At last the finals have arrived and New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has pulled a hamstring injury and is not playing in the finals at the Supersport Park in Centurion. He is replaced by Jeetan Patel. Brendon McCullum is leading the Kiwi’s. Australia have gone unchanged.

After winning toss, New Zealand opted to bat first and are suffering as Australia have been taking wickets steadily. The current skipper of Kiwi’s McCullum was dismissed with no run.

Redmond (26) and Guptill (40) managed to bring the score to 66 in the 19th over when they lost Redmond and within the next few overs Guptill was bowled by Hauritz and thus shaking the top batting order.

Neil Broom (37) and James Franklin (33) tried to make up but missed it.

With just 5 overs remaining, the Kiwis are struggling with just 2 more wickets.

Nathan Hauritz has taken 3 wickets and Brett Lee with 2. Siddle and Johnson have got 1 wicket each.

The unavailability of Vettori is very much seen as he has been good with both bat and ball through out the tournament.

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Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi who guided Pakistan to glory in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in England may soon receive an offer to play in Sheffield Shield for the Australian domestic side New South Wales.

The 29-year-old cricketer helped Pakistan win their first major title in 17 years by beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.

Afridi put up an excellent all-round performance during the tournament, scoring 176 runs in seven matches which included two half-centuries and also scalped 11 wickets with an economy rate of 5.32.

If the deal materialises, Afridi would become one of the high-profile players to join an Australian side, after NSW’s selection of Kiwi Brendon McCullum for last season’s Big Bash final against Victoria, the report said.

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New Zealand beat Ireland by 83 runs in the first Super Eight match at Trent Bridge. In the other match, South Africa beat the host England by seven wickets.

Match 13: New Zealand Vs Ireland

The debutant of New Zealand team, Aaron Redmond played fantastic stroke by hitting 63 in his first international match. Guptill and Styris also contributed to their teams score to raise upto 199 in 20 overs. The comparatively weaker team Ireland managed to score 115 from 16.4 overs losing all the wickets. Andre Botha contributed 28 runs for Ireland. Nathan McCullum slammed 3-15 for Kiwis.

Redmond was declared man of the match.

Match 14: England Vs South Africa

England scored 111 from 20 overs while the South Africans scored 114 with 10 balls remaining. Owais Shah scored 38 for England which being the highest from their side. Jacques Kallis scored 57 not out, helped his team for an easy win. Wayne Parnell, Kallis and Merwe slammed 3, 2 and 2 wickets which helped to restrict England score.

Jacques Kallis was declared man of the match for his excellent batting and bowling figures.

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Ross Taylor’s unbeaten 21 saw New Zealand to a seven-wicket win over Scotland in their opening Group D match in the ICC World Twenty20 at the Oval here on Saturday.

In a match reduced by rain to just seven overs per side, Scotland made an impressive 89 for four thanks to rapid innings from Kyle Coetzer (33) and Ryan Watson and Navdeep Poonia, who both made 27.

But in the end their bowling could not quite match their batting with the Kiwis getting home with an over to spare.

Brendon McCullum, captaining in place of the injured Daniel Vettori, began the pursuit of the 90 New Zealand needed by striking four fours from Calum McLeod as 19 runs in all came off the first over.

Jesse Ryder continued the assault by launching Craig Wright for two huge sixes. But after a run of four successive boundaries, the left-hander holed out to McLeod off Wright.

Then 51 for one became 59 for two when McCullum was run out for 18 after a huge mix-up with Taylor.

Jacob Oram was given a reprieve when Gordon Drummond dropped a miscued effort and knocked the ball on four. But next delivery the giant all-rounder holed out off Watsom whose lone over cost just four runs. That left New Zealand 68 for three.

New Zealand got the target down to 22 off 12 balls but then scored the runs they needed in just one over from medium-pacer Stander, who had two sixes scored off him by Taylor and one by Scott Styris.

Scotland made a blistering start with the bat. They plundered 18 runs off the first over with Zimbabwe born and South Africa raised Watson striking four fours off Iain O’Brien.

New batsman Kyle Coetzer kept the tempo high with a superb off-driven six against medium-pacer Ryder and next ball followed that up with a four.

At the end of the fifth over Scotland were 67 for one. But Scotland lost three wickets off successive balls in the last over of their innings from seamer Ian Butler, who finished with three wickets for 19 runs from his two overs.

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Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and elected to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in the 53rd match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday.

Rajasthan have replaced Graeme Smith with Tyron Henderson.

Rajasthan have stuttered in the tournament and have rarely looked like the defending champions.

Injuries and the absence of some of last year’s key players have affected Rajasthan’ progress this season. They have won six of their 13 matches with an equal number of defeats against their name.

With 13 points, they need victory against Kolkata to brighten their prospects of a semi-final berth, though; Rajasthan would still have to depend on other results.

Kolkata, who have long been out of a semi-final reckoning, would love to play spoilsport and finish their campaign on a high after a disastrous run that saw them lose eight successive matches.

The bowling would once again depend on Shane Warne to pull the strings while Munaf Patel’s performance at the start would also prove crucial.

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A spectacular run-chase by the Kolkata Knight Riders stunned the Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets in a thrilling last-ball finish at the Super Sport Park on Monday. After Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni powered the Super Kings to 188-3, Brendon McCullum came out with all guns blazing, smashing a 48-ball 81. Brad Hodge finished the job for the Knight Riders by plundering an unbeaten 71 that came off just 44 balls. Chennai now have to win their next game against the Kings XI Punjab to be guaranteed a semi-final spot.

Scores:

Chennai Super Kings innings (20 overs maximum)
PA Patel       run out (Shukla)     25
GJ Bailey     run out (Hodge)     30
SK Raina      c Shukla b Dinda     52
MS Dhoni     not out                      40
JA Morkel   not out                       21
Extras     (b 4, lb 3, w 13)     20

Total     (3 wickets; 20 overs)     188

Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-78, 3-152

Bowling: AB Dinda:4-0-29-1-7.25, Anureet Singh:1-0-12-0-12.00, AB Agarkar:4-0-45-0-11.25, M Kartik:3-0-27-0-9.00, BJ Hodge:2-0-12-0-6.00, A Mendis:4-0-38-0-9.50, DJ Hussey:2-0-18-0-9.00

Kolkata Knight Riders innings (target: 189 runs from 20 overs)
BB McCullum     b Jakati                                  81
SC Ganguly         b Muralitharan                      4
BJ Hodge             not out                                    71
DJ Hussey           run out (Murali/Dhoni)     3
WP Saha               not out                                   25
Extras     (lb 4, nb 1)     5

Total     (3 wickets; 20 overs)     189

Fall of wickets:1-34, 2-124, 3-133

Bowling:JA Morkel:3-0-39-0-13.00, S Tyagi:3-0-29-0-9.66, M Muralitharan:4-0-16-1-4.00, SB Jakati:4-0-36-1-9.00, SK Raina:3-0-25-0-8.33, L Balaji:3-0-40-0-13.33

Player of the match: BJ Hodge (Kolkata Knight Riders)

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An forceful 52 by Suresh Raina, and his 75-run third wicket partnership with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (40 not out), helped Chennai Super Kings post a formidable 188 for three against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match at SuperSport Park, Centurion, on Monday.

Local boy Albie Morkel played a cameo in the death overs, hitting a nine-ball 20.

Going into the match Chennai had witnessed their run of five-successive wins ended by Royal Challengers Bangalore in Durban. But, to their credit, they had responded to that defeat by beating Mumbai in Port Elizabeth, a result that ensured curtain closure for Sachin Tendulkar’s side in this IPL competition.

Kolkata, with 10 defeats in 12 games, are already out of contention and are only playing for pride. The previous game between the two teams in Cape Town was washed out.

M S Dhoni won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat first on a wicket that was conducive for the same.

And both his openers, Parthiv Patel (25) and George Bailey (30), playing in his first match in place of the injured Matthew Hayden, vindicated the captain’s decision by giving their side a splendid start.

The Kolkata team made four changes. Ashok Dinda, Ajantha Mendis, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Anureet Singh returned to the eleven while Ishant Sharma, Shoaib Shaikh, Yashpal Singh and Mashrafe Mortaza were axed.

A win against the Knight Riders will guarantee Chennai Super Kings a place in the final four. The Delhi Daredevils have already qualified after their victory in Bloemfontein against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.

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Ross Taylor smashed an unbeaten half-century as the Royals Challengers Bangalore kept themselves in contention for an Indian Premier League semi-final spot with a six-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Taylor’s 81 off 33 deliveries overshadowed an unbeaten 84 off 64 from Brendon McCullum, which had helped the Knight Riders reach 173 for four after being asked to take first strike.

David Hussey chipped in with a knock of 43 from 27 deliveries and put on 70 runs for the third wicket with McCullum, but Taylor stole the show.

The Royal Challengers began their chase confidently with openers Jacques Kallis (32) and Jesse Ryder (22) putting on 58 for the opening wicket in fairly good time.

McCullum used five bowlers inside the first six overs but the duo had smashed 46 in the powerplays when Murali Karthik halted the scoring with a tidy spell and a brace of wickets.

The left-arm spinner first sent back Kallis, although the wicket came more through a brilliant catch from McCullum at short cover.

Robin Uthappa was his second victim – caught in the deep – and when Ryder fell to Ajit Agarkar shortly after, the Royal Challengers’ line-up was in danger of unravelling.

But Taylor went on the attack immediately, clubbing Karthik for consecutive sixes in the bowler’s final over and hitting Angelo Mathews for successive boundaries in the next over.

Taylor dragged the Royal Challengers back on course with a 48-run stand for the third wicket with Rahul Dravid and continued to hit boundaries at will after Dravid’s fall in the 16th over.

The Royal Challengers needed 94 from the last eight overs but Taylor reduced the gap to 55 from the last five and 21 from the last two overs, and eventually to five from the last over. He then brought up victory with a six, as the Royal Challengers reached their target with four deliveries to spare, and with Mark Boucher not out on 13.

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Delhi Daredevils’ winning streak is unlikely to face much challenge from a battered Kolkata Knight Riders when the two sides square off in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday.

Daredevils and Knight Riders faced each other for the first time in the competition on Tuesday and Brendon McCullum’s men, without a win for the past seven matches, were completely outplayed by the Delhi side.

With a semi-final berth out of bounds for Kolkata, the team would be playing to restore some of the lost pride against a side which has emerged as a strong contender for the title with its consistent show.

Such has been Delhi’s domination that it has remained unaffected by a bowler of Glenn McGrath’s stature being reduced to a bench-warmer.

Skipper of England’s Twenty20 World Championship squad Paul Collingwood came and left without padding up even once but Delhi remain unfazed.

Little-known pacer Dirk Nannes has done the job for it with the ball and Delhi have been more than happy to give him a spot in the playing XI ahead of McGrath.

Collingwood, meanwhile, never seemed required in a line-up that already boasts of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Kolkata, on the other hand, are in desperate search for that one match winner who can turn things around for the beleaguered side, which lies at the bottom of the table. The pressure of captaincy seems to have silenced McCullum’s bat significantly and Sourav Ganguly too has not come up with anything extraordinary so far.

The explosive Chris Gayle is gone and the only positive development for the side in a while is the availability of Australian David Hussey, who is expected to be inducted immediately into the struggling line-up.

Poor batting has meant that the bowlers have had very little role to play in deciding Kolkata’s fortunes even though the likes of Ishant Sharma have not done too bad.

On current form, Delhi, semi-finalists last year, are certain to make the cut even this time around. In contrast, Kolkata are fighting a grim battle to avoid being at the bottom of the heap.

The contrasting form makes Delhi overwhelming favourites on Sunday and it would be nothing short of a stunner if Kolkata manage to pull off an elusive win.

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An unbeaten 71 from opener Gautam Gambhir propelled Delhi Daredevils to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after a nine-wicket win over bottom placed Kolkata Knight Riders at the Kingsmead here on Tuesday.

Knight Riders slumped to their seventh overall and fifth consecutive loss despite putting up a competitive 153 for three in 20 overs, thanks to Morne van Wayk’s 74 off 48 balls.

Poor fielding again let down Knight Riders as they floored three easy catches and missed an easy run out that allowed Gambhir and Tillakaratne Dilshan (42 not out) take Daredevils to 157 for one in 19 overs.

Wayward bowling also compounded Knight Riders’ miseries. Ishant Sharma and Ajit Agarkar found themselves at the receiving end of Gambhir’s blade while Murali Karthik was the only bowler to command some respect, giving away just 18 runs from his four overs.

After deciding to bat, Knight Riders skipper Brendon McCulllum (35) and Van Wyk set the tone with their 58-run opening wicket stand.

McCullum, who was going through a rough patch, took his time after being troubled by Dirk Nannes. But slowly the Kiwi batsman looked to get back his rhythm by hitting Nannes for two sixes and one four in a 21-run third over.

Van Wyk was in good touch and clobbered 11 fours in his 48-ball innings. Along with Brad Hodge (10), Van Wyk took Knight Riders to a good place after the 10th over. But Hodge’s dismissal slowed down the run rate.

Moises Henriques (30 not out) and Van Wyk then slashed 49 runs in the next few overs to take Knight Riders to a good total. But some tight bowling by Nannes and the outstanding Ashish Nehra kept Knight Riders to 153 in 20 overs.

Leading the side in the absence of Virender Sehwag, the onus was on Gambhir to give Delhi Daredevils a good start. With David Warner (36), Gambhir gave Daredevils an explosive start that set up the win.

The win was Daredevils fifth from seven matches and they are now sitting at the top, followed by Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in the second and third spot respectively.

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