WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

South Africa flatten Ireland

CANBERRA: and Faf the second highest total in World du Plessis hit centuries, while Dale Cup history, just two runs behind Steyn shone in his 100th one-day India’s record 413 for five against international, as show- Bermuda in 2007. cased their prowess with a 201- It was the second successive rout of Ireland in the World Cup 400-plus total for the Proteas in the yesterday. Amla scored 159 off 128 current tournament, following their balls to become the fastest man to 408 for five against the West Indies reach 20 ODI centuries and du in Sydney last week in which skip- Plessis made 109 as the Proteas per AB de Villiers hammered 162 off piled up a massive 411 for four after 66 balls. With victory almost taking first strike at Canberra’s assured, de Villiers used eight Manuka Oval. bowlers-including himself-ahead of Steyn put aside worries of tougher games. mountain fires near his home in Amla smashed 16 boundaries Cape Town as he bowled a hostile and four sixes, while du Plessis con- opening spell to wreck Ireland with tributed 10 fours and a six in a scin- SCOREBOARD two in his first three overs. tillating display of attacking The fast bowler, who had on a dry, run-laden pitch. CANBERRA: Completed scoreboard in the World Cup Pool B match between Ireland and South Africa at grabbed just three wickets in South Both batsmen were dismissed in the Manuka Oval in Canberra yesterday: Africa’s first three pool matches, fin- the space of three overs, but Rilee ished with two for 39 and Kyle Rossouw hit an unbeaten 61 off 30 South Africa E. Joyce c Amla b Steyn 0 Hashim Amla c Joyce b McBrine 159 N. O’Brien c Amla b Abbott 14 Abbott grabbed four for 21 as balls and David Miller chipped in Q. de Kock c Wilson b Mooney 1 A. Balbirnie c Rossouw b Morkel 58 Ireland were bundled out for 210 in with 46 as South Africa F. du Plessis b K. O’Brien 109 G. Wilson lbw b Abbott 0 45 overs. hammered 131 runs in the last 10 AB de Villiers c N. O’Brien b McBrine 24 K. O’Brien c Rossouw b Abbott 48 The Irish were reduced to 21 for overs. Prior to Amla and du Plessis’s D. Miller not out 46 J. Mooney b de Villiers 8 three by the fifth over and slipped stand, Ireland were initially in the CANBERRA: South Africa’s Hashim Amla watches his shot during their R. Rossouw not out 61 G. Dockrell b Morkel 25 to 48 for five by the 11th before game when seamer , Cricket World Cup Pool B match against Ireland. —AP Extras: (b1, w7, nb3) 11 M. Sorensen c De Kock b Morkel 22 Andy Balbirnie (58) and Kevin whose first two overs were maid- Total (4 wkts, 50 overs) 411 A. McBrine not out 2 O’Brien (48) led a late revival by ens, had caught , normally a safe catcher, six, four, six. An additional run came Did not bat: , , Kyle Extras: (lb3, w9) 12 adding 81 for the sixth . behind for one. dropped the ball after getting both off a no-ball. Abbott, Morne Morkel, Total (all out, 45 overs) 210 Fall of wickets: 1-12 (de Kock), 2-259 (du Plessis), Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Stirling), 2-21 (Porterfield), 3- South Africa’s third win in four South Africa would have been in hands to it. Amla’s career-best , in 3-299 (Amla), 4-301 (de Villiers). 21 (Joyce), 4-42 (N. O’Brien), 5-48 (Wilson), 6-129 matches brought them level on six further trouble when Kevin O’Brien, Ireland paid dearly for the lapse his 108th innings, was a new : Mooney 7-2-52-1 (2nb, 1w); Sorensen 6- (Balbirnie), 7-150 (Mooney), 8-167 (K. O’Brien), 9- points with defending champions who became Ireland’s most-capped as seamer Max Sorensen conceded record, with India’s 0-76-0 (1nb, 6w); K. O’Brien 7-0-95-1; Dockrell 10- 200 (Sorensen), 10-210 (Dockrell) India, who have played one less player on Tuesday with 87 ODI 24 runs in one over, with Amla being the next fastest to reach 20 0-56-0; Stirling 10-0-68-0; McBrine 10-0-63-2. Bowling: Steyn 8-0-39-2; Abbott 8-0-21-4 (1w); match, in Pool B. appearances, came on in the sixth smashing him for two sixes and a ODI hundreds in 133 innings. Morkel 9-0-34-3 (3w); Tahir 10-1-50-0; Behardien Ireland have four points from over and nearly claimed a wicket four and du Plessis lofting him for South Africa next play Pakistan in Ireland 2-0-13-0; Rossouw 2-0-13-0; Du Plessis 4-0-30-0 three games. Amla and du Plessis with his first ball. six. In the second powerplay, Amla Auckland on March 7, while W. Porterfield c du Plessis b Abbott 12 (5w); De Villiers 2-0-7-1. put on 247 off 217 balls for the sec- Amla, then on 10, flicked took 26 runs off one Mooney over Ireland take on Zimbabwe in P. Stirling c de Kock b Steyn 9 Result: South Africa won by 201 runs. ond wicket to lift South Africa to uppishly to short mid-wicket where with a sequence of two, four, four, Hobart the same day. —AFP

Preview Australia acid test awaits Afghanistan

PERTH: Afghanistan face their toughest test of the World Cup so far when they play four-time champions Australia in Perth today. Afghanistan have been the ‘Cinderella’ story of this World Cup, with their maiden win — a thrilling one-wicket victory over Scotland in Dunedin last time out-one of the highlights of the competition so far. But the pace and bounce of the WACA pitch is unlike any surface Afghanistan have experi- enced before and, in such fast bowlers as and Mitchell Starc, Australia have the attack to exploit the conditions. It may well have been with this match in mind that International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson told AFP on Friday: “I’m pleased with the performances of the qualifiers so far, but the bigger tests are still to come.” The following day the amateurs from the UAE were skittled out for just 102 at the WACA by defending champions India, whose pace attack is nothing like as intimidating as that of Australia. “As everyone knows the UAE has been our home ground due to security reasons and the pitches in UAE are slow and favour spin,” said PERTH: Afghanistan’s cricketers hold a training session ahead of the 2015 Cricket World Cup Afghanistan . Pool A match between Australia and Afghanistan. —AFP “Whereas tracks in Australia and New Zealand are very different, there is much more pace and looking forward to winning the match.” Australia captain Michael Clarke’s lament about bounce.” However, Afghanistan’s last Pool A Afghanistan still have a chance of gate-crash- his side’s inability to play swing bowling, after match against a Test nation saw them reduce Sri ing the quarter-finals, standing just a point they slumped to 151 all out against a New Lanka to 51 for four before Mahela Jayawardene’s behind Australia after losing to Bangladesh and Zealand attack featuring a five-wicket haul from hundred restored the status quo. Furthermore, Sri Lanka before beating the Scots. left-arm paceman Trent Boult, was interpreted in the likes of fast bowler Hamid Hassan and left- Yet were Afghanistan to win on Wednesday it some quarters as a criticism of coach Darren arm quick Shapoor Zadran, who starred with bat would arguably be the greatest upset in the his- Lehmann’s training methods. and ball against Scotland, could find the WACA tory of one-day international cricket. Australia fast bowler is set to BRISBANE: Pakistan’s players led by skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (right) walk back in this to their liking. The more concerning issue is how For Australia, it is the classic ‘no-win’ situation miss Wednesday’s match with a side strain, his file photo. —AP Afghanistan’s batsmen will cope, although in that anything less than a huge victory, never place likely to go to Josh Hazlewood in an attack Samiullah Shenwari was in bullish mood about mind a defeat, will be regarded with dismay by where Starc, who took six for 28 against New Preview the prospect of playing Australia after his superb their supporters. Australia need points on the Zealand, is becoming increasingly influential. 96 set up up the win over Scotland. board after their 111-run opening win over Meanwhile all-rounder , under “Hopefully we’ll give them a tough time and England was followed by a no-result washout renewed scrutiny after giving his wicket away Pakistan aim to boost we will not give up easy,” he said. “So we’re look- against Bangladesh and last weekend’s thrilling cheaply in Auckland, coud lose his place if James net run-rate against UAE ing forward to giving them a tough time and one-wicket defeat by New Zealand in Auckland. Faulkner regains full fitness.—AFP

NAPIER: Pakistan will target a huge we really want progress in this World Cup, improvement in batting to boost their net we have to come up with some perform- Anwar impresses for UAE run-rate in the World Cup Pool B match ances, if we keep scoring 200 to 230, 235 against minnows United Arab Emirates in runs, it could be really difficult for us to Napier today. win.” Pakistan with two points in three NEW ZEALAND: Halfway through the pool phase the top 10 and ahead of the likes of Brendon in a match where only one of his team mates made Pakistan’s long standing batting woes games are likely to fight the West Indies of the World Cup, an unlikely name, Shaiman McCullum, Virat Kohli and every player from double figures. “He is one of the best players we have continued in the tournament as they (two wins in four matches) and Ireland (two Anwar, sits perched among the tournament’s best Australia and England. have on our team,” said UAE all-rounder Amjad lost their opening game against arch-rivals wins in two and who face South Africa on batsmen. Unheralded before the World Cup, the He is averaging 69.33 with an impressive strike Javed. “On his day he can really score quick runs for India by 76 runs and went down by a big Tuesday) for a place in the quarter-finals. United Arab Emirates’ middle-order batsman has rate of 114.28 and has already scored a hundred us, and we have seen it.” “He’s very dangerous. 150-run margin in their second to the West The top four from each of the two pools been a revelation, turning heads with his cool dis- against Ireland and a half-century against Once he starts scoring he will score more and big Indies. The 1992 champions finally opened of seven teams will reach the quarter-finals. plays at the crease. Zimbabwe. Anwar’s lowest score at the World Cup runs.” Born in Pakistan, Anwar moved to the UAE in their World Cup account with a scrappy 20- Pakistan will also look to improve their net In three innings, he has scored 208 runs to be in is 35, against the reigning world champions India, 2007 when he was offered a job in shipping. He run win over Zimbabwe in Brisbane on run-rate which stands at a poor -1.37. was picked to play for his adopted country in 2010 Sunday and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq warned Considering UAE’s weakness against and in 2014, he made his first One Day his team cannot afford any more slip-ups. spin, highlighted by Ravichandaran World Cup results and standings International appearance, helping the Emirates “From now on we have to play every Ashwin’s 4-25 in India’s nine-wicket win on Pool B qualify for the World Cup. game as it is a knock out match,” said Saturday, Pakistan can bring in leggie Yasir At Canberra Despite his reputation as a big hitter, Anwar Misbah whose team also face a tough Shah and also Sarfraz Ahmed as opener for South Africa 411-4 (Hashim Amla 159, 109, 61 not out) v Ireland 210 all out (Andy failed to make much of an impression in his first full game against in-form South Africa in Jamshed. Balbirnie 58) season of ODIs. In his first six matches, he managed Auckland (March 8) and a dangerous Pakistan have won their two one-day South Africa won by 201 runs a total of just 78 runs, with a top score of 26 not Ireland in Adelaide on March 15. internationals against UAE-both by nine out. In his final ODI before the World Cup, against “I think the top order is always the key, wickets-the first in Sharjah in 1994 and the Played won lost tied no result points run rate Afghanistan in December, he posted his first half- and if we really want to go further in this second at Gujranwala in the 1996 World Pool A century, and the 35-year-old has not looked back. World Cup, we have to improve that,” said Cup. New Zealand 4 4 0 0 0 8 +3.589 He announced his arrival at the sport’s global spec- Misbah of the openers who in the last 10 UAE have Pakistan-born middle-order Sri Lanka 4 3 1 0 0 6 +0.128 tacle with a polished 67 against Zimbabwe before one-dayers have six single-digit stands, five batsman Shaiman Anwar as the only bright Bangladesh 3 1 1 0 1 3 +0.130 making an impressive 106 against Ireland, becom- of them one run or less. Pakistan tried vet- spot who has scores of 67, 106 and 35 in his Australia 3 1 1 0 1 3 -0.305 ing the first batsman from UAE to score a century eran as opener in the first team’s three defeats. But skipper Afghanistan 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.760 at the World Cup. match but that backfired. Mohammad Tauqir said the whole tourna- England 4 1 3 0 0 2 -1.201 Thrust into the limelight, Anwar said he was Pakistan were 1-4 against the West ment is a learning experience for his team. Scotland 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.735 overwhelmed by the response his century generat- Indies at Christchurch in the worst-ever “Look, we had two good games to start ed. “I have hardly been able to put my mobile start in all one-day internationals, while with,” said Tauqir of his team’s narrow two- Pool B down. Everyone is calling me from Dubai and they were 4-2 against Zimbabwe with Nasir wicket loss to Ireland and four-wicket India 3 3 0 0 0 6 +2.630 Pakistan,” he told reporters. “I never thought scor- Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad failing on defeat against Zimbabwe. “We would like South Africa 4 3 1 0 0 6 +1.950 ing a century in a World Cup would elicit such a both occasions. to forget about it and erase this game as West Indies 4 2 2 0 0 4 -0.313 response. Pakistan struggled to score 235-7 soon as possible and would like to do well Ireland 3 2 1 0 0 4 -1.137 “I realised that if you hit a century in the World against Zimbabwe, a total Misbah believed in the next three games and gain experi- Zimbabwe 4 1 3 0 0 2 -0.723 Cup, the entire world will watch you. It is a huge will not help against South Africa. “If we ence. “This whole tournament is a learning Pakistan 3 1 2 0 0 2 -1.373 platform. I did not have any idea how big it can really want to win against South Africa and experience for us.” —AFP UAE 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.326 get.”—Reuters