ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights - Final Round + Finals

[Russian]

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http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/8137/ire.png vs http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/5719/pak.png
The Oval, London
10:30pm AEST Monday June 15

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The Oval, London
2:30am AEST Tuesday June 16

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Trent Bridge, Nottingham
10:30pm AEST Tuesday June 16

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Trent Bridge, Nottingham
2:30am AEST Wednesday June 17


Final round and the first three games are live ones. Pakistan play Ireland for the first time since that day in Jamaica. I think a win's enough for Pakistan to qualify but there may be some way both New Zealand and Sri Lanka can end up with better net run rates and 4 points. Ireland need a big win and another one to Sri Lanka to eliminate the two remaining semi finalists from 2007. With Pakistan already 1/61 in the 8th over that's almost impossible.

Then it's a winner takes all game between the hosts and the 11th seeded West Indies. Hopefully they have a better plan for the seedings next year and we don't get have Australia seeded 9th with India and whoever goes on to win on Sunday.

Tomorrow it's the undefeated Sri Lankans against the injury hit Kiwis. As I mentioned before, if Pakistan win that looks like being an elimination final as well with either New Zealand not to get the points to catch Pakistan, or Sri Lanka to take a hit to their NRR which will drop them (or keep them depending on the margin tonight) below Pakistan.

Then there's the dead rubber - South Africa are in the semis, India are out of them. It's not quite as dead as the first round with finishing top in your group meaning you only play the second team in the other group this time, but South Africa will still be tempted to rest someone from their XI that's remained unchanged throughout the tournament.

Ireland XV:
Paul Stirling
*William Porterfield
+Niall O'Brien
Kevin O'Brien
Andrew White
John Mooney
Trent Johnston
Kyle McCallan
Alex Cusack
Regan West
Boyd Rankin
Reserves:
Jeremy Bray
Andre Botha
Gary Wilson
Peter Connell
In:
Paul Stirling
Out:
Andre Botha

Pakistan XV:
+Kamran Akmal
Shahzaib Hasan
Shahid Afridi
*Younis Khan
Shoaib Malik
Misbah-ul-Haq
Abdul Razzaq
Fawad Alam
Umar Gul
Saeed Ajmal
Mohammed Aamer
Substitutes:
Salman Butt
Ahmed Shehzad
Sohail Tanvir
Iftikhar Anjum

England XV:
Ravi Bopara
Luke Wright
Kevin Pietersen
Robert Key
Dmitri Mascarenhas
Owais Shah
*Paul Collingwood
Eoin Morgan
Graham Napier (international debut)
+James Foster
Adil Rashid
Stuart Broad
Graeme Swann
James Anderson
Ryan Sidebottom
In:
Robert Key
Graham Napier
Eoin Morgan
Adil Rashid

West Indies XV:
*Chris Gayle
Andre Fletcher
Lendl Simmons
Xavier Marshall
Dwayne Bravo
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Dave Bernard (T20I debut)
Kieron Pollard
+Denesh Ramdin
Darren Sammy
Jerome Taylor
Suliemann Benn
Fidel Edwards
Lionel Baker
In:
Xavier Marshall
Dave Bernard
Darren Sammy
Lionel Baker

New Zealand XV:
Brendon McCullum
Aaron Redmond
Martin Guptill
Ross Taylor
Scott Styris
Jacob Oram
Neil Broom
+Peter McGlashan
Nathan McCullum
Brendon Diamanti
James Franklin
*Daniel Vettori
Kyle Mills
Ian Butler
Iain O'Brien
In:
Ross Taylor
Neil Broom
Brendon Diamanti
Iain O'Brien

Sri Lanka XV:
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Sanath Jayasuriya
*+Kumar Sangakkara
Mahela Jayawardene
Jehan Mubarak
Chamara Silva
Indika de Saram
Angelo Mathews
Farveez Maharoof
Thilan Thushara
Nuwan Kulasekara
Isuru Udana
Ajantha Mendis
Lasith Malinga
Muttiah Muralitharan
In:
Indika de Saram
Farveez Maharoof
Thilan Thushara
Isuru Udana

India XV:
Gautam Gambhir
Rohit Sharma
Suresh Raina
Yuvraj Singh
*+MS Dhoni
Yusuf Pathan
Dinesh Karthik
Ravi Jadeja
Irfan Pathan
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Praveen Kumar
RP Singh
Ishant Sharma
Pragyan Ojha
In:
Dinesh Karthik
Irfan Pathan
Praveen Kumar
Pragyan Ojha

South Africa XV:
*Graeme Smith
Herschelle Gibbs
Jacques Kallis
AB de Villiers
JP Duminy
Albie Morkel
+Mark Boucher
Roelof van der Merwe
Justin Ontong
Johan Botha
Morne Morkel
Robin Peterson
Dale Steyn
Wayne Parnell
Yusuf Abdulla
In:
Justin Ontong
Morne Morkel
Robin Peterson
Yusuf Abdulla

Umpires:
Pakistan v Ireland
Rudi Koertzen (South Africa), Rod Tucker (Australia), Mark Benson (3rd, England)
England v West Indies
Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa), Rod Tucker (3rd, Australia)
New Zealand v Sri Lanka
Steve Davis (Australia), Simon Taufel (Australia), Nigel Llong (3rd, England)
South Africa v India
Billy Bowden (New Zealand), Ian Gould (England), Simon Taufel (3rd, England)

Weather:
They're saving up the rain for The Ashes. Fine and around 20 for all 4 games

Coverage:
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2118/fs3xa4.png All games live from 10 minutes before
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/9092/99na.gif Windies v England live from 2:25am AEST Tuesday

[pluga_4]

south africa and pakistan thru to semis.

winner of eng v windies thru to semi's.
winner of sri lanka v nz thru to semi's.

south africa and sri lanka remain the 2 undefeated sides so far.

seems a bit silly that sri lanka who are undefeated are playing in a MUST win game to make the semi's. they have beaten aust, west indies, pakistan & ireland. just the way the points system and tables work i guess.

[Grimwood]

England out after losing to Windies.

D/L wasn't too kind, but I don't think England can complain; they just haven't looked good enough for most of the tournament.

[DoubleO7]

Are they cursed, are they not destined to win? Bring out the crystal balls and just check out what's wrong with the England side on the grand stage?

The bowlers started off extremely well by reducing West Indies to 16/3 with Gayle sent packing early. The scoring however never dropped as the batsmen kept chipping in with handy cameos to ensure that WI were right there all through.

Sarwan and Chanderpaul towards the end showed the world what experience is all about, the nerves of steel pumped in a lot of energy and they made sure that WI went through under their watchful eyes.

By the way, just to remind you, the last time the Windies won a tournament of substance was here in England itself when they bagged the Champions Trophy.

England 161/6 (20/20 ov)
RS Bopara 55 (47)
KP Pietersen 31 (19)
DJ Bravo 2-30

West Indies 82/5 (8.2/9 ov) (D/L method)
RR Sarwan 19 (9)
DJ Bravo 18 (13)
AU Rashid 1-11

Ramnaresh Sarwan is the Man of the Match for his 9 ball 19.

[Cooldude]

Thought Sarwan just played superbly and England bowled shit once he came in

You won't find anyone who gets the MOTM award just by making 19 in 9 balls anywhere

[Spudregus_87]

Loving Dilshan in my fantasy team!

Sri Lanka looking the goods despite losing Sanath.

[Spudregus_87]

Great start to the run chase for NZ.

Currently at 10.58 in the 3rd over. Redmond 20 (6) Stk Rt 333.33

EDIT: McCullum gawn!

[Bond,ShaneBond]

That was impressive from SL. Their bowling line-up is awesome. They just choked NZ.

[XFactor1979]

see, i dont see why they cant employ this format for the longer world cup tournament (50/50). this tournament is almost over before it even began. hmm ... mind you, it kinda already happened - with our team :P

although that being said, the 50 over world cup tournament's days are numbered, nobody will be interested in the 50/50 world cup or 50 over cricket in... oh... 4 years

[matty p]

Why don't Pakistan play Tanvir instead of Alam? Tanvir is a great T20 bowler, whereas Alam is a batsman who bats at number 7 or 8, doesn't provide bowling, and hasn't even been needed for any batting either this tournament.

[Cooldude]

Tanvir's been bowling pies

[mr_cellotape]

Epic fail, Saffers. Pretty good late-innings bowling from Pakistan, though.

[krisholio14]

Epic fail, Saffers. Pretty good late-innings bowling from Pakistan, though.

I always enjoy watching the Jaapies get done, especially in the semi's of a major tournament, but today I actually felt kinda bad for them.

Pakistan has always been far and away the streakiest team in world cricket, and had been so again during this comp, while SA had been consistently excellent.

Unfortunately for SA, the Paki's three key guys, Afridi, Ajmal, and Gul all played blinders in the same game, something they haven't done all tournament. When it all comes together for Pakistan like that, they win, and it's always been like that.

If any of the South African blokes choked today, it was the skipper. When it was coming to the last ball of their power play and they were a handy 0/40, I could tell by the look on his face he was about to do something silly. And so it proved, with an unnecessary hoik that went straight up in the air for an easy catch (even by Pakistan's standards). They never quite got back on track after that.

But let's be honest here, any long time cricket fan such as myself has seen it all before. When the Paki's are switched on, and the feilding is tight (see Alam's direct hit to run out Morkel) and the catches are sticking, they win each and every time. The Jaapies copped them on one of those nights, which was unfortunate because they bowled well, batted reasonably in the face of some outstanding bowling, and had been the stand out side of the comp to date.

No choke this time, just very very stiff.

[DoubleO7]

Boom Boom Afridi, Crash Crash South Africa! That is the best way to summarise that fantastic game of cricket.

South Africa went in to the tournament as the favourites and Pakistan, who started as a very ragged unit, came to the fore when it mattered the most, to send South Africa packing.

Something about World tournaments and South Africa! They choke just when it matters after showing great promise and the story has not changed this time around either.

Chasing 150 was not going to be easy with Pakistan's bowling, but it was neither beyond reach. Afridi bowled exceedingly well and Gul came in late to fire in those lovely yorkers to seal the game in Pakistan's favour.

Pakistan won by 7 runs and go through to their second consecutive ICC World Twenty20 Final.

Pakistan 149/4 (20/20 ov)
SMSK Afridi 51 (34)
S Malik 34 (39)
JP Duminy 1-14

South Africa 142/5 (20/20 ov)
JH Kallis 64 (54)
JP Duminy 44 (39)
SMSK Afridi 2-16

Afridi is the Man of the Match for an all-round performance of tremendous intensity, lifting Pakistan to a defendable total with an aggressive yet methodical half-century (51 off 34 balls), before bowling a spell (2-16 off 4 overs) that left the South Africans winded.

[likka]

How good was the ball that bowled Gibbs? The previous ball gripped and virtually spun square, then he gets the faster one that goes on with the arm and hits the top of off stump. Gibbs was completely flummoxed, almost as flummoxed as the Warne delivery in the 1999 WC semi.

Kallis once again hangs around, ensures the asking rate escalates to well above 10 an over, then gets out. By then Gul was coming into the attack and the game was all but over.

[Cooldude]

Lol Kallis, that was a pathetic effort from him. Don't even need to get him out, he's more useful for Pakistan just by staying in. Having Smith and Kallis opening the innings ultimately cost the Saffers in the end. Kallis is a joke in this format

[Kram81]

Afridi you star.

[Gibba]

The chokers have delivered once again!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohooo

[PIE-BOI]

Afridiiiiiiiiiiiiii :D

Man Crush!!! lol

[Romeo]

How pathetic are the Proteas? Muppet should consider retirement from anything bar tests, he cannot score quickly.

[DoubleO7]

Cricket South Africa's response to that disastrous match:

CSA CEO Gerald Majola chose to stand by his side, which choked yet again at crucial juncture of an international event, losing the semifinal against Pakistan last night.

"It is most disappointing that the Proteas were knocked out of the ICC World Twenty-20 at the semi-final stage but this is not the end of the world," Majola said in a statement.

LOL! I love the fact the author chose to use the word 'choke' in the article. South Africa just seem to lose when it matters. Culture, I guess. :D

[krisholio14]

After a slow start and Jayasuriya having some bat issues, Lankans opening up here.......up to 0/44 at the end of the power play.

[krisholio14]

Jayasuriya batting so poorly he can't even get himself out. Now up to his fifth different bat in this dig already.

Fortunately for us Dilshan's red hot form has continued so far :D

[krisholio14]

Half way mark of the Sri Lankan innings - 0/72 - Dilshan 46 off 24, Jayasuriya 24 off 36.

EDIT: Bravo gets Jayasuriya to finally end one of the more painful innings of this tournament, SL 1/73.

[krisholio14]

Bravo gets Sangakkara for a quacker, now 2/73 off 10.5

[krisholio14]

We are falling apart now, Jayawardene caught by Chanderpaul for 2, in more trouble than the early settlers at 3/77 after 11.3

[krisholio14]

15 overs gone, SL now 3/98 - Dilshan keeping the innings together on 63, Silva 5.

[krisholio14]

Dilshan putting his hand up for player of the tournament here, moves to 86 with three consecutive fours off Bravo.

Silva with a boundary in the same over hes on 11, we've moved on to 3/126 off 17.

[krisholio14]

Benn has Silva caught at the wicket for 11, 4/127

[krisholio14]

Dilshan survives a stumping appeal, he's on 86, Mubarak on 5, end of 18th over, 4/138.

[krisholio14]

Mubarak caught in the deep by Sammy for 7, 5/134 off 18.3

[krisholio14]

Dilshan blasts a four off the last ball of the 19th over to move to 91, SL 5/140

[krisholio14]

I'll go the cricinfo style commentary for the last over

Gayle to Mathews....WIDE....down the leg side, batsmen run a single 5/142

Gayle to Dilshan....2 runs....Dilshan whips it through the leg side, sloppy throw by the Widies gets SL an overthrow 5/144

Gayle to Dilshan....1 run.....works it to mid on for a single 5/145

Gayle to Mathews....SIX.....huge hit over mid on clears the rope 5/151

Gayle to Mathews....FOUR....Gayle again misses his lenngth, crashed down the ground to the fence 5/155

Gayle to Mathews...1 run.....Mathews works it away for a single 5/156

Gayle to Dilshan.....2 runs....He needed a six for his ton, has a big swing but only manages to get it to deep mid wicket for 2 5/158

SL finish on 5/158, Dilshan with an amazing knock of 96* off 57 balls (12 fours 2 sixes), Angelo Mathews with some very handy late hitting for 12*

For the Windies Bravo with 2 wickets for 33 off 3, and Darren Sammy with a very economical 0/19 off his four, plus a brilliant catch in the deep to dismiss Mubarak.

We would be very happy to finish with that score. Gives as something to defend, although I daresay we would have been much better placed had Jayasuriya not essentially wasted 2 overs.

[krisholio14]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!! Marshall plays on to Mathews with the second ball of the Windies innings.....1/1 :D

[krisholio14]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mathews bowls Simmons round his legs!!!!!! Windies 2/1 after 4 balls :D

[krisholio14]

OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!! Mathews skittles Bravo with the slower ball that was played on for another blob, end of the first over Windies 3/1.

It's high noon on my sun dial people :D

[krisholio14]

Ooooooooh Gayle almost makes it the fourth Windies batsman to play on, 3/2 after 2 overs.

[krisholio14]

Windies afraid to have a nibble at Mathews after Gayle edged one through the vacant gully region for four. After 3 overs 3/7.....

Malinga into the attack :D

[krisholio14]

It's all happening here.

Malinga misses the cut stuff with a slower ball that slipped out of the hand, before beating Gayle all ends up, then finding the edge of Gayles bat but flying through the vacant second slip area for four.

As I type Gayle finally middles one, back down the ground for four.

Windies 3/20 off 4.

[krisholio14]

Mathews beats Gayle all ends up again with the last ball of the fifth over.

Windies in licorice all sorts at 3/21

[krisholio14]

Angelo Mathews finishes a superb spell of 4 overs with 3/16.

Windies 3/43 after 8. Gayle 34 Chanderpaul 7

And as I type......

Mendis removes Chanderpaul LBW for 7, Windies all but cooked now at 4/43.

Its going to need something special from Gayle and Sarwan to get the West Indies into the final from here.

[krisholio14]

End of the 11th over, 4/68....Gayle playing a lone hand here, moved up to 45.

Sarwan on 5.

Mendis off with a finger injury after dropping a skied catch.

[krisholio14]

Mathews can't keep out of the action. He takes a catch in the deep off Murali to get rid of Sarwan....5/65 off 11.1

It will take a miracle for the Windies now, but while Gayle is still there anything can happen.

[krisholio14]

Gayle brings up his 50, Windies 5/71 off 12.

Mendis must be OK coz he's back on and about to bowl.

[dr nick]

bit of fielding there from the Chamara Silva.

Kicked the ball as he was sliding near the boundary rope... stepped outside the field of play. Jumped in the air to bat the ball back, but it was called a 4 because they were saying the ball would have hit the rope before the rope was pushed back. Bit like Matthews saving the 6 the other night.

Taking advantage of this loophole in the rules the Lankans.

[krisholio14]

Pollard had no idea whatsoever about that Mendis over, just one from it, now 5/72 off 13.

Required rate now up to 12.58

[krisholio14]

bit of fielding there from the Chamara Silva.

Kicked the ball as he was sliding near the boundary rope... stepped outside the field of play. Jumped in the air to bat the ball back, but it was called a 4 because they were saying the ball would have hit the rope before the rope was pushed back. Bit like Matthews saving the 6 the other night.

Taking advantage of this loophole in the rules the Lankans.

It was called a four and fair enough. It went over the boundary line despite the rope being pushed back.

In the meanwhile, Pollard is stumped off Murali, he had absolutely no idea about how to play these spinners.

Game over you'd think, now 6/77.

[krisholio14]

Game over.

Ramdin out to Udana after consecutive boundaries.

7/86 off 14.5

[krisholio14]

Gayle clubs Murali for a six, but after a single, Taylor goes the bash and skies a catch, taken by Kulasekera, and now its 8/95 off 15.2

[krisholio14]

Mubarak catches Sammy off Mendis, 16.2 gone, Windies gone at 9/97.

Murali 3/29 off 4

Mendis 2/8 off 3.3

[krisholio14]

Our spinners combine for 5/38 off 8.

Gayle a chance to carry his bat here, 9/100 off 17.1

[dr nick]

WI bowled out for 38.



oh wait Chris Gayle batted.

[krisholio14]

And that's it.

Malinga clean bowls Benn for a blob, Gayle carries his bat for 63*, Windies all out for 101, a comprehensive 57 run win for my boys.

Sublime bowling display fron the Lankans.

Mathews 3/16

Murali 3/29

Mendis 2/8

Malinga 1/24

Udana 1/20

The only way to sum up the West Indies batting performance was that sundries were the next best score after Gayle with 11.

[jakethesnake]

lol at diablo14 posting with himself all night

[DoubleO7]

Nice work diablo. :thumbsu:

Gayle played totally against his natural instincts today and he was forced to do so by an incredible first over from Matthews in which he removed three batsmen. Gayle, too his credit, played the situation and even opted to leave a couple of deliveries as he collect his thoughts.

Normal service resumed with three boundaries when Lasith Malinga came on early to bowl the fourth over and Isuru Udana was swung for six over long-on. Then came the spinners and coupled with some brainless shot selection, the game was over.

Sri Lanka won by 57 runs and storm into the finals against Pakistan.

It is an all Asia final for the second time on the trot and we are in for a great fight between two teams who are both bowling heavy. With the two semi finals being dampeners, we can really hope that the final becomes the match of the tournament. What better way than to finish the tournament with a humdinger!

Sri Lanka 158/5 (20/20 ov)
TM Dilshan 96* (57)
ST Jayasuriya 24 (37)
DJ Bravo 2-32

West Indies 101 (17.4/20 ov)
CH Gayle 63* (50)
AD Mathews 3-16
M Muralitharan 3-29

Tillakaratne Dilshan is the Man of the Match for his breathtaking unbeaten innings of 96, the highest score of the event. His innings was the highest for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 and, in a quirky statistic, the innings briefly gave him the highest percentage of a completed innings before Gayle's lone hand nipped ahead.

[krisholio14]

lol at diablo14 posting with himself all night

Dr nick was here as well, albeit briefly :p

[Romeo]

Cricket South Africa's response to that disastrous match:

CSA CEO Gerald Majola chose to stand by his side, which choked yet again at crucial juncture of an international event, losing the semifinal against Pakistan last night.

"It is most disappointing that the Proteas were knocked out of the ICC World Twenty-20 at the semi-final stage but this is not the end of the world," Majola said in a statement.

LOL! I love the fact the author chose to use the word 'choke' in the article. South Africa just seem to lose when it matters. Culture, I guess. :D

Yes they lack men of character which explains their lack of success. The fish rots from the top. Blame muppet.

SL should win being the best team right throughout the tournament.

[Bond,ShaneBond]

LOL at all the SAf bashing. Better to choke in the semis than in the first round! :D

As for the final, should be tight. Nice and (relatively) low-scoring. Plenty of match-winners on both sides.

Sr Lanka have been the better team so far, but I am tipping Pakistan to go one better than they did last time. They just keep building momentum. The semi win was clinical. Either way I will be happy, plenty of players to like on both teams.

[XFactor1979]

it will be a bit of a dull final with pakistan and sri lanka playing

neither of those two teams hold a particularly strong grudge against one another

unlike us!

we thrive on grudges

[krisholio14]

it will be a bit of a dull final with pakistan and sri lanka playing

neither of those two teams hold a particularly strong grudge against one another

unlike us!

we thrive on grudges

I think what happened to us earlier in the year will have us pretty keen to beat them.

[DoubleO7]

I think what happened to us earlier in the year will have us pretty keen to beat them.
Remember what Mendis achieved in the Asia Cup final against India? His 6 for 13 is the third-best bowling performance in a tournament final, and the third-best for a spinner in ODI's.

[Hawks1523]

Is it just me, or does that game lack serious appeal now for neutrals? I mean, I haven't cared about this tournament for the entire time it was on, and didn't even watch much of the Australian games for the brief time we were in it. But now that it's come down to Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka, I'm certainly not watching it, there is no draw for me and T20 isn't as entertaining as it first was when it hit the scene.

Glad India got knocked out.
Couldn't care we're out.
Would have liked Windies to make it. :D

[ManWithNoName]

lol at diablo14 playing with himself all night

Edited for accuracy.

Sorry, that was cheap.

[Bond,ShaneBond]

Is it just me, or does that game lack serious appeal now for neutrals? I mean, I haven't cared about this tournament for the entire time it was on, and didn't even watch much of the Australian games for the brief time we were in it. But now that it's come down to Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka, I'm certainly not watching it, there is no draw for me and T20 isn't as entertaining as it first was when it hit the scene.

Glad India got knocked out.
Couldn't care we're out.
Would have liked Windies to make it. :D

It is just you.

I mean why would anyone want to watch the best bowlers in the tournament play in the one match? (Gul, Afridi, Mendis, Malinga)

Why would anyone want to watch the most exciting batsmen? (Dilshan, Jayasuriya, Afridi)

Why would anyone want to watch the classiest batsmen? (Sanga, Jayawardene, Younis)

Why would anyone be interested when these countries last match ended in a tragic shoot-out?

This is gong to be a ripping final. This would only have been topped by Pakistan and India playing.

[Spudregus_87]

It is just you.

I mean why would anyone want to watch the best bowlers in the tournament play in the one match? (Gul, Afridi, Mendis, Malinga)

Why would anyone want to watch the most exciting batsmen? (Dilshan, Jayasuriya, Afridi)

Why would anyone want to watch the classiest batsmen? (Sanga, Jayawardene, Younis)

Why would anyone be interested when these countries last match ended in a tragic shoot-out?

This is gong to be a ripping final. This would only have been topped by Pakistan and India playing.

Owned! ;)

[DoubleO7]

Sri Lanka: They have been unstoppable, not losing a single match and never looking as if they needed any major fixing. The only thing that could be said about them is that they are slightly top-heavy in their batting. If Umar Gul is in form and picks up 2 or 3 major wickets, the lower middle order doesn't seem to be capable of holding the innings together. In the semi-finals, Dilshan played a solo hand to bail them out, but ideally they would want at least 2 batsmen out of Dilshan, Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Jayasuriya to play major roles. The bowling has no such worries. It was thought to be amongst the strongest bowling attacks before the tournament stared, and it has lived up to that epithet in style. In the process Sangakkara has given Buchanan and co a few pointers on how to handle a quality spinner. Ajantha Mendis' IPL travails seem far behind him now, as he continues to baffle batsmen, while Muralitharan has been Muralitharan - impossible to score off.


Pakistan: They may have begun their campaign in a stop-start fashion, but they now look worthy finalists. Their bowling has been consistent throughout the tournament, but it is the return to form of Shahid Afridi that will please them the most. With him firing, they have the X-factor in their batting, as well as their bowling. And to counter Sri Lanka's bowling attack, what they need is exactly the kind of batting that Afridi provides. It is like India having a fully fit and firing Sehwag - to these batsmen, it doesn't matter who the bowler is, their incredible hand-eye coordination and self-belief, lets them hit everything. Even with Afridi firing though, they need a little more consistency from their other batsmen. Misbah ul Haq has had a very quiet tournament, and Shoaib Malik has not done much of note. Only captain Younis Khan and keeper Kamran Akmal have shown some consistency. If they are to get past the best bowling side in the tournament, a resurgent Afridi will need to be backed by all of them.

Hardly three months back, these two teams were involved in an incident that took the cricketing world by shock. Of course Pakistan were lucky enough to escape unhurt, the Sri Lankan team were sitting ducks. What happened at Lahore on 3rd March was unforgettable. Players witnessed death from close quarters and today, after three months, the screenplay of destiny has them together at the Mecca of cricket, facing each other for top honours in Twenty20 Cricket. This should be a cracker...

Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat. Both teams are unchanged from their previous matches.

[Warsaw]

Terrible shot by Dilshan.

[Warsaw]

...jesus.

[DoubleO7]

Pakistan on fire here as they have SL tottering at 16/2. One thing that Sangakkara might have thought before deciding to bat first was to have a look at the past history in WC finals at Lord's. In 1999 Pakistan were bowled out for 129, and today in the ladies final NZ were bundled out for 85. Also the early start today at Lord's means there will be something in it for the bowlers early on.

It's almost over before it even began. :(

[DoubleO7]

Seems they've turned it around in the space of one over. :eek:

Edit: Jayasuriya gone! Jayasuriya was looking dangerous as well.

[Notorious_29]

sri lanka are ****ed. looking at about 110-120 at best here.

there always a chance though with murali, malinga and mendez. should still be a good close game if sri lanka can make 100+

[Spudregus_87]

All of Pakistan's big players firing.

I think the first over set up the innings so well, gave nothing to Dilshan to drive, and after a few pressure balls, the comp's leading run scorer is out for a quaka!

Gul strengthening his status as the world's best T20 bowler.

Afridi is a juggernaut when at his best.

Sangakarra is all class.

(p.s. Akmal probably the most annoying bloke behind the stumps! Sounds like a Sharapova v Azarenka match!)

[Notorious_29]

(p.s. Akmal probably the most annoying bloke behind the stumps! Sounds like a Sharapova v Azarenka match!)

baja baja baaaaj. ive noticed quite a few keepers saying this, dhoni as well. im guessing its something along the lines of very very good.

[DoubleO7]

baja baja baaaaj. ive noticed quite a few keepers saying this, dhoni as well. im guessing its something along the lines of very very good.
Player nicknames I think (e.g Bhajji = Harbhajan Singh).

For some strange quirk of fate Umar Gul has not been able to get his searing toe crushers going today. He is just bowling back of a length or too short. What a day to miss your most potent weapon.

[Bond,ShaneBond]

If Gul was at his best it would have been lights out. As is, SL have given themselves a sniff.

I would open Mendis or Murali for one over and try and upset Pakistan.

Sanga is a legend. I love that man!

EDIT

They can probably go orthodox now. 138 might be enough!

[DoubleO7]

This has been a good comeback by the Lankans. They were in early trouble with their man in form going out for duck and then wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Sangakkara kept going at one end but nobody gave him any support. Silva chipped in with a small contribution but the partnership with Mathews changed things for Sri Lanka. The last over produced 17 runs and that might well be a deciding factor of the match.

Anyone else notice Sangakkara's helmet (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/105100/105139.jpg)? It is very similar to a bicycle helmet. I don't usually pay attention to a players helmet but this one certainly caught my attention.

[DoubleO7]

Isuru Udana is a bowler of the slowest variety, he should be renamed to left-arm slow rather than left-arm medium-fast, he just cuts his fingers across the seam and bowls a variety of slower deliveries. Bit like Nathan Bracken actually.

... and with Murali, he has of late been darting it in rather than flighting it, which is his greatest strength. In the IPL also he was guilty of firing it in flatter and faster. If the batsmen get after him, it gets even worse, with him turning into a medium pacer.

[Ill Chicken]

A good final in general. Sri Lanka played poorly at the top. Razzaq bowled pie and picked up three wickets because they kept swinging across the line. He was bowling throw downs and they didn't boom him back over his head. Which is what Pakistan did do when they batted and got a bit of luck with the ball falling safely in the deep cover and long off/on. The ball wasn't moving through the air at all, so it was perfect to play straight through the line on a true wicket.

In general they batted well and Udana cracked in his last over when the game was still there to be won, but of course something has to give in that situation and Pakistan played the percentages. I thought Jayasuria bowled reasonably well and should have maybe bowled that over, but Udana should be better for it in the long run. As Double07 pointed out, Murali and Mendis both bowled too quick through the air and didn't have quite the impact as in earlier games.

[Mr P@H]

This format suits Pakistan more than any other, well done to them.

Nice to see the England girls win the Women's version as well, when push comes to shove noone can match good old England in Track cycling and Women's cricket.

[DaRick]

Congratulations to Pakistan.

[krisholio14]

Not happy :(

[DoubleO7]

Not happy :(
One should feel for Sri Lanka, they won 6 matches on the trot in this WC and could not deliver the knock-out blow. Still it was a gutsy effort from the Islanders when defending a below par target.

[likka]

Yeah, but that just shows how reliant SL were on Dilshan at the top of the order.

[Ill Chicken]

Pakistan were in an even worse position batting wise. The reality is their bowling got them the distance.

[krisholio14]

Pakistan were in an even worse position batting wise. The reality is their bowling got them the distance.

It was my belief that if either Afridi or Dilshan fired with the bat, whichever of them made more runs would be the winner.

[Bond,ShaneBond]

I thought the last four overs would be:
Mendis
Murali
Malinga
Jayasuriya.

Bowling Udanna was a strange choice I thought, but to be fair Pakistan were in the box seat whatever SL did.

[krisholio14]

I thought the last four overs would be:
Mendis
Murali
Malinga
Jayasuriya.

Bowling Udanna was a strange choice I thought, but to be fair Pakistan were in the box seat whatever SL did.

We needed early wickets or it was over. IT's never enough to restrict in any kind of limited overs cricket when defending a low total.

The biggest problem I have with 20/20 cricket is that like the Windies in the semi, and us in the final. if you lose 3 early wickets in the first couple of overs, you have pretty much no chance whatsoever.

[Ill Chicken]

It was my belief that if either Afridi or Dilshan fired with the bat, whichever of them made more runs would be the winner.

I was talking about the tournament as a whole in general but yeah Afridi or Dilshan/Jayasuria had to fire. I think even putting Udana in before Matthews could have potentially cost SL 10 runs.

[krisholio14]

I was talking about the tournament as a whole in general but yeah Afridi or Dilshan/Jayasuria had to fire. I think even putting Udana in before Matthews could have potentially cost SL 10 runs.

Agreed. Not sure why we suddenly decided to bat Mubarak at number 3 either.

[Bond,ShaneBond]

We needed early wickets or it was over. IT's never enough to restrict in any kind of limited overs cricket when defending a low total.

The biggest problem I have with 20/20 cricket is that like the Windies in the semi, and us in the final. if you lose 3 early wickets in the first couple of overs, you have pretty much no chance whatsoever.

I don't particularly agree with this. 138 was defendable, Pakistan just batted too well and Sri Lanka couldn't take wickets. With regard to the West Indies, unless you are Pakistan in a Test against India you don't win any form of cricket when you lose 3 in the first over!

[krisholio14]

I don't particularly agree with this. 138 was defendable, Pakistan just batted too well and Sri Lanka couldn't take wickets. With regard to the West Indies, unless you are Pakistan in a Test against India you don't win any form of cricket when you lose 3 in the first over!

I seem to remember at least 2 occasions where your boy Bond had the Aussies 4 for not very many inside 10 overs (of a 50 over game), and they still managed to win.

At least in 50 over cricket, you have some kind of chance of salvaging the innings.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not criticizing the Paki's in any way. In a final, against a team that had hit their best form, 138 was never going to be enough. We needed another 20 for sure.