Sri Lanka’s dramatic collapse gives England series win

MANCHESTER: Jade Dernbach held his nerve as England beat Sri Lanka by 16 runs in the fifth one-day international at Old Trafford to seal a 3-2 series win over the World Cup finalists on Saturday. Sri Lanka, chasing 269 for victory, finished on 252 all out with 10 balls of their innings left. Dernbach dismissed dangerman Angelo Mathews for a near run-a-ball 62 with a clever slower ball the all-rounder sliced to Tim Bresnan at backward point. He finished the match by clean bowling Lasith Malinga for a return of two for 49. The tourists were in trouble at 131 for five, needing 138 more runs to win, when Mathews and Jeevan Mendis came together with 20 overs left. But their sixth-wicket partnership of 102 troubled England until Mendis holed out to the left-arm spin of Samit Patel. New batsman Nuwan Kulasekara then hit James Anderson, bowling on his Lancashire home ground, to Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket before Suraj Randiv was run out in a dreadful mix-up. Malinga struck Anderson for a huge six to get the target down to 17 off 12 balls. But Dernbach's double strike gave England captain Alastair Cook a win in his first series in permanent charge of the one-day side and a measure of revenge after a 10-wicket World Cup quarter-final defeat by the islanders. Sri Lanka's reply got off to a dreadful start as they slumped to 12 for two inside four overs, fast-medium bowler Bresnan removing both openers on his way to three for 49 in nine overs. Debutant batsman Dimuth Karunaratne edged Bresnan to Jonathan Trott at first slip for four and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan fell for the same score when he pulled the Yorkshireman straight to Dernbach at long leg. Batting ace Mahela Jayawardene managed just nine before he mistimed a drive off Anderson to Cook at mid-off to the delight of a capacity 19,000 crowd. Dinesh Chandimal counter-attacked by driving Bresnan for six and repeating the dose against off-spinner Graeme Swann. But Chandimal, who made a superb unbeaten hundred in Sri Lanka's six-wicket win at Lord's last weekend, was out for 54 when he raced down the pitch to Swann only to be beaten in flight before being stumped by Craig Kieswetter. Chandimal's exit ended a partnership of 94 with experienced left-hander Kumar Sangakkara that had taken Sri Lanka to 123 for four in the 27th over. Sangakkara followed soon afterwards, chopping on to Bresnan for 48. That England made 268 for nine was largely down to a fourth-wicket stand of 118 between man-of-the-match Trott (72) and Eoin Morgan (57). They seemed set for a huge total when man-of-the-series Cook put on 85 in quick time with Kieswetter after winning the toss to follow the pair's unbroken stand of 171 in a crushing 10-wicket win at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. Cook, who had made 119 and 95 not out in his previous two innings, was deceived on 31 by a sharply turning ball from Randiv and stumped by Sangakkara. The opener was the first of a five wickets for off-spinner Randiv, who finished with a career-best five for 42, surpassing his previous best return of three for 23 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last year. Trott though completed his patient fifty before an unlucky dismissal saw a pull off Randiv get caught up in his body and trickle onto the stumps before he could kick the ball away.

England set 269-run target for Sri Lanka in 5th ODI

MANCHESTER: Suraj Randiv's maiden five-wicket haul did the bulk of the damage as Sri Lanka held England to 268 for nine in the fifth and final one-day international at Old Trafford here on Saturday.

Off-spinner Randiv took five for 42 during his maximum 10 overs in a match where a win for either side would give them a 3-2 series win.

Dhammika Prasad, in for injured fellow seamer Suranga Lakmal, responded impressively with two for 26 in six overs.

England lost wickets either side of a fourth-wicket stand of 118 between Jonathan Trott (72) and Eoin Morgan (57) after captain Alastair Cook won the toss and batted in initially overcast conditions.

Craig Kieswetter (43) and Cook (31), who'd shared an unbroken stand of 171 in England's crushing 10-wicket win at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, enjoyed another rapid first wicket stand.

But from 85 without loss, England slumped as three wickets fell for 10 runs in 19 balls.

They scored a six and eight fours in the first nine overs but only managed five fours in the next 41.

Cook, who had made 119 and 95 not out in his previous two innings, was deceived by a ball from the 26-year-old Randiv that turned sharply away from the left-hander and was stumped by Kumar Sangakkara.

Kieswetter, who hit five fours and a six, was then bowled by a ball that kept low from Prasad.

His exit meant England now had two batsmen at the crease on nought in Trott and Kevin Pietersen.

And Pietersen managed just five when he was caught behind off Prasad.

Trott completed his patient fifty in 63 balls with two boundaries, with former Ireland international Morgan reaching the landmark in 54 balls but with just the one four.

Left-hander Morgan was comfortably stumped by Sangakkara after 'charging' Dilshan to leave England 213 for four in the 37th over.

And Trott was out in unlucky fashion when an intended pull off Randiv got caught up in his body and hit the stumps before he could kick the ball away.

Both Samit Patel, in for Stuart Broad, and Tim Bresnan holed out tamely to give Randiv a first five-wicket haul in his 27th ODI, surpassing his previous best return of three for 23 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last year.
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India Wins Cricket Game Tinged by Politics

NEW DELHI — India rejoiced on Wednesday after defeating Pakistan in the World Cup of cricket, a sporting event charged with geopolitics. The prime ministers of the nuclear-armed neighbors had sought to improve relations by sitting together in the grandstands.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan, left, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India at the Wednesday match.

For India and Pakistan, both cricket obsessed, the semifinal match was an epic showdown. A gigantic audience watched the match on television in both countries. Much of India, a nation of 1.2 billion people, essentially shut down for the day as people suspended their daily affairs to watch the bitter rivals play.

By late Wednesday, after India’s victory was secure, people began lighting fireworks and celebrating across the nation.

In Pakistan, by contrast, a sense of despair and disappointment swept through cricket fans. Excitement had run so high that even inmates at prisons were permitted to watch the game, news media there reported.

While Pakistan remained calm, and there was no outbreak of rioting — unlike in past matches — angry protesters did gather outside the house of the Pakistani captain, Shahid Afridi, and chant slogans against him in the southern port city of Karachi, according to Karachi news reports.

The politics of the match were as important as the outcome. Days earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India issued a surprise invitation to his counterpart, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan, to join him for the match. The overture came as the countries were trying to restart diplomatic discussions and prompted speculation about what the leaders might discuss and whether a breakthrough in relations was possible.

Still, the rivalry-driven emotions of each country were reflected in the televised images of each leader as it became clear toward the end of the match that India had won. Mr. Singh was clapping, while Mr. Gilani sat grim and silent. India will play Sri Lanka in the final match in Mumbai on Saturday.