AUSTRALIA V INDIA PREVIEW, 2 nd SEMI-FINAL, SYDNEY-Dhoni’s men have been ruthless, and Clarke will know his team must be at its best on the spin-friendly SCG

They say that in all of Australia, it’s the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground that assists spinners the most.

They say Indians are among the best players of spin, driven by their quick feet and soft hands and an almost inborn contempt of non-Oriental spin bowlers.

They say, also, that few countries can boast of the wealth of spinning talent in the history of the game as India, the home of spin, of the Bedis and the Prasannas and the Chandras and the Kumbles can.

If we go by all they say, India should have an outstanding record at the SCG. And yet, in 11 Tests, it has tasted victory just once, when Australia was severely weakened by Kerry Packer’s World Series in January 1978, and lost five times. In 14 One-Day Internationals against Australia at this hallowed venue, India’s record is more dismal – one victory, 12 defeats, two no-results.

History. Statistics. Numbers. Precedent. Knowledge of conditions. Home advantage. They all stack up favourably in Australia’s corner ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final on Thursday (March 26). But no one is taking Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men lightly.

India’s astonishing transformation from the tri-series in January into this rabble-rousing bunch of robust individuals that has tornadoed the field has been one of the stories of the World Cup. The team has been clinical, professional, meticulous, impeccably prepared, delivering their lines sharply, but with emotion and joy and a sense of freedom that has at once been popular and punishing. You have to prise the World Cup out of its grip, it is not giving it back.

Australia is convinced it has what it takes to snatch it away, but around the conviction, gremlins are slowly beginning to germinate. Michael Clarke’s men haven’t been the dominant, all-conquering unit that Australians in World Cups have come to be identified as for so long now. The team has won plenty, but the players have laboured and huffed and puffed, surviving several attacks of nerves and benefitting from slices of luck at the most opportune of moments. Australia has been conquered, cornered, taken blows on the chin, and yet, here it is, standing within two wins of its fifth World Cup title.

The gremlins stem from a wariness of the pitch for the second semifinal of the World Cup. The team would have preferred a surface with genuine pace that Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson would relish, with bounce that Josh Hazlewood would thrive on, with grass that would have India in trouble. Instead, the pitch seems to be a bare, brown strip with loads of runs.

No matter. By Thursday, Australia will have laid those gremlins to rest. It has to, for if Australia is at anything less than its best, India will exploit it with the ease of a practised master that Dhoni has elevated his ODI outfit to.

The No. 1 ODI side in the world is not so fragile as to be seized by the fear of the unknown. It will back itself to play India’s spinners, given that in Michael Clarke and Steven Smith, it has two of the best players of spin and that in David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, it has a pair that makes it fairly impossible to set fields.

Australia did have a very interesting addition to its training session on Wednesday afternoon. A gentleman with 1000 international victims, the man they call the Sheikh of Tweak. Shane Warne strode out for a close look at the pitch, then strode back to the Australian nets and turned his arm over. Not so much turned his arm over as put on a master class in leg-spin bowling. Warne spoke at length to Clarke and Darren Lehmann, he watched from close quarters as Xavier Doherty bowled to Shane Watson, speaking to the left-arm spinner after almost every delivery.

Self-doubts or not, Australia will be up for a fight on Thursday, in front of a predominantly pro-Indian crowd in what will be a new experience for it at home. The team has tried to reopen old wounds by pointing to its dominance of India in the summer gone by. It has promised aggression. It knows that in World Cups, it has the advantage over India – seven wins, three losses in ten matches. It hasn’t forgotten that four years ago, it was India who ended its reign, in the quarterfinal in Ahmedabad. It believes it will be poetic justice if it can dethrone India at the SCG, in its own backyard. Australia has the desire, India has the Cup. This could just be Eden Park revisited, a classic of undulating fortunes and unbridled drama.

Teams:

India (likely): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma.

Australia (from): David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wk), James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood, Xavier Doherty, Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, George Bailey

SOUTH AFRICA CWC15 WRAP-With a line-up bursting with talent, South Africa was one of the title favourites - but fell short in a thrilling semi-final at Eden Park

Belief, hunger and a desire to make their nation proud were the calling cards of South Africa at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

There is plenty to like about the South Africa team, from their catchy #ProteaFire call to arms, to their serious ability to entertain with both bat and ball, to the obviously close bond between players. Through the tournament, de Villiers never wasted an opportunity to talk up his team.

With a line-up bursting with talent, it began the tournament as one of the title favourites. It played like a champion team in the league stages – barring the losses to India and Pakistan – but fell agonisingly short in a thrilling semi-final at Eden Park.

With five runs to defend in the last two balls against New Zealand on Tuesday (March 24), Dale Steyn bowled one in the slot of Grant Elliott, who dispatched the ball over the long-on fence, leaving the entire South African camp distraught.

AB de Villiers, the captain, was crestfallen after the loss, but insisted his side would leave with "no regrets".

"We were trying everything. I'm proud of the guys the way we fought in every single game right till the death," he said.

South Africa’s history of ending on the wrong side of must-win World Cup matches is well documented. It put that to rest, however, with a comprehensive show against Sri Lanka in the quarter-final to win its first World Cup knockout game. The victory was engineered by JP Duminy’s hat-trick and Imran Tahir’s three-wicket haul, as the opposition was bundled out for 133. Then, the target was comfortably chased down for the loss of just one wicket.

Therefore, to say that the nerves came back to haunt the team in the semi-final would be unfair. In fact, South Africa has learnt to put the ‘chokers’ tag behind it. “We don't mind that too much. I've gone through the whole package of feeling emotional about it, fighting against it, then accepting it, then fighting again,” de Villiers said before Tuesday’s semi-final, when asked specifically about the unflattering tag.

Even in defeat, South Africa stood for a brand of entertaining cricket it played throughout the tournament. That onslaught by David Miller in the death overs against New Zealand was as good as any. The batsmen had a splendid time as South Africa became the first team ever to post two consecutive totals of 400 or more in ODIs.

Earlier in the tournament, after a victory over Zimbabwe to start things off, South Africa struggled against India in its second outing. The run chase – an area the Proteas have been known to struggle in – was its undoing, with the batsmen crumbling to a 130-run loss. Good wins against West Indies and Ireland followed, before a rain-affected encounter with an unpredictable Pakistan at Eden Park. Again, the run chase caused problems.

In many ways, the game against Pakistan was a big moment for South Africa in the tournament. Having almost already assured itself of a place in the last eight, it faltered in a chase of 232 in yet another weather-affected game. Barring de Villiers’s valiant 77, none of the batsmen stood up to the cause, and the captain was furious after the 29-run defeat.

De Villiers went on record to say that his boys may “not be as good as we think we are” and were “not prepared to fight it out”. Such comments in the media galvanised the entire unit once again and the intent was clearly on show in the quarter-final against Sri Lanka.

On the whole, it was a campaign that featured several highlights.

De Villiers led by example, best exemplified by his swashbuckling century against the West Indies. He came to the crease in the 30th over, and just took off. His calculated assault on Jason Holder was of the highest quality as he made the fastest 150 in ODIs.

His unbeaten 162 in 103 balls took South Africa to 408 for 5. In the very next game against Ireland, Hashim Amla and du Plessis made 159 and 109 respectively, as South Africa made 411 for 4.

Earlier, Amla also became the fastest man to 20 ODI tons in Canberra, while Miller and JP Duminy also scored tons in the tournament. And, as always, the Proteas catching was almost always on point, with Dale Steyn, Rilee Rossouw and de Villiers producing some of the catches of the tournament.

The bowling of Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir was a revelation throughout. Tahir had 15 wickets with an average of 21.53, but more importantly, offered South Africa the much-needed variety and slowed things down whenever there was a requirement to do so. It was his maiden over when New Zealand was 71 for no loss in five overs in the semi-final that brought South Africa back into the game.

Similarly, Morkel was incisive. He picked up at least a wicket in each of South Africa’s eight games and ended as the team’s best bowler with 17 victims against his name. He was at his best in the semi-final loss when he returned figures of 3 for 59.

“You need a little luck. You need things to go for you. You need to take your opportunities,” said Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach explaining what better his team could have done to qualify for the final. “I'm so very proud of the effort they put in and the emotions that they left on the field. It's testament to how much it means playing and how much trying to win a World Cup means for them.”

De Villiers, Amla, Morkel, Steyn and Du Plessis – who have all played in two or more World Cups – have to wait for another four years to realise a collective dream. While the World Cup they hungered for will not be coming home with the Proteas in 2015, they gave their fans plenty to be proud of.

ICC CWC 2015 Knockout Stage

CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 STATS (14/03/2015)

POOL B FINAL DAY, QUALIFICATION PERMUTATIONS

Last two matches of the group stage bring a climax with great excitement, as two qualification spots hinge on the outcome of the matches.

At the end of what has been an exhilarating month at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, it boils down to the final day of the league stages to determine two of the quarter-finalists from Pool B.
India and South Africa are already through.
Now, on what promises to be a Super Sunday (March 15), West Indies play United Arab Emirates at McLean Park in Napier. Meanwhile, in Adelaide, Ireland will be looking to repeat history (from 2007) and secure a berth in the knockouts when it clashes against Pakistan.
Here's what each team needs to do in order to cement their quarter-final spot:
West Indies
With just two wins in five matches, a win over UAE is non-negotiable for West Indies. However, it isn't a straightforward equation.
While the winner of the Pakistan v Ireland game will go through, West Indies will be caught in a battle of net run-rates if Ireland beats Pakistan. In that eventuality, Pakistan and West Indies will be locked on points. Therefore, a big margin of victory is imperative on Sunday for Jason Holder's side.
Its task will also somewhat be made tougher, as bad weather has been forecast. If a result is not possible in Napier, both teams would share one point and the West Indies will be knocked out.
Pakistan
Pakistan has the best net run-rate among the sides in the race. With three wins in five games, a straightforward win will see Pakistan through. However, the side's good deeds over the last three games could open the back door even if it loses to Ireland, provided West Indies doesn't beat UAE by too big a margin.

Ireland
Despite winning three matches, Ireland faces a do-or-die battle against Pakistan due to its inferior net run-rate. A win would take other results out of the equation. A loss for Ireland would bring it down to a net run-rate fight with West Indies.
If there is a weather-forced no-result in the West Indies v UAE game, both Pakistan and Ireland would progress irrespective of the result in their game although the result will still be key for the final classification in the group.
With the two co-hosts finishing first and second in Pool A, a journey to either Wellington to play New Zealand or to Adelaide to play Australia awaits two of these sides. What bigger incentive could there be than a Quarter Final spot at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. 

IRELAND V PAKISTAN, A RIVALRY IN GREEN

The winner will be rewarded with a place in the quarter finals while the loser will likely board a plane home

The stakes could not be higher in Adelaide on Sunday when Ireland plays Pakistan in the final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup pool stage.

The winner will be rewarded with a place in the quarter-finals while the loser will likely board a plane home, barring an upset in the match between West Indies and United Arab Emirates.

John Mooney has described it as the “biggest match in the history of Irish cricket” and the stage is set for an epic encounter, not least of all due to the World Cup history between the teams.

On Sunday, it will have been seven years and 363 days since the first time Ireland and Pakistan played in a World Cup.

It was St Patrick’s Day in 2007 and the scene was Sabina Park in Jamaica.

Current World Cup squad members William Porterfield, Niall and Kevin O’Brien were playing, as was current England captain Eoin Morgan, while Ireland had already had a good start to the tournament after tying with Zimbabwe in the first match.

However, Pakistan presented even tougher opposition, ranked fourth on the ODI tables before the start of the tournament.

Sent in to bat, Pakistan was soon struggling at 15-2 after Ireland made crucial early breakthroughs, removing Mohammad Hafeez and Younis Khan.

A brief recovery was ended when Pakistan lost 16-4 and not even a seventh-wicket partnership of 31 was enough to rescue it from being bowled out for 132.

Extras top-scored for Pakistan and Boyd Rankin was the pick of the Ireland bowlers, taking 3-32, while Andre Botha (2-5) and Kyle McCallan (2-12) were also exceptional.

Ireland had a tough start to a chase that was interrupted by bad light and rain and at one point was also 15-2, but a recovery led by Niall O’Brien’s 72 made the difference.

When he was stumped with 25 runs left to score and Ireland lost a further two batsmen shortly after, a glimmer of hope appeared for Pakistan, but a solid 16 off 52 from Kevin O’Brien guided Ireland home before skipper Trent Johnson hit the winning runs with a six.

Pakistan was eliminated from the tournament as a result, in an event the BBC described at the time as "unthinkable".

After the match, skipper Johnston struggled to find the words to describe the victory.

"I didn't do too well in English at school," he said.

"I can't think of a word for it really. It was just amazing. We bowled in some good areas, and some bad areas as well. Then Niall and Kevin batted fantastically well. And the support we got was magnificent."

Coach Adrian Birrell echoed his sentiments.

"You don't really expect to beat a Test-playing country like that," Birrell said.

"We're a side capable of upsets, and I think we drew on that belief. The way the O'Brien brothers batted, I can't praise them enough.

“This will do a world of good for cricket in Ireland. You've got to have Associates playing. If you didn't, you wouldn't have had Bangladesh beating India today, or Sri Lanka winning the World Cup in 1996."

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq praised Ireland’s efforts.

"It wasn't easy to bat first but all credit to Ireland,” Inzamam said.

"They bowled tight lines and we played too many poor shots.”

Ireland has certainly added to its resume of impressive World Cup victories since – beating Bangladesh in the same tournament and upsetting England in 2011, before famous victories against West Indies and Zimbabwe this time around – but its first Cup victory against Pakistan is arguably its greatest to date.

One thing is certain – there will a new contender for the mantle should Ireland defeat Pakistan in Adelaide on Sunday.

RAINA, DHONI GUIDE INDIA TO SIXTH WIN

In the four One-Day Internationals leading up to the World Cup, India managed just 267, 153, 69 for 2 and 200 in the tri-series in Australia, contriving even to lose to England. Since, then, it has racked up a perfect record, going six for six in the league phase of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, topping Pool B, when Zimbabwe was shaded by six wickets.

On an emotional day when Brendan Taylor stood, hand on heart, for the Zimbabwe national anthem one final time, and then raised his bat to a roaringly appreciative crowd after scoring his eighth ODI hundred, Zimbabwe fought, first putting 287 on the board, then scalping early wickets.

But, India just had too much firepower in its ranks. The largely untested middle order was summoned to earn its bread, and Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni put together a typically energetic partnership, having come together at 92 for 4.

Zimbabwe’s opening bowlers, Tendai Chatara and Tinashe Panyangara, were lively and probing. However, the part-time spin of Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, on a pitch that offered no purchase, saw Raina wading in, picking his spot in the arc between midwicket and long-off.

If Raina, who was dropped on 47 by Hamilton Masakadza, a gentle skier being grassed at short fine-leg, was occasionally scratchy, especially at the beginning of his innings, Dhoni was completely in control from the moment he arrived at the crease. At first, Dhoni was quiet, knocking the ball into the gaps and working those mighty pistons in his thighs to barrel up and down the pitch for ones and twos. But, when offered the latitude, Dhoni was not shy, bringing his ultra heavy blade decisively down on the ball.

Having missed their chance to separate the Dhoni-Raina pair, Zimbabwe could only watch helplessly as Taylor’s last hurrah turned into yet another defeat, their fifth in six games in this World Cup. Raina brought up his fifth ODI century, his first in a World Cup, and rattled along to 110, while Dhoni made an unrattled 85 in the partnership of 196, as India raced home with eight balls to spare.

If Raina and Dhoni made the win appear easy in the end, it was far from a foregone conclusion through several passages of play in the first half, when Zimbabwe was asked to bat. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami swung the ball late, at pace, and the going wasn’t easy for the opening batsmen, who played and missed plenty before both heading back to the dressing-room inside the fifth over. Solomon Mire hung his bat out to make it 33 for 3, and India was all over Zimbabwe.

It was here that Taylor and Sean Williams took the game by the scruff of the neck. Safety was their prime objective, and seeing off the new ball was key. To this end, it mattered little that the scoreboard was stuck, Zimbabwe reaching only 63 for 3 after 16 overs.

With the base laid, however, Taylor began to open up. Down the ground he was magnificent, presenting the full face of the bat, and against spinners Taylor reverse-swept fearlessly.

Williams preferred to target the midwicket fence, coming down the pitch to tonk the ball over the ropes and occasionally dragging deliveries from outside off to his preferred region.

The partnership for the fourth wicket was seven short of three figures when India managed to break through, Williams (50) driving back towards the bowler to be well caught by R Ashwin bending low.

Taylor slowed down a touch after getting into the 90s, but his strike rate was still excellent, and when Shami bounced, a naughty ramp shot was executed perfectly, sending the ball sailing into the stands and taking Taylor to his century. No other Zimbabwe batsman had scored back-to-back World Cup hundreds, and the manner in which Taylor constructed his innings was a reminder of just what Zimbabwe would miss in the near future.

Taylor then began to get a move on, taking 25 runs off a Ravindra Jadeja over that read 144646 and included sweet hits to square-leg, midwicket, long-off, fine-leg and long-on, demonstrating the range of the strokes at the batsman’s disposal.

Taylor, who had climbed to second spot in the tournament run-getters list and became the first Zimbwean to top 400 in a World Cup, fell on 138 from only 110 balls, trying to muscle a ball over mid-on but failing to connect cleanly. In the final 29 balls he faced, Taylor had biffed 70, the perfect acceleration after accumulating 63 from his first 81 balls. Several Indian players shook Taylor’s hand, and as the crowd roared in warm applause, Taylor soaked it in one final time. It was a great way to go.

SRI LANKA V SCOTLAND PREVIEW, MATCH 35, HOBART

It’s been a challenging ICC Cricket World Cup campaign for Sri Lanka thus far.

Yes, it is already in the quarter-finals, Bangladesh’s emotional victory against England at the Adelaide Oval formalising the 1996 champion’s presence in the quarter-finals, and it is playing good cricket, but the quarter-final slot has come at quite an expense.

Even considering that injuries are part and parcel of competitive sport, Sri Lanka has been dealt the unkindest of cuts. Injuries have spread through the camp, and Angelo Mathews would be hoping his side gets through a few practice sessions and matches without one of his players either breaking a finger or doing his hammy.

While Kumar Sangakkara is busy blazing a path-breaking trail, many of the other players were busy tending to their injuries. The infection, it would appear, was triggered by Dhammika Prasad fracturing his left hand a week before the start of the tournament at a training stint. He was then joined by Jeevan Mendis (hamstring) and Dimuth Karunaratne (fractured finger), while Rangana Herath is still recovering from splitting the webbing in his left hand during the match against England, an injury that necessitated stitches.

Now Sri Lanka would be without Dinesh Chandimal too for the rest of the tournament. The former Twenty20 International captain picked up a hamstring injury during his spectacular 52 off 24 deliveries in a spirited run chase against Australia on Sunday, a development that forced him to retire hurt. The medical staff had hoped against hope that he would pull up okay, but on Tuesday, Sri Lanka was forced to apply for a fourth replacement. Kusal Perera has been given the go-ahead, which means that as the business end of the competition approaches, Sri Lanka must not only have to do without several first-choice options, it must also figure out what combinations would work for them going forward.

Sri Lanka fortunately have only one game left in the league stage, a match against Scotland. Bellerive Oval, one of the more scenic cricket venues in the world, will welcome the ICC Cricket World Cup to its breathtaking facility on Wednesday (March 11); Sri Lanka would want to win, but it would be more concerned about managing its resources properly.

Scotland are one of only two teams in the 14-strong World Cup without a win to its name. Like its winless Pool B counterparts UAE, it has two games remaining, both in Hobart, and would welcome the opportunity of testing itself against Sri Lanka, and then Australia on Saturday.

Scotland must feel it ought to have won at least one, if not both, of its games against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Afghanistan sneaked a one-wicket win in the final over, thanks to the heroics of Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran, while Bangladesh scaled down 318 with some composure. It was not only Bangladesh’s highest ever chase, it was only the third time in 298 ODIs that the Asian nation had overhauled a target in excess of 300.

Kyle Coetzer went into the history books last week by making the highest individual score by an associate team batsman – 156 against Bangladesh – and Josh Davey has been among the wickets with his medium pace, but otherwise, Scotland has found the going tough. Iain Wardlaw, its top bowler, has been off colour, going at 6.57 runs an over and taking just five wickets in four games, while Mommsen himself has made only 88 runs with a highest of 39.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s batting has shown itself to be in fine fettle, both in that extraordinary nine-wicket win against England chasing upwards of 300 and in the 64-run loss to Australia, who had piled up 376 for 9. There have been hundreds at various stages from Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne and Mahela Jayawardene, but the standout has been Sangakkara. No batsman had made three successive hundreds in an ICC Cricket World Cup until the left-handed stylist tiptoed his way to 104 against Australia on the back of unbeaten centuries against Bangladesh and England. Even as he is contemplating hanging up his boots from all international cricket, he is batting better than he has before. Scotland would not want to be at the receiving end of another Sanga special, but it would probably enjoy it just a little bit even if the old warhorse was to turn on the magic again.

The bowling, however, will trigger a fair few furrowed brows. Sri Lanka conceded 331 to New Zealand, 309 to England and then 376 to Australia the other night. Lasith Malinga hasn’t hit full throttle yet, though, like often, he is its leading wicket-taker. Malinga came into the ICC Cricket World Cup with very little game time. Having bowled 48.4 overs, he should be building up nicely for the quarter-final in Sydney. Sri Lanka would be desperate for Herath, too, to be available for that March 18 encounter; the left-arm spinner brings experience, control and penetration. If Sri Lanka runs into South Africa in the quarter-final, as looks likely, it would require a fully fit Herath and a fully firing Malinga.

Sri Lanka wouldn’t take Scotland lightly, but most of its concerns would revolve around making sure that the sick bay numbers don’t mount.

Teams (from):

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews (capt), Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Seekkuge Prasanna, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera.

Scotland: Kyle Coetzer, Calum MacLeod, Hamish Gardiner, Matt Machan, Preston Mommsen (capt), Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross (wk), Josh Davey, Majid Haq, Alasdair Evans, Iain Wardlaw, Freddie Coleman, Michael Leask, Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor.

India... Kik On !

When India began its ICC Cricket World Cup campaign, it didn't start as the favourite. But after its fifth win on the trot on Tuesday (March 10), the latest by eight wickets at Seddon Park in Hamilton, it’s hard to look at this team with anything but awe.

While Ireland tried its darnedest, India did not allow it to play better cricket than it did. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, who have given India good starts through the four games the team has played in the ICC Cricket World Cup so far – all in Australia – did not adjust their lengths quickly enough after Ireland opted to bat first. Hitting the deck hard, just back of a length worked like a charm on the harder surfaces of Australia, but here the ball came through at the perfect pace to be clattered out of the park.

Paul Stirling and William Porterfield were more than happy to capitalise, and took their team to 60 for no loss after the ten Power Play overs. Ireland became the only team to go wicketless twice in the Power Play, a testament to how well the openers have approached their batting in this tournament.

With the fastest bowlers in the team not quite hitting their straps, Plan A was quickly torn up by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Mohit Sharma was brought into the attack early, in just the fifth over. Mohit bowled a much better length, and when the spin of Ravindra Jadeja was pressed into service in the tenth over, India regained control.

R Ashwin, varying his pace, giving the ball air whenever possible, and using the width of the crease to ensure batsmen had difficulty getting the ball away, got the first breakthrough. With an empty canvas in front of him, Ashwin painted a pretty picture using the deftest of brush strokes. Stirling (42) tried to lift the ball over long-off, but Ashwin had shortened his length just enough to force the chip and the ball sailed straight into the hands of Ajinkya Rahane on the ropes.

Ed Joyce, Ireland’s star batsman, shaped to cut a ball from Suresh Raina that was neither short enough nor wide enough for the stroke, and was defeated by the angle, the ball clattering into the stumps.

Porterfield was joined by the capable Niall O’Brien, and the two rebuilt with alacrity. It was only when Porterfield (67) tried to force the pace, coming down the pitch to attempt to fetch a ball from outside off and hit it over leg, that the stand was broken. Mohit’s quick delivery speared off the leading edge and was simply caught.

Where Porterfield left off, Niall O’Brien took over. After reaching a well constructed half-century, he attacked. Coming down the pitch and pulling strongly in front of square, and driving back down the ground, the runs began to flow more freely. At the other end, though, things were not quite as rosy. Andrew Balbirnie, Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson fell in the span of 16 runs and Ireland’s innings had lost puff just when it was time to floor the accelerator.

With a century there for the taking Niall O’Brien (75) fell, shimmying down the pitch and hitting straight to Umesh at backward square-leg. The rash of wickets in the back end of the innings left Ireland on 259, and it would feel it was some distance short of a challenging total on a batting-friendly surface.

Ireland’s bowlers created two chances early on, John Mooney failing to accept a return catch with Shikhar Dhawan on just 5, and Porterfield not managing to latch on to an energetic slash, at backward point, with the same batsman having added five more to his tally.

Rohit Sharma played the more pleasing shots, lofting cutely over long-off with ease, pulling lazily in front of and behind square, but it was Dhawan, making the most of his reprieves, who powered the 174-run opening stand. Rohit (64) dragged one back on, and it was Virat Kohli at the crease when Dhawan worked a full ball off his toes to bring up his second hundred of the tournament, off only 84 balls.

Kohli was masterful and muscular from the moment he arrived at the crease, the meat of his bat finding the ball every time he popped the clutch and let loose his bat. Dhawan departed on an even 100 and Kohli helped himself to 44, and Ajinkya Rahane to 33, as India romped home with eight wickets and 13.1 overs to spare.

Which Teams will Qualify for the Quarter Finals -2015 CWC ?