England vs. Australia, Final, 2010 World Twenty20

At last year's Twenty20 World Cup, England suffered a chastening defeat to the unseeded Netherlands team in the opening game of the tournament, and Australia failed to qualify for the second round, losing both games of their first stage. A year later, in 2010, it was England and Australia in the finals - the two oldest rivals in cricket, and maybe even international sport - facing each other for world Twenty20 glory. Of the three formats in cricket, Twenty20 world trophy is the only one that has eluded Australia's grasp, and England were desperate to win their first global cricket title in 30 years of trying. And it was England who triumphed, cantering to victory by seven wickets in Barbados.

 

Put in to bat, Shane Watson started aggressively, hooking Ryan Sidebottom's first ball for a couple. But Watson fell shortly afterwards (2), edging a catch to Graeme Swann, who caught the ball after it rebounded off Craig Kieswetter's keeping gloves. David Warner was run out (2), and Brad Haddin given out (1) to an excellent catch by Kieswetter that came off Haddin's hip, as England climbed all over the Australians - 8/3. Captain and out-of-form batsman Michael Clarke combined with David Hussey to try and control the damage, which they did among some nervy running and strangling bowling and fielding from England. Clarke was dismissed by a brilliant catch from Paul Collingwood at midwicket for 27 (45/4), but Hussey and Cameron White plundered 21 runs from Michael Yardy bowling in the 13th over to provide some impetus for an innings that was in danger of never getting off the ground. Tim Bresnan should have had Hussey on 27, as the batsman skied a catch to mid on, but Stuart Broad was deceived by the strong breeze and got only fingertips to it. Broad made up for it by taking a tough catch to remove the dangerous Cameron White for 30 off 19 balls (97/5). It brought Michael Hussey, who architected Australia's magnificent run-chase against semi-finalists Pakistan, to the crease to join his brother, but there were to be no fireworks from either Hussey. David reached his 50 off 49 balls, but was run out in the last over, from which Stuart Broad conceded only 7 runs. Australia finished on 147/6 - from their perspective, a disappointing, but a defendable total.

Their defense got off to a good start, Shaun Tait removing the solid Michael Lumb for just 2. Kevin Pietersen joined his South African-born counterpart Craig Kieswetter at the crease, and the two combined to take the game away from the Australians. Kieswetter has promised much in the last couple of weeks, and he delivered on the biggest stage. Pietersen was at his imperious, arrogant best, sashaying down the wicket to dispatch anything full over the long-off and long-on boundaries. The Australians - especially Shaun Tait and Shane Watson - erred by bowling too full and not making either Kieswetter or Pietersen think about playing on the back foot. The two put on 111 for the second wicket at 9.79 an over. Pietersen went for 47, trying to hit Steven Smith into orbit, leaving England at 118/2. With England needing 27 from 36 balls, Kieswetter went the next over (63), backing away too far to reach a Shaun Taint delivery which sent his off stump cartwheeling. Two new batsmen at the crease, and England would have been only too aware of what I wrote in my preview - that with Australia, it's never over until the final run is scored.

New batsman Eoin Morgan settled the nerves by smacking Steven Smith for six and scampering a couple of couples, before captain Paul Collingwood hit a 6 off Shane Watson to take England within five runs of victory. Collingwood had the honor of hitting the winning runs (a 4 and a single) to lead his team to their first World Cup victory. Craig Kieswetter received the Man of the Match award for his maiden 50 in international cricket, and Kevin Pietersen was named the Man of the Series for scoring 248 across the tournament, including vital knocks in the semi-finals and the finals to see England climb the top of the mountain.

So England cap off an exemplary World Cup campaign, winning not just their first global title, but soundly beating Australia in the process. Whispers have already started about the next Ashes series, and Australia will look to put this defeat behind them as soon as they can. They have nothing to be ashamed of - they were the form team of the tournament, playing aggressive, and sometimes impossible cricket to qualify for their first World Twenty20 final. But England were right up there with them, matching them pound for pound and staying just one step ahead. Australia never really recovered from 8/3, and only the best efforts of Cameron White and David Hussey saw their team to a competitive total. It proved too little against an England team that fired on all cylinders at the right time. Nobody would have believed it after the Netherlands beat England last year, but Paul Collingwood's team now hold the Ashes and the World Twenty20 Cup. What a funny thing sport can be. 

England vs. Australia Preview, 2010 World Twenty20

Not too many people would have put money on an England/Australia Twenty20 final, but there you have it - England and Australia will play the last game of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championship. At stake is not only the coveted World Cup, but eternal bragging rights. Even the most diehard of Twenty20 critics will undoubtedly turn an eye to the action in Barbados, as the best teams over the last two weeks face each other for the first time in the tournament.

On the one hand, you have England, who seem to have finally found a cohesive and fully-functioning limited-overs team (or any form of the game, period). Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter have yet to make any big scores, but their opening partnerships have provided a solid base for the rest of England's batsmen to capitalize on. To that effect, neither Kevin Pietersen nor Eoin Morgan have disappointed - Morgan's innovation and powerful hitting has significantly impressed, and Pietersen is living up to the hype, as he always does. In the semi-final game against Sri Lanka, he showed no jetlag or distraction after returning from the birth of his first child, and a World Cup final against Australia is the kind of stage that he was made for. Paul Collingwood is yet to find his form with the bat, but his bowling and fielding has restricted opposing teams from running away with the game. On the bowling front, Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom have felled Pakistan and Sri Lanka, last year's respective champions and finalists, while Graeme Swann has shown he can well adapt his game to the shorter forms. 

On the other hand, you've got Australia - and were it not for Michael Hussey playing one of the greatest innings ever, you'd be looking at Pakistan, instead. David Warner and Shane Watson have traumatized bowling attacks, while Cameron White and the Hussey brothers have been even less merciful. Like his captain counterpart, Michael Clarke is searching for form, and may be the one weak link in the Australian lineup. Steve Smith is being spoken of as the spin weapon for the next Ashes series, and Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson will be licking their lips at the prospect of a bouncy Barbados wicket. 

Ironically, the form book favors England, but that might work against them - they were only really tested in the game against Ireland (which was unfortunately cut short due to rain), and held their nerve in a tight run-chase against New Zealand. Australia have been on the ropes on three occasions - 67/5 against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, recovering both times to win each game. And, of course, the game against Pakistan, in which Michael Hussey played an impossible innings to take his team to victory. The adrenaline would still be pumping by the time Clarke and Collingwood walk out for the toss, and Collingwood will be very aware that Australia are not beaten until the final ball is bowled, the final run is scored or the final wicket falls. Clarke will know that England bring their best game against his team, and that when it matters the most - defending the Ashes, for example - England have triumphed. 

My heart says England, my head says Australia. If Australia's semi-final victory over Pakistan had been a comfortable one, I would have tapped England to win the World Cup; but such was the audacity and sheer nerve of the run chase in the semi-final, I have to believe the force is with the Aussies. After winning a game they had no logical right to win, one wonders if there is anything they can't do. England may be a well-oiled machine, but Australia have the X factor - call it luck, fate, or just an unquenchable desire to win. The first Twenty20 World Cup gave us an India/Pakistan final; the third has given us an England/Australia final. It can't get any better than this. 

Pakistan vs. Australia, 2nd SF, 2010 World Twenty20

Michael Hussey pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in living memory, as Australia chased down a mammoth Pakistan total by the skin of their teeth to qualify for their first Twenty20 World Cup final. Pakistan were left wondering how they could have lost a game that they were in control of until the very end, but the same Australian tenacity that dominated world cricket from 1999 reared its head in the most timeliest - and unbelievable - of fashions.

 

Pakistan made a quiet start after they were put in to bat, scoring just 3 from their first two overs, before Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt suddenly accelerated. The next two overs yielded 24 runs, and Pakistan were off. Akmal brought his 50 up from 32 balls, but David Warner snapped an excellent catch at deep cover to take the first wicket at 81 in the 9th over. Butt and Shahid Afridi departed soon afterwards, but Umar Akmal picked up where his brother left off, reaching his own 50 from 29 balls. The pressure started to get to the otherwise-unflappable Australians, as Mitchell Johnson conceded 24 runs from his final over. Khalid Latif's short but quick 13 (strike rate of 216.66) helped propel Pakistan to 191/6, the second-highest score of the tournament. With a wily spin and pace attack at his disposal, Shahid Afridi would have felt confident that a target run rate of 9.6 an over would give his boys one foot in his second consecutive World Cup final. 

It certainly seemed like that when the explosive David Warner fell from the second ball of the Australian reply. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin combined to fight back before Mohammed Aamer collected his second wicket of the match, having Watson caught at long on. Australia 28/2, but on par with the required run rate. Kamran Akmal's good day continued, stumping Haddin and then Clarke in consecutive overs - 63/4, and the run rate started to slip. Cameron White, who rescued his team from a similarly tricky situation against Sri Lanka, smashed four sixes in two overs before Abdur Rehman removed David Hussey. 107/5, the required run rate over 12 an over now. Mohammed Aamer removed White for a scintillating 43 off 31 (5 sixes and no 4s), and when Kamran Akmal effected his third stumping of the day to get Steve Smith, the writing was on the wall - Australia needed 34 from the last two overs. Michael Hussey milked Mohammed Aamer's 18th for 16 runs, and with 18 required from the last six balls, hit Saeed Ajmal for 6, 6, 4 (which tied the game) and 6 to take Australia home with one ball left. It was the most dramatic conclusion to the Twenty20 game - or indeed any game of cricket - we've seen in a while. 

So it's going to be an Ashes final on Sunday, as a sublime and well-oiled England take on a charged-up and roaring Australia. Pakistan knocked South Africa out at the semi-finals of the 2009 tournament, and Australia lost their semi-final match against India in 2007; it looked like history would repeat itself, and it almost did. But Michael Hussey's 60 (24 balls, three 4s, six 6s, s/r 250.00) will rank as one of the greatest innings of all time, in any format of the game. This was Twenty20 - and cricket - at its best: the first half of the game was all Pakistan, and the second half was a vicious tug-of-war between Australia and Pakistan. Despite Australia's best efforts, Pakistan had the momentum going into the final six balls, before Mike Hussey launched an impossible assault that will bring all eyes to what promises to be a classic final on Sunday. 

Shane Bond Calls Time

It's been an interesting time for New Zealand Cricket. Despite a brave showing in the 2010 World Twenty20 Championship, they failed to qualify for the semi-finals; however, their next assignment is a groundbreaking series in the United States, the first time that an international cricket match will be held on American soil. Unfortunately, New Zealand will have to embark on this pioneering venture without the services of their main strike bowler Shane Bond, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

 

This is a crippling blow for New Zealand in so many ways. Regardless of their perennial underdog status, the Black Caps have always produced world-class cricketers - Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns, Mark Greatbatch, and of course Sir Richard Hadlee - and Bond was right up there with them. In a country with small cricket grounds which encouraged some dynamic batting, Shane Bond was one of the few Kiwi bowlers capable of getting real pace and movement. Even when New Zealand found themselves on the losing end of games, Bond's figures would be one of their few consolations.

 

Given that New Zealand's pool of cricketers is so small, it's not surprising that Bond's storied battles with injury caught up with him. Fast bowling is a merciless and unforgiving trade - just ask Andrew Flintoff and Brett Lee, two masters of their art whose bodies could not handle the demands. Bond had able support from Iain O'Brien (also retired), Daryl Tuffey, Tim Southee, Chris Martin and Kyle Mills, among others, but injuries, selection consistency issues meant that Bond was forced to lead the New Zealand bowling attack more often than he should have. Something had to give, and it’s a credit to Bond that he made the decision himself, rather than spending more time in rehab than on the field.

 

New Zealand will soldier along, as they always do. The other fast bowlers will step up to the plate, and in time, new talent will ensure that New Zealand do not go down the same route as the West Indies. That said, Bond had a special aura about him - not too many bowlers can say that they achieved a hat-trick against Australia - and cricket, both New Zealand and international, will miss him. 



England vs. Sri Lanka, 1st SF, 2010 World Twenty20

For the first time since 1992, England have qualified for the final of a World Cup, easily beating last year's semi-finalists Sri Lanka by seven wickets. It's a result few would have predicted, but England have been the surprise team of the tournament; their consistency and form came up against a shaky Sri Lankan team that fell short on the day. England now wait for tomorrow's game to find out who their opponents for Sunday's World Cup final will be.

Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and Mahela Jayawardene hit a 4 from the first ball of the match, but that was about as good as it got for the Sri Lankans. Sanath Jayasuria's poor form continued as he fell to the first ball from Ryan Sidebottom, and one has to wonder if his stated goal of playing in the 2011 World Cup will ever happen. In the games that he opened the batting for Sri Lanka, he's scored 6, 5, 0 and 1. The bug got to Mahela Jayawardene, who fell to Stuart Broad's excellent first delivery. Tillekeratne Dilshan swiped two fours, but was removed by Tim Bresnan. With Sri Lanka in early trouble at 26/3, Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews found themselves in a similar situation their damage-control job in the game against India. But while that was a deflated Indian team on the verge of elimination, this was a scintillating England team that had everything to play for. The bowling was tight on a sluggish pitch that didn't offer anything to the batsman. Sangakkara fell trying to accelerate the scoring (caught Pietersen bowled Swann for 16), Chamara Kapugedera went for 16, and only a dogged 50 by Mathews and a sloppy 17-run over from Tim Bresnan helped Sri Lanka limp to 128/5 in their 20 overs. 

With England needing just 6.45 an over to win on a drying pitch, Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb were under no pressure while chasing Sri Lanka's very par total. Mathews was very unlucky not to have Kieswetter plumb LBW in the third over (Hawk-Eye predicted contact with the bottom of middle stump), and to add insult to injury, the ball ran away for 4 byes. If that wasn't bad enough, Kieswetter hit the last ball of the over for 6. The Sri Lankans started to wilt under the pressure, with Ajantha Mendis missing a basic run out chance against Michael Lumb when the batsman was nowhere near his crease. Lasith Malinga removed Kieswetter for 39, and Perera bowled Lumb for 33 the following over, but the openers had given England enough of a platform. Perera accounted for Paul Collingwood (11), but England's hero (and new father) Kevin Pietersen hit consecutive boundaries to seal victory with 24 balls remaining. 

If one stat can say everything about a game, it's that Angelo Mathews hit the only six in the Sri Lankan innings. England hit five 6s, and while the pitch had balanced out enough by the time they came out to bat, they were simply the better team in every department. They never let Sri Lanka recover after the top order collapse, and they pressured the bowlers and fielders into making basic mistakes that gave away any chance of a Sri Lankan miracle. England comfortably book their place in Sunday's final, confident that their form can challenge whoever they face. Revenge against Pakistan for the 1992 World Cup final? Or revenge against Australia for last year's 5-1 ODI drubbing? The way England are playing, neither Pakistan nor Australia would dare take them lightly. 

Ghost Stories: An Anime With An Unusual Dub

Back in 2000, anime producer Animax released a children's show called Gakka no Kaidan, "Ghosts at School". The twenty episode series didn't reach American shores until five years later, but the first English dub was, needless to say, quite a bit different from the original script. The American distributor, ADV Films, took significant tongue-in-cheek liberties with the overall tone of the show, renamed Ghost Stories. Using a stable of Houston-based voice actors, ADV and its resident writer Steven Foster took what was a fairly straightforward supernatural kid's program and turned it into a snarky, politically incorrect parody of anime. It fits better alongside South Park than most of what you'll find on the anime shelf.

So, why would ADV Films decide to take a popular show and turn it into a comedic ringer? Well, it all has to do with the surprisingly complex anime market as it exists on both sides of the Pacific. Whereas anime has been mostly lumped together into a single, amorphous category in the States, the incredibly large Japanese wing of the industry has necessitated a series of niche classifications. There's a variety of anime for practically every demographic under age 40, many of which have never been targets for the US market. There are shows designed exclusively for young professional women, at least two subsets of teenage boys and, among others, several tiered genres for various ages of pre-teens. The anime that makes it to America comes from all of these categories, but there's practically no marketing difference between a tween-age girl's show like Sailor Moon and middle-teen boy's fare like the Gundam series.

When it comes to anime aimed at little kids, there's a lot of competition on American television with domestic properties. A few smash hits have defied the odds, RE: Pokemon, but that has more to do with the ease of commoditizing and merchandising than it does with any Japanese cultural analog. Ghost Stories is in a bad position to hit in America unedited. The characters are all elementary schoolers, but there's plenty of violence and scary content that wouldn't ever have a chance of playing to its target demographic in the States. ADV Films decided to tap into a different market altogether, doing extensive re-writes of the script to include pop culture references, sex jokes and loads of comic irony. Only the central structure of the story remains. Everything else changes for the sake of devilishly crude humor.

For anyone who might be interested, Animax later released their own English dub that more or less held true to the original, but ADV's cheeky take remains the favorite among American anime fans. Sadly, ADV Films has effectively disappeared since 2005. All of the company's properties have since been sold to other entities and every offshoot, like PiQ Magazine, has dissolved. ADV may not be around anymore, but at least they gave us a classic English dub for an anime series that likely wouldn't have even come to America without their creative meddling.

Second Semi-Final Preview, 2010 World Twenty20

It hasn't been a good couple of years for Pakistan: following the terrorist attacks in March of last year, teams didn't dare tour their country anymore;  this year, the team was dramatically purged following a winless tour of Australia. But it's in moments of such adversity that Pakistan have shone the brightest: after their international isolation, they rose like a phoenix (or a cornered tiger) to win the 2009 World Cup, and after poor preparation and a rough start to the tournament, they're in the semi-finals of the 2010 tournament. The only problem is their opponent - not only have Australia already beaten them once in this World Cup, but Australia have easily beaten every other team they've faced. 

Australia might feel relatively confident with their semi-final spot, having comfortably won every game they played. However, Twenty20 is an unpredictable format, and Pakistan are an unpredictable team. Australia will be only too aware that they were pipped at the post by India in the 2007 World Twenty20, and that Pakistan overcame a poor start in the 2009 World Cup to defeat both the unbeaten teams of the tournament in the semi-finals and the finals. Restricting David Warner and Shane Watson will take a lot of work, and the Hussey brothers, Cameron White, Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke make up the strongest middle order of the tournament. Dirk Nannes, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait might trouble the Pakistanis with their pace and bouncers, but the slow St. Lucia pitch might - just might - negate them. In that case, Steve Smith, Man of the Match against the West Indies, will be in business.

Pakistan know they have history and fortune on their side against a powerful Australian side. Their batting has not clicked this tournament - their highest score (both team and individual) has come against Bangladesh. Salman Butt has stood out with 73 against Bangladesh and 67* against New Zealand, but has received precious little support from his teammates. Umar Akmal has only had one game to be proud of, his 51 condemning South Africa to elimination, and Shahid Afridi is yet to fire - similar to the 2009 World Cup, where he peaked in the semi-finals and the finals to lead his team to victory. Mohammed Aamer has impressed with the ball, but on the slow surface of St. Lucia, Afridi and Saeed Ajmal will present problems to the Australians. Lurking in the shadows is Abdul Razzaq, who can single-handedly change games with his batting and his bowling.

A year ago, no one gave a stuttering Pakistani team any chance of beating the dominating South Africa and moving to the finals of the World Cup, but that's exactly what happened. Pakistan are a team that can lose a game on their best day, but with their backs to the wall, they can win a World Cup - and that's what they will take with them into their semi-final with Australia. For their part, Australia don't suffer from the same stage fright that afflicts South Africa at crucial moments, but this is also a new-look squad that is still shrugging off the "transitional" tag from the 1999-2007 era. The two times Australia were pressured in this tournament (against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), they bounced back to win, first comfortably, and then ruthlessly. As unpredictable as Pakistan are (the phrase "cornered tigers" comes to mind), I don't think they have what it takes to overcome this Australian squad, who manhandled India, dismantled the West Indies and swept aside Sri Lanka. I call Australia, making it an England-Australia final. And we all know who'll win that.

 

First Semi-Final Preview, 2010 World Twenty20

With the league stages of the ICC World Twenty20 completed, and after some surprise eliminations, attention now turns to the final four teams left in the competition - last year's finalists Sri Lanka face a charged-up England side on Thursday, and last year's champions Pakistan take on the dominating Australian team on Friday.  

Sri Lanka are no strangers to semi-finals - World Cup champions in 1996, semi-finalists in 2003, finalists in 2007 and in 2009. However, while they were the form team in 2009, they have been patchy this time around: Mahela Jayawardene is the only batsman who has looked comfortable at the crease, but even he failed to establish himself in his team's last two games. Sanath Jayasuria has had a miserable time, unable to make an impact any of the times he batted. Fortunately for them, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillekeratne Dilshan seem to have found their form after indifferent starts to the tournament, and Angelo Mathews and Chamara Kapugedera have stood up for their team when it mattered, creating an invaluable partnership in a tight, crucial game against India. Lasith Malinga has led the bowling, supported well by Mathews, Thissara Perera and Suraj Randiv, while Sri Lanka have to do without Muttiah Muralitharan. Ajantha Mendis has been decoded by most of his opponents, but England haven't seen too much of him. On a slow and turning St. Lucia pitch, he might be key in restricting England's batsmen.

Not too many people would have put money on England qualifying for the semi-finals over South Africa (who they defeated) or India (who they probably would have beat had they faced each other). But thanks to the lusty hitting of Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan, England find themselves with a team that can take them to global glory. Kieswetter and Lumb have had solid tournaments thus far, while Morgan has been exemplary. Pietersen returns to the team boosted after witnessing the birth of his first child, and England will hope that his attacking form has not been compromised by the break. Paul Collingwood hasn't changed a game yet, but he remains an important player with his batting, bowling and fielding. Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom have led the charge with the bowling, but their movement, pace and bouncers might be negated by the St. Lucia pitch, where India and Sri Lanka both fought for every run they could get. That might be where Graeme Swann comes in to play - Sri Lanka haven't seen too much of him, and if he can extract any turn off the wicket, he will be dangerous.

My call for the game is England - by a hair. They've been far more consistent, cohesive and on-song than Sri Lanka, who lost to New Zealand, were unconvincing against Zimbabwe, comfortably beat the West Indies, destroyed by Australia and edged a last-ball victory against India. England looked shaky only twice, once against Ireland and in a dead rubber against New Zealand, and will be on a high following their impressive victory against South Africa. That momentum will work in England's favor, whereas Sri Lanka enter the semi-finals knowing they only just made it. That said, predicting results in Twenty20 cricket is always risky, and I fully expect this game to go back and forth before one team - "England", my gut whispers - edge their way into the finals. 

India vs. Sri Lanka, 2010 World Twenty20

Barring the upcoming semi-finals and the final, this was probably the singular most important game of the 2010 World Twenty20. India were desperate for a win, if they entertained even a hope of qualifying for the semi-finals. Sri Lanka were forced into a must-win scenario because of their heavy defeat to Australia. The West Indies were hoping for an Indian win, as that result would have eased their own path to the semi-finals; a Sri Lankan win would have put pressure on the West Indies to beat Australia by 24 runs or greater in their game.

Knowing that India needed to win by 20 or more runs, Mahendra Singh Dhoni batted first after winning the toss. Dinesh Karthik got things off to a positive start by cutting Angelo Mathews' first ball for 4, but was caught and bowled by Lasith Malinga for 13 in the fifth over. Malinga also accounted for Gautam Gambhir for 41 (who was dropped by Kumar Sangakkara when he scored just 5), but by that point India were already 90/1 in the 10th over. With Dhoni at the crease, and Suresh Raina bringing his 50 up in 37 balls, India were set for an onslaught that would have compensated for their 20-run handicap, but tight death bowling from the Sri Lankans (led by Thissara Perera, 3-0-15-1) meant India scored only 73 runs for the loss of four wickets in the last 10 overs. India finished on 163/5, leaving Sri Lanka with a total of 164 to win the game, and at least 144 to eliminate India from the tournament.

Mahela Jayawardne glanced the first delivery of the Sri Lankan reply for four, but was soon caught at slip off Ashish Nehra. Tillekeratne Dilshan joined Sanath Jayasuria, who didn't last long, chipping Vinay Kumar to midwicket for 0, and Sri Lanka were in early trouble at 6/2. On a turgid pitch, Sangakkara rotated the strike while Dilshan hit 26 runs off back-to-back overs from Nehra and India's best bowler of the tournament, Harbhajan Singh. Then Yusuf Pathan struck, removing Dilshan for a confidence-improving 33 off 26. Sri Lanka were 49/3, but sixes from Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews kept them in the hunt. After two more sixes from a Yusuf Pathan over, Sangakkara was bowled by Vinay Kumar for 46, bringing Chamara Kapugedera out with 52 required from 24 to win, and 32 from 24 to eliminate India. Kapugedera and Mathews shared boundaries until Kapugedera hit two consecutive sixes to knock India out of the World Cup, and leave Sri Lanka 13 off the last six to win. A six from Mathews off the first ball of the over, and another from Kapugedera off the last ball of the match sealed the victory by 5 wickets. Sri Lanka finished on 167/5.

After the crippling loss to Australia, Kumar Sangakkara spoke of how important partnerships were in winnings matches. It sounds elementary, but partnerships for the 3rd, 4th and 5th wickets yielded 43, 56 and 56 runs, respectively. Even when the required run rate hit 13 an over, Sri Lanka kept wickets in hand. India suffered from not capitalizing on their good start, and their bowlers paid the price - Nehra went at 11 an over, and Harbhajan went wicketless at 8.75 an over. While Sri Lanka have one foot in the semi-finals (depending on the result of the Australia/West Indies game), India leave the World Twenty20  with no victories in the Super Eights stage, and their triumph at the inaugural World Cup in 2007 looking like a very distant memory. 

India vs. the West Indies, 2010 World Twenty20

Despite a good start to the tournament, India's Super Eights stage has gone from bad to worse. First there was the collapse to Australia which left the Indians requiring two wins from their next two games to stay in the competition. In the first of those two games, against the West Indies in Barbados, they ran into the blade of Chris Gayle and some hostile, if inaccurate, bowling from Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy and Jerome Taylor. It all combined to give the home team a win by 14 runs, and leave India with a complicated series of results necessary for them to remain in the Caribbean.

Winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni opened the bowling with Harbhajan Singh, who got proceedings off to a tidy start. The next over also yielded only two runs, but after missing out in his game against Sri Lanka, Chris Gayle was in no mood for a repeat. Following a powerful sweep off Harbhajan for six, the runs started flowing - for Gayle, at least. Shivnarine Chanderpaul had a tougher time of it, hitting only two boundaries in his 29-ball 23. Dhoni ran into the same problem he did in the Australia game, that none of his other bowlers were able to replicate the control of Harbhajan Singh, who finished with 4-0-16-0. As the runs came, the Indians started wilting under the pressure to keep the West Indies to a manageable total: Gayle skied Ashish Nehra when he was on 47, and Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan both collided with each other in an attempt to take the catch. All Nehra could do was grimace.

The nightmare of Ravindra Jadeja contined: brutalized by the Australian batsmen in his last game, his first over went for 16, with Gayle and Darren Sammy both striking sixes. Sammy and Kieron Pollard were both dismissed going for their shots, but the West Indies had enough of a formidable total on the board not to mind. Like Mahela Jayawardene before him, Chris Gayle went into the final over of the innings with a century at his fingertips - but unlike Jayawardene, Gayle was run out on 98, trying to retain the strike for the last two balls. Disappointed as though he and the crowd were, the Windies finished on 169/6, leaving India a stiff challenge if they were to continue in the tournament.

Murali Vijay fell after a slow start. After striking three fours, Gautam Ghambir had to go as well, sent back by a scorching delivery off Kemar Roach that Ghambir could probably have smelled as it went past him. 28/2 after five overs, and the required run rate was already 9.46. Pollard had Rohit Sharma caught behind, but the batsman didn't go quietly, insisting that the ball had come off his forearm, and went so far as to urge umpire Billy Bowden to refer the decision to the third umpire. Nothing doing, and India found themselves at 42/3, needing 10.66 an over. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina threatened a comeback, until Gayle removed Raina for 32, and Singh fell the next over - 82/5, with more than two a ball required. Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan resisted, until Pathan was caught off a Jerome Taylor bouncer, and Dhoni was brilliantly run out by Dwayne Bravo for 29, the highest score of the innings. Kemar Roach ended up bowling an 11-ball penultimate over, with four wides and one no-ball, but India were out of chances by that point.

India now face the reality that if they do not beat Sri Lanka in their next game, they are out of the tournament. The situation is bad enough that even if they do beat the Sri Lankans, they have to do it by a margin sufficiently large enough to add health to their net run rate, and have to hope that Australia beat the West Indies. For the West Indies, their big loss to Sri Lanka means that losing to Australia will knock them out of the tournament, and defeating Australia will have to be done by a margin large enough to compensate for their low net run rate. It all makes for a critical- if confusing - day on Tuesday for all teams.

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