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Saffty & 2 592 592 Comfort is our Concern A MEMBER OF THE KANGAROO GROUP Saturday 19th March, 2011

Ponting ready SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka Upul Tharanga run out 3 for Aussies first Tillakaratne Dilshan c Oram b Southee 3 Kumar Sangakkara b N. McCullum 111 lbw b Southee 66 real WCup test Angelo Mathews 41 Thilan Samaraweera c B. McCullum b Styris 5 BY RIZWAN ALI Chamara Silva c & b N. McCullum 3 Nuwan Kulasekara c Guptill b Southee 1 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - c B. McCullum b Oram 6 Muttiah Muralitharan run out 7 Australia Ricky Ajantha Mendis not out 0 Ponting says he’s more con- Extras: (4lb, 12w, 3nb) 19 cerned about beating a “dan- TOTAL: (for nine ) 265 gerous” Pakistan lineup and Overs: 50. time: 235 minutes. qualifying atop Group A for the Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-19, 3-164, 4-210, 5- 219, 6-224, 7-232, quarterfinals than he is about Sri Lanka's captain 8-239, 9-260. protecting a 34-match unbeaten Kumar Sangakkara Bowling: 10-0-63-3 (5w), Jacob streak at the World Cup. dives to reach the Oram 10-1-57-1 Australia will face its first crease during their (1nb,1w), Hamish Bennett 4.1-0-16-0 (1nb,1w), real test in the tournament on 3.5-0-18-0 Saturday. The Australians have (1nb,1w), James Franklin 3-0-11-0, match against New 8-0-44-1, Nathan had comfortable wins over Zealand in Mumbai, McCullum 10-0-48-2, 1-0-4-0. Kenya, Zimbabwe, Canada and India, Friday, March 18, New Zealand, while its match 2011.(AP) New Zealand Innings with Sri Lanka was washed out lbw b Kulasekara 13 midway through the first Brendon McCullum c J’wardene b Mathews 14 Jesse Ryder c Sangakkara b Mendis 19 innings. lbw b Muralitharan 33 Ponting says his four-time Kane Williamson st Sanga b Muralitharan 5 champion team has “main- Scott Styris c & b Muralitharan 6 tained a very good and a very James Franklin c Dilshan b Muralitharan 20 proud record in World Cups, Nathan McCullum c Jayawardene b Dilshan 4 not out 20 but we don’t talk about what’s Tim Southee lbw b Mendis 8 happened in the past.” Hamish Bennett b Malinga 0 Ponting warned Pakistan: Extras: (4lb, 6w, 1nb) 11 “We are going to play our best TOTAL: (all out) 153 game of the tournament Overs: 35. Batting time: 173 minutes. tomorrow.” Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-33, 3-82, 4-88, 5-93 6- 102, 7-115 8-129, 9-144, 10-153. Bowling: Lasith Malinga 5-0-38-1 (3w), Nuwan Kulasekara 7-0-19-1 (2w), Angelo Mathews 3-0-19-1, Ajantha Mendis 6-0-24-2 (1w), Tillakaratne Dilshan 6-0-24-1, Muttiah REX CLEMENTINE REPORTING 82 for two in 17 overs with Ross Taylor The usual fluency wasn’t Muralitharan 8-0-25-4 (1nb). FROM BOMBAY and Jesse Ryder adding 49 runs. Both there in the Jayawardene Result: Sri Lanka won by 112 runs. Sri Lanka warmed up for the knock- batsmen were dropped in one Lasith innings until the episode and Toss: Sri Lanka. out stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup Malinga over, but that didn’t prove to after a few exchanges with the Umpires: Richard Kettleborough, England and with a near perfect match against New be costly as the introduction of spin- bowler his flow returned. Asad Rauf, Pakistan. Zealand in their final Group ‘A’game at ners created havoc. The third During his knock TV umpire: Amiesh Saheba, India. Wankhede Stadium in Bombay yester- stand was broken when Ryder was Sangakkara went onto become Match referee: Andy Pycroft, day.After posting a competitive 265 for caught behind off Ajantha Mendis and the fourth Sri Lankan to score Zimbabwe. nine in 50 overs, thanks to captain then Muralitharan exposed the Kiwis’ 9000 ODI runs after Aravinda de Kumar Sangakkara’s maiden World weakness against spin in front 23,000 Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sangakkara then added 46 runs for Cup hundred - his first ODI in spectators. Jayawardene. the fourth wicket with Angelo three years - Sri Lanka bowled the Earlier, after losing the openers This is his first hundred in three Mathews before being bowled by Kiwis out for 153 in 37 overs as off-spin- cheaply,Sangakkara and Mahela years with the last century coming Nathan McCullum, but by then he had ner Muttiah Muralitharan ended with Jayawardene were involved in a 145 during the Asia Cup in 2009 in which become the highest run scorer in the four wickets. run stand off 192 balls providing stabil- tournament he hit three hundreds. tournament. In six innings, the Sri The victory elevated them to the top ity to the Sri Lankan innings. Sangakara’s 11th ODI hundred is also Lankan captain has scored 363 runs so position in Group ‘A’from fourth with There was an anxious moment for his first against New Zealand. far at an average of 111. nine points. Although they cannot gain Sangakkara when he was on three as a The partnership between the two Again Sri Lanka’s lower middle the top slot of the Group, they will direct hit by Martin Guptill was senior Sri Lankan batsmen ended order failed to fire as they lost the last remain in the second position irrespec- referred to the third umpire, but his when Tim Southee trapped six wickets for the addition of 55 runs. tive of the result of the Australia- diving effort saved him. Jayawardene leg before wicket for 66 Angelo Mathews was unbeaten on Pakistan clash today in Colombo. The New Zealanders thought they off 90 balls with six boundaries. 41 off 35 balls with four fours. Sri Lanka’s likely opponents in the dismissed Mahela Jayawardene on 26 quarter-final will be England, hoping with the total on 87 when Nathan there aren’t any more upsets in Group McCullum dived full stretch to take a ‘B’. However, if India lose to West return catch, but the television replays Indies on Sunday,it will be an India – weren’t conclusive whether the catch Sri Lank clash in Ahmedabad. had been taken cleanly and he was New Zealand were going strong at ruled not out.

Sri Lanka's cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, centre, celebrates with fellow team members after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Scott Styris, not seen, during the Cricket World Cup Group A match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Mumbai, India, Friday, March 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) Stirling century helps Ireland beat Netherlands at World Cup

CALCUTTA, India (AP) - Paul which laid the foundations for a Dutch innings. Scores: Stirling smashed a whirlwind 101 successful run chase after His effort was supplemented Ireland 307-4 ( 101, as Ireland scored a six-wicket vic- Netherlands posted 306 from 50 by captain (84) and 68, Niall O’Brien tory over the Netherlands on overs. Wesley Baressi (44), even as 57 not out; 2-31) def. Friday to finish off its World Cup Ireland reached 307-4 in 47.4 Stirling took two wickets. Netherlands 306 (Ryan ten campaign on a high. overs with Neil O’Brien complet- Ireland finished with two Doeschate 106, Peter Borren 84, Stirling shared an Irish ing the win with an unbeaten 57. wins in six matches, while the Wesley Barresi 44; Paul Stirling 2- record opening stand of 177 with Earlier, Netherlands failed to register a 51, 2-59) captain William Porterfield struck a fluent 106 to steer the win.

Published by Upali Newspapers (Private) Limited, 223, Bloemendhal Road, Colombo 13 and Printed at 195/187, High Level Road, Homagama on Saturday 19th March, 2011