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India closer to Lankan target, SA set big total for Aussies

FE Desk | July 07, 2019 00:00:00


Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul joined forces to get India closer to the target of 265 against Sri Lanka in their last World Cup group stage match at Headingley in the United Kingdom on Saturday.

India reached 189 for the loss of the wicket of Rohit Sharma who scored 103 off 94 balls after 30 overs. But Rahul was still batting on 81, showed the score available until our going to press at 10:00 pm.

Earlier Angelo Mathews hit a gritty century to lift Sri Lanka to 264 for seven after a top-order collapse.

AFP adds: Mathews made 113 and put on 124 runs for the fifth wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne to give Sri Lanka a respectable total after they were reeling on 55 for four.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah removed openers Dimuth Karunaratne (10) and Kusal Perera (18) inside eight overs after Sri Lanka, who are playing for pride after missing out on the semi-finals, won the toss and elected to bat.

Bumrah returned impressive figures of 3-37 in his 10 overs as India, who are already qualified for the semi-finals, restricted Sri Lanka with some quality bowling.

Kusal Mendis was stumped off left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who is playing his first match of the competition, before paceman Hardik Pandya had rising star Avishka Fernando caught behind for 20.

The right and left-handed batting combination of Mathews and Thirimanne rotated the strike and got the occasional boundary to keep the score ticking.

Thirimanne registered his 21st ODI fifty but soon fell to Yadav's left-arm wrist spin on 53 after giving away a catch to point.

Mathews, who was dropped on 61 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar at long-on off Jadeja, went on to complete his ton -- his third in ODIs -- with a boundary off Pandya.

The former Sri Lanka captain finally fell to Bumrah after smashing 10 fours and two sixes during his 128-ball knock.

Dhananjaya de Silva chipped in with his unbeaten 29 after his 74-run partnership with Mathews that took Sri Lanka past the 250-run mark.

Virat Kohli's India need 265 for a victory, which would give them a chance of finishing above defending champions Australia, who face South Africa in the day's other match.

In the other World Cup match of the day Nathan Lyon struck twice for Australia after South Africa got off to a flyer in the concluding group match at Old Trafford.

South Africa, who had been 79 without loss inside 12 overs, were 325/6 after 50 overs with du Plessis scoring 100 off 94 balls and van der Dussen on 95 to set a big target for Australia to chase.

Reigning champions Australia are already through to the semi-finals, while South Africa cannot qualify for the last four.

Australia gifted South Africa their first runs when left-arm quick Mitchell Starc, the tournament's leading wicket taker, sent the opening ball of the match way down the leg-side and past despairing wicketkeeper Alex Carey for five wides.

That same over saw Aiden Markram, only opening after Hashim Amla was ruled out with a knee injury playing football in a warm-up on Friday, hit the left-arm quick for two well-struck fours through the offside, with the Proteas scoring 14 runs in total.

Left-handed opener Quinton de Kock then cover-drove Jason Behrendorff for four and soon South Africa, amid a blizzard of boundaries, were 42-0 off just five overs.

The breakthrough came in the 12th over when Lyon deceived Markram (33) in the flight with Carey completing a neat stumping.

Steve Smith, like team-mate David Warner playing his first match against South Africa since the pair received 12-month bans for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal in a Test in Cape Town, was booed by the crowd when he came on to bowl.

De Kock then seized on a loose first ball from the part-time spinner with a pulled boundary that saw him to his third fifty of the World Cup in 43 balls, including seven fours.

But he fell for 52 when he sliced an intended drive off Lyon to Starc at short third man to leave the Proteas 114-2.


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