WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015 Dhawan hits hundred as India crush Ireland HAMILTON: Shikhar Dhawan hit an aggressive cen- we’ve used part-timers they’ve done well,” said Australia’s Ricky Ponting holds the record for the tury as defending champions India recorded their India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. most consecutive World Cup wins as captain with fifth victory in a row at the World Cup with a thump- Ireland’s Niall O’Brien scored a run-a-ball 75 24, while Dhoni and Clive Lloyd, who led West ing eight-wicket win over Ireland in Hamilton yes- while Porterfield made a solid 93-ball 67 in Ireland’s Indies to victory in the first two editions in 1975 terday. Chasing a modest 260-run target, Dhawan 259 all out in 49 overs. India proved their strength and 1979, have nine apiece. notched his second century of the tournament with in batting yet again as Dhawan and Rohit Sharma Earlier, Ireland failed to capitalise on a good sol- an 85-ball 100 as India lost only two wickets in only (64) put on their team’s best World Cup opening id start. Batting first after winning the toss, Ireland 36.5 overs on a batting-friendly Seddon Park pitch. stand of 174 against a struggling Irish attack. were 89 without loss in 15 overs, with Paul Stirling This latest victory meant India, yet to lose at this Dhawan, who stroked 137 in the win over South (42) giving good support to skipper Porterfield. World Cup and already into the quarter-finals, were Africa, completed his eighth one-day international Stirling hit four boundaries and two sixes during his guaranteed to finish on top of Pool B ahead of their hundred with a single off Kevin O’Brien to square 41-ball knock before holing out to off-spinner last group game against Zimbabwe in Auckland on leg. He reached three figures off just 84 balls. But Ravichandran Ashwin, who finished with two for Saturday. Ireland, meanwhile, will likely need a win one ball later Dhawan fell to a loose shot off Stuart 38. Part-timer Suresh Raina bowled Ed Joyce for against Pakistan in their last Pool match in Adelaide Thompson. In all, Dhawan hit 11 fours and five six- two before Porterfield and Niall O’Brien added a SCOREBOARD on Sunday to reach the last eight. es. Rohit was dismissed when he played on to valuable 53 for the third wicket. But once “We have put in a lot of yards in the last few Thompson after hitting three sixes and as many Porterfield fell, caught off paceman Mohit Sharma, HAMILTON, New Zealand: Complete scoreboard in the World Cup Pool B match weeks. It is all about being fresh for Pakistan. If you boundaries off 66 deliveries. India’s previous best Ireland slumped from 206 for three to 259 all out in can’t get up for these games you won’t be up for opening stand in a World Cup was the 163 shared 49 overs. Mohammad Shami grabbed the key wick- between India and Ireland at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday: any,” said Ireland captain William Porterfield. by batting great Sachin Tendulkar and Ajay Jadeja et of dangerman Kevin for only one run to finish Ireland 41-3 (5w), Mohit Sharma 6-0-38-1 (3w), Pakistan, Ireland and South Africa, who all have against Kenya at Cuttack in 1996. with figures of three for 41. Niall O’Brien completed W. Porterfield c Yadav b Sharma 67 Jadeja 7-0-45-1, Ashwin 10-1-38-2, Raina six points in five matches, will vie with the West Virat Kohli (44 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (33 his 14th ODI half-century with a six off Ashwin but P. Stirling c Rahane b Ashwin 42 10-0-40-1, Rohit Sharma 3-0-21-0 Indies (four points) for the three remaining quarter- not out) wrapped up the chase with a 70-run fell to a soft dismissal off Shami when Ireland need- E. Joyce b Raina 2 final spots on offer from Pool B. unbeaten stand for the third wicket to give Dhoni ed him to stay till the end. Andy Balbirnie, one of N. O’Brien c Yadav b Shami 75 India “Our bowlers are really doing the job for us, his ninth straight win in the World Cup, a run that Ireland’s most successful batsmen in the tourna- A. Balbirnie c Shami b Ashwin 24 R. Sharma b Thompson 64 they’ve stepped up-not just the three fast bowlers, started with the team’s march to the 2011 title on ment, made 24 before he swept Ashwin straight to K. O’Brien c Dhoni b Shami 1 S. Dhawan c Porterfield b Thompson 100 the spinners are complimenting them and when home soil. Shami at square-leg. — AFP G. Wilson c Rahana b Jadeja 6 V. Kohli not out 44 S. Thompson run out 2 A. Rahane not out 33 J. Mooney not out 12 Extras: (b4, lb2, w13) 19 G. Dockrell c Dhoni b Yadav 6 Total: (for two wkts; 36.5 overs) 260 A. Cusack c Yadav b Shami 11 Fall of wickets: 1-174 (Rohit Sharma), 2- Extras: (lb2, w9) 11 190 (Dhawan) Total: (all out; 49 overs) 259 Did not bat: S. Raina, M. Dhoni, A. Jadeja, Fall of wickets: 1-89 (Stirling), 2-92 R. Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Mohit (Joyce), 3-145 (Porterfield), 4-206 Sharma, U. Yadav (Balbirnie), 5-208 (Kevin O’Brien), 6-222 Bowling: Mooney 6-0-44-0 (4w), Cusack (Wilson), 7-226 (Niall O’Brien), 8-227 8-0-43-0 (1w), Thompson 6-0-45-2 (8w), (Thompson), 9-238 (Dockrell), 10-259 Dockrell 5-0-44-0, Stirling 5-0-36-0, K. (Cusack) O’Brien 6.5-0-42-0. Bowling: Yadav 4-0-34-1 (1w), Shami 9-0- Result: India win by eight wickets. World Cup result and standings Pool B At Hamilton Ireland 259 all out (Niall O’Brien 75, William Porterfield 67) v India 260-2 (Shikhar Dhawan 100, Rohit Sharma 64) India won by eight wickets Played won lost tied no result points run rate Pool A New Zealand 5 5 0 0 0 10 +3.090 - qualified Australia 5 3 1 0 1 7 +1.597 - qualified Bangladesh 5 3 1 0 1 7 +0.211 - qualified Sri Lanka 5 3 2 0 0 6 -0.151 - qualified England 5 1 4 0 0 2 -1.001 Afghanistan 5 1 4 0 0 2 -1.881 Scotland 4 0 4 0 0 0 -1.423 Pool B India 5 5 0 0 0 10 +2.157 - qualified South Africa 5 3 2 0 0 6 +1.462 Pakistan 5 3 2 0 0 6 -0.194 Ireland 5 3 2 0 0 6 -1.014 HAMILTON: Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan plays a shot as Ireland’s wicketkeeper Gary Wilson watches during their Cricket World Cup Pool B match. —AP West Indies 5 2 3 0 0 4 -0.511 Zimbabwe 5 1 4 0 0 2 -0.595 UAE 4 0 4 0 0 0 -1.691 Note: Top four in each group qualify for quarter-finals. World Cup exit shines light Rubel rape claim dropped on England’s one-day woes DHAKA: A Bangladeshi actress who filed a Channel 24 television yesterday. “I am not SYDNEY: “We thought 275 was chaseable. We shall 1996 World Cup. The 1990s and early 2000s also Sri Lanka generated further problems when in a rape case against cricket star Rubel Hossain going to give any testimony or evidence have to look at the data.” With those words, uttered saw England well-beaten in several successive major U-turn, they dropped Test skipper Alastair said yesterday she was withdrawing the against (him). And if I don’t carry on with following a defeat by Bangladesh in Adelaide on Ashes series by Australia. That led to a renewed Cook and brought in Eoin Morgan as captain in his charges against the fast bowler, a day after the case, then there is no case.” Monday that knocked England out of the World focus by officials on Tests with the impression given place. It made little difference, with Morgan’s his match-winning heroics at the World Her move came hours after her lawyer, Cup, Peter Moores appeared to write his own epi- that ODIs were little more than money-spinners. nought against Bangladesh his fifth duck in nine Cup. Naznin Akter Happy, 19, made the Debul Dey, said he would no longer repre- taph for his second spell as coach of the national “This is not just about this tournament,” said innings. Alex Hales, a dynamic opening batsman of rape allegation earlier this year after claim- sent Happy as he did not want to put Rubel side. It did not require great statistical analysis to under-fire England and Wales Cricket Board manag- the kind employed by many top one-day sides, did- understand why England had gone down by 15 ing director Paul Downton on Monday. n’t play at the World Cup until the Bangladesh ing 25-year-old Rubel had reneged on a under pressure while he was representing runs to Bangladesh-long regarded as the whipping “It goes back to a domestic structure, and put- game-and then as as a number three. Meanwhile promise of marriage that he made while his country in Australia and New Zealand. boys of international cricket but now victorious ting an emphasis in this country more on Test crick- England’s most experienced bowlers, Broad and they were having an “intimate affair”.