Sri Lanka take top spot with record chase

Mahela Jayawardene made 85

Sri Lanka 7 for 283 (Jayawardene 85, Chandimal 80, Christian 3-53) beat Australia 6 for 280 (Forrest 104, Clarke 72) by 3 wickets

Sri Lanka sure know how to keep things interesting. On a day when Peter Forrest announced himself as Australia's new No.3 with his maiden one-day century, Mahela Jayawardene and Dinesh Chandimal helped Sri Lanka complete a record ODI chase in Hobart, where Australia's 6 for 280 wasn't enough to book them a place in the finals. Sri Lanka jumped to the top of the points table with their three-wicket victory, which came with four balls to spare.In a tense finish, Sri Lanka appeared to be throwing the match away and after Angelo Mathews holed out for 24 they needed 14 off nine balls with only three wickets in hand. But Thisara Perera took on the responsibility himself and struck a boundary followed by a powerful six over midwicket off Daniel Christian's next delivery, which left four needed off seven balls, and that was no trouble at all, the winning runs coming when Nuwan Kulasekara thumped Brett Lee over cover for four.It was Sri Lanka's third consecutive win and they are coming good at the right end of the tournament, after losing their opening two games. They began well with the ball before allowing Australia's score to balloon to seriously challenging proportions, but Jayawardene's outstanding 85 at the top of the order gave Sri Lanka the perfect platform.With six overs remaining, they needed 39 runs with six wickets in hand, and with Chandimal well set on 80, it seemed like only a formality that they would reach the target. But Chandimal was trapped lbw when he tried an ill-judged paddle off Ryan Harris and in the next over, Farveez Maharoof holed out to Ben Hilfenhaus. Lucky for Sri Lanka they had Perera.The result means Sri Lanka and Australia are now both one match clear of India, and while both sides can still miss out on the finals, they also know that one more win will be enough to guarantee their place. Sri Lanka earned that position by beating the previous best Hobart ODI chase, the 4 for 282 that Australia scored against Zimbabwe in 2001.Jayawardene gave them their start and was in fine touch after beginning with a couple of edgy boundaries. In the fifth over he put those behind him and took on the pace of Lee, swinging a magnificent six over midwicket from a fast, straight ball that most batsmen would have been content to defend or drive straight. The runs kept flowing for Jayawardene, the dominant partner in a 55-run opening stand.When Tillakaratne Dilshan pulled a catch to deep midwicket off Ben Hilfehnaus for 3 from nine balls, Jayawardene had already galloped along to 44 from 39 deliveries. The strike evened up during Jayawardene's partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who made a run-a-ball 22 before he was caught at point off a leading edge from Daniel Christian's bowling.Jayawardene had already brought up his fifty with a punchy drive down the ground off Christian from his 45th ball. Jayawardene and Chandimal kept the runs coming during a 63-run partnership that featured some fine strokes, including an excellent cover-drive for four from Jayawardene, who enjoyed using the pace of Lee against him.But on 85, Jayawardene gave Australia a sniff when he advanced to Xavier Doherty and was beaten by a delivery that turned sharply past his outside edge. Australia needed to follow the stumping with another quick wicket, and instead Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne kept their composure and put on 49, including plenty of singles, as the required run-rate hovered below six an over.The loss of Thirimanne, who paddled Ben Hilfenhaus to short fine leg for 24, could have hurt Sri Lanka, but ultimately their batting was too strong for Australia. Perhaps if Australia had looked for their runs a little faster through the middle of their innings they could have pushed up towards 300, but it is impossible to criticise Forrest and Michael Clarke for an excellent stand that rescued the side from a wobbly start. The loss of both openers had left Australia at 2 for 27 in the seventh over and consolidation was required.Especially impressive was the way Forrest batted in his first match at No.3, carrying the pressure of replacing a champion in the position. But in Australia's first match of the post-Ricky Ponting ODI era they might just have found a man who can fill his spot for some time. Forrest's hundred was his not only his first for Australia but also in any List A match, and no Australian has scored more in his first four ODIs than Forrest's tally of 238.He brought up his century by dropping the ball into the off side and haring off for a quick single from his 136th delivery, and it brought fist-pumps from Forrest and a hug from his partner Michael Hussey. He was caught at deep cover off Angelo Mathews in the next over for 104 as he tried to keep the tempo rising and it ended a fine innings, and one that has boosted his chances of winning a place on the Test tour of the West Indies.He struck 10 fours and two sixes but avoided risks wherever he could, generally preferring to force the ball through gaps instead of over fielders. When he did go for the aerial route it nearly brought about his downfall - he was lucky deep midwicket was a couple of paces wide of where one shot landed. A cover-driven boundary off Nuwan Kulasekara was especially impressive, zipping off the bat with speed and perfect placement.For much of his innings, Forrest had the support of Clarke during a 154-run stand. The partnership ended when Clarke lifted Mathews to deep midwicket and was well taken by a tumbling Thisara Perera. Clarke had played well for his 72 from 79 balls, including two sixes over midwicket, one a fearsome, flat pull early in his innings off Farveez Maharoof, who had been impressive early.Maharoof had claimed David Warner caught behind for 7 after Matthew Wade lobbed a catch to mid-off to give Sri Lanka a strong start. In the end, the Clarke-Forrest partnership and some valuable late runs from David Hussey (40 not out off 28 balls), Michael Hussey (21) and Brett Lee (20 not out) helped Australia to a strong total.It wasn't enough for Australia, but it has kept all three sides in the race for the finals. And it has made Sri Lanka clearly the form team in the tournament.

Man Utd enter Europa last-16 despite defeat

 Manchester United went through to the last-16 of the Europa League on Thursday despite losing their first ever home game in the competition 2-1 to Ajax.Javier Hernandez stretched United's 2-0 first-leg advantage in the sixth minute before Aras Ozbiliz made it 1-1 with a well-taken half-volley on the night 31 minutes later. Toby Alderweireld scored with three minutes left but Ajax could do no more than scare United, who are in the second-tier tournament after they were eliminated from the Champions League group stages.The English powerhouses progressed to the next round 3-2 on aggregate.United will next face Atletic Bilbao in the round-of-16 after the Spanish side beat Lokomotiv Moscow 1-0 to advance on away goals.Valencia and Atletico Madrid also progressed, as did PSV Eindhoven and Udinese.United started strongly at Old Trafford against Ajax and Hernandez scored following good approach work from Park Ji-sung and Dimitar Berbatov. Ozbiliz hit a 20-yard shot past goalkeeper David de Gea for 1-1 and, after De Gea made a point-blank stop from Christian Eriksen's header, Alderweireld bundled the ball into the net from close range. One more goal would have taken the Dutch side through to the round-of-16 on away goals but United held out.Manager Alex Ferguson blamed United's problems on his selection of a defence composed of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and the Da Silva twins. None are vastly experienced."Tonight I used too many young players in the back-four positions," Ferguson said. "It was a big risk we took."Ferguson made four changes from the side that won in Amsterdam a week ago, with Rafael da Silva and Smalling coming in for Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand, while in midfield, Park Ji-Sung replaced Michael Carrick in the centre. Up front, Dimitar Berbatov replaced the ill Wayne Rooney as the Bulgarian started alongside Hernandez, with Danny Welbeck providing cover from the bench.The visitors played a very similar team to the one that lost last week. Ricardo van Rhijn came into the side for Ismael Aissatti, while Nicolas Lodeiro started as part of the front three with Dmitry Bulykin missing out through injury.The match was extremely even, with Ajax often having long periods of pressure and possession, but it was the hosts who took the lead after an energetic start from both sides, with Hernandez producing a calm finish. Berbatov slipped through an impressive forward pass which Hernandez controlled, before skipping past the attentions of Toby Alderweireld and finding the back of the net with confidence. But that was as good as it was to get for the hosts.The two sides continued to knock the ball around comfortably, but every time United advanced they looked like scoring, and Hernandez very nearly returned the favour to Berbatov with 13 minutes played. Fabio da Silva surged forward through the middle before playing an excellent pass through to Hernandez, but after being pushed out wider than he would have liked, he slid the ball towards the far post with his strike-partner arriving late, but Jan Vertonghen stretched and conceded a corner.However, Ajax were proving they weren't just there to make up the numbers as they looked to grab a lifeline. Ozbiliz acquired possession in the United area after good work from van Rhijn and tricked his way past two defenders before shooting, but David De Gea was equal to the Armenian’s effort.By now United were showcasing some increasingly sloppy passing, inviting pressure on to them, with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Lodeiro and Ozbiliz looking very dangerous for the visitors.Following a period of Ajax pressure, the hosts went close to doubling their lead on the night. Nani played a clever disguised pass down the left channel into the penalty area for Berbatov, but the striker's pass into the goalmouth was deflected ever so slightly out of the path of Hernandez, and Ajax soon made them pay.The United defence failed to clear their lines properly after breaking down an attack and the ball fell kindly to Ozbiliz on the edge of the area, with the right-winger lashing a low, left-footed half-volley into De Gea's bottom right corner.Although Ferguson's team ended the half with some considerable dominance over their visitors, Ajax held on to the 1-1 score at half-time after a battling 45 minutes.The start of the second period followed a similar pattern to the first, with both sides committing plenty of players forward, but it was Ajax who continued to look the more dangerous.First, Lodeiro went close, blasting an effort over from the centre of the penalty area following a cut-back from Christian Eriksen, then moments later Siem De Jong’s header from a corner was denied by a brilliant save from De Gea.Without creating an awful lot, Ajax continued to see more of the possession, troubling United with their quick passing and impressive movement, but two substitutions from Ferguson saw the hosts calm the contest down a little.Jonny Evans took to the field in place of Tom Cleverley, while Paul Scholes replaced Ashley Young, and the midfielder’s impact was immediate as he spread the ball around as well as ever.Minutes later, Nani was inches from getting his name on the scoresheet as the Portuguese winger cut inside from the right and let rip a thunderous effort with his left-foot, but the shot crashed off the crossbar and went behind.With just over quarter-of-an-hour to go, the hosts had another chance to put the tie beyond all doubt. Danny Welbeck, who replaced Berbatov, stormed down the left after a clever inter-change with Park, but when he approached the goal, his attempted pass into the danger-area was intercepted and United had to settle for a corner.The visitors ensured the final moments would be nervy for United with Alderweireld finding the net following a free-kick conceded by Scholes, but they held on to progress, despite making the match a lot harder than they should have.

AC Milan seeking a different outcome vs. Juventus

And the Rossoneri are determined to change the outcome in the latest meeting of Italy s top two clubs Saturday at the San Siro. "We ve got to win, this is a battle for the title and we can t make any more errors," said Milan center back Thiago Silva, who is widely considered the top defender in the league. However, Milan center forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is slated to miss the match while serving a three-game ban for slapping Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica in the face earlier this month. Milan has appealed and the league judge was slated to issue a final verdict later Thursday. "With Ibra they re more predictable, although he himself is unpredictable," Juventus defender Andrea Barzagli said. "Without Ibra they move more and don t provide reference points." Milan leads Juve by one point but the Turin club has a game in hand. In their first league meeting, in October, Juventus beat Milan 2-0 with two late goals from Claudio Marchisio. Then two weeks ago in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals, Juventus won again, 2-1, with two goals from Martin Caceres. After Saturday, their final meeting this season will come March 21 in the second cup leg. Juventus is undefeated and has nearly its entire squad healthy. Milan is also approaching full strength, with midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng and striker Alexandre Pato working their ways back from injuries and defenders Alessandro Nesta and Philippe Mexes also returning. Ibrahimovic is among Serie A s top scorers this season with 15 goals, although without him Milan shows more balance. In a 3-1 win over Cesena last week, former Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari scored on his Rossoneri debut, Dutch midfielder Urby Emanuelson doubled the lead and Robinho scored the third goal. Maxi Lopez, the striker that Milan signed from Catania last month after a deal for Manchester City s Carlos Tevez fell through, has also been effective. Two weeks ago, Milan was trailing Udinese 1-0 midway through the second half before pulling out a 2-1 victory with late goals from Lopez and teenage striker Stephen El Shaarawy. Then four days later came an impressive 4-0 rout of Arsenal in the Champions League. "That was a fundamental victory," Thiago Silva said of the Udinese match. "In the final 25 minutes we changed our playing style and rediscovered that will to win and then in the following matches with Arsenal and Cesena we did great. Now we ve got to continue this way." Juventus will likely rely on Mirko Vucinic and Alessandro Matri in attack, although Fabio Quagliarella is also an option after scoring in a 3-1 win over Catania last weekend. Also this weekend, struggling Inter Milan visits Napoli in a matchup of two clubs heading in opposite directions. Napoli won 3-0 at Fiorentina last week then beat Chelsea 3-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Inter s 1-0 loss to Marseille in the elite European competition Wednesday marked its fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions, and its sixth loss in its last seven matches. Making matters worse for Inter was that key right back Maicon appeared to pick up a serious right knee injury against Marseille, which scored in added time. Lazio, which hosts Fiorentina on Sunday, is also in disarray. Manager Edy Reja has reportedly handed in a letter of resignation but was still directing the squad at Atletico Madrid in the Europa League on Thursday. Lazio lost the first leg 3-1 to Atletico and the Roman club was humiliated in a 5-1 loss to Palermo last weekend. Reja also attempted to resign earlier this season but was convinced to stay on. Lazio is tied with Udinese for third, eight points behind Milan and seven behind Juventus. Udinese, which visits Bologna on Sunday, also had a Europa league game Thursday, at PAOK Thessaloniki. Also this weekend, it s: Genoa vs. Parma; Atalanta vs. Roma; Cagliari vs. Lecce; Catania vs. Novara; Chievo vs. Cesena; and Siena vs. Palermo.

Pakistan bounce back, win Ist T20 against England

With the win, Pakistan earned themselves some solace after whitewash of ODI series by England. England won the toss and decided to bowl in their first T20 encounter. Pakistan, defending their target of 145, restricted English side to 136-6. Shoaib Mailk earlier scored the highest 39 for his side. Off-spinner Graeme Swann took 3-13 as England kept Pakistan down to 144-6 in the first of three Twenty20 internationals at Dubai Stadium on Thursday. Swann rocked the middle-order with a burst of three wickets off eight balls to derail Pakistan after skipper Stuart Broad elected to field after winning the toss. England, the reigning Twenty20 world champions, started the match on a high note after sweeping Pakistan 4-0 in the one-day series and once again pegged their opponents back through some disciplined bowling and fielding. Pakistan made a flying start with debutant Awais Zia hitting a four and six during his 12-ball 18 but Pakistan lost four wickets in the space of eight runs as Asad Shafiq (19) fell run out, Mohammad Hafeez (23), Shahid Afridi (seven) and Umar Akmal (nought) followed each other, with Swann taking the last three. It was left to captain Misbah-ul Haq (26 not out) and Shoaib Malik (39) to put on 71 for the sixth wicket to take Pakistan to a respectable total. Malik hit four boundaries and six off 33 balls before he fell to a superb catch by Jonny Bairstow off Jade Dernbach off the last ball of the innings. Misbah gave Malik good support during his run-a-ball innings, hitting one four and a six. Pakistan brought in Zia and allrounder Hammad Azam while Ravi Bopara and Swann returned for England after missing the fourth one-dayer due to fitness problems.

South Africa clinch T20 series in thriller

South Africa battled to a thrilling three-run win over New Zealand to claim the Twenty20 series 2-1 after the Black Caps suffered a dramatic late batting collapse in Auckland on Wednesday. New Zealand restricted South Africa to seven for 165 and went into the last two overs needing just 10 runs for victory, only to fall short after losing three wickets, including ducks for Nathan McCullum and Doug Bracewell. Adding to the tension, James Franklin and Tim Southee both had chances to snatch victory at the death off the bowling off Marchant de Lange but could not connect bat with ball. Franklin needed a six off de Lange’s last ball but missed, scampering down the wicket for a run as the Proteas celebrated, then realised to their horror that the delivery had been ruled a no ball. That gave Southee the opportunity to be the hero with a boundary but his air swing went nowhere near the ball, stranding New Zealand on seven for 162. It was a disappointing end for New Zealand after Jesse Ryder marked his return from injury with 52 and openers Rob Nicol (33) and Martin Guptill (26) started their run chase brightly. But the result was also testament to South Africa’s never-say-die attitude after man-of-the match Johan Botha picked up the crucial wickets of Guptill and Ryder to swing the match their way. “It was an amazing team effort, I’m really proud of the men,” captain AB de Villiers said. “We hung on at the end there.” De Villiers admitted South Africa lost momentum when batting first and he was unsure if 165 runs would be enough on the short boundaries at Eden Park. JP Duminy top scored for the tourists on 38 and there were decent contributions from Hashim Amla (33) and AB de Villiers (29). But the Proteas never fired and needed a 22-run cameo from tail-ender Wayne Parnell to edge them towards a competitive total. New Zealand’s top priority early in the innings was to defuse the threat from opener Richard Levi, fresh from a record-breaking unbeaten 117 in the second match, in which he smashed 13 sixes and scored a 45-ball century. The dangerman helped himself to one six from Michael Bates but was dismissed for 11 trying for a second off the next ball, failing to get enough power onto his shot and sending the ball sailing to Nicol. Nicol was the stand-out performer for New Zealand, taking two wickets and two catches as well as being involved in a run out.