Monday 15th June, 2009 A narrow escape at Lord’s Rex Clementine reporting from London

sThe Sri Lankans had been hardly test- ed in their ICC T-20 World Cup campaign, easing past all their opponents without much trouble, but their first real test came from an unexpected sourse as Ireland, the surprise qualifier for the Super Eight stage of the tournament pushed to the extreme here at the Lord’s ground on Sunday. The Sri Lankans certainly had their hearts in their mouths as penetrative bowl- ing by the seamers restricted them to 144 for nine after cope with. had opted to bat first and then in the At the end of the eighth of the chase after the openers had given them a innings, Ireland required 86 runs solid start they threatened walk away with from 66 balls at less than eight runs an a win, but eventually fell short by nine over with all their in tack. At that runs. stage Muralitharan provided the break- Up until yesterday it had been smooth through that Sri Lanka were desperately sailing for the Sri Lankans, but a spirited looking for when captain William effort by the Irish opened up the chances of Porterfield, trying to cut a full got a surprise win for the novices of world the thinnest of edges to be by cricket. Sangakkara. has been Sri Lanka’s strength He made 31 in 29 balls with five bound- throughout the tournament, but both aries. and Angelo After the fall of first , Matthews were off colour yesterday, allow- Muralitharan and Malinga tightened ing the Irish to pick up boundaries at regu- things up for Sri Lanka, not allowing easy lar intervals and into the bargain the sin- runs, but once Malinga ceased to operate gles kept coming with relative ease. In the Ireland took their chances off Kulasekara end the experience of Muralitharan and taking 12 runs off the first three balls when the unorthodox and he returned for a new spell. were too much for them to Kulasekara dismissed Andre White off the fifth delivery of that over, but Mahela Jayawardena scores runs from a ball off SCOREBOARD Ireland’s during their World Cup cricket match at Lord’s cricket ground, London, Sri Lanka innings A. White c S’kara b Kulasekara 22 Sunday June 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) T. M. Dilshan c O’Brien b Rankin 0 K. O’Brien c Dilshan b Mendis 0 S. Jayasuriya lbw b McCallan 27 J. Mooney 31 K. Sangakkara c O’Brien b Johnston 3 T. Johnston b Malinga 9 M. Jayawardene b Cusack 78 A. Botha b Malinga 0 C. Silva c Rankin b McCallan 4 A. Cusack run out (†Sangakkara) 2 J. Mubarak c O’Brien b Cusack 7 R. West not out 1 A. Mathews b Cusack 10 Extras: (b 1, lb 3, w 3, nb 1) 8 Ireland could lose wickets in search of ensured things remained well under con- one for 18 in four overs were impressive. N. Kulasekara c Mooney b Rankin 1 Total: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 135 runs as they had eight more wickets in trol. A crucial 67 run stand in 49 balls for the M. Muralitharan st O’Brien b Cusack 0 Did not bat: K .McCallan, B. Rankin. hand and the 15th over of the innings Ireland had an opportunity of challeng- third wicket then followed between Sanath L. Malinga not out 1 Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-87, 3-89, 4-91, 5- bowled by Ajantha Mendis proved to be ing Sri Lanka thanks to the disciplined Jayasuriya and . A. Mendis not out 4 106, 6-106, 7-129. decisive. bowling of their seamers, particularly Jayawardene showed his class with Extras: (lb 5, w 4) 9 Bowling: Mathews 3-0-23-0, Kulasekara Mendis picked up two wickets in that Trent Johnston and . some neatly timed strokes in his knock of 78 Total: (9 wickets; 20 overs) 144 4-0-47-1 (1nb), Mendis 4-0-22-2 (1w), over giving away just three runs and then After dismissed the in in 53 balls with nine boundaries and a six. Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-14, 3-81, 4-97, 5- Malinga 4-0-19-2 (2w), Muralitharan 4-0- in the next over Muralitharan too conceded form Tillekeratne Dilshan for a duck, The Sri Lankans once again failed to just three runs making things harder for Trent Johnston dismissed captain push the score in the death overs as medium 126, 6-128, 7-132, 8-139, 9-140. 13-1, Jayasuriya 1-0-7-0. Ireland. Kumar Sangakkara for three and ended paceman Alex Cusack caused plenty of Bowling: Rankin 4-0-27-2 (2w), Johnston Toss: Sri Lanka, who chose to bat At one stage, Ireland required 40 runs off with a wicket maiden. In his next over he problems for the batsmen claiming three 4-1-18-1 (1w), West 4-0-34-0 (1w), Points: Sri Lanka 2, Ireland 0 18 balls and wickets off successive balls by beat Mahela Jayawardene’s bat on four wickets for 18 runs in his three overs. McCallan 4-0-33-2, Cusack 3-0-18-4, Player of the match: M. Jayawardene Malinga assured the game for Sri Lanka occasions, without finding the edge and at They in fact lost five wickets for 18 runs O’Brien 1-0-9-0. (SL) only for Kulasekara to give the Irish a rare one stage had figures of one wicket for six in the space of 15 balls, but eventually the Ireland innings Umpires : M. Erasmus (SA), A. Hill (NZ) hope in the game as the penultimate over runs in three overs. total of 144 proved to be a match wining one. W. Porterfield c S’kara b M’tharan 31 TV umpire: J. Davis (Aus) bowled by him cost Sri Lanka 18 crucial Sri Lanka damaged his figures by taking Mahela Jayawardene was named Man of N. O’Brien† st S’kara b Mendis 31 Match referee: G. Hurst (Aus) runs, but the last over bowled by Malinga 12 runs off his last over, but still figures of the Match. Gul puts in ascendancy after five-wicket blitz by Scyld Berry of being slow starters: they were down wickets in a . a fine spell, was fielding at mid-on and almost out of the 1992 World Cup After their first six overs, which and turned to chase. Lo and behold, Pakistan’s future as a cricket-playing before rallying so strongly that they hardly deserved the term of powerplay, caught up with the ball’s country is one of the great concerns of won it. Yesterday they were at a similar New Zealand were 37 for three. flight and held one of the catches of the sport. The difference between coun- stage before demolishing New Zealand Attempting to break out of the strangle- the tournament just inside the ties and their styles of play has been for 99, and in the process hold, Scott Styris lofted Gul high over boundary. lost. The difference between countries became the first bowler to take five mid-on. , in the middle of New Zealand, lacking class in the remains, and is a priceless commodity. absence of Ross Taylor and Jesse At its best Pakistan’s cricket com- SCOREBOARD Ryder, could not muster a partner- bines the physicality of Australian New Zealand S. Hasan run out 35 ship. Gul, quick and straight, mopped up the tail to finish with the cricket and the graces of India’s; at its A. Redmond c Gul b Aamer 15 A. Razzaq c McGlashan b Vettori 5 best Twenty20 figures. Pakistan did worst it has had defects that have been M. Guptill lbw b Razzaq 8 S Malik c McCullum b Vettori 4 all its own. But the most important fact not bat well but knocked off the S. Styris c Afridi b Gul 22 S Afridi not out 29 is that Pakistan’s national cricket team runs at such a rate that, with J. Oram c Misbah-ul-Haq b Afridi 5 Y. Khan not out 6 has seldom been able to take to any Ireland to come, they are well-placed field, home or away, in the last two P. McGlashan lbw b Gul 8 Extras: (w 1, nb 1) 2 for the semi-finals. Inconsistent but years. N. McCullum b Gul 7 Total: (4 wickets; 13.1 overs) 100 packed with potential, as ever. The second ICC World Twenty20 has J. Franklin b Gul 7 Did not bat: Misbah-ul-Haq, U. Gul, S. © The Telegraph Group, therefore come as an oasis in Pakistan’s D. Vettori run out 8 Ajmal, F. Alam, M. Aamer. London, 2009 barren fixture-list but, naturally K. Mills c Hasan b Gul 0 Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-61, 3-61, 4-71 Pakistan’s Umar Gul, front, celebrates after enough, they have not been sufficiently I. Butler not out 1 Bowling: he claimed the wicket of New Zealand’s well-conditioned to make the most of it. Extras: (lb 4, w 2) 6 Mills 4-0-28-1 (1nb), Franklin 2-0-19-0, Peter McGlashan during the Twenty20 World They have lost to , after all, in Total: (all out; 18.3 overs) 99 Vettori 4-0-20-2 (1w), Butler 2-0-22-0, Cup cricket match at cricket the qualifying round, and to Sri Lanka Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-33, 3-37, 4-55, 5- McCullum 1.1-0-11-0. ground, London, Saturday June 13, 2009. in their Super Eight group; and under 73, 6-73, 7-88, 8-93, 9-93, 10-99. Toss: New Zealand their avuncular coach , Bowling: Aamer 3-0-23-1, Razzaq 3.3-1- Points: Pakistan 2, New Zealand 0 Umar Gul became the first bowler to take who was playing half a cen- 17-2, Ajmal 4-0-24-0, Afridi 4-0-17-1 (1w), Player of the match: Umar Gul (Pak) five wickets in a Twenty20 international. tury ago, they have been the worst of Malik 1-0-8-0, Gul 3-0-6-5 (1w). Umpires: M. Benson and R. Tucker (Aus) (AP Photo/Tom Hevezi) the fielding sides in the tournament Pakistan Third umpire R. Koertzen (SA) with the exception of Scotland. Pakistan, however, have a tradition K. Akmal c Guptill b Mills 19 Match referee: R. Madugalle (SL) More sport on page 12, 14 and 15

Published by Upali Newspapers (Private) Limited, 223, Bloemendhal Road, 13 and Printed at 195/187, High Level Road, Homagama on Monday 15th June, 2009