Ireland and Afghanistan ICC newest full members amid wide-ranging governance reform

Afghanistan and Ireland were today confirmed as Full Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after a unanimous vote at the ICC Full Council meeting at the Oval.

Afghanistan and Ireland were today confirmed as Full Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after a unanimous vote at the ICC Full Council meeting at the Oval. Both will now be eligible to play Test cricket following a Membership Committee recommendation that the respective Full Member applications from each met the newly approved membership criteria and should be put forward for approval.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “I’d like to congratulate Afghanistan and Ireland on their Full Membership status which is the result of their dedication to improving performance both off and on the field resulting in the significant development and growth of cricket in their respective countries. Both have clearly demonstrated they meet the new criteria and as such have made the progression to Full Membership.”

Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Shafiq Stanikzai said: “For a nation like Afghanistan it is a huge and remarkable achievement, the entire nation will be celebrating across all five regions and different provinces, it is the perfect Eid gift. Everyone has waited for this news and has been so keen to hear this news. Afghanistan Cricket has gone from strength to strength and we dared to dream that this would happen and today it has become a reality.

“I would like to thank the ICC and the Board who have demonstrated today that they are committed to growing the global game and rewarding nations who are performing on and off the field. As an administrator every achievement is huge and it opens the doors to new challenges and we need to work hard to maintain and sustain our development at the top of the cricket world.”

Cricket Ireland Chief Executive Warren Deutrom said: “We are delighted and proud with today’s historic announcement. It is an extraordinary testament to the talent and endeavour of thousands of passionate players, coaches, volunteers, staff, clubs and committee people.

We would like to thank most sincerely the ICC and its members for bestowing this honour on us today. It is a reflection not just of our past achievements but of our potential to grow our great game. We shall spend the next 24 hours marking the moment and celebrating this great day for Irish cricket and next week the hard work of planning to transition to full membership and Test status begins in earnest.”

The decision followed the unanimous adoption of an extensively revised constitution for the ICC which in addition to transforming the membership process through the adoption of new membership criteria, introduced a female Independent Director and a Deputy Chairman and equalised Board voting.

The Membership Committee which will consider all future requests for membership – full and associate – against an objective set of criteria. In addition Affiliate Membership has now been removed leaving only Full and Associate Members, with all previously categorised Affiliate Members becoming Associate Members.

Other changes to the constitution include the appointment of a Deputy Chairman, who shall assume the duties of Chairman, Shashank Manohar, when he is unable to fulfil his duties. In addition, a female Independent Director with full voting rights will be recruited to the ICC Board.

The voting composition of the ICC Board will also change so that every Board Member – including Full Member and Associate Member Directors, as well as the Independent Chairman and Independent Director – will each have equal votes, with a two-thirds majority necessary for a resolution to be approved. In future, the Chairman of the Associate Members (who comprises one of the three Associate Member Directors) will also be required to be independent of any Member Board.

The ICC Board also unanimously agreed a new financial model, thereby reversing the 2014 resolutions and giving greater equality in the distribution of ICC income. As such the revenue distribution for the cycle 2016-2023 will be as follows:

Based on current forecasted revenues and costs, BCCI will receive $405m across the eight year cycle, ECB $139m, Zimbabwe Cricket $94m and the seven existing Full Members $128m each. The Associate Members (together with Ireland and Afghanistan) will collectively receive funding of $240m.

The ICC Full Council also voted unanimously to expel USACA following a Board recommendation in April and a recent Dispute Resolution Committee hearing before the Honourable Michael Beloff QC, which concluded last week.  Further details will be issued in the coming days outlining the process which will now be followed to establish a new governing body for cricket in the USA that is capable of unifying the fractured cricket community in that part of the world.

ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar said: “I would like to thank all ICC members for their commitment to changing the constitution for the good of the global game. This is the first step towards the ICC improving its governance and I believe that these changes will benefit all members and enable us to continue to grow the global game.

“Throughout this process we have shown the strength of a collective and unified approach and I would like to pay tribute to my Board colleagues who have been so determined to reach consensus. They have not focused solely on their own country but have ensured cricket around the world benefits.”

Pakistan's trophy cabinet is complete! (Pakistan Won ICC CT2017 )

Fakhar’s swashbuckling ton, Amir’s sensational opening burst consign India to 180-run hammering in final.

Pakistan completed an incredible run from No. 8 in the ICC ODI rankings to win its maiden ICC Champions Trophy title, with an 180-run annihilation of India at The Oval on Sunday (June 18). Equally importantly, it also got the monkey off its back as it was the first time it defeated India in an ICC event since 2009, and only the third time ever. It meant it ended the tournament in stark contrast to how it had started it, when it was on the other side of the result as the sides met in a group game. Everything apart from the toss went Pakistan’s way. Sent in to bat, Pakistan rode on Fakhar Zaman’s maiden ODI ton to post a daunting 338 for 4 before Mohammad Amir’s carnage with the ball destroyed India for 158 in just 30.3 overs. The margin could have been even bigger if not for Hardik Pandya’s late 43-ball 76.

Pakistan had a dream run in the tournament, but doubts remained over its ability to tackle the pressures of an India game, let alone that of a final. It answered that in emphatic fashion with a clinical performance, outplaying India in all facets of the game. First, it was the turn of the batsmen, led by Fakhar. The opener did not play Pakistan’s earlier game against India, and showed Virat Kohli’s men the difference he can make as he smashed a swashbuckling 114 off 106 balls. It could so easily have been his first failure when he was caught behind on three, but Jasprit Bumrah had overstepped. Importantly, Fakhar made use of the good fortune and went on to add 128 for the opening wicket with Azhar Ali (59) before Babar Azam (46) and Mohammad Hafeez (57* off 37) capitalised on the platform. Pakistan still had a tough task of restricting the in-form Indian batsmen. It had spoken about exposing India’s hitherto untested middle order and Amir took care of the execution, nipping out India’s top three run-scorers -- Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Kohli -- within the first nine overs. Once that was done, the rest of the plan took care of itself.

On the other hand, India looked surprisingly switched off. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja conceded 137 runs from a combined 18 overs, Bumrah was so ordinary he didn’t even complete his quota. India bowled 13 wides and three no-balls, missed run-out opportunities and was generally sloppy. In fact, the first phase of the innings was a contest of which team was sloppier. Quite uncharacteristically, India won that battle, which meant Pakistan edged ahead in the actual game. India’s biggest miss came when Bumrah had Fakhar caught behind in the fourth over, only for the wicket to be denied by a no-ball. The runs were flowing but it wasn’t even like Pakistan’s batsmen were in complete control. Fakhar in particular was all nerves but once he settled in, he played some terrific shots. Apart from his temperament, his nimble footwork that messed up the spinners’ lengths was impressive. With Azhar steady, Pakistan coasted to 114 without loss by the 20th over while India looked clueless and wrecked.

India got a lucky break when a ball-watching Fakhar left Azhar stranded, but the youngster showed tremendous maturity in moving on. Zaman ensured Pakistan kept the momentum, smashing Ashwin and Jadeja for two sixes and three fours in a two-over span. Another boundary with a sweep off Ashwin took him past his maiden century, but he fell soon after when he carved Pandya to point. But yet again, the set batsman ensured Pakistan wouldn’t lose momentum. Babar took control, dominating a 47-run stand for the third wicket before the pair passed on the baton to Hafeez and Imad Wasim, who shared an unbeaten 71-run partnership off 47 balls as Pakistan added 91 in the last ten.  Once the baton was passed to the bowlers, Amir didn’t look remotely close to someone who had missed the previous match with back spasms. He bent that back, bowled with pace, and also got sharp swing. One such inswinger trapped Rohit leg before off the third ball, separating the successful Indian opening pair of Rohit and Dhawan without a run on the board.

The bigger wicket came in Amir’s next over when Kohli got a leading edge to point. It was even more incredible, considering Kohli had been dropped at first slip just the previous ball. Dhawan looked in good touch and began with a few boundaries but Amir was not going to let him get away. He cramped the left-hand opening batsman for room with a tight channel outside off and got him to nick with extra bounce, leaving India 33 for 3 in nine overs. Amir’s brilliance left India’s senior pair of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni with a mountain to climb. Yuvraj counter-attacked with three boundaries off Hafeez but was undone by Shadab Khan. The leg-spinner struck Yuvraj’s pad in his first over and then forced his captain to take a successful review, leaving India in a shambles at 54 for 4. That became 54 for 5 in the very next over when Dhoni hooked Hasan Ali straight to deep square-leg. Wickets tumbled but Pandya kept attacking at one end with some astonishingly clean strikes. Three consecutive sixes took him past his half-century but just when Indian fans could even think of hoping for a miracle, a terrible mix-up saw Pandya and Jadeja at the same end with the latter refusing to sacrifice his wicket. They blamed each other before a fuming Pandya walked off, even as Pakistan celebrated at the other end. That kind of summed up India’s day.

The two best bowling attacks of the tournament will be tested in batsmen-friendly conditions in ICC Champions Trophy Final

The mother of all battles. Cricket’s biggest showdown. In short, India vs Pakistan is much more than a game, and that game just so happens to be only the second time the two sides meet in the final of a world event!

In many ways, it’s incredible that these two sides are actually meeting on this grand stage after India’s convincing triumph in the group stage, essentially forcing their rivals to go undefeated to stay alive.

But how things have changed in the two weeks since! Pakistan stunned the world’s No. 1 side in South Africa and also destroyed England, the tournament favourite. And what’s a Pakistan winning run without one of those mad scrambles, like the one that came against Sri Lanka? Out of nowhere, Pakistan has lifted itself to set a date with destiny.

India, meanwhile, have done exactly what was expected. Apart from a blip against Sri Lanka, they have been clinical and looked the team to beat in the competition. The batting has looked as strong as ever, but, incredibly, India now also have one of the best bowling attacks in world cricket.

In fact, it’s in the bowling department where there’s hardly anything to differentiate between India and Pakistan. Both sides have brilliant pacers who are backed by tidy spinners. They also have a knack of picking wickets in the middle overs – a phase of the game that has turned out to be the most crucial after the new fielding restrictions. India and Pakistan have got 18 wickets each from their four matches between overs 11 and 40.

Where India stands out though is its ability to handle pressure in big matches. In Mickey Arthur’s own words, Pakistan played the occasion last time instead of the opposition. This time, the occasion is much bigger, but Arthur has promised that their plans are based on “us” rather than “them”. If they can do that, the Edgbaston match and all the other previous encounters could well be history.

Teams 

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (capt), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mohammed Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav.

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees.

Rampant India races to date with Pakistan

Rohit ton headlines brilliant performance as Bangladesh is swept aside by nine wickets in second semi-final.

Strap yourselves in and hold fast to your seats because it’s going to be a wild ride.

India will meet Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, a dream match-up that few could have expected when the two sides met to kick off their campaigns.

With India stomping over Bangladesh in a nine-wicket win in the second semi-final on Thursday, that match-up of rivals has become reality. This was to be Bangladesh’s biggest match in its history, and the team was keyed up for it. Perhaps a little too keyed up, as it squandered a strong batting position. Then the combine of Rohit Sharma (123 not out off 129) and Virat Kohli (96 not out off 78) showed that no matter what it would have got, it might not have been enough.

The two put on a batting exhibition in an unbeaten 178-run stand that took up only 25.3 overs. The end result was India coasting past Bangladesh’s 264 for 7 in just 40.1 overs.

India’s bowlers had done well to keep Bangladesh in check, with Kedar Jadhav emerging as an unlikely bowling hero alongside the established duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. Each of them took a brace of wickets, stymieing Bangladesh at key moments. And then it was the turn of the batsmen to take over.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit began the chase perfectly, not allowing the bowlers even a sniff of a chance. A few early wickets might have got some zip among Bangladesh’s bowlers, but Dhawan powered through and Rohit caressed it as the openers rattled along at pace. The result was that Bangladesh’s shoulders began to droop. The bowling, not very on-target to begin with, became even more directionless with the slightest error in length or room punished.

Rohit had the majority of the strike, but Dhawan was the more electric. As is his wont, Dhawan was particularly strong square of the wicket, not afraid to take the aerial route. His rich vein of form was to the fore, the timing leaving the fielders standing. He looked in complete command when a moment of indiscretion cost him, stepping out to Mashrafe Mortaza but only squirting a leading edge to point for 46 off 34 balls. The openers had put on 87 in just 14.4 overs, but if Bangladesh thought the wicket of the man who was hitting boundaries at will would bring respite, it was sadly mistaken.

Kohli got into his stride immediately, and Dhawan’s departure merely meant Rohit moved smoothly up a gear. Bangladesh tried six bowlers, it tried defensive fields, and it tried bowling dry. Against two men in imperious form, nothing mattered. Kohli dominated the bowling, almost toying with it, making 11 men look ridiculously inadequate to man a cricket field. Rohit had a strike-rate of 95.34 and looked unhurried, stroking and helping the ball to the boundary more than powering it.

Rohit’s 11th ODI century came with a hooked six off Mustafizur Rahman in the 33rd over. Kohli, meanwhile, reached a landmark of his own in getting to 8,000 ODI runs in just his 175th innings, a new world record that bettered AB de Villiers’s mark of 182. That Kohli didn’t end up with yet another century in a chase was just down to India having too few to chase, thanks to the task the bowlers had done.

Bhuvneshwar had given India the perfect start by snaring Soumya Sarkar in the first over, and then setting up Sabbir Rahman in the seventh to leave Bangladesh 31 for 2. Sabbir had begun with a flurry of fours off both Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah. But both bowlers cut down on the loose stuff and Bhuvneshwar mixed up his lengths nicely, before suckering Sabbir into an airy drive at a slower one that went straight to Ravindra Jadeja at point. Sabbir had thrown it away after looking good, but the experienced pair of Tamim Iqbal (70 off 82) and Mushfiqur Rahim (61 off 85) wasn’t about to do the same.

They got together with the run-rate having plateaued, thanks to two consecutive maidens, took some time to take stock and pounced when the opportunity came. Hardik Pandya was handed the ball for the 13th over, and not only did he overstep twice, one of the no-balls cost him the wicket of Tamim, who had played on and could have been out for 17. The over fetched 14 runs and was the cue for both batsmen to start stroking the ball more freely.

Bangladesh seemed on course for a massive total when the two were batting. That was when Kohli turned to Jadhav’s part-time off-spin. Denied pace off the ball, both Tamim and Rahim couldn’t rattle along. Had they perhaps weathered the lower run-scoring pace, they would have doubtless found avenues to accelerate again later. But betraying an impatience that Bangladesh has still not mastered, Tamim tried to go for a big slow-sweep, only to miss the ball altogether and see it hit the stumps.

Jadhav’s golden arm had broken a dangerous stand of 123 that took just 127 balls. That brought on the squeeze by India’s bowlers, with Jadhav and Jadeja operating in tandem. Once again, Bangladesh didn’t show the patience to ride out the rough periods, looking to hit its way out of a quiet spot but paying the price. Shakib Al Hasan was caught behind, MS Dhoni making another fast-reaction take look effortless, and in the next over, Jadhav had his second wicket when Rahim skipped down to slog-sweep straight to Kohli, who had taken a few steps to his left anticipating the ball when he saw Rahim shape up.

Suddenly, Bangladesh had gone from 159 for 2 in the 28th over to 184 for 5 in the 36th, and its ambitions of a big total had to be scaled down.

Mortaza swung his bat around, and had no fewer than three boundaries coming off edges, but he rode his luck to end with 30 not out off 25. It did spoil the figures of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar, who bowled with great control to nail their yorkers and bouncers, but saw boundaries flying off outside edges and top edges behind the keeper.

In the end, those extra runs merely meant Kohli got the chance to complete one landmark. And for India to set up what will doubtless be called the mother of all finals.

Pakistan in to Semi Beating England at CT2017

Home side falters in all departments to go down by eight wickets in one-sided semi-final

A clinical Pakistan stunned England to seal its place in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 with a comprehensive eight-wicket win in the first semi-final in Cardiff on Wednesday.

England came into the game as the only team with three victories in the league stage, after scoring in excess of 300 in two games and topping Australia with its batting might in the other. But all of that added up to little as it ran into a spirited Pakistan unit, which bowled the home side out for 211 in 49.5 overs. 

Its batsmen then did the job in composed fashion in just 37.1 overs, openers Azhar Ali (76) and Fakhar Zaman (57) scoring half-centuries and setting up the chase with a 118-run stand before Babar Azam chipped in with 38 not out and Mohammad Hafeez with an unbeaten 31. 

Pakistan suffered a crucial blow on the morning of the game when Mohammad Amir was ruled out with back spasms, but the others in the attack stood up, and how! The pacers were on the money and the spinners choked the run-flow, never letting England get away on a pitch that was tricky for strokeplay; England managed only a modest score despite four of its top five crossing 30, and that told the story.

That Pakistan bowled well was no surprise but the completeness of its performances on the field was impressive. The bowlers were terrific, the fielding top notch, and the batting calm. The captain too had a great day with almost every decision working wonders: Sarfraz Ahmed handed Rumman Raees a debut in place of Amir and he delivered, Shadab Khan was brought in for Faheem Ashraf and he too did his job. Sarfraz was aggressive on the field and, most importantly, was backed up by a fielding unit that raised its level.

The first ten overs of the game were action packed with fortunes swinging rapidly. It started with an ‘umpire’s call’ on an lbw appeal saving Jonny Bairstow by the thinnest of margins in the second ball. Three overs later, Pakistan got an lbw decision in their favour when Raees hit Alex Hales’s pads, but the review by England went against it again. But Raees had his man soon when Hales stepped out and drove straight to cover.

England still got the runs and reached 52 at the end of the first ten. Bairstow got going and enjoyed more luck when he was put down on 42 at slip but couldn’t make use of the fortune, slogging Hasan Ali’s third ball straight to deep mid-wicket after adding just one more run.

Sarfraz then applied the brakes in the middle overs by getting Hafeez to bowl to Eoin Morgan straightaway. The England captain couldn’t get going like he usually does and took 21 balls for his first boundary.

Root too went 37 balls without a boundary before edging Shadab to Sarfraz, leaving England struggling for momentum at 128 for 3 in the 28th over.

The dismissal reunited the pair that had toyed with Australia’s bowlers recently, but soon found out that Pakistan – on the day – was a different challenge altogether. Sarfraz attacked Stokes with a short-leg and a slip and Hafeez ran through his tidy spell conceding just 27 runs from seven overs.

There would be no release even after the spinners were done as Pakistan’s pacers ran through the middle order with pace, good lengths and reverse swing. It was almost like a repeat of their performance against Sri Lanka at a similar stage earlier in the tournament.

Morgan and Jos Buttler fell nicking to the wicketkeeper while Moeen Ali succumbed to his old nemesis – the short ball – when he hooked Junaid Khan to deep square-leg where Fakhar took a sensational catch.

England was limping at 169 for 6 after 40, having lost 4 for 44 in 11 overs. Junaid completed a second spell of 2 for 15 from five overs and the death bowling by Raees and Hasan was equally miserly. Even Stokes struggled to break free, managing only 34 off 64 balls without a single boundary. England scored only one boundary in the last 12 overs, adding only 42 in the last 10.

If at all there were nerves, they were eased by Pakistan’s openers soon. Fakhar set the tone with a flurry of boundaries while Azhar complemented him perfectly with stability. England’s pacers tried to bounce Fakhar out but it allowed him to swat across, even top edges flying over the ropes.

Azhar joined in soon as Pakistan scored at least one boundary in every over between overs eight and 12. By the time spin was brought on, Pakistan’s openers had already raced to 81 in 14 overs.

Fakhar crossed his half-century at more than a run-a-ball but fell soon after, stumped after failing to read a googly from Adil Rashid in the 22nd over. Pakistan didn’t let that affect it as Azhar and Azam added 55 for the second wicket, England’s body language dropping with each of those runs.

Even the wicket of Azhar didn’t help as England returned empty handed from a campaign that promised a lot. Pakistan, meanwhile, will head to London for the first time in the tournament, and wait for the winner of the India v Bangladesh game.

A memorable chase by Sri Lanka keeps their #CT17 hopes alive as they beat India by 7 wickets in a thriller !

In a result that will only make the tournament more interesting in the days ahead, self-confessed underdog Sri Lanka thumped India by seven wickets after successfully chasing a stiff target of 322 at The Oval on Thursday (June 8).

Victory was made possible by aggressive batting, as promised by captain Angelo Mathews. The personnel who did that were Kusal Mendis (89) and Danushka Gunathilaka (76), who wasn't even in the squad until an injury to Chamara Kapugedera on the eve of the game.

The pair added 159 in 139 balls for the second wicket to set up the chase before passing on the baton to Mathews (52) and Kusal Perera (47), who took the game away from India with a 75-run stand for the fourth wicket before the latter was forced to retire hurt. Asela Gunaratne then played his part with an unbeaten 34 as Sri Lanka won with eight balls to spare.

The impeccably timed chase meant Shikhar Dhawan’s third century (125) in seven ICC Champions Trophy innings that powered India to 321 for 6 went in vain. It also meant that after two matches each, all the four teams in Group B have one win each, rendering the last two league games virtual quarter-final clashes.

Sri Lanka’s chase started with Niroshan Dickwella misreading a knuckle ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and popping a leading edge to point. With Bhuvneshwar and Umesh Yadav finding swing, Sri Lanka managed only 22 runs in the first seven overs.

But it all changed quickly when when Gunathilaka pulled Umesh into the stands at the beginning of the eighth, signalling a shift in fortunes. Gunathilaka took charge with some glorious drives, particularly down the ground, while Mendis too started confidently, shifting the pressure on to India gradually.

India could have had Mendis in the 15th over but Hardik Pandya could not hold on to a sharp return chance. Gunathilaka rubbed salt into Pandya’s wounds by heaving him for a massive six to get to his half-century, in the process taking Sri Lanka to 108 for 1 in 20 overs. It was one run ahead of where India was at the same stage.

But a good beginning is not even a job half done, as Sri Lanka found out the hard way against South Africa. The middle-overs batting was the most crucial phase of the chase, and how Sri Lanka handled Ravindra Jadeja was in particular important, given that it had crumbled against Imran Tahir’s leg-spin.

Mendis took that task upon himself and dismantled the left-arm spinner’s threat with smart batting. With only four fielders allowed inside the ring, Mendis targeted the mid-wicket boundary to perfection, getting past fifty with one such massive swipe into the crowd.

Jadeja conceded 36 from four overs, the partnership crossed 150, and India’s shoulders began to drop. It didn’t help that Rohit Sharma could not hold on to a very tough chance in the deep when Gunathilaka was on 70.

India’s desperation was evident when Kedhar Jadhav and Virat Kohli came on to bowl, but the breakthroughs came via run outs.

Umesh and MS Dhoni first combined to catch Gunathilaka just short of his second run in the 28th over before Bhuvneshwar’s quick work and accurate throw on his follow through got Mendis.

A run-out had changed Sri Lanka’s fortunes for the worse in its previous game but this time, it had the experience of Mathews and a calm Kusal Perera. They knew exactly what to do, and with some controlled aggression, got the equation down to 51 off 42 from the 126 off 104 when they had joined hands.

India was also becoming increasingly impatient and sloppy on the field, but it got an opening when Perera was forced off the field with a hamstring injury after 43 overs. It only resulted in Gunaratne playing some unbelievable shots in a cameo that clinched the game.

Earlier, Dhawan added 138 with Rohit (78) – their third century and sixth 50-plus stand in seven ICC Champions Trophy innings -- before Dhoni applied the finishing touches with a 52-ball 63. 

Sri Lanka’s bowlers were in the firing line with all the three frontline pacers including Lasith Malinga conceding more than 70 runs each.

After opting to field, the Sri Lankan bowlers tried to restrict India’s openers with straight lines but the lengths weren’t as tight, resulting in the odd boundary to go with plenty of quick singles.

Rohit pressed on the accelerator, swatting Thisara Perera for two sixes in the 20th over to go past his half-century but perished to the mood, pulling Malinga to long-leg one ball after successfully hitting a similar one for six. One brought two when Virat Kohli edged Nuwan Pradeep to the wicketkeeper in the next over without scoring. All of a sudden, India had to rebuild after slipping to 139 for 2. 

Dhawan wrested the momentum by hitting five boundaries in the next three overs, but with Yuvraj Singh settling in, India scored only 13 runs between the 30th and 34th overs. Dhawan slowed down, going 26 balls without a boundary in that period, and India also lost Yuvraj.

The innings got the impetus once again with Dhoni’s arrival. His calculated aggression rubbed off on Dhawan, who went past his century by cutting Pradeep to the deep point fence. Once the landmark was out of the way, there was attack from both ends, aided by plenty of full tosses.

Dhawan holed out in the 45th over, but Dhoni and Jadhav finished powerfully as India added 103 runs in the last ten overs. As things turned out, even that wouldn’t be enough.