cb series tagged posts

March 19, 2012 / Posted in  Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

Mahmudullah's 32 not out helped guide Bangladesh to victory against Sri Lanka, and a spot in the Asia Cup final

Bangladesh made it to the final of the Asia Cup, defying pre-tournament expectations with consecutive victories against their more fancied neighbours. It was only the second time they had reached the finals of a one-day tournament. The bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 232, but rain siphoned off ten overs and reduced the target to 212. The increased asking-rate, 5.30 an over, gave both teams a chance, but enterprising batting by Tamim Iqbal on a spiced-up pitch gave their chase a kickstart. The Bangladesh middle order withstood the pressure and gave the expectant crowd a reason to show up in similar numbers for the final, on Thursday. Nasir Hossain proved once again why he is the find of the season for Bangladesh and Tamim put the farce of his earlier non-selection to rest. Nasir’s calm half-century partnership with Mahmudullah ensured Bangladesh did not implode in the rush for a quick finish. The sea of green jerseys in the crowd were rewarded for staying in their seats even as Sri Lanka clawed back. Many clasped their hands in prayer once Bangladesh lost their fifth wicket, Shakib Al Hasan, but the temperament of the sixth-wicket pair showed why Bangladesh could start the finals not as underdogs, but contenders. India, waiting on the result of this game, will be headed home.

Nasir Hossain jumps in celebration of Bangladesh's win, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, Mirpur, March 20, 2012

Sri Lanka were pegged back at the very beginning, when another Hossain – Nazmul – coming in for the injured Shafiul Islam, nipped out three top-order wickets. The middle order, led by Chamara Kapugedera, gave the innings some respectability, but weren’t able to post a challenging score to match the pattern in the last two games. The mid-innings downpour gave the pitch the kind of zip missing during the afternoon. Lasith Malinga tested the top order with bouncers fizzing past the helmet, while Nuwan Kulasekara got the ball to swerve in to the right-handers to castle Nazimuddin and flummox the captain Mushfiqur Rahim.

Shakib Al Hasan whips one away on the on side, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, Mirpur, March 20, 2012

Bangladesh were three down for 40, but the passage of play was punctuated by some blistering strokeplay by Tamim. His balance and follow-through were exemplary, especially in his driving through the off side. Mahela Jayawardene tried to plug that gap with a short point, and later with two fielders up close at cover and extra cover, but Tamim was not deterred. He lofted one over the covers and then whipped consecutive boundaries through midwicket, showing his class on both sides of the wicket. Shakib, following an examination with the short delivery, which he settled into more risk-free batting, crashing Suranga Lakmal for three consecutive boundaries through the off side. Tamim reached his half-century with a clip for four off Farveez Maharoof, and his pleasing strokeplay won the applause of the country’s premiere Sheikh Hasina, also in attendance. He was dropped by Sachitra Senanayake, after lobbing a simple chance back to the bowler, but Senanayake finally got his man when an uppish slash was taken at point. Tamim walked back to a hush from the expectant crowd, with their hopes pinned on Shakib.

Sachithra Senanayake is congratulated on dismissing Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, Mirpur

Shakib’s battle with Senanayake was a compelling one. Shakib got on top of him initially with boundaries over extra cover, but once the bowler shortened his length, the batsman became a walking wicket. Unsure of the bounce, he stabbed at two consecutive deliveries and nearly lobbed it back on the full to the bowler. Senanayake got one to skid through and trapped him in front of leg to give Sri Lanka hope, with the hosts still 77 adrift. Sri Lanka were guilty of easing the pressure on the batsmen by feeding balls full on the pads, which were clipped away to fine leg. Nasir and Mahmudullah kept out the inswinging yorkers, didn’t panic when they played the ball back to the fielders, and calmly picked up the singles. Tillakaratne Dilshan was brought on after the seamers failed to nip out wickets, but the pair didn’t change their approach. A firm push by Nasir was parried by mid-on to the boundary, leading to wild celebrations and a victory lap. The win was set up by Nazmul, who removed the power trio of Jayawardene, Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara. Jayawardene missed a straight one, Dilshan chopped on a delivery onto his stumps and Sangakkara spooned a catch to extra cover, bringing an end to an indifferent season with the bat. Bangladesh came out with a sense of purpose, fielding with intent after winning the toss. They were aided by a surface which, though not the same used for the India-Pakistan game, appeared slower and suited their crop of bowlers. The seamers bowled several slower deliveries to tighten the noose on the run-rate. Kapugedera and Lahiru Thirimanne added 88 for the fourth wicket, but one of them needed to bat through the innings to set a competitive target. Upul Tharanga made a breezy fifty, but not for the first time since his demotion, he had to repair the damage done upfront, again raising questions about the structure of the batting line-up.

The covers come on at the Shere Bangla Stadium, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, Mirpur, March 20, 2012

Kapugedera, under pressure to keep his place, made good use of his promotion, using his feet to the spinners. A stroke of luck, though, gave Bangladesh the breakthrough when Thirimanne nudged Abdur Razzak off his pads and was stumped after the ball deflected off Mushfiqur’s pads. Tharanga’s arrival perked up the scoring, as he punished a wayward Shahadat for three quick boundaries. Kapugedera managed a face-saving half-century, but his innings was cut short by some sharp reflexes by Shakib at extra cover. Shakib struck with the ball soon after, getting two wickets. Boundaries by the lower order pushed Sri Lanka to 232, but one could sense that was always going to be inadequate. It ended a mixed season for a travel-weary Sri Lanka, following the highs of Australia. Not too long ago, India were at their hotel rooms in Brisbane, hoping for a Sri Lankan defeat to push them into the CB Series finals. This time in a hotel not far from the ground, they were ironically hoping for a Sri Lankan win. There were no back-door entries for a team which has suffered its worst away season in recent history.

Nazmul dented the top order with three wickets and gave Bangladesh early control

Sri Lanka 232 (49.5 ov) Bangladesh 212/5 (37.1/40 ov, target 212) Bangladesh won by 5 wickets (with 17 balls remaining) (D/L method)

	Sri Lanka innings (50 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	DPMD Jayawardene*	b Nazmul Hossain	5		12	0	0	41.66
	TM Dilshan	b Nazmul Hossain	19	43	22	3	0	86.36
	KC Sangakkara†	c Nazimuddin b Nazmul Hossain	6	14	14	0	0	42.85
	CK Kapugedera	c Shakib Al Hasan b Abdur Razzak	62	138	92	4	0	67.39
	HDRL Thirimanne	st †Mushfiqur Rahim b Abdur Razzak	48	89	73	3	0	65.75
	WU Tharanga	c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Shahadat Hossain	48	60	44	5	1	109.09
	MF Maharoof	c †Mushfiqur Rahim b Shakib Al Hasan	3	4	3	0	0	100.00
	KMDN Kulasekara	lbw b Shakib Al Hasan	1	4	4	0	0	25.00
	SMSM Senanayake	not out	19	34	21	3	0	90.47
	SL Malinga	b Mashrafe Mortaza	10	16	13	1	0	76.92
	RAS Lakmal	run out (Jahurul Islam/†Mushfiqur Rahim)	0	3	1	0	0	0.00
	Extras	(lb 3, w 8)	11
	Total	(all out; 49.5 overs)	232	(4.65 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Mashrafe Mortaza	9.5	1	30	1	3.05
	Nazmul Hossain	8	1	32	3	4.00
	Shahadat Hossain	8	0	51	1	6.37	(2w)
	Abdur Razzak	10	0	44	2	4.40	(2w)
	Shakib Al Hasan	10	1	56	2	5.60	(3w)
	Mahmudullah	4	0	16	0	4.00	(1w)

	Bangladesh innings (target: 212 runs from 40 overs)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	Tamim Iqbal	c Thirimanne b Senanayake	59	89	57	9	0	103.50
	Nazimuddin	b Kulasekara	6	6	7	1	0	85.71
	Jahurul Islam	c Kapugedera b Lakmal	2	24	15	0	0	13.33
	Mushfiqur Rahim*†	b Kulasekara	1	4	4	0	0	25.00
	Shakib Al Hasan	lbw b Senanayake	56	72	46	7	0	121.73
	Nasir Hossain	not out	36	86	61	3	0	59.01
	Mahmudullah	not out	32	65	33	3	0	96.96
	Extras	(lb 13, w 7)	20
	Total	(5 wickets; 37.1 overs)	212	(5.70 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	SL Malinga	8	0	29	0	3.62	(3w)
	KMDN Kulasekara	6	0	30	2	5.00	(1w)
	RAS Lakmal	7.1	0	44	1	6.13	(3w)
	SMSM Senanayake	8	0	38	2	4.75
	MF Maharoof	6	0	46	0	7.66
	TM Dilshan	2	0	12	0	6.00

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, Mirpur Must-win clash for upbeat Down to salvaging pride for Sri Lanka Math Match Facts and Predictions , Asia Cup, 6th Match: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Mirpur Dhaka, Mar 20, 201Sri Lanka have been knocked out of the Asia Cup. But they can still spoil Bangladesh or India’s chances of qualifying for the final. Earlier this month, they knocked India out of the CB series after beating Australia in the tournament’s final league game. They can ensure India go through this time by winning against Bangladesh, or inflict a second-straight knock-out, undermine another sterling Virat Kohli ton and another run-chase of 320-plus, by losing.

Nasir Hossain Bangladeshs most exciting find of the recent past

A Sri Lanka win will end Bangladesh’s Asia Cup, one the hosts spiced up through their thrilling chase against India that kept their qualification hopes alive and prevented Sunday’s India-Pakistan encounter from becoming a mere dress rehearsal for the final. They fought hard against Pakistan, won memorably against India by embarrassing a weak bowling attack and can’t be written off against a Sri Lanka team yet to recover from sizable defeats. Bangladesh will go through if they win; even if they tie with India on points, they’re through by virtue of having beaten them earlier...

March 7, 2012 / Posted in  Australia, Sri Lanka

Australia 231 (Wade 49, Warner 48, Herath 3-36, Maharoof 3-40) beat Sri Lanka 215 (Tharanga 71, McKay 5-28) by 16 runs

Australia v Sri Lanka, CB Series 3rd final, Adelaide McKay five-for delivers title

Unwavering spells from Clint McKay and the stand-in captain Shane Watson delivered the triangular series trophy to Australia in a fittingly tense third final against a doughty Sri Lanka at Adelaide Oval.

As the injured captain Michael Clarke watched intently from the boundary’s edge, Brett Lee and McKay nipped out Sri Lanka’s top four batsmen inside the first 10 overs, after the visitors had threatened to repeat the runaway start they had made in Tuesday’s second match.

Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne threatened a recovery, but Watson was stinginess itself in the middle overs and McKay returned to help round up the Sri Lankans 16 runs short, the fitting final chapter of a compelling limited-overs tournament. The visitors’ contribution to the summer was underlined by Tillakaratne Dilshan’s selection as player of the series.

McKay’s figures were his best in international cricket, and followed a critical 28 at the tail-end of Australia’s innings. Watson will now take a weary but happy team to the West Indies for the ODI portion of the tour, having delivered the first triangular series contested in Australia since 2008.

Australia’s fielding and bowling effort was its best for some weeks, and needed to be after the batsmen had cobbled only 231 on a slowing pitch. Led adroitly in the field by Mahela Jayawardene, the visitors had not been perturbed by an opening stand of 75 at better than five runs an over between David Warner and Matthew Wade, and chipped away diligently at the hosts with a combination of spin and reverse swing. No Australian batsman passed 50 as they were bowled out in the final over.

Rangana Herath and Farveez Maharoof shared six wickets, while Nuwan Kulasekara also contributed to a tidy ensemble, of which only Lasith Malinga struggled to contain.

Herath bowled his best and most incisive spell of the tournament to return 3-36, helped by the use of the same pitch that had hosted Tuesday’s second final. As he had done in that match, Dilshan took the new ball and bowled his overs with thrift and direction.

Taking Sri Lanka’s lead, Watson opened up with the spin of Xavier Doherty at the other end to Lee, but the initial gambit did not work. Dilshan and Jayawardene capitalised on Doherty’s errors of line and length, collecting four boundaries from his first two overs as they swept to 0 for 33 from the first four overs.

Lee was also slipping in a final effort for the home summer, and he gained a critical break when Dilshan tried to work a lifting delivery to the leg side and managed only to loop a catch to cover from the front-edge of his bat. Kumar Sangakkara looked in truly sparkling touch upon his arrival, and had sprinted to 19 from eight balls when Lee coaxed an edge from his ninth – the high chance very well held by Watson.

McKay had replaced Doherty, and was soon settled into a precise spell that exploited the vagaries of a wearing surface to the maximum. Dinesh Chandimal was pinned lbw by a delivery that whirred in at middle stump, before Jayawardene was undone by another that seamed back just enough to beat his forward press and graze off stump.

Extremely unsteady at 4 for 53, Thirimanne and Tharanga fought to keep the chase afloat, but the caution forced by the loss of early wickets forced the required rate back up into awkward territory against the older ball. Watson, Nathan Lyon and Daniel Christian bowled intelligently without a wicket, as the match and series edged towards a nervous finish.

Thirimanne had added 60 with Tharanga and the Australians had grown tense by the time Watson found a way to eke out a wicket. Angling across Thirimanne, he coaxed a sliced drive that flew low into Warner’s safe hands at backward point. Kapugedera could manage only 7 before he edged another McKay delivery, the deflection held by a diving Wade.

Kulasekara threatened a repeat of his Gabba heroics, cracking two boundaries in a brief stay, before Lee followed the batsman’s retreat outside leg stump to cramp his room and prompt a catch to mid-on. Maharoof had been held back to No. 9, and he would provide a calming presence alongside Tharanga as the target was whittled down.

Watson had led his side well in testing circumstances, but he perhaps erred in his judgement to let Sri Lanka sneak closer. Having bowled five searching overs for only eight runs, Watson nonetheless preferred two overs of Doherty’s spin, costing 16 runs. By the time he recalled himself to the attack, Watson had only 30 runs to defend from the final five overs.

This all made Watson’s sixth over, the 46th of the innings, crucial. He responded in the best possible fashion, conceding only two runs and finding Tharanga’s outside edge. Next over McKay found a way through Herath, and 17 were still required when he yorked Malinga.

In the afternoon, Warner and Wade were conscious of the need for greater impetus at the top of the innings and played their shots early on, though taking more liberties against the pacemen than Dilshan’s part-time spin.

Warner cleared the boundary once and looked rather more fluent than he had during most of his century on Tuesday, but on 48 he edged a bouncing delivery from Maharoof to Kumar Sangakkara.

Wade had been struggling physically, vomiting at one point in what appeared an attack of gastro, but it was a surprise when a punchy Watson picked out Herath on the leg-side boundary off Dilshan’s bowling, the fielder clasping the sharp chance to his chest.

Michael Hussey’s stay was brief, Dilshan’s swift gather and throw from short third man finding him short of his ground after he had called Wade through for a single. Sri Lanka’s sense of momentum only grew when Wade’s dogged stay was ended by Herath, who coaxed an edge that Sangakkara held with a juggle.

Forrest could make only 3 before misreading Herath’s length and being bowled by a delivery that straightened just enough to beat his defensive blade and flick off stump. David Hussey was given lbw to a ball that would have passed over the top of the stumps, while Christian was undone by a Maharoof slower ball that he could only punch to mid off.

McKay and Lee did their best to swell the total in the closing overs, and their contributions were ultimately vital to a fighting victory.

Commonwealth Bank Series – 3rd final

Australia v Sri Lanka

Australia won by 16 runs

	Australia innings (50 overs maximum)		R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
	MS Wade†	c †Sangakkara b Herath	49	107	74	3	0	66.21
	DA Warner	c †Sangakkara b Maharoof	48	57	45	5	1	106.66
	SR Watson*	c Herath b Dilshan	19	32	18	1	1	105.55
	MEK Hussey	run out (Dilshan)	1	8	3	0	0	33.33
	DJ Hussey	lbw b Maharoof	19	43	29	1	0	65.51
	PJ Forrest	b Herath	3	10	7	0	0	42.85
	DT Christian	c Jayawardene b Maharoof	19	47	26	2	0	73.07
	B Lee	b Kulasekara	32	75	54	2	0	59.25
	CJ McKay	c Maharoof b Herath	28	34	32	3	1	87.50
	XJ Doherty	not out	5	18	8	0	0	62.50
	NM Lyon	c sub (SMSM Senanayake) b Kulasekara	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
	Extras	(b 2, lb 3, w 3)	8
	Total	(all out; 49.3 overs)	231	(4.66 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	TM Dilshan	10