India v Pakistan, 2nd semi-final, World Cup 2011, Mohali

Umar Gul focussed on India top order

Sharda Ugra in Mohali

March 28, 2011

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	Umar Gul has said that the pressure will be lifted off him if Shoaib Akhtar plays © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Umar Gul Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: Pakistan

Umar Gul is the man who operates in the shadows of his more colourful companions of the Pakistani bowling pack. Behind his captain Shahid Afridi among Pakistan's leading wicket-takers at this World Cup - 14 wickets to Afridi's 21 - Gul has emerged as the searing inquisitor with the new ball en route to Pakistan's arrival into the semi-final.

It will all come to a head in Mohali on Wednesday when Gul opens the bowling against the strongest batting contingent of the event. It is his first spell that could dictate how the rest of his team's overs go, but Gul has identified what he needs to do. "The first three wickets in the top-order are very crucial for us. They are depending on the top three. I am looking for these three batsmen." Now these are words tailor-made for screaming headlines, ("Gul targets top three", "Gul wants to rip through India top order") but Gul delivered them as if he were saying something routine. Like telling the physio about his ankles or ordering room service.

Were Gul to run into India's top three in their hotel corridor between now and Wednesday afternoon, there would be handshakes, smiles and pleasant chit-chat. It is a fact that most of the fans on both sides find hard to to digest, particularly two days before the World Cup semi-final that once again sets up one of the most over-heated rivalries in sport.

Gul said that given the strength of the Indian batting, the World Cup had taken his bowling to the rhythm it needed at the right time. "Our bowling is very good. Afridi is the leading wicket-taker. I am happy with my performance and form. We have a bit of an advantage with our bowling but I am happy with the way the batsmen played in the quarter-final." He said that the ideal combination for Wednesday would be the Pakistani bowlers being on top of their game on a friendly wicket, and the batting giving the start like it had against the West Indies.

The advantages of working with coach Waqar Younis and assistant coach Aaqib Javed, both fast bowlers of skill and nous, had found strong echoes at the World Cup, according to Gul. "I've only fully understood in this World Cup how much help I have got from them." On the tour to New Zealand, Waqar had informed Gul that he would be bowling with the new ball in the World Cup. "For the last one-and-a-half-years, I wasn't able to deliver with the new ball because of which I lost my form." In the last two-three months, however, working with both Waqar and Aaqib, had brought it all back, rhythm, confidence and success. "It's been like I was bowling in the past, I've got my new-ball skills back, which is good for the team."

One of the biggest dilemmas facing Pakistan is whether to play Shoaib Akhtar in what could be one of his last matches. Shoaib was dropped following Pakistan's defeat to New Zealand but Gul dismissed the talk that he had been omitted because of issues within the team about Shoaib's conduct. "He was rested after the New Zealand match so that he can focus on his fitness. The way he has been practicing for three days, I hope he will do well."

Shoaib's partnership with medium-pacer Abdul Razzaq and also the spin option of Mohammed Hafeez at the start has worked well enough, but Gul welcomed the idea of sharing the new ball with Shoaib. Asked whether he personally would like to partner Shoaib against India, Gul said, "Of course. He is our most experienced bowler and he has done very well in the past, especially against India. A little bit of pressure will be lifted off me too if he plays because in the last couple of matches, when Shoaib wasn't there, all the pressure was on me."

Gul was asked whether he agreed with what MS Dhoni had said about the match actually being bigger than a final. He said, "See, I don't think Dhoni was talking for himself, he was speaking about the expectations of the Indian people. As a player, no one would say this (a semi-final) is bigger than the final, but every cricketer feels the pressure of their people. We also feel the same pressure - our people also feel that we must beat India in each match. You can say that, if we were speaking not for ourselves, but for Pakistan's people, then yeah, it's a final and we will try to win.

	"It is only natural, every player hopes he will get the kind of fame that Sachin or Afridi has. It doesn't work that way though. Players like that are idols, so Afridi and Shoaib, whether they perform or don't perform, are idols for the people of Pakistan."

"A semi-final can't be bigger than a final but it's a big match, a high-pressure match." Whether it is a knockout game or a league game, "any match against India is a big match always," Gul said, and then, for the first time in the press conference, he smiled.

The match was "crucial" for the teams but then Gul moved beyond the cricket. "It brings both countries closer, it's very good not only for the players but also for both countries." The prime ministers of both nations seem to agree with the fast bowler. "People from both countries want us to play each other often. Both fans enjoy the cricket because the more we play each other, it's better. I hope it will be a good match and both countries play well."

He also understood what the consequences would be for the losing semi-finalists. "Always, whether you are the Indian or the Pakistani team, there is pressure. The supporters of both teams absolutely cannot bear a defeat. But we've done well in the World Cup, we've won six of our seven games. The kind of support we have got from Pakistan, we are very happy. Whether we win or lose is not in our hands, inshallah we will try and play good cricket."

The team had not heard of Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik's comments about how they would be monitored closely following the spot-fixing controversy. "I am not aware of this until now ... We don't focus on the media; we are focussing only on our cricket. The kind of pressure we have had over the last several months and the way we have handled it, this (the Malik statement) is no pressure at all."

Before he walked off to be with his mates and in the shadows again Gul faced a question about whether he sought stardom of the kind enjoyed by Afridi and Shoaib. He could have given the safe answer but chose not to. He spoke like a young man doing the hard yards in a punishing profession. "It is only natural, every player hopes he will get the kind of fame that Sachin (Tendulkar) or Afridi has. It doesn't work that way though. Players like that are idols, so Afridi and Shoaib, whether they perform or don't perform, are idols for the people of Pakistan. They will always remain that way. Sometimes in the heart, yes I do wish that I have the same kind of fans that Afridi and Shoaib have, the same fan following."

Then the fast bowler in him returned and he said, "But even then, I am satisfied with the following I have but I am never satisfied with my performance. If I do well in one game I want to perform better in the next ... I always want to try to perform better than the previous time."

No better time to perform than in a World Cup semi-final.

Which is why in the evening, like Gul had earlier promised, the Pakistanis turned out for a fielding session under lights, spending an hour. It was meant to assess the dew factor in Mohali and to give their skills one final polish. Pakistan are not practicising tomorrow and this session under lights would be their last hour on the field before they walk out into the sun on Wednesday afternoon.

Sharda Ugra is senior editor at ESPNcricinfo

World Cup 2011

Shoaib Akhtar to retire after World Cup

Osman Samiuddin in Colombo

March 17, 2011

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	Shoaib Akhtar announces his retirement in Colombo © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Numbers Game : A career of hits and misses Features : Six of Shoaib Akhtar's best Players/Officials: Shoaib Akhtar Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: Pakistan Gallery: The Rawalpindi Express

Shoaib Akhtar will retire from the international game at the end of Pakistan's World Cup, bringing to a close one of cricket's most compelling and mercurial careers. Privately, over the last few months, Shoaib had been looking at the World Cup as a final hurrah for a body increasingly unable to cope with the rigours of the international game.

On Wednesday evening, at a Pakistan High Commission function in Colombo, he told a handful of reporters, including ESPNcricinfo, that he would make the announcement on Thursday. After Pakistan's training session at the Premadasa, Shoaib arrived in jacket and trousers and told the press of a decision he had made, fittingly for him perhaps, in a hospital bed after yet another knee surgery two years ago.

"Today I step ahead for the most significant phase of my life and walk off," he read out from a prepared statement. "I have decided to say goodbye. This World Cup is my last and the coming matches in the tournament would be the last few of my international career. Mentally I wanted to continue perhaps forever. But I must make way for youngsters to take over."

He said he had discussed the matter with the team management during the tour to New Zealand earlier this year, but decided to go ahead with it only now, dousing speculation that he might have been pushed into it. His Pakistan team-mates were told of the decision at the Premadasa on Thursday morning during an emotional gathering in the dressing room, where he delivered a farewell speech and was embraced by fellow players and support staff.

"There was sadness there," Shoaib said of the occasion, before joking that a retirement on his own terms was unique enough to shock them. "The whole team knew this was going to happen but they didn't want to believe this was going to happen because they played with me long enough. They were very sad about it but at the same time happy for me, for my next few matches, whatever is left in me. It might seem a little awkward to them as this is the first time in Pakistan that someone is leaving cricket on this note. Felt a little awkward. So, I would say they were a little shocked."

The tournament itself has been a mixed one for him. Whether or not he gets another chance to script a different ending, which currently has him being hit for 28 runs in his last over by Ross Taylor, including the last ball for six, is likely to be the subject of much speculation ahead of Saturday's game against Australia. He was outstanding through ten overs in Pakistan's win over Sri Lanka, but his fitness and energy, particularly during later spells, has concerned the Pakistan team set-up.

The best Shoaib bowled to "I wouldn't say I enjoyed bowling against them but they are my very top of the favourites. Inzamam is there. I loved bowling against [Adam] Gilchrist, I loved to hate him but he was very tough. Ricky Ponting was another great. This guy not only played, but he won matches, he had so much ability. I really wish to see him play for another few years for Australia. Then my favourite, Brian Lara, who was so elegant I lost myself in his elegance. I only bowled three balls to him, and they were my favourite three balls, but I felt very sad when I hit him and he had to leave the ground. But these are the players I really, really enjoyed bowling against. I wish I could, but it's my good luck that I never bowled to that guy Viv Richards. That is my good luck."

As if released, he fairly sprinted in to bowl in the nets, running in faster and bowling - to the naked eye at least - quicker than he has been. He believes he could've played on for another year or two, but for the moment, he said, he will do everything he can for his side in the World Cup.

"I am available for every match and working really hard and bowling as quick. My pace is still there, I am not slowing down. My pace is up there. Playing is up to the management. I am going to double my efforts. Any possible way I can help Pakistan, and with every ounce of blood that is left in my body, I will serve my country. I play or if I don't play I don't know, but I'm working hard, I'm training hard. I had a great session today. I'm focusing on the match against Australia. If I don't play I will make sure every guy gets my help and if nothing else then I will carry water onto the field."

A myriad of off-field run-ins with the establishment and players - he smiled mischievously when thanking "my dear PCB" - and an endless list of injuries heavily curtailed his career, impact and legacy. He played in only 46 of the 84 Tests Pakistan played since his debut in November 1997 and 163 ODIs - a relatively small number for a subcontinent player - in over 13 years. This tournament has been typical. Questions over his fitness have been ever-present and he has been fined by the team management for several breaches of curfew, as well as for a spat with Kamran Akmal during and after the New Zealand loss. Yet, Shoaib insisted, he would not have done it differently.

	Shoaib Akhtar seemed to run in quicker and bowl faster after making his decision © AFP Enlarge

"Whenever I had a chance, even with niggles and during the pain and the most horrifying days of the pain, I still never said no to Pakistan," he said. "I always made myself available. There are no regrets. You always knew me as not the fittest man or bowler. I always played in pain. I always played half-unfit. So the fitness issue has always been there, still there.

"This was written in my life and it had to happen. It's part of the process that you grow up and go through such times and you grow out of it. You become 35 and you get mature. We come from a very humble background. We always learn that cricket is our institution and we learn swimming, driving, anything you name it we learn from there. So obviously you've got to give us a bit of a chance, a span of 10-15 years to learn. There are no moments I regret."

Even in this interrupted, half-full career, there were enough Shoaib moments for his time of passing to be a genuinely sad one. The two balls to silence Eden Gardens were, understandably given his thirst for big-name scalps, among his own highlights. The 100mph ball in the 2003 World Cup was another but the most memorable was a simpler one, a surprising one perhaps, of the moment he first wore the Pakistan Test kit.

"The first day, when I got announced for Pakistan, I did not believe that someone like me could play for this greatest team ever," he said, unable to suppress a smile. "And there were my idols like Wasim and Waqar, and Imran was there to support us every now and again … Inzamam, everyone, every senior player I used to see on TV. I always dreamed of playing with them. The best moment was when I got the first kit for my first Test and I had a huge star on my chest. I wore that kit and I slept in it and I couldn't believe I would wake up in it. I did not take it off for three days."

Towards the end, there was the distinct possibility of tears - "do you want me to cry?" he asked when translating his thoughts into Urdu - but he held them back. "Playing for Pakistan was a dream. Yes, it was a dream," he said and then walked off, to hugs and handshakes all around.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of ESPNcricinfo

England stay alive in another thriller

England 243 (Trott 47, Russell 4-49) beat West Indies 225 (Russell 49, Tredwell 4-48) by 18 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Staying alive: England's crazy campaigners live to fight another day © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links News : Bangladesh face uphill task after England win Players/Officials: James Anderson | Devendra Bishoo | Chris Gayle | Andrew Strauss | James Tredwell | Luke Wright Matches: England v West Indies at Chennai Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: England | West Indies

In a campaign of ludicrously slender margins, England gave themselves a fighting chance of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals after emerging victorious by 18 runs in a monstrous battle of wills against West Indies at Chennai. In a contest that fully lived up to the "arse-nipper" billing that Graeme Swann had given it beforehand, England once again teetered on the brink of oblivion before the spin of Swann and James Tredwell hauled them back into contention in a sensational denouement. Needing 244 for victory, West Indies were coasting on 222 for 6, before losing their last four wickets for three runs in 20 deliveries.

It was a finale that would have been remarkable in any other context, but coming from a team that has managed to turn each of its six qualifying fixtures into horror-shows best viewed from behind the sofa through cracks in the fingers, it was a conclusion that teetered towards self-parody. Following a schizophrenic batting performance, in which Jonathan Trott shed his demure image to crash six fours from his first nine balls, England themselves crashed from 121 for 2 to 151 for 6, before Luke Wright justified his first call-up of the campaign with a vital 44. Their eventual total was at least 30 runs below par, but not for the first time, the team's fighting spirit made up for it lacked in planning and application.

West Indies' reply was a tale of three cameos. Between them, Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy slammed 84 runs from 50 balls, while Andre Russell launched his own innings with 45 from 29 before going into his shell after a hugely controversial reprieve on the long-on boundary. While those three were cutting loose, aided and abetted by a string of silent partners, not least the obstinate Ramnaresh Sarwan, it was clear that England had no option but to take all ten wickets to progress.

Cue the spinners - one whose last dew-sodden performance had resulted in an ICC fine for an audible display of petulance; the other whose solitary appearance of the winter came in a forgotten ODI at Hobart back in January. Between them Swann and Tredwell scalped seven of the first nine wickets, including three in the last 11 balls of their allocation, before a sharp throw from fine leg sealed the victory with Sulieman Benn well short.

That it was Trott who delivered the decisive throw was fitting, because it was his superb catch running round at cow corner that looked to have removed Russell for 39 and turned the contest in England's favour at 204 for 7. However, as he landed Trott's momentum slid him agonisingly close to the boundary rope, and though the fielder insisted he had taken the ball cleanly, the third umpire overturned the decision and Russell came back to the crease with six more runs to his name.

It was a moment that might have knocked the stuffing out of lesser sides, but England's bottle is the one aspect of their cricket that cannot be questioned after the events of the past month. Chastised by his let-off, Russell added a further four runs from 16 deliveries before Tredwell, whose three top-order breakthroughs had given England a glimmer, nailed him lbw as he attempted to work a single to leg. One ball later, Benn survived a referral by the skin of his bails as he padded up to a straight one, but England had the bit between their teeth and the desperation to make their opportunity count.

Smart Stats This was England's fifth win over West Indies in World Cups and their sixth in global tournaments. They have lost only two matches to West Indies in major tournaments. While England scored 92 runs in boundaries, West Indies were far more attacking, scoring 126 runs in fours and sixes. Graeme Swann and James Tredwell picked up seven wickets for 84 runs in 20 overs. Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett, on the other hand, did not pick up a single wicket and conceded 93 runs in 12 overs. The 4 for 48 is Tredwell's best bowling performance in ODIs. West Indies had their best performance in the first ten overs of the innings in the 2011 World Cup scoring 78 for 2. Andre Russell followed up his 4 for 49 with 49 off 46 balls. He missed out on becoming only the eighth player to score a fifty and pick up four wickets in a World Cup game.

Though Strauss might have been tempted to wait for the tailender Benn to come onto strike, he decided there was no time to wait and unleashed Swann's final over on the well-set Sarwan, who had been in the toilet at the fall of the first wicket but whose belated appearance at No. 6 looked set to seal the game. He had eased along to 31 from 67 balls with scarcely a shot in anger, but Swann's first delivery turned sharply into the gloves, and looped tastily to Ian Bell at a commendably attacking short leg. Two balls later Kemar Roach slogged to Chris Tremlett at mid-off, whose extra height proved invaluable in reaching a low chance, and Bopara's subsequent over delivered the decisive run-out.

The start of the West Indies innings had been scarcely any less breathtaking. With his abdominal strain still appearing to cause him some discomfort, Gayle decided that boundaries, not singles, were the order of the day. He smashed the usually reliable Tim Bresnan for four fours in his second over of the match, before welcoming Tremlett to World Cup cricket in no-less-devastating fashion, with three fours and a dismissive six over wide long-on.

After five overs, West Indies already had 50 on the board, but in a portent of thrills to come, the spinners signalled a change of tempo. Swann's first over went for a tidy three runs, before Tredwell struck with his fourth ball of the tournament, one delivery after Gayle had swatted him for his ninth boundary in 20 balls. Leaning onto the front foot, he was rapped on the pad in front of middle, and a full four years after his maiden England tour, Tredwell finally had his first ODI wicket.

One over later, he had his second, when Devon Smith got in a muddle against a yorker, and allowed Matt Prior to pull off a sharp stumping as he scooped the rolling ball in his right glove. And Tredwell made it three wickets in four overs when Darren Bravo was caught in two minds as he pushed outside off, for Strauss at slip to cling onto a sharp low catch.

Sammy continued to attack the off-colour Bresnan, who switched ends to no avail, before another big six off Tredwell took him to 36 from 21 balls. However, after a relative period of calm, Bopara nailed him via an inside-edge onto the off stump, and the same mode of dismissal then accounted for Devon Thomas, who had been playing the anchor role in his 10 from 20 balls. Though Kieron Pollard played responsibly for his 27-ball 24, Swann eventually got the better of his block-it-or-slog-it approach, and at 150 for 6, the balance of power had veered towards England once again.

It was a scoreline that England themselves would have recognised, for the nadir of their own innings had been 151 for 6, after a calamitous collapse of 4 for 40 in 10.2 overs. All told, it was a batting performance that epitomised England's extraordinary campaign. While Trott was at the crease, caressing boundary after boundary in a 38-ball 47, there seemed no reason to doubt that, at the sixth time of asking, his team would finally produce the command performance that has been so glaringly absent from their efforts to date. But then, when he fell in the 22nd over to a feeble clip to short midwicket, the middle order lost all semblance of direction before Wright's run-a-ball stand of 41 with Tredwell prompted a vital revival.

Devendra Bishoo, the Guyanese legspinner, bowled supremely on debut to claim 3 for 34 in his ten overs, including 2 for 23 in a massively composed first spell of eight off the reel, while the bustling Russell was a constant threat as he mixed boundary balls with wicket-taking deliveries to finish with a career-best 4 for 49. But as they face up to yet another head-scratching post-mortem, both sides may wonder how on earth it came to this. With Bangladesh taking on South Africa on Saturday, and West Indies still to face a daunting finale against India, the tussle for qualification is far from over, even if England have taken their own fight as far as it will stretch.

Match Timeline

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• 8.2: Six runs
  Strauss hits Sammy over midwicket. The only six of the innings" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/bat_ball.png">
• 9.1: MJ Prior, OUT
  Russell strikes! Emphatically! Full and sliding into Prior is exactly the place to bowl to him. He was hanging on the back foot and the ball had burst through and splattered middle stump before he'd even thought about defence
  b Russell 21 (m 21b 3x4 0x6) SR: 100.00
  Fall of wicket: 48/1" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 11.5: AJ Strauss, OUT
  gone! Russell strikes again, the short ball gets Strauss. He went for the pull but got a top edge and Gayle make excellent ground running back from midwicket, taking the catch over his shoulder then holding on as he hit the deck
  c Gayle b Russell 31 (m 39b 3x4 1x6) SR: 79.48
  Fall of wicket: 79/2" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 21.6: IJL Trott, OUT
  Bishoo strikes! His first wicket in ODI cricket. What a soft end to a fantastic innings. Started with a bang and ended in a whimper, chipping the ball gently to midwicket. Good reward for Bishoo, his spell changed the run of play
  c Gayle b Bishoo 47 (m 38b 7x4 0x6) SR: 123.68
  Fall of wicket: 121/3" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 26.1: IR Bell, OUT
  haha, maybe not that much pace! Off stump is on its way to England! Fullish ball angling in, Bell was hanging back and the off stump was sent flying! England's campaign is tottering now, starts for all the England players but they're four down for not enough now. Ravi Bopara has a huge job to do. Can he prove his talent under pressure?
  b Roach 27 (m 48b 1x4 0x6) SR: 56.25
  Fall of wicket: 134/4" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
• 27.2: EJG Morgan, OUT
  oh no, that could be it! Bishoo has the key wicket! Tame end too, Morgan aiming a delicate reverse sweep, misses and brushes a glove through to Thomas who makes no mistake
  c †Thomas b Bishoo 7 (m 13b 0x4 0x6) SR: 53.84
  Fall of wicket: 134/5" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 32.2: RS Bopara, OUT
  gone! And another. England falling in a heap. Bopara gets an inside into the stumps as he plays with an angled bat. Stumps are shattered for third time today
  b Russell 4 (m 16b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25.00
  Fall of wicket: 151/6" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 39.2: JC Tredwell, OUT
  gone! Well that was a shambles. Wright cut hard to backward point where Pollard made a fine stop. Both batsmen were caught ball-watching in mid-pitch, Wright continued to run to the non-striker's end which left Tredwell stranded
  run out (†Thomas/Pollard) 9 (m 20b 0x4 0x6) SR: 45.00
  Fall of wicket: 192/7" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 43.4: LJ Wright, OUT
  ah that ends a sparky innings from Wright. Not a great shot, slogging to the deep midwicket fielder but without his contribution England would be nowhere in this game
  c Russell b Bishoo 44 (m 57b 5x4 0x6) SR: 77.19
  Fall of wicket: 216/8" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 47.1: GP Swann, OUT
  have to give credit to captain and bowler, backed the wicket-taker and he's struck emphatically. Swann's stumps are a mess, full and straight, Swann jumped leg side to swish a drive but it was through him
  b Russell 8 (m 8b 1x4 0x6) SR: 100.00
  Fall of wicket: 238/9" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
• 48.4: CT Tremlett, OUT
  that'll be all. Good finish from Roach, banging in a short ball that gets Tremlett into a tangle, fends off with a glove that loops behind to Thomas to take
  c †Thomas b Roach 3 (m 7b 0x4 0x6) SR: 42.85
  Fall of wicket: 243/10" class="" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 2.1: Gayle cuts loose
  He takes 16 off Bresnan's second over" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/bat_ball.png">
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• 4.1: Then Gayle takes on Tremlett
  18 come from Tremlett's first World Cup cover" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/bat_ball.png">
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• 6.5: CH Gayle, OUT
  gone! Has Tredwell done it? Gayle given lbw but he's reviewed it. No bat, this looks good. And the decision stays. Massive breakthrough for England. Gayle played forward and was struck below the knee roll. Replays said it was clipping the top of the stumps
  lbw b Tredwell 43 (m 21b 8x4 1x6) SR: 204.76
  Fall of wicket: 58/1" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 8.6: DS Smith, OUT
  Is this another? Yes it is, Smith has been smartly stumped. Fired it quite full, it got in a tangle of bat and boot, the ball dribbles back to Prior who takes the bails off. The replay is good, but more drama. The third umpire presses the wrong button first! It's quickly changed and he's given out.
  st †Prior b Tredwell 10 (m 27b 0x4 0x6) SR: 37.03
  Fall of wicket: 67/2" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 12.6: DM Bravo, OUT
  Tredwell has three, England are scrapping. Tredwell could be an England matchwinner!? Fancy that! Bravo leant forward to defend, enough turn kissed the outside edge and crept through to Strauss who stayed low to scoop it inches off the turf
  c Strauss b Tredwell 5 (m 15b 1x4 0x6) SR: 33.33
  Fall of wicket: 91/3" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 17.1: DJG Sammy, OUT
  another one falls, this game is brewing into another classic! Sammy's slogging finally gets the better of him but what a little cameo that's been! It was outside off, just kept a little low, found the inside edge and dragged onto the stumps
  b Bopara 41 (m 29b 2x4 3x6) SR: 141.37
  Fall of wicket: 113/4" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
• Powerplay
• 19.4: DC Thomas, OUT
  Bopara has done it again! It's that inside edge again! Poor shot really but the pressure paid. Just aimed to glide it down to third man but the inside edge shoved it onto the stumps. Don't take your eyes off England! Here comes Pollard, and it's still a Powerplay!
  b Bopara 9 (m 20b 1x4 0x6) SR: 45.00
  Fall of wicket: 118/5" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 24.2: Pollard's first six
  Launches Swann over deep midwicket" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/bat_ball.png">
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• 27.4: KA Pollard, OUT
  gone! Swann has done it. Pollard goes lbw. He played back and was beaten by the turn. He was given out on the field but reviewed it. Replays showed it was clipping leg comfortably
  lbw b Swann 24 (m 27b 1x4 2x6) SR: 88.88
  Fall of wicket: 150/6" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 31.4: Russell goes big
  Flat-bats Tremlett over long-on for six" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/bat_ball.png">
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• 37.2: Russell given not out
  Jonathan Trott takes a catch at long-on, but third umpire rules he has just hit slid into the rope" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/ball.png">
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• 41.3: DRS in action
  England review Benn's first-ball for lbw. It's clipping the bails so stays on-field" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/ball.png">41.2: AD Russell, OUT
  gone! Tredwell strikes and there are no reviews left. Tredwell was round the wicket, Russell played played back and was given lbw, he doesn't look pleased but he can only walk off for 49
  lbw b Tredwell 49 (m 46b 2x4 3x6) SR: 106.52
  Fall of wicket: 222/7" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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• 43.1: RR Sarwan, OUT
  gone! Would you believe it. Swann has struck. Extra bounce, Sarwan went to turn it on the leg side and gets an inside onto the thigh pad which loops gently to Ian Bell at short leg. You couldn't write these scripts
  c Bell b Swann 31 (m 68b 3x4 0x6) SR: 45.58
  Fall of wicket: 223/8" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">43.3: KAJ Roach, OUT
  gone! And another! He tries to go down the ground, but doesn't connect and lofts it towards mid-off where Tremlett makes good ground to his right and takes a smart, low catch
  c Tremlett b Swann 0 (m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
  Fall of wicket: 223/9" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
• 44.4: SJ Benn, OUT
  gone! England have done it. A run out to win the match. It was a wide ball, Benn got a bottom edge down which scoot down to fine leg...Trott was quickly in and picked it, then hurled it back to Prior with a brilliant throw. That allowed Prior to demolish the stumps and England are still alive at this World Cup. Breathless. Bonkers. But brilliant fun to watch.
  run out (Trott/†Prior) 2 (m 12b 0x4 0x6) SR: 16.66
  Fall of wicket: 225/10" class="event" src="http://i.imgci.com/espncricinfo/matchtimeline/Wickets.png">
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Eng

overs

WI

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinf

Teams hunt for momentum before quarter-finals

Match Facts

March 18, Mumbai
Start time 2.30pm (0900 GMT)

	New Zealand would want Jesse Ryder to get some runs ahead of the quarter-finals © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links News : Vettori and Mills to miss Sri Lanka match Matches: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Mumbai Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: New Zealand | Sri Lanka

The Big Picture

Two days before this match, Mumbai witnessed, at 41.6 degrees celsius, its hottest March day in 55 years, and second-hottest overall. The match itself doesn't quite promise to be as hot as the matches between big teams in the Group B: New Zealand are going easy, not risking either Daniel Vettori or Kyle Mills; Sri Lanka, the pre-tournament favourites, are yet to put up a performance to match that billing.

That said, there is a lot at stake. Not only is this the last league game for both teams, which makes this important for momentum purposes, more importantly the winners here will be assured a place in the top two, which means they will get one of the two bottom teams from Group B in the quarters. Then again, looking at how chaotic Group B has been, that might eventually not count for much: one of the bottom sides there still could be India, and one of the top ones Bangladesh.

Neither New Zealand nor Sri Lanka will be thinking of Group B, though. To finish in the top two, and to give themselves an even chance to win the quarterfinal, will be some progress for New Zealand, who were blanked 4-0 and 5-0 in their last two series in the subcontinent. For Sri Lanka, this is an opportunity to announce themselves in this World Cup. They have been efficient against the minnows, but they lost to Pakistan, and had only fought back to make things even before rain ended their game against Australia.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WWWLW
Sri Lanka WWLWW

Watch out for...

This will be a near homecoming for Lasith Malinga, who - when playing for Mumbai Indians - got the whole Wankhede Stadium to chant "Ma-lin-ga, Ma-lin-ga" when bowling yorkers and slower balls from hell. Used sparingly so far, he has six wickets from the two times that he has bowled, all six - including a hat-trick - against Kenya.

Jesse Ryder is yet to leave any impression in this World Cup; then again he has batted only twice in four games. Batting at No. 3, it's unlikely Ryder won't get a chance in this game, and he will want a longer innings than the 25 and 38 he has managed in the two innings so far.

Team news

New Zealand are struggling with injuries, but do not want to rush back the wounded for a game inconsequential to their progress to the quarter-finals. Vettori will get more time to work on his injured knee, and Mills on his quad strain. Hamish Bennett is likely to replace Mills.

New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jesse Ryder, 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 Kane Williamson, 6 Scott Styris, 7 James Franklin, 8 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jacob Oram, 10 Hamish Bennett, 11 Tim Southee

Sri Lanka grapple with the perennial question of which of the Chamaras to pick, Silva or Kapugedera. They could also give Dilhara Fernando a game ahead of Nuwan Kulasekara.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Chamara Silva / Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara / Dilhara Fernando, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan

Try picking the XIs for tomorrow's game by playing Team Selector.

Pitch and conditions

New Zealand scored 358 in the first game at the Wankhede this tournament. There was some assistance for the fast bowlers early on, but it was a day game, so this one promises to be hard work for the bowlers. Not least because of the heat in Mumbai.

Stats and trivia

• Kumar Sangakkara is 49 short of becoming the fourth Sri Lankan, and 14th man overall, to 9000 ODI runs.

• Sri Lanka lead New Zealand 4-3 in their World Cup head-to-head; they have won all of their last three matches.

• With 283 runs from five innings, Tillakaratne Dilshan is the highest run-getter from Group A, but No. 6 overall. Immediately behind Dilshan is Upul Tharanga, with 258 runs.

Quotes

"Excited to have made the quarterfinals, but our job is not done. It is a very important game tomorrow. We go into it with the purpose of winning. It will be great to win the game and finish in the top two going in to the quarterfinals."
Nathan McCullum knows what exactly is at stake

"Every side likes to build momentum, and take the momentum into the really important stage. At the same time, the sides that might not win in the final first-round game won't be too much worried about it. The quarters, semis and the finals are the one that really count."
Kumar Sangakkara plays down the importance of momentum

Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Dockrell injury dampens Ireland's fight

25 overs Netherlands 136 for 4 (ten Doeschate 49*, Borren 16*, Stirling 1-17) v Ireland
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Two fairly evenly-matched teams struggled for the ascendancy at Eden Gardens, Ireland striking the early blows against Netherlands to reduce them to 12 for 2 inside the first three overs and then removing Alex Kervezee too before a 60-run partnership between Ryan ten Doeschate and Wesley Barresi revived the Dutch innings.

Barresi's dismissal for 44 titled the balance once again and, as is so often the case, much depends on ten Doeschate's continued efforts if Netherlands are to set a challenging total on a wicket that has looked good for batting. Ireland will have to do without George Dockrell for the remainder of the innings, as, tragically, the young spinner appeared to dislocate his right shoulder attempting to field the ball off his own bowling and immediately left the field.

Barresi had been an early casualty when he was forced to leave the field in just the second over after being hit on the back of the head by a return throw from Kevin O'Brien in the deep. The blow had come after just the second ball of the innings, but Barresi batted on for a short while before deciding he could not carry on with his innings.

His team struggled in his absence, Trent Johnston removing opener Ed Szwarczynski with a catch behind the wicket and Tom Cooper failing to cover Boyd Rankins extra bounce as he cut straight to William Porterfield at point. Kervezee struggled to deal with the early bounce and movement from both of Ireland's new-ball bowlers, but ten Doeschate soon settled and looked to assert himself with a series of attacking strokes.

Johnston, who had generally maintained an exemplary line, was dispatched for two boundaries in an over and Rankin too was punished whenever he over-pitched. John Mooney's first over brought eight runs and Netherlands' recovery was in full flow when Kervezee gave his wicket away, pushing a length delivery straight into the hands of Kevin O'Brien at short extra cover.

Barresi re-entered and immediately set about the Irish bowling, lifting Rankin into the stands at midwicket and, in the midst of a flurry of boundaries, repeating the dose off Paul Stirling's offspin to enter the 40s. Stirling got his own back when he trapped Barresi in front of his stumps shortly afterwards, but Dockrell's injury noticeably dampened Ireland's mood and they will no doubt miss his services in attempting to restrict Netherlands.

Ireland: 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O'Brien (wk), 5 Gary Wilson, 6 Kevin O'Brien, 7 Alex Cusack, 8 John Mooney, 9 Trent Johnston, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Boyd Rankin

Netherlands : 1 Ed Szwarczynski, 2 Wesley Barresi (wk), 3 Tom Cooper, 4 Ryan ten Doeschate, 5 Alex Kervezee, 6 Peter Borren (capt), 7 Atse Buurman (wk), 8 Mudassar Bukhari, 9 Pieter Seelaar, 10 Adeel Raja, 11 Bernard Loots

Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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