Aussies Win the series with two match to spare

Australia 249 (Clarke 54, Woakes 6-45) beat England 198 (Pietersen 40, Watson 3-25) by 51 runs

Australia wins the one day series with two matches to spare after a 51-run victory at the Gabba as England’s batting collapsed by the pace of Brett Lee, then John Hastings removed the key pair of Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell before the innings subsided rapidly to give Australia their series win over England one’s again.

Pietersen and Bell batted nicely to steady England from 3 for 22, but having been given a life on 34 when Steve Smith missed catch, Pietersen picked out mid-on as he tried to pull a Hastings slower ball. Eoin Morgan continued his poor series and he got out of just 2, even though the required rate was below a run-a-ball.

England’s last real hope disappeared when Bell, who had been at his most fluent, dragged Hastings into his stumps.A record-last wicket stand of 53 between James Anderson and Steven Finn, on his ODI debut, only narrowed the margin and showed up the batsmen.

Australia’s bowlers hunted as a unit. Lee bowled with real venom early on, twice whistling rapid bouncers past Andrew Strauss’s helmet and Doug Bollinger wasn’t far behind when he struck Matt Prior in his opening over. But neither of England’s openers wanted to back down and Prior responded with three boundaries against Bollinger. However, Lee was a different prospect and Prior had to pay the price for it.

From the next delivery, the first ball of Bollinger’s third over, Strauss picked out square leg with a pull and it became worse when Lee put himself on a hat-trick as Jonathan Trott flicked a delivery off his hip straight to short fine-leg. Although the hat-trick ball to Bell was a no-ball it was also a rapid bouncer and Australia were in no mood for this series to stay alive.

Even though their total proved plenty, it was a tale of missed opportunity as several batsmen made starts only to give their wickets away. Watson (16) Brad Haddin (37) Shaun Marsh (16) David Hussey 34, having set a platform alongside Clarke with a 65-run fifth-wicket stand. Cameron White also couldn’t do much.

Clarke’s innings had three distinct phases. After being booed to the crease, he began with aggressive intent and moved to 17 off 13 balls, but then slowed considerably with 18 off his next 41 deliveries before driving Finn through cover. The fifty came from 70 balls but he couldn’t carry on, top-edging Woakes while trying to work through the leg side on 54.

England were hampered in the closing overs when Ajmal Shahzad injured his hamstring and Johnson took 15 off his eighth over during the batting Powerplay. Smith and Hastings also cashed in as Finn was struck for 14 off his ninth but Woakes, who was preferred to Michael Yardy and struck three times in the first over of a spell, returned to have Hastings caught at deep midwicket to complete his five, after which Lee carved to third man.

Woakes’ figures sit behind Collingwood’s 6 for 31 against Bangladesh, at Trent Bridge in 2005, but they were a hollow success. England are now left with the task of avoiding a 6-1 scoreline to match the drubbing after the 2009 Ashes.

 

PAKISTAN LEVEL SERIES WITH BIG WIN

Pakistan 293 for 7 (Hafeez 115, Afridi 65) beat New Zealand 250 for 9 (Styris 46, Williamson 42, Gul 2-33) by 43 runs.

A solid maiden ODI century from Mohammed Hafeez, a monstrous assault in the death overs led by Shahid Afridi and a spirited performance in the field were features of a roaring comeback by Pakistan in the ODI series, which they leveled 1-1 with a 43 run win at the AMI stadium in Christchurch. Hafeez counter-attacked after Pakistan had been dented in their start and dropped anchor in the middle overs to set up a launching pad for Afridi and Umar Akmal to smash 126 runs in the last 10 overs. Faced by a stiff chase, New Zealand fought hard but timely breakthroughs meant they were always struggling to measure up to the asking rate, eventually leading to their downfall.

The greenish appearance of the track proved deceptive as the movement off the seam that Ross Taylor had banked on when opting to field proved negligible. At the same time, conditions weren’t too easy for the batsmen early on either as the pitch played slow and low and the ball didn’t come on. Hafeez, who has often squandered starts since his promotion to the top of the order, lost two partners, Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal, to deliveries that appeared to stop on the batsmen. But New Zealand’s seamers lacked discipline and failed to apply pressure consistently, which allowed Hafeez to wrest the initiative.

The short square boundaries at the AMI Stadium were inevitably favored as the bowlers didn’t help their cause by consistently pitching short. Not long after he had nipped out two wickets, Tim Southee was pulled for consecutive boundaries by Hafeez; Hamish Bennett, struggling to bowl into the wind and dropping significantly in pace, was welcomed with a swipe to fine leg and six over long-on while Jacob Oram, in the very over he dismissed Younis Khan, was dispatched over midwicket.

New Zealand had a few chances to limit the damage. Hafeez was dropped on 49 by Brendon McCullum, diving full length to his right and failing to hold on to a difficult catch; Misbah-ul-Haq, who added 94 with Hafeez, was given a reprieve through a missed stumping by McCullum, and Bennett dropped a relatively simple catch off Afridi that, otherwise, could have checked the one-way traffic towards the end of the innings.

Even as Pakistan tried to rebuild their innings, Hafeez was at ease, displaying an excellent ability to adapt, rotating the strike with Misbah and threading the gaps with adept footwork and timing. He stepped out to smash debutant Luke Woodcock for a straight boundary, lofted Oram over the in-field and, after securing his century and taking the batting Powerplay, scooped and slogged Southee for successive fours before signing off by heaving Kyle Mills for a six.

By the time he fell, Umar had warmed up with a couple of meaty hits and Afridi only had to join in. He targeted Oram, who was struggling with his lengths, in the 46th over, hammering him for two sixes on the leg side and a boundary through cover. The seamers either bowled too full or dragged the ball too short and Afridi, paddling, swatting and slapping, collected sixes over fine leg, cover point and long-on on his way to equaling the fastest half-century – off 19 balls – by a batsman in New Zealand, a record also held by McCullum.

New Zealand began brightly in their reply with Martin Guptill and Jamie How capitalizing on the short boundaries to add 44 in quick time. But Pakistan’s seamers, unlike the New Zealand bowlers, relied more on variations in pace with Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz and Umar Gul ensuring the pressure of a big chase never diminished. How holed out to deep midwicket, failing to pick the slower ball; Ross Taylor, after a watchful start, stabbed at a good-length delivery to be caught at slip by Younis and Guptill, after four boundary-less overs in the second Powerplay, punched Riaz to point where Shehzad clung on to a low chance.

The hosts were in the hunt when Scott Styris and Kane Williamson preserved their wickets, picked out the gaps to ensure a steady flow of ones and twos and accumulated 81 runs for the fourth wicket to stage a recovery. But while the seamers had picked up the wickets and restrained the batsmen, the slow bowlers, too, proved difficult to step up against, adding to the pressure on New Zealand. Afridi and Hafeez got through their overs quickly and gave little away. Hafeez eventually broke the stand as Styris failed to clear deep midwicket and when Williamson and McCullum departed within three runs of each other – bowled by Riaz and run out by Umar respectively – the game was all but sealed. Not a bad thing to prepare for the 2011 edition in much the same way.

 

TROTT HEROICS KEEP ENGLAND ALIVE

England 8 for 299 (Trott 102, Prior 67, Hussey 4-21) beat Australia 7 for 278 (Watson 64, Trott 2-31)

Jonathan Trott’s calculating century ensured England stayed in the series with a 21 run victory that upset Australia’s national holiday in Adelaide. The tourists began the game needing to win ant the scenario won’t change when they head to Brisbane for Sunday’s fifth ODI, but they have been boosted by an end to the 4 consecutive limited-overs losses.

Trott’s perfectly timed 102 off 126 balls stood tall on a day that was meant to be a celebration of all things Australia, but the home supporters left unhappy as the 7 series score-line in the 7-game contest settled at 3-1. Trott, bowling his steady medium pace, even managed the valuable breakthroughs of Cameron White (44) and David Hussey (28) to end the pair’s rescue act.

England’s 8 for 299, which was reduced slightly by effective slow bowling, was more than enough for Australia, especially when the danger man Shane Watson fell for a bright 64. England’s bowlers did not allow the batsmen to gain any rhythm on a sluggish pitch and were able to wait for the locals to make mistakes as they tried to force the pace.

The opener Brad Haddin burned brightly for 20 before chipping Chris Tremlett to cover and Shaun Marsh (1) was caught and bowled by James Anderson (2 for 57). Michael Clarke’s run struggles continued when he was bowled on 15 by the frugal Paul Collingwood and the side was 4 for 116 when Watson aimed a big drive and was caught behind off Ajmal Shehzad. Steven Smith managed a personal best of 46 and Brett Lee registered 39 as the game wound down, with the pair seeing the side to 7 for 278.

While Trott’s bowling was a bonus, his best work was undoubtedly done with the bat. His century built on Matt Prior’s brutal 67 off 58 as the top order maintained a ferocious pace.

Trott backed up his 84 not out in Sydney on Sunday with a much more fluent contribution that drove England towards a formidable total. He unfurled a couple of delightful straight drives, including 1 off John Hastings to move to 85, and reached his century with a single to midwicket.

He didn’t push on after the milestone and played on to Hussey shortly after raising his bat, walking off with 6 boundaries and a long ovation. The only major discomfort he experienced before then came on 30 when he found himself at the same end as Prior after his defensive shot rolled on to the base of the stumps. Lee followed through but his wild throw back to the bowler’s end was wide and Trott survived.

Collingwood, who launched Lee for 6 to midwicket in the powerplay, and Michael Yardy provided some late muscle to ensure the big score. Collingwood passed 5000 ODI runs, the first England batsmen to do so, during his run a ball 27 while Yardy grabbed an unbeaten 39 off 27. Hussey, the offspinner, was called late, knocking over Collingwood then dismissing Shahzad in the final over.

Hussey, who sneaked 4 for 21 off 4 overs, and Smith (3 for 33 off 7) collected career best figures as they restricted batsmen who had enjoyed the conditions as he gave away 44 from his 10 overs.

Prior and Trott delivered the early pain to the Australians after the visitors won the toss. He and Trott put on 113 on almost a run a ball for the second wicket following the early loss of Andrew Strauss at 8. Prior wasted little time in getting going and his half century came when he pulled Lee off the front foot for 6, with England moving to 1 for 100 after 15 overs.

Smith, the legspinner, picked up Prior in his first over when he cut to point and had more success when Kevin Pietersen (12) chipped to long on. 2 balls later Ian Bell exited without scoring, leaving England stuttering at 4 for 158.

Australia’s fast bowlers seemed in trouble from the moment Lee’s first over went for 12, with him starting with 5 wides down the leg side. Lee finished with 1 for 68 off 8 while Bollinger also struggled at the start and finish, giving away 55 in 9. The generosity helped England ruin the hosts party, but the visitors still require victories in the remaining 3 games to steal the trophy.

No Matches for Eden Garden Kolkata

A venue inspection team which included the Tournament Director, members of the Central Organising Committe (COC) and the ICC, have today reported on the readiness of five outstanding venues scheduled to host matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Following the inspection tour, the three Sri Lanka venues – Colombo, Hambantota and Pallekele – as well as Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai have been approved subject to minor finishing work being completed within specified time frames not exceeding 14 days. The expert report, however, determined that Eden Gardens in Kolkata would not be ready within an acceptable time frame to host the India v England ICC Cricket World Cup match on 27 February.

The ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of the decision and, as host, the BCCI will now consider an alternate venue for approval by the ICC.

Mr Lorgat said: “All venues had ample time in which to prepare for world cup matches. We had been understanding and had provided extensions to the deadline dates but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks.

“The COC had provided venues with a deadline of 30 November 2010 to complete all construction work and then to be match-ready by 31 December 2010. An extension was granted by the ICC for five venues, which were again inspected over the past week. Sadly, Eden Gardens in Kolkata was unable to meet the final deadline date of 25 January 2011.

“Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time. This was no easy decision to take and while it is most unfortunate, it is absolutely necessary,” said Lorgat.

The ICC has also recognised the challenge of relocating a scheduled match.

Tournament Director Prof. Ratnakar Shetty said: “We will work with the new venue, the tour operators and the ticket distributors to manage the logistical challenges that will surely arise.”

Fixtures of the ICC World Cup 2011

	19 Feb 11	India vs Bangladesh	Match 1	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	14:00 IST
	20 Feb 11	New Zealand vs Kenya	Match 2	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai	09:30 IST
	20 Feb 11	Sri Lanka vs Canada	Match 3	Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota	14:30 IST
	21 Feb 11	Australia vs Zimbabwe	Match 4	Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera	14:30 IST
	22 Feb 11	England vs Netherlands	Match 5	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur	14:30 IST
	23 Feb 11	Pakistan vs Kenya	Match 6	Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota	14:30 IST
	24 Feb 11	South Africa vs West Indies	Match 7	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	14:30 IST
	25 Feb 11	Australia vs New Zealand	Match 8	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur	09:30 IST
	25 Feb 11	Bangladesh vs Ireland	Match 9	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	14:00 IST
	26 Feb 11	Pakistan vs Sri Lanka	Match 10	R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	14:30 IST
	27 Feb 11	India vs England	Match 11	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	14:30 IST
	28 Feb 11	Zimbabwe vs Canada	Match 12	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur	09:30 IST
	28 Feb 11	West Indies vs Netherlands	Match 13	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	14:30 IST
	01 Mar 11	Sri Lanka vs Kenya	Match 14	R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	14:30 IST
	02 Mar 11	England vs Ireland	Match 15	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (Bangalore)	14:30 IST
	03 Mar 11	South Africa vs Netherlands	Match 16	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali	09:30 IST
	03 Mar 11	Pakistan vs Canada	Match 17	R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	14:30 IST
	04 Mar 11	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Match 18	Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera	09:30 IST
	04 Mar 11	Bangladesh vs West Indies	Match 19	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	14:00 IST
	05 Mar 11	Australia vs Sri Lanka	Match 20	R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	14:30 IST
	06 Mar 11	South Africa vs England	Match 21	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai	09:30 IST
	06 Mar 11	India vs Ireland	Match 22	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (Bangalore)	14:30 IST
	07 Mar 11	Canada vs Kenya	Match 23	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	14:30 IST
	08 Mar 11	Pakistan vs New Zealand	Match 24	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy	14:30 IST
	09 Mar 11	India vs Netherlands	Match 25	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi	14:30 IST
	10 Mar 11	Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe	Match 26	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy	14:30 IST
	11 Mar 11	West Indies vs Ireland	Match 27	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali	09:30 IST
	11 Mar 11	Bangladesh vs England	Match 28	Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	14:00 IST
	12 Mar 11	India vs South Africa	Match 29	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur	14:30 IST
	13 Mar 11	New Zealand vs Canada	Match 30	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	09:30 IST
	13 Mar 11	Australia vs Kenya	Match 31	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (Bangalore)	14:30 IST
	14 Mar 11	Bangladesh vs Netherlands	Match 32	Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong	09:00 IST
	14 Mar 11	Pakistan vs Zimbabwe	Match 33	Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy	14:30 IST
	15 Mar 11	South Africa vs Ireland	Match 34	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	14:30 IST
	16 Mar 11	Australia vs Canada	Match 35	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (Bangalore)	14:30 IST
	17 Mar 11	England vs West Indies	Match 36	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai	14:30 IST
	18 Mar 11	Netherlands vs Ireland	Match 37	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	09:30 IST
	18 Mar 11	New Zealand vs Sri Lanka	Match 38	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	14:30 IST
	19 Mar 11	Bangladesh vs South Africa	Match 39	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	09:00 IST
	19 Mar 11	Australia vs Pakistan	Match 40	R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	14:30 IST
	20 Mar 11	Zimbabwe vs Kenya	Match 41	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	09:30 IST
	20 Mar 11	India vs West Indies	Match 42	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai	14:30 IST
	23 Mar 11	A1 vs B4	1st Quarter Final, C	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	14:00 IST
	24 Mar 11	A2 vs B3	2nd Quarter Final, D	Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera	14:30 IST
	25 Mar 11	A3 vs B2	3rd Quarter Final, E	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur	14:00 IST
	26 Mar 11	A4 vs B1	4th Quarter Final, F	R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	14:30 IST
	29 Mar 11	Winner C vs Winner E	1st Semi Final	R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	14:30 IST
	30 Mar 11	Winner D vs Winner F	2nd Semi Final	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali	14:30 IST
	02 Apr 11	SF1 vs SF2	Final	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	14:30 IST