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Spinners did it for us: Tikolo

Kenya began their ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 campaign on a happy note defeating Canada by 7 wickets. Skipper Steve Tikolo led from the front scoring a fluent, unbeaten 72 and also picking up two wickets. He was judged Man of the Match.

Praising his team after the win Tikolo said, "The guys put up a very good show and I am very pleased with our performance."

Tikolo termed the spinners' performance as the key to their win. "The pitch did not do too much for the seamers but the spinners did the job for us and in the end that made a big difference."

The Kenyan skipper felt that his side has the ability to spring up a surprise or two. "We've got to take the momentum gained from his game forward. And if we can maintain the intensity, who knows what can happen."

John Davison, the Canadian skipper accepted that his team was totally outplayed. "We did not get anything right today. We started well but could not carry on the good work. Their spinners bowled well and we just couldn't get them away."

Lara praises young guns

AFP

West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo celebrates after bowling out Pakistani Rana Naved-ul-Hasan during their ICC World Cup Cricket 2007 first round match at the Sabina Park cricket ground in Kingston. West Indies defeated Pakistan by 54 runs. AFP

West Indies captain Brian Lara praised his young players on Tuesday after the host nation got the ICC Cricket World Cup off to a flying start with a 54-run win over Pakistan.

The West Indies, who suffered a nine-wicket defeat to India in a warm-up match last week, came into the Sabina Park clash against their Group D rivals under pressure.

But after being restricted to 241-9 off their 50 overs, they hit back in style to bowl out Pakistan for just 187 in the 48th over.

"Players like Marlon Samuels, Dwyane Bravo and Dwayne Smith were really special today," said Lara.

Smith took the man-of-the-match honours for his 32 runs off just 15 balls and his bowling return of 3-36.

Bravo took 3-42 and was on a hat-trick at one stage while Samuels smashed a top score of 63 and also upped the scoring rate after the Windies had got off to a sluggish start.

After 30 overs, the home side had struggled to 101-3.

"The young players showed great spirit. Marlon had a real go and got us to four an over. Then we bowled well, it was a real team effort.

"After the India match, we talked about how we would needed the young players as well as the experienced ones to come through if we were to have a chance of winning the tournament.

"Now we can look forward to the rest of the tournament with our confidence sky-high."

Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, whose side came into the ICC Cricket World Cup beset by problems following the withdrawal of pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, admitted Lara's men were the better side.

"They played really well," said Inzamam. "Now we have to take the pressure and try to do well in the remaining games.

"We have the experienced players to do well."

Pakistan, whose total was boosted by a fine 62 by Shoaib Malik, will face Zimbabwe and Ireland in their next two Group D games and, barring a disaster, will still qualify for the Super Eights.

But Tuesday's result means that the West Indies will have the advantage of taking the two points from the game into the second round.

Bravo said that the defeat against India was the incentive the West Indies needed to do well on Tuesday.

"It was a wake-up call," said Bravo. "We knew it would be tough to play Pakistan because they had defeated South Africa in their warm-up match.

"But everyone in the squad put their hands up and we fought very well today. We needed a win."

Bulletin: Ireland lose White at crucial stage

A partnership of 56 between Jeremy Bray and Andrew White gave a semblance of respectability to the Ireland total as they reached 149/6 at the end of 38 overs. White made 28 before falling leg before to Brent.

Jeremy Bray tried to hold the Ireland innings together with a fighting half-century even as wickets kept falling around him. He found a good ally in White who also showed good improvisation skills, hitting a couple of boundaries via reverse sweeps.

Ireland were looking comfortably placed at 43/1 at one stage but lost three wickets thereafter. Bray and Kevin O'Brien then added 25 crucial runs but the partnership ended when the latter was caught behind off Rainsford.

After a shaky start, the Irish batsmen began to find their groove. Jeremy Bray and Eoin Morgan did a good consolidation job after the Zimbabwean opening bowlers maintained a tight leash on the Ireland batsmen early on.

But Morgan fell to Brent after scoring a fluent 21 and was quickly followed back to the pavilion by Niall O'Brien. Andre Botha did not last long too, shouldering arms and losing his off stump to Chigumbura.

Chris Mpofu struck in the very first over for Zimbabwe sending back Ireland opener William Porterfield for a duck. He could have had Morgan too but Chigumbura reacted late to an edge at first slip.

The pitch was offering some help to the bowlers early on and Mpofu and Rainsford made use of it putting the ball in the right areas.

Earlier, Zimbabwean skipper Prosper Utseya won the toss and decided to insert Ireland in hoping that his bowlers would take advantage of the early conditions.

Ireland are making their ICC Cricket World Cup debut. Even from Zimbabwe, only Gary Brent has played in the ICC Cricket World Cup before.

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Bulletin: Bermuda innings

Sri Lanka's fast bowlers decapitated Bermuda's top order, sending back the first 5 batsment for 25 runs.

Slingy speed demon Lasith Malinga rocked Bermuda's boat, taking 3 wickets as the ICC Cricket World Cup debutants played their first match of the tournament.

Captain Irvine Romaine was the 4th to go, out for a first ball blob as Sri Lanka sent Bermuda reeling at 20/4 in the 8th over.

Romaine was leg before to Lasith Malinga. David Hemp, who went the ball before him, got a rocket on the off stump that he fended into second slip Mahela Jayawardene's hands.

This was Malinga's third wicket, his first being Saleem Mukaddam, who came in at No 3 and was caught behind by Sangakkara in the 4th over for a duck.

Chaminda Vaas struck in the first over to remove Bermuda opener Clay Smith for nought, trapping him leg before to a ball that came into the right hander.

Bermuda were chasing 322 that Sri Lanka piled up after winning the toss of the 4th match of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, being played at Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Bulletin: Lanka innings

Sri Lanka piled up 321 but did not dominate as perhaps their fans might have liked in the Islanders' opening match of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 against Bermuda. 154 of those runs came in the last 20 overs.

Captain and top scorer Mahela Jayawardene was out in the 43rd over for 84, an innings that owed its debt in equal part to skill and luck.

Dropped twice by heavyweight Dwayne Leverock he was caught brilliantly by speedster Hurdle in a diving catch at the mid-wicket boundary just as Lanka were stepping on the gas after drifting in the middle part of their innings.

Drifting, that is, If you can define that as scoring about 5 and a half an over against Bermuda for 30 overs without losing a wicket.

The Lankans lost their third wicket (Kumara Sangakkara) in the 38th over with the score at 228. The leftie swung a ball from Leverock into the hands of fine leg. Leverock had earlier dropped two catches so in his joy he danced, delighting the Port of Spain crowd (among whom was his mother) with a 120-kilo jiggle.

Lanka went into the final 20 overs with 167/2 on the board.

Circumspect batting by them and some tight bowling and enthusiastic fielding by the Bermudans had brought the match to this pass, and had the two lives given to Jayawardene, the second one in the 31st over, not been gifted, things would have been even slower. Leverock bungled that catch at point, where, to his credit, he also made two fine stops.

The openers fell early on, but then a fairly long period of consolidation by Jayawardene and Sangakkara saw runs being compiled without flash.

Earlier Sri Lanka limped to 100/2 in the 19th over.

Sanath Jasuriya and Tharanga were both gone by the 12th over with the score showing 78 and Lanka almost lost Jayawardene as well at that stage.

Tharanga was out caught legside by 'keeper Dean Minors off the bowling of Kevin Hurdle who has had a mercurial introduction to the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Bowling partner Saleem Mukuddem, military medium or slower, first had Jayasuriya out caught at cover and off the next ball saw an edge from Jayawardene being floored by policeman Dwayne Leverock. Mukuddem was unlucky not to have Tharanga's scalp as well in over No 11, when his appeal for leg before was turned down.

Lanka started their innings shakily with opening bowler Kevin Hurdle causing problems with his height and bounce, but Hurdle lost his mojo in his second over which lasted 14 balls. Hurdle's first two overs cost him 29 runs and he gifted the initiative to Lanka, who were 42/0 after 5.

Bowlers Tucker and Mukuddem were then swatted around by the Lankans with ease till the 9th over when the wicket fell.

Hurdle opened proceedings for Bermuda with a no-ball – and an over in which he had the Lankans hopping. The second ball hit Tharanga on his thigh pad and the third went in edgy fashion for a run.

A tall bowler, 6' 4", with a slingy action, he had Jayasuriya in trouble on two consecutive balls with short deliveries.

The fifth ball of the over hit Jayasuriya on the left hand and resulted in a bleeding finger. But Hurdle lost the advantage and bowled 6 no-balls and 2 wides in his second over and gave the nervous looking Jayasuriya a reprieve.

Jayasuriya had his finger looked at again at the end of the fourth over and it appeared to be his spinning finger that was hit.

Jayawardene won the toss and chose to bat.

Bangladesh mourn spinner Manjural
Bangladesh cricket
Bangladesh left-arm spinner Manjural Islam has died in a road accident, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced.

The 22-year-old played six Tests and 25 one-day internationals for his country, and also featured against England A on their recent tour of Bangladesh.

Another first-class cricketer, Sajjadul Hasan, 28, died in the same accident.

Police said the pair, who were both from Khulna, died after a motorbike ridden by Manjural hit railings on a bridge at Kartikdanga.

The duo were travelling to a nearby town after a domestic match which took place in Khulna.

Manjural took five expensive wickets in his six Tests, but captured 23 at an average of 29.95 in one-day international cricket.

Styris, Oram see off England

AFP

New Zealand drew first blood against England as they won the teams' ICC CWC Group C opener by six wickets here Friday.

Chasing 210 for victory, New Zealand finished on 210 for four with nine overs to spare after having recovered from 19 for three in five overs.

They were still in trouble at 72 for four before an unbeaten stand of 138 between all-rounders Scott Styris (87 not out) and Jacob Oram (63 not out) saw them home.

The teams - who beat each other twice during England's tri-series triumph in Australia completed last month - are favourites to qualify from a group also featuring Kenya and Canada.

Assuming both Test sides do go through, New Zealand will carry forward two points into the second phase, Super Eight stage.

England, whose modest total of 209 was achieved only after they were rescued from the depths of 138 for seven by an unbroken partnership of 71 between wicket-keeper Paul Nixon (42 not out off 41 balls) and Liam Plunkett (29 not out), made a sensational start in the field.

James Anderson, doubtful for the match with a fractured finger, struck with the sixth ball when Lou Vincent fell for nought after edging to Nixon.

New batsman Ross Taylor then exited for a first ball duck, a nicked drive off Plunkett brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Andrew Flintoff at first slip.

Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming at least managed seven before a miscued pull off Anderson was well-held by Ed Joyce, running round from square leg.

From 19 for three Styris, who'd earlier taken two for 25, counter-attacked alongside the experienced Craig McMillan.

Their stand was worth 53 when Monty Panesar came on and, with his second ball, the left-arm spinner had McMillan (27) lofting to Jamie Dalrymple in the covers.

Styris pressed on, completing a 70-ball fifty by sweeping off-spinner Dalrymple for his sixth four.

England's lack of runs now started to hurt and hopes of victory all but disappeared when Kevin Pietersen, at short cover, dropped a catch he should have held when Styris, on 61, checked a drive off Panesar.

Oram, who lofted Panesar for a straight six, got to his fifty in 68 balls with two fours in a well-paced display.

Earlier Pietersen, in his first full international since January after sustaining a rib injury in Australia, top scored for England with 60.

From 133 for three, England lost four wickets for five runs, three going down for one run in seven balls as key batsmen Paul Collingwood (31), Pietersen and Flintoff, out for a first ball nought, all fell in quick succession.

Fast bowler Shane Bond took two wickets in four balls as Pietersen tamely holed out to James Franklin at long-on before Flintoff chipped to Styris at short cover.

Medium-pacer Styris had started the slump when he removed Collingwood after an attempted guide to third man was well-held by Brendon McCullum - one of four catches for the wicket-keeper - to end a fourth-wicket stand of 81, the best of England's innings.

Fleming, on a pitch freshened by early morning rain, which delayed the start by 30 minutes, saw his decision to field first vindicated second ball when left-arm quick Franklin had Ed Joyce caught behind for nought.

England captain Michael Vaughan, battling a hamstring injury that saw him play just three one-dayers in Australia, looked in good touch. But on 26 he bottom-egded a pull off Franklin into his stumps.

England play Canada on Sunday while New Zealand face Kenya, seven-wicket winners over the North Americans, on Tuesday.