Dazzling Kohli ton keeps India alive

Virat Kohli was "in the zone" during his 133 not out off 86 balls

India 3 for 321 (Kohli 133*, Gambhir 63) beat Sri Lanka 4 for 320 (Dilshan 160*, Sangakkara 105) by seven wickets

Turnarounds don't come any better. Fortunes don't change more dramatically. And emotions don't bear a starker contrast. At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka would have felt they had one foot in the final, having left the India bowlers deflated after a dominating performance with the bat. And they would have been right to think that way, the Indian batting having shown little promise in the series and the team on the brink of elimination.But Virat Kohli put on an imperious display of strokemaking, his malleable wrists powering an Indian fightback conspicuous by its absence on what had been, until now, two forgettable overseas trips. Kohli's innings made a mockery of an imposing score, kept India's finals hopes alive and left Sri Lanka having to beat Australia for a third time in the tournament to knock India out.Given India's poor outings with the bat in their recent games, one would have expected them to struggle to chase a target of 321 in 50 overs. They achieved it in 36.4 - needing to chase it in 40 to stay alive in the series - and did so with Kohli finishing things off in a blaze of glory. Kohli was in the zone; he dismissed anything that came his way with clinical precision, found the boundary at will whether the field was in or pushed back, ran swiftly between the wickets to catch the fielders off guard and middled the ball with scarcely believable consistency.While Kohli was the protagonist in India's successful chase, the other characters played their due part. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar would have wanted to do more but gave India the explosive start they desperately needed to stage a counterattack; Gautam Gambhir continued to be fluent, just four boundaries in a knock of 63 off 64 balls showing the toil behind the runs; and Suresh Raina, under pressure to perform, kept Kohli valuable company in a matchwinning stand.If India were insipid with their bowling, Sri Lanka were far worse, as wides flowed, gift balls were doled out with regularity and the fielding buckled under the pressure of an unexpected fightback. Both innings were replete with fumbles, misfields, wayward throws - one of them, had it been on target, could have run Kohli out - making batting even more profitable on the easiest track in the series thus far. The brisk start to the chase and the subsequent consolidation by Gambhir and Kohli meant India were in with a fighting chance with two Powerplays still remaining, and both proved highly lucrative.Kohli made both his own, first targetting Nuwan Kulasekara in the 31st over, which began with India needing 91 in 10 overs for a bonus point. He carted three consecutive fours as attempted yorkers failed to meet their desired lengths and served as tempting length balls. Two were whipped - in trademark Kohli fashion, a momentary turn of the wrists imparting tremendous force to the ball - and the other sliced over point in an act of improvisation.The Sri Lanka fast bowlers misfired badly but even when they got it right, like an accurate yorker from Malinga, Kohli was able to shuffle across and expertly work it past the short fine fielder. He took 24 from Malinga in the 35th over, flicking him for six, sending one through the covers for four and then picking up three more fours past short fine, and finished the game with two thunderous drives through the off side. A pump of the fists was followed by a roar of elation and relief as MS Dhoni calmly trudged on to the field to join in the celebrations.A win this dominating seemed a distant possibility when Kohli joined Gambhir at the fall of Tendulkar's wicket. Tendulkar had walked across too far to be caught plumb by Malinga, ending an innings in which Tendulkar seemed devoid of pressure and completely uninhibited in his approach. Sehwag and Tendulkar batted with freedom, the former smashing Malinga into the grassbanks behind deep midwicket in a fiery opening stand of 54, and Tendulkar going over the top on the off side, and displaying an adeptness in picking Malinga's variations. But at 2 for 86 in the 10th over, with India's two most experienced batsmen back in the pavilion and the required-rate still very high, Kohli and Gambhir faced a daunting task.That both took little time to get going was crucial in maintaining the tempo that had been set. Gambhir steered Kulasekara for four off his third delivery before punching one past midwicket, and Kohli warmed up with one of several whips off Malinga off his second ball. The pair didn't get bogged down despite a 35-ball boundary drought, running swiftly between the wickets, converting ones into twos by putting the outfielders under pressure and making the fielders inside the circle appear redundant by stealing quick ones.Kohli broke that drought with a drive off Thisara Perara past extra cover and later clobbered Angelo Mathews over the wide long-off boundary. At the halfway stage in the chase, the pair had notched up half-centuries, laying a solid foundation for the onslaught to follow with ten Powerplay overs still remaining. After Gambhir fell to an accurate throw while trying to steal a second, Raina infused the innings with greater urgency, providing a quicker partner at the other end to Kohli and indulging in some power play of his own to help hasten the finish.he Kohli show overshadowed an assured and commanding performance by Sri Lanka with the bat, and centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, who capitalised on a palpably below-par show from India's bowlers.Dilshan shrugged off his initial unease against the swinging ball to gradually open up and march towards his 11th ODI century and Sangakkara played an innings as attractive as several of his abruptly terminated cameos this tournament, only longer in duration this time, full of confidence and more pleasing on the eye. The determination and focus of trying to bat India out of the game was unwavering in their innings, and the smiles on their faces and the India players' drooping shoulders suggested a one-sided game. But body-language is not always a reliable indicator, for it had taken an about turn in three hours' time.

England seal series in thriller

Jade Dernbach sinks to his knees after earning England a narrow victory 

England 129 for 6 (Pietersen 62*, Ajmal 4-23) beat Pakistan 124 for 6 (Shafiq 34) by five runs

England produced world-class death bowling coupled with moments of brilliance in the field to snatch a five-run victory in the deciding Twenty20 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and seal the series 2-1. With Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal together, needing 35 off the last five overs, Pakistan were in control but Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach showed nerves of steel to finish the tour on a high.Broad bowled the 16th and 19th overs which cost just four runs apiece and that included a misfield by Jonny Bairstow at long-on in the penultimate over which gave away a boundary. Broad removed Akmal, who skied a catch to long-off after missing the first two balls of the 19th over, and Bairstow redeemed himself in the last with a powerful throw to Craig Kieswetter which found Shahid Afridi short of his crease.Dernbach, who bowled the 17th over for six runs, was left with 13 to play with for the last and was in control except when a slower ball looped out short to be called wide. That left Pakistan needing eight off three deliveries but Hammad Azam and Misbah could only muster two singles before a trademark slower ball from Dernbach castled Misbah and set of wild celebrations from the bowler.The series win, a notable result for Broad who is still in his infancy as a captain, will give the England squad a significant surge of confidence ahead of their title defence at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Their remaining T20s before that tournament are all at home, so success in conditions similar - if not identical - to Sri Lanka will have provided a wealth of knowledge especially for the younger players.Misbah, meanwhile, could well face further criticism after ending with 28 off 32 balls but it should have been the anchor innings to guide his side home. Only in the final four overs did the asking rate hit eight-an-over and some of Akmal's wild heaves to leg didn't show very clear thinking. It had been difficult to hit boundaries all evening - the match produced 15 fours and three sixes - and huge credit must go to England's bowlers and fielders. Graeme Swann built pressure for the quicks with a guileful spell and Jos Buttler, having endured a poor series with the bat, manufactured a wicket with a flat throw that was superbly collected by Kieswetter to remove the well-set Asad Shafiq.It is a fine line batsmen tread in Twenty20. For the failure of Misbah to get his side across the line there is the success of Kevin Pietersen after his unbeaten 62, made from a sedate 52 balls, gave England a defendable total. It was clear early on that this wasn't a 150 pitch and Pietersen judged it was better to stay until the end than aim too high. Samit Patel contributed a spritely 16 and Pietersen finished the innings with a last-ball six off Aizaz Cheema which ultimately proved the difference.What Eoin Morgan would give for some of Pietersen's end-of-tour form. His last innings of the trip was a tortured affair, as many of the 16 before this one had also been. He chipped short of long-off against Afridi on 6 and should have been stumped on 8 as Akmal added another error to a long list. But this one didn't prove costly although Morgan was left cursing a team-mate rather than himself. Pietersen drove firmly to cover, where Misbah fumbled, and didn't adhere to the adage of "don't run on a misfield", leaving Morgan stuffed when he changed his mind again.Bairstow couldn't repeat his showing from two days ago as he misjudged the length against Saeed Ajmal, who claimed 4 for 23, and England's other young middle-order batsman, Buttler, had another tough innings. He scored four runs off the nine combined deliveries he faced from Ajmal and Afridi and was then given lbw against Ajmal playing a sweep that left him on his knees in the crease. This tour hasn't launched Buttler's international career as it appeared it could do but he can still make the World Twenty20.Crucially, however, Umar Gul had a poor day. Trying to react to Pietersen's movement in the crease, he conceded five wides down the leg side and, in his final over, sprayed another wide outside off stump with Pietersen proceeding to hit the seventh ball to the midwicket boundary. That's all it takes to change a tight Twenty20.

New Zealand need new ideas to stop tourists

Match Facts

February 29, Napier 

Start time 1400 (0100 GMT)

Big Picture

A win in Napier will see South Africa add the ODI trophy to their victory in the Twenty20s in New Zealand. Gary Kirsten, head coach, has made plain that South Africa's goals are to win every series they play, whether at home or away, and a triumph on his first visit abroad with the team will serve as a strong indication of what the team can offer in future.So far, almost everything South Africa have tried has worked. They should not experiment too much in their quest to close out the series with a match to spare, but will likely continue to leave the No. 4 position flexible and use the part-time spinners to keep the opposition batsmen guessing.What has been most impressive about South Africa's performances in New Zealand has been the apparent progress they have made in the mental side of the game. JP Duminy alluded to it after the first ODI when he spoke about how he, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis negotiated the tough period after the loss of three early wickets. South Africa have embraced pressure on the tour so far and will want to do so again, as proof of their ability to deal with it.After starting the tour brightly, with victory in the first T20, New Zealand have let South Africa have the better of them. Always a shrewd side, New Zealand will have to think harder than normal to come up with ways to beat a South African side who seem to have an answer for everything.New Zealand have had recent success at McLean Park. They beat Zimbabwe by 202 runs in an ODI at the venue two and a half weeks ago. In addition to the magnitude of the win, the massive 373 for 8 New Zealand piled on in that game with buoy them, after a below-par batting performance in the Wellington ODI. They cannot hope to maul South Africa's exponentially more dangerous attack the same way they did Zimbabwe's but they can hope to make better use of home conditions in an attempt to take the series to a decider.

Form Guide

(most recent first)

New Zealand LWWWL

South Africa WLLWW

Europe's top clubs reach agreement with UEFA

The move will give them a bigger share of European Championship profits and insure salaries for players injured on international duty. The European Club Association said on Tuesday that the renewed accord runs through May 2018 expiring days before the World Cup kicks off in Russia but "unsatisfactory" talks with FIFA were locked in stalemate. ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge announced the "major breakthrough" with UEFA at a meeting of the 200-club group in Warsaw, Poland. "The negotiations have not always proved easy, but were always conducted in a fair and respectful manner," Rummenigge said in a statement, praising UEFA President Michel Platini. "Unfortunately, discussions with the FIFA president have failed to lead to a satisfactory outcome which takes account of the clubs  demands." Rummenigge later said there was time to work on extending the ECA s deal with FIFA. It expires after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. "We can be relaxed and patient. I am not a pessimist," the former West Germany great said. FIFA said it was "surprised" at the European clubs  negotiating stance. "FIFA remains, as always, willing to discuss with ECA on these topics, as it does with all other stakeholders in the world football community," the governing body said in a statement. The ECA was created in 2008 to give clubs a more democratic voice in talks with UEFA and FIFA after years of hostile relations when elite clubs were represented by the G-14 group which threatened to form a breakaway European league. However, talks to renew the ECA s initial working agreements have exposed problems between Rummenigge and FIFA President Sepp Blatter over insurance policies and the number of fixtures on the FIFA-approved international calendar, when clubs are obliged to release their players to national teams. The ECA has focused more on relations with UEFA and Platini, who is the favorite to succeed Blatter at FIFA in 2015. European clubs will share a "substantially increased" sum on the €55 million ($74 million) previously agreed from Euro 2012 profits, which is distributed on a daily rate for as long as players are involved in the tournament co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. "This amount will be substantially increased in time for this year s Euro with a further increase for the UEFA Euro 2016 in France," the clubs said. The exact increase will be announced at the UEFA Congress held on March 22 in Istanbul. Before Euro 2012, UEFA will fund "insurance covering the injury risk of players" who European clubs release to play for any national team. "This insurance is valid for all players registered with a European club, irrespective of their nationality, and for all matches mentioned in the international calendar, including both official and friendly matches," the ECA said. The issue of insurance was highlighted after Rummenigge s club Bayern Munich lost Netherlands winger Arjen Robben for six months when he returned injured from the 2010 World Cup. FIFA shared $40 million (€30 million) among clubs whose players were selected to go to South Africa, and has allocated $70 million (€52 million) for the 2014 tournament. Under the new accord, UEFA agreed that "no decision relating to club football will be taken without the consent of the clubs," the ECA said. This point helps remove the threat of clubs refusing to play in UEFA s marquee Champions League, or set up a rival competition. "This is once more a proof that, in the European football family, solutions can be found in a cooperative and fair way," Rummenigge said. Rummenigge and ECA general secretary Michele Centenaro have refused FIFA s invitations to attend international calendar talks in Zurich next Monday. Still, the clubs have had input through UEFA to the debate involving all six of FIFA s continental confederations. European football would accept nine doubleheader international match dates in each two-year tournament qualifying cycle, and wants friendly dates in February and August abolished. The ECA said on Tuesday it wants to restrict players to one international tournament each year, which could limit call-ups to the London Olympics. Europe also wants the Copa America to finish in mid-July, and the African Cup of Nations to start earlier in January so that players return sooner to their clubs. FIFA said its calendar working group could present a proposal for international match dates running from 2015 through 2018 or 2022 to Blatter s executive committee which meets on March 29-30 in Zurich.

Poor form of team surprises Mohsin

Chief Coach of Pakistan Cricket Team Mohsin Khan was surprised over poor form of players in 4-match One-day Internationals and in T20 International series. “I was disappointed for the drop of form of Pakistan team after they white wash England in 3-Test match series,” he told reporters at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport on his return from United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday evening. He said team really played well in the Test series but he was surprised with drop of morale and form in One-dayers and T20 Internationals. Mohsin Khan, who is likely to be replaced with Dav Whatmore, however said criticism on the team after their loss in the one-day and T20 series was not justified because since everyone was praising the team after their triumphs in the Test series. Pakistan thrashed England 3-0 in the Test series to create history, but suffered 4-0 whitewash in ODI series and 2-1 loss in the 3-match T20 International series. Karachi based batsman Asad Shafiq also returned with coach Khan.

Davis Cup, Pakistan tries to convince ITF

After having been denied a chance to host their Davis Cup tie at home once, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) is trying to get a nod from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) once again. Pakistan was scheduled to host its Davis Cup tie against Lebanon at home, earlier this month but was forced to play the matches away, after the ITF moved the tie on security grounds. Having won the tie (3-2) in Lebanon, Pakistan moved into the second round of the Asia-Oceania Group II and will now face Philippines in April. Once again, Pakistan is expected to host the tie, pending a clearance from the ITF. PTF officials say they are “taking all necessary measures” to host the tie at Lahore’s Defence Club from April 6 to 8. The national tennis body has submitted a “comprehensive security plan” to the ITF and has promised “fool-proof security arrangements for the visiting team.” A senior PTF official met with the ITF president and the Davis Cup committee in London, assuring them of best possible arrangements. The PTF has also, reportedly, proposed that the ties be held in either India (Chandigarh) or the United Arab Emirates (Dubai). The final decision, on whether the tie will be hosted in Pakistan or elsewhere, lies with the ITF.

Inaugural BPL trophy up for grabs

Shahid Afridi would have played two Twenty20s for Dhaka Gladiators less than 48 hours after Pakistan's series with England ended

Match facts

February 29, Mirpur
Start time 1800 local (1200 GMT)

Big Picture

With so much of the spotlight on controversies, a proper cricketing final would be a solace for the inaugural edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Thankfully, two very entertaining Twenty20 teams, Barisal Burners and Dhaka Gladiators, will go head-on in the final in front of what is expected to be a sellout crowd.

Barisal have gone through a lot to finally arrive in the final, an ascent that some predicted with Chris Gayle in the line-up initially. But even though they have missed Gayle and his power-hitting since the end of the tournament's first week, they have progressed to the title clash. One of their main strengths is the captaincy of Brad Hodge, who has stood out as a leader who can influence the proceedings with his clever tactics.Dhaka, on the other hand, rely on all-out aggression. Imran Nazir, Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahid Afridi, and Saeed Ajmal are all attacking players who can single-handedly change the course of the final.It promises to be a game that can go either way, even if a team does score really big in the first innings. If they don't, expect a scrappy chase.

In the spotlight

Barisal's Ahmed Shehzad is the highest scorer in the competition after his murderous 113 off 49 deliveries in the semifinal against Duronto Rajshahi. His previous six innings in the tournament include a hundred, two half-centuries and two forties.Dhaka's left-arm spinner Elias Sunny currently shares top spot on the wicket-takers' list with Mohammad Sami. A double-strike in his first over in the semi-final, removing both Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Smith, put Khulna Royal Bengals' chase under tremendous pressure.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Barisal -- WWLWW
Dhaka -- WLWLW

Head to head

Dhaka won both games against Barisal in the league phase - the first by 21 runs, despite a blistering Gayle century, and then by five wickets, a game Kieron Pollard finished off in style with a 17-ball 35.