The Island, Friday 20th October, 2006 meet Kiwis in make or break affair The complex- ion of this edition of the Champions Trophy changed dramatically when West Indies pulled off a sensa- tional 10-run win over at the Brabourne Stadium in yester- day. That game was played on a third pitch but no-one gave it a n’t have the pitch on mind when Shane Bond was top on the list. chance. Fair enough; how differ- they prepared themselves for the With still not at his ent can one 22-yard patch be from latest mini battle of the tourna- best, with a hamstring twinge another on the same square? But ment. Sri Lanka have been the bothering him, have when Sri Lanka take on New team in form coming into this to make the most of the Zealand, there will still be a bit of event, and their early perform- resources they have at hand. wariness as no one is clear how ances indicated that they were Understandably they’re taking a the pitch will play when the first hot favourites. But a loss against long-term view with Bond and ball is bowled. , who have been in utter believe they can still push the When West Indies began their disarray after losing most of best in the world with the squad game against Australia they were their , has ensured that they have. The contest promises playing the pitch more than they nothing can be taken for granted to be a tough one, and if some of were the bowlers. Brian Lara’s in this tournament. Sri Lanka’s flair comes to the master stroke - and it seemed like For and his fore, things could get really inter- a terrible mistake at the time - of crew the opposite has been true. esting. coming in at No. 6 ensured that They began the tournament as New Zealand, who have won West Indies could still go on to unfancied contenders. New the tournament before, come to post a competitive total despite Zealand have never been at home the party with that confidence. their early losses. But it may not on dry, crumbling pitches, and “In 2000 we hoped we could win be a blueprint for games of the there was no reason to believe it,” said Fleming at a pre-match future. they would be any different this press conference. “Now we have Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s time around. Fleming spoke of come here with a genuine expec- expert on pitches, arrived in how his team was not rated out- tation as a contender. That’s the Mumbai and did what he could to side New Zealand - and unfairly major difference. In the last cou- help the pitches at the Brabourne so - and backed that up with a ple of years we’ve been blooding Muttiah Muralitharan, (right), tries to block team-mmate Dilhara Fernando during a practice session in Mumbai, , Stadium along. Word is that solid performance in the first new players and developing expe- yesterday. Sri Lanka play New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy today. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) they’re using industrial adhe- game, against South Africa. He rience. Now we play in tourna- sives - the stuff builders use - to batted with such care and street- ments to win, that’s a big change help bind the pitch, giving it a wiseness on a tough pitch that he from what it was in 2000 in the “For Sri Lanka basically it’s two in our hand we should be able to row’s game.” chance to last the full hundred virtually won the game for his ICC Knock Out.” semi-finals. We have been pushed steer it, rather than hoping for Two teams that are more than overs with minimum wear and side. , mean- to the wall and we have to win,” somebody else to do it for us. It’s competent at one-day tear. The only real concern for New while, was quite relaxed about he said. “It’s a very healthy situa- important not to think too far promise to put up a show worthy But the two teams really did- Zealand was with injuries, and the position his team was in. tion though to be in. If destiny is ahead, but think about tomor- of the occasion. Taylor and Morton emerge as new Windies stars MUMBAI, India (AP) - Jerome performance of the evening and fetched Trophy semifinals. Taylor has achieved something that him the player of the match award. The West Indies, meanwhile, seem to Joel Garner or or The defending champion West Indies achieved beyond their ranking in the the other West Indies great fast bowlers showed its mettle to bounce back from tournament _ even forced into a quali- never did. the debacle in a qualifying game just fying competition this time because its It wasn't that he helped the four days earlier, when bundled out for ranking slipped outside the top six. team to a win over top- 80 in a nine- loss to Sri Lanka. Its emergence as champion in 2004 ranked Australia, but the unique way Lara urged West Indies fans not to revived memories of the glorious era he did it. lose hope. Then he and his young when the West Indies won the first two Taylor's hat-trick stopped World Cup charges gave their fans something to World Cup competitions in 1975 and holder Australia's victory charge on savor. 1979. Wednesday night as West Indies rallied Taylor said it had not occurred to The West Indies innings was in tat- to win a tight Champions Trophy him that he was on the verge a unique ters at the early departure of four top- encounter by 10 runs. feat when walking to his mark for the order batsmen when Morton and Lara Taylor cannot believe that he's the final over, having earlier removed combined. first West Indies bowler to claim three Michael Hussey and off the ''He's a tremendous talent, that's why HIV affected children tie a Suraksha Bandhan, a thread signifying bondage, on the wrist of in successive balls in a limited- last two balls of his previous over. we've reposed faith in Runako,'' Lara South African cricketer Andrew Hall, during a UNICEF and UNAIDS’s campaign for children overs international. ''Sarwan drew my attention to the had said ahead of the match. affected by HIV/AIDS “ Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS “ in Ahmadabad, India, yesterday. ''It's a proud feeling to have taken a fact that I was on a hat-trick, and I then ''Runako and Brian turned the game, The South African team members, who are in the city to play in the ICC Champions Trophy, took hat-trick for the West Indies, am I real- aimed at the stumps,'' said Taylor, who keeping us in the contest,'' said time off their busy schedule to meet the HIV affected children. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) ly the first one to do so?'' he asked. clean bowled with the a Sarwan, who stepped into the - Another relative newcomer led the sharp . cy role when the West Indies came out way with the bat. Runako Morton's 90 Taylor's haul of 4-49 dented the to bowl _ because of Lara's strained and his big partnership with skipper Australian hopes of making a winning back. More Sports Brian Lara helped the West Indies start in the hunt for a title that has ''This win should not surprise any- recover from a top-order slump. eluded it. one as we'd beaten Australia last Despite Taylor's penetrative burst, it Despite winning the last two World month in Kuala Lumpur,'' Sarwan said. on pages 10, 11 was the innings-building knock of Cups, top-ranked Australia has failed to ''It was just a matter of keeping the Morton that was adjudged as the best advance further than the Champions momentum going.''

Gayle fined Samaranayake hits ton for St.Sylvester’s West Indies all rounder Chris Gayle was shot out for a pathetic 46 runs fined 30 percent of his match fee on by Rukshan Razak and, in reply,St. Sylvester’s were Wednesday for a code of conduct breach A swashbuckling unbeaten in a commanding position at 195 during the narrow Champions Trophy vic- centaury by skipper and opener for 5 at stumps. tory over Australia. Rajitha Samaranayake (with 12 Ananda Sasthralaya 46 in Gayle and Australia batsman Michael fours and two sixes) and five 22.4 overs. (T. Kanishka 11; Ravi Clarke exchanged words in the middle dur- wicket hauls by off spinner Ravi Karunaratne 5 for 11, Cahnaka ing the Group A game in Mumbai which Karunaratne and medium pacer, Ranaweera 5 for 13) West Indies won by 10 runs. Cahnaka Ranaweera for St. St. Sylvester’s 195 for 5 in 39 One more race for Gayle and Clarke were summoned for a Sylvester’s College, Kandy were overs. (Rajitha Samaranayake Schumacher disciplinary hearing after the game where the first day’s highlights of their Sasthralaya, Kotte, which began 109 n.o, Ravi Karunaratne 42; T. the Australian player was found not guilty, inter-school cricket tournament at Kotte yesterday. Kanishka 2 for 37) World View an ICC spokesman said. - Reuters match against Ananda Ananda Sasthralaya were P IV

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