Jayawardene, Dhoni steer Asia

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FE Team | Published: June 11, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

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A promising start by the African XI in the final match of the Afro-Asia Cup swiftly dissipated into another run-fest as Mahela Jayawardene and Mahendra Singh Dhoni provided direction and then aggression during a record-breaking sixth-wicket stand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai Sunday.
Both slammed centuries as they added 218 for the sixth wicket, the highest in ODIs, and lifted Asia to their third consecutive 300-plus total of the series.
When Dhoni and Jayawardene came together with the score on 72 for 5, thanks to the top order's lack of application, the Africans were in control. Taking advantage of insipid bowling during the middle overs, the pair looked to build a partnership, something that the innings sorely lacked until then. Jayawardene was his usual deft self: cutting, nudging and pushing into the gaps with immaculate timing, while Dhoni was cruder, but as effective in rotating the strike.
They added their first 50 in 10.3 overs with minimum risk. Together they presented a stark contrast - Dhoni was the uncut stone, Jayawardene the polished jewel.
Asia brought up their 200 in the 39th over and it was then that Dhoni and Jayawardene turned it on. They raced to 250 in the just the 42nd over, feasting on toothless bowling from Johan Botha, Steve Tikolo and even AB de Villiers.
Africa had rested Albie Morkel and Thomas Odoyo for this dead rubber and the support cast of Tikolo, Botha and Sibanda leaked 105 runs off eight overs. Jayawardene was the first to reach hundred off 102 balls but Dhoni was much faster, needing just 81 balls to score his third one-day hundred, his first since October 2005.
The duo began to find the boundary at will during the slog overs. Jayawardene played his trademark inside-out shots over cover and one nimble sweep over the long-leg fence. Dhoni kept drilling it down the ground and forcing the fans to run for cover at the long-on boundary. When Jayawardene was finally caught by Botha at point, Asia had already reached 290 for 6 in the 47th over. The last nine overs cost 96 and when Dhoni was done toying with a hapless attack, his 139 had broken the record for the highest score at No. 7 that Shaun Pollock had set in Bangalore.
At the half-way stage, however, Dhoni and Jayawardene were merely beginning their mammoth stand and circumstances were very different. For the first time in the Afro-Asia Cup, the Africans were in a commanding position. Peter Ongondo's medium pace and a couple of magnificent deliveries had got rid of the Asian top-order for cheap.
On the same featherbed of a pitch as Saturday, Mahela Jayawardene won his third toss of the series and unsurprisingly chose to bat rather than field under an unforgiving sun. Virender Sehwag and Sanath Jayasuriya started aggressively but got out to loose shots. Sehwag tried to force Morne Morkel through the off side and the outside edge was taken superbly by Kemp at second slip. He had to dive full stretch to his right and took the catch with one hand inches off the ground. Jayasuriya had pulled Ongondo for a six over square leg but when he tried to repeat the shot, he holed out to the man placed specifically for that purpose.
Upul Tharanga, in the side for Sourav Ganguly, fell to a routine de Villiers catch at point. De Villiers moved quickly to his left, dived and latched on to Tharanga's airy cut with both hands at head height.
Mohammad Yousuf and Yuvraj Singh also perished trying to force the pace and Africa were in with a real chance of keeping Asia to a manageable total. However, a lack of penetration in the middle overs and ragged death bowling allowed Dhoni and Jayawardene to consolidate and then hit at will as Asia powered to 331 for 8 after 50 overs.— Cricinfo.