Link to Scorecard
Hello cricket fans, welcome to the Final of the Compaq Cup. Good news for the Indian fans as MSD has won the most crucial toss and his side will have a definite advantage of batting first. Karthik has been dropped with Kohli, SL remain the same.
India Innings
Over 0.2: Boundary! N Kulasekara to R Dravid, short and wide, thats a great start for India, Rahul quite calmly gets across and cuts it away in the gap to the right of point for a boundary.
Over 4.5: Boundary! N Kulasekara to S Tendulkar, pitched up delivery, drives the full slower one through covers for a boundary, great footwork from Sachin.
Over 5.4: Boundary! T Thushara to R Dravid, bangs it short, positive stuff from Rahul, swivels back and pulls it hard along the ground past the squareleg umpire for a boundary.
Over 6.3: Boundary! N Kulasekara to S Tendulkar, half volley, thank you very much says Sachin as he strides forward and drives it through extra covers for a boundary.
Over 6.5: Boundary! N Kulasekara to S Tendulkar, pitched up delivery, thats an incredible shot for a boundary. It wasn’t a bad ball at all, a nice inswinger on off and middle and Sachin played a glorious flick through wide mid wicket!
Over 7.1: Boundary! T Thushara to S Tendulkar, short of length delivery, round the sticks now and Sachin edges his drive intentionally past Sanga through the vacant slip cordon for a boundary.
Over 7.6: Boundary! T Thushara to S Tendulkar, short of length delivery, plays a wonderful backfoot drive that scatters a crow hovering around covers for a boundary.
Over 13.2: Boundary! L Malinga to S Tendulkar, short of length delivery, plays a smashing backfoot drive through covers for a boundary.
Over 15.6: Two runs. L Malinga to S Tendulkar, pitched up delivery, makes room and miscues the slower one high over covers and gets a couple to reach his 92nd ODI fifty!
Over 16.2: Sixer! A Mendis to R Dravid, flighted delivery, stays in the crease and heaves the wrong one towards long on where Tharanga holds onto a catch but is pushed back by the shot out of the ropes!
Over 17.2: He is Caught! S Jayasuriya to R Dravid, flighted delivery, tries to force a drive off a good length ball and can only spoon a simple catch to covers.
Over 24.1: Boundary! L Malinga to M S Dhoni, short and rising delivery, lots of width offered and MSD plays a wristy upper cut away from thirdman for a boundary. Malinga has replaced Angelo.
Over 26.5: Boundary! A Mendis to S Tendulkar, quicker and flatter in the air, shuffles across and paddles it softly just past the keeper gloves for a boundary to fine leg.
Over 28.4: Boundary! A Mendis to S Tendulkar, flighted delivery, steps out making room and lofts that googly flat over wide long off for a boundary.
Over 32.5: Single. A Mendis to S Tendulkar, quicker and flatter in the air, goes back and pushes it in the gap through covers to bring up his 44th ODI hundred!
Over 34.1: Boundary! L Malinga to M S Dhoni, short of length delivery, spanks the slower one through covers for a boundary. Malinga has replaced Mendis and the batting powerplay has been taken by India.
Over 34.4: Boundary! L Malinga to M S Dhoni, short and wide, plays a wristy cut that disappears between point and covers for a boundary. That brings up MSD’s 32nd ODI fifty! And also the 100 of this partnership!
Over 36.3: He is Caught! L Malinga to M S Dhoni, bangs it short, gets very late in his pull shot which balloons up in the air towards mid wicket and that is the end of this lovely 3rd wicket partnership with Kandamby taking a sitter.
Over 41.5: Sixer! T Thushara to Yuvraj , good length delivery, releases his pressure with a predetermined swing across the line and ball flies a long way over long on for a six!
Over 42.3: Boundary! L Malinga to Yuvraj , pitched up delivery, plays a stunning straight drive that beats Malinga for a boundary.
Over 45.3: Sixer! A Mendis to S Tendulkar, flatter trajectory delivery, finally wakes up from his slumber, steps out and lofts it flat inside out over extra covers for a six!!
Over 45.4: Boundary! A Mendis to S Tendulkar, flatter trajectory delivery, Sachin has indeed woken up, this time turns around and reverse sweeps it just over short thirdman for a boundary!
Over 45.5: Boundary! A Mendis to S Tendulkar, quicker and flatter in the air, once again turns around and this time sweeps it wide of short thirdman for a boundary!
Over 45.6: Out LBW! A Mendis to S Tendulkar, flatter trajectory delivery, gets over ambitious and goes for a hat-trick of reverse sweeps, but this time misses it and is hit on the right pad that was just infront of the off stump.
Over 46.4: He is Caught! T Thushara to Y Pathan, pitched up delivery, makes room and slashes the wide yorker right off the face of the blade to the fielder at backward point who takes a simple catch.
Over 46.6: Boundary! T Thushara to S Raina, pitched up delivery, stays back and intelligently dabs the yorker past the keeper and Malinga puts in a horrible slide that gifts a boundary.
Over 47.1: Boundary! L Malinga to Yuvraj , pitched up delivery, thats a wide slower one and Yuve frees his arms and lifts that handsomely over extra covers for a boundary.
Over 47.4: Boundary! L Malinga to Yuvraj , full toss, clubs that wristily through squareleg for a boundary.
Over 48.3: He is Caught! T Thushara to S Raina, pitched up delivery, goes for the almighty shot out of the ground, concentrates only on getting the elevation and not the distance and is holed out at long off. That was a difficult catch taken by the boundary rider.
Over 48.4: Boundary! T Thushara to Yuvraj , full toss, flays that wide one wristily through point for a boundary.
Over 49.4: Boundary! N Kulasekara to Yuvraj , full toss, shapes up to play a paddle sweep but ends up slicing it to the left of short thirdman for a boundary. That brings up his 41st ODI fifty, came in just 39 balls!
Over 49.6: Boundary! N Kulasekara to Yuvraj , full toss, thank you very much would be what the Indian fans and Yuvraj would be saying, that was a gift and Yuvi blasted that through extra covers all along the ground for a boundary. So Sri Lanka have been set a target of 320 to win the Compaq Cup. Never ever has such total was chased down on Lankan soil!
Sri Lanka Innings
Over 0.1: No runs. Ashish Nehra to T Dilshan, good length delivery, feet go nowhere and pushes it to mid off, takes a few steps forward and sends back Sanath. A fielder comes up with a diving under throw but Sanath was just in.
Over 1.4: Boundary! I Sharma to T Dilshan, short and wide, finally gets his timing right, and this backfoot drive races away like a bullet through covers for a boundary.
Over 1.5: Boundary! I Sharma to T Dilshan, short and wide, plays a smacking cut that flashes away over point for a boundary.
Over 2.3: Boundary! Ashish Nehra to T Dilshan, good length delivery, smashes that wide one on the up through point for a boundary.
Over 3.4: Boundary! I Sharma to T Dilshan, short and wide, plays an upper cut that sails over gully for a boundary.
Over 3.5: Boundary! I Sharma to T Dilshan, pitched up delivery, smashes it on the up through extra covers for a boundary.
Over 4.2: Boundary! Ashish Nehra to S Jayasuriya, good length delivery, walks down the track and smacks it over mid off for a boundary.
Over 5.1: Boundary! R P Singh to S Jayasuriya, short of length delivery, walks down slightly and pulls it away in the air over mid wicket for a boundary. RP has replaced Ishant.
Over 5.5: Boundary! R P Singh to S Jayasuriya, short of length delivery, swivels back and pulls it away flat to square leg for a boundary.
Over 5.6: Boundary! R P Singh to S Jayasuriya, pitched up delivery, blasts that juicy one between covers and mid off for another boundary.
Over 6.2: Boundary! Ashish Nehra to T Dilshan, short of length delivery, plays a brilliant flick cum pull flat over mid wicket for a boundary and SL race past the 50.
Over 6.3: Boundary! Ashish Nehra to T Dilshan, good length delivery, sits down to play his scoop shot over fine leg but its a top edge that flies just over MSD for a boundary to thirdman.
Over 6.5: Boundary! Ashish Nehra to T Dilshan, short and wide, edges his cut nicely through the vacant slip cordon for a boundary.
Over 7.4: Boundary! Harbhajan to T Dilshan, on the shorter side, goes back and hammers the doosra through square covers for a boundary.
Over 7.5: Bowled him! Harbhajan to T Dilshan, quicker and flatter in the air, doesn’t come forward at all and is beaten by a quicker one that skids through to hit the timber. Dilshan was trying to dab that against the turn.
Over 9.1: Boundary! Harbhajan to S Jayasuriya, flighted delivery, lofts it just over Bhajj’s head for a boundary.
Over 9.2: Boundary! Harbhajan to S Jayasuriya, flatter trajectory delivery, shuffles across and gets a fine tickle in his sweep that beats MSD for a boundary to fine leg.
Over 9.4: He is Caught! Harbhajan to M Jayawardene, flatter trajectory delivery, looks to play the flick but that was the doosra which produces the leading edge that flies straight to Bhajji who takes wicket no.2 with that!
Over 10.2: Boundary! Y Pathan to S Jayasuriya, flighted delivery, stays in the crease and lofts it high over the bowler’s head for a boundary.
Over 10.6: He is Caught! Y Pathan to S Jayasuriya, flighted delivery, goes for the big lofted shot over mid on and ends up miscuing it in the air and is caught by Nehra at the mid on region.
Over 12.3: Boundary! Y Pathan to T Thushara, quicker and flatter in the air, goes back and cuts it over point for a boundary.
Over 12.5: Boundary! Y Pathan to T Thushara, quicker and flatter in the air, clears his frontfoot and smacks it over wide mid off for a boundary.
Over 13.3: Boundary! Harbhajan to T Thushara, flighted delivery, thats bowled outside the legstump and Thushara sweeps it fine behind square for a boundary.
Over 13.5: Boundary! Harbhajan to T Thushara, flighted delivery, clears his frontfoot and lofts it over the bowler’s head for a boundary.
Over 14.3: Bowled him! I Sharma to T Thushara, good length delivery, stays back for a wild pull but the length was just not there and gets clean bowled.
Over 14.6: Sixer! I Sharma to Angelo Mathews, good length delivery, amazing, Mathews shows no half measures and lifts this one high over the bowler’s head for a clean six.
Over 15.6: Boundary! Harbhajan to Angelo Mathews, flatter trajectory delivery, stretches forward and reaches out to that down the legside with a sweep that races away to the fine leg boundary.
Over 17.3: He is Caught! Yuvraj to Angelo Mathews, flatter trajectory delivery, tries to drive it on the up and fails to keep it along the ground and finds Raina at extra covers!
Over 25.5: Boundary! R P Singh to Thilina Kandamby, short and rising delivery, dabs it away nicely past keeper for a boundary.
Over 27.3: Hit Wicket! R P Singh to K Sangakkara, full toss, thats a very wierd dismissal, Sanga lost the grip of his bat to that high ball and the bat falls down right onto the stumps!
Over 30.2: Boundary! Yuvraj to Thilina Kandamby, dragged way too short, that’s a long hop, goes back and pulls it high in the air towards wide long on but doesn’t clear the ropes.
Over 31.2: Boundary! R P Singh to Thilina Kandamby, good length delivery, edges his drive on the up and the ball flies past the diving MSD to the thirdman boundary.
Over 35.5: Single. Harbhajan to Thilina Kandamby, flatter trajectory delivery, flicks it to deep mid wicket for a single that brings up his fourth ODI fifty.
Over 36.2: No runs. I Sharma to Thilina Kandamby, short of length delivery, run out missed by MSD now, Kandamby had dragged the ball behind the sticks and was wandering out of the crease. MSD missed the stumps.
Over 38.3: Boundary! Ashish Nehra to C Kapugedera, short of length delivery, shuffles and flicks it fine behind the stumps for a boundary.
Over 38.4: Boundary! Ashish Nehra to C Kapugedera, short and wide, cuts it away behind point for a boundary.
Over 42.3: He is Caught! S Raina to C Kapugedera, quicker and flatter in the air, goes back for a late cut but can only nick it behind to MSD who takes the catch in the second attempt!
Over 43.5: Boundary! I Sharma to N Kulasekara, short and wide, times his cut sweetly and gets a boundary out of nowhere behind point.
Over 44.3: Bowled him! Harbhajan to Thilina Kandamby, quicker and flatter in the air, makes room to go over the off side but its a fuller arm ball that skids through straight to disturb the exposed leg stump.
Over 44.4: He is Caught! Harbhajan to L Malinga, flighted delivery, closes the face of the blade blindly and only to give a return catch back to Harbhajan who now is on a hat-trick!
Over 46.4: Stumped Out! Harbhajan to A Mendis, flighted delivery, thats the doosra from one magician to the another who misses that after getting dragged out of the crease. MSD gives the winning touch by taking off the bails. India win by 46 runs to become the Champions of the Compaq Cup 2009.