SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015 (PAGE 14) DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU New Zealand thrashes Sri Lanka History favours India in opener Finch, Marsh guide against determined Pakistan by 98 runs in World Cup opener ADELAIDE, Feb 14: opening round clash of the ICC Cricket World Cup, here tomor- Australia to 111-run win Plagued by injuries and CHRISTCHURCH, Feb 14: ary-laden half centuries to set the lopsided Group A game. row. MELBOURNE, Feb 14: There was a bit of a controver- If Australia bowled well then inconsistent performances, a jit- World Cup alight. Opener Lahiru Thirimanne India have an overwhelming sy in the end as James Anderson England faltered in their chase, Hosts New Zealand gave the tery India will begin their title In-form Kane Williamson was the lone batsman to offer any 5-0 record in the 50-over World Favourites Australia launched was run out after umpire Aleem losing wickets at regular intervals. cricket World Cup a cracking also chipped in with a useful 57 semblance of a fight with a 60- their cricket World Cup campaign start with a scintillating batting TODAY’S FIXTURE Dar adjudged Taylor lbw off Josh Needing a good start, the visi- on a batting pitch at the Hagley ball 65 while captain Angelo with a flourish as the co-hosts Hazlewood. The decision was tors lost both their openers - Mooen show as they crushed last edition Oval as the Black Caps hit the Mathews made 46 as Sri Lankan South Africa VS Zimbabwe (Hamilton) 6:30 IST rode on Aaron Finch's brisk centu- later reviewed and Taylor was Ali and Ian Bell - by the 10th over batting came a cropper. ry, the tournament's first, and given not out by the third umpire with just 49 runs on the board. Mathew's decision to bowl India VS Pakistan (Adelaide) 9:00 IST first seemed correct as there was Cup since the two teams were SCOREBOARD light rain just after the toss and defence, taking inspiration from the start of the match was delayed first pitted against each other at Australia innings : history when they lock horns Warner b Broad 22 by eight minutes but it ultimately the ICC event in the 1992 edition in Sydney. Finch run out (Morgan) 135 boomeranged as the home side Formidable Proteas to Watson c Buttler b Broad 0 batsmen made a flying star and Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys would like to retain Smith b Woakes 5 there was hardly any lull except a launch campaign Bailey b Finn 55 few overs midway into the Kiwi their supremacy on a 'Super Maxwell c Root b Finn 66 innings. against Zimbabwe Sunday'. Marsh c Root b Finn 23 McCullum, who hit 10 fours HAMILTON, Feb 14: It's a match that ICC expects to Haddin c Broad b Finn 31 and a six in his 49-ball knock, and be a full-house affair, considering Johnson c Anderson b Finn 0 Martin Guptill (49) put on 111 Seeking to shed the 'chok- that close to 20,000 Indians have Starc not out 0 runs from 15.5 overs for the ers' tag yet again, formidable already descended in Adelaide, Extras (lb-2, w-3) 5 opening wicket before a twin South Africa begin their cricket especially for this match. Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 342 strike off consecutive deliveries World Cup campaign against It's a match which both Fall of wickets: 1-57, 2-57, 3-70, 4-216, 5-228, 6-281, 7- by leg-spinner Jeevan Mendis in minnows Zimbabwe in a Group teams as usual would be desper- 342, 8-342, 9-342 New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum during his knock the 34th over -- that of B match here tomorrow. Bowling: Anderson 10-0-67-0, Broad 10-0-66-2, Woakes ate to win in order to start the 10-0-65-1, Finn 10-0-71-5, Ali 9-0-60-0, Root 1-0-11-0. of 65 runs against Sri Lanka in the World Cup-2015 opener at Williamson and Ross Taylor (14) The Proteas, one of the tour- mega event on the right note. Christchurch on Saturday. England innings: -- put brakes on the New Zealand nament favourites, will start as A defeat at the onset and that Moeen Ali c Bailey b Starc 10 SCOREBOARD innings. overwhelming favourites but too against Pakistan is some- Ian Bell c Starc b Marsh 36 But, Anderson, who came out tomorrow's match could turn thing Dhoni can ill-afford after Gary Ballance c Finch b Marsh 10 New Zealand innings: at 193 for 4 in the 34th over, Martin Guptill c Sangakkara b Lakmal 49 out to be tricky as Zimbabwe his team's shoddy performance Joe Root c Haddin b Marsh 5 Brendon McCullum c Mendis b Herath 65 upped the tempo for New Zealand have dished out strong perform- throughout the Australian sum- Eoin Morgan c Haddin b Marsh 0 Kane Williamson c Karunaratne b Mendis 57 with his 75 off 46 deliveries, ances against New Zealand and mer. James Taylor not out 98 Jos Butler c Smith b Marsh 10 Ross Taylor st Sangakkara b Mendis 14 which included eight fours and Sri Lanka in the World Cup Inconsistencies and lack of Grant Elliott c Thirimanne b Lakmal 29 two sixes, before he was out on Chris Woakes c Smith b Johnson 37 warm-up games. runs from his deputy and batting Stuart Broad b Starc 0 Corey Anderson c Lakmal b Kulasekara 75 the last ball of the innings.(PTI) Zimbabwe reduced New mainstay Virat Kohli, a bowling Steven Finn c&b Johnson 1 Luke Ronchi not out 29 Zealand to 157 for seven in James Anderson run out (Maxwell) 8 Total: (For 6 wkts in 50 overs) 331 attack that couldn't even get 10 Kashmir Gold Hockey Total (all out; 41.5 overs) 231 Bowling: Nuwan Kulasekara 8-0-78-1, Lasith Malinga 10-0-84-0, Angelo their first warm-up game before Afghanistan wickets in a prac- Australia's Aaron Finch celebrating after Bowling: Mitchell Starc 9-1-47-2, Josh Hazlewood 6.5- Mathews 6-0-28-0, Rangana Herath 9-0-37-1, Tillakaratne Dilshan 5-0-35-0, rain intervened and then upset tice match and fitness issues of Cup C'ship in August 0-45-0, Mitchell Johnson 8-0-36-2, Mitchell Marsh 9-0- reaching his century during the Cricket World Suranga Lakmal 10-0-62-2, Jeevan Mendis 2-0-5-2. Sri Lanka in their second prac- some key players would certain- Excelsior Sports Correspondent 33-5, Shane Watson 3-0-13-0, Glenn Maxwell 4-0-33-0, Cup match against England at the Melbourne Sri Lanka innings: tice match by seven wickets. ly be reasons for worry as far as Steven Smith 2-0-19-0. Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday. L Thirimanne b Boult 65 SRINAGAR, Feb 14: On the There is also past history as Dhoni is concerned. T Dilshan c & b Vettori 24 invitation of Punjab Schools Zimbabwe recorded a shock Squads: but Anderson at the non-strikers Coming in at No.6, Taylor K Sangakkara lbw b Boult 39 Mitchell Marsh's five-for to Hockey Federation, a delegation win over South Africa at the India: Mahendra Singh end was found short of his crease. tried his level best to make a M Jayawardene c Ronchi b Vettori 0 record a crushing 111-run victory of National Sports Club led by 1999 World Cup in England. Dhoni (captain), Shikhar But the day belonged to Finch, fight of it but his 91-ball stay till D Karunaratne b Milne 14 over old foes England here today. President J&K National Sports South Africa have faltered Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya whose 135 off 128 balls lay the end, laced with 11 fours and 2 A Mathews c Vettori b Southee 46 Put into bat, the four-time Club, Raja Ghulam Nabi Wani at crucial junctures of the World Rahane, Virat Kohli, Ambati foundation for a huge score before sixes, just did not prove enough J Mendis c Ronchi b Milne 4 winners rode on Finch's seventh N Kulasekara c Elliott b Anderson 10 and Advisor, National Ball Cup since their re-admission in Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Stuart the big-hitting Glenn Maxwell in an otherwise poor batting ODI century to post a formidable R Herath c Milne b Anderson 13 Hockey Association attended the international cricket in 1991 Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, blazed his way to a 40-ball 66. show. (PTI) 342 for nine as the packed MCG S Malinga c Ronchi b Southee 0 Punjab State Hockey Coaching and they have never gone Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, They were also helped by enjoyed the onslaught. S Lakmal not out 7 Camp held at Guru Nanak beyond the semifinal stage. Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran skipper George Bailey's sedate UCC clinches Rishav Chasing 343 for a win, the Total: (For 10 wkts, 46.1 overs) 233 University, Amritsar. Led by the swashbuckling Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed half-century, his 69-ball 55 keep- Bowling: Southee 10-1-43-2, Boult 10-0-64-2, Milne 10-0-57-2, Vettori 10-0- Eoin Morgan-led side failed to get Ramotra Memorial The delegation extended AB de Villiers, who hit a world Shami. ing things steady in the middle 34-2, Elliott 2-0-11-0, Williamson 1-0-7-0, Anderson 3.1-0-18-2. going only be bundled for 231 in invitation to the players of the record 31-ball hundred against Pakistan: Misbah ul Haq overs.