Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in super over thriller

September 28, 2012
lankan_victory

Hosts Sri Lanka today pulled off a nail-biting victory over a spirited New Zealand via the Super Over after their opening 'Super Eight' match of the ICC World Twenty20 saw fortunes fluctuating from one team to the other till the very end, here.

With both teams tied at 174 after the end of their innings, the result was decided with the help of a Super over.

Sri Lanka batsmen Mahela Jayawardene, Thisara Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 14 for one in the Super Over before paceman Lasith Malinga restricted New Zealand's challenege to six for one, accounting for Martin Guptill's wicket on the fifth delivery.

The thrilling climax followed an equally dramatic run-chase by Sri Lanka as they replied to New Zealand's 174 for seven with opener Tillakaratne Dilshan's blitzkreig at the top and his 80-run opening-wicket partnership with skipper Jayawardene at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Sri Lanka required 28 from three overs, 21 from two and 8 runs in the last over, bowled by Tim Southee.

In the last over, Southee conceded just three runs off his first four deliveries to make the equation 5 required from two balls.

Lahiru Thirimanne tied the score with a four over short long leg and put his side in charge.

With one needed off the last ball, Thirimanne managed an inside edge and ran towards the non-striker's end. James Franklin targeted the non-striker's end where New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor was stationed.

Taylor dropped the ball which ricocheted off his hand and dislodged the bail, prompting the umpire to refer the decision to the third umpire.

TV replays showed that the ball deflected off Taylor's hand and fell onto the stump, resulting in scores being tied.

The match provided complete entertainment to a sell-out crowd, who were left on the edges of their seat as both the teams fought for supremacy.

Dilshan (76) and Jayawardene (44) gave a dream start to Sri Lanka's run chase before New Zealand pulled back through some fine bowling and fielding.

The hosts made heavy weather of their run chase after losing Kumar Sangakkara (21) and Jeevan Mendis (8) in quick succession.

Dilshan departed in the pen-ultimate over of the innings after hitting Franklin for a six off the first ball before being run out off the next.

It was the seventh tied match in all Twenty20 cricket, with New Zealand involved in four of them.

Earlier, a brisk half-century by opener Rob Nicol helped New Zealand reach a competitive total. He struck 58 off 40 balls and his knock was laced with three fours and four sixes.

Nicol took his time before launching an assault on the host bowlers to lay a solid platform for the Kiwis.

Nicol along with fellow opener Guptill got off to a cautious start before the latter started to fire, picking up boundaries on a regular basis.

It was debutant Akila Dananjaya who dismissed Guptill for a well-made 30-ball 38 off his first over. Guptill's knock was studded with six hits to the fence.

After Guptill's departure, Nicol and McCullum were watchful, but kept the scoreboard moving by hitting the occasional fours and sixes off the loose deliveries.

Luck was on Nicol's side as he was dropped by Dananjaya when on 31.

Ajantha Mendis, however, cut short McCullum's quickfire innings of 25 in the 13th over with New Zealand yet to reach the 100-run mark.

But in the very next over off Mendis, Nicol smashed three sixes to change the complexion of the game totally, adding 24 more runs to the Black Caps' total.

Just when things started to look dangerous for the hosts, Dananjaya took his second wicket of the match, sending back Nicol.

Taylor (23) thereafter chipped in with some crucial runs that lifted the New Zealanders to a healthy total.

HR

T20 WC: Rob Nicol fifty takes New Zealand to 174/7 against Sri Lanka

A brisk half-century by opener Rob Nicol helped New Zealand reach a competitive 174 for seven against Sri Lanka in the opening Super Eight match of the ICC World Twenty20 here today.

Live Cricket Scorecard

Nicol struck 58 off 40 balls and his knock was laced with three fours and four sixes.

Nicol took his time before launching an assault on the host bowlers to lay a solid platform for the Kiwis at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Opting to bat, Nicol along with fellow opener Martin Guptill got off to a cautious start before the latter started to fire, picking up boundaries on a regular basis.

It was debutant Akila Dananjaya who dismissed Guptill for a well-made 30-ball 38 off his first over. Guptill's knock was studded with six hits to the fence.

After Guptill's departure, Nicol and Brendon McCullum were watchful, but kept the scoreboard moving by hitting the occasional fours and sixes off the loose deliveries.

Luck was on Nicol's side as he was dropped by Dananjaya when on 31.

Ajantha Mendis, however, cut short McCullum's quickfire innings of 25 in the 13th over with New Zealand yet to reach the 100-run mark.

But in the very next over off Mendis, Nicol smashed three sixes to change the complexion of the game totally, adding 24 more runs to the Black Caps' total.

Just when things started to look dangerous for the hosts, Dananjaya took his second wicket of the match, sending back Nicol.

Captain Ross Taylor (23) thereafter chipped in with some crucial runs that lifted the New Zealanders to a healthy total.


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News Network
May 6,2020

New Delhi, May 6: He has flattered to deceive on umpteen occasions but highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson says he has learnt to accept his failures in pursuit of the calm demeanour that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses.

The 25-year-old from Kerala has always been talked about by the likes of Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir but it hasn't translated into international success with only four T20 Internationals in his kitty in the last five years.

"I have learnt to understand and focus more on my strengths and (be more) accepting (of) the failures. I try to contribute to the team's cause and try to take the team over the line. I am learning to focus and control my emotions while batting like MS Dhoni," Samson said during a podcast organised by Rajasthan Royals.

He recently made a comeback in India's T20 side and it was a worthy experience for him.

"It was great to be a part of the Indian team again. To be a part of one of the best teams in the world, surrounded by players like Virat bhai and Rohit bhai, it was a fantastic experience," Samson said.

In one of the games in New Zealand, Samson was sent to bat in the Super Over, something which made him feel wanted in the Indian set-up.

"It was a great feeling to be trusted by the players such as Virat bhai and Rohit bhai to go out there and bat in the crucial moments. It's a great feeling when the team and the players consider you to be a match winner."

On a lighter note, Samson revealed that he refers to Steve Smith as "chachu" (uncle) after Brad Hodge once started calling him by that name.

"I share a very good relationship with 'Chachu' Steve Smith. He is one of the best brains in world cricket and we all enjoy a lot playing under him."

Asked what's the back story of the nickname, Samson said: "It started with Brad Hodge, he used to call Smith 'Chachu', then when Hodgy left, I started calling Smith 'Chachu'. In return Smith also started calling me 'Chachu'. We both really enjoy and continue calling each other that."

While Dhoni is his idol, he also loves watching Jos Buttler in Royals and makes notes on how the star Englishman prepares for games.

"I observe Jos especially given he too is a wicketkeeper-batsman. He's always working on his skills and his game and never sits idle.

"He's either working on his keeping, batting in the nets or running around the park. I love to observe and know how he thinks and prepares as a keeper before a game.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Srinagar, Jan 10: Real Kashmir FC made a strong comeback in the second half to play out a 1-1 draw against former champions Punjab FC in their home I-League match here on Friday.

The 'Snow Leopards' equalised in the 62nd minute through Gnohere Krizo in front of a partisan crowd of 8,500 spectators after Makan Chothe had given Punjab FC the lead in the 21st minute at the TRC ground.

After Thursday's draw, Punjab FC is placed third on the table with 10 points from seven games. Real Kashmir FC remained at eighth with six points from five matches. This was Real Kashmir's third home match on the trot.

The match was a story of two halves as the first belonged to the visitors who enjoyed a 62 per cent possession of the ball, whereas the second belonged to the home side.

Both the teams were looking to gain an early advantage and Punjab FC took the lead after 21 minutes.

Confusion inside the Real Kashmir box because of a long ball from Punjab opened up an opportunity for Chothe and he made no mistake as he smashed the ball at the back of the net.

As the fans cheered on, Real Kashmir created a flurry of chances, but none of the home side players could find the back of the net. Punjab was able to hold on to their slender lead heading into the tunnel.

The second half resumed with Real Kashmir pressing high up the field and pressurising Punjab.

In the 56th minute, Real Kashmir playmaker Kallum Higginbotham cut through two defenders on the left side of the box and the ball fell to Mason Robertson, whose shot was too weak to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper.

Soon after, it was Danish Farooq who tried a curler from a distance but his shot did not have enough bend to trouble the Punjab goalkeeper. The home team's effort finally paid off in the 62nd minute.

A miscalculated header by Danilo Augusto fell at the feet of Gnohere Krizo, who was one-on-one with the keeper. He made no mistake in striking the ball into the opponent's goal to score the equaliser.

Real Kashmir was in their groove now, and Kallum came in from the right with a beautiful low cross across the face of the goal but Mason could not get a touch as the chance went begging.

The duo of Kallum and Mason were proving difficult for Punjab to deal with. In the 82nd minute, a beautiful long ball by Kallum found the head of a towering Mason, but the effort went just over the crossbar.

Within a few moments, Punjab again had another nervous moment as Chesterpoul Lyngdoh's cross from the right side hit the arm of Thoiba Singh but the referee turned down an appeal for penalty.

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