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Hoping to be third time lucky
By: Agencies
March 21, 2007

GOT YA, MATE! Daniel Vettori reacts after taking a return catch to dismiss Kenya's Ravindu Shah during New Zealand's 148-run win in St Lucia yesterday GROS ISLET (St Lucia): Daniel Vettori hoped his emergence as a world-class off-spinner can help propel New Zealand to a first World Cup title. The 28-year-old left-armer is playing in his third World Cup but has yet to leave his mark on the competition. After taking 2-45 yesterday to help the Black Caps to a 148-run win over Kenya and into the Super Eights, Vettori stressed that he has a major role to play in the Caribbean. "I'm probably a better bowler now than I was in 1999 and 2003 and a lot more is expected of me," said Vettori after taking his career one-day tally to 189 wickets. Need to deliver "Shane Bond and myself are the strike bowlers and we both have to live up to it if we want to do well." Vettori believes he has the variety to trouble the tournament's batsmen. "I bowled a lot of arm balls today because the conditions were quite slippery," he said. "It was hard to get turn on the ball and against teams like this, they try to slog you first and block later, so you try and get it under the bat. "I'm struggling to buy a decision at the moment but the team are coming along quite nicely and it's two out of two," added Vettori referring to wins over England and Kenya which have guaranteed the Black Caps a place in the Super Eights. http://www.mid-day.com/sports/international/2007/march/15390 6.htm

Woolmer's death treated as "suspicious"
By: Agencies
March 21, 2007

Karachi/Kingston, Jamaica: In a sensational twist in the mystery surrounding Bob Woolmer's death, the Jamaican police today said after autopsy that it was "suspicious", while Pakistani team sources said the police feel it could be murder. "The autopsy report was inconclusive on the cause of the death. Having met with the pathologists and other medical personnel, there is sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances of Woolmer's death which is now being treated as suspicious," Mark Shields, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jamaica, said in a statement today. "We have already informed the Woolmer family of this development and we are also in close contact with the Pakistan team management, Cricket World Cup and the ICC to ensure all parties are kept informed of the ongoing investigation." Asked whether it could be murder, Shields said, "We are not saying that. We still do not have the official final report from the pathologist. We will update you on any further findings tomorrow." Pakistan team media manager Pervez Mir said, "Whatever information police have told us, we are accepting it. Obviously, they are investigating. They say it is suspicious death, even now they are not conclusive. 'Suspicious' does not mean absolutely and totally negative." Meanwhile, a team source said the Jamaican police suspected Woolmer's death to be a murder. "The information we have is that the police feel he might have been murdered," the source said. As speculation mounted about the reasons for Woolmer's death, Pakistan's Geo TV talked of "poisoning". And, former Pakistan pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz, known for shooting off his mouth, told PTI on Tuesday that the match-fixing mafia was behind Woolmer's death. Woolmer's death came a day after Pakistan suffered a shock defeat against Ireland and was eliminated from the World Cup. The former England Test batsman, aged 58, died in mysterious circumstances on Sunday. He was found unconscious in his hotel room in Kingston in the morning and was rushed to Kingston University hospital where he was declared dead an hour later. Woolmer's preliminary post-mortem report on Tuesday had proved inconclusive and toxicology and other forensic tests were carried out by the medial and police teams. Woolmer, based in Cape Town, South Africa, was a diabetic and also suffered from the rare sleeping disorder of Epnia where the patient stop breathing while sleeping.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/world/2007/march/153908.htm

I knew of Bob's stress: Gill Woolmer
By: PTI
March 21, 2007

New Delhi: While mystery shrouded the circumstances surrounding Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's death, his widow Gill today said she knew all was not well although her "tired" husband never spoke to her about them. Gill said she was aware that Woolmer was struggling to cope with the stress that his job brought. "He never mentioned anything about being under pressure but obviously, seeing his pictures on the television, it was enough to know that he was under pressure by the expression on his face," she said. Gill revealed that Woolmer was in regular touch with her during the ongoing World Cup and had told her that he was tired of living out of hotels. "The last time I spoke to him was some time last week. He was in touch with us everyday," Gild told NDTV. "He was tired. His was a very tough job and involved a lot of travelling. The long journeys and time differences made it a very difficult job," she said. The 58-year-old player-turned-coach died on Sunday under mysterious circumstances hours after Pakistan lost to minnows Ireland in the World Cup. Jamaican police have said that the autopsy reports were inconclusive about the reasons for his death, and that they were investigating the possibility of any foul play. Earlier, Woolmer's son Russell had also spoken about the South Africa-based Englishman being under stress and had cited it as one of the reasons for his shocking death.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/nation/2007/march/153916.htm

Two good, too low
By: sanjjeev K samyal
March 21, 2007

Considering his talent and form, the Indian team must look to bat Yuvraj up the order against Sri Lanka Sanjjeev K Samyal From Jamaica The power is awesome, the wrist play dazzling and the timing breathtaking. Yuvraj Singh is in divine touch and total command. And, the India left-hand batsman, as if trying to make up for lost time due to his knee injury, is looking hungrier than ever. In super form From what we have seen in his two knocks here, he is the batsman to watch out for in this star-studded Indian batting line-up. There's enough evidence that he has taken over the mantle of being the fulcrum of the Indian batting line-up. Against Bangladesh on a difficult wicket where each of India's batsmen struggled, Yuvraj hardly put a step wrong. He was in complete control during his stay at the wicket. It was his wicket that made a big difference as he just started to seize the momentum when he got unlucky with a sweep shot. IN FULL FLOW: Yuvraj Singh Complete arrogance Against Bermuda, it was just mayhem. The arrogance, the disdain, the ruthlessness was too intimidating for the inexperienced attack. The seven sixes tell the story. He belted them all over the park like a man possessed. With 83 off just 46 balls, the record for the fastest hundred in a World Cup was his for the taking when he fell to a brilliant catch. No after-effects It is indeed heartening to see that the three months lay-off due to his serious knee injury hasn't diminished his skills, touch or rhythm in any way. What has been most impressive about his batting here is the way he has handled the spinners. The spinners have been known to pose a few problems for him, but here he has negotiated them with confidence, taking them on with huge hits over the square-leg and midwicket area. With the do-or-die battle coming up against Sri Lanka on Friday, there is surely a strong case for him to be batting higher up the order. Must go higher Being the most in-form player, logically, he needs to be given the most overs to bat. He cannot be batting lower than No 3 or No 4 spot. Not only can he set the tone for the innings, but also has a tight technique to handle a difficult situation in case of an early wicket. The pressure is on, but with Yuvi there, the confidence is there too.

http://www.mid-day.com/sports/international/2007/march/15388 0.htm

Just wait...
By: sanjjeev K samyal
March 21, 2007

Ahead of the key clash against Lanka today, Bangla coach Whatmore sends out the right signals Sanjjeev K Samyal From Trinidad PORT OF SPAIN (Trinidad): Before the start of the World Cup, not many would struggle to pick a favourite in the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka encounter. But, it is a credit to Bangladesh that no one is ready to predict a winner in the crucial Group B clash at the Queen's Park Oval today. On a high Having got through the tough match against India, Bangladesh are sitting pretty and high on confidence. And a lot of that has to do with a man used to seeing his side turn things on its head in World Cups — Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore. SOME MORE TIPS: Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore chats with Mushfiqur Rahim during a net session at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad yesterday. Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka in an important Group B match today & nbsp; PIC/AFP Coach of the Sri Lankan side that upset the apple-cart by winning the 1996 World Cup, Whatmore is now helping Bangladesh shed the minnows tag. Without being boisterous, Whatmore made the right noises on the eve of another big Bangladesh-Sri Lanka clash. "This is the group of death and another keen contest is on cards. We have done our homework and now it's for the boys to go out there and perform. We have as good a chance of making it to the Super 8 and that's our goal," Whatmore said. The negative side of such a convincing win (against India) is that the players can get over confident. But Whatmore said he has ensured this will not happen. "A clear message has been given to the players to keep their feet on the ground," said Whatmore. Eyes on Tamim In the Bangladesh batting, all eyes will again be on 17-year-old opener Tamim Iqbal Khan, who evoked comparisons with Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya thanks to his blazing half-century against India. Whatmore rated Tamim highly, adding that his technique was much tighter than Jayasuriya's. "Tamim is an instinctive player. He watches and reacts. He is just 17, but has a little better technique than Jayasuriya," Whatmore said. Aggressive player "He is aggressive and I encourage people to be their natural self. But yes, at times we would like players to play according to the situation. All he requires is to be a bit more disciplined." Though Bangladesh's recent performances has attracted comparisons to Whatmore's Lanka team of 1996, he does not read much into it. "Many people think there is lot of similarity between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.But that is not the case at all," Whatmore said. "When I took over the Sri Lanka team, they already had some experienced match-winners like (Aravinda) D'Silva, (Arjuna) Ranatunga and (Muttiah) Muralitharan. Here, we are in the process of creating stars." Don't bet on it this time In their last World Cup encounter in 2003, Bangladesh were routed by Chaminda Vaas. The left-arm pacer took wickets off the first three balls of the match, and added another with his fifth ball to finish with 9.1-2-25-6. Bangladesh made 124 and Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets. We guarantee it won't be so easy this time.

http://www.mid-day.com/sports/international/2007/march/15388 2.htm

Was an honour playing against Indian greats:
By: Sanjjeev K Samyal
March 21, 2007

OFF-FIELD ADVENTURES: Bermuda player Dwayne Leverock poses with women security guards at the Hilton Hotel in Trinidad on Monday PORT OF SPAIN (Trinidad): His team had just received the biggest bashing in a World Cup game — a 257-run defeat — but he walked into the team hotel to a standing ovation reserved for champions. It is not often that that you have the Tendulkars, Dravids and Sehwags on the field and still manage the biggest cheers. Dwayne Leverock is doing just that in the Group B matches at the World Cup. There was no special effort from either his team or him, but his size (270 pounds) and spirit make him a natural star attraction. The burly Bermuda player is enjoying every moment during this World Cup. On Tuesday, he was on a different high altogether. Really excited "We were really excited about this match. It felt wonderful playing against the Dravids, Tendulkars, Sehwags of world cricket. To see the class come out... it was an honour to watch them on the field of play," said Leverock after the game against India. Leverock made a sensational start to the match plucking a stunning one-handed catch at slips in just the second over of the day. The stands came alive as Leverock sprinted in celebration and blew kisses. His big moment However, his big moment came when Sachin Tendulkar took his guard to face his left-arm spin. "Just to be able to run in and bowl to Tendulkar, one of the greatest of all-time, was an honour. "I was pretty blank when I ran up for the first ball. I was able to turn one up, and he played and I looked down the wicket to say I am here and he smiled back. You know, he's a very nice guy. " Even with the bat, Leverock stuck around with grit until his cricketing hero came on to bowl. Leverock gifted his wicket away to a Tendulkar long hop. "I should have put that away. It was a bad shot, I don't know how I missed it." Big Dwayne on his other inspirations... Anil Kumble: He is the one I look up to when it comes to bowling because of the control he has and the amount of wickets that he gets Rahul Dravid: His temperament, concentration levels and focus are the things I would like to bring to my game

http://www.mid-day.com/sports/international/2007/march/15388 4.htm

Second Innings Bulletin: Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh

In the end, it was only fitting that the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh match ended with a run out considering the number of chances the Bangladesh team missed in the field. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara combined to dismiss last man Syed Rasal as the Lankans completed their total domination.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 112 and Sri Lanka were home by a comfortable 198 runs ((D/L method).

Lasith Malinga was brought back into the attack in the 36th over and delivered immediately picking up the wicket of tailender Abdur Razzak, who had no idea how to deal with a short, rising delivery and only managed to edge it to Kumar Sangakkara.

Dilshan joined in on the fun sending back Mohammad Rafique for 7 as Sri Lanka inched closer to victory. Rafique tried to clear the deep midwicket fence where Farveez held on to a catch despite a collision with Muttiah Muralitharan. Thankfully for Sri Lanka none of the two were hurt as Bangladesh collapsed to 102/8 after 35 overs.

Russel Arnold picked up Bangladesh's 7th wicket getting rid of Mashrafe Mortaza, who showed no intention of hanging around. Mortaza successfully dispatched Arnold over long on for a six but fell the next ball trying to repeat the dose. All he managed to get was get an outside edge which was held by Tharanga at backward point.

Four overs were lost due to rain and when play resumed, the revised target for Bangladesh was 311 from 46 overs. But it shouldn't make too much of a difference to the match since Bangladesh were in tatters 72/6 after 27.5 overs when rain stopped play. Mohammad Ashraful was unbeaten on 20 and looking good.

The Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar had a ragged day in the field dropping a couple of chances and misfielding a few too. But when it was his turn to bat, he did not get any favours from the Lankans. His promising innings of 18 was cut short when he failed to beat a direct throw from his opposite number.

Hoping to finish off the Bangladesh innings quickly, Mahela Jayawardene brought back Malinga into the attack in the 24th over. But Ashraful greeted him with a couple of boundaries - an edge down to third man and a classy square drive. But that was a mere consolation as Bangladesh had their backs against the wall at 66/5 after 25 overs.

It only took 10 balls for Muttiah Muralitharan to claim his first victim. Saqibul Hasan completely misread a doosra from Murali to have his stumps shattered. The Bangladesh scoreboard read a miserable after 49/5 after 20 overs.

Muralitharan was introduced into the bowling attack in the 15th over with Bangladesh already in deep strife at 31/4.

Farveez Maharoof put his name on the wicket-takers list albeit with not the greatest of deliveries. Mushfiqur Rahim cut a very wide delivery from Maharoof but only managed to find Dilshan at backward point - Bangladesh 26/4.

The batting side could have been in much deeper trouble if only Mahela Jayawardene had managed to hold on to a very difficult chance at slip offered by Saqibul Hasan off Chaminda Vaas' bowling.

Aftab Ahmed showed some aggressive intent, standing outside his crease and hitting Vaas for two boundaries in the 7th over. But he did not last long.

Sanath Jayasuriya, who scored a brilliant hundred while batting, made his presence felt in the field too. Jayasuriya held on to a mistimed pull by Ahmed, diving forward and taking the catch inches off the ground.

The catch gave Malinga his second wicket and Sri Lanka their third as Bangladesh were crumbing at 26/3 after 10 overs.

Vaas and Malinga rocked Bangladesh's boat very early, having them struggling at 7/2 after 5 overs.

Vaas trapped Shahriar Nafees plumb in front in the first over itself.

At the other end, Malinga troubled the Bangladesh batsmen and was rewarded with the wicket of Tamim Iqbal.

Iqbal hit Malinga for a crashing boundary through covers but the bowler came back with vengeance the next ball, forcing Iqbal to edge a fast, short delivery into the hands of Sangakkara.

Bangladesh are chasing Sri Lanka's big total of 318/4.

First Innings Bulletin: Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh

Sanath Jayasuriya came back to bat after Kumar Sangakkara's dismissal and reached his century with some big hits. Jayasuriya singled out Abdur Razzak for special treatment, hitting him for 3 6s – the third of which brought up his 100. Jayasuriya fell to a reverse sweep for 109 as Sri Lanka amassed 318/4 in 50 overs.

Chamara Silva also did a great job at the other end scoring 52 of 48 balls. Silva reached his 50 with a flick to backward square leg that went all the way.

Kumar Sangakkara and Silva added a quick 59 for the 3rd wicket as Sri Lanka reached 263/3 after 45 overs. Sangakkara perished while trying to go for a big hit over long on for a very well-compiled 56. Silva and Sangakkara looked in little trouble during their partnership and were helped by some sluggish fielding. Sangakkaa was dropped by Habibul Bashar at midwicket the ball before he was finally dismissed.

Mahela Jayawardene was out to a soft dismissal for 42 even as Sri Lanka marched towards a big total. Jayawardene tried to check his drive at the last minute but only ended up offering a simple catch to Aftab Ahmed at long off, who took his second catch of the match.

Silva, who came in after Mahela's dismissal, took a couple of overs to get his eye in but hit a couple of lusty blows after that. Sangakkara also chipped in with a slog sweep of Saqibul Hasan as Sri Lanka made 228/2 in 40 overs.

Sangakkara and Jayawardene continued the Sri Lankan domination after Sanath Jayasuriya retired hurt as Sri Lanka reached 200 in 35 overs. Jayawardene slog-swept Abdur Razzak for a mighty 6 over midwicket in the 31st over. He glanced the next ball down to fine leg and another misfield resulted in a boundary.

Sangakkara rotated the strike right from the time he came in. His first boundary was a sweep off Abdur Razzak, which brought up the team's 200.

Bangladesh's fielding cost them dearly as skipper Habibul Bashar could not hang on to an uppish drive from Mahela Jayawardene. Bashar dived full length in the air and managed to hold on to the ball before spilling it. Sri Lanka reached 159/1 after 30 overs.

Bangladesh got some relief when Jayasuriya retired hurt for 83. Jayasuriya sprained his knee while running between the wickets after Mahela Jayawardene sent his back.

Jayawardene, who wasn't looking very comfortable out in the middle, tried to break the shackles by lofting a delivery outside off-stump into the stands for 6.

Sri Lanka had a great launching pad in their Group B match against Bangladesh at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad when rain halted their progress. Sri Lanka were 136/1 in 24 overs, thanks mainly to a typical attacking knock by Jayasuriya, who was batting on 83 off 77 balls. Skipper Jayawardene was giving him company on a slow 11, made after playing out 32 balls.

Bangladesh missed a great chance to send back Jayawerdene when Mushfiqur Rahim missed the easiest of run outs. Jayawardene had advanced down the track and was way out of his crease but instead of just running to the stumps and taking off the bails, Rahim decided to take a shy at the stumps and missed. And as it often happens, the next ball was swept for four by Jayawardene as Sri Lanka looked set for a big score at 122/1 after 20 overs.

Not long before that, Mohammad Ashraful made a brave attempt to make a catch out of what was looking a certain 6. He did manage to hold on to the catch but was way too close to the ropes and had to throw the ball back in. Sri Lanka remained

Experienced left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique provided Bangladesh with a much-needed wicket, sending back Upul Tharanga caught by Aftab Ahmed at backward point. Tharanaga failed to keep his backfoot stroke on the ground and an airborne Ahmed fumbled it before finally gaining control of the ball. Tharanga added 98 for the opening wicket with Jayasuriya, who was in a murderous mood.

Jayasuriya hit consecutive 6s off another left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in the 13thover and raced to yet another half century in his illustrious career. He was joined by skipper Mahela Jayawardene at the crease as Sri Lanka eased to 102/1 after 15 overs.

After a few plays and misses in the initial overs, the Sri Lankan openers got their act together to take their team to 63/0 at the end of the first Power Play.

Jayasuriya was beginning to strike some great blows. He hit Syed Rasel for a six over midwicket with his trademark flick off the pads.

Before this, he has already dispatched Mashrafe Mortaza and Rasel to the boundaries in consecutive overs.

Tharanga was more sedate in comparison but he too hit a couple of crispy boundaries.

Mashrafe Mortaza and Syed Rasel bowled a mixed bag as Sri Lanka reached at the end of 24/0 at the end of 5 overs.

Mortaza beat Tharanga more than once in the first over of the match. At the other end, Syed Rasel also bowled a few good deliveries but the Lankan openers did not let him settle. Jayasuriya smashed a full pitched delivery outside the off-stump into the stands at backward square leg.

Rasel got a chance to make amends when a mix up between Jayasuriya and Tharanga left the latter stranded. But the bowler failed to score a direct hit at the non-striker's end.

Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl first. Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh skipper, felt that there would be some moisture in the pitch early on and wanted his bowlers to make good use of it.

Group B is wide open after Bangladesh beat India in their opening encounter. Sri Lanka also registered a comprehensive win over Bermuda in their first match.

Apart from winning, the teams also have to try and improve their net run rate, which might well decide who goes through to the Super 8s from this Group.

Bangladesh teens challenge Lanka veterans

AFP

Giant-killers Bangladesh are counting on their teenagers to deliver yet again when they clash with experienced Sri Lanka in their second ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 match.

Teenagers Tamim Iqbal, Saqibul Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim played key roles in Bangladesh's shock five-wicket victory over 1983 champions India in the previous game here on Saturday, slamming impressive half-centuries.

Just one win was enough to raise Bangladesh's hopes of qualifying for the next Super Eight stage from Group B. In their last game, they will take on first-timers Bermuda who lost to Sri Lanka by 243 runs in their first match.

Sri Lanka have won 17 of their 18 one-day internationals against Bangladesh, but are not expected to have another stroll in the park this time considering their opponents' recent form.

Bangladesh are looking a different side since arriving in the Caribbean early this month, having stunned higher-ranked New Zealand in a warm-up game in Barbados and then India here.

"We haven't played against most of the Bangladeshi players, but we watched them against India and they looked very good," said veteran Sri Lankan opening batsman Marvan Atapattu.

"The word pressure just doesn't exist with them. There is also the advantage of being young. When you have been around for a long time, the opposition can work out your strengths and weaknesses."

Sri Lanka may have veterans in hard-hitting batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and left-arm fast bowler Chaminda Vaas, but cannot afford to have an off-day, as India did.

Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are seeking a crucial win here as it will boost their chances of advancing to the next round.

"The win against India has put us in a good position to enter the next round," said Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar.

Bangladesh have already sprung one of the major surprises of the tournament when they outplayed India in all departments of the game. Discipline was the key to their success as they never allowed India to bounce back.

Their bowlers did a commendable job against Rahul Dravid's Indian team, with paceman Mashrafe Mortaza showing the way with four wickets on a helpful pitch which offered him both bounce and movement.

Left-arm spinners Mohammad Rafique and Abdur Razzak kept the pressure in middle overs, finishing with three wickets apiece to help their team restrict India to a modest 191.

Left-handed opener Iqbal, who turns 18 on Tuesday, scored an explosive half-century to put his team on course for victory. Hasan, 19, and Rahim, 18, then completed the job.

An exciting battle is on the cards between Iqbal and Jayasuriya as both are bold stroke-makers who can dominate any attack with their over-the-top hitting in initial overs having fielding restrictions.

Iqbal is playing in his maiden ICC Cricket World Cup but has earned lavish praises from his rivals, including New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming and India coach Greg Chappell.

The Bangladeshi opener had slammed a 48-ball 46 against New Zealand in the practice game before dominating the Indian attack with a 53-ball 51.

Jayasuriya may be playing in his fifth and last ICC Cricket World Cup, but has not shed his flair and flamboyance. He was his team's key batsman last year, scoring more than 1,000 runs with five centuries.

While Bangladesh were involved in a pressure game against India, Sri Lanka were hardly tested in their opening match.