All posts by csb10.top

Pakistan International Airlines seamer Aizaz Cheema sparked an unprecedented collapse that saw Water and Power Development Authority lose by 18 runs, when they were just 24 runs away from victory with five wickets in hand at the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad. Chasing 326, Sohaib Maqsood and Aamer Sajjad had taken WAPDA to a comfortable 259 for 2. Maqsood was caught and bowled by seamer Kamran Sajid for 103. Cheema then had his first burst of wickets, getting rid of Hasan Adnan and Bilal Khilji for ducks, and then Sajjad for 70. WAPDA lost their last five wickets for five runs, with Cheema getting another three to finish with figures of 6 for 82 in the second innings and 10 wickets in the match. The loss means WAPDA lose top spot in the table, while PIA move up to joint fourth.Opener Ahmed Shehzad’s 94 helped Habib Bank Limited move to the top of the table as they beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited by eight wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. HBL ended the third day on 80 for 1, and needed 101 to win on the final day. They took just 20.4 overs to reach the target with Shehzad, who was on 45 overnight, making an unbeaten 94 of 121 balls to anchor the chase. ZTBL seamer Mohammad Khalil, who is the leading wicket-taker this season, struck early in the day, getting Fahad Masood out caught behind before a run was scored. But Shehzad and Saleem Elahi, who scored 39, took HBL home. The win had been set up by HBL’s bowlers when ZTBL were bowled out for 118 on the first day, with Azhar Mahmood picking up five wickets. Shehzad’s knock took him to second position in the season’s run-charts with 719 at an average of 102.71.Sialkot picked up nine points as they beat Karachi Blues by nine wickets at the National Stadium in Karachi. Rameez Raja (2)’s century on the third day had kept Karachi in the game after they followed on, but their lower order couldn’t do enough to earn a draw on the last day. Sialkot seamers Prince Abbas and Imran Malik, who took six wickets in Karachi’s first innings, picked up two wickets each on Tuesday, as the hosts, who were 250 for 4 overnight, were dismissed for 371. That left Sialkot 153 to chase in around half a day. They only needed 27.5 overs as Mohammad Ayub got 84 off 85 balls, which kept him at the top of the season’s run charts.Rawalpindi needed just 13.3 overs on the fourth day to complete an eight-wicket win over Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Islamabad managed to add just six runs to their overnight score of 230 for 9 before Rawalpindi seamer Sadaf Hussain took Islamabad’s last wicket, completing his five-for with it. The visitors were left with 50 to win. They got the runs in 10 overs and moved up to joint fourth in the table, while Islamabad stay at third from bottom.Only two overs were possible on the fourth day at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad as the match between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and National Bank of Pakistan ended in a draw. NBP picked up three points for the first-innings lead, keeping them in fourth position. After an action-packed first two days, which saw 20 wickets fall, rain hit Faisalabad and barely any play was possible on the third and fourth day. SNGPL’s bowlers had made things interesting by taking four wickets in the 17 overs possible on Monday, leaving NBP 130 ahead with six wickets in hand.

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has said that his side is hoping for bowler-friendly conditions in Hyderabad to build on their strong performance in the Motera Test.”We are happy with the way we played but we know that is in the past,” Taylor said ahead of the second Test that begins on Friday. “We can take a lot of confidence from the way we batted and bowled. It was a very flat wicket. We are expecting different pitch conditions here, it will probably have a little bit more bounce and probably turn a little bit more.”Spinners from both sides struggled to make an impact on the slow Motera track. In the second innings, seamer Chris Martin master-minded New Zealand’s surge after their batsmen got to within 28 runs of India’s first-innings score of 487. Martin finished with five wickets but could not prevent VVS Laxman and Harbhajan Singh from saving the match on the final day. Taylor hoped Martin would carry his form into the Hyderabad Test, but also looked forward to more spinner-friendly conditions.”Obvioulsy spin will play a big part,” Taylor said. “It didn’t turn a lot in Ahmedabad … And hopefully, the wicket will have a bit more bounce too. We are all excited but we don’t want to get carried away with the way we played. Hopefully, Chris can show the form he showed in Ahmedabad again here in Hyderabad.”New Zealand’s biggest worry going into the second Test will be the lack of stability at the top. Brendon McCullum did well in his new opening position, but his partner, Tim McIntosh, bagged a pair. Taylor defended McIntosh, but agreed that it was a major area of concern for the team management.”There will be a selection meeting around it but McIntosh knows where he went wrong and obviously it is not easy getting a pair on what was quite a flat wicket,” Taylor said. “He has done well for us in the past. He has often got a low score and then come back and got a big score. We will see if he does play but if he does, hopefully he can show the form that he has shown in the past.”New Zealand came into the series without too many backers following the 4-0 ODI drubbing against Bangladesh. Taylor said that the criticism following the Bangladesh debacle spurred his team to compete against the top-ranked Indian Test side.”We were a little bit down after losing the one-day series in Bangladesh 4-0. We got slammed, justifiably so. We were not quite abused but we really copped a lot of criticism. A lot of our players used that as motivation. And the rest were fresh from a successful tour of Zimbabwe. I think the game of cricket goes in roundabouts.”

Ricky Ponting has insisted he remains the best player to lead his team in the Ashes. Ponting has overseen a period of decline in Australian cricket, with their 2-0 defeat at the hands of India pushing them to fifth place in the rankings, and has been on the receiving end of criticism from several quarters.His former team-mate Shane Warne criticised his field placements on the final day of the Bangalore Test and former Australia fast bowler Geoff Lawson called for a change in captaincy. Ponting dismissed all talk of change.Asked soon after his arrival in Sydney on Thursday if he remained the best choice for captain, he said: “Absolutely – I’ve got no doubt about that at all. I will give my absolute best as I always have since I’ve been the Australian captain … to be the best leader I can be and the best player I can be.”I’m trying to do the best I can as captain to help some of these guys through some difficult times. If I get criticised along the way, I can’t do anything about that.”The decline in fortunes for Australia began on their tour of India in 2008, when they were beaten 2-0. Since then they’ve lost to South Africa at home, lost the Ashes in England in 2009, drawn a series against Pakistan in England and suffered a clean sweep against India. The slide has ensured they will start below England, who are ranked fourth, for the Ashes in November.”We were always very proud of the fact we were the number one ranked team in Test cricket and one-day cricket for such a long period of time,” Ponting said. “Our Test form has not been as you would have liked. It’s bad – no-one’s proud of the fact we’ve lost three Test matches in a row. But I’ve got great confidence in all the players that will represent Australia this year.”Ponting’s handling of offspinner Nathan Hauritz, who had a poor series, was slammed by Warne, who felt the captain was not backing his bowler enough. Ponting expressed disappointment at Warne’s comments but said things between the two were “amicable”.”We’ve exchanged a few messages and I’m not hiding the fact I was a little bit disappointed with the Tweets that I read,” Ponting said. “What he had to say was very unfair. It was pretty ill-informed comments. I’ve never been one to run away or be too big or too good for criticism. I take criticism on the chin and try and become better for it. I’ve got to put it behind me and move on.”

ScorecardAfghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal powered his side to a formidable position with a bristling unbeaten 168 on the opening day of the Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya in Nairobi.With Afghanistan’s spot in next month’s final against Scotland already secure, the batsmen had the freedom rattle along at almost five an over as Mangal was ably supported by Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad and Mirwais Ashraf, who all posted half-centuries.There was plenty of punishment for the Kenyan bowlers but paceman Nehemiah Odhiambo emerged with some credit, taking 3 for 68 from 17 overs. Afghanistan’s care-free approach threatened to undo them when, despite racing along, they lost their fifth wicket at 210 but led by Mangal, they stuck to their attacking instincts to finish the day well on top.Having opted to bat first after winning the toss, the Afghanistan innings did not get off to the brightest start. Javed Ahmadi, making his first-class debut after impressing for the Under-19 side, was trapped in front by experienced paceman Thomas Odoyo for 11 but, in their contrasting styles, Sadiq and Shahzad scripted an impressive response.Shahzad blazed boundary after boundary from one end while Sadiq held on resolutely at the other, as the pair added 104 in 22.1 overs. Shahzad reached 72 off 68 balls, thumping 12 fours and a six before becoming the first of Odhiambo’s three victims.Sadiq was out soon after for 55 and Asghar Stanikzai followed in the next over as the home side made an impressive comeback. Once again, though, Afghanistan rallied. Mangal, who had watched on helplessly as the wickets fell, found enough support from Mohammad Nabi to add 60 in 14 overs. Nabi only made 13 in the partnership but he stuck around long enough for Mangal to find his range as the Afghanistan captain upped the pace.Samiullah Shenwari helped turn a potentially tricky 210 for 5 following Nabi’s dismissal into a more commanding total with 45 from 64 balls while Mangal took charge from the other end. Mangal reached his maiden first-class hundred at almost a run a ball and continued to attack after Shenwari chipped back a return catch to Odhiambo.In all Mangal struck 23 fours and a six in his 185-ball stay and together with Ashraf pushed the score well beyond 400. Ashraf took his cue from his captain and was similarly cavalier, reaching his first first-class half-century to end the day unbeaten on 62 off 77 balls. Having batted so positively, Afghanistan have plenty of time to try and push the score out of reach before unleashing one of the most potent attacks in the competition.

John Dyson, the former West Indies and Sri Lanka coach, has replaced Brian Taber as New South Wales’ chairman of selectors. Dyson is currently the state’s talent manager and said it was an exciting time to be involved with the Blues.”I look forward to the coming season and for the selection panel to play its part in the side’s development going forward,” he said. “We have a strong nucleus of players, many of whom will be pushing hard for selection in national sides in the coming months.”Dyson, a former batsman, played 30 Tests and 29 ODIs, and sits in sixth spot on New South Wales’ run-scoring list in the Sheffield Shield. Taber will remain on the selection panel, which also includes Steve Smith, Marshall Rosen and Greg Hartshorne.

Match facts

August 18, 2010, The Oval
Start time 11.00 (1000GMT)Alastair Cook has the backing of his captain as he battles to find form•Getty Images

Big picture

England had to work harder than expected to wrap up the second Test – and at one stage their frustrations, especially Stuart Broad’s, boiled over – but eventually a commanding nine-wicket success confirmed the gulf between these two teams. Now the home side’s attention is firmly fixed on a whitewash as the countdown to the Ashes gathers pace; with a little help from Ricky Ponting’s whitewash comments.Pakistan continue to be a mind-boggling mixture of confused signals, but after much deliberation it has been confirmed that Zulqarnain Haider is out of the series which is a major blow after his gutsy display last week. How much impact Broad’s throw actually had on Haider’s finger is still subject to conjecture, but it adds a bit of spice to this encounter. The Oval, of course, has had its fair share of controversy in England-Pakistan contests when four years ago the match was abandoned on the fourth evening after Darrell Hair accused the visitors of ball tampering.This time, though, the venue should lift Pakistan’s hopes of fighting back to at least give England a decent contest. The ball is unlikely to move as much (although cloudy weather is still a possibility) and it is a fast-scoring ground. Mohammad Yousuf will return to strengthen the batting line-up, though he is short of form and fitness. So far Pakistan’s lower order has been more productive than the top and Salman Butt desperately needs to rediscover his form. If the pitch turns Saeed Ajmal could also prove a handful with England’s batsmen struggling to pick his doosra.But it’s very hard to see England being denied another victory over the next five days. They have three impressive quicks backed up by the outstanding Graeme Swann. What this match does present is the chance for the batsmen to dominate and show their hunger for big scores. Alastair Cook is most in need of a major contribution after a difficult season, but this England team doesn’t ditch players at the first sign of a problem.

Form guide (last five completed matches)

England WWWWW
Pakistan LLWLL

Watch out for…

Stuart Broad made the headlines for the wrong reasons at Edgbaston for his petulant display on the third afternoon when he hurled the ball at Zulqarnain Haider in his follow through, having twice not turned to the umpire in earlier appeals. He copped a fine, but was lucky not to get himself a ban and wickets are unlikely to come as easily at The Oval so Broad’s attitude will be closely watched. His aggressive mindset has been supported by team-mates and management, including bowling coach David Saker, but he continues to tread a fine line and the umpires will be keeping an eye on him.After ruling himself out last week Mohammad Yousuf will resume his Test career and bring vital experience to the middle order. He managed a brief innings during the rain-effected match against Worcestershire where he made 40 off 54 balls but will be nowhere near peak readiness. There is a suggestion that his recall hasn’t gone down well with Salman Butt who wants to put his faith in youth, but without Yousuf their top order is as callow as anything in recent memory.

Team news

In a break from the norm England named their XI three days out from the Test to allow Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad to play for Yorkshire. Bresnan flew down to London from Newcastle to link up for the final practice day, but is only on standby for any late scares.England 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven FinnAs always Pakistan’s team proved something of a guessing game, but in the end they have opted for four changes – enforced and otherwise – to the side that lost at Edgbaston. Kamran Akmal returns to replace the injured Haider and Yousuf comes into the middle order at the expense of Umar Amin, with Yasir Hameed finally getting an outing in place of Shoaib Malik as well. Umar Gul is also ruled out which means a debut for the left-armer Wahab Riaz.Pakistan 1 Yasir Hameed, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Salman Butt (capt), 4 Azhar Ali, 5 Mohammad Yousuf, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Mohammad Amir, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad Asif

Pitch and conditions

Last year Bill Gordon produced a raging turner for the deciding Ashes clash and played a major part in England reclaiming the urn. There is no need for anything so dramatic this time and we can expect a far contest between bat and ball. Sadly, the British summer continues to splutter along and rain could have an impact on proceedings.

Stats and Trivia

• Four players from both sides (presuming Yousuf and Kamran do play) survive from the infamous clash in 2006 including Andrew Strauss who was the England captain.
• During the 2006 series Yousuf scored 631 runs at 90.14 including three hundreds.
• Jonathan Trott is 77 runs short of a 1000 in Tests, a year after making his debut on this ground against Australia. Meanwhile, Graeme Swann needs three wickets for 100.
• England haven’t lost in their last eight Tests at The Oval and have won five of them.

Quotes

“This is the start of silly season I suppose, people coming out with their predictions. Predictions ultimately mean nothing, it’s how you play on the pitch so I think we’ll just keep it nice and simple.”
“He looked pretty good while he was batting at Worcester. But obviously once he starts playing matches the match fitness comes into it.”

Andrew Flintoff has been named in Chennai Super Kings’ squad for the 2010 Champions League even though he has yet to make his return from the knee injury which has kept him out of action since last year’s Ashes series.Flintoff is currently working towards a return to domestic cricket with Lancashire, but is still at least a couple of weeks away from first-team action where he hopes to play purely as batsman. He aims to be able to bowl next month and has admitted he will only know how his body will stand up once he gets the ball in hand.He signed for Chennai in 2009 for a record $1.55m, making him the most expensive player alongside Kevin Pietersen, but he played only three matches before returning home injured having made 62 runs and taken two expensive wickets. His post-Ashes knee surgery then ruled him out of this year’s edition of the tournament.Flintoff still harbours ambitions of forcing his way back into the England one-day line-up and is also considering options to play in Twenty20 leagues around the world. However, although the signs are promising for a return to action he is remaining realistic.”It’s been a long road with the rehab since then but I’m hoping to play again in the next few weeks,” he told . “I’m back in the nets at Lancashire and from nowhere I’ve found the ability to bat again which is encouraging, I’m hitting the ball.”I’m going to have to play in second team first and force my way back into the first team but with the way I’m batting, I’m hoping to do that with the bat initially and then pick up the bowling from there.”Eight of the nine confirmed teams for the 2010 Champions League have now announced their preliminary squads for the tournament to be held in South Africa between September 10-26. Wayamba, the representatives from Sri Lanka, have yet to name their provisional party. The tenth team in the tournament will be the winner of the Caribbean T20 which ends on July 30. All teams have until August 9 to declare their final squads of 15.Squads of 20Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, S Badrinath, M Vijay, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel (wk), R Ashwin, Shadab Jakati, Sudeep Tyagi, S Anirudha, L Balaji, Muttiah Muralitharan, Michael Hussey, Albie Morkel, Thilan Thushara, Thissara Perera, Doug Bollinger, Matthew Hayden, Andrew Flintoff, Joginder Sharma, Abhinav MukundMumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Saurabh Tiwary, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, R Sathish, Ali Murtaza, Dhawal Kulkarni, Abhishek Nayar, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Ajinkya Rahane, Kieran Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Sushant Marathe, JP Duminy, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Ryan McLaren, Luke RonchiCentral Districts: Adam Milne, Ben Wheeler, Bevan Griggs, Bevan Small, Brad Patton, Brendon Diamanti, Dane Cleaver, Doug Bracewell, George Worker, Jacob Oram, Jamie How, Jeremy Kuru, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Mathew Sinclair, Michael Mason, Mitchell McLeneghan, Peter Ingram, Ross Taylor, Seth Rance, Tim WestonHighveld Lions: Alviro Peterson, Thami Tsolekile, Craig Alexander, Shane Burger, Richard Cameron, Themba Bavuma, Werner Coetsee, Stephen Cook, Cliffie Deacon, Zander de Bruyn, Robert Frylinck, Pumelala Matchikew, Andre Nel, Neil McKenzie, Aaron Phangiso, Ethan O’Reilly, Jean Symes, Dane Vilas, Jonathan Vandiar, Vaughn van JaarsveldRoyal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Virat Kohli, Cameron White, Ross Taylor, Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis, Dillon Du Preez, Steven Smith, Akhil Balachandra, Abhimanyu Mithun, Nayan Doshi, Pankaj Singh, Sridharan Sriram, Udit Patel, Bhuvneshwar KumarSouth Australian Redbacks: Cullen Bailey, James Smith, Daniel Harris, Graham Manou, Daniel Christian, Gary Putland, Peter George, Callum Ferguson, Michael Klinger, Kane Richardson, Michael Cranmer, Jake Haberfield, Tim Ludeman, Shaun Tait, Tom Cooper, Chris Duval, Cameron Borgas, Aaron O’Brien, Daniel Cullen, Joel DaviesVictorian Bushrangers: Dwayne Bravo, Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, John Hastings, Bradley Hodge, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Bryce McGain, Clinton McKay, Glenn Maxwell, Dirk Nannes, Darren Pattinson, James Pattinson, Robert Quiney, Peter Siddle, Matthew Wade, Cameron White, Damien WrightWarriors: Davey Jacobs, Ashwell Prince, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Johan Botha, Nicky Boje, Craig Thyssen, Juan Theron, Wayne Parnell, Makhaya Ntini, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Justin Kreusch, Garnett Kruger, Arno Jacobs, Lyall Meyer, Andrew Birch, Kelly Smuts, Jon Jon Smuts, Corbyn Dolley

Scotland captain Gordon Drummond has said his side is aiming for consistency in results when they take on five other Associate and Affiliate sides in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in Netherlands between July 1 and 10. They have retained only Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq and Neil McCallum from the side that participated last year in South Africa.”The target we have set for ourselves in the forthcoming event is to be as consistent as possible, day after day,” Drummond said. “We want to win every game as there is no point in winning one game and then being routed in the next. We realise that we are nearing the end of our rebuilding phase and most of the players are now pretty used to playing at this level. They know what sort of pressure there is at this stage and what they need to do to be at the top of their games.”Scotland travelled to Deventer last week where they played a first-class ICC Intercontinental 2009-10 match against the Netherlands, which was followed by an ODI. Scotland won the four-dayer by four wickets but lost the ODI by six.”Even though we’ll not be playing at the same ground, I don’t think the Netherlands will now be an alien place for some of our players as the tour will have given them some indication of the conditions they’re likely to face,” Drummond said. “It’s always handy to have first-hand information and I think we have managed to collect some valuable data.”Drummond said Ireland and Afghanistan would start as tournament favourites. “While I think every team will have an equal chance to win the tournament, Ireland and Afghanistan will start off as favourites due to their recent results.”Ireland is the benchmark for the Associate Member countries while Afghanistan has recently played some very exciting cricket. Both the sides played in the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies which should give them a lot of heart too. There’s no doubt that we’re disappointed at missing out on the ICC World Twenty20 2010 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.”Every player wants to be part of global events of those magnitude and we’re no different. The experience of playing in those events would have helped in our development. However, we now have to ensure that we qualify for the next global events by doing well in the qualifying events whenever and wherever they are staged.”Squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), Richie Berrington, Ewan Chalmers, Josh Davey, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Omer Hussain, Neil Laidlaw, Douglas Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Gregor Maiden, Preston Mommsen, Matthew Parker, Fraser Watts

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has urged the ICC to introduce a Test Championship when its members meet for its annual general meeting in Singapore next week.”I believe a Test championship is a matter of urgency to stimulate the five-day game,” Smith told by email from Bridgetown. “All our senior players support a formal Test championship,” he said. South Africa are currently ranked No 2, behind India, in the ICC’s Test rankings.South Africa are presently playing a three-Test series in the West Indies where the matches have attracted poor crowds. There have been concerns over dwindling crowds at Test venues around the world and Smith believed a championship would help addressing the issue. The concept of a Test championship had also received backing from Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain.”Such a championship would give context and value to every Test match and would stimulate interest in the five-day game worldwide,” Smith said. “It is important all Test matches should have equal value and that is what a championship would do. If you look at the [football] Premiership in England, for example, Manchester United picks up three points for a win, whether it is against [champions] Chelsea or one of the relegation strugglers.”Smith also stressed on the need for more bowler-friendly pitches in Test cricket to maintain a balance between bat and ball. West Indies and South Africa scored a total of 1324 runs for the loss of 19 wickets in the second Test St. Kitts and it was clear by the end of the third day that the match was heading for a draw.”It [the pitch at Warner Park] was not a good surface to play Test cricket on,” Smith said. “We’re all looking for a pitch that will result in a good contest between bat and ball. Hopefully the wicket in Barbados will lend the teams more assistance.”South Africa lead the three-Test series 1-0 going into the final Test at Bridgetown, which begins on June 26.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Virat Kohli played a mature knock, adding 154 with centurion Rohit Sharma•AFP

What stood out was the ease with which India overhauled Sri Lanka’s 242, with nearly seven overs to spare. Virat Kohli played a mature hand and Rohit Sharma overcame moments of impetuousness to hit a delightful hundred, his second successive effort of the tournament, as the pair sparkled in a 154-run partnership to charge India to a facile win.It has to be said, though, that it was a good toss to win. Overnight rain had left enough moisture on the pitch in the first half of the day to offer assistance to the seamers and also to the spinners. And Sri Lanka were forced to adopt a brand of cricket that smelt of 80s: Start slowly, build momentum in the middle overs, reach a run-rate of four by the 40th, and try to hit out in the end. They ended up on 242, which wasn’t a bad effort, but the conditions eased up in the afternoon and the Indians played very sensibly to overhaul the target with ease.Nearly all the Indian batsmen, barring Rohit, who had brief moments of rashness, eschewed flamboyance for a risk-free approach. Kohli in particular. There was just one shot in anger when Kohli put away a short googly from Ajantha Mendis to the midwicket boundary. For the most part, he dealt in nudged singles as he used his wrists to ping the vacant spaces. He used the width of the crease well, going either fully back or leaning forward, to tackle the different lengths. Later, he unfurled the big shots: an inside-out hit, a pulled boundary and whippy on-drive.Unlike Kohli, Rohit took more risks. Some appeared almost needless, especially at the start. He rushed down the track for a slog against Thissara Perera, nearly hit Mendis for a catch to long-on and drove Suraj Randiv uppishly on a few occasions. However, he survived those iffy moments to settle down to play a few typically stylish hits. Two stood out for their skill and beauty: He sashayed down the track and lifted Randiv inside-out over covers. He then flicked Perera from just outside off stump wide of mid-on for a gorgeous boundary. He later pulled Dilhara Fernando and lofted Randiv for sixes and brought up his ton with a cut against Mendis. It was 47 for 2 when he had joined Kohli and he led India to a victory with plenty to spare.If India had Rohit and Kohli, Sri Lanka’s innings was all about Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews. Dilshan had laid the platform with an out-of-character 61 before Mathews showed characteristic maturity during his 75, which led Sri Lanka’s charge.It was yet another cool and collected innings from the rapidly-maturing Mathews. He was on 51 at the start of the batting Powerplay, which was taken at the 43rd over, and had only hit two boundaries until then. Amit Mishra slipped in couple of long-hops and Mathews targeted the midwicket boundary for a six and a four. The pitch and the situation had demanded he play risk-free cricket and he duly obliged. For the main part, he drove, nudged and worked the angles to rotate strike. He used his height to get forward and smother the turn and his wrists to nudge spinning deliveries for singles. And it was only during the final assault that he brought out the big shots: the inside-out lofted drive over covers, the fierce pull and the slog-sweeps were unfurled as he led Sri Lanka towards 250.The conditions demanded such an approach: The medium-pacers got movement and also exploited the two-paced nature of the wicket and the spinners found generous turn to keep the batsmen quiet. Not only Mathews but Dilshan also adopted a sensible approach, though perhaps it might have been dictated by his recent run of poor form.It wasn’t the Dilshan we have come to know. He hit his first boundary off his 35th ball and it wasn’t until his 50th delivery that he chose to rush down the track to play a big shot. It was his abstinence against the new ball that really stood out, though. There weren’t many flamboyant on-the-up hits, dashes down the track or attempts to force the pace. He did try to play couple of aggressive shots against the new ball but, when he found that he was mis-timing them, he quickly changed tack and started to work the angles.It was looking good for Sri Lanka but Dilshan ran himself out in the 24th over to allow India to come back into the game. He turned Mishra to midwicket, hesitated before deciding to go for the single, and couldn’t beat the throw from Rohit Sharma. It proved to be turning point of the game; it meant the difference between Sri Lanka reaching 275 and ending up, as they did, with less than 250.