Nathan McCullum stars as New Zealand win opener

Nathan McCullum proved he can hit big sixes just as well as brother Brendon as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by two wickets with a ball to spare in a thrilling World Twenty20 opener here Friday.

New Zealand, needing three runs to win with two balls to spare, saw McCullum, better known as an off-spinner, loft fast bowler Lasith Malinga for six over long-off.

Man-of-the match McCullum's superb shot saw New Zealand finish on 139 for eight in reply to Sri Lanka's 135 for six.

It capped a memorable day for McCullum, whose unbeaten 16 came off six balls with 13 of his runs, including a four and a six, coming in the last over.

"I can't hit them," said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, run out in the last over giving McCullum the strike.

"It's easier for Nathan to do it. To hit a four and a six was quite amazing."

However, Vettori added: "We have to be a touch more aggressive. With our batting line-up going so deep we can take a few more risks."

Earlier, Nathan McCullum took the new ball - just as fellow Kiwi off-spinner Dipak Patel had done at the 1992 World Cup - and returned impressive figures of one wicket for 17 runs from his three overs.

By contrast younger brother Brendon, one of the world's most dangerous batsmen in this format, was out for nought when pulling Angelo Mathews to midwicket as New Zealand's run chase got off to the start all their fans would have feared.

Defeat for last year's losing finalists was tough on former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene who made a typically stylish 81 off 51 balls - but this time in his debut as an opener - including two sixes and eight fours.

Runs were hard to come by in this match, with the next best score on either side the 42 made by New Zealand opener Jesse Ryder.

Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat in humid conditions.

But the dangerous Tillakaratne Dilshan, player of the tournament at last year's World Twenty20 in England, and Sangakkara himself could only manage seven runs between them.

"We probably lost a bit of momentum in the first six (overs)," Sangakkara said. "That was vital to kick on. The backwards step we took in the first six stuck with us through the innings."

And he refused to blame Malings for the loss, saying: "He bowled brilliantly. He was unlucky to go for a boundary in that last over off his second ball."

Debutant Dinesh Chandimal helped Jayawardene revive the innings in a third-wicket stand of 59 before he was caught in the deep off Nathan McCullum with the total on 103 for three.

Jayawardene fell in the penultimate over and again Nathan McCullum was involved, taking the catch at deep mid-wicket off Tim Southee.

After Brendon McCullum's exit, New Zealand rebuilt their innings through a second-wicket stand of 62 between Ryder and Martin Guptill (19).

New Zealand fell behind the run-rate after Ryder was bowled by off-spin star Muttiah Muralitharan and they needed 20 off the last two overs.

Oram was bowled off the first ball of the 19th, by Chanaka Welegedara and next ball Gareth Hopkins was run out.

Come the last over, New Zealand needed 10 for victory.

Nathan McCullum took a single off Malinga's first ball and the bowler then missed an easy chance to run out Vettori off the next, with McCullum striking a boundary off the third delivery.

Vettori was run out off the fourth but McCullum was on strike.

West Indies hammer Ireland by 70 runs

PROVIDENCE: West Indies thrashed Ireland by 70 runs as the hosts got their World Twenty20 campaign off to a winning start under the floodlights on Saturday.


Qualifiers Ireland were bowled out for just 68, inside 17 overs, with man-of-the-match Darren Sammy taking three wickets for eight runs to add to the all-rounder's top score of 30 in West Indies' 138 for nine.

Ireland saw 17-year-old off-spinner George Dockrell take three for 16 after West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo, deputising for the injured Chris Gayle, won the toss and batted.

But their top order had no answer to fast bowler Ravi Rampaul, who sparked Ireland's collapse with three for 17.

Kemar Roach struck the first blow when he had Ireland captain William Porterfield caught at second slip by Sammy for four.

Sammy again showed safe hands when he caught Paul Stirling for naught off Rampaul in the next over and when Rampaul had Niall O'Brien caught behind for six, Ireland were 11 for three.

A rain break offered brief respite but Ireland were soon in more trouble at 16 for four when Alex Cusack edged to Sammy.

The all-rounder came on in the ninth over and any doubts about the man-of-the-match award were settled when he removed Kevin O'Brien first ball.

Sammy took a fourth catch to get rid of Gary Wilson and ended the match when he bowled Dockrell, in a stark reminder of cricket's highs and lows, for a duck.

Extras, with 19, was the best score of an innings where Wilson made 17.

The Netherlands got last year's World Twenty20 off to a shock start by beating England at Lord's and Ireland were dreaming of another giantkilling at the halfway stage.

Dockrell, a 17-year-old off-break bowler, struck twice in three balls to remove opener Andre Fletcher and senior batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan before having Narsingh Deonarine caught behind.

The West Indies, without captain and dynamic opener Gayle due to muscle stiffness, saw senior batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul (14) fall first, immediately after striking two successive fours off Boyd Rankin.

It was a similar story for Bravo (18), who a ball after hitting Alex Cusack for six gave the Brisbane born all-rounder a return catch.

Dockrell then took centre stage, having Fletcher, opening in Gayle's place, caught for 19 at deep backward point.

And, two balls later, Dockrell struck again when Sarwan was caught for 24 to leave the West Indies 77 for four.

West Indies face England on Monday with Ireland up against the same opponents on Tuesday in the final Group D match.

TOI

Sri Lanka to bat against NZ in T20 WC opener

STAFF WRITER 22:7 HRS IST

Guyana (WI), Apr 30 (PTI) Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in the inaugural match of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup at the Providence Stadium here today.

Teams:

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Gareth Hopkins, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Shane Bond, Tim Southee.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Chanaka Welegedara.

Anand split points with Topalov, leads World C'ship

STAFF WRITER 23:9 HRS IST

Sofia (Bulgaria), Apr 30 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand continued his fine performance and retained a full point lead over challenger Vaselin Topalov of Bulgaria after drawing the fifth game of the ongoing World Championship now underway here.

Anand, who had won the fourth game quite convincingly with white pieces to go one up in the 12-game series now also has the advantage of an extra white game in the remaining seven that puts Topalov under tremendous pressure.

Having learnt his lessons quite well after the disastrous loss in the first game when he played the sharp gruenfeld with black pieces, Anand stuck to the basics and yet again played the Slav defence in which Topalov could not find a defect for the second time running.

Major blow for Indian football

Major blow for Indian football

No Mahindra United from the next season

New Delhi, April 30: Indian football received a body blow on Friday with automobile giants Mahindras announcing the shutting down of their Mumbai-based 48-year-old football club Mahindra United from next season and that they will move on to develop the game at the grassroots level.

The shocking decision comes at a time when Mahindra U are placed second in the I-League and also have an outside chance of winning the title. Started in 1962, the club has been one of the best and has won all major Championships including the Durand Cup, National League, IFA Shield, Federation Cup, President’s Cup and the Super Cup. The team has been adjudged champions of the Mumbai Football League 15 times since 1971.

Dhoni’s army to take the new-comer seriously

Dhoni’s army to take the new-comer seriously

• India face unheralded Afghanistan at St lucia today •

ST LUCIA, April 30: Up against an unheralded Afghanistan in their tournament-opener, India will have to guard against complacency to ensure a flying start to their campaign in the T20 World Cup on Saturday.

Considering there is very little room for errors in the slam-bang format of the game, India would have to be at their best to avoid the ignominy of being destroyed by the minnows of international cricket.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has already warned his star-studded legion not to underestimate Afghanistan and teammate Yuvraj was also worried about the X-factor of their opponents, who have caught the imagination of the world over the last two years.

New Zealand open fight against Sri Lanka in World Twenty20

PROVIDENCE: Brendon McCullum's prowess as a Twenty20 batsman is well known but older brother Nathan could also have an important role to play in the upcoming World Twenty20.

The Black Caps open the competition against Sri Lanka on Friday and, with warm-up matches suggesting pitches will take spin, off-break bowler Nathan is set for some key overs in an attack where New Zealand captain and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been the mainstay for several years now.

McCullum was given the new ball in New Zealand's 40-run warm-up win over Ireland on Tuesday, reviving memories of Martin Crowe's ploy of using off-spinner Dipak Patel at the start of the innings at the 1992 World Cup - a tactic that helped the Black Caps get to the last four of that event.

Against Ireland, McCullum took three wickets for 25 runs and Vettori, who went wicketless, said: "Nathan McCullum was outstanding with the ball. On a wicket like that you've got to be inch perfect because it's so slow."

The Black Caps' pace attack is led by fast bowler Shane Bond and it won't just be Kiwi fans who will be hoping the former policeman, whose career has been blighted by injuries, can come through this tournament unscathed.

New Zealand headed to the Caribbean with fitness doubts over several senior players but batsman Jesse Ryder suggested he was over the groin strain that forced his withdrawal from the Indian Premier League with a brisk 64 against the Irish.

Together with Brendon McCullum he forms an explosive opening partnership with McCullum posting an unbeaten 116, one short of Chris Gayle's world record, when New Zealand beat Australia in a Twenty20 match in February.

McCullum is one of the most dangerous batsmen around in this format and Vettori was in no doubt of his value to New Zealand.

"McCullum at the top of the order is the real key. If he has a good tournament I think the team will fire."

Sri Lanka, last year's losing finalists, appear to have one of the best balanced squads for this form of cricket with the pace of Lasith Malinga to the spin of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis posing problems for most batsmen.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, player of the tournament in England in 2009 and veteran Sanath Jayasuriya are just two of the island nation's batsmen capable of fast scoring.

The Sri Lankans lost by five wickets to South Africa in a warm-up match on Wednesday but did not have their strongest side out in a clash that, in any event, went to the last over.

Whether the fact that most of the squad have been taking part in the lucrative Indian Premier League will catch up with Sri Lanka, remains to be seen but conditions, at least, should hold no fears for a side who reached the final of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

At it was in Guyana where the unorthodox Malinga made history in 2007, taking four wickets in four balls against South Africa.

But former captain Mahela Jayawardene knows Sri Lanka, now led by the experienced and talented Kumar Sangakkara, could have had an easier opening fixture.

"New Zealand has got a really good all-round team which can be totally devastating," he said.

To back him up, New Zealand beat West Indies by seven runs in their second warm-up on Wednesday.

TOI