in 2008. Dhoni scored 1,097 runs with a highest score of 109* and one century and eight half-centuries in 29 matches at an average of 57.73 and strike rate of 82.29.

Sri Lanka's vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara with 942 runs in 27 matches at an average of 39.25 and strike rate of 75.29 occupies the third spot, followed by Sehwag who scored 893 runs in 18 matches at an average of 49.61 and strike rate of 120.02, and Yuvraj with 893 runs in 27 matches at an average of 38.82 and strike rate of 100.22. Suresh Raina at No 10 is the fifth Indian batsman in the list with 680 runs in 19 ODIs at an average of 45.33 and strike rate of 94.83.

Interestingly, there are only three non-Asians in the list of the top-15 ODI run-scorers in 2008: England captain Kevin Pietersen (12th), Australian middle-order mainstay Michael Hussey (14th) and New Zealand's wicket-keeper batsman Brendon McCullum (15th). Pakistan has four players in the list -- Younis Khan (6th), opening batsman Salman Butt (7th), captain Shoaib Malik (9th) and Misbah-ul-Haq (13th). The surprises in this list are Bangladesh's opening batsman Tamim Iqbal in the eighth position and his captain Mohammad Ashraful who finished 2008 as the 11th highest run-scorer in ODIs.

Sri Lankan's new weapon

The Sri Lankan trio of Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan and Nuwan Kulasekara are the three leading wicket-takers in ODIs in 2008. Mendis, who has had a terrific first international season, was the best bowler in the 50-overs format scalping 48 wickets in 18 ODIs at an economy rate of 3.58 and average of 10.12. His best effort in a match was 6/13, and he took four and more wickets on six occasions. Muralitharan took 33 wickets in 21 matches at an economy rate of 4.24 and average of 22.08, while Kulasekara took 33 wickets in as many matches at an average of 20.87 and economy rate of 4.32.

England's Stuart Broad is in the fourth position with 32 wickets in 21 matches at an economy rate of 4.85 and average of 25.03 and Pakistani pace bowler Sohail Tanvir, who took 32 wickets in 19 ODIs at an average of 23.87 and economy rate of 4.74 rounds off the top-five.

India doesn't have a lot to cheer about on the bowling front as pace bowler Ishant Sharma (10th) with 27 wickets in 19 matches is the country's only representative in the list of the top-15 wicket-takers in one-day internationals in 2008.

Pakistan, which had four batsmen in the list of top-15 run-scorers in 2008, also has as many representatives in the bowling department with Tanvir (5th), Shahid Afridi (7th), Iftikhar Anjum (12th) and Umar Gul (13th). Australia and Bangladesh have three bowlers each in the top 15 ODI wicket-takers in 2008. Nathan Bracken (6th), Mitchell Johnson (11th) and Brett Lee (14th) form the Aussie trio, while Abdur Razzak (8th), Mashrafe Mortaza (9th) and Shakib Al Hasan (15th) are the three Bangladeshi bowlers in the list.

Harbhajan Singh (17th), Praveen Kumar (18th) and Irfan Pathan (19th) are the other three Indian bowlers in the top-20 wicket-takers of 2008. Harbhajan (19 matches), Praveen (14 matches) and Irfan (20 matches) all took 21 wickets this year. Harbhajan took his wickets at an average of 28.66 and had an economy rate of 4.39, while Praveen's average per wicket was 28.19 and he had an economy rate of 4.83. Irfan, however had a high average per wicket of 42.95 as well as a high economy rate of 5.80.

Safe hands

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jaywardene with 22 catches in 27 matches emerged as the leading fielder in ODIs in 2008. South Africa's AB De Villiers with 14 catches in 17 ODIs slips occupies the second place, while Australia's Michael Hussey and the Pakistani duo of Misbah-ul-Haq with 12 catches round off the list of the top five fielders in ODIs in 2008.

Men with the gloves

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni with 49 dismissals (38 catches + 11 stumpings) in 29 matches was world cricket's leading glovesman in ODIs in 2008. Sri Lanka's vice-captain Kumar Sangakkar with 30 dismissals (22 catches + 8 stumpings) in 27 ODIs occupies the second spot.

Pakistan's Kamran Akmal (24 catches + 3 stumpings), South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher (20 catches) and former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist with 18 dismissals (16 catches + 2 stumpings) round off the list of the top wicket-keepers in 2008.

Top partnerships

Indian opening batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were the leading pair in terms of runs in ODIs in 2008. The pair added 898 runs with a highest partnership of 155 and average of 64.14 in 14 ODIs. However, the pair with the highest average per partnership is the duo of Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina, whose 573 runs in six innings came at an astounding average of 95.50. Dhoni features again in the list with Yuvraj Singh as this pair added 502 runs in 12 matches with a highest partnership of 105 at an average partnership of 41.83.

Kumar Sangakkara also features twice in the list of the top-10 partnerships in one-dayers in 2008. The Sangakkara-Sanath Jayasuriya combination occupies the fourth position with 495 runs in 12 innings, while Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who added 482 runs in 13 ODIs finished 2008 as the sixth leading partnership of 2008.

Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik may have had their differences off the field, but they formed a potent partnership as they added 408 runs with a highest partnership of 145 and average of 51 to round off the list of top-10 partnerships in 2008.

Win/loss records

India, who played the most number of ODIs in 2008 -- 29 -- won 19 and lost eight matches with two matches being no-results. Pakistan won 18 of their 21 matches, while Sri Lanka won 14 and lost 11 of their 27 ODIs. Australia won 13 and lost four of their 18 matches, while South Africa won 12, lost four and had a no-result match. New Zealand played 15 ODIs in 2008 winning 10, losing three, with one match ending in a tie while the other was a no-result.

England won only 6 of their 21 ODIs, but they lost 11 matches, with one ending in a tie and the remaining being no-results.

Bangladesh won only five of their 26 matches, while West Indies also won only five and lost 13 of their 19 ODIs with the other being a no-result. Ireland played 11 ODIs in 2008 -- winning four, losing six and one no-result, while Zimbabwe won only one of the 12 matches they played in 2008.

Source: India Syndicate

I will give my best in Sri Lanka: Sachin

After missing two ODI tournaments because of an injury, master blaster Sachin Tendular on Sunday said he is fully fit and raring to do well in the Test series against Sri Lanka starting this month.

Tendulkar missed last month's Bangladesh tri-series and the Asia Cup in Pakistan due to a groin injury. He was, however, included in the 16-member Test squad for the three-match series against the Lankans from July 23 to August 12.

"I am fully fit and eager to give my best in the Sri Lanka series," Tendulkar told reporters here after joining the team.

The Anil Kumble-led side is scheduled to leave for Colombo on Tuesday afternoon.

Tendulkar also expressed optimism over the team's chances in the upcoming series."

The team is in good form and would like to maintain it to win the series," he said.Asked about mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, who created a sensation during the Asia Cup with his 'carrom ball' delivery, Tendulkar said, "I have not played him so I won't comment anything. I will go there and see."

Source: Press Trust of India; Sunday, July 13, 2008 8:18 PM (Chennai)

Ganguly denies plans of retiring from ODIs

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday denied rumors of taking retirement from ODIs. Ganguly made this announcement on the sidelines of an awards function in Kolkata.
He also hoped to make his way back into the ODI team again by his performance. Ganguly was recently presented with best Asian batsman of the year award.

Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Kartik and Zaheer Khan got together in Mumbai to felicitate their mothers and wives in a programme sponsored by a detergent brand.

Complacency, not Pakistan, India's main threat in final

R Eswar

Dhaka, Jun 13 (PTI) Rampaging form and beleaguered opponents tilt the scale pretty much in India's favour but complacency, and not Pakistan, pose the most serious threat to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team in the final of the cricket tri-series here tomorrow.With runs flowing from the top order blades and the bowling attack mowing down rival line-ups with regularity, Dhoni hardly had a reason to worry as his team bulldozed Bangladesh and pounded Pakistan with characteristic ruthlessness in two lop-sided league contests to storm into the final.In contrast, a depleted Pakistan reached the summit showdown not before India had inflicted on them their worst defeat against the arch-rivals.The 140-run thumping in fact had a ripple effect with a livid Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Nasim Ashraf shooting off a stinging e-mail to team manager Talat Ali seeking immediate explanation and questioning the team's ability, along with that of coach Geoff Lawson and the captain Shoaib Malik.And with Ashraf set to attend tomorrow's final, Malik and his teammates would surely feel the heat.In contrast, Dhoni's team has hardly put a foot wrong since their arrival here and the India captain said he was expecting the openers and new ball bowlers to give the side a good start tomorrow."I am really happy about the team performance. We have played two matches and in both ties, we had good starts both in batting and bowling. I wish the same kind of performance continues in the final against Pakistan also," Dhoni said. PTI

We want to beat India by 150 runs: Lawson

Dhaka: After crushing Bangladesh by 70 runs, Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson says his team would now look to extend its 12-match unbeaten run by routing arch-rivals India by a bigger margin.

An elated Lawson said Pakistan just had to play their natural game without allowing the pressure of the contest to get to their nerves.

"We do not want to treat the match as a must win one and put ourselves under pressure. We want to play our own game,"

Lawson said about the match, a win in which would assure Pakistan a place in the finals.
On what the team's strategy would be against India, obviously stronger opponents than Bangladesh, the Australian said it was not meant to be discussed in the media.

"I would prefer to discuss strategies against India with my players rather than telling the media. I would like to score a 150-run win over India on Tuesday," he said.

Lawson was all praise for his bowlers and said the team won because of a coordinated effort.
"We analysed our matches against Bangladesh so far in the recent past and decided on our strategies to success. Our batsmen, particularly the top order and the bowlers did a fantastic job. It was a total coordinated effort," Lawson said.

Source: http://www.cricketnext.com/news/we-want-to-beat-india-by-150-runs-lawson/32061-13.html

India, Pakistan set to spice up dull series

Digvijay Singh Deo CNN-IBN

Dhaka: India versus Pakistan: a cricketing rivalry that sets pulses racing anywhere in the world at any time. And in Dhaka on Tuesday the two teams will face off in the shadow of the high of the IPL. But India's coaching staff is hopeful that the IPL hangover is well and truly over.

The mood in the Indian camp is relaxed yet gung-ho about a battle with old rivals Pakistan. The weather gods haven't been kind but the management hasn't allowed it to dampen the spirits.
"There is no issue of motivation about the intensity the guys are going to play with. They know they are representing their country, it's a big game," coach Gary Kirsten says, dispelling murmurs of lack of commitment.

Virender Sehwag missed the practice session due to a light fever but he is expected to be fit and available for selection. The lack of experience isn't worrying the team too much. This is a building block after what the young guns achieved in Australia.

"There are still some senior players who are available to play One-day cricket for India, and certainly they are going to be considered. I think every team in the world needs to go through this transition, repairing," Kirsten adds.

Pakistan didn't break any sweat in thrashing the hosts and opted to have a rest day. They are on a 12-match winning streak and a young team is ready for India.

"We have won 11 (now 12) in a row which is a record for Pakistan, but we would like to take that much further. And hopefully with a win in this tournament it would be the ideal start," says Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson.

The advantage of having a young side is that they are fearless and they don't care too much about the opposition. Pakistan are on a hot streak and come into this match after having registered 12 successive wins on the trot. But India are keyed up and the stage is set for a classic before the final.

Source: http://www.cricketnext.com/news/india-pakistan-set-to-spice-up-dull-series/32067-13.html