INDIAN FANS ENJOY MELBOURNIAN PARTY AT THE ‘G

They travelled from all around the world in their thousands and the huge Indian contingent at the MCG got exactly the result they wanted

If the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was a giant party for the host nation, it was nothing compared to India’s emphatic win at the same venue last night.

It was a version of the MCG unlike anything seen before: India fans flocked to Melbourne from far or wide, arriving at the Yarra Park precinct hours before the gates opened despite the sweltering heat.

En masse the Swarmy Army marched from Federation Square in Melbourne’s CBD to the stadium, thousands of people waving flags, playing drums and chanting. It was something to behold.

As the ground filled, it quickly became clear South Africa supporters were a very small minority and by the time India’s batsmen kicked into gear on their way to a big 300-plus score, the ground was a sea of blue.

That the attendance at the ground out-stripped that of the previous MCG match says a lot. The 86,876 crammed into the stadium in the second largest ODI crowd in the ‘G’s history, exceeding the 87,182 who attended the previous Saturday’s clash and second only to the 1987 World Cup final.

For locals, the closest comparison would be a Boxing Day crowd against England. But it was a level above.

The noise was tremendous, as was the raw emotion from the fans.

As Anil Kumble noted on Twitter: “With the Indian fans at the G! Great atmosphere! Feels like India!”

In the early stages of India’s innings, there was a sense the “home side” was in total control of the match. In reality, it was travelling at a run-rate 4.85 an over at the time, but such was the roar for every run, it sounded as though a six was hit with each delivery.

South Africa was playing at a neutral venue, but it would have felt like playing in front of the most passionate crowds in Mumbai or Kolkata.

It is no wonder AB de Villiers commented after the 130-run thrashing: “For now I just want to sort of go feel sad in my room for a while.”

Before Shikhar Dhawan even reached his century, the crowd was on its feet giving a standing ovation, thousands of flags waving. He played three dot balls and the cheers only rose in intensity. When he actually passed the milestone, the noise somehow reached even higher decibels.

One of the biggest crowd reactions of the day was reserved for a man not even playing, when the camera zoomed in and revealed Sachin Tendulkar watching on in the stands.

The fans immediately below his box spent a large portion of the match thereafter watching their hero, rising to their feet and chanting his name whenever he stood and waved. It was the sort of reception that brought to mind royalty standing on a balcony, waving beneficently to their loyal subjects. Which is essentially what it was.

The party atmosphere, which reached fever pitch late in India’s innings as its batsmen slogged their way past 300 runs, quietened early in the second innings while South Africa remained in a stable position.

Even the ground announcer, urging the fans to cheer, failed to emit much of a response.

This rapidly changed after AB de Villiers’ disastrous run-out. The euphoria when the replay revealed the world’s No.1 ODI batsman was short of his crease was incredible to watch.

The joy only increased in direct proportion to the rate at which South African wickets well, culminating in thousands of fans staying after the final wicket had been taken to continuing cheering on MS Dhoni and man of the match Shikhar Dhawan as they gave their post-game interviews.

Two wins from two World Cup matches and it is no surprise India’s fans are elated. Top spot in Pool B and an easier road through the finals is now India’s for the taking.

MS Dhoni summed up the crowd perfectly after the match.

“The attendance was close to 86,000 or 87,000. Let's give the benefit of the doubt, 20,000 to the South African fans, but to get like over 50,000 people in Australia, I think it just adds on to atmosphere that gets created,’’ he said.

“Even when we are playing in India, there are stadiums, some of the stadiums which don't have that kind of capacity, so even when they are full they're close to 40,000, so today we are seeing in Australia close to more than 50,000 to 60,000 people supporting us.

“All of it feels good to play in front of big crowds”

CLASSY JAYAWARDENA GUIDES SRI LANKA TO WIN

Mahela Jayawardena’s 19th One-Day International century and a late charge from Thisara Perea guided Sri Lanka to a thrilling four-wicket win over Afghanistan at the University Oval in Dunedin on Sunday (February 22).

Sri Lanka, opting to bowl first under overcast conditions, restricted Afghanistan to 232 from 49.4 overs.Asghar Stanikzai (54) and Samiullah Shenwari (38) were the key players, forging an 88-run partnership for the third wicket.

In reply, Sri Lanka was rocked early as it lost Lahiru Thirimanne off the very first ball from Dawlat Zadran. To make matters worse for the Sri Lanka fans, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara too perished early

Afghanistan sensed a chance to create history, but Jayawardena was not willing to go down without a fight. He staged a remarkable recovery, adding 126 runs for the fifth wicket with Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka skipper, to put the side on a course for a win.

Afghanistan, playing in its first ever World Cup, would be disappointed that it was not able to close out the game, but it had enough reason to walk away proud, having made the former world champions work hard for the win.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka's decision to field first didn't prove too fruitful as Asghar Stanikzai, the No. 3 Afghanistan batsman, punished the bowling to bring up his fourth ODI half-century.

Coming in after Afghanistan lost Nawroz Mangal with the score on 34, Stanikzai was composed from the outset. Even as Javed Ahmadi fell to Suranga Lakmal, the Sri Lankan pacer, Stanikzai remained unperturbed and combined with Samiullah Shenwari to realise a successful partnership.

The duo went about their business with incredible efficiency as Stanikzai upped the tempo and Shenwari played the role of second fiddle to perfection. They added 88 runs before Stanikzai holed out to Jeevan Mendis at long-on off Rangana Herath.

Stanikzai’s 54 was studded with one six and five boundaries. Shenwari’s effort too came to an end a few overs later when he was caught by Mathews off Thisara Perera.

Lasith Malinga, still recovering from his ankle surgery, was not nearly as threatening as he might have been, but he would take comfort from the fact that he finished with figures of 9.4-1-41-3, a far cry from 10-0-84-0 he managed against New Zealand in Sri Lanka’s first game.

The rest of the bowling unit, barring Suranga Lakmal and Rangana Herath, weren't to effective despite the pitch showing signs of awkward bounce and movement late in the innings. And Afghanistan was good enough to make the most of the opportunity.

In response, Sri Lanka slipped to 51 for 4, but Jayawardena kept Afghanistan at bay. Starting the rebuilding process with singles and doubles alongside Dimuth Karunaratne, Jayawardena showed no signs of relenting to Afghanistan’s attacking line and length. Mathews, who picked up three wickets with the ball earlier in the day, came on after Karunaratne’s dismissal and was in fine nick. The duo kept the board ticking and carried the side past the 150 mark before Mathews was run out for 44 by Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan skipper.

Jayawardena fell moments later for a 120-ball 100, giving Afghanistan reason to believe that it could pull of a landmark win. But much to its dismay, Jeevan Mendis and Perera stood their ground and gave Sri Lanka its first win of the tournament.

RESULTS & STANDINGS-2015 CWC (2015/02/23)

IRELAND STARTS PARTY WITH MEMORABLE WIN

The sun shone brightly on Saxton Oval and fearless Ireland on a day that will be remembered for years to come in the faraway pubs of Dublin and Belfast. Bowling with purpose, fielding with precision and batting with panache, Ireland chased down 305 against West Indies to infuse the first round of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with life on Monday (February 16).

For years now, Ireland had punched above its weight, pulling off stunning upsets more than once, but, on this occasion, right from the first ball of the game, till the moment when the winning runs were scored, there wasn’t one Ireland player with any self doubt. The manner in which Ireland set the pace against a team that could so easily have bossed it over on another day, showed just how good it really is.

And this was no fluke, in that the conditions were not stacked especially in Ireland’s favour, and West Indies did not take its opponents lightly.

To start with, Ireland made the most of winning the toss, John Mooney and Max Sorensen doing just enough with the ball to keep Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith quiet.

Building pressure seldom fails to deliver results, and Smith was the first to succumb, holing out to long off against Kevin O’Brien. Darren Bravo was sent on his way, courtesy a direct hit from point, before he had even faced a ball, and the wobble was well and truly on at 31 for 2.

For a time, Gayle defied, but scoring at a strike rate of just over 55 brought about impatience and the left-arm spin of George Dockrell proved too much temptation to resist. The heave over cow corner failed to boom off the bat and Kevin O’Brien settled under a comfortable catch.

Two balls later, Marlon Samuels was pinned to the crease by Dockrell and even a review could not save him from being declared lbw. Denesh Ramdin suffered a similar fate in Dockrell’s next over, and Ireland was swarming all over West Indies with the scoreboard reading 87 for 5.

If Ireland sensed it was on the verge of something special, it was dragged back down to earth by a stirring rearguard action from Darren Sammy and Lendl Simmons. With overs in hand, Sammy and Simmons built a partnership from scratch, taking their time to absorb the conditions and line up the bowling. Slowly gaining momentum till they had done enough to push the score past 200, both Sammy and Simmons cut loose.

Sammy brought up his half-century off only 45 balls, and Simmons matched his partner, reaching the milestone off 62 balls with a straight six off Kevin O’Brien. After the pair had taken West Indies past the 200-run mark, the big shots became more and more frequent, and convincing.

If Sammy was brutally effective in his hitting, Simmons was utterly easy on the eye when he drove through cover, oozing flair. The 43rd over, bowled by Kevin O’Brien, was taken for 22, and Ireland would have sensed the tide turning. When Sammy pulled Mooney for a flat six to get to 89, he had posted his highest One-Day International score, and looked set for a well-deserved century. But, trying to clear cow corner, Sammy found Dockrell, ending a 154-run stand that equalled the West Indian record for the sixth wicket.

Simmons showed his full range of shots, from the rasping cut to the meaty pull, and did not even break stride when he neared three figures, clattering a full toss to the midwicket fence in the final over to bring up the landmark. Simmons’s century had come off only 83 balls, with his second fifty taking just 23 balls.

If Ireland was deflated at having to chase 305 when even 200 looked far away at the halfway mark of the first innings, it did not show in the least. William Porterfield and Paul Stirling raced out of the blocks, using the pace of the West Indian bowlers to maximum effect. Stirling did the bulk of the scoring, and when Porterfield (23) was dismissed with 71 on the board, there was no change in tempo.

Stirling, who was clocked on the helmet by Jerome Taylor, responded by hooking the next short ball that came his way for six, such was the confidence. Only 24, Stirling attacked with perfect shot selection and unbridled joy. Cutting without hesitation, driving with balance, pulling with alacrity, Stirling rained nine fours and three sixes on West Indies’ party, lifting Ireland to 177 before he fell eight short of a fairytale hundred.

Where Stirling left off, Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien took over. The runs came at such a clip that the third-wicket stand of 96 came off only 11.3 overs. When Joyce (84) fell, holing out to the deep, the chase had been set up, and only the finishing touches needed to be applied. Four batsmen fluffed their lines in stage fright, but Niall O’Brien kept his head, and his wicket, ending unbeaten on 79 as Ireland got home with four wickets and 25 balls to spare.

RESULTS & STANDINGS-2015 CWC (2015/02/17)

MATCH 2, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14TH 2015, MCG AUSTRALIA WON BY 111 RUNS

Bailey: "It was a special occasion and in front of a great crowd it was a superb game of cricket. We were very happy to bat first and we feel like we have a really strong batting line up so it was good to get runs on the board. Finchy rose to the occasion and that's exactly what we want from our top order. Mitchell Marsh was superb, outstanding and really broke the game open for us."

Morgan: "The wicket was really good, their score was above par and we really let ourselves down in the field. We started a little bit slow which was really disappointing. Finny was superb and James Taylor was very unlucky not to get a hundred. New Zealand is another huge test so hopefully we can keep growing into this tournament."

MATCH 1, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14TH 2015, HAGLEY OVAL NEW ZEALAND WON BY 98 RUNS

Mathews: "We knew it was going to be a good wicket, we bowled well in the middle but not at either ends. We did well to pull them back but it was still 30-40 runs too many. We lost our way with the bat in the middle and no one in the top 4 got a biggy"

McCullum: "Today we executed our blueprint with the bat, it was a great performance. The pitch was an outstanding cricket wicket and we were able to lay a good foundation. A really good all round performance and good to beat a strong Sri Lankan side. The bowlers were really good and came back well, searching for wickets throughout"

NEW ZEALAND V SRI LANKA PREVIEW, MATCH 1 AT HAGLEY OVAL

Players from two teams will heave a collective sigh of relief when the first ball is sent down at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday (February 14). New Zealand has never had as much expectation on its shoulders, and, Sri Lanka, who has been in this neck of the woods since December, can’t wait for the real action to begin.

The clash between the teams, the first of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, could serve a very early pointer as to what to expect from a group stage that all captains are describing as being wide open.

New Zealand has every single element in place and after a bit of fine-tuning is purring along. In terms of obvious weaknesses, New Zealand has none. The batting is not merely highly competent, but has the potential to be genuinely explosive. If Kane Williamson, touted to eventually become the greatest batsman New Zealand has produced, is the backbone, and Martin Guptill the X-factor at the top of the order, there is plenty more to follow. If a base has been built, there is no better man to collar the bowling than Brendon McCullum, whose form has been nothing short of spectacular. And then there is Ross Taylor, who can either build or destroy, depending on what the situation demands.

If the batting has all bases covered, New Zealand’s bowling is the envy of most other teams. The attack has pace, skill, swing and seam, is young and energetic. Trent Boult and Tim Southee have consistently asked questions, and with the forecast for Saturday not being the brightest – light morning rain and temperatures in the region of 15 degrees Celsius are predicted – the swing and seam merchants could be expected to play a big role.

For Sri Lanka, Lasith Malinga, especially when fully fit, is the ace finisher, but the likes of Nuwan Kulasekara, accurate and always trying his hardest, could be a handful if there is exaggerated movement.

Sri Lanka’s greatest strength lies, however, in the three deeply experienced batsmen at the top of the order. To have Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena in the mix gives the team a cushion and kind of quiet confidence that no other international outfit can boast at the moment. Over the years, it has been teams that have had established, experienced, settled batting orders that have been the mightiest forces in the World Cup. Take Allan Border’s Australians in 1987, Imran Khan’s Pakistan in 1992, Arjuna Ranatunga’s Sri Lanka in 1996, and look beyond. You will find instance after instance of this experienced batting line-up succeeding consistently.

When the weather holds, there will be some excellent times for batting, with pitches in New Zealand and Australia expected to be firm and true. At the Hagley Oval, the ball has carried beautifully through to the keeper and though the boundaries are far from short, there is excellent value for shots played thanks to a fast outfield. These are the kind of batting conditions teams from the subcontinent, who like to score a large percentage of their runs in boundaries, thrive in. Of course, if it’s overcast or drizzling, that changes the picture considerably.

The toss will play a bit of a role if the teams arrive at the ground for the 11am start with rain in the air. No team particularly likes to have to factor in the chance of a curtailment.

Either way, rain or shine, Christchurch has waited for this moment for a while now, and it cannot come too soon for Sri Lanka and New Zealand. It’s not merely a question of getting the points that will help them progress to the next round, it’s a chance to set down a marker, to show themselves and the world what is possible in this tournament.

Teams: (likely)

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (capt), Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi (wk), Corey Anderson, Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult.

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne/Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Before the 11th ICC World Cup 2015...

 Batting

 Bowling