Welcome to ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
Welcome to Cricketworldcup2011.co.in – a complete website on the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. This website would update you about ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule, Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams.
Cricket is considered as a religion in India and people are crazy about Cricket, especially in this part of the world. With ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 coming in the year 2011, the game would rise to new levels. If you are a Cricket fan searching for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule, Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams, then you need not to go elsewhere as you will get information on Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and every other info about ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures: ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures are given below on our website.
| Match | Date | Teams | Venue |
| 1 | 19 Feb | India vs Bangladesh | Dhaka |
| 2 | 20 Feb | New Zealand vs Kenya | Chennai |
| 3 | 20 Feb | Sri Lanka vs Canada | Hambantota |
| 4 | 21 Feb | Australia vs Zimbabwe | Ahmedabad |
| 5 | 22 Feb | England vs Netherlands | Nagpur |
| 6 | 23 Feb | Pakistan vs Kenya | Hambantota |
| 7 | 24 Feb | South Africa vs West Indies | New Delhi |
| 8 | 25 Feb | Australia vs New Zealand | Nagpur |
| 9 | 25 Feb | Bangladesh vs Ireland | Dhaka |
| 10 | 26 Feb | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Colombo |
| 11 | 27 Feb | India vs England | Bangalore |
| 12 | 28 Feb | West Indies vs Netherlands | New Delhi |
| 13 | 28 Feb | Zimbabwe vs Canada | Nagpur |
| 14 | 1 Mar | Sri Lanka vs Kenya | Colombo |
| 15 | 2 Mar | England vs Ireland | Bangalore |
| 16 | 3 Mar | South Africa vs Netherlands | Mohali |
| 17 | 3 Mar | Pakistan vs Canada | Colombo |
| 18 | 4 Mar | New Zealand vs Zimbabwe | Ahmedabad |
| 19 | 4 Mar | Bangladesh vs West Indies | Dhaka |
| 20 | 5 Mar | Sri Lanka vs Australia | Colombo |
| 21 | 6 Mar | India vs Ireland | Bangalore |
| 22 | 6 Mar | England vs South Africa | Chennai |
| 23 | 7 Mar | Kenya vs Canada | New Delhi |
| 24 | 8 Mar | Pakistan vs New Zealand | Pallekelle |
| 25 | 9 Mar | India vs Netherlands | New Delhi |
| 26 | 10 Mar | Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe | Pallekelle |
| 27 | 11 Mar | West Indies vs Ireland | Mohali |
| 28 | 11 Mar | Bangladesh vs England | Chittagong |
| 29 | 12 Mar | India vs South Africa | Nagpur |
| 30 | 13 Mar | New Zealand vs Canada | Mumbai |
| 31 | 13 Mar | Australia vs Kenya | Bangalore |
| 32 | 14 Mar | Pakistan vs Zimbabwe | Pallekelle |
| 33 | 14 Mar | Bangladesh vs Netherlands | Chittagong |
| 34 | 15 Mar | South Africa vs Ireland | Kolkata |
| 35 | 16 Mar | Australia vs Canada | Bangalore |
| 36 | 17 Mar | England vs West Indies | Chennai |
| 37 | 18 Mar | Sri Lanka vs New Zealand | Mumbai |
| 38 | 18 Mar | Ireland vs Netherlands | Kolkata |
| 39 | 19 Mar | Australia vs Pakistan | Colombo |
| 40 | 19 Mar | Bangladesh vs South Africa | Dhaka |
| 41 | 20 Mar | Zimbabwe vs Kenya | Kolkata |
| 42 | 20 Mar | India vs West Indies | Chennai |
| 43 | 23 Mar | First Quarterfinal | Dhaka |
| 44 | 24 Mar | Second Quarterfinal | Colombo |
| 45 | 25 Mar | Third Quarterfinal | Dhaka |
| 46 | 26 Mar | Fourth Quarterfinal | Ahmedabad |
| 47 | 29 Mar | First Semifinal | Colombo |
| 48 | 30 Mar | Second Semifinal | Mohali |
| 49 | 02 Apr | FINAL | Mumbai |
Cricket World Cup 2011 venue: With India as the main host of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue includes stadiums of cities like Dhaka, Mumbai, Kolkata, Mohali, Colombo, Chennai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, chittagong and Bangalore. Cricket World Cup 2011 venue also includes new venues like Pallekelle and Hambantota – both being in Sri Lanka.
Cricket World Cup 2011 teams: Cricket World Cup 2011 teams include 4 times winner Australia, 2 times winners West Indies, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, England and Kenya. Groups in which Cricket World Cup 2011 teams are divided:
Group A – Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Group B – India, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, West Indies, Netherlands and Ireland.
After India’s appalling defeat at the hands of England, Pooja Mehta looks at five young batsmen who are capable of taking the mantle from the legends in the coming months.
Virat Kohli, the blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket has proven his dedication for the game. He first came into the spotlight when he played for Delhi in a Ranji trophy match against Karnataka on the day of his father's death. He said his teammates needed him. He scored 70 runs for Delhi.
He then captained the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia.
Kohli's consistent performance and passion for the game booked him a place in the Indian Cricket team. He made his debut in One Day Internationals against Sri Lanka in the Idea Cup in 2008. Kohli played an important role in India's run at the 2011 World Cup. He was preferred ahead of Suresh Raina and became the first Indian to score a century on World Cup debut. Between January 1, 2009, and September 1, 2011, Kohli was India's second highest run-scorer in ODIs with 1,994 runs at an average of 47.47.
In the pic: Virat Kohli of India celebrates reaching his century during the 5th Natwest One Day International Series match between England
India v Sri Lanka: Cricket World Cup final 2011 live
Follow Jonathan Liew's live over-by-over commentary of the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final between India v Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. LATEST: SL 274/6; IND 277/4 (48.2); India win by six wickets.
Image 1 of 7
On the run: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played a captain's innings to take India to the brink of victory in the World Cup final Photo: GETTY IMAGES
WRAP: I don't think anybody could seriously dispute that India were the best team in the tournament. Whatever challenge was thrown their way, whether it was the Australians, the Pakistanis or the Sri Lankans, the remarkable MS Dhoni and his team were equal to it. The batting, naturally has been excellent, but you don't win World Cups without a decent attack, and India's has functioned as a cogent unit. Zaheer and Harbhajan may be the spearheads, but they've been supported ably by the likes of Ashwin, Munaf, Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh. India have had the knack of taking wickets at key times, and if you win the key periods, you tend to win cricket games. The fielding has been superb, the tactics shrewd. The test for this Indian side now is to make it stick, to dominate not only all forms of the game, but in every country too. This may be a wonderful moment, but the challenge of retaining their trophy in Australia in 2015 begins now. All right, tomorrow morning.
Sri Lanka have been wonderful entertainers throughout the tournament, but just ran out of puff towards the end. India and its billion people simply refused to be denied. It's the end of an era for Sri Lanka in a way - who knows whether the likes of Sangakkara and Jayawardene will be around in four years' time? One player definitely taking a bow is Muttiah Muralitharan, who just couldn't quite work his magic today. His day ends in defeat, but his entire career has been an unqualified triumph.
Well, that's quite enough of my blather. Hope you've enjoyed this World Cup - went all right, didn't it? - and thanks to everyone who read, emailed, sent cake, etc. It's been terrific fun. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and see you soon. [Performs a lap of honour around the office, carried on the shoulders of grimacing sub-editors]
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "Well done India. Great scenes in Mumbai. The best team in the tournament."
18.35 "It means the world to me," says Harbhajan Singh. "I've been part of three World Cups, and it's the biggest thing. For all the Indian people, in India or anywhere in the world, this cup is for them." Virat Kohli adds: "Tendulkar's carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, it's about time we carried him on our shoulders. It's a wonderful feeling right now. This World Cup goes out to the people of India." It probably won't. Some BCCI mandarin will probably take it home and store pot pourri in it.
18.31 Now Gary Kirsten's being raised aloft! Virat Kohli doing the donkey work. This is Kirsten's triumph as much as it is anybody's. You could well argue that India have the world's most talented squad of cricketers. But that's been the case for many years now. What Kirsten did was to mould this collection - this menagerie - of superemely talented individuals into a coherent, world-beating whole. Not a detail has been overlooked. Not a practice session has been foregone. No longer are India regarded as one of the most talented, least prepared teams in world cricket. For that, Kirsten deserves the credit.
18.29 Mohan Tanneeru emails in from Hyderabad: "Like I said, the team did it for themselves, Mr Tendulkar and billions of Indians. And what a game. Well played Lankan Lions. All I can hear in Hyderabad now is firecrackers going off all around." God, I wish I was Indian right now.
18.27 As Tendulkar continues to be raised aloft, euphoria is gradually giving way to emotion. "They'll be friends for life," Ian Chappell says. "They've shared in something very special."
Chris Gayle on Twitter: "Congratulation in orders India!!! Big up!! Well Played Sri Lanka!!! Sweet Azz Final!!! Drinks on me."
18.26 What a moment for India, one that will resonate in every country in the world. But the biggest celebration of all will be tonight in Mumbai, where Sachin Tendulkar is currently being carried around the field on the shoulders of his team-mates. To be fair, he's not the heaviest of cricketers, Sachin. I noticed nobody was offering to carry David Boon on their shoulders when he decided to call it a day...
18.22 Harbhajan's in tears! Sreesanth, leave Bhajji alone...
18.21 Tendulkar's gone off piste! He's charging around, whooping for joy, hugging everyone he can see, looking as animated as I've ever seen him. After a career lasting over two decades, he's finally won the biggest prize in the game. BANG! Firework alert!
48.2 SIX! IND 277/4
INDIA WIN BY SIX WICKETS AND WIN THE 2011 WORLD CUP
The ball disppears over long on! Where does it land? Nobody knows! Before it's buried itself in the stand, the Indian players are running onto the field! The flashbulbs are popping! Mumbai explodes! India are world champions!
48.1 271/4 Yuvraj carves it to point for a quick single. Four to win!
OVER 48: IND 270/4 Dhoni 85* Yuvraj 20*
Malinga in again, the tireless lion roaring in for one final effort. Yuvraj drives his first out to deep extra cover for a single. 15 off 17. Down the leg side next - I'm afraid to say it's all going wrong for Sri Lanka - and Dhoni could have left it for a wide, but instead turns it round the corner, wide of fine leg, and away for four! 11 off 16... and the next one goes for four, too! Malinga tried a slower ball, and Dhoni virtually swept it around the corner, an astonishing shot, and again fine leg didn't have a chance. 7 off 15... Malinga then nutmegs Dhoni as he backs away, and the ball flies through to Sangakkara. 7 off 14... Dhoni chops into the off-side for one more, to bring the target within one hit. 6 off 13... and the last ball of the over is flicked by Yuvraj down to long-on for a single. Two overs left, five runs to win, and the crowd are now jumping up and down, their every neuron itching to get the party started.
OVER 47: IND 259/4 Dhoni 76* Yuvraj 18*
Yuvraj tries to smash the cover off the first ball, but it's well pitched up, and he can only dig it out to long on for a single... 26 off 23... the next one's full and outside off stump, and Dhoni smashes it past mid-off for four, four, four! 22 off 22... Dhoni then digs out the next, sends it hurtling back past Kulasekara and down to long-on for a single. There's actually a review as Simon Taufel wants to check whether Dhoni had his bat grounded when the throw came in, but he's fine... Full toss next, and Yuvraj swings it away for four! They're getting closer! 17 needed off 20! Yuvraj gives the next the full back, sack and crack, but it flies straight to cover, and there's no run. The last ball is another full toss, and Yuvraj chips it safely down to long on for another single. Eleven - eleven runs - from that over. Malinga's good work from the last over undone. India need 16 from 18 balls.
OVER 46: IND 248/4 Dhoni 71* Yuvraj 12*
Malinga starts with a slower ball, and Yuvraj can only push it to short extra cover. The next one's wide off the off stump, and Yuvraj slashes and misses. Again slower from Malinga, Yuvraj drops it into the off side and sets off a run, but Dhoni sends him back. Three dot balls... four dot balls, as Yuvraj can only defend a straight delivery... He gets the next one away, though! Through mid-wicket and they hurry back for two runs. Firm drive back past Malinga off the last ball of the over, and Tharanga comes in from long-on to keep them down to a single. A stunning over by Malinga under the circumstances, just three off it, and India now need 27 from 24 balls. Still not in the bag this, by any stretch of the imagination. What a finish to a World Cup final! Who's going to bowl the last over? It's Kulasekara! What a moment this is! Will India try and launch him over the top? This next over could decide the fate of the trophy...
OVER 45: IND 245/4 Dhoni 71* Yuvraj 8*
Five singles from Randiv's over, and Sri Lanka look as though they're running out of ideas here. Five overs remaining; they will be Powerplay overs, and Lasith Malinga, who has three overs left, will bowl the first of them. 30 needed off 30 balls as Yuvraj takes strike.
SRI LANKA REVIEW (Yuvraj)
Randiv's up for LBW! They're all up! It looked pretty straight, but Aleem Dar gave it not out. Sri Lanka have no option but to review, but the replay shows a big inside edge from Yuvraj! Not out remains the decision!
UMPIRE REVIEW (Dhoni)
Direct hit! Sri Lanka think they've got him! It's going to be mighty close... it's one of those where he's out in one frame and in in the next... and I don't think they can give him out on this evidence. No, not out, and you probably heard the roar from your living room.
OVER 44: IND 240/4 Dhoni 69* Yuvraj 6*
Great shot! Wondrous shot at this stage of the game! Short from Perera - he's been warned about that - and Dhoni upper cuts it over, backward point, over deep backward point, over the rope, for six runs! That's the first six of the innings, and it may well have sealed the deal for India. Perera almost cleans him up next ball, but Dhoni's inside edge cannons into his pad and runs away for a single, although Dhoni has to hurry to make his ground. Yuvraj nudges another single - he's been calmness personified so far - and the over costs eight. Pravin Rajakumar writes: "For the past two games Suresh Raina's innings were invaluable for india, although he didn't get much credit. I predict he will be the man... as they say about Alan Shearer: 'Cometh the hour, cometh the man'. But what do I know, I've been backing Holland to win every World Cup and European Championship since 1992, and Newcastle to win the league since 1993." 35 needed off 36 balls.
OVER 43: IND 232/4 Dhoni 62* Yuvraj 5*
Randiv hops in for another over. "Congratulations India!" writes Robert Dumsday. How many chickens then, Robert? Seeing as you're in the business of counting them. Dhoni pushes down the ground for a single. Yuvraj works it through the leg-side for another, as a short extra cover comes in for the new batsman. Another single, and then Randiv leaks it down the leg-side, it flicks Yuvraj's pad and runs away for a couple of leg byes. Five from the over, and India need 43 from 42 balls.
OVER 42: IND 227/4 Dhoni 60* Yuvraj 4*
Do Sri Lanka believe they can pull this off? Still Raina to come after this, remember, but after that not a great deal in the way of batting. A slip comes in for the new batsman as Sangakkara whacks his gloves together, exhorting his charges to make one final push. Yuvraj begins watchfully, playing out three dot balls, but the last ball is short, Yuvraj sees it early, and whips it well in front of square for four to ease the tension! Disappointing final delivery from Perera, who was close to making his first over back a wicket maiden. 48 required from 48 balls, and we're going to see another ball change.
WICKET! Gambhir b Perera 97 (122) IND 223/4
Oh, what a shame! Gambhir trudges back disconsolately after a wonderful innings! It was dead straight from Perera, bowling over the wicket to the left-hander, and as Gambhir backed away to try and make room for a cut, he simply missed the ball and it knocked back his middle stump. A huge ovation for Gambhir, who's taken his side to the brink of victory but failed to see his team home or himself to a century. Yuvraj Singh is the new batsman. Is there still a twist in this game?
OVER 41: IND 223/3 Gambhir 97* Dhoni 60*
Randiv's been one of Sri Lanka's better bowlers this evening, actually. Bowling to Gambhir, he's getting the ball to bite from around a middle-and-leg stump line, so Gambhir can't flick him to leg with any confidence unless Randiv really spears it down the leg side. Which he does there, and Gambhir can take an easy single to move to 97. Full toss from Randiv, which Dhoni can only drill straight back. Just two off the over, then, and the equation is 52 from 54 balls.
OVER 40: IND 221/3 Gambhir 96* Dhoni 59*
Just as it all went wrong for Tendulkar earlier, Murali's powers seem to be deserting him at the point when they would have been of greatest service. A big leg-side wide that Sangakkara does well to stop going for five, and then Dhoni smites him through extra cover for four, threading the ball in between the man at cover and the fielder running round at long-off. Just the latest in a series of excellent strokes from the Indian captain. Gambhir then nudges the ball straight to backward point, Kapugedera misfields and allows a single, and then his throw runs away for an overthrow. Two runs from a ball that should have produced none. A piqued Muralitharan demands an explanation. Kapugedera doesn't have one. Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. 54 needed off the last ten overs as Randiv returns. Dhoni's taken the helmet off now to reveal a forehead dripping with sweat.
OVER 39: IND 210/3 Gambhir 93* Dhoni 52*
Malinga's searching for those yorkers. Gambhir and Dhoni keep them out, and take a single each. Gambhir digs out another, and a huge piece flies off the toe of his bat. There's a slight hiatus as Gambhir waits for a replacement bat to be brought out, before he runs one down to third man for another single. Another single to Dhoni and another to Gambhir, either side of a leg-side wide. 65 off 66 balls, and you sense it's just slipping away from Sri Lanka here. "What happens if they tie?" asks Andrew Clark. "Is there even a tie in cricket? This is rather exciting." If the scores are tied, we go to a Super Over. Each side picks three batsmen and one bowler and they get one over each to score as many as they can. If you lose two wickets, you're all out.
OVER 38: IND 204/3 Gambhir 90* Dhoni 50*
Big moment, this. Muralitharan's coming back. It's hard to believe we won't see him trotting in again for Sri Lanka, won't see that wily little action, the arm coming over not quite straight, but within 15 degrees, those huge goggly eyes fixed on their target. Gloucestershire fans are in for a treat when he comes to play for them later this summer. Well, this really is it for Sri Lanka. Malinga and Murali in operation. If Sri Lanka don't get a wicket now, they're sunk. Dhoni knocks the ball into the off-side for two, which he follows with a single. Gambhir nudges the ball to mid-wicket for another single, which brings up the 200. But Muralitharan's last is short and sits up for hitting, and Dhoni crunches it hard through the covers for four! That's a huge blow for Sri Lanka, and it's Dhoni's fifty. He's in such a cocoon of concentration that he didn't even realise until the crowd noise alerted him to it. 71 needed off 72 balls as Malinga steams in again.
OVER 37: IND 196/3 Gambhir 89* Dhoni 43*
Dhoni shoves Malinga's first through the covers for two runs. You can't envisage either batsman taking much of a risk against Malinga, possibly the one man who can still win this game in one fell swoop. Short from Malinga, and Dhoni plays this one bravely, swivelling it down behind square and again coming back for the second. The big yorker's coming, mark my words. There it is, and Dhoni squirts it between his legs and down through backward square leg for another single. Five off the over, India need 79 off 78 balls, but the plot thickens. Dhoni's struggling with cramp. He's lying prone on the turf at the moment, while the Indian physio tries to do whatever it is you do when someone gets cramp. Dhoni gets rather gingerly to his feet, and obviously he's going to bat on. It's not really the best time for the captain to be putting his feet up, to be honest.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "India are chasing these runs with supreme ease. The party of all parties will be starting soon..."
OVER 36: IND 191/3 Gambhir 89* Dhoni 38*
Another fine shot from Dhoni! Short and wide from Randiv, and he cuts it hard in front of square for four! The crowd roar, but not as loudly as they were earlier. The sheer tension of the situation appears to have frozen everyone comatose. You daren't move a muscle. Dhoni's definitely picked out the extra cover region, and bunts another couple of runs in that area. Eight off the over, and India are right on track now. 84 off 84 balls, and Kumar Sangakkara has just hit the 'gamble' button. Back into the attack comes Lasith Malinga, with Sri Lanka now fundamentally desperate for a wicket.
OVER 35: IND 183/3 Gambhir 88* Dhoni 31*
Short from Kulasekara, and Gambhir smashes it over mid-wicket for four! He was looking for that gap, and when the opportunity arose he committed fully to the shot, swinging hard and just about clearing the man in the circle. Gambhir's looking very assured indeed now, and he drives the last ball down to long-off for an easy single. We're 15 overs from the end of the World Cup, and we still have no idea who's going to win it. 92 runs needed. This is going to be a storming finish, whatever happens. It's all we could have asked for.
OVER 34: IND 175/3 Gambhir 83* Dhoni 29*
On comes Randiv. He's bowled fairly decently, actually, and out of all the bowlers so far he's managed to extract the most assistance from the pitch. Gambhir gets down on one knee and tries to paddle sweep over his shoulder. The ball flies down to short fine leg, Murali hobbles in from the boundary, Gambhir spots who's doing the fielding and confidently makes it back for a second. India need exactly 100 with 96 balls remaining. It'll be close, but you sense India have just edged their noses in front here. The partnership is now a very handy 61 from 74 balls.
Derek Pringle on Twitter: "Sanga's field settings allowing India too many easy singles - no pressure being created other than by the expectations of the nation"
OVER 33: IND 170/3 Gambhir 79* Dhoni 23*
The camera focuses on a group of around 15 Australian fans, all bedecked in gold shirts. They look as though they're enjoying themselves, but they'll have a terrible shock tomorrow when they realise Australia weren't playing. Kulasekara returns, and concedes five runs from his over. 105 needed from 102 balls. Let's just do a few sums. Seventeen overs left. Malinga has five to bowl; Muralitharan four. The other eight overs, I feel, are going to decide this World Cup. Kulasekara has four more, but you wouldn't want him within fifty yards of a Powerplay, not with the nice, juicy length he bowls. Perera has three - I wouldn't turn to him either - Randiv has six, and Dilshan has five. I'd give Dilshan a few, because of his experience if nothing else, but you get some sense of the scale of Sangakkara's problem. By the time Malinga comes on to bowl the last five, this game could already be gone.
OVER 32: IND 165/3 Gambhir 79* Dhoni 23*
Another fabulous shot by Dhoni! I tell you what, the look of intense concentration in his eyes really is quite something. He's properly in the zone. This was a touch short by Perera, but at this stage the kind of ball that you simply knock down to deep point for a single. Instead. Dhoni picks it up early enough to step across and smash it well in front of square, down to deep extra cover for four! I'm not entirely sure Perera's the right choice here, but what can Sangakkara do? Only Malinga and Muralitharan have really looked like stymieing the flow of runs so far, and they have to be saved for the closing stages. Seven off the over, and Perera gets a tad lucky as he chucks down a rank full toss that startles Dhoni a little, and he can only push it back down the pitch. 110 needed off 108 balls as the players take drinks.
OVER 31: IND 157/3 Gambhir 77* Dhoni 17*
Ah, what a shot that is by Dhoni! It's not all that short from Muralitharan, but it doesn't turn a great deal either, and Dhoni can simply stand tall, use Murali's round-the-wicket angle, and muscle it through the covers for four. That's a seriously good shot to a fairly decent delivery. Siddharth Vaidyanathan has emailed back to let me know that he is not the famous cricket writer, just an ordinary joe who gets a bit frustrated when he Googles his own name.
OVER 30: IND 151/3 Gambhir 76* Dhoni 12*
Perera returns. Dhoni clips the ball behind square and does well to race back for a second. Another single follows. Dhoni always looks so unflappable, doesn't he? He's the kind of guy you want delivering bad news. Gambhir scampers a leg bye to bring up the 150, and that wakes the crowd up a little. Another single to Dhoni off the last, five off the over, and both sides will be fairly satisfied with that. Right, 124 needed off the last 20 overs. Unbelievably tense, this.
OVER 29: IND 146/3 Gambhir 76* Dhoni 8*
Just the one over for Malinga before Muralitharan is restored to the attack. "What sort of pace are the Indians on?" asks Andrew Clark. "Will they come close?" If the Indians bat flawlessly, they could win this relatively easily. Assuming they merely bat well, I reckon this could get incredibly close. A couple of quick wickets, though, and it's hard to see the lower order pulling it off. Still plenty of batting to come for India, though, and the run rate's still within range. India's approach over the last few overs could best be summarised as 'watchful with the odd splash of caprice'. They're still trying to belt the bad ball, but they're not busting a gut trying to clear the ropes with so many singles still on offer. Four singles from Muralitharan's over.
OVER 28: IND 142/3 Gambhir 74* Dhoni 6*
Well might we hope, Virgil. When was the last time we saw a really good World Cup final? 2003 was exhilarating, but rarely, if at all, was the result in doubt. Sri Lanka in 1996 was a slow burner, but De Silva's clinical finishing did have an air of inevitability about it. There's no such certainty here. Gambhir flicks Dilshan for two through mid-wicket, before dancing down the pitch and trying to strike him over the top and getting an inside edge that Sangakkara can't react to in time! The ball scuttles down to fine leg for four. Eight off the over, and India need 133 off 132 balls.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "135 for 3. 23 overs to go. Could be an absolute classic..."
OVER 27: IND 134/3 Gambhir 67* Dhoni 5*
Malinga returns at a crucial stage of the game. A little flurry of wickets from him could well decide the game. Gambhir and Dhoni swap singles, and has Malinga found a little touch of reverse swing here? You don't tend to get a great deal at Mumbai, but if you can just get it to tail an inch, at Malinga's pace that's often all you need. You sense the big yorker is coming... and Gambhir squeezes it away off the edge for four! That's the first boundary for five overs! "This match is poised nicely," Siddharth Vaidyanathan writes. Hang on... the Siddharth Vaidyanathan? One of India's most respected cricket writers? He continues: "Dhoni promoted himself up the order to maintain the left/right combination, and because Yuvraj and Raina are seen as good finishers. He's also taking on the responsibility of shepherding the team through the innings. Inactive neurons indeed are becoming more active - unfortunate for Kohli, but Gambhir has played a gem here."
OVER 26: IND 128/3 Gambhir 62* Dhoni 4*
Charles Rycroft writes: "Wondering when was the last time Sehwag and Sachin had a combined score of less than 20 - and is this why April is indeed the cruellest month?" I'm sorry, the reference is lost on me. Shamefully, I've read hardly any of the so-called 'classics' of literature. We were made to read a little at school, but at quite an early stage I discovered that you could simply watch the TV adaptation and get the whole book in only an hour. To this day, when someone asks me what I think of Great Expectations, I'm apt to answer: "Great costumes." Four singles off Dilshan's over - you haven't missed one of the all-time great overs there - and my colleague Ed Ballard identifies 'April is the cruellest month' as the first line of TS Eliot's The Wasteland. Not watched that one, actually.
OVER 25: IND 124/3 Gambhir 60* Dhoni 2*
Murali may not be bounding in as enthusiastically as he's used to, he may not be rotating those hips as vigorously as normal, but by George, he can still do a job. Just two runs off that over. Neither Gambhir nor Dhoni (nor Kohli, when he was in) really looked to attack Muralitharan.
OVER 24: IND 122/3 Gambhir 59* Dhoni 1*
Hang on. Why did Dhoni come in rather than Yuvraj? I'd rather overlooked that... Whoever it is at the crease, it's imperative that India keep the runs ticking even as they rebuild. That required rate's just threatening to poke its head above the run-a-ball mark. Five runs off Dilshan's over. Vikram Singh Chauhan warms to the medical theme: "My sympathetic overdrive (on seeing Virat and Gambhir bat) has caused my pulse to exceed 120 beats/minute, regular rhythm, high volume (almost reminiscent of severe aortic regurgitation). I fear that I might just have a cerebral intraparenchymal rupture at this rate. In which case, the neurons in the grey and white matter outside of the area of haemorrhage will have to become more active. I'm worried..." Note to all my readers: I love you all. But especially you, Vikram Singh Chauhan.
OVER 23: IND 117/3 Gambhir 55* Dhoni 0*
We're yet to see any real magic from Muralitharan. He's coming in from around the wicket, getting some decent turn but struggling to hit a consistent length. Dhoni tries to shove away a full delivery on leg stump, and gets a leg bye - he's still yet to get off the mark - and Gambhir, upon whom so much now rests, cuts a short delivery out to the point boundary for another single.
OVER 22: IND 115/3 Gambhir 54* Dhoni 0*
And Dhoni's almost stumped first ball! He plays and misses, Sangakkara can't take it cleanly, and Dhoni had just dragged his back foot out of the crease! The batsmen run a bye and Dhoni keeps the strike. Has that wicket turned the game Sri Lanka's way again? Stay tuned to this one, I'd wager there's a few more twists in this yet...
WICKET! Kohli c&b Dilshan 35 (49) IND 114/3
Oh, crucial wicket! Out of nothing! Absolutely nothing! A wonderful return catch by Dilshan, who was brought back to break this partnership and hasn't disappointed! Kohli tries to flick a fairly full delivery to leg, gets a leading edge, and it flies to Dilshan's right, almost straight at non-striker Gambhir. Instinctively, Gambhir got out of the way, but he probably thought it would go for runs. Instead, Dilshan leapt to his right and plucked the ball out of the air with one hand! Brilliant catch!
OVER 21: IND 109/2 Gambhir 53* Kohli 31*
Archana Venkatraman enjoyed my Lancet over. "Now," he asks, "could we see some PG Wodehouse-style updates, or even Shakespearean-style? That could be fun." Is this a half-tracker I see before me... I was on Test Match Sofa the other week, actually, and one of their commentators, Dan Norcross, often does entire overs in the style of Winston Churchill. It's hilarious. Just four singles from Muralitharan's over.
OVER 20: IND 105/2 Gambhir 51* Kohli 29*
Really big turn from Randiv - more than Muralitharan managed in his first over, and Gambhir's playing him watchfully. But after taking a single, Randiv strays onto Kohli's pads, and gets flicked very fine down to Malinga at fine leg, who runs round, puts the dive in, and dives straight over it! Four runs! At what point does Sangakkara start to worry? None of his bowlers have really looked like stopping the flow of runs, and the run rate is still very manageable indeed. "With Randiv's length of name, if he was ever ill in hospital, by the time the doctors had written his name he would have snuffed it," observes Peter Rowntree.
OVER 19: IND 99/2 Gambhir 50* Kohli 24*
Here's Murali! He may be hobbling in on half a leg, but nobody could possibly begrudge him a place on the biggest stage of all. Now! What can he do? He starts with a dot ball. Gambhir then knocks the ball into the off-side and hurries back for two. He could be in trouble here! The throw comes in to Sangakkara, who fumbles it! Heads on hands for Sri Lanka there, Gambhir was full-length on the dive and from the looks of the Sri Lankan fielders, he was struggling. Gambhir turns one to mid-wicket to bring up a fine fifty, off just 56 balls. Decent turn for Murali, and that's a steady start. Just three off his first over.
OVER 18: IND 96/2 Gambhir 47* Kohli 24*
Gambhir goes big! Randiv has just been floating them down rather, and this time he picks a decent length ball, gets down on one knee, and slaps it over mid-wicket for four! One bounce and over the rope! He follows up with a single down to mid-wicket, and there are another five runs off that over.
OVER 17: IND 91/2 Gambhir 42* Kohli 24*
Here's Dilshan coming on for his first bowl. He begins with a big wide down the leg side - ooof, that's horrible - and it cannons off Sangakkara's pads for three wides. It's a fairly tight over, though, just five runs coming from it. Where's your money now? Can anyone even attempt to answer that question until Murali's had a bowl?
OVER 16: IND 86/2 Gambhir 41* Kohli 23*
It will be observed, from the unimpeded rotation of the shoulder joint as Patient Randiv shuffles towards the bowling crease, that he is a bowler of the off-break variety, between 25 and 27 years of age. He does, however, suffer from acute shortness of length at times, which allows a batsman such as Virat Kohli to cut away to deep point for a single. However, when the patient adjusted his length to the left-handed Gambhir, a similar result was observed - a single, tucked off his tibial region. If, instead, we observe a later movement of the cut stroke from the batsman - a 'late cut', if you will, then the ball will tend to run away at a finer angle, down to third man for two runs.
OVER 15: IND 81/2 Gambhir 40* Kohli 19*
Perera ruins a perfectly functional over by spraying it down the leg side, and Gambhir's far too good a player to miss out on that, flicking it away fine for four! The fifty partnership comes up off 53 balls, and India's fans could hardly have asked for a better response to those two early wickets. 40 runs came off the fielding Powerplay. Now, Shwetha Jain writes in with an analogy that's really far too highbrow for this humble, Dan-Brown-level live blog. "With the two important wickets, we have lost hope, but wait. It's just not Sachin and Sehwag's World Cup. In a nervous system, when certain neurons get damaged, the neighbouring neurons become more active to compensate for the inactivity. Now we will see if the other neurons take up the responsibility." Good grief, Shwetha. Are you sure you didn't stumble onto The Lancet's World Cup live blog by mistake? The next over wil be delivered in the style of The Lancet.
OVER 14: IND 72/2 Gambhir 33* Kohli 17*
Michael Hands writes: "Jonathan, we're into the 13th over and you're still in 11. Please type faster." No, Michael, please read slower. He's a fairly orthodox off-break bowler, Randiv - think of him as an exotically-named James Tredwell. His full name is Hewa Kaluhalamullage Suraj Randiv Kaluhalamulla, which probably explains why he's so rarely picked for the side. That's not the kind of name you want to have to read out in front of a roomful of people. Now. Now! Is that a drop? It is, but it's awfully harsh on Kulasekara to put it against his name. Gambhir backed away and tried to lift it into the crowd, but watched in horror as it sailed in the direction of Kulasekara at long-off. He closed in on the ball, but as it died, just couldn't quite get his hands underneath it. Gambhir gets a life - he would have been put in the stocks if he'd perished like that - and four runs come from the over.
OVER 13: IND 68/2 Gambhir 30* Kohli 16*
Perera given another over. Where on earth is our Murali? Perera bowls another generally OK over spoilt by a couple of leg-side wides. Kohli nudges the ball into mid-wicket and hurries back for two to bring the total for the over to seven. Now, we're going to see our first spin of the innings, but calm yourself, it's only Suresh Randiv. It's a bit like waiting for a Led Zeppelin concert to begin, the lights going down, and then seeing The Script walk onto the stage.
OVER 12: IND 61/2 Gambhir 28* Kohli 13*
Kulasekara's just trying to hang the ball a little wider outside Gambhir's off-stump, trying to induce him into an airy drive. Gambhir finds the gap there and picks up a single, another single to Kohli, and then Gambhir launches one! Four runs! He makes a little room and smashes the ball through the covers - at a catchable height, but safe. Gambhir just looks to be warming up now, and he moves to 28 off 36 balls. The last one's short from Kulasekara, and Kohli top-edges the hook round the cover for four more! After a spell of just nine runs in five overs, India have stormed back with 26 in the last three. Numbers.
OVER 11: IND 50/2 Gambhir 22* Kohli 8*
Doraiswami Ramkrishna writes: "Jonathan: your website claims renewal every minute but it does not seem to be so!" Why do I feel like a used car salesman who's just flogged someone an L-reg Escort with a dodgy gearbox? The website's not wrong, Doraiswami - it does update every 60 seconds, it's just that I don't. Gambhir comes down the track to Perera and flicks the ball superbly through mid-wicket for four. Perera pulls his length back and Gambhir stands up and flicks it off his hip for two more. Kohli on strike now, and aw, that's a bit mean. He knows Murali's struggling with his groin, so he hits the ball straight to him at mid-on and runs an easy single. Murali strains his creaking joints to get to the ball, but he misses it completely, and the batsmen can scamper a second. Shame on you, Virat Kohli. That's no way to treat one of the greatest chuckers in the history of cricket. Nine off the over.
OVER 10: IND 41/2 Gambhir 15* Kohli 6*
Kohli's away. It took him 11 balls, but that was worth the wait, a sublime little flick off his pads for four as Kulasekara strays in line a tad. Kohli then chops him through backward point for two more, and he's perfectly happy to play out the rest of the over. He really is in this for the long haul, is Kohli. End of the tenth over, and Sri Lanka immediately take the fielding Powerplay.
OVER 9: IND 35/2 Gambhir 15* Kohli 0*
Perera returns from the other end. Gambhir nudges him behind point for a couple, but Sri Lanka have applied the brakes very nicely here. It's normally far too early to be worrying about run rate, but India do need to keep an eye out, as it's nudging towards a run a ball already. Just two from that over. "Yes, it is sad to see Mr Tendulkar walk off in agony in possibly his last World Cup innings," writes Mohan Tanneeru. "Now it will be up to his team to win it for him, and what a tribute would it be. I hope they do and I think they can do it."
OVER 8: IND 33/2 Gambhir 13* Kohli 0*
A big hello to everyone in Jabalpur, from where Vikram Singh Chauhan writes: "It seems like the 1992 final revisited. The burst in the final overs by the side batting first to put up a daunting total, and the early loss of an opener for the side batting second. It looks very much like SL have it in the bag, what with India's famously brittle batting line-up and SL's famously hard-to-get-away bowling." Huge pressure on Virat Kohli's shoulders as Kulasekara comes back into the attack. Gambhir nudges away a single through mid-wicket, but Kohli can't get off the mark from any of his four balls, and there is just one run from the over. Only seven runs from the last four overs. So, how do you become the world's number one bowler despite having only taken two four-wicket hauls in eight years? Relentless accuracy. Kulasekara's run to world number one came off the back of a couple of outstanding series in 2009 against... um, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, when he barely went for more than two runs an over. Fine. So he's a simple, wicket-to-wicket, line-and-length merchant. Best bowler in the world, though? Give me a break. He's slipped down to fifth since then, but still.
OVER 7: IND 32/2 Gambhir 12* Kohli 0*
It was Malinga's strange angle of delivery that did for Tendulkar. His right arm comes over from almost directly in line with middle stump, so when the ball pitches outside off, as it did there, it actually moves further away towards the off-side the further it travels. Tendulkar failed to account for this when he drove at the ball, which explains why it took the edge despite not deviating in the pitch or the air. A simple misjudgement by Tendulkar. Virat Kohli in now. Malinga bowls a wide, but Kohli can't get off the mark.
WICKET! Tendulkar c Sangakkara b Malinga 18 (14) IND 31/2
Malinga stares straight into the eyes of Destiny and gives it a swift kick in the nuts! Tendulkar wafts at a wider one from Malinga outside the off stump, gets a huge outside edge, and Sangakkara tumbles to his right to take the catch! Unbridled joy from the Sri Lankan fielders, who run in wild circles as if they've just dismissed Sachin Tendulkar in the World Cup final. The home fans, meanwhile, are crushed. Crushed and stunned. Tendulkar slowly walks off the field, possibly the last time we'll see him in a World Cup.
OVER 6: IND 31/1 Tendulkar 18* Gambhir 12*
It's been one of the enduring anomalies of one-day international cricket that Nuwan Kulasekara was once ranked number one bowler in the world, given that whenever I've seen him bowl he's seemed to have the unmistakeable whiff of a supermarket own-brand Alan Mullally. Perera starts well - he's a good, honest, seam-up bowler - and induces an expansive square drive from Gambhir that goes through backward point in the air for four runs!
OVER 5: IND 27/1 Tendulkar 18* Gambhir 8*
Malinga does get another over, and it's a good one. Intelligent length to Gambhir, offering him nothing to drive and just threatening to tail the ball back into his pads. He chucks in a masterful middle-stump yorker - slightly slower, to draw the drive - that Gambhir watches and digs out for a single. Last ball to Tendulkar... and he's beaten outside the off-stump. Just one off the over. Kulasekara gets the boot after two overs for 16, and Thisara Perera is handed the ball.
Nick Hoult on Twitter: "Murali is moving like a man who retired ten years ago"
OVER 4: IND 26/1 Tendulkar 18* Gambhir 7*
Gambhir's been looking to shuffle down the pitch to Kulasekara, so Sangakkara comes up to the stumps as Kulasekara begins his second over. Gambhir nudges another single into the off-side - he tends to play very correctly and very straight at the start of his innings - and then Tendulkar again picks the gap in the off-side field and gets two. Kulasekara straightens his line, and Tendulkar drives him - brilliantly - down the ground for four! It was the economy of movement that was so impressive there, he simply backed his eye and his timing, and the ball fairly exploded off the bat. The next ball's wide, and Tendulkar cuts it away through backward point for another four! India are counter-attacking here!
OVER 3: IND 15/1 Tendulkar 8* Gambhir 6*
Malinga's so totally up for this. He's touching the low 90s in terms of pace, and bouncing back to his mark as if he's spent the entire innings break crunching sugar cubes. Gambhir pushes a single into the off-side, Tendulkar flicks a straight delivery down to mid-wicket for two, and then he pushes into the gap in the covers and gets another two. These two are actually picking up Malinga's length fairly quickly, and having made the breakthrough, it wouldn't surprise me to see him hauled out of the attack and kept in the cupboard for later.
OVER 2: IND 10/1 Tendulkar 4* Gambhir 6*
Kulasekara to take the new ball, and Sachin's away in his second World Cup final with a single steered into the off side, square of the wicket. Gambhir runs a leg bye, and then Tendulkar drives through the covers to a colossal roar from the home crowd! He'll race back for three. Gambhir pushes another single off the last to move India into double figures. You can't take your eyes off this for a minute. Do keep your emails coming in, folks.
OVER 1: IND 4/1 Tendulkar 0* Gambhir 4*
Sorry for springing that wicket on you, everyone, but what a start for Sri Lanka! Again, Sehwag chose to review the decision without consulting Tendulkar, and if India get a shocking decision in the 49th over after using up both of their reviews, that moderate slice of selfishness will be revisited. Gambhir clips his first ball off his legs... and gets four! That's cheered the Wankhede up a touch. Still, Sri Lanka went into the innings break with all the momentum, and they've roared into the second innings.
WICKET! Sehwag lbw Malinga 0
Sehwag gone! You can hear a pin drop down Marine Drive. Malinga fires in a quick, straight one and Sehwag is caught back in his crease by the pace. The review takes its time but he was plumb as anything.
14.15 Well, that's how to bat. It wasn't a great start by Sri Lanka, and a billion people will have been licking their lips at the thought of setting their batsmen loose on a modest total. But first Sangakkara, then Jayawardene, and finally Kulasekara and Perera attached jump leads to the nipples of the innings, timing their charge to perfection, making full use of the Powerplay, and leaving India with an empty, deflated feeling as they walked off the field. Under normal circumstances, with the pitch remaining pretty good, you'd expect India to chase these. But it's under lights, against Sri Lanka's high-class bowling attack. Oh, and it's in a World Cup final. India will have to bat very, very, very well indeed to get these. I'm just going to nip away for about 10-15 minutes (India's abominable over rate cutting into my break time), but I'll leave you with one stat: Jayawardene's century was the sixth in a World Cup final. All five previous century-makers finished on the winning side. Also, nobody's ever chased this many to win a World Cup final. Two stats. And the highest successful chase at the Wankhede is just 229. Three. Three stats... I'll come in again.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "Rather be in the Sri Lanka camp. How to spoil a party involving a billion people...?"
OVER 50: SL 274/6 Jayawardene 103 (88)* Perera 22 (9)*
Perera really gives the first ball some welly, but it goes straight to Kohli on the long-off boundary, and the batsmen jog a single. Jayawardene backs away, Zaheer follows him, and Jayawardene digs it out of the block hole and steers it down to short third man for another single. After getting burned in that last over, Zaheer's dealing almost exclusively in yorkers and low full tosses now, but Perera was expecting that one, and carves it through the covers for four! Top shot! Six off three balls so far... and another low full toss from Zaheer that Perera bunts over the head of mid-on for another four! Zaheer drags his length back, Perera swings it out to deep mid-wicket, and Jayawardene scrambles back to complete the second run! This really has been a super batting display by Sri Lanka. Last ball... and Perera smites it high over mid-wicket for six! Amazing! Eighteen off the over! Sixty-three off the Powerplay! Sri Lanka are right in this game! Perhaps even favourites! Jayawardene and Perera walk off to a... well, a fairly muted reception, to be honest. But how beautifully set up is this game now?
OVER 49: SL 256/6 Jayawardene 102* Perera 5*
Thisara Perera, a young, hard-hitting left-handed all-rounder, comes to the crease with Harbhajan to bowl. Jayawardene takes a single off the first, and Perera gets off the mark with a drilled single down to long off. Jayawardene flicks the ball to mid-wicket for another single, and then Perera swings his arms, smashing Harbhajan over the top and past long on for four runs! This is exemplary Powerplay batting by Sri Lanka, and a leg bye brings the total off the over to eight. Sri Lanka are closing in on a really strong total here, with one over left that Zaheer Khan will bowl.
OVER 48: WICKET! Kulasekara run out (Dhoni) 31 SL 248/6
Kulasekara swings the first six of the final high over mid-wicket! That sailed a full 87 metres, straight into the crowd, and Zaheer pays for dishing up a length delivery at this stage. Kulasekara's played wonderfully well since coming in, and that boundary brings up the fifty partnership. A single down to mid-on brings Jayawardene back onto strike, and he gets lucky there! It's short, Jayawardene gloves his hook, and the ball flies just out of the reach of Dhoni for two runs! That takes him to 92, and then a beautiful upper cut over short third man takes him to 96! After eulogising Zaheer earlier, I've got to admit that this isn't the cleverest over from him. Length again, and Jayawardene swings him high over cover for four to reach his century! A glorious innings from Jayawardene, who came in with Sri Lanka in a real pickle but who has put them right in this final. He tries to keep the strike off the last ball as the ball flicks off his pad, and Kulasekara sacrifices himself as Dhoni's underarm throw hits the stumps! Kulasekara departs after a super partnership of 66 from 49 balls, but that over cost 17.
OVER 47: SL 231/5 Jayawardene 90* Kulasekara 25*
Short from Munaf, and Kulasekara hooks it away for his first boundary! It wasn't middled, but fine leg was in the circle and the man at deep square couldn't quite scuttle round in time. A single into the leg side, and then Jayawardene backs away and slashes over the slips for four! I suspect Jayawardene was trying to hit that a good deal squarer than he actually did, but with third man in the circle it was always a high-percentage shot. Munaf spots Kulasekara backing away, and follows him with a perfect leg-stump yorker that Kulasekara can only dig out. The last ball's a slower one, and Kulasekara's full-blooded slap trickles away for one. Eleven off the over.
OVER 46: SL 220/5 Jayawardene 85* Kulasekara 19*
Kulasekara tries to slog a short ball over square leg first up, he doesn't quite get all of it, and the ball loops up in the air and down to deep mid-wicket for one. Jayawardene with a more controlled pull for one, and then another single for Kulasekara as he backs away, Zaheer follows him, and he pulls it down to deep mid-wicket once more. A perfect yorker next up, with Jayawardene calmly digs out for a single. Still no immoderate aggression from these two, as Kulasekara pushes another single into the on-side. And that's a shot by Jayawardene! Zaheer strives for the yorker again, Jayawardene's waiting for it, and manages to steer it through the covers for four. And that, ladies and gentlemen, but especially you, Andy Flower, is how you take nine overs from a Powerplay over without going postal. Munaf to bowl.
OVER 45: SL 211/5 Jayawardene 79* Kulasekara 16*
Six off the over without too many qualms at all. What's been really surprising is the lack of really big shots so far. Jayawardene's been able to score at more or less a run a ball without a big slog over the top. It's all been timing and those deft little late cuts. A mature effort, but if Sri Lanka end up falling short you wonder whether they could have gone bigger earlier. They'll have to have a go now, though. It's batting Powerplay time, and Zaheer, you assume, is going to bowl three of those. What's a decent total? 250, I reckon, is still a minimum, but they must keep wickets in hand.
OVER 44: SL 205/5 Jayawardene 77* Kulasekara 12*
Kulasekara tries to pull a shorter delivery, miscues it and gets one. Wide and full from Munaf, and Jayawardene swings his arms and square drives it straight to Kohli at backward point... who lets the ball scoot under him! Four runs! India have fielded admirably so far, but that's a real howler by Kohli, who was just rising from his crouching stance just as the ball raced along the ground towards him. Another single dabbed down to third man, and it's six from the over. The ball's being changed again for some reason. Will Jayawardene take the Powerplay? No, he won't. Harbhajan to continue.
INDIA REVIEW (Kulasekara)
Wide from Munaf, cut by Kulasekara, and Dhoni is howling for a caught behind! Kohli's also up, but Munaf doesn't seem quite as convinced. Aleem Dar shook his head, but we're now watching from every angle... There's no visible deviation - there rarely ever is - but is that a slight noise as the stump microphones are turned up? Possibly, but can you give the batsman out on the strength of 'possibly'? Possibly not. Aleem Dar waves his arms for a dead ball, and the original not out decision stands. That's India's last review.
OVER 43: SL 199/5 Jayawardene 72* Kulasekara 11*
Harbhajan's continuing to wheel it in from around the wicket, trying to get the odd ball to bite. The pitch, by the way, is a wonderful colour. It's sort of a deep, darkish-brownish straw colour, or a particularly vivid shade of thick porridge. A typical Indian pitch like they used to make them. It's not Bhajji's best over, a little too short, and the batsmen can simply stand tall and nudge the ball off their pads. There's a wide somewhere in there as well, so the over costs seven. India won't really mind that at this stage. It's the really big overs, the twelves and fifteens, that they'll be keen to avoid.
OVER 42: SL 192/5 Jayawardene 69* Kulasekara 8*
What do you do if you're Mahela 'Woman' Jayawardene? Try and push things along a bit, risk getting out, and watching Sri Lanka crumble to 220? Or giving up their chance of a really challenging total in favour of staying in and making sure they have something halfway decent to defend? He's not going for it yet, Jayawardene, just taking a quick single off that over. Kulasekara nudges off his pads for two, Yuvraj with a fine piece of fielding on the long leg boundary. He then drives into the gap in the off-side and gets two more. Harbhajan's got three overs left, and he's going to bowl one of them now.
OVER 41: SL 186/5 Jayawardene 68* Kulasekara 3*
Yuvraj's final over goes for three runs, and despite really not bowling all that well, he's done the job expected of him, picking up two wickets and going for just 49 off his 10 overs. He's the sixth highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 15. What a World Cup he's had. Munaf replaces Zaheer.
Nick Hoult on Twitter: "How many wickets will Zaheer take in England next summer? Tough test for Cook"
OVER 40: SL 183/5 Jayawardene 67* Kulasekara 1*
Kulasekara retains the strike with a single off the last ball of the over. Just to highlight the difference in speed, Zaheer's previous delivery to Jayawardene was 84.8mph. The slower ball that got Kapugedera was just 73.8mph. The change in action almost imperceptible. He's a master of his art, Zaheer, and he's proved it in the biggest match of his life. Ten overs to go. Yuvraj is going to bowl out here, and unsurprisingly there's still no sign of the Powerplay.
WICKET! SL 182/5 Kapugedera c Raina b Zaheer 1 (5) SL 182/5
Zaheer does it again! Stunning piece of deception, as Kapugedera lunges at a perfectly-disguised slower delivery and plops it straight into the hands of Raina at short extra cover! That's just a sensational delivery to bowl to a new batsman, and Sri Lanka are wobbling at just the wrong time. They've got a mighty long tail, as well, as Nuwan Kulasekara comes in at number seven. He's all right, but he's an eight or nine at best. Sri Lanka in danger of undoing a lot of their good work here.
OVER 39: SL 181/4 Jayawardene 66* Kapugedera 1*
Well, well. The immutable rule of the UDRS system is that you give Simon 'Corn Rows' Taufel the benefit of the doubt. This one, though, he appears to have gotten wrong. All the pressure on Jayawardene now as Kapugedera joins him at the wicket. A couple of singles and that wicket from Yuvraj's over.
WICKET! Samaraweera lbw b Yuvraj Singh 21 (34) SL 179/4
Samaraweera gets down on the sweep, gets hit on the pad a long way across, and not out is the decision from Simon Taufel! Yuvraj is incensed, absolutely convinced that was dead in line, and bullies Dhoni into reviewing the decision. Here it comes... it was definitely hitting the stumps, but did Samaraweera gets his pad out of the line of off stump? He did, but the ball hit him on his thigh pad, which was in line! Decision overturned! Out!
OVER 38: SL 179/3 Jayawardene 65* Samaraweera 21*
Dhoni senses the game beginning to drift. He's a fairly proactive captain, not afraid to stir the pot. He brings Zaheer Khan back to try and snare a wicket and swing the game back India's way. Zaheer chucks down a marginal off-side wide to bring up the 50 partnership, before Jayawardene steps across his stumps and glides the ball deliciously fine for four! Dhoni could almost have reached it, but not quite. Eight from the over, a good one for Sri Lanka.
OVER 37: SL 171/3 Jayawardene 60* Samaraweera 19*
It might just be a trick of the light, but Yuvraj seems to be getting a little more bounce from this end. Jayawardene and Samaraweera mistime a few cuts, and there are only three runs off that over. Samaraweera keeps the strike with a single down the ground. A run a ball gets Sri Lanka to 249, eight an over gets them to 275. I reckon 260-270 sets this final up beautifully. Muralitharan to Tendulkar. Malinga to Sehwag. Delicious prospect. It's like the IPL with context.
Derek 'I coulda been a contender' Pringle on Twitter: "Dhoni trying Liquorice Allsorts approach to bowling changes"
OVER 36: SL 168/3 Jayawardene 59* Samaraweera 17*
Yuvraj's lack of consistency is clearly so concerning Dhoni that he's trying to squeeze a few overs out of his part-timers. We've had a couple from Tendulkar, and now Virat Kohli trots in to bowl his medium pacers. The first one's a real loosener, wide of off stump, and Jayawardene can really swing his arms at it. Four runs! Six from the over. Yuvraj replaces Tendulkar at the other end.
OVER 35: SL 162/3 Jayawardene 54* Samaraweera 16*
Tendulkar may be able to move heaven and earth with a wave of his arm (or at the very least, get a decent table at dinner), but he can't stop this steady trickle of singles. Jayawardene mixes it up with a two off his pads, and Tendulkar chucks in a couple of wides to sweeten the pot. Already this partnership is worth 40, and Sri Lanka have rallied gamely since losing their captain. Now, remember the quiz question in over 30? England v New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1994? The answer is: there were two tosses - one real, one fake. Michael Atherton, flipped the coin, Ken Rutherford called right, and immediately decided to field. At which point someone from the BBC stepped in and said the toss had not been carried out correctly. Which, in his words, meant nobody had been filming it. Rutherford was having none of it, though, and a few minutes later the two captains carried out a fake toss for the TV cameras. Never let it be said you don't learn anything from this live blog. That's a valuable piece of information, that. Even if it's taken me 17 years to find an appropriate situation in which to deploy it.
OVER 34: SL 155/3 Jayawardene 50* Samaraweera 15*
"Slightly concerned that there's an actual word for 'pretty young lady of 14/15' in Spanish!" writes Shafi Khan in Bedford. Well, just as the Eskimos have all these different words for 'snow', the Spanish have at least 50 different words for 'pretty young lady'. Pretty young ladies are the very fabric of their culture, in the same way that milky tea is for us. Four! Jayawardene premeditates the paddle sweep and gets away with it, lapping Yuvraj very fine. Samaraweera then with a more conventional sweep for one, before Jayawardene brings up his fifty with another swept single. Just 49 balls for that. What a fine innings it's been. He'll need to stay there, though, if Sri Lanka are to get to 250.
OVER 33: SL 148/3 Jayawardene 44* Samaraweera 14*
Here's a ridiculous statistic for you. Sachin Tendulkar's bowling may be the cricketing equivalent of Nando's house wine, but when you spend as long in the game as Tendulkar has, you do pick up a few wickets along the way. To be exact, 154. Now, here's the ridiculous statistic: if Tendulkar were English, that would put him fourth on the list of all time one-day wicket-takers. It would go Gough, Anderson, Flintoff, Tendulkar. Crazy. Of course, if Tendulkar actually were English, he wouldn't have made his debut until he was about 26, and he would have played about 15 Tests before being dropped in favour of a more athletic fielder. It's not a bad over, actually, a wide amid it, but precious little to hit.
OVER 32: SL 143/3 Jayawardene 42* Samaraweera 12*
Both these batsmen look in fine touch, the odd mini-scare notwithstanding. Yuvraj simply hasn't hit a consistent length at any stage of his spell, and these two can simply come right forward and drive into the gap, or rock back and knock the ball away for one. Four from the over, and we've got a new bowler. The crowd roars as the stadium announcer reads out the name of Sachin Sewards Tendulkar.
INDIA REVIEW (Samaraweera)
Samaraweera sweeps, the ball pops up into the air, Dhoni takes the catch, and there's a huge appeal from the crowd! Yuvraj seems less sure, but after a few moments' consideration, Dhoni calls for the review. Aleem Dar gave it not out pretty much instantly, but it looks pretty close on the replay... The ball definitely hit the pad and ballooned upwards, but whether it caught glove, arm or bat on the way upwards, it's impossible to tell. Not out, therefore, is the only decision that can be made. Only Samaraweera knows whether he hit that, and he's not telling. India lose a review. It was their 15th review of the tournament, and only three of those have been successful.
OVER 31: SL 139/3 Jayawardene 40* Samaraweera 10*
Super shot by Jayawardene! He gets a bit of width from Sreesanth, but doesn't try and hit the cover off the ball like Sangakkara did, but simply guides it into the gap, and it has enough pace on it to run away through backward point for four runs. Peter Rowntree writes in on the subject of dodgy translations: "When I first came to live in Colombia, before my Spanish was fluent I used to pick up words in conversations so I could join in. One evening, having a beer with my family in Neiva, I heard them talking about sardines - 'sardinas'. So I said that sardines on toast was one of my favourite snacks. My wife, daughter and son-in-law collapsed into hysterics. 'Sardinas' here has a second meaning - it means a pretty young lady of, say, 14 or 15 years of age."
OVER 30: SL 132/3 Jayawardene 34* Samaraweera 9*
A run a ball from here gets Sri Lanka to 254. Yuvraj continues after drinks. Now, a quiz question for you on the subject of the toss. What was unusual about the toss between England and New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1994? I'll give you a few overs to think about that one. Samaraweera unloads the late cut again! Four runs! It was short again from Yuvraj, who's bowled rather poorly so far, I reckon. But that boundary is the only scoring shot of the over. Reeshi Biswas requests the teams. Sorry, that was an oversight. I'll stick the teams in at the bottom of the page.
OVER 29: SL 128/3 Jayawardene 34* Samaraweera 5*
That's quite a way to get off the mark! Just a fraction back of a length from Sreesanth, and Samaraweera guides it through the slips for four! No slip, so it was a fairly safe shot, but he did well to get it fine enough to beat Yuvraj at third man. Dhoni responds by bringing a slip in. Samaraweera takes a simple single into the off-side. "'The great Mahela'," writes Rahul Nayyar. "You say that to any Indian and he’ll think you said 'the great woman'. Mahela is woman in Hindi." Rolls Royce once produced a car called the 'Silver Mist'. It sold fairly well around the world, but to their bafflement, it hardly sold at all in Germany. Then somebody noticed that in German, 'Mist' means 'manure'. The name was swiftly changed to 'Silver Shadow'. I've got a whole well of dodgy translation stories. I'll wheel a couple of them out if we hit another lull. Drinks.
OVER 28: SL 122/3 Jayawardene 33* Samaraweera 0*
You rarely see much emotion from Sangakkara, but you could see he was absolutely distraught after that wicket. His eyes shot to the heavens and he trudged back to the pavilion remonstrating with himself fiercely. Samaraweera the new batsman, and Sreesanth's going to be brought back to replace Harbhajan.
WICKET! Sangakkara c Dhoni b Yuvraj 48 (67) SL 122/3
What a disaster for Sri Lanka! Their captain, strangled by Yuvraj! What a horrible dismissal for Sangakkara. It was a long hop outside off stump from Yuvraj, and you could see Sangakkara's eyes lighting up like Belisha beacons as he lined up the cut. In a fraction of a second though, there was a tiny click of wood and Dhoni was throwing the ball in the air in delight. Just three balls earlier, he had played a terrific shot, threaded through the mid-wicket gap for four. It's all for naught now, though. Crucial breakthrough for India!
OVER 27: SL 114/2 Sangakkara 41* Jayawardene 32*
Big turn for Bhajji! Tossed up invitingly by Harbhajan, like a pork pie on a string, but it rips off the surface, beating Sangakkara's expansive lofted drive. That was too hot for Dhoni as well, who fumbles the take. Oooh and aaahs (mostly ooohs, to be honest) from the crowd. And now Jayawardene almost goes! He tries the late cut, the ball spins sharply from around the wicket, and that's missed off stump by the width of a garlic naan bread. Jayawardene connects with the late cut off the last ball of the over, Tendulkar sprawling on the boundary to keep them down to two.
OVER 26: SL 111/2 Sangakkara 40* Jayawardene 30*
Another full toss from Yuvraj, but Jayawardene can't put it away, finding the man at long-on and getting just one. That's better, though! Just a little width from Yuvraj, and Jayawardene waits for it before dabbing it away for four through third man! That brings up the 50 stand in just 56 balls.
OVER 25: SL 105/2 Sangakkara 39* Jayawardene 25*
Oh dear, Michael Vaughan. He's just tweeted something that would be more becoming of a 13-year-old boy than England's most successful ever captain. Suffice it to say that it exploits the second, more licentious understanding of the word 'toss', which he has juxtaposed with the name of the stadium (the Wankhede) to produce something we may as well call 'humour'. Jayawardene turns a leg-stump delivery from Harbhajan just wide of leg slip. Sangakkara then gets a single behind square on the leg side that turns into two when Yuvraj's throw hits the stumps and dribbles away into the outfield. Five from the over, and at the halfway stage Sri Lanka are probably around 20 or 30 runs short of where they'd want to be, but still have wickets in hand.
OVER 24: SL 100/2 Sangakkara 36* Jayawadene 23*
A tighter over from Yuvraj, although he gets away with a horrible full-toss on leg-stump that Sangakkara belts straight at long-on for a single. He does bring up Sri Lanka's hundred, though, with a well-balanced cut for two runs. Just what Sri Lanka needed, this partnership. It's now worth 40 off 45 balls. You feel, though, that these two have to stay in for a while if they're going to get Sri Lanka to a defendable total.
OVER 23: SL 96/2 Sangakkara 33* Jayawardene 22*
It's all gone a little bit quiet at Mumbai. Whether that's because Sri Lanka have had a good few overs or because it's happy hour at the bar, I'm not too sure. Harbhajan's over goes for two runs.
OVER 22: SL 94/2 Sangakkara 32* Jayawardene 21*
Now, this has the feel of a crucial point in the game. Yuvraj Singh, India's fifth bowler, comes into the attack, and he's had a superb tournament with the ball. But Sangakkara lays into him immediately! Tried to smear him over mid-wicket, but miscued it for one. A couple more singles, and then Jayawardene seizes on another slightly short delivery, and sends it crashing over mid-wicket for four runs! Eight from the over, and a real statement of intent from these two. If Dhoni can't get 10 overs out of Yuvraj, he's in a world of trouble, as he'll then have to turn to the real part-timers to make up the shortfall. That means Sehwag and Raina. Or what price a match-winning five-fer for Tendulkar?
OVER 21: SL 86/2 Sangakkara 30* Jayawardene 15*
Sangakkara almost comes unstuck as he tries to use his feet against Harbhajan. He gets rapped on the pad, dead straight, probably in line as well. Big appeal, but Simon Taufel's not going to touch that with a 22-yard bargepole, not with Sangakkara so far down the pitch. The next one he does connect with though, placing it expertly in between the two men in the leg-side deep, and getting two runs for it.
OVER 20: SL 83/2 Sangakkara 27* Jayawardene 15*
No slip! Four more to Jayawardene! Sreesanth returns, steam pouring forth from his ears and sparks flying from his heels, and Jayawardene plays it away very fine with an angled bat and a craftsman's touch. Sreesanth finishes the over well, though, with three dot balls. Six runs from the over, and it's going to be Harbhajan to continue.
OVER 19: SL 77/2 Sangakkara 26* Jayawardene 10*
Good singles from these two, before Jayawardene plunges a left boot down the pitch and thumps Harbhajan through the covers for four! Excellent shot, and the crowd is momentarily silenced. Another single through square leg, and then Sangakkara drives very sketchily indeed, and edges just wide of slip! Harbhajan lets out a yelp of dismay as the ball runs away for four runs. Twelve off the over for Sri Lanka, and that will go down like a cold glass of Chardonnay on a very hot day.
The Analyst on Twitter: "Very worried about Sri Lanka after number four. Huge pressure on Sangakkara. They need 250-plus."
OVER 18: SL 65/2 Sangakkara 20* Jayawardene 4*
Another exemplary over from Munaf. The next 10 overs, you feel, are absolutely crucial for Sri Lanka. Lose another couple of wickets and it could be a very, very long evening for them. But there are gaps in the field, so these two will be able to manipulate the ball around for ones and twos without taking too many risks. Jayawardene turns his wrists on a fairly straight delivery to send it through mid-wicket for two.
OVER 17: SL 63/2 Sangakkara 20* Jayawardene 2*
It's down to these two, then. Whisper it, but India are putting in a champion's performance so far. Harbhajan's really enjoying himself now, tossing it up, teasing the batsmen from around the wicket. Jayawardene gets off the mark with a couple of singles.
WICKET! Dilshan b Harbhajan 33 (49) SL 60/2
Huge wicket at a crucial time for India! Someone guard the TV in the dressing room, Dilshan's going to be livid with himself. It was a leg-sidish delivery from Harbhajan on a decent length, Dilshan got down on one knee and tried to give it the old heave-ho around the corner, got some glove on it, the ball cannoned onto his thigh, and rattled into the stumps! Dilshan bowls himself around his legs, if you can process such an image. Just when Sri Lanka were starting to think about making a move. Jayawardene - the great Mahela - makes his entrance.
OVER 16: SL 60/1
Patel continues to cramp up the Sri Lankans with a tight line. Dilshan just continues to find the fielders. He does pass 500 runs for the tournament, though, with a single. He's top scorer in the tournament so far, with a certain S Tendulkar lurking on 464.
OVER 15: SL 58/1
Right, here's Harbhajan. The Wankhede curator called this pitch a 'slow turner' yesterday so he could play a key role this arvo. Dilshan and Sangakkara are pretty good players of spin though, and they see off a good first over with a couple of singles.
OVER 14: SL 56/1
Can you get a man-of-the-match award for fielding alone? Yuvraj is at it again. Sangakkara cuts uppishly and the tiger-like Yuvvie pounces and even looks to flick the ball back to Sangakkara who is edging out of his crease. India are well on top, but Sri Lanka have pushed their run rate to four per over. Not bad going. Drinks are on.
OVER 13: SL 54/1
So, after 11 overs of dives, sprawls and lavish stretches from the spirited Indians, Sangakkara goes aerial. A deliciously lofted on-drive, a slight flick of his left leg giving the shot an air of class. It's successive fours as Sreesanth fails to stop a straight drive. The pressure is on Sreesanth though. He gets an official warning from Taufel for planting his right foot down the middle of the track and then sends in a no-ball for good measure. The free hit proves costly for India, Dilshan unwinds and edges a streaky four. Costly stuff.
OVER 12: SL 39/1
Oh, that was pure class. Patel bowls a touch full and Sangakkara is virtually on one knee and driving through extra cover for four. He splits the five-man cover field, too. Dilshan 26* Sangakkara 7*
OVER 11: SL 34/1
Sreesanth replaces Zaheer now and it's a decent over, too. Full length and Sangakkara is content to punch to mid on and off. Looks classy but he will want to up his run rate, which currently standa at three runs from 14 balls.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "Sangakarra has stuffed Dhoni... He shouted tails in the first toss and lost it. You can hear it in on air..."
OVER 10: SL 31/1
My, India's fielders are up for this. I reckon they've saved five certain boundaries. There's Yuvraj at point again with a full-length mid-air dive to stop a Dilshan cut. Then, when Dilshan does get Patel away for two, Sangakkara puts in a full-stretch forward dive to prevent four.
OVER 9: SL 28/1
Here's Zaheer again and Dilshan and Sangakkara finally put the dot ball merchant in the shade with three scoring strokes off his first three balls. Lots of bat on ball and the Sri Lankan skipper looks in good nick.
OVER 8: SL 24/1
Munaf Patel replaces Sreesanth and he's cramping the Lankan duo straight away. Dilshan cuts on his fifth delivery and it flashes to third man, but there's Zaheer, running and diving on the ropes to stop a certain four.
Mihir Vasavda emails: "Zaheer in 2003 final vs Australia: 3 overs for 28. Eight years on vs SL: 3 overs, 3 maidens. Mature." What more to say, it's been a sensational start from him.
OVER 7: SL 19/1
Sangakkara is off the mark on his first ball with a dab and run. Did Zaheer drop his shoulders in disappointment there? That's the first run off him. His figures? 4-3-2-1.
WICKET! Tharanga c Sehwag b Zaheer 2 SL 17/1
Can there have been a better start in a World Cup final? Zaheer has bowled 18 dot balls and first delivery of his fourth over sees Tharanga edge to slip. Brilliant bowling.
OVER 6: SL 17/0
As expected, Dilshan opens his arms and plants Sreesanth's first delivery over midwicket for four. Too short. Two balls later and Sreesanth is short again, and wide, as Dilshan cuts hard for another four. Dilshan 12* Tharanga 2*
OVER 5: SL 9/0
Zaheer is right on the money. On another day the Lankans might well be 25/0. They are middling everything but there is an Indian in the way every time. Notably Yuvraj at point. Zaheer sends down another maiden. That's 18 dot deliveries. Pressure is mounting on the opening pair, so expect fireworks in the next over.
OVER 4: SL 9/0
Sreesanth is like a stray Mumbai dog on heat out there. Lots of pats and hair-pulls by his team-mates as they try and settle him down. It seems to work as he produces a sound over, Tharanga and Dilshan taking a single apiece. Dhoni has got his field placings spot on, though.
OVER 3: SL 7/0
Sreesanth's high blood pressure is mirrored by Zaheer's calm exterior. Tharanga middles pretty much everything in the over but it's a maiden as Yuvraj makes a couple of sprawling stops at point. Right, early prediction times. Looking at the surface, I reckon 270-plus is a minimum.
"Oh god oh god oh god HAS ANYONE won BATTING SECOND IN A WORLD CUP FINAL?" missives Rahul Nayyar. Have faith Rahul, have faith.
OVER 2: SL 7/0
Well, well. The mop-haired Sreesanth, who hasn't played cricket for 42 days, is straight into the attack. And the volatile quick gets stuck in immediately with an enormous LBW shout. Classic Sreesanth really, knees bent, slightly crouched, two hands raised and an elongated appeal at the umps. Note: the delivery was going way down the leg and Aleem Dar tells him to calm it down a tad. Meanwhile, Dilshan is looking to get bat on ball and finds two through the covers.
OVER 1: SL 2/0
The Wankhede's ready. We're ready. Zaheer Khan is ready. Let's go then. The left-armer is into Tharanga who dead bats it down. Zaheer then sends in a snorter of a delivery, just angling away from Tharanga's blade. Close. A bye and a leg bye bring the first runs of this all-Asian final. But a quiet start all round.
SRI LANKA WIN THE TOSS AND WILL BAT
Sri Lanka: W U Tharanga, T M Dilshan, K C Sangakkara (Capt, Wkt), D P M D Jayawardene, T T Samaraweera, C K Kapugedera, N L T C Perera, K M D N Kulasekara, S L Malinga, S Randiv, M Muralitharan.
India: V Sehwag, S R Tendulkar, G Gambhir, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, M S Dhoni (Capt, Wkt), S K Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, S Sreesanth, M M Patel.
09.50: India's injured left-arm pace bowler Ashish Nehra has been replaced by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth. Sri Lanka make four changes, selecting Thisara Perera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara and Chamara Kapugedera in place of Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath and Chamara Silva.
09.30: "IT'S TOSS TIME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," booms Ravi Shastri. MS Dhoni flicks and... a pause. More pause. The captains look at each other. Ravi and the match official look at each other. Amazing! They decide to retoss. Dhoni couldn't hear Sangakkara's call. "The reason was the noise," reveals Rav.
09.00: Here are some of today's front page headlines from India ahead of the big one. The Times of India goes with 'A nation holds its breath', 'Nerves key in battle of equals' in the Hindustan Times, the Deccan Herald plumps for 'Saturday night fever', while DNA goes for a slightly weird one - 'There will be blood'.
And why not read...
SIMON HUGHES: India's bowlers hold key against Sri Lanka
SHANE WARNE: nothing but admiration for formidable Murali
DEREK PRINGLE: Tendulkar can achieve deserving double
GEOFF BOYCOTT: his verdict on India and Sri Lanka players
08.45: Good morning one and all. What a day we have in store, hey? The first all-Asian final, Tendulkar on 99 tons, Murali playing his last ODI. There are so many sub-plots to this final that it surely can't end a damp squib. Can it? We will find out when the action starts at 10am.
One thing's for certain. Whatever happens today, the World Cup wil be lifted by a host nation for the first time. Does this also lead us to favour Sri Lanka slightly? They are very much the co-hosts rather than the main men of Mumbai. Here's Simon Briggs with the lowdown on how things might pan out.
-----
Mumbai’s make-up
Let’s look at the last five one-day internationals played at the Wankhede Stadium, which takes us back to the turn of the millennium. I’m not counting the New Zealand v Canada procession two weeks ago, though I am counting Andrew Flintoff’s memorable performance in 2003, when he wrapped up a drawn one-day series (a rare feat for England) by castling Javagal Srinath, pulling his shirt off, and waving it around his head.
Anyway, back to business. The team batting first has won three of these matches and lost two, which is encouraging, as it suggests that the final won’t be decided at the toss. The range of first-innings scores extends from 286 to 193 (both made by Australia, as it happens), with the average being 244. And the average score after 15 overs is 84 for 2, so this is not a ground where teams have been able to go ballistic with the bat. At least, not without coming horribly unstuck.
Where the final will be won and lost
Each side will be scanning the other for weak points. For India, the second-string bowling is a potential Achilles heel, while both teams have potentially brittle lower orders. As Suresh Raina showed yesterday, a late 30 or 40 could well prove decisive in the long run.
Pointers
India have lost just three of their last 18 ODIs against Sri Lanka on home soil. Mahela Jayawardene has struggled in Indian conditions, averaging just 19.6 in 16 innings.
The big two
We’ve heard a lot about Messrs Tendulkar and Muralitharan, so who is going to come out on top? Well, both men raise their games for the World Cup, as these numbers show. But Muralitharan actually dips a little in tournament finals, either through weariness or because he is up against better teams, who have perhaps got used to his unique method. Tendulkar seems to thrive on any kind of pressure, so perhaps he can reverse the Indian tendency to underperform at the crucial moment.
Muralitharan
ODIs: 534 wkts at 23.00. World Cup: 68 wkts at 19.05. Tournament finals: 49 wkts at 24.48.
Tendulkar
ODIs: 18093 runs at 45.23. World Cup: 2260 runs at 57.94. Tournament finals: 1833 runs at 55.54.
The pitch
Batting first is the best option – 11 of the 17 games at Mumbai have been won by runs rather than wickets. 250 is a minimum score on a good surface, while organisers will minimise the impact of evening dew by spraying a chemical on the outfield. The Wankhede curator said yesterday that it would be a 'slow turner' but a run-filled wicket. The side batting second, though, would be in for a tough chase with excessive dew a concern.
18.29 Mohan Tanneeru emails in from Hyderabad: "Like I said, the team did it for themselves, Mr Tendulkar and billions of Indians. And what a game. Well played Lankan Lions. All I can hear in Hyderabad now is firecrackers going off all around." God, I wish I was Indian right now. 18.27 As Tendulkar continues to be raised aloft, euphoria is gradually giving way to emotion. "They'll be friends for life," Ian Chappell says. "They've shared in something very special."
Chris Gayle on Twitter: "Congratulation in orders India!!! Big up!! Well Played Sri Lanka!!! Sweet Azz Final!!! Drinks on me." 18.26 What a moment for India, one that will resonate in every country in the world. But the biggest celebration of all will be tonight in Mumbai, where Sachin Tendulkar is currently being carried around the field on the shoulders of his team-mates. To be fair, he's not the heaviest of cricketers, Sachin. I noticed nobody was offering to carry David Boon on their shoulders when he decided to call it a day...
18.22 Harbhajan's in tears! Sreesanth, leave Bhajji alone...
18.21 Tendulkar's gone off piste! He's charging around, whooping for joy, hugging everyone he can see, looking as animated as I've ever seen him. After a career lasting over two decades, he's finally won the biggest prize in the game. BANG! Firework alert!
48.2 SIX! IND 277/4
INDIA WIN BY SIX WICKETS AND WIN THE 2011 WORLD CUP
The ball disppears over long on! Where does it land? Nobody knows! Before it's buried itself in the stand, the Indian players are running onto the field! The flashbulbs are popping! Mumbai explodes! India are world champions!
48.1 271/4 Yuvraj carves it to point for a quick single. Four to win!
OVER 48: IND 270/4 Dhoni 85* Yuvraj 20*
Malinga in again, the tireless lion roaring in for one final effort. Yuvraj drives his first out to deep extra cover for a single. 15 off 17. Down the leg side next - I'm afraid to say it's all going wrong for Sri Lanka - and Dhoni could have left it for a wide, but instead turns it round the corner, wide of fine leg, and away for four! 11 off 16... and the next one goes for four, too! Malinga tried a slower ball, and Dhoni virtually swept it around the corner, an astonishing shot, and again fine leg didn't have a chance. 7 off 15... Malinga then nutmegs Dhoni as he backs away, and the ball flies through to Sangakkara. 7 off 14... Dhoni chops into the off-side for one more, to bring the target within one hit. 6 off 13... and the last ball of the over is flicked by Yuvraj down to long-on for a single. Two overs left, five runs to win, and the crowd are now jumping up and down, their every neuron itching to get the party started.
OVER 47: IND 259/4 Dhoni 76* Yuvraj 18*
Yuvraj tries to smash the cover off the first ball, but it's well pitched up, and he can only dig it out to long on for a single... 26 off 23... the next one's full and outside off stump, and Dhoni smashes it past mid-off for four, four, four! 22 off 22... Dhoni then digs out the next, sends it hurtling back past Kulasekara and down to long-on for a single. There's actually a review as Simon Taufel wants to check whether Dhoni had his bat grounded when the throw came in, but he's fine... Full toss next, and Yuvraj swings it away for four! They're getting closer! 17 needed off 20! Yuvraj gives the next the full back, sack and crack, but it flies straight to cover, and there's no run. The last ball is another full toss, and Yuvraj chips it safely down to long on for another single. Eleven - eleven runs - from that over. Malinga's good work from the last over undone. India need 16 from 18 balls.
OVER 46: IND 248/4 Dhoni 71* Yuvraj 12*
Malinga starts with a slower ball, and Yuvraj can only push it to short extra cover. The next one's wide off the off stump, and Yuvraj slashes and misses. Again slower from Malinga, Yuvraj drops it into the off side and sets off a run, but Dhoni sends him back. Three dot balls... four dot balls, as Yuvraj can only defend a straight delivery... He gets the next one away, though! Through mid-wicket and they hurry back for two runs. Firm drive back past Malinga off the last ball of the over, and Tharanga comes in from long-on to keep them down to a single. A stunning over by Malinga under the circumstances, just three off it, and India now need 27 from 24 balls. Still not in the bag this, by any stretch of the imagination. What a finish to a World Cup final! Who's going to bowl the last over? It's Kulasekara! What a moment this is! Will India try and launch him over the top? This next over could decide the fate of the trophy...
OVER 45: IND 245/4 Dhoni 71* Yuvraj 8*
Five singles from Randiv's over, and Sri Lanka look as though they're running out of ideas here. Five overs remaining; they will be Powerplay overs, and Lasith Malinga, who has three overs left, will bowl the first of them. 30 needed off 30 balls as Yuvraj takes strike.
SRI LANKA REVIEW (Yuvraj)
Randiv's up for LBW! They're all up! It looked pretty straight, but Aleem Dar gave it not out. Sri Lanka have no option but to review, but the replay shows a big inside edge from Yuvraj! Not out remains the decision!
UMPIRE REVIEW (Dhoni)
Direct hit! Sri Lanka think they've got him! It's going to be mighty close... it's one of those where he's out in one frame and in in the next... and I don't think they can give him out on this evidence. No, not out, and you probably heard the roar from your living room.
OVER 44: IND 240/4 Dhoni 69* Yuvraj 6*Great shot! Wondrous shot at this stage of the game! Short from Perera - he's been warned about that - and Dhoni upper cuts it over, backward point, over deep backward point, over the rope, for six runs! That's the first six of the innings, and it may well have sealed the deal for India. Perera almost cleans him up next ball, but Dhoni's inside edge cannons into his pad and runs away for a single, although Dhoni has to hurry to make his ground. Yuvraj nudges another single - he's been calmness personified so far - and the over costs eight. Pravin Rajakumar writes: "For the past two games Suresh Raina's innings were invaluable for india, although he didn't get much credit. I predict he will be the man... as they say about Alan Shearer: 'Cometh the hour, cometh the man'. But what do I know, I've been backing Holland to win every World Cup and European Championship since 1992, and Newcastle to win the league since 1993." 35 needed off 36 balls.
OVER 43: IND 232/4 Dhoni 62* Yuvraj 5*Randiv hops in for another over. "Congratulations India!" writes Robert Dumsday. How many chickens then, Robert? Seeing as you're in the business of counting them. Dhoni pushes down the ground for a single. Yuvraj works it through the leg-side for another, as a short extra cover comes in for the new batsman. Another single, and then Randiv leaks it down the leg-side, it flicks Yuvraj's pad and runs away for a couple of leg byes. Five from the over, and India need 43 from 42 balls.
OVER 42: IND 227/4 Dhoni 60* Yuvraj 4*
Do Sri Lanka believe they can pull this off? Still Raina to come after this, remember, but after that not a great deal in the way of batting. A slip comes in for the new batsman as Sangakkara whacks his gloves together, exhorting his charges to make one final push. Yuvraj begins watchfully, playing out three dot balls, but the last ball is short, Yuvraj sees it early, and whips it well in front of square for four to ease the tension! Disappointing final delivery from Perera, who was close to making his first over back a wicket maiden. 48 required from 48 balls, and we're going to see another ball change.
WICKET! Gambhir b Perera 97 (122) IND 223/4Oh, what a shame! Gambhir trudges back disconsolately after a wonderful innings! It was dead straight from Perera, bowling over the wicket to the left-hander, and as Gambhir backed away to try and make room for a cut, he simply missed the ball and it knocked back his middle stump. A huge ovation for Gambhir, who's taken his side to the brink of victory but failed to see his team home or himself to a century. Yuvraj Singh is the new batsman. Is there still a twist in this game?
OVER 41: IND 223/3 Gambhir 97* Dhoni 60*
Randiv's been one of Sri Lanka's better bowlers this evening, actually. Bowling to Gambhir, he's getting the ball to bite from around a middle-and-leg stump line, so Gambhir can't flick him to leg with any confidence unless Randiv really spears it down the leg side. Which he does there, and Gambhir can take an easy single to move to 97. Full toss from Randiv, which Dhoni can only drill straight back. Just two off the over, then, and the equation is 52 from 54 balls.
OVER 40: IND 221/3 Gambhir 96* Dhoni 59*
Just as it all went wrong for Tendulkar earlier, Murali's powers seem to be deserting him at the point when they would have been of greatest service. A big leg-side wide that Sangakkara does well to stop going for five, and then Dhoni smites him through extra cover for four, threading the ball in between the man at cover and the fielder running round at long-off. Just the latest in a series of excellent strokes from the Indian captain. Gambhir then nudges the ball straight to backward point, Kapugedera misfields and allows a single, and then his throw runs away for an overthrow. Two runs from a ball that should have produced none. A piqued Muralitharan demands an explanation. Kapugedera doesn't have one. Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. 54 needed off the last ten overs as Randiv returns. Dhoni's taken the helmet off now to reveal a forehead dripping with sweat.
OVER 39: IND 210/3 Gambhir 93* Dhoni 52*Malinga's searching for those yorkers. Gambhir and Dhoni keep them out, and take a single each. Gambhir digs out another, and a huge piece flies off the toe of his bat. There's a slight hiatus as Gambhir waits for a replacement bat to be brought out, before he runs one down to third man for another single. Another single to Dhoni and another to Gambhir, either side of a leg-side wide. 65 off 66 balls, and you sense it's just slipping away from Sri Lanka here. "What happens if they tie?" asks Andrew Clark. "Is there even a tie in cricket? This is rather exciting." If the scores are tied, we go to a Super Over. Each side picks three batsmen and one bowler and they get one over each to score as many as they can. If you lose two wickets, you're all out.
OVER 38: IND 204/3 Gambhir 90* Dhoni 50*
Big moment, this. Muralitharan's coming back. It's hard to believe we won't see him trotting in again for Sri Lanka, won't see that wily little action, the arm coming over not quite straight, but within 15 degrees, those huge goggly eyes fixed on their target. Gloucestershire fans are in for a treat when he comes to play for them later this summer. Well, this really is it for Sri Lanka. Malinga and Murali in operation. If Sri Lanka don't get a wicket now, they're sunk. Dhoni knocks the ball into the off-side for two, which he follows with a single. Gambhir nudges the ball to mid-wicket for another single, which brings up the 200. But Muralitharan's last is short and sits up for hitting, and Dhoni crunches it hard through the covers for four! That's a huge blow for Sri Lanka, and it's Dhoni's fifty. He's in such a cocoon of concentration that he didn't even realise until the crowd noise alerted him to it. 71 needed off 72 balls as Malinga steams in again.
OVER 37: IND 196/3 Gambhir 89* Dhoni 43*
Dhoni shoves Malinga's first through the covers for two runs. You can't envisage either batsman taking much of a risk against Malinga, possibly the one man who can still win this game in one fell swoop. Short from Malinga, and Dhoni plays this one bravely, swivelling it down behind square and again coming back for the second. The big yorker's coming, mark my words. There it is, and Dhoni squirts it between his legs and down through backward square leg for another single. Five off the over, India need 79 off 78 balls, but the plot thickens. Dhoni's struggling with cramp. He's lying prone on the turf at the moment, while the Indian physio tries to do whatever it is you do when someone gets cramp. Dhoni gets rather gingerly to his feet, and obviously he's going to bat on. It's not really the best time for the captain to be putting his feet up, to be honest.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "India are chasing these runs with supreme ease. The party of all parties will be starting soon..." OVER 36: IND 191/3 Gambhir 89* Dhoni 38*
Another fine shot from Dhoni! Short and wide from Randiv, and he cuts it hard in front of square for four! The crowd roar, but not as loudly as they were earlier. The sheer tension of the situation appears to have frozen everyone comatose. You daren't move a muscle. Dhoni's definitely picked out the extra cover region, and bunts another couple of runs in that area. Eight off the over, and India are right on track now. 84 off 84 balls, and Kumar Sangakkara has just hit the 'gamble' button. Back into the attack comes Lasith Malinga, with Sri Lanka now fundamentally desperate for a wicket.
OVER 35: IND 183/3 Gambhir 88* Dhoni 31*
Short from Kulasekara, and Gambhir smashes it over mid-wicket for four! He was looking for that gap, and when the opportunity arose he committed fully to the shot, swinging hard and just about clearing the man in the circle. Gambhir's looking very assured indeed now, and he drives the last ball down to long-off for an easy single. We're 15 overs from the end of the World Cup, and we still have no idea who's going to win it. 92 runs needed. This is going to be a storming finish, whatever happens. It's all we could have asked for.
OVER 34: IND 175/3 Gambhir 83* Dhoni 29*
On comes Randiv. He's bowled fairly decently, actually, and out of all the bowlers so far he's managed to extract the most assistance from the pitch. Gambhir gets down on one knee and tries to paddle sweep over his shoulder. The ball flies down to short fine leg, Murali hobbles in from the boundary, Gambhir spots who's doing the fielding and confidently makes it back for a second. India need exactly 100 with 96 balls remaining. It'll be close, but you sense India have just edged their noses in front here. The partnership is now a very handy 61 from 74 balls.
Derek Pringle on Twitter: "Sanga's field settings allowing India too many easy singles - no pressure being created other than by the expectations of the nation" OVER 33: IND 170/3 Gambhir 79* Dhoni 23*
The camera focuses on a group of around 15 Australian fans, all bedecked in gold shirts. They look as though they're enjoying themselves, but they'll have a terrible shock tomorrow when they realise Australia weren't playing. Kulasekara returns, and concedes five runs from his over. 105 needed from 102 balls. Let's just do a few sums. Seventeen overs left. Malinga has five to bowl; Muralitharan four. The other eight overs, I feel, are going to decide this World Cup. Kulasekara has four more, but you wouldn't want him within fifty yards of a Powerplay, not with the nice, juicy length he bowls. Perera has three - I wouldn't turn to him either - Randiv has six, and Dilshan has five. I'd give Dilshan a few, because of his experience if nothing else, but you get some sense of the scale of Sangakkara's problem. By the time Malinga comes on to bowl the last five, this game could already be gone.
OVER 32: IND 165/3 Gambhir 79* Dhoni 23*
Another fabulous shot by Dhoni! I tell you what, the look of intense concentration in his eyes really is quite something. He's properly in the zone. This was a touch short by Perera, but at this stage the kind of ball that you simply knock down to deep point for a single. Instead. Dhoni picks it up early enough to step across and smash it well in front of square, down to deep extra cover for four! I'm not entirely sure Perera's the right choice here, but what can Sangakkara do? Only Malinga and Muralitharan have really looked like stymieing the flow of runs so far, and they have to be saved for the closing stages. Seven off the over, and Perera gets a tad lucky as he chucks down a rank full toss that startles Dhoni a little, and he can only push it back down the pitch. 110 needed off 108 balls as the players take drinks.
OVER 31: IND 157/3 Gambhir 77* Dhoni 17*
Ah, what a shot that is by Dhoni! It's not all that short from Muralitharan, but it doesn't turn a great deal either, and Dhoni can simply stand tall, use Murali's round-the-wicket angle, and muscle it through the covers for four. That's a seriously good shot to a fairly decent delivery. Siddharth Vaidyanathan has emailed back to let me know that he is not the famous cricket writer, just an ordinary joe who gets a bit frustrated when he Googles his own name.
OVER 30: IND 151/3 Gambhir 76* Dhoni 12*
Perera returns. Dhoni clips the ball behind square and does well to race back for a second. Another single follows. Dhoni always looks so unflappable, doesn't he? He's the kind of guy you want delivering bad news. Gambhir scampers a leg bye to bring up the 150, and that wakes the crowd up a little. Another single to Dhoni off the last, five off the over, and both sides will be fairly satisfied with that. Right, 124 needed off the last 20 overs. Unbelievably tense, this.
OVER 29: IND 146/3 Gambhir 76* Dhoni 8*Just the one over for Malinga before Muralitharan is restored to the attack. "What sort of pace are the Indians on?" asks Andrew Clark. "Will they come close?" If the Indians bat flawlessly, they could win this relatively easily. Assuming they merely bat well, I reckon this could get incredibly close. A couple of quick wickets, though, and it's hard to see the lower order pulling it off. Still plenty of batting to come for India, though, and the run rate's still within range. India's approach over the last few overs could best be summarised as 'watchful with the odd splash of caprice'. They're still trying to belt the bad ball, but they're not busting a gut trying to clear the ropes with so many singles still on offer. Four singles from Muralitharan's over.
OVER 28: IND 142/3 Gambhir 74* Dhoni 6*
Well might we hope, Virgil. When was the last time we saw a really good World Cup final? 2003 was exhilarating, but rarely, if at all, was the result in doubt. Sri Lanka in 1996 was a slow burner, but De Silva's clinical finishing did have an air of inevitability about it. There's no such certainty here. Gambhir flicks Dilshan for two through mid-wicket, before dancing down the pitch and trying to strike him over the top and getting an inside edge that Sangakkara can't react to in time! The ball scuttles down to fine leg for four. Eight off the over, and India need 133 off 132 balls.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "135 for 3. 23 overs to go. Could be an absolute classic..." OVER 27: IND 134/3 Gambhir 67* Dhoni 5*Malinga returns at a crucial stage of the game. A little flurry of wickets from him could well decide the game. Gambhir and Dhoni swap singles, and has Malinga found a little touch of reverse swing here? You don't tend to get a great deal at Mumbai, but if you can just get it to tail an inch, at Malinga's pace that's often all you need. You sense the big yorker is coming... and Gambhir squeezes it away off the edge for four! That's the first boundary for five overs! "This match is poised nicely," Siddharth Vaidyanathan writes. Hang on... the Siddharth Vaidyanathan? One of India's most respected cricket writers? He continues: "Dhoni promoted himself up the order to maintain the left/right combination, and because Yuvraj and Raina are seen as good finishers. He's also taking on the responsibility of shepherding the team through the innings. Inactive neurons indeed are becoming more active - unfortunate for Kohli, but Gambhir has played a gem here."
OVER 26: IND 128/3 Gambhir 62* Dhoni 4*Charles Rycroft writes: "Wondering when was the last time Sehwag and Sachin had a combined score of less than 20 - and is this why April is indeed the cruellest month?" I'm sorry, the reference is lost on me. Shamefully, I've read hardly any of the so-called 'classics' of literature. We were made to read a little at school, but at quite an early stage I discovered that you could simply watch the TV adaptation and get the whole book in only an hour. To this day, when someone asks me what I think of Great Expectations, I'm apt to answer: "Great costumes." Four singles off Dilshan's over - you haven't missed one of the all-time great overs there - and my colleague Ed Ballard identifies 'April is the cruellest month' as the first line of TS Eliot's The Wasteland. Not watched that one, actually.
OVER 25: IND 124/3 Gambhir 60* Dhoni 2*
Murali may not be bounding in as enthusiastically as he's used to, he may not be rotating those hips as vigorously as normal, but by George, he can still do a job. Just two runs off that over. Neither Gambhir nor Dhoni (nor Kohli, when he was in) really looked to attack Muralitharan.
OVER 24: IND 122/3 Gambhir 59* Dhoni 1*Hang on. Why did Dhoni come in rather than Yuvraj? I'd rather overlooked that... Whoever it is at the crease, it's imperative that India keep the runs ticking even as they rebuild. That required rate's just threatening to poke its head above the run-a-ball mark. Five runs off Dilshan's over. Vikram Singh Chauhan warms to the medical theme: "My sympathetic overdrive (on seeing Virat and Gambhir bat) has caused my pulse to exceed 120 beats/minute, regular rhythm, high volume (almost reminiscent of severe aortic regurgitation). I fear that I might just have a cerebral intraparenchymal rupture at this rate. In which case, the neurons in the grey and white matter outside of the area of haemorrhage will have to become more active. I'm worried..." Note to all my readers: I love you all. But especially you, Vikram Singh Chauhan.
OVER 23: IND 117/3 Gambhir 55* Dhoni 0*
We're yet to see any real magic from Muralitharan. He's coming in from around the wicket, getting some decent turn but struggling to hit a consistent length. Dhoni tries to shove away a full delivery on leg stump, and gets a leg bye - he's still yet to get off the mark - and Gambhir, upon whom so much now rests, cuts a short delivery out to the point boundary for another single.
OVER 22: IND 115/3 Gambhir 54* Dhoni 0*
And Dhoni's almost stumped first ball! He plays and misses, Sangakkara can't take it cleanly, and Dhoni had just dragged his back foot out of the crease! The batsmen run a bye and Dhoni keeps the strike. Has that wicket turned the game Sri Lanka's way again? Stay tuned to this one, I'd wager there's a few more twists in this yet...
WICKET! Kohli c&b Dilshan 35 (49) IND 114/3Oh, crucial wicket! Out of nothing! Absolutely nothing! A wonderful return catch by Dilshan, who was brought back to break this partnership and hasn't disappointed! Kohli tries to flick a fairly full delivery to leg, gets a leading edge, and it flies to Dilshan's right, almost straight at non-striker Gambhir. Instinctively, Gambhir got out of the way, but he probably thought it would go for runs. Instead, Dilshan leapt to his right and plucked the ball out of the air with one hand! Brilliant catch!
OVER 21: IND 109/2 Gambhir 53* Kohli 31*Archana Venkatraman enjoyed my Lancet over. "Now," he asks, "could we see some PG Wodehouse-style updates, or even Shakespearean-style? That could be fun." Is this a half-tracker I see before me... I was on Test Match Sofa the other week, actually, and one of their commentators, Dan Norcross, often does entire overs in the style of Winston Churchill. It's hilarious. Just four singles from Muralitharan's over.
OVER 20: IND 105/2 Gambhir 51* Kohli 29*Really big turn from Randiv - more than Muralitharan managed in his first over, and Gambhir's playing him watchfully. But after taking a single, Randiv strays onto Kohli's pads, and gets flicked very fine down to Malinga at fine leg, who runs round, puts the dive in, and dives straight over it! Four runs! At what point does Sangakkara start to worry? None of his bowlers have really looked like stopping the flow of runs, and the run rate is still very manageable indeed. "With Randiv's length of name, if he was ever ill in hospital, by the time the doctors had written his name he would have snuffed it," observes Peter Rowntree.
OVER 19: IND 99/2 Gambhir 50* Kohli 24*
Here's Murali! He may be hobbling in on half a leg, but nobody could possibly begrudge him a place on the biggest stage of all. Now! What can he do? He starts with a dot ball. Gambhir then knocks the ball into the off-side and hurries back for two. He could be in trouble here! The throw comes in to Sangakkara, who fumbles it! Heads on hands for Sri Lanka there, Gambhir was full-length on the dive and from the looks of the Sri Lankan fielders, he was struggling. Gambhir turns one to mid-wicket to bring up a fine fifty, off just 56 balls. Decent turn for Murali, and that's a steady start. Just three off his first over.
OVER 18: IND 96/2 Gambhir 47* Kohli 24*
Gambhir goes big! Randiv has just been floating them down rather, and this time he picks a decent length ball, gets down on one knee, and slaps it over mid-wicket for four! One bounce and over the rope! He follows up with a single down to mid-wicket, and there are another five runs off that over.
OVER 17: IND 91/2 Gambhir 42* Kohli 24*
Here's Dilshan coming on for his first bowl. He begins with a big wide down the leg side - ooof, that's horrible - and it cannons off Sangakkara's pads for three wides. It's a fairly tight over, though, just five runs coming from it. Where's your money now? Can anyone even attempt to answer that question until Murali's had a bowl?
OVER 16: IND 86/2 Gambhir 41* Kohli 23*
It will be observed, from the unimpeded rotation of the shoulder joint as Patient Randiv shuffles towards the bowling crease, that he is a bowler of the off-break variety, between 25 and 27 years of age. He does, however, suffer from acute shortness of length at times, which allows a batsman such as Virat Kohli to cut away to deep point for a single. However, when the patient adjusted his length to the left-handed Gambhir, a similar result was observed - a single, tucked off his tibial region. If, instead, we observe a later movement of the cut stroke from the batsman - a 'late cut', if you will, then the ball will tend to run away at a finer angle, down to third man for two runs.
OVER 15: IND 81/2 Gambhir 40* Kohli 19*Perera ruins a perfectly functional over by spraying it down the leg side, and Gambhir's far too good a player to miss out on that, flicking it away fine for four! The fifty partnership comes up off 53 balls, and India's fans could hardly have asked for a better response to those two early wickets. 40 runs came off the fielding Powerplay. Now, Shwetha Jain writes in with an analogy that's really far too highbrow for this humble, Dan-Brown-level live blog. "With the two important wickets, we have lost hope, but wait. It's just not Sachin and Sehwag's World Cup. In a nervous system, when certain neurons get damaged, the neighbouring neurons become more active to compensate for the inactivity. Now we will see if the other neurons take up the responsibility." Good grief, Shwetha. Are you sure you didn't stumble onto The Lancet's World Cup live blog by mistake? The next over wil be delivered in the style of The Lancet.
OVER 14: IND 72/2 Gambhir 33* Kohli 17*Michael Hands writes: "Jonathan, we're into the 13th over and you're still in 11. Please type faster." No, Michael, please read slower. He's a fairly orthodox off-break bowler, Randiv - think of him as an exotically-named James Tredwell. His full name is Hewa Kaluhalamullage Suraj Randiv Kaluhalamulla, which probably explains why he's so rarely picked for the side. That's not the kind of name you want to have to read out in front of a roomful of people. Now. Now! Is that a drop? It is, but it's awfully harsh on Kulasekara to put it against his name. Gambhir backed away and tried to lift it into the crowd, but watched in horror as it sailed in the direction of Kulasekara at long-off. He closed in on the ball, but as it died, just couldn't quite get his hands underneath it. Gambhir gets a life - he would have been put in the stocks if he'd perished like that - and four runs come from the over.
OVER 13: IND 68/2 Gambhir 30* Kohli 16*
Perera given another over. Where on earth is our Murali? Perera bowls another generally OK over spoilt by a couple of leg-side wides. Kohli nudges the ball into mid-wicket and hurries back for two to bring the total for the over to seven. Now, we're going to see our first spin of the innings, but calm yourself, it's only Suresh Randiv. It's a bit like waiting for a Led Zeppelin concert to begin, the lights going down, and then seeing The Script walk onto the stage.
OVER 12: IND 61/2 Gambhir 28* Kohli 13*
Kulasekara's just trying to hang the ball a little wider outside Gambhir's off-stump, trying to induce him into an airy drive. Gambhir finds the gap there and picks up a single, another single to Kohli, and then Gambhir launches one! Four runs! He makes a little room and smashes the ball through the covers - at a catchable height, but safe. Gambhir just looks to be warming up now, and he moves to 28 off 36 balls. The last one's short from Kulasekara, and Kohli top-edges the hook round the cover for four more! After a spell of just nine runs in five overs, India have stormed back with 26 in the last three. Numbers.
OVER 11: IND 50/2 Gambhir 22* Kohli 8*Doraiswami Ramkrishna writes: "Jonathan: your website claims renewal every minute but it does not seem to be so!" Why do I feel like a used car salesman who's just flogged someone an L-reg Escort with a dodgy gearbox? The website's not wrong, Doraiswami - it does update every 60 seconds, it's just that I don't. Gambhir comes down the track to Perera and flicks the ball superbly through mid-wicket for four. Perera pulls his length back and Gambhir stands up and flicks it off his hip for two more. Kohli on strike now, and aw, that's a bit mean. He knows Murali's struggling with his groin, so he hits the ball straight to him at mid-on and runs an easy single. Murali strains his creaking joints to get to the ball, but he misses it completely, and the batsmen can scamper a second. Shame on you, Virat Kohli. That's no way to treat one of the greatest chuckers in the history of cricket. Nine off the over.
OVER 10: IND 41/2 Gambhir 15* Kohli 6*
Kohli's away. It took him 11 balls, but that was worth the wait, a sublime little flick off his pads for four as Kulasekara strays in line a tad. Kohli then chops him through backward point for two more, and he's perfectly happy to play out the rest of the over. He really is in this for the long haul, is Kohli. End of the tenth over, and Sri Lanka immediately take the fielding Powerplay.
OVER 9: IND 35/2 Gambhir 15* Kohli 0*Perera returns from the other end. Gambhir nudges him behind point for a couple, but Sri Lanka have applied the brakes very nicely here. It's normally far too early to be worrying about run rate, but India do need to keep an eye out, as it's nudging towards a run a ball already. Just two from that over. "Yes, it is sad to see Mr Tendulkar walk off in agony in possibly his last World Cup innings," writes Mohan Tanneeru. "Now it will be up to his team to win it for him, and what a tribute would it be. I hope they do and I think they can do it."
OVER 8: IND 33/2 Gambhir 13* Kohli 0*A big hello to everyone in Jabalpur, from where Vikram Singh Chauhan writes: "It seems like the 1992 final revisited. The burst in the final overs by the side batting first to put up a daunting total, and the early loss of an opener for the side batting second. It looks very much like SL have it in the bag, what with India's famously brittle batting line-up and SL's famously hard-to-get-away bowling." Huge pressure on Virat Kohli's shoulders as Kulasekara comes back into the attack. Gambhir nudges away a single through mid-wicket, but Kohli can't get off the mark from any of his four balls, and there is just one run from the over. Only seven runs from the last four overs. So, how do you become the world's number one bowler despite having only taken two four-wicket hauls in eight years? Relentless accuracy. Kulasekara's run to world number one came off the back of a couple of outstanding series in 2009 against... um, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, when he barely went for more than two runs an over. Fine. So he's a simple, wicket-to-wicket, line-and-length merchant. Best bowler in the world, though? Give me a break. He's slipped down to fifth since then, but still.
OVER 7: IND 32/2 Gambhir 12* Kohli 0*
It was Malinga's strange angle of delivery that did for Tendulkar. His right arm comes over from almost directly in line with middle stump, so when the ball pitches outside off, as it did there, it actually moves further away towards the off-side the further it travels. Tendulkar failed to account for this when he drove at the ball, which explains why it took the edge despite not deviating in the pitch or the air. A simple misjudgement by Tendulkar. Virat Kohli in now. Malinga bowls a wide, but Kohli can't get off the mark.
WICKET! Tendulkar c Sangakkara b Malinga 18 (14) IND 31/2Malinga stares straight into the eyes of Destiny and gives it a swift kick in the nuts! Tendulkar wafts at a wider one from Malinga outside the off stump, gets a huge outside edge, and Sangakkara tumbles to his right to take the catch! Unbridled joy from the Sri Lankan fielders, who run in wild circles as if they've just dismissed Sachin Tendulkar in the World Cup final. The home fans, meanwhile, are crushed. Crushed and stunned. Tendulkar slowly walks off the field, possibly the last time we'll see him in a World Cup.
OVER 6: IND 31/1 Tendulkar 18* Gambhir 12*
It's been one of the enduring anomalies of one-day international cricket that Nuwan Kulasekara was once ranked number one bowler in the world, given that whenever I've seen him bowl he's seemed to have the unmistakeable whiff of a supermarket own-brand Alan Mullally. Perera starts well - he's a good, honest, seam-up bowler - and induces an expansive square drive from Gambhir that goes through backward point in the air for four runs!
OVER 5: IND 27/1 Tendulkar 18* Gambhir 8*
Malinga does get another over, and it's a good one. Intelligent length to Gambhir, offering him nothing to drive and just threatening to tail the ball back into his pads. He chucks in a masterful middle-stump yorker - slightly slower, to draw the drive - that Gambhir watches and digs out for a single. Last ball to Tendulkar... and he's beaten outside the off-stump. Just one off the over. Kulasekara gets the boot after two overs for 16, and Thisara Perera is handed the ball.
Nick Hoult on Twitter: "Murali is moving like a man who retired ten years ago" OVER 4: IND 26/1 Tendulkar 18* Gambhir 7*
Gambhir's been looking to shuffle down the pitch to Kulasekara, so Sangakkara comes up to the stumps as Kulasekara begins his second over. Gambhir nudges another single into the off-side - he tends to play very correctly and very straight at the start of his innings - and then Tendulkar again picks the gap in the off-side field and gets two. Kulasekara straightens his line, and Tendulkar drives him - brilliantly - down the ground for four! It was the economy of movement that was so impressive there, he simply backed his eye and his timing, and the ball fairly exploded off the bat. The next ball's wide, and Tendulkar cuts it away through backward point for another four! India are counter-attacking here!
OVER 3: IND 15/1 Tendulkar 8* Gambhir 6*
Malinga's so totally up for this. He's touching the low 90s in terms of pace, and bouncing back to his mark as if he's spent the entire innings break crunching sugar cubes. Gambhir pushes a single into the off-side, Tendulkar flicks a straight delivery down to mid-wicket for two, and then he pushes into the gap in the covers and gets another two. These two are actually picking up Malinga's length fairly quickly, and having made the breakthrough, it wouldn't surprise me to see him hauled out of the attack and kept in the cupboard for later.
OVER 2: IND 10/1 Tendulkar 4* Gambhir 6*
Kulasekara to take the new ball, and Sachin's away in his second World Cup final with a single steered into the off side, square of the wicket. Gambhir runs a leg bye, and then Tendulkar drives through the covers to a colossal roar from the home crowd! He'll race back for three. Gambhir pushes another single off the last to move India into double figures. You can't take your eyes off this for a minute. Do keep your emails coming in, folks.
OVER 1: IND 4/1 Tendulkar 0* Gambhir 4*
Sorry for springing that wicket on you, everyone, but what a start for Sri Lanka! Again, Sehwag chose to review the decision without consulting Tendulkar, and if India get a shocking decision in the 49th over after using up both of their reviews, that moderate slice of selfishness will be revisited. Gambhir clips his first ball off his legs... and gets four! That's cheered the Wankhede up a touch. Still, Sri Lanka went into the innings break with all the momentum, and they've roared into the second innings.
WICKET! Sehwag lbw Malinga 0Sehwag gone! You can hear a pin drop down Marine Drive. Malinga fires in a quick, straight one and Sehwag is caught back in his crease by the pace. The review takes its time but he was plumb as anything.
14.15 Well, that's how to bat. It wasn't a great start by Sri Lanka, and a billion people will have been licking their lips at the thought of setting their batsmen loose on a modest total. But first Sangakkara, then Jayawardene, and finally Kulasekara and Perera attached jump leads to the nipples of the innings, timing their charge to perfection, making full use of the Powerplay, and leaving India with an empty, deflated feeling as they walked off the field. Under normal circumstances, with the pitch remaining pretty good, you'd expect India to chase these. But it's under lights, against Sri Lanka's high-class bowling attack. Oh, and it's in a World Cup final. India will have to bat very, very, very well indeed to get these. I'm just going to nip away for about 10-15 minutes (India's abominable over rate cutting into my break time), but I'll leave you with one stat: Jayawardene's century was the sixth in a World Cup final. All five previous century-makers finished on the winning side. Also, nobody's ever chased this many to win a World Cup final. Two stats. And the highest successful chase at the Wankhede is just 229. Three. Three stats... I'll come in again.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "Rather be in the Sri Lanka camp. How to spoil a party involving a billion people...?" OVER 50: SL 274/6 Jayawardene 103 (88)* Perera 22 (9)*
Perera really gives the first ball some welly, but it goes straight to Kohli on the long-off boundary, and the batsmen jog a single. Jayawardene backs away, Zaheer follows him, and Jayawardene digs it out of the block hole and steers it down to short third man for another single. After getting burned in that last over, Zaheer's dealing almost exclusively in yorkers and low full tosses now, but Perera was expecting that one, and carves it through the covers for four! Top shot! Six off three balls so far... and another low full toss from Zaheer that Perera bunts over the head of mid-on for another four! Zaheer drags his length back, Perera swings it out to deep mid-wicket, and Jayawardene scrambles back to complete the second run! This really has been a super batting display by Sri Lanka. Last ball... and Perera smites it high over mid-wicket for six! Amazing! Eighteen off the over! Sixty-three off the Powerplay! Sri Lanka are right in this game! Perhaps even favourites! Jayawardene and Perera walk off to a... well, a fairly muted reception, to be honest. But how beautifully set up is this game now?
OVER 49: SL 256/6 Jayawardene 102* Perera 5*
Thisara Perera, a young, hard-hitting left-handed all-rounder, comes to the crease with Harbhajan to bowl. Jayawardene takes a single off the first, and Perera gets off the mark with a drilled single down to long off. Jayawardene flicks the ball to mid-wicket for another single, and then Perera swings his arms, smashing Harbhajan over the top and past long on for four runs! This is exemplary Powerplay batting by Sri Lanka, and a leg bye brings the total off the over to eight. Sri Lanka are closing in on a really strong total here, with one over left that Zaheer Khan will bowl.
OVER 48: WICKET! Kulasekara run out (Dhoni) 31 SL 248/6Kulasekara swings the first six of the final high over mid-wicket! That sailed a full 87 metres, straight into the crowd, and Zaheer pays for dishing up a length delivery at this stage. Kulasekara's played wonderfully well since coming in, and that boundary brings up the fifty partnership. A single down to mid-on brings Jayawardene back onto strike, and he gets lucky there! It's short, Jayawardene gloves his hook, and the ball flies just out of the reach of Dhoni for two runs! That takes him to 92, and then a beautiful upper cut over short third man takes him to 96! After eulogising Zaheer earlier, I've got to admit that this isn't the cleverest over from him. Length again, and Jayawardene swings him high over cover for four to reach his century! A glorious innings from Jayawardene, who came in with Sri Lanka in a real pickle but who has put them right in this final. He tries to keep the strike off the last ball as the ball flicks off his pad, and Kulasekara sacrifices himself as Dhoni's underarm throw hits the stumps! Kulasekara departs after a super partnership of 66 from 49 balls, but that over cost 17.
OVER 47: SL 231/5 Jayawardene 90* Kulasekara 25*
Short from Munaf, and Kulasekara hooks it away for his first boundary! It wasn't middled, but fine leg was in the circle and the man at deep square couldn't quite scuttle round in time. A single into the leg side, and then Jayawardene backs away and slashes over the slips for four! I suspect Jayawardene was trying to hit that a good deal squarer than he actually did, but with third man in the circle it was always a high-percentage shot. Munaf spots Kulasekara backing away, and follows him with a perfect leg-stump yorker that Kulasekara can only dig out. The last ball's a slower one, and Kulasekara's full-blooded slap trickles away for one. Eleven off the over.
OVER 46: SL 220/5 Jayawardene 85* Kulasekara 19*
Kulasekara tries to slog a short ball over square leg first up, he doesn't quite get all of it, and the ball loops up in the air and down to deep mid-wicket for one. Jayawardene with a more controlled pull for one, and then another single for Kulasekara as he backs away, Zaheer follows him, and he pulls it down to deep mid-wicket once more. A perfect yorker next up, with Jayawardene calmly digs out for a single. Still no immoderate aggression from these two, as Kulasekara pushes another single into the on-side. And that's a shot by Jayawardene! Zaheer strives for the yorker again, Jayawardene's waiting for it, and manages to steer it through the covers for four. And that, ladies and gentlemen, but especially you, Andy Flower, is how you take nine overs from a Powerplay over without going postal. Munaf to bowl.
OVER 45: SL 211/5 Jayawardene 79* Kulasekara 16*
Six off the over without too many qualms at all. What's been really surprising is the lack of really big shots so far. Jayawardene's been able to score at more or less a run a ball without a big slog over the top. It's all been timing and those deft little late cuts. A mature effort, but if Sri Lanka end up falling short you wonder whether they could have gone bigger earlier. They'll have to have a go now, though. It's batting Powerplay time, and Zaheer, you assume, is going to bowl three of those. What's a decent total? 250, I reckon, is still a minimum, but they must keep wickets in hand.
OVER 44: SL 205/5 Jayawardene 77* Kulasekara 12*
Kulasekara tries to pull a shorter delivery, miscues it and gets one. Wide and full from Munaf, and Jayawardene swings his arms and square drives it straight to Kohli at backward point... who lets the ball scoot under him! Four runs! India have fielded admirably so far, but that's a real howler by Kohli, who was just rising from his crouching stance just as the ball raced along the ground towards him. Another single dabbed down to third man, and it's six from the over. The ball's being changed again for some reason. Will Jayawardene take the Powerplay? No, he won't. Harbhajan to continue.
INDIA REVIEW (Kulasekara)
Wide from Munaf, cut by Kulasekara, and Dhoni is howling for a caught behind! Kohli's also up, but Munaf doesn't seem quite as convinced. Aleem Dar shook his head, but we're now watching from every angle... There's no visible deviation - there rarely ever is - but is that a slight noise as the stump microphones are turned up? Possibly, but can you give the batsman out on the strength of 'possibly'? Possibly not. Aleem Dar waves his arms for a dead ball, and the original not out decision stands. That's India's last review.
OVER 43: SL 199/5 Jayawardene 72* Kulasekara 11*
Harbhajan's continuing to wheel it in from around the wicket, trying to get the odd ball to bite. The pitch, by the way, is a wonderful colour. It's sort of a deep, darkish-brownish straw colour, or a particularly vivid shade of thick porridge. A typical Indian pitch like they used to make them. It's not Bhajji's best over, a little too short, and the batsmen can simply stand tall and nudge the ball off their pads. There's a wide somewhere in there as well, so the over costs seven. India won't really mind that at this stage. It's the really big overs, the twelves and fifteens, that they'll be keen to avoid.
OVER 42: SL 192/5 Jayawardene 69* Kulasekara 8*
What do you do if you're Mahela 'Woman' Jayawardene? Try and push things along a bit, risk getting out, and watching Sri Lanka crumble to 220? Or giving up their chance of a really challenging total in favour of staying in and making sure they have something halfway decent to defend? He's not going for it yet, Jayawardene, just taking a quick single off that over. Kulasekara nudges off his pads for two, Yuvraj with a fine piece of fielding on the long leg boundary. He then drives into the gap in the off-side and gets two more. Harbhajan's got three overs left, and he's going to bowl one of them now.
OVER 41: SL 186/5 Jayawardene 68* Kulasekara 3*
Yuvraj's final over goes for three runs, and despite really not bowling all that well, he's done the job expected of him, picking up two wickets and going for just 49 off his 10 overs. He's the sixth highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 15. What a World Cup he's had. Munaf replaces Zaheer.
Nick Hoult on Twitter: "How many wickets will Zaheer take in England next summer? Tough test for Cook" OVER 40: SL 183/5 Jayawardene 67* Kulasekara 1*
Kulasekara retains the strike with a single off the last ball of the over. Just to highlight the difference in speed, Zaheer's previous delivery to Jayawardene was 84.8mph. The slower ball that got Kapugedera was just 73.8mph. The change in action almost imperceptible. He's a master of his art, Zaheer, and he's proved it in the biggest match of his life. Ten overs to go. Yuvraj is going to bowl out here, and unsurprisingly there's still no sign of the Powerplay.
WICKET! SL 182/5 Kapugedera c Raina b Zaheer 1 (5) SL 182/5 Zaheer does it again! Stunning piece of deception, as Kapugedera lunges at a perfectly-disguised slower delivery and plops it straight into the hands of Raina at short extra cover! That's just a sensational delivery to bowl to a new batsman, and Sri Lanka are wobbling at just the wrong time. They've got a mighty long tail, as well, as Nuwan Kulasekara comes in at number seven. He's all right, but he's an eight or nine at best. Sri Lanka in danger of undoing a lot of their good work here.
OVER 39: SL 181/4 Jayawardene 66* Kapugedera 1*
Well, well. The immutable rule of the UDRS system is that you give Simon 'Corn Rows' Taufel the benefit of the doubt. This one, though, he appears to have gotten wrong. All the pressure on Jayawardene now as Kapugedera joins him at the wicket. A couple of singles and that wicket from Yuvraj's over.
WICKET! Samaraweera lbw b Yuvraj Singh 21 (34) SL 179/4Samaraweera gets down on the sweep, gets hit on the pad a long way across, and not out is the decision from Simon Taufel! Yuvraj is incensed, absolutely convinced that was dead in line, and bullies Dhoni into reviewing the decision. Here it comes... it was definitely hitting the stumps, but did Samaraweera gets his pad out of the line of off stump? He did, but the ball hit him on his thigh pad, which was in line! Decision overturned! Out!
OVER 38: SL 179/3 Jayawardene 65* Samaraweera 21*
Dhoni senses the game beginning to drift. He's a fairly proactive captain, not afraid to stir the pot. He brings Zaheer Khan back to try and snare a wicket and swing the game back India's way. Zaheer chucks down a marginal off-side wide to bring up the 50 partnership, before Jayawardene steps across his stumps and glides the ball deliciously fine for four! Dhoni could almost have reached it, but not quite. Eight from the over, a good one for Sri Lanka.
OVER 37: SL 171/3 Jayawardene 60* Samaraweera 19*
It might just be a trick of the light, but Yuvraj seems to be getting a little more bounce from this end. Jayawardene and Samaraweera mistime a few cuts, and there are only three runs off that over. Samaraweera keeps the strike with a single down the ground. A run a ball gets Sri Lanka to 249, eight an over gets them to 275. I reckon 260-270 sets this final up beautifully. Muralitharan to Tendulkar. Malinga to Sehwag. Delicious prospect. It's like the IPL with context.
Derek 'I coulda been a contender' Pringle on Twitter: "Dhoni trying Liquorice Allsorts approach to bowling changes" OVER 36: SL 168/3 Jayawardene 59* Samaraweera 17*
Yuvraj's lack of consistency is clearly so concerning Dhoni that he's trying to squeeze a few overs out of his part-timers. We've had a couple from Tendulkar, and now Virat Kohli trots in to bowl his medium pacers. The first one's a real loosener, wide of off stump, and Jayawardene can really swing his arms at it. Four runs! Six from the over. Yuvraj replaces Tendulkar at the other end.
OVER 35: SL 162/3 Jayawardene 54* Samaraweera 16*
Tendulkar may be able to move heaven and earth with a wave of his arm (or at the very least, get a decent table at dinner), but he can't stop this steady trickle of singles. Jayawardene mixes it up with a two off his pads, and Tendulkar chucks in a couple of wides to sweeten the pot. Already this partnership is worth 40, and Sri Lanka have rallied gamely since losing their captain. Now, remember the quiz question in over 30? England v New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1994? The answer is: there were two tosses - one real, one fake. Michael Atherton, flipped the coin, Ken Rutherford called right, and immediately decided to field. At which point someone from the BBC stepped in and said the toss had not been carried out correctly. Which, in his words, meant nobody had been filming it. Rutherford was having none of it, though, and a few minutes later the two captains carried out a fake toss for the TV cameras. Never let it be said you don't learn anything from this live blog. That's a valuable piece of information, that. Even if it's taken me 17 years to find an appropriate situation in which to deploy it.
OVER 34: SL 155/3 Jayawardene 50* Samaraweera 15*"Slightly concerned that there's an actual word for 'pretty young lady of 14/15' in Spanish!" writes Shafi Khan in Bedford. Well, just as the Eskimos have all these different words for 'snow', the Spanish have at least 50 different words for 'pretty young lady'. Pretty young ladies are the very fabric of their culture, in the same way that milky tea is for us. Four! Jayawardene premeditates the paddle sweep and gets away with it, lapping Yuvraj very fine. Samaraweera then with a more conventional sweep for one, before Jayawardene brings up his fifty with another swept single. Just 49 balls for that. What a fine innings it's been. He'll need to stay there, though, if Sri Lanka are to get to 250.
OVER 33: SL 148/3 Jayawardene 44* Samaraweera 14*
Here's a ridiculous statistic for you. Sachin Tendulkar's bowling may be the cricketing equivalent of Nando's house wine, but when you spend as long in the game as Tendulkar has, you do pick up a few wickets along the way. To be exact, 154. Now, here's the ridiculous statistic: if Tendulkar were English, that would put him fourth on the list of all time one-day wicket-takers. It would go Gough, Anderson, Flintoff, Tendulkar. Crazy. Of course, if Tendulkar actually were English, he wouldn't have made his debut until he was about 26, and he would have played about 15 Tests before being dropped in favour of a more athletic fielder. It's not a bad over, actually, a wide amid it, but precious little to hit.
OVER 32: SL 143/3 Jayawardene 42* Samaraweera 12*
Both these batsmen look in fine touch, the odd mini-scare notwithstanding. Yuvraj simply hasn't hit a consistent length at any stage of his spell, and these two can simply come right forward and drive into the gap, or rock back and knock the ball away for one. Four from the over, and we've got a new bowler. The crowd roars as the stadium announcer reads out the name of Sachin Sewards Tendulkar.
INDIA REVIEW (Samaraweera)
Samaraweera sweeps, the ball pops up into the air, Dhoni takes the catch, and there's a huge appeal from the crowd! Yuvraj seems less sure, but after a few moments' consideration, Dhoni calls for the review. Aleem Dar gave it not out pretty much instantly, but it looks pretty close on the replay... The ball definitely hit the pad and ballooned upwards, but whether it caught glove, arm or bat on the way upwards, it's impossible to tell. Not out, therefore, is the only decision that can be made. Only Samaraweera knows whether he hit that, and he's not telling. India lose a review. It was their 15th review of the tournament, and only three of those have been successful.
OVER 31: SL 139/3 Jayawardene 40* Samaraweera 10*Super shot by Jayawardene! He gets a bit of width from Sreesanth, but doesn't try and hit the cover off the ball like Sangakkara did, but simply guides it into the gap, and it has enough pace on it to run away through backward point for four runs. Peter Rowntree writes in on the subject of dodgy translations: "When I first came to live in Colombia, before my Spanish was fluent I used to pick up words in conversations so I could join in. One evening, having a beer with my family in Neiva, I heard them talking about sardines - 'sardinas'. So I said that sardines on toast was one of my favourite snacks. My wife, daughter and son-in-law collapsed into hysterics. 'Sardinas' here has a second meaning - it means a pretty young lady of, say, 14 or 15 years of age."
OVER 30: SL 132/3 Jayawardene 34* Samaraweera 9*
A run a ball from here gets Sri Lanka to 254. Yuvraj continues after drinks. Now, a quiz question for you on the subject of the toss. What was unusual about the toss between England and New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1994? I'll give you a few overs to think about that one. Samaraweera unloads the late cut again! Four runs! It was short again from Yuvraj, who's bowled rather poorly so far, I reckon. But that boundary is the only scoring shot of the over. Reeshi Biswas requests the teams. Sorry, that was an oversight. I'll stick the teams in at the bottom of the page.
OVER 29: SL 128/3 Jayawardene 34* Samaraweera 5*That's quite a way to get off the mark! Just a fraction back of a length from Sreesanth, and Samaraweera guides it through the slips for four! No slip, so it was a fairly safe shot, but he did well to get it fine enough to beat Yuvraj at third man. Dhoni responds by bringing a slip in. Samaraweera takes a simple single into the off-side. "'The great Mahela'," writes Rahul Nayyar. "You say that to any Indian and he’ll think you said 'the great woman'. Mahela is woman in Hindi." Rolls Royce once produced a car called the 'Silver Mist'. It sold fairly well around the world, but to their bafflement, it hardly sold at all in Germany. Then somebody noticed that in German, 'Mist' means 'manure'. The name was swiftly changed to 'Silver Shadow'. I've got a whole well of dodgy translation stories. I'll wheel a couple of them out if we hit another lull. Drinks.
OVER 28: SL 122/3 Jayawardene 33* Samaraweera 0*
You rarely see much emotion from Sangakkara, but you could see he was absolutely distraught after that wicket. His eyes shot to the heavens and he trudged back to the pavilion remonstrating with himself fiercely. Samaraweera the new batsman, and Sreesanth's going to be brought back to replace Harbhajan.
WICKET! Sangakkara c Dhoni b Yuvraj 48 (67) SL 122/3What a disaster for Sri Lanka! Their captain, strangled by Yuvraj! What a horrible dismissal for Sangakkara. It was a long hop outside off stump from Yuvraj, and you could see Sangakkara's eyes lighting up like Belisha beacons as he lined up the cut. In a fraction of a second though, there was a tiny click of wood and Dhoni was throwing the ball in the air in delight. Just three balls earlier, he had played a terrific shot, threaded through the mid-wicket gap for four. It's all for naught now, though. Crucial breakthrough for India!
OVER 27: SL 114/2 Sangakkara 41* Jayawardene 32*
Big turn for Bhajji! Tossed up invitingly by Harbhajan, like a pork pie on a string, but it rips off the surface, beating Sangakkara's expansive lofted drive. That was too hot for Dhoni as well, who fumbles the take. Oooh and aaahs (mostly ooohs, to be honest) from the crowd. And now Jayawardene almost goes! He tries the late cut, the ball spins sharply from around the wicket, and that's missed off stump by the width of a garlic naan bread. Jayawardene connects with the late cut off the last ball of the over, Tendulkar sprawling on the boundary to keep them down to two.
OVER 26: SL 111/2 Sangakkara 40* Jayawardene 30*
Another full toss from Yuvraj, but Jayawardene can't put it away, finding the man at long-on and getting just one. That's better, though! Just a little width from Yuvraj, and Jayawardene waits for it before dabbing it away for four through third man! That brings up the 50 stand in just 56 balls.
OVER 25: SL 105/2 Sangakkara 39* Jayawardene 25*
Oh dear, Michael Vaughan. He's just tweeted something that would be more becoming of a 13-year-old boy than England's most successful ever captain. Suffice it to say that it exploits the second, more licentious understanding of the word 'toss', which he has juxtaposed with the name of the stadium (the Wankhede) to produce something we may as well call 'humour'. Jayawardene turns a leg-stump delivery from Harbhajan just wide of leg slip. Sangakkara then gets a single behind square on the leg side that turns into two when Yuvraj's throw hits the stumps and dribbles away into the outfield. Five from the over, and at the halfway stage Sri Lanka are probably around 20 or 30 runs short of where they'd want to be, but still have wickets in hand.
OVER 24: SL 100/2 Sangakkara 36* Jayawadene 23*
A tighter over from Yuvraj, although he gets away with a horrible full-toss on leg-stump that Sangakkara belts straight at long-on for a single. He does bring up Sri Lanka's hundred, though, with a well-balanced cut for two runs. Just what Sri Lanka needed, this partnership. It's now worth 40 off 45 balls. You feel, though, that these two have to stay in for a while if they're going to get Sri Lanka to a defendable total.
OVER 23: SL 96/2 Sangakkara 33* Jayawardene 22*
It's all gone a little bit quiet at Mumbai. Whether that's because Sri Lanka have had a good few overs or because it's happy hour at the bar, I'm not too sure. Harbhajan's over goes for two runs.
OVER 22: SL 94/2 Sangakkara 32* Jayawardene 21*
Now, this has the feel of a crucial point in the game. Yuvraj Singh, India's fifth bowler, comes into the attack, and he's had a superb tournament with the ball. But Sangakkara lays into him immediately! Tried to smear him over mid-wicket, but miscued it for one. A couple more singles, and then Jayawardene seizes on another slightly short delivery, and sends it crashing over mid-wicket for four runs! Eight from the over, and a real statement of intent from these two. If Dhoni can't get 10 overs out of Yuvraj, he's in a world of trouble, as he'll then have to turn to the real part-timers to make up the shortfall. That means Sehwag and Raina. Or what price a match-winning five-fer for Tendulkar?
OVER 21: SL 86/2 Sangakkara 30* Jayawardene 15*
Sangakkara almost comes unstuck as he tries to use his feet against Harbhajan. He gets rapped on the pad, dead straight, probably in line as well. Big appeal, but Simon Taufel's not going to touch that with a 22-yard bargepole, not with Sangakkara so far down the pitch. The next one he does connect with though, placing it expertly in between the two men in the leg-side deep, and getting two runs for it.
OVER 20: SL 83/2 Sangakkara 27* Jayawardene 15*
No slip! Four more to Jayawardene! Sreesanth returns, steam pouring forth from his ears and sparks flying from his heels, and Jayawardene plays it away very fine with an angled bat and a craftsman's touch. Sreesanth finishes the over well, though, with three dot balls. Six runs from the over, and it's going to be Harbhajan to continue.
OVER 19: SL 77/2 Sangakkara 26* Jayawardene 10*
Good singles from these two, before Jayawardene plunges a left boot down the pitch and thumps Harbhajan through the covers for four! Excellent shot, and the crowd is momentarily silenced. Another single through square leg, and then Sangakkara drives very sketchily indeed, and edges just wide of slip! Harbhajan lets out a yelp of dismay as the ball runs away for four runs. Twelve off the over for Sri Lanka, and that will go down like a cold glass of Chardonnay on a very hot day.
The Analyst on Twitter: "Very worried about Sri Lanka after number four. Huge pressure on Sangakkara. They need 250-plus." OVER 18: SL 65/2 Sangakkara 20* Jayawardene 4*
Another exemplary over from Munaf. The next 10 overs, you feel, are absolutely crucial for Sri Lanka. Lose another couple of wickets and it could be a very, very long evening for them. But there are gaps in the field, so these two will be able to manipulate the ball around for ones and twos without taking too many risks. Jayawardene turns his wrists on a fairly straight delivery to send it through mid-wicket for two.
OVER 17: SL 63/2 Sangakkara 20* Jayawardene 2*
It's down to these two, then. Whisper it, but India are putting in a champion's performance so far. Harbhajan's really enjoying himself now, tossing it up, teasing the batsmen from around the wicket. Jayawardene gets off the mark with a couple of singles.
WICKET! Dilshan b Harbhajan 33 (49) SL 60/2Huge wicket at a crucial time for India! Someone guard the TV in the dressing room, Dilshan's going to be livid with himself. It was a leg-sidish delivery from Harbhajan on a decent length, Dilshan got down on one knee and tried to give it the old heave-ho around the corner, got some glove on it, the ball cannoned onto his thigh, and rattled into the stumps! Dilshan bowls himself around his legs, if you can process such an image. Just when Sri Lanka were starting to think about making a move. Jayawardene - the great Mahela - makes his entrance.
OVER 16: SL 60/1
Patel continues to cramp up the Sri Lankans with a tight line. Dilshan just continues to find the fielders. He does pass 500 runs for the tournament, though, with a single. He's top scorer in the tournament so far, with a certain S Tendulkar lurking on 464.
OVER 15: SL 58/1
Right, here's Harbhajan. The Wankhede curator called this pitch a 'slow turner' yesterday so he could play a key role this arvo. Dilshan and Sangakkara are pretty good players of spin though, and they see off a good first over with a couple of singles.
OVER 14: SL 56/1
Can you get a man-of-the-match award for fielding alone? Yuvraj is at it again. Sangakkara cuts uppishly and the tiger-like Yuvvie pounces and even looks to flick the ball back to Sangakkara who is edging out of his crease. India are well on top, but Sri Lanka have pushed their run rate to four per over. Not bad going. Drinks are on.
OVER 13: SL 54/1
So, after 11 overs of dives, sprawls and lavish stretches from the spirited Indians, Sangakkara goes aerial. A deliciously lofted on-drive, a slight flick of his left leg giving the shot an air of class. It's successive fours as Sreesanth fails to stop a straight drive. The pressure is on Sreesanth though. He gets an official warning from Taufel for planting his right foot down the middle of the track and then sends in a no-ball for good measure. The free hit proves costly for India, Dilshan unwinds and edges a streaky four. Costly stuff.
OVER 12: SL 39/1
Oh, that was pure class. Patel bowls a touch full and Sangakkara is virtually on one knee and driving through extra cover for four. He splits the five-man cover field, too. Dilshan 26* Sangakkara 7*
OVER 11: SL 34/1
Sreesanth replaces Zaheer now and it's a decent over, too. Full length and Sangakkara is content to punch to mid on and off. Looks classy but he will want to up his run rate, which currently standa at three runs from 14 balls.
Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "Sangakarra has stuffed Dhoni... He shouted tails in the first toss and lost it. You can hear it in on air..." OVER 10: SL 31/1
My, India's fielders are up for this. I reckon they've saved five certain boundaries. There's Yuvraj at point again with a full-length mid-air dive to stop a Dilshan cut. Then, when Dilshan does get Patel away for two, Sangakkara puts in a full-stretch forward dive to prevent four.
OVER 9: SL 28/1
Here's Zaheer again and Dilshan and Sangakkara finally put the dot ball merchant in the shade with three scoring strokes off his first three balls. Lots of bat on ball and the Sri Lankan skipper looks in good nick.
OVER 8: SL 24/1
Munaf Patel replaces Sreesanth and he's cramping the Lankan duo straight away. Dilshan cuts on his fifth delivery and it flashes to third man, but there's Zaheer, running and diving on the ropes to stop a certain four.
Mihir Vasavda emails: "Zaheer in 2003 final vs Australia: 3 overs for 28. Eight years on vs SL: 3 overs, 3 maidens. Mature." What more to say, it's been a sensational start from him. OVER 7: SL 19/1
Sangakkara is off the mark on his first ball with a dab and run. Did Zaheer drop his shoulders in disappointment there? That's the first run off him. His figures? 4-3-2-1.
WICKET! Tharanga c Sehwag b Zaheer 2 SL 17/1Can there have been a better start in a World Cup final? Zaheer has bowled 18 dot balls and first delivery of his fourth over sees Tharanga edge to slip. Brilliant bowling.
OVER 6: SL 17/0
As expected, Dilshan opens his arms and plants Sreesanth's first delivery over midwicket for four. Too short. Two balls later and Sreesanth is short again, and wide, as Dilshan cuts hard for another four. Dilshan 12* Tharanga 2*
OVER 5: SL 9/0
Zaheer is right on the money. On another day the Lankans might well be 25/0. They are middling everything but there is an Indian in the way every time. Notably Yuvraj at point. Zaheer sends down another maiden. That's 18 dot deliveries. Pressure is mounting on the opening pair, so expect fireworks in the next over.
OVER 4: SL 9/0
Sreesanth is like a stray Mumbai dog on heat out there. Lots of pats and hair-pulls by his team-mates as they try and settle him down. It seems to work as he produces a sound over, Tharanga and Dilshan taking a single apiece. Dhoni has got his field placings spot on, though.
OVER 3: SL 7/0
Sreesanth's high blood pressure is mirrored by Zaheer's calm exterior. Tharanga middles pretty much everything in the over but it's a maiden as Yuvraj makes a couple of sprawling stops at point. Right, early prediction times. Looking at the surface, I reckon 270-plus is a minimum.
"Oh god oh god oh god HAS ANYONE won BATTING SECOND IN A WORLD CUP FINAL?" missives Rahul Nayyar. Have faith Rahul, have faith. OVER 2: SL 7/0
Well, well. The mop-haired Sreesanth, who hasn't played cricket for 42 days, is straight into the attack. And the volatile quick gets stuck in immediately with an enormous LBW shout. Classic Sreesanth really, knees bent, slightly crouched, two hands raised and an elongated appeal at the umps. Note: the delivery was going way down the leg and Aleem Dar tells him to calm it down a tad. Meanwhile, Dilshan is looking to get bat on ball and finds two through the covers.
OVER 1: SL 2/0
The Wankhede's ready. We're ready. Zaheer Khan is ready. Let's go then. The left-armer is into Tharanga who dead bats it down. Zaheer then sends in a snorter of a delivery, just angling away from Tharanga's blade. Close. A bye and a leg bye bring the first runs of this all-Asian final. But a quiet start all round.
SRI LANKA WIN THE TOSS AND WILL BAT
Sri Lanka: W U Tharanga, T M Dilshan, K C Sangakkara (Capt, Wkt), D P M D Jayawardene, T T Samaraweera, C K Kapugedera, N L T C Perera, K M D N Kulasekara, S L Malinga, S Randiv, M Muralitharan.
India: V Sehwag, S R Tendulkar, G Gambhir, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, M S Dhoni (Capt, Wkt), S K Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, S Sreesanth, M M Patel.
09.50: India's injured left-arm pace bowler Ashish Nehra has been replaced by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth. Sri Lanka make four changes, selecting Thisara Perera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara and Chamara Kapugedera in place of Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath and Chamara Silva.
09.30: "IT'S TOSS TIME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," booms Ravi Shastri. MS Dhoni flicks and... a pause. More pause. The captains look at each other. Ravi and the match official look at each other. Amazing! They decide to retoss. Dhoni couldn't hear Sangakkara's call. "The reason was the noise," reveals Rav.
09.00: Here are some of today's front page headlines from India ahead of the big one. The Times of India goes with 'A nation holds its breath', 'Nerves key in battle of equals' in the Hindustan Times, the Deccan Herald plumps for 'Saturday night fever', while DNA goes for a slightly weird one - 'There will be blood'.
And why not read...
SIMON HUGHES: India's bowlers hold key against Sri Lanka
SHANE WARNE: nothing but admiration for formidable Murali
DEREK PRINGLE: Tendulkar can achieve deserving double
GEOFF BOYCOTT: his verdict on India and Sri Lanka players
08.45: Good morning one and all. What a day we have in store, hey? The first all-Asian final, Tendulkar on 99 tons, Murali playing his last ODI. There are so many sub-plots to this final that it surely can't end a damp squib. Can it? We will find out when the action starts at 10am.
One thing's for certain. Whatever happens today, the World Cup wil be lifted by a host nation for the first time. Does this also lead us to favour Sri Lanka slightly? They are very much the co-hosts rather than the main men of Mumbai. Here's Simon Briggs with the lowdown on how things might pan out.
-----
Mumbai’s make-up
Let’s look at the last five one-day internationals played at the Wankhede Stadium, which takes us back to the turn of the millennium. I’m not counting the New Zealand v Canada procession two weeks ago, though I am counting Andrew Flintoff’s memorable performance in 2003, when he wrapped up a drawn one-day series (a rare feat for England) by castling Javagal Srinath, pulling his shirt off, and waving it around his head.
Anyway, back to business. The team batting first has won three of these matches and lost two, which is encouraging, as it suggests that the final won’t be decided at the toss. The range of first-innings scores extends from 286 to 193 (both made by Australia, as it happens), with the average being 244. And the average score after 15 overs is 84 for 2, so this is not a ground where teams have been able to go ballistic with the bat. At least, not without coming horribly unstuck.
Where the final will be won and lost
Each side will be scanning the other for weak points. For India, the second-string bowling is a potential Achilles heel, while both teams have potentially brittle lower orders. As Suresh Raina showed yesterday, a late 30 or 40 could well prove decisive in the long run.
Pointers
India have lost just three of their last 18 ODIs against Sri Lanka on home soil. Mahela Jayawardene has struggled in Indian conditions, averaging just 19.6 in 16 innings.
The big two
We’ve heard a lot about Messrs Tendulkar and Muralitharan, so who is going to come out on top? Well, both men raise their games for the World Cup, as these numbers show. But Muralitharan actually dips a little in tournament finals, either through weariness or because he is up against better teams, who have perhaps got used to his unique method. Tendulkar seems to thrive on any kind of pressure, so perhaps he can reverse the Indian tendency to underperform at the crucial moment.
Muralitharan
ODIs: 534 wkts at 23.00. World Cup: 68 wkts at 19.05. Tournament finals: 49 wkts at 24.48.
Tendulkar
ODIs: 18093 runs at 45.23. World Cup: 2260 runs at 57.94. Tournament finals: 1833 runs at 55.54.
The pitch
Batting first is the best option – 11 of the 17 games at Mumbai have been won by runs rather than wickets. 250 is a minimum score on a good surface, while organisers will minimise the impact of evening dew by spraying a chemical on the outfield. The Wankhede curator said yesterday that it would be a 'slow turner' but a run-filled wicket. The side batting second, though, would be in for a tough chase with excessive dew a concern.
Scorecard | Commentary | Wickets | Partnerships Table | Player v player | Over comparison | Career averages | Report | Article index (36) | Photo index (120) | Hawk-Eye | Wagon wheel | Worm | Manhattan | Extras Pie | Wickets Pie | Player v/s Player | Type of Runs | Run rate | Partnerships
- ODI no. 3148 | 2010/11 season
- Played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- 2 April 2011 - day/night (50-over match)
| Sri Lanka innings (50 overs maximum) | R | M | B | 4s | 6s | SR | ||
 | WU Tharanga | c Sehwag b Khan | 2 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 10.00 |
| TM Dilshan | b Harbhajan Singh | 33 | 87 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 67.34 |
| KC Sangakkara*† | c †Dhoni b Yuvraj Singh | 48 | 102 | 67 | 5 | 0 | 71.64 |
| DPMD Jayawardene | not out | 103 | 159 | 88 | 13 | 0 | 117.04 | |
| TT Samaraweera | lbw b Yuvraj Singh | 21 | 53 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 61.76 |
| CK Kapugedera | c Raina b Khan | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| KMDN Kulasekara | run out (†Dhoni) | 32 | 41 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 106.66 |
| NLTC Perera | not out | 22 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 244.44 | |
| Extras | (b 1, lb 3, w 6, nb 2) | 12 | ||||||
 | ||||||||
| Total | (6 wickets; 50 overs; 246 mins) | 274 | (5.48 runs per over) | |||||
| Did not bat SL Malinga, S Randiv, M Muralitharan |
| Fall of wickets1-17 (Tharanga, 6.1 ov), 2-60 (Dilshan, 16.3 ov), 3-122 (Sangakkara, 27.5 ov), 4-179 (Samaraweera, 38.1 ov), 5-182 (Kapugedera, 39.5 ov), 6-248 (Kulasekara, 47.6 ov) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |||
| Z Khan | 10 | 3 | 60 | 2 | 6.00 | (1w) | |
| S Sreesanth | 8 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 6.50 | (2nb) | ||
| MM Patel | 9 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 4.55 | (1w) | ||
| Harbhajan Singh | 10 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 5.00 | (1w) | |
| Yuvraj Singh | 10 | 0 | 49 | 2 | 4.90 | ||
| SR Tendulkar | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 6.00 | (3w) | ||
| V Kohli | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6.00 |
| India innings (target: 275 runs from 50 overs) | R | M | B | 4s | 6s | SR | ||
| V Sehwag | lbw b Malinga | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| SR Tendulkar | c †Sangakkara b Malinga | 18 | 21 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 128.57 |
| G Gambhir | b Perera | 97 | 187 | 122 | 9 | 0 | 79.50 |
| V Kohli | c & b Dilshan | 35 | 69 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 71.42 |
| MS Dhoni*† | not out | 91 | 128 | 79 | 8 | 2 | 115.18 | |
| Yuvraj Singh | not out | 21 | 39 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 87.50 | |
| Extras | (b 1, lb 6, w 8) | 15 | ||||||
| ||||||||
| Total | (4 wickets; 48.2 overs; 230 mins) | 277 | (5.73 runs per over) | |||||
| Did not bat SK Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, MM Patel, S Sreesanth |
| Fall of wickets1-0 (Sehwag, 0.2 ov), 2-31 (Tendulkar, 6.1 ov), 3-114 (Kohli, 21.4 ov), 4-223 (Gambhir, 41.2 ov) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |||
| SL Malinga | 9 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 4.66 | (2w) | |
| KMDN Kulasekara | 8.2 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 7.68 | |||
| NLTC Perera | 9 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 6.11 | (2w) | |
| S Randiv | 9 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 4.77 | |||
| TM Dilshan | 5 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 5.40 | (1w) | |
| M Muralitharan | 8 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 4.87 | (1w) |
| Match details |
| Toss Sri Lanka, who chose to bat Series India won the 2010/11 ICC Cricket World Cup |
| Player of the match MS Dhoni (India) Player of the series Yuvraj Singh (India) |
| Umpires Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and SJA Taufel (Australia) TV umpire IJ Gould (England) Match referee JJ Crowe (New Zealand) Reserve umpire SJ Davis (Australia) |
| Match notes |
 Welcome to the home of cricket on the internet. Cricinfo offers users the most comprehensive live coverage of international and domestic cricket available ...
Cricket is a leading wireless carrier, offering affordable wireless phone plans with unlimited minutes and no signed contract.
The paler strip is the cricket pitch. The two sets of three wooden stumps on the pitch are the wickets. The two white lines are the creases. ...
After more than three years and USD 100 million in investment, the official opening tomorrow of the 25000 seat cricket stadium at Dubai Sports City has been ...
 .jpg)                                                                        .jpg) .jpg)                     .jpg)                  .jpg) .jpg)  .jpg)                                                   .jpg)           .png) .jpg)    .jpg)  .jpg)          .jpg)      Live scorecard Day 4 Pics Day 4 Report Rangana Herath struck early on Day 5 to dismiss Phil Hughes for 126, picking up his fourth wicket. Australia were 220/4, leading by 63 runs. Photo Gallery TT vs RUH Sep 19, 2011 SL v AUS, 3rd Test: Day 4 Pics In the News KKR fightback to clinch thriller Kolkata Knight Riders produced a stunning comeback to get back into the game and clinch a 2 run victory off the last ball. Scorecard Match Report KKR have lessons to learn from win Yusuf eyes CL T20 for India comeback Ganga takes T&T to victory Sherwin Ganga hit 39 off just 15 balls while Bravo hit 44 to take Trinidad to a 5-wicket win over Ruhuna with 7 balls to spare. Scorecard Match Report in Pics Our strong point is batting: Udawatte Ruhuna can do well in CL T20: Jayasuriya BCCI terminates Kochi franchise The franchise has promised to fight the BCCI legally after being terminated over alleged unpaid bank guarantees of 156 crores. No post-mortem of England tour: Srinivasan BCCI defends ICC awards no-show N Srinivasan is new BCCI president BCCI rejects DRS in its current form BCCI AGM full coverage... Kapil wants Kumble as Chief Selector We were low on confidence in England: Ashwin England complete summer of triumph Editorial: The Rahul Dravid journey in ODIs Straight drive is my favourite shot: Sachin Lack of co-ordination cost India: Kapil Dev Afridi may comeback after Waqar exit Uncertainty over Sachin Tendulkar's availability Amir confesses to his involvement in spot-fixing Fixtures & Results Fixtures Results Ireland vs Canada , 8th ODI ICC Intercontinental Cup One-Day 2011-2013 Tue, Sep 20 2011, 15:00 Castle Avenue, Dublin Trinidad and Tobago vs Leicestershire , 3rd Match Champions League T20 2011 Qualifiers Tue, Sep 20 2011, 16:00 Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad Somerset vs Auckland , 4th Match Champions League T20 2011 Qualifiers Tue, Sep 20 2011, 20:00 Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad Latest News << Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next >> Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Preview: Auckland vs Somerset, CLT20 Qualifiers Bangalore, Tue, Sep 20 2011 Auckland will have to pick themselves up after a morale-sapping loss to Kolkata, while Somerset also have to deal with missing some of their top stars. Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) KKR have lessons to learn from the win Hyderabad, Mon, Sep 19 2011 Jacques Kallis said KKR had made mistakes in the field and there were lessons to be learned after their narrow 2-run win over Auckland. Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) KKR edge Auckland in thriller Bangalore, Mon, Sep 19 2011 The Kolkata Knight Riders emerged triumphant in a low-scoring thriller that went down to the last ball against Auckland. Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Preview: T&T v LEIC, CL T20 Qualifiers Bangalore, Tue, Sep 20 2011 Trinidad and Tobago will be facing a tougher challenge when they take on Leicestershire, who would be determined to keep the Caribbean side off the CL. Read More.. Kapil wants Kumble as Chief Selector New Delhi, Mon, Sep 19 2011 Kapil Dev also added that the decision to extend K Srikkanth's term was unnecessary and that the selctors should not be held responsible for India's WC win or the debacle in England. Read More.. ICC Awards 2011 (Full Coverage) BCCI defends ICC awards no-show Mumbai, Mon, Sep 19 2011 New BCCI President N Srinivasan claimed that the only formal invitations the ICC sent were to himself and Shashank Manohar and not to the Indian Team. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) No post-mortem of England tour: Srinivasan Mumbai, Mon, Sep 19 2011 The new BCCI president N Srinivasan said that there wouldn't be a post-mortem of the Indian team's dismal tour of England, and ruled out an excess of cricket as a possible reason for the performance. Read More.. BCCI AGM 2011 (Full Coverage) BCCI rejects DRS in its current form Mumbai, Mon, Sep 19 2011 Srinivasan said the failure of the Hot spot technology in recent technology has convinced them to reject the technology in its current form and the matter will be raised at ICC meetings. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) We were low on confidence in England: Ashwin Chennai, Mon, Sep 19 2011 To be frank, the confidence level was low. But I can say that the team fought to win every match even more than it had during the World Cup. Everybody competed fiercely: Ashwin. Read More.. BCCI AGM 2011 (Full Coverage) N Srinivasan takes over as BCCI president New Delhi, Mon, Sep 19 2011 Srinivasan announced soon after his appointment as the BCCI president that a committee has been formed by the governing body to look into India's debacle at England. BCCI AGM 2011 (Full Coverage) BCCI terminates Kochi franchise Mumbai, Mon, Sep 19 2011 The BCCI decided to terminate the Kochi franchise due to an unpaid bank guarantee of 156 crores, but the franchise said it would fight the BCCI in court. Read More.. Sri Lanka press for win despite Hughes ton COLOMBO (AFP), Mon, Sep 19 2011 Sri Lanka kept their hopes alive of securing a series-levelling win over Australia in the final Test in Colombo on Monday, despite an unbeaten century from opener Phil Hughes. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed all three wickets as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, ended the fourth day's play at 209-3 in their second knock at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Read More.. PCB wants meet with BCCI on Indo-Pak cricket Lahore, Mon, Sep 19 2011 Our policy on resuming bilateral cricket ties with India would only be made once we get a formal invitation from the Indians for a meeting or for next year's series in India: PCB COO Subhan Ahmad. Read More.. BCCI AGM 2011 (Full Coverage) Amarnath to replace Yashpal as selector New Delhi, Mon, Sep 19 2011 Krishnamachari Srikkanth will have his term extended for another year while the rest of the committee including Narendra Hirwani (Central Zone), Raja Venkat (East) and Surendra Bhave (West) will also be retained. Read More.. BCCI AGM 2011 (Full Coverage) Jagdale set to become new BCCI secretary Mumbai, Sun, Sep 18 2011 The former Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Sanjay Jagdale has also served as a national selector. Read More.. Pakistan complete Zimbabwe clean-sweep HARARE (AFP), Mon, Sep 19 2011 Pakistan completed a clean sweep of Zimbabwe by winning the second and final Twenty20 international by five runs at the Harare Sports Club. Read More.. Dhoni climbs to 6th in ODI rankings Dubai, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Rahul Dravid signed off his illustrious one-day career at 118th spot, according to the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Preview: Auckland vs KKR, CLT20 Qualifiers Bangalore, Mon, Sep 19 2011 With the format for the qualifiers allowing few second chances to teams, each match is doubly important and both Auckland and Kolakta Knight Riders will be treating it as such. Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Ruhuna can do well in CL T20: Jayasuriya Hyderabad, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Sanath Jayasuriya conceded that Ruhuna Eleven are the underdogs but said they are determined for a good show in the Champions League. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Our strong point is batting: Udawatte Hyderabad, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Ruhuna will be banking on the experience of Sanath Jayasuriya while Trinidad and Tobago will look to play as a national team. Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Preview: T&T v RUH, CL T20 qualifiers Bangalore, Mon, Sep 19 2011 The match will be a hard-fought affair between both sides as a single loss would hamper their chances of booking a berth for the main event starting from the 23rd of September. Read More.. Straight drive is my favourite shot: Sachin Ranchi, Sun, Sep 18 2011 The straight drive back past the bowler is one of the classiest shots in cricket and none plays it better than Sachin Tendulkar Read More.. Lack of co-ordination cost India: Kapil Dev New Delhi, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Kapil Dev said that lack of proper rest after WC and going in with only 4 bowlers were the main reasons for the humiliation in England. Read More.. Flower praises amazing Bairstow London, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Jonny Baistow stunned the Indians with a quickfire 41 off just 21 balls to propel England to a 3-0 whitewash of the visitors. Read More.. Srinivasan to take over as BCCI chief Mumbai, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Srinivasan is the president of the Tamil Nadu cricket association (TNCA) and will have the tough task of getting the injury ravaged team back on track Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Excited to be playing in India: Razzaq Lahore, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq feels that playing in the upcoming T20 tournament will prove to be a gateway for participating in the IPL Read More.. Afridi may comeback after Waqar exit Karachi, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Shahid Afridi had retired from all forms of the game after some serious differences with coach Waqar Younis, following his removal from the captaincy Read More.. Playing with Dravid was a learning experience: Tait Kolkata, Sat, Sep 17 2011 Shaun Tait, who shared the Rajasthan Royals dressing room with Rahul Dravid, stated that the retired ODI batsman was one of the toughest to bowl at. Read More.. Sri Lanka reply strongly to Australia's 316 COLOMBO (AFP), Sun, Sep 18 2011 Kumar Sangakkara hit an unbeaten 61 in his 100th Test as Sri Lanka responded bravely to Australia's 316 in the third and final game of the series in Colombo on Saturday. Sri Lanka, seeking a series-levelling win, closed the second day at 166-2 in their first innings after a batting masterclass from Michael Hussey had steered the tourists out of trouble at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Read M Latest News << Previous 2 3 4 5 6 Next >> Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Uncertainty over Sachin Tendulkar's availability Chennai, Sat, Sep 17 2011 Mumbai Indians coach, Robin Singh said his team would still do well if Sachin is ruled out while adding that Harbhajan Singh will definitely play. Read More.. Sri Lanka begin well in reply to Aussies' 316 COLOMBO (AFP), Sat, Sep 17 2011 Sri Lanka made a steady start in reply to Australia's 316 in the third and final Test in Colombo on Saturday, reaching 86 for one by tea on the second day. The hosts, seeking a series-levelling win, began slowly as the left-handed opening pair of Tharanga Paranavitana and Lahiru Thirimanne took 25 overs to put on 56 on the board. Read More.. Amir confesses to his involvement in spot-fixing: Report Karachi, Sat, Sep 17 2011 Amir apparently submitted his written confession during a hearing at the Southwark Crown Court in London, as he was asked by his lawyers to plead guilty. Read More.. India drop to 5th in ODI rankings Dubai, Sun, Sep 18 2011 In contrast, England have gained a place moving to fourth position in the ICC ODI rankings for teams. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Bairstow is a good find: Cook Cardiff, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Cook was overtly delighted at the discovery of a young talent in Jonny Bairstow who made his side's difficult chase an easy one. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Munaf suffers suspected ankle injury Cardiff, Sat, Sep 17 2011 Munaf fell on the ground while chasing the ball during the fifth and final one-dayer against England. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Injuries played huge part in Eng debacle: Dhoni Cardiff, Sun, Sep 18 2011 "I have not seen so many injuries in the last five years. To see 9-11 players get injured in one series has been shocking," the Indian skipper said. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) England complete summer of triumph Bangalore, Sun, Sep 18 2011 India's abject tour ended with another defeat, while England completed a remarkable summer with a victory in the final ODI. Read More.. Hafeez leads Pakistan to 85-run victory HARARE (AFP), Fri, Sep 16 2011 Pakistan stamped their authority over Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Friday, winning the first of two Twenty20 matches by a huge 85 runs. Mohammad Hafeez was the star of the show, scoring 71 before taking four wickets. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Somewhere, I belong Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 He started off as a misfit in ODI cricket, but over the course of a career that has brought well over 10,000 ODI runs, Rahul Dravid has shown he has belonged in ODI cricket, says Ajith. Latest News << Previous 3 4 5 6 7 Next >> India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Rahul Dravid's ODI career in numbers Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 Though he does not play the big shots too often and follows a conservative approach to the game, Dravid has finished his ODI career with more than satisfactory numbers. Read More.. England down India to wrap up series win CARDIFF, United Kingdom (AFP), Fri, Sep 16 2011 England defeated India by six wickets in a rain-affected match here Friday to complete a 3-0 one-day series victory over the reigning world champions. India looked to have posted a formidable total after piling up 304-6 off their 50 overs, with Virat Kohli lashing a superb century and veteran Rahul Dravid contributing 69 in his farewell one-dayer. Read More.. Marsh rescues Australia in final Test COLOMBO (AFP), Fri, Sep 16 2011 Shaun Marsh hit a gutsy 81 to steer Australia out of trouble at the start of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday. Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan's decision to send Australia in to bat on a damp pitch paid off as the tourists slumped to 22-2 in the ninth over. Read More.. Dravid's ODI retirement (Full Coverage) Tendulkar and Ganguly hail Dravid Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly paid glowing tributes to the never-say-die attitude of team-mate Rahul Dravid. Read More.. Preview: Zim v Pak, 1st T20I Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 Zimbabwe have shown great character all through the One-off test and the ODI series and would look to continue in the same vein. Read More.. Azhar's son Ayazuddin succumbs to injuries Hyderabad, Fri, Sep 16 2011 The 19-year-old, a budding cricketer, breathed his last in Apollo Hospital this morning after fighting for his life for six days. Read More.. Dravid's ODI retirement (Full Coverage) Privilege to have played with Dravid: Kumble Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 Rahul Dravid has shown that there is no substitute for class, hard work and impeccable work ethics, writes Anil Kumble. Read More.. IPL to get new chairman at BCCI AGM Mumbai, Fri, Sep 16 2011 The appointment of new selection committees including the senior panel, is also one of the important items on the agenda of the meeting along with the election of various office bearers. Read More.. Warne coming out of retirement for Big Bash Melbourne, Fri, Sep 16 2011 Warne is yet to decided whether he would turn up for the Melbourne Renegades or the Melbourne Stars. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) I look to attack the batsmen: Ashwin Cardiff, Fri, Sep 16 2011 It doesn't help if you sit back. I would rather live by the sword and die by it, said R Ashwin. Latest News << Previous 4 5 6 7 8 Next >> Hamish Bennett out of Zimbabwe tour WELLINGTON (AFP), Thu, Sep 15 2011 Buchanan said Bennett pulled up sore back at training and although scans had ruled out a stress fracture, the 24-year-old was set to sit out the Zimbabwe tour. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) The Rahul Dravid journey in ODIs Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 In coloured clothing, Rahul Dravid has not quite evoked the awe that he has in whites. And yet, there is plenty that has been brilliant. On the eve of his final ODI, Saurabh Somani examines a glorious ODI career. Read More.. Lancashire end 77-year wait for title LONDON (AFP), Thu, Sep 15 2011 Lancashire won the English County Championship title on Thursday when they beat Somerset by eight wickets, their first outright triumph since 1934. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) India looked flat and tired: Loye London, Sat, Sep 17 2011 Former England batsman Mal Loye has revealed that he sensed something wasn't quite right with India when his Northamptonshire side faced them earlier this summer. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) I do not dread quitting, says Dravid Cardiff, Fri, Sep 16 2011 You will recognise that when the time comes, you would have to move on. Retiring wouldn't make much of a change in my life, Rahul Dravid said. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Preview: England vs India, 5th ODI Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 While India will be relieved that their nightmarish tour of England is ending, the team will also be geared up to give a grand farewell from ODIs to Rahul Dravid. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Varun Aaron being wasted in England: Akram New Delhi, Sat, Sep 17 2011 Akram said the Indian team management made a mess by not blooding Aaron in conditions that were tailor-made for the quickie. Read More.. India tour of England 2011 (Full Coverage) Cook wants England to remain unbeaten LONDON (AFP), Fri, Sep 16 2011 We're going to have to play at the top of our game to try to win, and finish the summer on a high as a one-day team, Alastair Cook said. Read More.. BCCI mum on awards ceremony miss Mumbai, Thu, Sep 15 2011 BCCI CAO Prof Ratnakar Shetty said the Board has decided not to respond to ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat's scathing criticism. Read More.. Sri Lanka vs Australia, 3rd Test: Preview Colombo, Fri, Sep 16 2011 Australia lead the 3 match series 1-0, but go into the match without their premier fast bowler Ryan Harris. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will be boosted by Herath's return. Latest News << Previous 5 6 7 8 9 Next >> Yusuf eyes CL T20 for India comeback Hyderabad, Sun, Sep 18 2011 Yusuf Pathan feels that the Champions League Twenty 20 is a big tournament and a good performance there will catch the eyes of the national selectors. Read More.. We are on our road to glory: Brett Lee Hyderabad, Thu, Sep 15 2011 Brett Lee feels that Australia have it in them to become the top ranked team in Test cricket once again. He also ruled out a return to Test cricket. Read More.. Champions League T20, 2011 (Full Coverage) Whatmore hopeful of good KKR show Hyderabad, Mon, Sep 19 2011 The Kolkata Knight Riders coach Dav Whatmore is confident that team will do well despite the absence of Gautam Gambhir. Read More.. Harris ruled out, Khawaja dropped Bangalore, Fri, Sep 16 2011 A hamstring strain is the latest setback for injury-prone Harris, who has been battling a chronic knee problem since his debut last year. Read More.. Fit to play any form of cricket: Harbhajan Singh New Delhi, Wed, Sep 14 2011 Harbhajan Singh says that his conscience is clean and he feels happy if he has managed to give his 100% for the team Read More.. Graeme Swann is the new T20 captain London, Wed, Sep 14 2011 Swann will become the 5th captain for England in the shortest format of the game Read More.. Pakistan whitewash Zimbabwe HARARE (AFP), Fri, Sep 16 2011 Pakistan won the one day international series against Zimbabwe with a 3-0 whitewash by taking the closing match with 28 runs to spare at Harare Sports Club. Read More.. Bookies back England to maintain winning form London, Wed, Sep 14 2011 The bookies have more faith in England continuing their winning form and have little hopes of India pulling back one match Read More.. Sangakkara seeks Lanka win in 100th Test COLOMBO, Sept 14, 2011 (AFP), Sun, Sep 18 2011 Kumar Sangakkara will become the 5th Sri Lankan after Muthiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya to play 100 Tests for his country. Read More.. Shane Watson targets series victory Colombo, Sat, Sep 17 2011 It would be a major disappointment if we let the hosts level the series after having dominated the first two Tests in total CRICKET STARS PHOTOGALLERY PAGE 1 CRICKET STARS PHOTOGALLERY PAGE 2 CRICKET STARS PHOTOGALLERY PAGE 3 This left handed Bengali batsman's debut was marked by a magnificent test century versus England in early '96, and another one in the next match. He is very good off-side player, especially in driving the ball. He is one of the best timers of the ball in the current side. He has had a number of successes in One Day Internationals, especially vs Pakistan, in the Sahara Cup 1997, where apart from being the highest run scorer, he took the maximum wickets, proving his ability as a medium pace bowler. He had a 5 wicket haul in the series. In the same series, he holds the record for the maximum no. of "Man of the Match" awards in a row, and in that series he was quite obviously "Man of the Series". He was nominated as the"Man of the Series" for the India-SL test series as well. He was the best batsman in 1997...scoring the highest runs in ODIs and one of the highest in test matches. He has the highest One Day international and Test match Average in the current squad. His magnificent century against Pakistan at Dhaka, enabled India to chase the highest score ever chased in one-dayers, a superb 314! He holds the record for the highest one-day partnership with Tendulkar, a huge 252. He and Tendulkar are the 4th Best Opening pair in the History of One-day Cricket. He is undoubtedly the most consistent batsman in the current squad after Tendulkar. Born: 08 July 1973, Calcutta Major Teams: India, Bengal Known As: Saurav Ganguly Nickname: Dada / The Prince of Calcutta Batting Style: Left Hand Bat Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium Role in Team Saurav Ganguly opens the batting in ODIs, and has been one of India's best and most consistent openers till date with a 40+ average. He is an indispensable player for ODIs. He also bowls a nippy medium pace, and has an uncanny knock for breaking partnerships. In tests, he comes in at No. 5 or 6, and has proved to be a very useful and consistent batsman. Test Debut: India v England at Lord's, 2nd Test, 1996 ODI Debut: India v West Indies at Brisbane, World Series, 1991/92 Profile: Javagal Srinath is the undoubtedly the only really Fast "Fast Bowler" in the Indian team who can bowl nearly as fast as his Windy or South African counterparts. Srinath suffered a testing introduction to Test cricket when despite impressing Allan Border no end on his debut tour to Australia, and performing creditably on the ill-fated South African tour of 1992, he was unable to find a place in the Test side, especially at home. After Kapil Dev`s retirement, he finally found his much deserved place in the side. His test record is nothing extraordinary, but taking into consideration the conditions and the slow pitches of the subcontinent he has really done quite well. He was compared to Alan Donald for sheer pace during his stint with Gloucestershire in 1995. His shoulder injury, possibly due to being overbowled led to his being rested after the India's Tour of the West Indies in 1997. This gave a chance to other youngsters like Harvinder Singh, Doda Ganesh, Mohanty and Abey Kuruvilla, but they failed to impress. His return to the Indian team was much awaited, and Indian fans are glad to see that he is regaining form in 1999. His one-day bowling record is most impressive, and only Dennis Lillee and Waqar Younis have taken 100 wickets in fewer matches. He is also a good pinch-hitter, capable of hitting a few sixes in the slog overs. Born: 31 August 1969, Mysore Major Teams: India, Gloucestershire, Karnataka Known As: Javagal Srinath Nickname: Babu Batting Style: Right Hand Bat Bowling Style: Right Arm Fast Medium Role in Team: ODI: Javagal Srinath is an important member of the ODI side- he has the ability to take crucial wickets and also contain the batsman. Tests: Srinath has never been a great wicket-taker in tests, though he has taken several 5 wicket hauls in the last few years. Test Debut: India v Australia at Brisbane, 1st Test, 1991/92 ODI Debut: India v Pakistan at Sharjah, Wills Trophy, 1991/92 Rahul Sharad Dravid Profile: This young right handed batsman has the most sound defence and technique in the Indian Side. He concentrates very hard in each innings, and is quite difficult to get out when he gets in on a good wicket. He tends to play shots on the rise. A very wristy player, he had an excellent debut in England in 1996, in which he scored 95. Even though he is cool headed and has a good cricketing mind, he often destroys his innings in the "nervous nineties" as he approaches his century, which he has already done 4 times in his short career, scoring only 4 centuries with a Highest score of 190 against New Zealand. He is also only the 3rd Indian batsman to score a century in both innings of the same test match. Because of his inability to force the pace in one dayers, Rahul Dravid has been left out of the ODI side.... a subject of great controversy considering he is one of the best test batsmen in the world today. However, after a superb tour of New Zealand (Dec. 1998-Jan 1999), he has once again regained his place in the ODI side, and has proved his worth by scoring 3 centuries. He is also an extremely popular player, especially among girls due to his handsome features. Born: 11 January 1973, Indore Major Teams: India, Karnataka. Known As: Rahul Dravid Nickname: Jammie Batting Style: Right Hand Bat Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break Role in Team: ODI: Dravid has finally broken back into the ODI team after a long stint of being left out, and has proved his worth with a series of good knocks including a few centuries. He usually bats at No. 3 or 4 Tests: Dravid is rated by many as the top batsman in Test cricket in the World today. His immense concentration and hard work make him one of the Indian team's best assets. He bats at No. 3 or 4 in tests too. His only downfall is that he gets out in the 90s very often. Test Debut: India v England at Lord's, 2nd Test, 1996 ODI Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Singapore, Singer Cup, 1995/96 Ajay Jadeja Profile: Ajay Jadeja is an integral player of the Indian side and has hardly ever missed a one day match since the 1996 World Cup. He has played superbly in the beginning of 1998, scoring at a superb average and strike rate, including 2 centuries and more than 3 fifties. He was involved in the World record stand of 275* with Azhar against Zimbabwe. The amount of times he has got India out of pressure situations down the order are innumerable. In fact, he thrives under pressure. He is the fastest runner between wickets in the Indian team, and also the best fielder and therefore is a great boost to a team needing much encouragement. Jadeja has an uncanny knack of being able to hit boundaries at any stage of his innings. Indians remember him most for when he tore apart the Pakistani bowling attack in the quarter finals of the 1996 World Cup. At first he used to open the innings, but moved down to accomodate Prabhakar, and has hardly ever moved up since then. He is a great asset to the Indian side. However, he is not a permanent member of the test side, though he has opened the innings a few times, but quite unsuccessfuly. His bubbly personality helps to raise the spirit of the entire team. Born: 01 February 1971, Jamnagar Major Teams: India, Haryana Known As: Ajay Jadeja Nickname: Jaddu Batting Style: Right Hand Bat Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium Test Debut: India v South Africa at Durban, 1st Test, 1992/93 ODI Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Mackay, World Cup, 1991/92 Anil Kumble An unorthodox, right arm leg spin bowler, this tall, bespectacled (now contact lens-ed), captain of Karnataka, who started life as a medium-pacer, is India`s most effective strike bowler in both Tests and ODIs. He made his debut in England in 1990, alongside Narendra Hirwani, raising hopes of a resurgence in the art of leg-spin. But it was not until his recall against South Africa 16 months later that he proved his abilities on the International stage. Since then he went from strength to strength. It is his well concealed googly and flipper, along with his genuine medium-pace faster balls that are his strike weapons rather than the leg-break, which he turns little. He is unfailingly economical and in the 1995 English county season became the first bowler in 5 years to capture more than 100 wickets. A useful lower-order batsmen, with first-class centuries to his credit, Kumble has often done a sterling job holding up the sagging tail for India. Suffering from being over-bowled, Kumble recieved a well deserved rest from the national side in 1997, missing the tour of Sri Lanka and the Sahara Cup but was recalled to the national side to face Sri Lanka and Australia in 1998. He has bowled superbly in 1998 and 1999 so far, being India's highest wicket taker in tests as well as having the best strike rate and economy in one dayers. Born: 17 October 1970, Bangalore State: Karnataka. Nick Name: Jumbo Batting Style: Right Hand Bat Bowling Style: Leg Break, Googly (Right Arm) Role in Indian Team: Kumble has been for many years India's leading spinner. He has usually played the part of a first-change bowler, taking over after the fast bowlers initial spell. He is a true match-winner, a good fielder, and a dependable lower order bastman with a highest score of 88. Test Debut: India v England at Manchester, 2nd Test, 1990 ODI Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Australasia Cup, 1989/90 Mohammed Azharuddin Profile: Among the top batsmen and fielder's of the world today, the "winningest" Indian captain has been in unbelievable form after being removed from captaincy in September 1996 and has continued his good form after being reappointed captain. He now holds the Record for Most Runs in One Day Cricket, beating Desmond Haynes's record of 8648 runs and also holds the record of playing the most ODI matches (302+) with 55+ fifties. One of the most classy batsmen in the world, he has an array of wristy shots on both sides of the wicket, especially on the leg side. He is the most experienced member of the Indian side. He has 6000+ runs in test matches as well, at an avg. of approximately 45, with 20 centuries. He is also in the "Jonty" class of fielders, with over 120 catches in One Dayers and an almost equal number in tests. His consistency in both forms of the game is remarkable, considering his long career. Born: 08 February 1963, Hyderabad Major Teams: India, Derbyshire, Hyderabad. Known As: Mohammad Azharuddin Nickname: Azzu Bhai Batting Style: Right Hand Bat Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium Role in Team: ODI: Azhar plays at no. 3, 4 or 5 in ODIs. Tests: Azhar plays at no. 4 or 5 in Tests, and plays at a surprisingly fast run rate even in tests. Test Debut: India v England at Calcutta, 3rd Test, 1984/85 ODI Debut: India v England at Bangalore, 3rd ODI, 1984/85 Venkatesh Prasad Profile- In Prasad, the Indian team found a perfect partner for Srinath. He is not similar to Srinath at all- he is not fast like his counterpart, but he relies more on movement and his deceptive bowling is quite successful especially on seaming wickets, like those in England- he will be a great asset to the Indian team in the World Cup. He became a permanent member of the side after a superb display of bowling in the England tour in 1996. Despite being a tall man, he lacks real pace, but compensates for this deficiency with a superb slower-delivery and leg-cutter. With injuries to Srinath, Prasad had to bear the brunt of the bowling attack, finding very little support from Mohanty, Kuruvilla, etc. He was the leading wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs in 1996, and this achievement won him the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year. As a result of being over-bowled, he was clearly jaded in 1997. He was rested, apparently against his will, with an ill defined injury for the tour of Sri Lanka, and a couple of one day tournaments before finally returning to the team in late 1997. He is back in form in 1999 and is bowling with accuracy once again. Born: 05 August 1969, Bangalore Major Teams: India, Karnataka Known As: Venkatesh Prasad Nickname: Venky Batting Style: Right Hand Bat Bowling Style: Right Arm Fast Medium Role in Team: ODIs: Prasad opens the bowling with Srinath, and manages to pick up early wickets due to his well disguised slower-delivery and leg cutter especially on seaming wickets. He is also an effective slog over bowler, when in form. Tests: Prasad bowled superbly in Tests in 1996, taking several 5 wicket hauls and a 10 wicket haul (in a match). Test Debut: India v England at Birmingham, 1st Test, 1996 ODI Debut: India v New Zealand at Christchurch, 4th ODI, 1993/94 CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO GO TO 'DEV LINES' Name : Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj Birthday : Jan 6, 1959 Birth Place : Chandigarh Country : India Batting : Right hand batsman Bowling : Right arm fast bowler Test Debut : vs Pakistan, at Faisalabad, on 16/10/1978 Last Test : vs New Zealand, at Hamilton, on 19/3/1994 Tests Matches Tests: Batting Matches Inns NotOuts Runs Highest Avg 100s 50s 0s 131 184 15 5248 163 31.05 8 27 16 Tests: Bowling Matches Balls Maidens Runs Wickets Avg 5w 10w Best Strike Rate Eco. Rate 131 27740 1060 12867 434 29.65 23 2 9-83 63.92 2.78 Tests: Fielding Matches Catches Stumped Total 131 64 0 64 One-Day Internationals ODI: Batting Matches Inns Not Outs Runs Highest Avg 100s 50s 0s 225 198 39 3783 175* 23.79 1 14 13 ODI: Bowling Matches Balls Maidens Runs Wickets Avg 5w Best Eco. Rate 225 11202 235 6945 253 27.45 1 5-43 3.72 Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on a field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an innings. In professional cricket the length of a game ranges from 20 overs of six bowling deliveries per side to Test cricket played over five days. The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC) with additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals.[1] Cricket was first played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, it had developed into the national sport of England. The expansion of theBritish Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. The ICC, the game's governing body, has 10 full members.[2] The game is played particularly in Australasia, the Indian subcontinent, the West Indies, Southern Africa and England. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Rules and game-play 2.1 Summary 2.2 Objectives 2.3 Pitch, wickets and creases 2.4 Bat and ball 2.5 Umpires and scorers 2.6 Innings 2.7 Overs 2.8 Team structure 2.9 Bowling 2.10 Fielding 2.11 Batting 2.12 Runs 2.13 Extras 2.14 Dismissals (outs) 2.15 Innings closed 2.16 Results 3 Distinctive elements 3.1 Individual focus 3.2 Spirit of the Game 3.3 Influence of weather 3.4 Uniqueness of each field 4 Types of matches 4.1 Test cricket 4.2 Limited overs 4.3 National championships 4.4 Other types of matches 5 International structure 5.1 Members 5.1.1 Full Members 5.1.2 Top Associate and Affiliate Members 6 Statistics 7 In popular culture 8 See also 9 References 10 External links History Main article: History of cricket Early cricket was at some time or another described as "a club striking a ball (like) the ancient games of club-ball, stool-ball, trap-ball, stob-ball".[3] Cricket can definitely be traced back to Tudor times in early 16th-century England. Written evidence exists of a game known as creag being played by Prince Edward, the son of Edward I (Longshanks), at Newenden, Kent in 1301[4] and there has been speculation, but no evidence, that this was a form of cricket. A number of other words have been suggested as sources for the term "cricket". In the earliest definite reference to the sport in 1598,[5]it is called creckett. Given the strong medieval trade connections between south-east England and the County of Flanders when the latter belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy, the name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch[6] krick(-e), meaning a stick (crook); or the Old English cricc or cryce meaning a crutch or staff.[7] In Old French, the word criquet seems to have meant a kind of club or stick.[8] In Samuel Johnson's Dictionary, he derived cricket from "cryce, Saxon, a stick".[9] Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word krickstoel, meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church and which resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket.[10] According to Heiner Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University, "cricket" derives from the Middle Dutch phrase for hockey, met de (krik ket)sen (i.e., "with the stick chase").[11] Dr Gillmeister believes that not only the name but the sport itself is of Flemish origin.[12] The first English touring team on board ship at Liverpool in 1859 The earliest definite reference to cricket being played in England (and hence anywhere) is in evidence given at a 1598 court case which mentions that "creckett" was played on common land in Guildford, Surrey, around 1550. The court in Guildford heard on Monday, 17 January 1597 (Julian date, equating to the year 1598 in the Gregorian calendar) from a 59 year-old coroner, John Derrick, who gave witness that when he was a scholar at the "Free School at Guildford", fifty years earlier, "hee and diverse of his fellows did runne and play [on the common land] at creckett and other plaies."[13][14] It is believed that it was originally a children's game but references around 1610[14]indicate that adults had started playing it and the earliest reference to inter-parish or village cricket occurs soon afterwards. In 1624, a player called Jasper Vinall was killed when he was struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex.[15] During the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east of England. By the end of the century, it had become an organised activity being played for high stakes and it is believed that the first professionals appeared in the years following the Restoration in 1660. A newspaper report survives of "a great cricket match" with eleven players a side that was played for high stakes in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest known reference to a cricket match of such importance. The game underwent major development in the 18th century and became the national sport of England. Betting played a major part in that development with rich patrons forming their own "select XIs". Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury. The single wicket form of the sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match. Bowling evolved around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batsman. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old "hockey stick" shape. The Hambledon Club was founded in the 1760s and, for the next 20 years until the formation of MCC and the opening of Lord's Old Ground in 1787, Hambledon was both the game's greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket. New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century included the three stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw). Don Bradman had a Test average of 99.94 and an overall first-class average of 95.14, records unmatched by any other player.[16] The 19th century saw underarm bowling replaced by first roundarm and then overarm bowling. Both developments were controversial. Organisation of the game at county level led to the creation of the county clubs, starting with Sussex CCC in 1839, which ultimately formed the official County Championship in 1890. Meanwhile, the British Empire had been instrumental in spreading the game overseas and by the middle of the 19th century it had become well established in India, North America, the Caribbean, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In 1844, the first international cricket match took place between the United States and Canada (although neither has ever been ranked as a Test-playing nation). Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket In 1859, a team of England players went on the first overseas tour (to North America). The first Australian team to tour overseas was a team of Aboriginal stockmen who travelled to England in 1868 to play matches against county teams.[17] In 1862, an English team made the first tour of Australia and in 1876–77, an England team took part in the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia. W.G. Grace started his long career in 1865; his career is often said to have revolutionised the sport.[18] The rivalry between England and Australia gave birth to The Ashes in 1882 and this has remained Test cricket's most famous contest[citation needed]. Test cricket began to expand in 1888–89 when South Africa played England. The last two decades before the First World War have been called the "Golden Age of cricket". It is a nostalgic name prompted by the collective sense of loss resulting from the war, but the period did produce some great players and memorable matches, especially as organised competition at county and Test level developed. The inter-war years were dominated by one player: Australia's Don Bradman, statistically the greatest batsman of all time. It was the determination of the England team to overcome his skill that brought about the infamous Bodylineseries in 1932–33, particularly from the accurate short-pitched bowling ofHarold Larwood. Test cricket continued to expand during the 20th century with the addition of the West Indies, India, and New Zealand before the Second World War and then Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh in the post-war period. However, South Africa was banned from international cricket from 1970 to 1992 because of its government's apartheid policy. Cricket entered a new era in 1963 when English counties introduced thelimited overs variant. As it was sure to produce a result, limited overs cricket was lucrative and the number of matches increased. The first Limited Overs International was played in 1971. The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) saw its potential and staged the first limited oversCricket World Cup in 1975. In the 21st century, a new limited overs form, Twenty20, has made an immediate impact. Rules and game-play A typical cricket field. Main article: Laws of cricket Summary A cricket match is played between two teams of eleven players each[19][20] on a grassyfield, typically 137–150 metres (150–160 yd) in diameter.[21] The Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field[22] but it is often oval. A cricket match is divided into periods called innings. During an innings (innings ends with 's' in both singular and plural form), one team fields and the other bats. The two teams switch between fielding and batting after each innings. All eleven members of the fielding team take the field, but only two members of the batting team (two batsmen) are on the field at any given time. The key action takes place in the pitch, a rectangular strip in the centre of the field. The two batsmen face each other at opposite ends of the pitch, each behind a line on the pitch known as a crease. The fielding team's eleven members stand outside the pitch, spread out across the field. Behind each batsman is a target called a wicket. One designated member of the fielding team, called the bowler, is given a ball, and attempts to bowl the ball from one end of the pitch to the wicket behind the batsman on the other side of the pitch. The batsman tries to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket by striking the ball with a bat. If the bowler succeeds in hitting the wicket, or if the ball, after being struck by the batsman, is caught by the fielding team before it touches the ground, the batsman is dismissed. A dismissed batsman must leave the field, to be replaced by another batsman from the batting team. If the batsman is successful in striking the ball and the ball is not caught before it hits the ground, the two batsmen may then try to score points (runs) for their team by running across the pitch, grounding their bats behind each other's crease. Each crossing and grounding by both batsmen is worth one run. The batsmen may attempt multiple runs or elect not to run at all. By attempting runs, the batsmen risk dismissal, which can happen if the fielding team retrieves the ball and hits a wicket with the ball before either batsman reaches the opposite crease. If the batsman hits the bowled ball over the field boundary without the ball touching the field, the batting team scores six runs and may not attempt more. If the ball touches the ground and then reaches the boundary, the batting team scores four runs and may not attempt more. When the batsmen have finished attempting their runs, the ball is returned to the bowler to be bowled again. The bowler continues to bowl toward the same wicket, regardless of any switch of the batsmen's positions.[23] After a bowler has bowled six times (an over), another member of the fielding team is designated as the new bowler. The new bowler bowls to the opposite wicket, and play continues. Fielding team members may bowl multiple times during an innings, but may not bowl two overs in succession. The innings is complete when 10 of the 11 members of the batting team have been dismissed, one always remaining "not out", or when a set number of overs has been played. The number of innings and the number of overs per innings vary depending on the match. Objectives The objective of each team is to score more runs than the other team. In Test cricket, it is necessary to score the most runs anddismiss the opposition twice in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn. Pitch, wickets and creases Main articles: Cricket pitch, Wicket, and Crease (cricket) See also: Stump (cricket) and Bail (cricket) The cricket pitch dimensions At either end of the pitch, 22 yards (20 m) apart, are placed the wickets. These serve as a target for the bowling (aka fielding) side and are defended by the batting side which seeks to accumulate runs. The pitch is 22 yards (20 m) or one chain[24] in length between the wickets and is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The "condition" of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor. Each wicket consists of three wooden stumps placed in a straight line and surmounted by two wooden crosspieces called bails; the total height of the wicket including bails is 28.5 inches (720 mm) and the combined width of the three stumps is 9 inches (230 mm). Aerial view of the MCG displaying the stadium, ground and pitch Four lines, known as creases, are painted onto the pitch around the wicket areas to define the batsman's "safe territory" and to determine the limit of the bowler's approach. These are called the "popping" (or batting) crease, the bowling crease and two "return" creases. A wicketconsists of threestumps that are hammered into the ground, and topped with two bails. The stumps are placed in line on the bowling creases and so these must be 22 yards (20 m) apart. A bowling crease is 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) long with the middle stump placed dead centre. The popping crease has the same length, is parallel to the bowling crease and is 4 feet (1.2 m) in front of the wicket. The return creases are perpendicular to the other two; they are adjoined to the ends of the popping crease and are drawn through the ends of the bowling crease to a length of at least 8 feet (2.4 m). When bowling the ball, the bowler's back foot in his "delivery stride" must land within the two return creases while his front foot must land on or behind the popping crease. If the bowler breaks this rule, the umpire calls "No ball". The importance of the popping crease to the batsman is that it marks the limit of his safe territory for he can be stumped or run out (see Dismissals below) if the wicket is broken while he is "out of his ground". Bat and ball Main articles: Cricket bat and Cricket ball Two different types of balls used in cricket: i) A used white ball, played with, in many limited overs cricket matches, especially those involving floodlights (day/night matches) (left). ii) A used red ball, played with, in test matches and first class cricket(right). The essence of the sport is that a bowler delivers the ball from his end of the pitch towards the batsman who, armed with a bat is "on strike" at the other end. The bat is made of wood (usually White Willow) and has the shape of a blade topped by a cylindrical handle. The blade must not be more than 4.25 inches (108 mm) wide and the total length of the bat not more than 38 inches (970 mm). The ball is a hard leather-seamed spheroid with a circumference of 9 inches (230 mm). The hardness of the ball, which can be delivered at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), is a matter for concern and batsmen wear protective clothing including pads(designed to protect the knees and shins), batting gloves for the hands, a helmet for the head and a box inside the trousers (to protect the crotch area). Some batsmen wear additional padding inside their shirts and trousers such as thigh pads, arm pads, rib protectors and shoulder pads. Umpires and scorers Main articles: Umpire (cricket) and Scorer The game on the field is regulated by two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler's end, the other in a position called "square leg", a position 15–20 metres to the side of the "on strike" batsman. When the bowler delivers the ball, the umpire at the wicket is between the bowler and the non-striker. The umpires confer if there is doubt about playing conditions and can postpone the match by taking the players off the field if necessary, for example rain or deterioration of the light. An umpire Off the field and in televised matches, there is often a third umpire who can make decisions on certain incidents with the aid of video evidence. The third umpire is mandatory under the playing conditions for Test matches and limited overs internationals played between two ICC full members. These matches also have a match referee whose job is to ensure that play is within the Laws of cricket and the spirit of the game. Off the field, the match details including runs and dismissals are recorded by two officialscorers, one representing each team. The scorers are directed by the hand signals of an umpire. For example, the umpire raises a forefinger to signal that the batsman is out (has been dismissed); he raises both arms above his head if the batsman has hit the ball for six runs. The scorers are required by the Laws of cricket to record all runs scored, wickets taken and overs bowled. In practice, they accumulate much additional data such as bowling analyses and run rates. Innings The innings (ending with 's' in both singular and plural form) is the term used for the collective performance of the batting side.[25] In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to bat but, for various reasons, an innings can end before they all do so. Depending on the type of match being played, each team has one or two innings apiece. The term "innings" is also sometimes used to describe an individual batsman's contribution ("he played a fine innings"). The main aim of the bowler, supported by his fielders, is to dismiss the batsman. A batsman when dismissed is said to be "out" and that means he must leave the field of play and be replaced by the next batsman on his team. When ten batsmen have been dismissed (i.e., are out), then the whole team is dismissed and the innings is over. The last batsman, the one who has not been dismissed, is not allowed to continue alone as there must always be two batsmen "in". This batsman is termed "not out". An innings can end early for three reasons: because the batting side's captain has chosen to "declare" the innings closed (which is a tactical decision), or because the batting side has achieved its target and won the game, or because the game has ended prematurely due to bad weather or running out of time. In each of these cases the team's innings ends with two "not out" batsmen, unless the innings is declared closed at the fall of a wicket and the next batsman has not joined in the play. In limited overs cricket, there might be two batsmen still "not out" when the last of the allotted overs has been bowled. Overs Main article: Over (cricket) The bowler bowls the ball in sets of six deliveries (or "balls") and each set of six balls is called an over. This name came about because the umpire calls "Over!" when six balls have been bowled. At this point, another bowler is deployed at the other end, and the fielding side changes ends while the batsmen do not. A bowler cannot bowl two successive overs, although a bowler can bowl unchanged at the same end for several overs. The batsmen do not change ends and so the one who was non-striker is now the striker and vice-versa. The umpires also change positions so that the one who was at square leg now stands behind the wicket at the non-striker's end and vice-versa. Team structure A team consists of eleven players. Depending on his or her primary skills, a player may be classified as a specialist batsman or bowler. A well-balanced team usually has five or six specialist batsmen and four or five specialist bowlers. Teams nearly always include a specialist wicket-keeper because of the importance of this fielding position. Each team is headed by a captain who is responsible for making tactical decisions such as determining the batting order, the placement of fielders and the rotation of bowlers. A player who excels in both batting and bowling is known as an all-rounder. One who excels as a batsman and wicket-keeper is known as a "wicket-keeper/batsman", sometimes regarded as a type of all-rounder. True all-rounders are rare as most players focus on either batting or bowling skills. Bowling Main articles: Bowler (cricket), Bowling (cricket), and Bowling strategy (cricket) A typical bowling action Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, the highest wicket taker in both Test and ODIforms of cricket bowls to Adam Gilchrist. The bowler reaches his delivery stride by means of a "run-up", although some bowlers with a very slow delivery take no more than a couple of steps before bowling. A fast bowler needs momentum and takes quite a long run-up, running very fast as he does so. The fastest bowlers can deliver the ball at a speed of over 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) and they sometimes rely on sheer speed to try and defeat the batsman, who is forced to react very quickly. Other fast bowlers rely on a mixture of speed and guile. Some fast bowlers make use of the seam of the ball so that it "curves" or "swings" in flight. This type of delivery can deceive a batsman into mistiming his shot so that the ball touches the edge of the bat and can then be "caught behind" by the wicketkeeper or a slip fielder. At the other end of the bowling scale is the "spinner" who bowls at a relatively slow pace and relies entirely on guile to deceive the batsman. A spinner will often "buy his wicket" by "tossing one up" (in a slower, higher parabolic path) to lure the batsman into making a poor shot. The batsman has to be very wary of such deliveries as they are often "flighted" or spun so that the ball will not behave quite as he expects and he could be "trapped" into getting himself out. In between the pacemen and the spinners are the "medium pacers" who rely on persistent accuracy to try and contain the rate of scoring and wear down the batsman's concentration. All bowlers are classified according to their looks or style. The classifications, as with much cricket terminology, can be very confusing. Hence, a bowler could be classified as LF, meaning he is a left arm fast bowler; or as LBG, meaning he is a right arm spin bowler who bowls deliveries that are called a "leg break" and a "Googly". During the bowling action the elbow may be held at any angle and may bend further, but may not straighten out. If the elbow straightens illegally then the square-leg umpire may call no-ball: this is known as "throwing" or "chucking", and can be difficult to detect. The current laws allow a bowler to straighten his arm 15 degrees or less. Fielding Main articles: Fielding (cricket) and Fielding strategy (cricket) Fielding positions in cricket for a right-handedbatsman All eleven players on the fielding side take the field together. One of them is the wicket-keeper aka "keeper" who operates behind the wicket being defended by the batsman on strike. Wicket-keeping is normally a specialist occupation and his primary job is to gather deliveries that the batsman does not hit, so that the batsmen cannot run byes. He wears special gloves (he is the only fielder allowed to do so), a box over the groin, and pads to cover his lower legs. Owing to his position directly behind the striker, the wicket-keeper has a good chance of getting a batsman out caught off a fine edge from the bat. He is the only player who can get a batsman out stumped. Apart from the one currently bowling, the other nine fielders are tactically deployed by the team captain in chosen positions around the field. These positions are not fixed but they are known by specific and sometimes colourful names such as "slip", "third man", "silly mid on" and "long leg". There are always many unprotected areas. The captain is the most important member of the fielding side as he determines all the tactics including who should bowl (and how); and he is responsible for "setting the field", though usually in consultation with the bowler. In all forms of cricket, if a fielder gets injured or becomes ill during a match, a substituteis allowed to field instead of him. The substitute cannot bowl, act as a captain or keep wicket. The substitute leaves the field when the injured player is fit to return. Batting Main articles: batsman and batting (cricket) English cricketer W.G. Grace"taking guard" in 1883. His pads and bat are very similar to those used today. The gloves have evolved somewhat. Many modern players utilise more defensive equipment than was available to Grace, notably helmets and arm guards. At any one time, there are two batsmen in the playing area. One takes station at the striker's end to defend the wicket as above and to score runs if possible. His partner, the non-striker, is at the end where the bowler is operating. Batsmen come in to bat in a batting order, decided by the team captain. The first two batsmen – the "openers" – usually face the hostile bowling from fresh fast bowlers with a new ball. The top batting positions are usually given to the most competent batsmen in the team, and the non-batsmen typically bat last. The pre-announced batting order is not mandatory and when a wicket falls any player who has not yet batted may be sent in next. If a batsman "retires" (usually due to injury) and cannot return, he is actually "not out" and his retirement does not count as a dismissal, though in effect he has been dismissed because his innings is over. Substitute batsmen are not allowed. A skilled batsman can use a wide array of "shots" or "strokes" in both defensive and attacking mode. The idea is to hit the ball to best effect with the flat surface of the bat's blade. If the ball touches the side of the bat it is called an "edge". Batsmen do not always seek to hit the ball as hard as possible, and a good player can score runs just by making a deft stroke with a turn of the wrists or by simply "blocking" the ball but directing it away from fielders so that he has time to take a run. There is a wide variety of shots played in cricket. The batsman's repertoire includes strokes named according to the style of swing and the direction aimed: e.g., "cut", "drive", "hook", "pull". Note that a batsman does not have to play a shot and can "leave" the ball to go through to the wicketkeeper, providing he thinks it will not hit his wicket. Equally, he does not have to attempt a run when he hits the ball with his bat. He can deliberately use his leg to block the ball and thereby "pad it away" but this is risky because of the leg before wicket rule. In the event of an injured batsman being fit to bat but not to run, the umpires and the fielding captain may allow another member of the batting side to be a runner. The runner's only task is to run between the wickets instead of the injured batsman. The runner is required to wear and carry exactly the same equipment as the incapacitated batsman. It is possible for both batsmen to have runners. Runs Main article: Run (cricket) The directions in which aright-handed batsman intends to send the ball when playing various cricketing shots. The diagram for a left-handedbatsman is a mirror image of this one. The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the "striker") is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score. More than one run can be scored from a single hit; but, while hits worth one to three runs are common, the size of the field is such that it is usually difficult to run four or more. To compensate for this, hits that reach the boundary of the field are automatically awarded four runs if the ball touches the ground en routeto the boundary or six runs if the ball clears the boundary on the full. The batsmen do not need to run if the ball reaches or crosses the boundary. West Indian Brian Lara holds the record for highest score in both Tests and first-class cricket. Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of "overthrows" by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends, and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the striker can score individual runs, but all runs are added to the team's total. The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman who has the better view of the ball's progress, and this is communicated by calling: "yes", "no" and "wait" are often heard. Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket with the ball while the nearest batsman is out of his ground (i.e., he does not have part of his body or bat in contact with the ground behind the popping crease), the batsman is run out. A team's score is reported in terms of the number of runs scored and the number of batsmen that have been dismissed. For example, if five batsmen are out and the team has scored 224 runs, they are said to have scored 224 for the loss of 5 wickets (commonly shortened to "224 for five" and written 224/5 or, in Australia, "five for 224" and 5/224). Extras Main article: Extra (cricket) Additional runs can be gained by the batting team as extras (called "sundries" in Australia) due to errors made by the fielding side. This is achieved in four ways: No ball: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he breaks the rules of bowling either by (a) using aninappropriate arm action; (b) overstepping the popping crease; (c) having a foot outside the return crease. In addition, the bowler has to re-bowl the ball. In limited overs matches, a no ball is called if the bowling team's field setting fails to comply with the restrictions. In shorter formats of the game (20–20, ODI) the free hit rule has been introduced. The ball following a front foot no-ball will be a free-hit for the batsman, whereby he is safe from losing his wicket except for being run-out. Wide: a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he bowls so that the ball is out of the batsman's reach; as with a no ball, a wide must be re-bowled. Bye: extra(s) awarded if the batsman misses the ball and it goes past the wicketkeeper to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way (note that one mark of a good wicketkeeper is one who restricts the tally of byes to a minimum). Leg bye: extra(s) awarded if the ball hits the batsman's body, but not his bat, while attempting a legitimate shot, and it goes away from the fielders to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way. When the bowler has bowled a no ball or a wide, his team incurs an additional penalty because that ball (i.e., delivery) has to be bowled again and hence the batting side has the opportunity to score more runs from this extra ball. The batsmen have to run (i.e., unless the ball goes to the boundary for four) to claim byes and leg byes but these only count towards the team total, not to the striker's individual total for which runs must be scored off the bat. Dismissals (outs) Main article: Dismissal (cricket) There are ten ways in which a batsman can be dismissed; five relatively common and five extremely rare. The common forms of dismissal are "bowled", "caught", "leg before wicket" (lbw), "run out", and "stumped". Less common methods are "hit wicket", "hit the ball twice", "obstructed the field", "handled the ball" and "timed out" – these are almost unknown in the professional game. If the dismissal is obvious (for example when "bowled" and in most cases of "caught") the batsman will voluntarily leave the field without the umpire needing to dismiss them. Otherwise before the umpire will award a dismissal and declare the batsman to be out, a member of the fielding side (generally the bowler) must "appeal". This is invariably done by asking (or shouting) "how's that?" – normally reduced to howzat? If the umpire agrees with the appeal, he will raise a forefinger and say "Out!". Otherwise he will shake his head and say "Not out". Appeals are particularly loud when the circumstances of the claimed dismissal are unclear, as is always the case with lbw and often with run outs and stumpings. Bowled: the bowler has hit the wicket with the delivery and the wicket has "broken" with at least one bail being dislodged (note that if the ball hits the wicket without dislodging a bail it is not out).[26] Caught: the batsman has hit the ball with his bat, or with his hand which was holding the bat, and the ball has been caught before it has touched the ground by a member of the fielding side.[27] Leg before wicket (lbw): the ball has hit the batsman's body (including his clothing, pads etc. but not the bat, or a hand holding the bat) when it would have gone on to hit the stumps. This rule exists mainly to prevent the batsman from guarding his wicket with his legs instead of the bat. To be given out lbw, the ball must not bounce outside leg stump or strike the batsmen outside the line of leg-stump. It may bounce outside off-stump. The batsman may only be dismissed lbw by a ball striking him outside the line of off-stump if he has not made a genuine attempt to play the ball with his bat.[28] Run out: a member of the fielding side has broken or "put down" the wicket with the ball while the nearest batsman was out of his ground; this usually occurs by means of an accurate throw to the wicket while the batsmen are attempting a run, although a batsman can be given out Run out even when he is not attempting a run; he merely needs to be out of his ground.[29] Stumped is similar except that it is done by the wicketkeeper after the batsman has missed the bowled ball and has stepped out of his ground, and is not attempting a run.[30] Hit wicket: a batsman is out hit wicket if he dislodges one or both bails with his bat, person, clothing or equipment in the act of receiving a ball, or in setting off for a run having just received a ball.[31] Hit the ball twice is very unusual and was introduced as a safety measure to counter dangerous play and protect the fielders. The batsman may legally play the ball a second time only to stop the ball hitting the wicket after he has already played it.[32] Obstructing the field: another unusual dismissal which tends to involve a batsman deliberately getting in the way of a fielder.[33] Handled the ball: a batsman must not deliberately touch the ball with his hand, for example to protect his wicket. Note that the batsman's hand or glove counts as part of the bat while the hand is holding the bat, so batsmen are frequently caught off their gloves (i.e. the ball hits, and is deflected by, the glove and can then be caught).[34] Timed out usually means that the next batsman did not arrive at the wicket within three minutes of the previous one being dismissed.[35] In the vast majority of cases, it is the striker who is out when a dismissal occurs. If the non-striker is dismissed it is usually by being run out, but he could also be dismissed for obstructing the field, handling the ball or being timed out. A batsman may leave the field without being dismissed. If injured or taken ill the batsman may temporarily retire, and be replaced by the next batsman. This is recorded as retired hurt or retired ill. The retiring batsman is not out, and may resume the innings later. An unimpaired batsman may retire, and this is treated as being dismissed retired out; no player is credited with the dismissal. Batsmen cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, stumped or hit wicket off a no ball. They cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, or hit the ball twice off a wide. Some of these modes of dismissal can occur without the bowler bowling a delivery. The batsman who is not on strike may be run out by the bowler if he leaves his crease before the bowler bowls, and a batsman can be outobstructing the field or retired out at any time. Timed out is, by its nature, a dismissal without a delivery. With all other modes of dismissal, only one batsman can be dismissed per ball bowled. Innings closed Main article: End of an innings (cricket) An innings is closed when: Ten of the eleven batsmen are out (have been dismissed); in this case, the team is said to be "all out" The team has only one batsman left who can bat, one or more of the remaining players being unavailable owing to injury, illness or absence; again, the team is said to be "all out" The team batting last reaches the score required to win the match The predetermined number of overs has been bowled (in a one-day match only, commonly 50 overs; or 20 in Twenty20) A captain declares his team's innings closed while at least two of his batsmen are not out (this does not apply in one-day limited over matches) Results Main article: Result (cricket) If the team that bats last is all out having scored fewer runs than their opponents, the team is said to have "lost by n runs" (where n is the difference between the number of runs scored by the teams). If the team that bats last scores enough runs to win, it is said to have "won by n wickets", where n is the number of wickets left to fall. For instance a team that passes its opponents' score having only lost six wickets would have won "by four wickets". In a two-innings-a-side match, one team's combined first and second innings total may be less than the other side's first innings total. The team with the greater score is then said to have won by an innings and n runs, and does not need to bat again: n is the difference between the two teams' aggregate scores. If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the same number of runs, then the match is a tie; this result is quite rare in matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is declared a draw. If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. Such a match is called a "limited overs" or "one-day" match, and the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula, known as theDuckworth-Lewis method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can also be declared a "no-result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play impossible; for example, wet weather. Distinctive elements Individual focus For a team sport, cricket places individual players under unusual scrutiny and pressure. Bowler, Batsman, and fielder all act essentially independent of each other. While team managements can signal bowler or batsman to pursue certain tactics, the execution of the play itself is a series of solitary acts. Cricket is more similar to baseball than many other team sports in this regard: while the individual focus in cricket is slightly mitigated by the importance of the batting partnership and the practicalities of running, it is enhanced by the fact that a batsman may occupy the wicket for a long time. Spirit of the Game This section requires expansion. (August 2010) Cricket is a unique game where in addition to the laws, the players have to abide by the "Spirit of the Game".[36] The standard of sportsmanship has historically been considered so high that the phrase "it's just not cricket" was coined in the 19th century to describe unfair or underhanded behaviour in any walk of life. In the last few decades though, cricket has become increasingly fast-paced and competitive, increasing the use of appealing and sledging, although players are still expected to abide by the umpires' rulings without argument, and for the most part they do. Beginning in 2001, the MCC has held an annual lecture named after Colin Cowdrey on the spirit of the game.[37] Even in the modern game fielders are known to signal to the umpire that a boundary was hit, despite what could have been considered a spectacular save (though they might be found out by the TV replays anyway). In addition to this, some batsmen have been known to "walk" when they think they are out even if the umpire does not declare them out. This is a high level of sportsmanship, as a batsman can easily take advantage of incorrect umpiring decisions. Influence of weather Floodlight at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Cricket is a sport played predominantly in the drier periods of the year. But, even so, the weather is a major factor in all cricket matches. A scheduled game of cricket cannot be played in wet weather. Dampness affects the bounce of the ball on the wicket and is a risk to all players involved in the game. Many grounds have facilities to cover the cricket pitch (or the wicket). Covers can be in the form of sheets being laid over the wicket to elevated covers on wheels (using the same concept as an umbrella) to even hover covers which form an airtight seal around the wicket. However, most grounds do not have the facilities to cover the outfield. This means that in the event of heavy bouts of bad weather, games may be cancelled, abandoned or suspended due to an unsafe outfield. Another factor in cricket is the amount of light available. At grounds without floodlights (or in game formats which disallow the use of floodlights), umpires can stop play in the event of bad light as it becomes too difficult for the batsmen to be able to see the ball coming at them, (and in extreme cases, members of the fielding team). On the other hand, in instances of good light, batsmen can utilise sight-screens which enable batsmen to have a white background against which they can pick out the red ball (or black background for white ball) with greater ease. The umpires always have the final decision on weather related issues. Uniqueness of each field This section requires expansion. (August 2010) Unlike those of most sports, cricket playing fields can vary significantly in size and shape. While the dimensions of the pitch and infield are specifically regulated, the Laws of Cricket do not specify the size or shape of the field.[22] The field boundaries are sometimes painted and sometimes marked by a rope. Pitch and outfield variations can have a significant effect on how balls behave and are fielded as well as on batting. Pitches vary in consistency, and thus in the amount of bounce, spin, and seam movement available to the bowler. Hard pitches are usually good to bat on because of high but even bounce. Dry pitches tend to deteriorate for batting as cracks often appear, and when this happens to the pitch, spinners can play a major role. Damp pitches, or pitches covered in grass (termed "green" pitches), allow good fast bowlers to extract extra bounce. Such pitches tend to offer help to fast bowlers throughout the match, but become better for batting as the game goes on. While players of other outdoor sports deal with similar variations of field surface and stadium covering, the size and shape of their fields are much more standardised. Other local factors, such as altitude and climate, can also significantly affect play. These physical variations create a distinctive set of playing conditions at each ground. A given ground may acquire a reputation as batsman friendly or bowler friendly if one or the other discipline notably benefits from its unique mix of elements. The absence of a standardised field affects not only how particular games play out, but the nature of team makeup and players' statistical records. Types of matches Cricket is a multi-faceted sport which, in very broad terms, can be divided into major cricket and minor cricket based on playing standards. A more pertinent division, particularly in terms of major cricket, is between matches in which the teams have two innings apiece and those in which they have a single innings each. The former, known as first-class cricket, has a duration of three to five days (there have been examples of "timeless" matches too); the latter, known as limited overs cricket because each team bowls a limit of typically 50 or 20 overs, has a planned duration of one day only (a match can be extended if necessary due to bad weather, etc.). Typically, two-innings matches have at least six hours of playing time each day. Limited overs matches often last six hours or more. There are usually formal intervals on each day for lunch and tea with brief informal breaks for drinks. There is also a short interval between innings. Historically, a form of cricket known as single wicket had been extremely successful and many of these contests in the 18th and 19th centuries qualify as major cricket matches. In this form, although each team may have from one to six players, there is only one batsman at a time and he must face every delivery bowled while his innings lasts. Single wicket has rarely been played since limited overs cricket began. Test cricket Main article: Test cricket A Test match between South Africa and England in January 2005. The men wearing black trousers are the umpires. Teams in Test cricket,first-class cricket and club cricket wear traditional white uniforms and use red cricket balls. Test cricket is the highest standard of first-class cricket. A Test match is an international fixture between teams representing those countries that are Full Members of the ICC. Although the term "Test match" was not coined until much later, Test cricket is deemed to have begun with two matches between Australia and England in the 1876–77 Australian season. Subsequently, eight other national teams have achieved Test status: South Africa (1889), West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1929), India (1932),Pakistan (1952), Sri Lanka (1982), Zimbabwe (1992) and Bangladesh (2000). Zimbabwe suspended its Test status in 2006 due to its inability to compete against other Test teams,[38] and returned in 2011.[39] Welsh players are eligible to play for England, which is in effect an England and Wales team. The West Indies team comprises players from numerous states in the Caribbean, notably Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands. Test matches between two teams are usually played in a group of matches called a "series". Matches last up to five days and a series normally consists of three to five matches. Test matches that are not finished within the allotted time are drawn. In the case of Test andfirst-class cricket: the possibility of a draw often encourages a team that is batting last and well behind to bat defensively, giving up any faint chance at a win to avoid a loss.[40] Since 1882, most Test series between England and Australia have been played for a trophy known as The Ashes. Some other bilateral series have individual trophies too: for example, the Wisden Trophy is contested by England and West Indies; the Frank Worrell Trophyby Australia and West Indies and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia. Limited overs Main article: Limited overs cricket See also: One Day International and Twenty20 International An ODI match between India and Australia in January 2004. The men wearing black trousers are the umpires. Teams in limited overs games, such as ODIs and T20s, wear multi-coloured uniforms and use white cricket balls. Standard limited overs cricket was introduced in England in the 1963 season in the form of a knockout cup contested by the first-class county clubs. In 1969, a national league competition was established. The concept was gradually introduced to the other major cricket countries and the first limited overs international was played in 1971. In 1975, the first Cricket World Cup took place in England. Limited overs cricket has seen various innovations including the use of multi-coloured kit and floodlit matches using a white ball. Brendon McCullum holds the record for highest number of runs in Twenty20 International. Shahid Afridi holds the record for highest number of wickets in Twenty20 International. A "one day match", named so because each match is scheduled for completion in a single day, is the common form of limited overs cricket played on an international level. In practice, matches sometimes continue on a second day if they have been interrupted or postponed by bad weather. The main objective of a limited overs match is to produce a definite result and so a conventional draw is not possible, but matches can be undecided if the scores are tied or if bad weather prevents a result. Each team plays one innings only and faces a limited number of overs, usually a maximum of 50. TheCricket World Cup is held in one day format and the last World Cup in 2011 was won by the co-hosts, India. The next World Cup will hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Twenty20 is a new variant of limited overs itself with the purpose being to complete the match within about three hours, usually in an evening session. The original idea, when the concept was introduced in England in 2003, was to provide workers with an evening entertainment. It was commercially successful and has been adopted internationally. The inaugural Twenty20 World Championship was held in 2007 and won by India. 2009's Twenty20 World Championship was staged in England and won by Pakistan. The next Twenty20 World Championship will be held in the West Indies. After the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 many domestic Twenty20 leagues were born. First of them was Indian Cricket League which is a rebel league since it is unauthorised by BCCI and led to form an official league called the Indian Premier League. Both these leagues are cash rich and attracted players and audience around the globe. Recently Twenty20 Champions League was formed as a tournament for domestic clubs of various countries. National championships Main article: First-class cricket Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1895. The team won the first of its 30 County Championship titles in 1893. First-class cricket includes Test cricket but the term is generally used to refer to the highest level of domestic cricket in those countries with full ICC membership, although there are exceptions to this. First-class cricket in England is played for the most part by the 18 county clubs which contest theCounty Championship. The concept of a champion county has existed since the 18th century but the official competition was not established until 1890. The most successful club has been Yorkshire County Cricket Club with 30 official titles. Australia established its national first-class championship in 1892–93 when the Sheffield Shield was introduced. In Australia, the first-class teams represent the various states. New South Wales has won the maximum number of titles with 45 to 2008. National championship trophies to be established elsewhere included the Ranji Trophy(India), Plunket Shield (New Zealand), Currie Cup (South Africa) and Shell Shield (West Indies). Some of these competitions have been updated and renamed in recent years. Domestic limited overs competitions began with England's Gillette Cup knockout in 1963. Countries usually stage seasonal limited overs competitions in both knockout and league format. In recent years, national Twenty20 competitions have been introduced, usually in knockout form though some incorporate mini-leagues. Other types of matches Main article: Forms of cricket Indian boys playing tennis ball cricket on the street in Uttar Pradesh, India. There are numerous variations of the sport played throughout the world that includeindoor cricket, French cricket, beach cricket, Kwik cricket and all sorts of card games and board games that have been inspired by cricket. In these variants, the rules are often changed to make the game playable with limited resources or to render it more convenient and enjoyable for the participants. Indoor cricket is played in a netted, indoor arena, and is quite formal but many of the outdoor variants are very informal. Families and teenagers play backyard cricket in suburban yards or driveways, and the cities of India and Pakistan play host to countless games of "Gully Cricket" or "tapeball" in their long narrow streets. Sometimes the rules are improvised: e.g. it may be agreed that fielders can catch the ball with one hand after one bounce and claim a wicket; or if only a few people are available then everyone may field while the players take it in turns to bat and bowl. Tennis balls and homemade bats are often used, and a variety of objects may serve as wickets: for example, the batter's legs as in French cricket, which did not in fact originate in France, and is usually played by small children. In Kwik cricket, the bowler does not have to wait for the batsman to be ready before a delivery, leading to a faster, more exhausting game designed to appeal to children, which is often used PE lessons at English schools. Another modification to increase the pace of the game is the "Tip and Run", "Tipity" Run, "Tipsy Run" or "Tippy-Go" rule, in which the batter must run when the ball touches the bat, even if it the contact is unintentional or minor. This rule, seen only in impromptu games, speeds the match up by removing the batsman's right to block the ball. In Samoa a form of cricket called Kilikiti is played in which hockey stick-shaped bats are used. In original English cricket, the hockey stick shape was replaced by the modern straight bat in the 1760s after bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it. In Estonia, teams gather over the winter for the annual Ice Cricket tournament. The game juxtaposes the normal summer pursuit with harsh, wintry conditions. Rules are otherwise similar to those for the six-a-side game. In addition, there is also Tape ball and Tennis ball cricket. Both variations use a tennis ball instead of a regular cricket ball to play. In Tape ball cricket, the ball is additionally covered with electric tape. The variation was pioneered in Pakistan and is greatly attributed to Pakistan's famous production of Fast bowlers as children are brought up playing the game using a tape ball in which various skills are developed. The increasing popularity of the tape ball in informal, local cricket has transformed the way games are played in cricket-loving nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. International structure Main articles: International structure of cricket, International Cricket Council, and World Cricket League ICC member nations. The (highest level) Test playing nations are shown in orange; the associate member nations are shown in yellow; the affiliate member nations are shown in purple. The International Cricket Council (ICC), which has its headquarters in Dubai, is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989. The ICC has 104 members: 10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 34 Associate Members, and 60 Affiliate Members.[41] The ICC is responsible for the organisation and governance of cricket's major international tournaments, notably the Cricket World Cup. It also appoints the umpires and referees that officiate at all sanctioned Test matches, One Day International and Twenty20 Internationals. Each nation has a national cricket board which regulates cricket matches played in its country. The cricket board also selects the national squad and organises home and away tours for the national team. In the West Indies these matters are addressed by the West Indies Cricket Board which consists of members appointed by four national boards and two multi-national boards. Members Main article: List of International Cricket Council members Full Members Full Members are the governing bodies for cricket in a country or associated countries. Full Members may also represent a geographical area. All Full Members have a right to send one representative team to play official Test matches. Also, all Full Member nations are automatically qualified to play ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.[42] West Indies cricket team does not represent one country instead an amalgamation of over 20 countries from the Caribbean. The English Cricket team represents both England and Wales. Nation Governing body Member since Current TestRankings Current ODIRankings Current T20Rankings Australia Cricket Australia 15 July 1909[42] 4 1 5 Bangladesh Bangladesh Cricket Board 26 June 2000[42] 9 9 9 England England and Wales Cricket Board 15 July 1909[42] 1 6 1 India Board of Control for Cricket in India 31 May 1926[42] 3 2 7 New Zealand New Zealand Cricket 31 May 1926[42] 8 7 2 Pakistan Pakistan Cricket Board 28 July 1953[42] 5 5 6 South Africa Cricket South Africa 15 July 1909A[42] 2 3 4 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Cricket 21 July 1981[42] 6 4 3 West Indies West Indies Cricket Board 31 May 1926[42] 7 8 8 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Cricket 6 July 1992[42] – 10 10 AResigned May 1961, readmitted 10 July 1991. Top Associate and Affiliate Members All the associate and affiliate members are not qualified to play Test Cricket, however ICC grants One Day International status to its associate and affiliate members based on their success in the World Cricket League. The top six teams will be awarded One day international and Twenty20 International status, which will allow the associate and affiliate teams to be eligible to play the full members and play official ODI cricket. The associate and affiliate teams who currently hold ODI and T20I status: Nation Governing body Member since Current ODI Rankings Afghanistan Afghanistan Cricket Board 2001[43] 14 Canada Cricket Canada 1968[42] 16 Ireland Cricket Ireland 1993[42] 11 Kenya Cricket Kenya 1981[42] 13 Netherlands Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond 1966[42] 12 Scotland Cricket Scotland 1994[42] 15 Statistics Main article: Cricket statistics Organized cricket lends itself to statistics to a greater degree than many other sports. Each play is discrete and has a relatively small number of possible outcomes. At the professional level, statistics for Test cricket, one-day internationals, and first-class cricket are recorded separately. However, since Test matches are a form of first-class cricket, a player's first-class statistics will include his Test match statistics—but not vice versa. The Guide to Cricketers was a cricket annual edited by Fred Lillywhite between 1849 and his death in 1866. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was founded in 1864 by the English cricketer John Wisden (1826–1884) as a competitor to The Guide to Cricketers. Its annual publication has continued uninterrupted to the present day, making it the longest running sports annual in history. Certain traditional statistics are familiar to most cricket fans. The basic batting statistics include: Innings (I): The number of innings in which the batsman actually batted. Not outs (NO): The number of times the batsman was not out at the conclusion of an innings they batted in.1 Runs (R): The number of runs scored. Highest Score (HS/Best): The highest score ever made by the batsman. Batting Average (Ave): The total number of runs divided by the total number of innings in which the batsman was out. Ave = Runs/[I – NO] (also Avge or Avg.) Centuries (100): The number of innings in which the batsman scored one hundred runs or more. Half-centuries (50): The number of innings in which the batsman scored fifty to ninety-nine runs (centuries do not count as half-centuries as well). Balls Faced (BF): The total number of balls received, including no balls but not including wides. Strike Rate (SR): The number of runs scored per 100 balls faced. (SR = [100 * Runs]/BF) Run Rate (RR): Is the number of runs a batsman (or the batting side) scores in an over of six balls. The basic bowling statistics include: Overs (O): The number of overs bowled. Balls (B): The number of balls bowled. Overs is more traditional, but balls is a more useful statistic because the number of balls per over has varied historically. Maiden Overs (M): The number of maiden overs (overs in which the bowler conceded zero runs) bowled. Runs (R): The number of runs conceded. Wickets (W): The number of wickets taken. No balls (Nb): The number of no balls bowled. Wides (Wd): The number of wides bowled. Bowling Average (Ave): The average number of runs conceded per wicket. (Ave = Runs/W) Strike Rate (SR): The average number of balls bowled per wicket. (SR = Balls/W) Economy Rate (Econ): The average number of runs conceded per over. (Econ = Runs/overs bowled). In popular culture This section requires expansion. (August 2010) Cricket has had a broad impact on popular culture, both in the Commonwealth of Nations and elsewhere. Cricket has had an influence on the lexicon of these nations, especially the English language, with such phrases as "that's not cricket" (unfair), "had a good innings", "sticky wicket", and "bowled over". There have been many cricket films. The term "Bradmanesque" from Don Bradman's name has become a generic term for outstanding excellence, both within cricket and in the wider world.[44] The amateur game has also been spread further afield by expatriates from the Test-playing nations. In the late 19th century, a former cricket player, English-born Henry Chadwick of Brooklyn, New York, was responsible for the "development of the box score, tabular standings, the annual baseball guide, the batting average, and most of the common statistics and tables used to describe baseball".[45] The statistical record is so central to the game's "historical essence" that Chadwick came to be known as Father Baseball.[45] C.L.R. James's Beyond a Boundary is a popular book about the sport. See also Cricket portal ICC ODI Championship ICC Player Rankings ICC Test Championship List of cricket terms ICC T20 Championship Blind Cricket Comparison of cricket and baseball Outline of cricket Women's cricket ICC Cricket World Cup References Notes ^ MCC – the official Laws of Cricket . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ CricketArchive – full list of ICC member countries . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ John Major, More Than A Game, HarperCollins, 2007 ^ John Leach, From Lads to Lord's quotes the precise date of the accounting entry as Thursday 10 March 1300 (Julian date), which is in the Gregorian year of 1301. Retrieved 31 January 2009. ^ John Leach, From Lads to Lord's quotes the precise date of the court case in Guildford as Monday, 17 January 1597 (Julian date), which is in the Gregorian year of 1598. Retrieved 31 January 2009. ^ Middle Dutch was the language in use in Flanders at the time. ^ Birley, p.3 ^ Birley, op. cit. ^ Altham, p.21 ^ Bowen, p.33 ^ David Terry, The Seventeenth Century Game of Cricket: A Reconstruction of the Game . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ Gillmeister's theory is summarised in the introduction to the book The Language of Cricket by John Eddowes, ISBN 1-85754-270-3. ^ David Underdown, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000, p.3 ^ a b H S Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962, p.21 ^ Timothy J McCann, Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century, Sussex Record Society, 2004 ^ CricketArchive profile . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ The Australian Eleven: The first Australian team , National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 24 May 2011. ^ CricInfo profile . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 1 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ Eastaway, Rob (2004). What Is a Googly?: The Mysteries of Cricket Explained . Great Britain: Robson Works. pp. 24.ISBN 1-86105-629-X. ^ "Dimensions for Cricket" . Retrieved 16 February 2010. ^ a b MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 19 ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 23 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ 22 yards is the length of a chain, a surveyor's measure first devised in 1620 ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 12 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 30 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 32 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 36 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 38 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 39 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 35 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 34 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 37 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 33 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC – Laws of Cricket: Law 31 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ MCC—Laws of Cricket: Preamble to the Laws . Accessed 8 September 2010. ^ MCC—Laws of Cricket: Promoting the Spirit of Cricket . Accessed 26 March 2012. ^ "Zimbabwe revokes Test status" . BBC Sport. 18 January 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2011. ^ "Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh on return to Test cricket" . BBC Sport. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011. ^ Eastaway, Rob, What Is a Googly?: The Mysteries of Cricket Explained (Anova, 2005), p. 134. ^ CricketArchive: full list of ICC members . Retrieved 25 July 2009. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "A brief history ..." . Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 May 2008. ^ "Cricinfo-Other countries-Teams-Afghanistan" . Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 May 2008. ^ Singh, Vikas (30 December 2003). "Ponting in Bradmanesque avatar" . The Times of India. Retrieved 8 September 2010. ^ a b Tygiel (2000), p. 16. Cricket Magazine Group offers 14 Award-Winning Magazines for Children from ... Cricket is also proud to provide only the finest quality games, books, ... Rediff - India Cricket. Complete cricket coverage: Live scores, match details, team updates,cricket news, contest, interviews and specials. Breaking news, articles, pictures, game results, statistics and upcoming events. Tasmania raid NSW cricket stocksTasmania have raided NSW cricket stocks signing three players for next season, including 27-year-old opener Ed Cowan. ... The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket board in ... sexybollywoodwallpaper |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_1024.jpg)
