Wright destroys New Zealand
29/9/12- England 149-4 18.5 overs (Wright 76) beat New Zealand 148-6 20
overs (Franklin 50, Finn 3-16)
England have kept alive their
hopes of retaining the ICC World T20, by beating New Zealand by 6 wickets.
Ross Taylor elected to bat
first, but lost Guptill and danger man Brendon McCullum inside the opening 4
overs. They struggled to get the innings going, as they lost wickets at a
regular pace. It was the Essex all rounder James Franklin who added much needed
impetus to the innings, taking his side to a competitive score. He scored 50
off 33 balls, as the Kiwis posted 148-6.
England lost the out of form
Kieswetter early, and Hales not long after, as the batsman were once again
looking weak against spin. However, Luke Wright was at his explosive best, and
he and Morgan put on a partnership that won England the game, with Wright
clearing the ropes 5 times overall. The pair couldn't see their side home, but
England won with 7 balls remaining.
A very professional
performance from England today, and will now have to repeat that against Sri
Lanka on Monday, where a victory should see them through.
Man of the Match: Luke
Wright for his 44 ball 76. A superb knock again from the Sussex man, and if he
can continue in this form, then he can fill the void left by Pietersen.
Sri Lanka ease passed West Indies
29/9/12- Sri Lanka
130-1 15.2 overs (Jayawardene 65*) beat West Indies 129-5 20 overs (Samuels 50)
by 9 wickets @ Pallekele
Sri Lanka are closing in on a
Semi Final spot in the ICC World Twenty 20, after comfortably beating the West
Indies in Pallekele.
After choosing to bat first,
the West Indies lost England’s nemesis from the other day, Johnson Charles, and
the star man Chris Gayle in the space of 3 balls, and a rebuilding job was
needed. That was provided from Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo, as they put on
a 65 run partnership in just over 9 overs. However, just as they set a platform
for which they could have launched an assault towards the end of the innings,
Bravo was dismissed, and they could only post 129-5 off their 20 overs.
Sri Lanka never looked in
trouble in their response, even though they lost the Man of the Match from the
previous game, Dilshan, inside the first few overs. The experienced pair of
Jayawardene and Sangakarra built a partnership like they have done many times
over the years, as they raced to their target inside 16 overs, with Jaywardene
unbeaten on 65.
The margin of victory for Sri
Lanka leaves them with a superior run rate to the other teams in the group, and
even if they lose to England on Monday, it’s still likely that they will
qualify for the Semi Final. West Indies now need to beat the now knocked-out New
Zealand on Monday to stand any chance of going through, and win well, as their
net run rate is inferior to that of England.
Man of the Match:
Mahela Jaywardene for his unbeaten 65. His innings oozed with class throughout,
including 10 fours and a six, showing why he is one of the greatest batsman too
have ever put on the Sri Lankan shirt.
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