India clinched nail-biting match against West Indies

 

 

 

India registered a thrilling one-wicket victory over the West Indies in Cuttack in a nail-biting 1st one day international as tail-ender Varun Aaron hit the winning runs in the 49th over.Chasing  211 made by West Indies,India had a bad start of their innings,as they lost the top 5 wickets at the score of  59 runs.Rohit Sharma and Ravi Jadeja stabilized the innings by sharing an important partnership.Sharma hit three fours and one huge straight six in his crucial knock of 72.Ravi Jadeja scored 38 runs.

Earlier,West Indies managed to score 211 in their 50 overs as Darren Bravo scored 60 and Danza Hyatt 31. Yadav (2-33) and Aaron (2-47) were the leading wicket takers29 balls before he was bowled by Russell and when Raina gave his wicket away to be caught by Bravo off the same bowler for five, India were in deep trouble with just 59 runs on the board and half the side dismissed.

India leads the series by 1-0.The second game in the series is in 2nd December in Visakhapatnam.

India vs West Indies Full Match Highlights World Cup 2011

West Indies Beat India By Seven Wickets

 

Darren Bravo smashed 86 runs,hitting three fours and six huge sixes and Ramnaresh Sarwan stroked 75 runs,to help West Indies to register a second straight ODI win by seven-wickets against India in Jamaica.

Earlier,India were bowled out for 251,thanks to Virat Kohli’s 94 and Rohit Sharma's 57.Andre Russell took four for 35 for West Indies.

In reply, the West Indies scored 255 for three in 48.4 overs.

India won the series by 3-2.

WEST INDIES BEAT INDIA BY 103 RUNS

 

 

Kieron Pollard smashed 70 in 72 balls,hitting two sixes and Simmons stroke 67 runs to guide the West Indies to their first victory in the series by 103-runs against India in Antigua.Carlton Baugh contributed with 39 runs and Russell made 25 runs.Pravin Kumar picked up three wickets for 37.

Chasing the target of 250 runs,India were bowled out for 146 runs.Anthony Martin grabbed 4 wickets for West Indies.Rohit Sharma was the highest scorer,who made 39 runs.No other batsmen could score much.

ROHIT SHARMA STEERED INDIA TO A SERIES VICTORY

 

Rohit Sharma smashed a swashbuckling knock of 86 runs,stroking five fours and two sixes in 91 balls to steer India to a three-wicket victory over the West Indies in the third One-Day International in Antigua to clinch the series win.India leads the series by 3-0.In spite of loosing six wickets for just 92,India successfully chased the target of 226 loosing 7 wickets.Harbhajan Singh showed an excellent performance with the bat,stroking 41 runs in 64 balls.Parthiv Patel continued his good form,making 46 runs.Praveen Kumar smacked the vital 25 not out in 15 balls. 

Earlier,West Indies once again struggled with the bat,loosing seven wickets for just 96.But West Indies made a strong comeback with the help of a powerful performance from Andre Russell,who smashed 92 in 64 balls,hitting eight fours and five sixes.Carlton Baugh contributed with 36 runs.Finally,West Indies reached a fighting total of 225 runs.Amit Mishra was a star of the show with the ball,grabbing three wickets for 28.   

Russell was named as the man of the match.

The fourth match of five match-series will be played at the same venue - the Sir Viv Richards Stadium - on 13th June.

INDIA BEAT WEST INDIES BY SEVEN WICKETS IN THE 2ND ODI

 

With the help of Virat Kohli’s crucial knock of 81 runs in 103 balls and Amit Mishra’s four wickets for 31,India registered a seven-wicket victory with a Duckworth/Lewis method against West Indies in the rain-interrupted second One-Day International.With this win,India took a 2-0 series lead.Parthiv Patel contributed with 56 runs in 64 balls.Suresh Raina played the role of a finisher,making 26 runs.

Earlier,with help of half-centuries from Ramnaresh Sarwan (56) and Lendl Simmons (53),West Indies posted 240 for nine. India reached a revised target of 183 for three  inside 37 overs.Leg-spinner Mishra grabbed the four important West Indian wickets of Kirk Edwards, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlton Baugh.Munaf Patel took 3 wickets for 35.

Kohli became the third fastest Indian to reach 2000 ODI runs, reaching his milestone in 53 innings to the 52 managed by both Sourav Ganguly and Navjot Sidhu.

The third match in the five-match series is on 11th June in Antigua.

India Began The ODI Series With A Win

 

 

India beat West Indies by four-wickets in the first One-Day International in Trinidad and took a lead of 1-0 in the series.Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden ODI half-century before he was caught by Simmons off Anthony Martin.India made a bad start to their innings.Parthiv Patel was run out for 13. Virat Kohli was caught behind for two.Subramanian Badrinath was caught behind off Devendra Bishoo for 17.But the star of the match was Rohit Sharma,who was the leading scorer,hitting unbeaten 68 in 75 was balls.He was well supported by the captain,Raina who made 43 in 50 balls.

Earlier,West Indian batsmen continued their poor batting display and just managed to reach the total of 214 for nine.Ramnaresh Sarwan made 56 runs.Marlon Samuels hit 55 runs.Other batsmen struggled on a slow pitch.Dwayne Bravo smashed 22 in 20 balls in the end.Harbhajan Singh returned with three for 32.Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel and captain Suresh Raina picked up two wickets each. 

India vs West Indies 20-2O:India Beat West Indies by 16 runs

 

India began their tour of the West Indies with a 16-run victory over West Indies with the help of  Badrinath’s swashbuckling knock of 43 runs in 37 balls in the Twenty20 International at Queen's Park in Trinidad.Rohit Sharma scored 26 in 23 balls.Christopher Barnwell took wickets of both Badrinath and Rohit Sharma.Parthiv Patel smacked 26 in 20 balls before Sammy dismissed him.Sammy returned with the figures of four for 16.Harbhajan Singh and Yusuf Pathan both scored 15 not out each in last overs,so India managed to reach the score of 159 for six.

Earlier, India had a shaky start as India lost Shikhar Dhawan (5), Virat Kohli (14),captain Suresh Raina (2) cheaply.

West Indies had the bad start,as they lost Fletcher for 11,caught by Kohli and Lendl Simmons for 9.Fletcher was bowled by Munaf Patel.Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels tried to steady the ship.Bravo made 41 in 41 balls and Samuels 27 in 29 before Harbhajan removed both of them.Barnwell smashed two fours and three sixes in his quick 34 in 16 balls.but the hosts were restricted to 143 for five.

India’s Tour Of West Indies (2011) – Schedule & Fixtures

 

Indian team will play one twenty-20 internationals, five match ODI series and three match test series against West Indies on the tour of West Indies.

 

India v West Indies Series 2011 Schedule & Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Sat 4 Jun

23:30 PM

T20I - India v West Indies

Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

 

Mon 6 Jun

19:00 PM

1st ODI – India v West Indies

Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

 

Wed 8 Jun

19:00 PM

2nd ODI – India v West Indies

Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad

 

Sat 11 Jun

19:00 PM

3rd ODI – India v West Indies

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

 

Mon 13 Jun

19:00 PM

4th ODI – India v West Indies

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

 

Thu 16 Jun

19:00 PM

5th ODI – India v West Indies

Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

 

Mon 20 Jun – Fri 24 Jun

19:30 PM

1st Test – India v West Indies

Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

 

Tue 28 Jun – Sat 2 Jul

19:30 PM

2^nd Test – India v West Indies

Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

 

Wed 6 Jul – Sun 10 Jul

19:30 PM

3^rd Test – India v West Indies

Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Indian Team Got Selected For West Indies Tour

 

India will be without Tendulkar, Dhoni, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Gambhir and Ashish Nehra for the ODIs.Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir will be unavailable also for the Tests.Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are suffering from shoulder injuries. Yuvraj Singh has a respiratory infection.

Suresh Raina will captain the ODI team in the absence of Gambhir and MS Dhoni.There will be a new coach,Duncan Fletcher with the team for the tour.

Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt), VVS Laxman (vc), M Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel.

Limited-overs squad: Suresh Raina (capt), R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh (vc), Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan.

SAKIB’S CAPTAIN INNING LEADS BANGLADESH TO THEIR FIRST OVERSEAS SERIES WIN

 

 

 

Bangladeshi stand-in captain Shakib Al Hasan led from the front with 96 not out as his side beat the West Indies in the second and final test here on Monday and he declared the 2-0 series win was the biggest thing for the cricket side in nine years.
Shakib hit the winning runs in style with a six to seal a first ever series win away from home - admittedly against a weakened and inexperienced West Indies side after the senior players boycotted the series over a pay dispute - and the first time they have won two successive tests.
Shakib and Raqibul Hasan made 65 - both career bests - to set things up for the Tigers, as they successfully chased 215 for victory to win by four wickets and claim only their second ever series win.

Bangladesh were wobbling on 67 for four about half-hour before the tea break, but Shakib joined Raqibul and they put Bangladesh solidly on course for victory with a stand of 106 for the fifth wicket either side of tea.
Raqibul reached his 50 from 74 balls, when he steered Dave Bernard Jr to third man for his seventh fourth.
About 25 minutes later, Shakib arrived at his landmark, when he drove Kemar Roach for his seventh boundary and the first of three in succession in the fast bowler's 11th over.
But Raqibul became the fourth of five wickets for 55 runs in 16 overs for Darren Sammy, when he gave an easy return catch with Bangladesh still needing 44.
He batted for a shade under three hours, faced 99 balls, and struck eight fours and one six.

Diminutive wicketkeeper/batsman Mushfiqur Rahim joined Shakib and inched Bangladesh closer in the 40 minutes he spent at the crease before he too, drove back a simple return catch to Sammy to leave the Tigers 14 short of the magic number, but they had no last-minute jitters and duly crossed over the threshold.

Before lunch, Bangladesh had made a steady start and reached 17 without loss, after they completed the demolition of the West Indies batting, following a delayed start.
Shakib, who also captured the Man-of-the-Series award, finished with five wickets for 70 runs from 24.5 overs, and fellow left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jr ended with three for 48 from 17 overs.

Bangladesh tour of West Indies 2009 Schedule

 

 

Bangladesh Cricket Team will tour Caribbean in early part of July to play two test match series, three ODI’s and only T20I.

Bangladesh tour will begin from 3^rd of July with the three day tour game. First match of the two match test series will begin from 9^th of July at St. Vincent Stadium. 2^nd Test match will be played at Grenada from 17^th to 21^st of July.

Just after two match test series Bangladesh will play three ODI’s on 26^th, 28^th, and 31^st of July and final their tour will conclude with one of Twenty20 Internationals which will be played on 2^nd of August at St Kitts.

Bangladesh v West Indies Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Fri 3 July - Sun 5 July

19:30 PM

Tour Game – Bangladesh v TBC

Barbados

Thu 9 July - Mon 13 July

19:30 PM

1^st Test – Bangladesh v West Indies

Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent

Fri 17 July - Tue 21 July

19:30 PM

2^nd Test – Bangladesh v West Indies

National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada

Fri 24 July

19:00 PM

Tour Game – Bangladesh v TBC

Dominica

Sun 26 July

19:00 PM

1^st ODI – Bangladesh v West Indies

Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Tue 28 July

19:00 PM

2^nd ODI – Bangladesh v West Indies

Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Fri 31 July

19:00 PM

3^rd ODI – Bangladesh v West Indies

Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

Sun 2 Aug

23:30 PM

Only T20I – Bangladesh v West Indies

Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

RAIN HELPS INDIA TO WIN THE ODI SERIES

West Indies' chances of snatching a draw in their one-day series with India were washed out by rain in St Lucia on Sunday.

The hosts went into the game 2-1 down in the best-of-four contest.

An earlier it had already seen the contest delayed and then reduced to 49 overs a side.

But with the home side on 27 for one after 7.3 overs a further disturbance by rain saw contest called off.

In the 45 balls that were bowled, the most notable incident was the dismissal of Chris Gayle, the Windies skipper edging Ishant Sharma to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a duck.

Runako Morton and Ramnaresh Sarwan had both reached 12 not out when the rain returned.

DHONI GUIDED INDIA TO VICTORY

India registered six-wicket victory over West Indies in the rain-hit third One-day International on Friday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.
India take an unbeatable 2-1 lead the four-match series with the final match to be contested on Sunday at the same venue.
Chasing a revised target of 159 from 22 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method following a near hour-long stoppage for rain during their chase, India hit the jackpot with one ball to spare. 
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose unbeaten 46 from 34 balls steared his side over the threshold.

India were put on the path to glory, when their openers Dinesh Karthik and Gautam Gambhir shared 95 in 12.1 overs for the first wicket.
Karthik hit the top score of 47 from 43 balls, and Gambhir made 44 from 38 balls before they were dismissed within three overs of each other to leave India 108 for two in the 16th over.
India also lost Yuvraj Singh for two and Rohit Sharma for 11, but India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni held his nerve, and helped his side navigate the closing overs to take them over the threshold.
India required 11 from the final over, and Dhoni hit a six off the second ball from Jerome Taylor over mid-wicket, before Yusuf Pathan hit the winning run, when he stabbed a short, rising ball into square cover, and scampered a single.
Earlier, Ramnaresh Sarwan stroked 62 to lead West Indies to 185 for seven.
Sarwan struck five fours and a six from 58 balls, after India sent West Indies in to bat, and the home team tried to maintain the intensity, after the weather failed to cooperate, and reduced their innings to a maximum of 27 overs.
West Indies captain Chris Gayle supported with 27, Runako Morton scored 22, and Darren Bravo made 21 to keep the momentum going.
Ashish Nehra led India's bowling with three for 21 from five overs, and Harbhajan Singh captured two for 25 from five overs.

Play started two hours and five minutes late because of the weather, but then a couple more stoppages for rain forced the final reduction in the number of overs.
India were put on their heels by Gayle with typically robust batting before rain forced the players of the field.
Nehra made the breakthrough for India, when Gayle was caught behind in the fourth over, but then another shower sent the players scampering.
On resumption, India tried to keep a lid on the West Indies' scoring, but Sarwan added 51 with Morton, and 47 with Chanderpaul to keep the home team going.
When Gautam Gambhir's throw from square leg to keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, ran Sarwan out in the 21st over, West Indies were 135 for four.
India were then put under further pressure, when the Bravo brothers - Darren and Dwayne - added 44 for the fifth wicket before West Indies lost three wickets for 16 runs in the last two overs.
There were two changes for India with Ishant Sharma and Abhishek Nayar replacing Praveen Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja, but West Indies were - predictably - unchanged.
India won the high-scoring opening ODI by 20 runs last Friday at Sabina Park in Jamaica, and two days later, West Indies rebounded to secure an eight-wicket victory in a low-scoring second ODI at the same venue.
Friday's victory means that India are now in pole position to register a rare ODI series victory in the Caribbean before embarking on a much-anticipated two-month break from the game.

WEST INDIES LEVELS THE SERIES BY BEATING INDIA IN 2ND ODI

The West Indies thrashed India by eight wickets in Kingston to level their one-day series at 1-1 with two matches to play.

The tourists were bowled out for just 188 at Sabina Park - the venue where both teams exceeded 300 two days ago - as Ravi Rampaul claimed four for 37.

India were thankful for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's lion-hearted 95 as he and RP Singh (23) shared a 101-run stand which rescued their team from a position of 82 for eight.

West Indies set about their task and brought up 50 in the eighth over, with openers Runako Morton and, in particular, Chris Gayle looking utterly dominant.

Gayle's half-century came in 37 balls, and he took his team to 100 with a huge six off Harbhajan Singh in the 15th over.

The big hitter was out for a 46-ball 64 soon afterwards, though, when he got out on a  Rohit Sharma delivery to Gautam Gambhir on the long-off boundary.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (15) was stumped off Sharma but Morton (85 not out from 102 balls) continued to anchor the innings brilliantly and the target was reached with more than 15 overs remaining - Shivnarine Chanderpaul also still there on 18.

Earlier, Rampaul, Jerome Taylor (three for 35) and Dwayne Bravo (three for 26) ripped India to shreds.

After Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat, the tourists made a nightmare start, losing three wickets for seven runs in the first two overs.

Dinesh Karthik (four) was first to go when he edged Taylor's late outswinger behind, while Gambhir and Sharma both departed for two-ball ducks when they were caught off Rampaul.

Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni steadied the innings and the former had blasted 35 from 33 balls when he became the fourth man out with the score on 54.

Yuvraj's wicket created a collapse of the indian innings and Yusuf Pathan (duck) and Ravindra Jadeja (seven) were back in the pavilion before the end of the 18th over.

Harbhajan (seven) was out in the 21st over when he was tempted into an airy drive by Bravo and edged behind, and Praveen Kumar (one) followed in the next as his attempted cut off Rampaul found Gayle in the slips.

Dhoni stayed at the crease with RP Singh and reached his half-century off 87 balls, while the pair added a vital 101 before the seamer was out to Bravo for a slow and steady 23.

The heroic India skipper was last man out in the penultimate over when he was bowled by Taylor's slower ball.

The series will resume on Friday with the first of two ODIs in St Lucia.

INDIA BEGAN THE WEST INDIES TOUR WITH A VICTORY

India began to make compensation for their limp World Twenty20 by sealing a 20-run win over West Indies in the first one-day international thanks to a pulsating century from Yuvraj Singh at Sabina Park.

Yuvraj, perhaps still in 20-over mode after his side's Super Eights exit in England earlier this month, smashed 131 off 102 balls before perishing to Dwayne Bravo courtesy of a fine catch by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin as India posted 339 for six.

The hosts made a decent fist of their reply, Shivnarine Chanderpaul top scoring with 63 from 59 balls, but none of their batsmen could stay at the crease long enough to see them home.

It was Dinesh Karthik who did the early damage for India, overcoming the losses of Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma to strike 67 off 76 balls.

The openers dished out some harsh treatment in Lionel Baker's first over before a Jerome Taylor bouncer accounted for Gambhir (13).

A Baker short ball did for Sharma (4) soon after, Bravo taking the catch on both occasions.

That brought Yuvraj and Karthik together, with the pair happy to rebuild slowly at first.

Karthik began to up the rate with boundaries off David Bernard and Bravo, before a Dilshan-esque scoop for six off the Jamaican brought up his 50.

Yuvraj smashed a pair of sixes off Chris Gayle and another off fellow spinner Sulieman Benn as the pair brought up a century stand and took India past 150.

But with the score on 166, Karthik paddled the ball through to Ramdin to end the partnership at 135.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to the crease and supported Yuvraj, who launched into Baker and Taylor to take his score from 84 to 114 in the space of two overs.

He then smashed back-to-back maximums off Taylor before Bravo took two in two, removing Yuvraj and Ravindra Jadeja with a pair of catches from the impressive Ramdin.

Dhoni (41 off 46) and Yusuf Pathan (40 not out off 38) then added some late runs to take India past 300, before a couple of lusty blows from Harbhajan Singh (21 not out off 13) gave the total a more intimidating look.

Openers Gayle (37) and Runako Morton (42) gave West Indies a solid base with 65 for the first wicket, and Sarwan (45) struck three sixes, including a lovely straight drive off Yuvraj, to keep them up with the rate.

Sarwan and Chanderpaul added 51 for the third wicket before the former was run out, a wicket which signalled the start of the end.

Bravo struggled to time the ball and was eventually removed by Ishant Sharma - albeit seemingly off a no ball - for eight off 21 deliveries, before his brother Darren, on debut, added 19 off 16.

Pathan accounted for Chanderpaul and Taylor, who contributed 21 off 15, as the West Indies tail wagged.

Ramdin (29 off 26), accompanied first by Bernard (19 off 20) and then Benn (seven off six), kept things interesting until the penultimate over, when Ashish Nehra induced a slog form the wicketkeeper which only found Harbhajan.

The second match of the four-game series takes place at the same venue on Sunday.

INDIA VS WEST INDIES CRICKET SCHEDULE AND TEAM SQUADS

 

Just after the completion of 2nd edition of twenty20 World Cup in England, Indian team will tour Caribbean for four match ODI series against the West Indies. The first two ODI's of the series will be played in Jamaica while next two ODI's will be played in St Lucia.

India will play their first one day international on 26th June 2009. And the rest of three one day internationals will be played on 28th June, 3rd July and 5th July 2009.

All the matches will be telecast in India by Tensports TV Channel.

India Vs West Indies Schedule (All timing are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

 

19:00 PM
1st ODI – India v West Indies
Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Sun 28 Jun

19:00 PM
2nd ODI – India v West Indies
Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Fri 3 Jul

19:00 PM
3rd ODI – India v West Indies
Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Sun 5 Jul

19:00 PM
4th ODI – India v West Indies
Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia

 

Indian Squad: MS Dhoni (Captain/WK), Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, M Vijay, S Badrinath, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik (WK).

West Indies Squad for first two ODI's:Chris Gayle (Captain), Denesh Ramdin (WK), Lionel Baker, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Runako Morton, Ravi Rampaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.

Sri Lanka Cruise Into World Twenty20 Final With The Help of Dilshan’s 96

 

Tillakaratne Dilshan continued his prolific World Twenty20 tournament by powering Sri Lanka into an emotional final showdown after an emphatic victory over West Indies at the Oval.

The brilliant opener hit an unbeaten 96 off 57 balls, the third highest individual innings in Twenty20 international history, to help Sri Lanka cruise to a 57-runs semi-final victory.

It took his tally for the tournament to 317 runs in six matches, the most in the competition, and set up a meeting with Pakistan at Lord's on Sunday - three months after Sri Lanka's team bus was attacked by terrorists in Lahore on its way to Gaddafi Stadium for the second Test.

The finale to the competition is bound to be emotional for both sides, but particularly so Sri Lanka after several of their cricketers suffered injuries in the attack.

Playing their first major tournament since then, Sri Lanka have overcome that incident to power into the final having overcome a shaky start to post a competitive 158 for five after Chris Gayle's final over was hammered for 19 runs.

They then dismissed West Indies for 101 in just 17.4 overs with seamer Angelo Mathews claiming three wickets in the opening over while mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis delivered stunning figures of two for nine in his four overs.

But for Dilshan's brilliant innings, which included 12 fours and two sixes, Sri Lanka would have struggled to post anything like a competitive total after a surprisingly sluggish start from fellow opener Sanath Jayasuriya.

West Indies had been forced to field all-rounder Darren Sammy after strike bowler Fidel Edwards failed a fitness test on a back strain and it was a selection which was quickly justified when he conceded just nine runs in his two-over new-ball spell.

Having built a reputation as one of international cricket's most flamboyant openers, 39-year-old Jayasuriya struggled more than most with Sammy's accuracy and athleticism after West Indies won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Unable to time the ball, Jayasuriya tried two changes of bat to try and emerge from his slump but only became more frustrated as Dilshan dominated their 73-run stand off 63 balls.

The contrast between the pair was stark with Dilshan rescuing Sri Lanka after they crawled to 12 without loss after three overs to finish only one big shot short of only the second Twenty20 international century in history.

Jayasuriya scored from just 14 of the 37 deliveries he faced and it was almost a relief when he attempted to paddle sweep Dwayne Bravo and was caught at short fine leg for 24 off 37 balls.

But his dismissal was the start of a mini-collapse, which threatened Sri Lanka's ability to post even a competitive total when they lost three wickets for four runs in eight balls.

Two balls after Jayasuriya's demise, captain Kumar Sangakkara flashed to backward point and four deliveries later Mahela Jayawardene clipped Kieron Pollard off his legs to short fine leg.

At 77 for three in the 12th over, Sri Lanka's gamble to rely on their top order to score their runs and pick specialist bowlers seemed a rash one when they were restricted to only one boundary in four overs since the start of the collapse.

Chamara Silva wisely chose to spend his innings giving as much strike as he could to Dilshan, which resulted in him contributing just 11 runs to their crucial 50-run stand off 35 balls.

Dilshan responded to the stalling of their run-rate by deciding the time was ripe to step on the accelerator when all-rounder Bravo was introduced in the 17th over and hit three fours in four balls.

Silva was caught behind trying to sweep in the next over and Jehan Mubarak was brilliantly caught in the deep by Sammy in the space of eight balls to leave Dilshan and new batsman Mathews with the responsibility of attempting to guide them past 150.

Mathews played his part with an unbeaten 12 off four balls and Dilshan, facing the final ball of the innings from Gayle needing a six to reach his century, fell four runs short.

It may have been a personal disappointment but he provided the momentum for Sri Lanka, who responded with Mathews bowling Xavier Marshall, Lendl Simmons and Bravo in the first over.

From that disastrous start, any side in the world would have struggled to come close to matching Sri Lanka's total but while Gayle remained at the crease there was always a slight hope he could conjure up another surprise.

Gayle delivered as best he could, finishing unbeaten on 63 off 50 balls after hitting eight fours and two sixes but none of his team-mates were able to even reach double figures.

Starved of scoring opportunities by the accuracy of mystery spin pair Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan, who finished with three for 29, West Indies lost six for 37 from 39 balls in a succession of increasingly desperate shots.

WEST INDIES ENDS ENGLAND’S HOPES OF REACHING INTO SEMI-FINAL

England suffered another Oval heartbreak against West Indies tonight when they slumped to a narrow defeat to miss out on an ICC World Twenty20 semi-final place.

 

Set a revised target of 80 in nine overs after showers delayed West Indies' reply, they reached their victory target with four balls to spare to record their first win over England since arriving here in May.

 

Their victory was achieved with Ramnaresh Sarwan driving Ryan Sidebottom through extra cover for four to complete a match-winning partnership of 37 from 20 balls with Shivnarine Chanderpaul just as England appeared to have gained the momentum.

England's hopes of reaching only their second semi-final since being beaten in the 1992 World Cup final - the Champions Trophy was their only other last-four qualification - had been lifted by their three seamers each claiming a wicket inside the first three overs.

Andre Fletcher was caught behind top-edging an attempted pull off James Anderson, Sidebottom struck in the second over to bowl Chris Gayle with a full-length delivery and Stuart Broad struck with the first ball of the next over with Lendl Simmons being caught at third man.

Spinners Graeme Swann and Adil Rashid, surprisingly preferred to all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, also claimed a wicket apiece to leave West Indies needing 29 off the final three overs to knock England out of the tournament and march on into the semi-finals.

But the know-how of West Indies' two most experienced batsmen was crucial, with Sarwan hitting two fours from Anderson's next over and Broad was similarly treated in the penultimate over to leave them needing only three from Sidebottom's final over.

Once again England's lack of firepower in the middle order had undermined their innings when they won the toss and reached 161 for six despite again struggling to hit boundaries.

Yesterday, England scored only four boundaries in the final six overs in their victory over India at Lord's, which set up today's shoot-out for a semi-final berth.

When Kevin Pietersen departed in the eighth over, fours and sixes were at a premium and Owais Shah's wristy flick for six off Jerome Taylor at the start of the 11th over was the only boundary recorded until the final two balls of the innings - a gap of 50 deliveries.

Broad ensured England registered a superior total to that of 24 hours earlier by hauling the penultimate ball of the innings through the leg-side for four and then following up by lofting a straight six off giant spinner Sulieman Benn.

Star batsman Pietersen was called to the crease in the second over after opener Luke Wright launched Kieron Pollard high in the air and was caught by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who sprinted all the way to mid-wicket.

Pietersen signalled his arrival by pulling his first ball for four and followed it with a lap to fine leg off the next delivery and he hit two more boundaries when seamer Taylor was introduced in the fifth over.

West Indies captain Gayle attempted to disrupt the rhythm with numerous bowling changes, with half a dozen bowlers being employed in the first half of the innings.

One of the changes coincided with a breakthrough as Pietersen, whose exquisite timing and placement suggested he was on course for only his third Twenty20 international half-century, top-edged a sweep to deep square-leg off Simmons' medium pace for 31.

Even with Pietersen back on the bench, England should have recorded a far bigger total, with opener Ravi Bopara showing his increasing aptitude for this format with his first Twenty20 international half-century.

Bopara hammered 55 off 47 balls to lay the platform for a late assault but once again the hosts struggled to build on a promising start, although they were not helped when the first of the showers halted play in the 17th over with England on 129 for four.

Their inability to find boundaries once again proved costly, however, and, until Broad's late assault from the final few deliveries, England threatened a far more modest target.

By the time the rain had ceased to allow West Indies' abridged reply, it soon became clear it was a weakness that would end England's interest in the tournament and allow Gayle's unpredictable side to move a step closer to a remarkable World Cup triumph.

WEST INDIES EASILY CRUSHES AUSTRALIA

Australia became the second shock casualty of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament after West Indies emerged from their desperate tour of England to secure a stunning triumph at the Oval.

But after restricting Australia to 169 for seven after they won the toss and decided to bat first, West Indies cruised to a superb seven-wicket victory with 25 balls to spare after blistering half-centuries from Chris Gayle and fellow opener Andre Fletcher.
Reeling from their decision to send all-rounder Andrew Symonds home for an "alcohol-related incident" on Thursday, Australia were given no respite and slumped to 15 for three inside four overs following an eventful first over from Jerome Taylor including three wides.
Opener Shane Watson drove the third ball of the match to mid-off and captain Ponting fell to his first legitimate ball lbw while Michael Clarke guided Fidel Edwards to third man in the next over to leave Australia reeling.
They were able to overcome such a start and reach a respectable score largely due to a determined half-century from opener David Warner, whose 63 off 53 balls ensured Australia did not completely capitulate.
Warner found an ally in wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who helped Australia recover with a 66-run stand which allowed their middle order to play with a greater expression during the closing overs.
Haddin fell by mis-timing a drive to mid-wicket and Warner's innings was ended when he drove to extra cover, setting the stage for David and Mike Hussey to propel Australia to a competitive target in the final overs.
David did his best by hitting three sixes in his 27 off 16 balls before being caught at long on, but it was Mike's unbeaten 28 off 15 balls which proved valuable, including 16 off the final over.
Facing a testing but by no means formidable target, West Indies virtually settled the issue by the end of the five overs of fielding restrictions with Gayle and Fletcher racing to 71 without loss.
Gayle was particularly fearsome, hammering 27 off the fifth over of the innings from Brett Lee which included three sixes and two fours and dominated a 133-run opening stand off just 76 balls - the third highest partnership in Twenty20 international history.
Fletcher fell for a sparkling 53 from 32 balls by driving Mitchell Johnson to extra cover, but Gayle continued his onslaught and was finally dismissed with West Indies only 13 runs away from victory.
The West Indies captain hammered six fours and six sixes during his explosive 88 off 50 balls and his departure inevitably signalled a slowing in the scoring rate but such was their start, they could celebrate an overdue victory on English soil with several overs to spare.