ICC to dedicate CT final to HIV awareness campaign

The final of the ICC Champions Trophy will be dedicated to the highly successful HIV awareness campaign, THINK WISE, a partnership created in 2009 between the ICC, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Ms Jan Beagle will attend the final at Edgbaston tomorrow. She will join ICC President Alan Isaac, Chairman of England and Wales Cricket Board Giles Clarke, and two representatives of people living with HIV, and will walk out with the teams, for the national anthems, in solidarity with HIV-affected people around the globe.

The campaign has been profiled throughout 2013 through dedicated matches, site visits and coaching clinics with international players and other promotional activities.

During the final, both finalists, along with match officials, ICC and ECB staff, will wear red ribbons to raise awareness about the stigma surrounding people living with HIV.

Ms Beagle congratulated the ICC on its commitment to AIDS awareness: “I am moved to see the incredible dedication of the ICC and cricket players to promoting HIV prevention and reaching zero discrimination for people living with HIV. For a decade, UNAIDS and the ICC have been using cricket as an effective avenue to convey lifesaving messages and reach large numbers of people on key issues around AIDS.”

ICC President Alan Isaac added: “I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ms Beagle and it brings me great pleasure that the ICC’s partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF is flourishing. By walking out with Ms Beagle, Mr Clarke, the two finalists, the match officials and representatives of people living with HIV, the ICC is sending a message to the world about the importance of getting the facts about HIV and stopping the stigma.”

We can handle the English quicks, says Dhoni

M.S. Dhoni is confident that India’s batsmen can handle England’s quick bowlers when the teams meet in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday.

“What we are positive about is that our top order has played some of the best bowlers in world cricket so far in the tournament and done well,” he said. “So they are well prepared for the English bowlers. It’s just that, like in every game, you have to apply yourself.”

Dhoni said India’s approach would be the same it had been for the other games. “Well, we prepare in the same way that we prepared for the semifinals, or when we played against Pakistan. It remains the same, and that’s what our emphasis is on.”

1983, a special year

Reminded that the 30th anniversary of India’s first World Cup win was around the corner, Dhoni said: “1983 was a very special year for us, winning the World Cup for the first time. I would like to wish each and every person who was part of that team, the support staff and whoever was involved, (and say) thanks for giving us the ‘83 World Cup.”

England captain Alastair Cook, meanwhile, admitted that the country’s 38-year hunt for a major trophy was on the players’ minds.

“It’s something which is obviously on our radar. It is very important for us, and one of our major goals this summer was to try and win the Champions Trophy. Not only will it break that duck of 38 years but prepare us for the World Cup as well, if you’re looking long-term.”

Cook said that the team was determined to make the most of this opportunity. “We’re desperate not to let go,” he said. “We’ve been playing a lot this summer, and we’ve been playing some good one-day cricket the last few games. It’s a one-off day. I’m fully confident in our guys that we can upset India in the final.”

Cook admitted, though, that India was the favourite. “They (India) are probably the favourites and they haven’t lost because both the key aspects of the game are working really well. They’re scoring runs at the top of the order and taking wickets with the new ball.”

Sensational triumph for Dhoni's men

India won the ICC Champions Trophy in sensational fashion on Sunday, defeating England by five runs in a humdinger at Edgbaston. Chasing 130, the home side — although this was not apparent from the feeble support it had at the venue — needed 15 runs off R. Ashwin in the lastover, and six off the last delivery, but James Tredwell failed to get bat on ball.

Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan had added 64 runs for the fifth wicket to take England to the brink of victory but Ishant Sharma excised both batsman in the space of two balls to turn things on their head.

Lusty hitting

Infuriatingly persistent rain had reduced the game, somewhat farcically for the final of a global ODI tournament, to a 20-over contest. India, put in, had the lusty hitting of Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja to thank for its score after Bopara had broken the spine of the batting with three for 20.

In pursuit, England opened sluggishly. The top three are not exactly cut out for Twenty20, and when captain Alastair Cook edged behind for two, it portended hardship for the side.

Trott raced away early rather uncharacteristically but was stumped down the leg-side off Ashwin.

Joe Root was then removed by man-of-the-match Ravindra Jadeja, and Ian Bell was given out stumped rather controversially, as England struggled against India’s spinners.

The host lost 22 for three between the fifth and tenth over as the match seemed in India’s control.

Bopara and Morgan, however, set about knocking the runs off. They batted with caution at first but with 59 needed off the last six, they accelerated.

Clean sixes were struck off Ishant and Jadeja as the equation eased down to 20 from 16 balls. It was then that Ishant did his bit, removing Morgan and Bopara off successive deliveries.

England lost five wickets for three runs in eight balls in that period as India secured a remarkable triumph.

After much inspection, sopping and draining, the game eventually got underway at 4:20 p.m. local time, some six hours behind schedule.

India lost Rohit Sharma early, bowled by Stuart Broad before a downpour forced the players inside in the seventh over, for close to an hour.

At the other end, Shikhar Dhawan had begun encouragingly, swiping James Tredwell to the deep-midwicket boundary.

First ball upon resumption, he cut Broad over third man for six, allaying fears that the break had disrupted concentration.

But at this stage, England introduced Bopara and he struck at once. Dhawan drove his second delivery, a fine slower ball, straight to the fielder at extra cover.

From 50 for one, India sank to 66 for five in under five overs. Dinesh Karthik wildly swept James Tredwell and was caught. Bopara then removed Suresh Raina and Dhoni in the space of five balls.

Kohli and Jadeja, however, assumed responsibility, adding 47 vital runs for the sixth wicket. Kohli was forceful as ever, a lightning-drive through the covers off Bopara and a six over fine leg-off Broad veritable highlights. India looked in trouble after Kohli’s dismissal for 43 but Jadeja was on hand.

The Saurashtra all-rounder smashed his way around to a 25-ball-33, as India, on a pitch that offered turn, ultimately felt in possession of a reasonable score.

Scoreboard:

India: Rohit b Broad 9 (14b, 1x4), S. Dhawan c Tredwell b Bopara 31 (24b, 2x4, 1x6), V. Kohli c Bopara b Anderson 43 (34b, 4x4, 1x6), D. Karthik c Morgan b Tredwell 6 (11b), S. Raina c Cook b Bopara 1 (6b), M.S. Dhoni c Tredwell b Bopara 0 (4b), R. Jadeja (not out) 33 (25b, 2x4, 2x6), R. Ashwin run out 1 (1b), Bhuvneshwar (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (w-4): 4; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 129.

Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Rohit), 2-50 (Dhawan), 3-64 (Karthik), 4-66 (Raina), 5-66 (Dhoni), 6-113 (Kohli), 7-119 (Ashwin).

England bowling: Anderson 4-0-24-1, Broad 4-0-26-1, Bresnan 4-0-34-0, Tredwell 4-0-25-1, Bopara 4-1-20-3.

England: A. Cook c Ashwin b Umesh 2 (9b), I. Bell st Dhoni b Jadeja 13 (16b, 1x4), J. Trott st Dhoni b Ashwin 20 (17b, 2x4), J. Root c Ishant b Ashwin 7 (9b), E. Morgan c Ashwin b Ishant 33 (30b, 3x4, 1x6), R. Bopara c Ashwin b Ishant 30 (25b, 2x6), J. Buttler b Jadeja 0 (1b), T. Bresnan run out 2 (4b), S. Broad (not out ) 7 (5b, 1x4), J. Tredwell (not out) 5 (4b); Extras (lb-1, w-4): 5; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs) 124.

Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Cook), 2-28 (Trott), 3-40 (Root), 4-46 (Bell), 5-110 (Morgan), 6-110 (Bopara), 7-112 (Buttler), 8-113 (Bresnan).

India bowling: Bhuvneshwar 3-0-19-0, Umesh 2-0-10-1, Jadeja 4-0-24-2, Ashwin 4-1-15-2, Ishant 4-0-36-2, Raina 3-0-19-0.

ICC to dedicate CT final to HIV awareness campaign

The final of the ICC Champions Trophy will be dedicated to the highly successful HIV awareness campaign, THINK WISE, a partnership created in 2009 between the ICC, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Ms Jan Beagle will attend the final at Edgbaston tomorrow. She will join ICC President Alan Isaac, Chairman of England and Wales Cricket Board Giles Clarke, and two representatives of people living with HIV, and will walk out with the teams, for the national anthems, in solidarity with HIV-affected people around the globe.

The campaign has been profiled throughout 2013 through dedicated matches, site visits and coaching clinics with international players and other promotional activities.

During the final, both finalists, along with match officials, ICC and ECB staff, will wear red ribbons to raise awareness about the stigma surrounding people living with HIV.

Ms Beagle congratulated the ICC on its commitment to AIDS awareness: “I am moved to see the incredible dedication of the ICC and cricket players to promoting HIV prevention and reaching zero discrimination for people living with HIV. For a decade, UNAIDS and the ICC have been using cricket as an effective avenue to convey lifesaving messages and reach large numbers of people on key issues around AIDS.”

ICC President Alan Isaac added: “I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ms Beagle and it brings me great pleasure that the ICC’s partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF is flourishing. By walking out with Ms Beagle, Mr Clarke, the two finalists, the match officials and representatives of people living with HIV, the ICC is sending a message to the world about the importance of getting the facts about HIV and stopping the stigma.”

We can handle the English quicks, says Dhoni

M.S. Dhoni is confident that India’s batsmen can handle England’s quick bowlers when the teams meet in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday.

“What we are positive about is that our top order has played some of the best bowlers in world cricket so far in the tournament and done well,” he said. “So they are well prepared for the English bowlers. It’s just that, like in every game, you have to apply yourself.”

Dhoni said India’s approach would be the same it had been for the other games. “Well, we prepare in the same way that we prepared for the semifinals, or when we played against Pakistan. It remains the same, and that’s what our emphasis is on.”

1983, a special year

Reminded that the 30th anniversary of India’s first World Cup win was around the corner, Dhoni said: “1983 was a very special year for us, winning the World Cup for the first time. I would like to wish each and every person who was part of that team, the support staff and whoever was involved, (and say) thanks for giving us the ‘83 World Cup.”

England captain Alastair Cook, meanwhile, admitted that the country’s 38-year hunt for a major trophy was on the players’ minds.

“It’s something which is obviously on our radar. It is very important for us, and one of our major goals this summer was to try and win the Champions Trophy. Not only will it break that duck of 38 years but prepare us for the World Cup as well, if you’re looking long-term.”

Cook said that the team was determined to make the most of this opportunity. “We’re desperate not to let go,” he said. “We’ve been playing a lot this summer, and we’ve been playing some good one-day cricket the last few games. It’s a one-off day. I’m fully confident in our guys that we can upset India in the final.”

Cook admitted, though, that India was the favourite. “They (India) are probably the favourites and they haven’t lost because both the key aspects of the game are working really well. They’re scoring runs at the top of the order and taking wickets with the new ball.”

Rain delays start of Champions Trophy final

Rain has delayed the start of the Champions Trophy final between India and England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.

The skies opened up little after England skipper won the toss and elected to bowl.

India have fielded an unchanged side while England have replaced Steven Finn with Tim Bresnan

Teams:

India: M S Dhoni (c & wk), R Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

England: Alastair Cook (c), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Tim Bresnan, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott.

I was just hitting the lengths: Ishant

Ishant Sharma may not quite have hit the heights he once managed, but his performance at the Cardiff Wales Stadium on Thursday was a relative peak from the recent past.

“I’ve been bowling very well. I bowled with good rhythm in the IPL too, so I was really confident. I’m carrying that momentum into this tournament,” he said after his spell of three for 33 helped India past Sri Lanka in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy.

Speaking of the pitch, Ishant said: “I didn’t have any specific plan because the wicket was helping fast bowlers. There was bounce and movement. I was just hitting the lengths.”

The Sri Lankan captain, Angelo Mathews, meanwhile lamented his side’s continued failure to convert knock-out appearances into trophies.

“We’re definitely disappointed. The entire nation is also disappointed but at the same time it shows we are doing well. We can’t be happy (merely reaching the semifinals). Our objective was to enter the final.” — Sports Reporter

England in CT final, Proteas choke again

England eased into the Champions Trophy final after finishing off South Africa in a semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday that had all the tension of a practice session.

Tasked with 176 for victory, England could afford to take its time before a subdued, near-capacity crowd to bag the runs in 37.3 overs with seven wickets to spare.

Jonathan Trott and Joe Root combined for 105 from 126 balls to steer England to the brink of the victory. Trott, indispensable to England, hit the winning runs with his 11th boundary in 82 not out off 84 balls.

All the drama on Wednesday was enacted in the morning, when England won the toss, threw the bowlers at South Africa in ideal overcast and muggy conditions, and watched them tear apart the Proteas to be 80-8.

Only a South Africa-record, ninth-wicket stand of 95 between David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt spared them from utter humiliation. A battery without the fearsome but injured Dale Steyn couldn’t defend 175 in better batting conditions in the afternoon.

Fast bowler James Anderson started the rout in the day’s first over and took 2-14, while off-spinner James Tredwell tied up the middle-order in claiming 3-19 and an assist in a run out.

Pacemen Stuart Broad and Steven Finn were relatively expensive, but their first wickets were the biggest prizes - de Villiers and Hashim Amla respectively, and out for one run between them.

Both Proteas openers were gone within the first 10 deliveries.

Colin Ingram was undone by Anderson in the first over before he’d scored, then Amla made only 1 before he nicked Steven Finn off the toe of his bat and gave wicketkeeper Jos Buttler the first of his six catches.

Finn was brought in for Tim Bresnan and was seen off by Robin Peterson, who struck three successive boundaries off the fast bowler.

But Peterson, dropped on 25 off Broad, made 30 before he was trapped by Anderson, who set up his fall impressively.

De Villiers lasted nine balls without scoring before he edged behind off Broad, who almost had replacement batsman JP Duminy on the next ball. But Duminy had the lbw decision against him reversed on review. When he was still to get off the mark, Duminy backed up to Tredwell and was hit middle and leg, confirmed by TV replay. But England didn’t review.

The damage was minimal. Duminy was bowled for 3, third time unlucky, to Tredwell at 63-5 in the 17th over.

Du Plessis edged Tredwell behind for 26, Ryan McLaren was run out for 1 by a smart Trott, and when Chris Morris gave another caught-behind off Tredwell, who had 3-8 off 17 balls, the Proteas were eight down for 80.

Without pressure, Miller and Kleinveldt slogged sensibly for 16 overs. Kleinveldt’s best ODI score of 43 was ended by Broad, who also claimed last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe off the next ball to leave Miller stranded on 56 not out.

Familiarity not an advantage: Dhoni

When it was put to M.S. Dhoni that India was in many eyes the favourite to win the Champions Trophy, having started otherwise, his reaction was the obvious one.

“I think it was started by you guys and ended by you guys,” he said, slipping into a wry smile. “We just came here to play some good cricket, and that’s what we have been doing.”

India’s opponent in the semifinal is an endlessly common one. But that familiarity would not be an advantage to any one team, Dhoni felt.

“It works the same for both sides. If we say we find it easier, then it would be the same for Sri Lanka. It's just that we play quite often; either we go to Sri Lanka or they come to India, and we also have the Asia Cup.

“It helps both the sides to prepare themselves really well, and you can cut off those extra 15 minutes of time that you would have spent in a team meeting,” he said.

India’s past record over Sri Lanka, including victory in the World Cup final, would not matter under these different circumstances, Dhoni stated. “A significant amount of changes have been made to the (ODI) format; so I don't think we can really count all those stats. It’s also the fact that both the teams are looking very different (since the World Cup). Sri Lanka has a really good squad but they are going through a phase where they are missing some of their players,” he said.

Mathews is upbeat

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, meanwhile, believed his side was capable of putting it past India.

“There's no word called revenge in sport, but if we can beat the Indians, it will be a great achievement for the whole team because there are thoughts about the World Cup final, and the recent history against them is not very good,” he said.

“But on our day we can beat any team.”

Mathews praised his troops’ qualities, of being able to dig their way out of trouble.

“We are a fighting team and we fight to the last moment,” he said. “All three games went down to the wire, and we had to fight really hard to win. So the team confidence is very high.”

India faces a tricky opponent in Sri Lanka

If this is what transition looks like, India will take it every day of the week. Three wins in three games, batsmen that have scored without hassle, bowlers that have provided a steady feed of wickets, and arguably the best team of fielders the country has ever put out — to think of a favourite for the Champions Trophy now is elementary.

For a young side that has been freshly put together, it’s not been a bad way to begin. India may have landed on these shores minus illustrious names and thus with somewhat reduced expectations but in two weeks, the worm has turned. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma put South Africa to the sword and inflicted similar pains on the West Indies; Ravindra Jadeja has bowled as if in Chennai; and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has quietly gone about stealing early wickets.

Not that there can be any comparison but in essence, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, and Zaheer Khan have not been greatly missed. Indeed only three of the 11 that played the 2011 World Cup final are here; yet M.S. Dhoni stands two games away from another major trophy.

His and India’s immediate hurdle, in the semifinals at the Cardiff Wales Stadium on Thursday, is a vastly familiar one in Sri Lanka. The teams have faced each other 40 times in the last five years; India has won the majority of those games, including seven out of 10 since the World Cup final. Yet, for all of India’s stern confidence, Sri Lanka — a team that revels in being in the knock-outs — presents a slightly tricky prospect. This is a rival on the upswing, one that fell at the hands of New Zealand before a surprisingly mighty recovery over England and a defeat of Australia. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have, to nobody’s surprise, been at the vanguard of both those triumphs.

Dhoni’s first concern will be to keep the two quiet, for they are unlikely to find India’s spin bowling as unpalatable as the previous three opponents. Jadeja and R. Ashwin, to whose needs conditions here have been more acquiescent than supposed, have more riding on their efforts than in other games.

The rest of Sri Lanka’s batting does not overly induce worry; Nuwan Kulasekara, a swing bowling all-rounder not unlike Bhuvneshwar, and Lahiru Thirimanne, a solid middle-order batsman, have made fifties but contributions from other parts have been patchy.

Of Sri Lanka’s biggest bowling weapon, Lasith Malinga, India will hold no fear. Through the IPL and the countries’ repeated engagements, he is now no demon to face but a routine, good bowler. Malinga averages more than 40 over India, as against 26.12 in his career, while Virat Kohli has notably shredded him at Hobart. This will all create a swell of assurance though there will be some limited caution, particularly given the bowler’s form in this competition, where he has claimed seven wickets already.

Both teams have played at Cardiff once and although a fresh strip is to be used on Thursday, it is not expected to behave vastly differently.

The giant factor, however, is the rain, which marred the 2002 Champions Trophy final and ensured India and Sri Lanka split the prize. The forecast for Thursday is torrid, with some rain predicted throughout the day.

In the event of a washout, India, by virtue of topping Group ‘B’, will advance to the final.

Imperious India saunters into the summit clash

Like a road roller levelling fresh asphalt, India advanced to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy with a casual inevitability, crushing Sri Lanka by eight wickets at the Cardiff Wales Stadium here on Thursday.

India played to an increasingly familiar template, limiting the opponent to a mediocre score before knocking the runs off as if the target was an insult.

On a pitch with varying bounce and some measure of assistance for the seamers, Sri Lanka was restricted to 181 for eight in 50 overs, Ishant Sharma taking three for 33.

In pursuit, Shikhar Dhawan maintained his gilded run, making 68, while Virat Kohli finished things off with a hasty 58, as India won with 15 overs to spare.

M.S. Dhoni’s men will now face England in the final in Birmingham on Sunday while Sri Lanka had to endure another disappointing knock-out loss at a major tournament.

Forceful start

India started forcefully, Rohit Sharma driving Nuwan Kulasekara through the covers in the first over.

At the other end, Dhawan showed he was no slouch, sending Lasith Malinga to the offside boundary on more than one occasion, the highlight of his efforts an upper cut over third man for six.

Dhawan was fortunate, though, when he was dropped by Angelo Mathews at slip off Kulasekara. The batsman was only on 18 then and would go on to punish Sri Lanka for this largesse.

Rohit had looked at ease for his 33 but was bowled by Mathews, attempting a needless hoick over the offside. The openers had added 77 runs inside 17 overs and from that stage there was no doubt over the outcome.

Kohli and Dhawan batted patiently for a while before the former took off. The latter’s exit, stumped off Jeevan Mendis, made no impact as Kohli unfurled some fierce hits.

Kulasekara was smashed repeatedly through the cover boundary while the half-century arrived with a straight six off Mendis.

It rained early in the morning but any fears of a thorough washout proved unfounded. The game commenced only half an hour behind schedule, albeit under lights.

For the third time on the bounce, M.S. Dhoni won the toss and invited the opponent to bat.

The spin of the coin was perhaps critical for on a freshly laid pitch, under the dull haze of the day, the ball seamed around.

Kusal Perera’s poor run of scores continued, the batsman driving at a full delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and finding Suresh Raina at second slip.

The other opener Tillakaratne Dilshan had begun fluently, but his occupation of the crease was to end prematurely.

Running between the wickets, Dilshan appeared to pull a muscle and soon limped off in evident pain in the fifth over.

His exit for 12 preceded a desperately sedate period of the match. Umesh Yadav sent down two maidens and Bhuvneshwar one as Sri Lanka gathered only 19 runs in the next 10 overs or so.

This alliance between Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne, however slow, had promised better things for Sri Lanka until Ishant struck.

The Delhi bowler has not looked particularly incisive for some time now, but he jolted the opponent here with two sharp strikes.

Thirimanne edged behind second ball after drinks, and Raina held an excellent catch low to his right.

Two overs later, Sangakkara, who had vigilantly refrained from driving at anything wide, ultimately yielded, and went in almost identical fashion.

Skipper has a bowl

It was left to Mahela Jayawardena and Mathews to sweep up the pieces. Dhoni, who on some impulse stripped his pads off and sent down four overs, thought he had removed the former, but Aleem Dar’s lbw verdict was overturned on review.

Jayawardena and Mathews proceeded with caution thereafter, adding 78 steady runs for the fourth wicket. But no sooner had the batting Powerplay been taken than Ravindra Jadeja — yet again — broke through, bowling Jayawardena.

Mathews hung around long enough for his fifty before Sri Lanka crumbled, losing four wickets for 23 in the last 4.2 overs.

Pitch intrusions

The match witnessed two sets of pitch intrusions. The first occurred towards the close of the Sri Lankan innings while when two runners, carrying red flags and placards to seemingly make some sort of political statement, entered the playing area.

Rohit Sharma was attempting a catch on the long-on boundary at that point and play bizarrely carried on even as he fumbled and returned the ball to the middle.

The second occurrence was during the Indian innings and involved at least five intruders.

They were wrestled to the ground and hauled away by stewards. Entering the playing area results in immediate eviction and a fine of £1,000.

Familiarity not an advantage: Dhoni

When it was put to M.S. Dhoni that India was in many eyes the favourite to win the Champions Trophy, having started otherwise, his reaction was the obvious one.

“I think it was started by you guys and ended by you guys,” he said, slipping into a wry smile. “We just came here to play some good cricket, and that’s what we have been doing.”

India’s opponent in the semifinal is an endlessly common one. But that familiarity would not be an advantage to any one team, Dhoni felt.

“It works the same for both sides. If we say we find it easier, then it would be the same for Sri Lanka. It's just that we play quite often; either we go to Sri Lanka or they come to India, and we also have the Asia Cup.

“It helps both the sides to prepare themselves really well, and you can cut off those extra 15 minutes of time that you would have spent in a team meeting,” he said.

India’s past record over Sri Lanka, including victory in the World Cup final, would not matter under these different circumstances, Dhoni stated. “A significant amount of changes have been made to the (ODI) format; so I don't think we can really count all those stats. It’s also the fact that both the teams are looking very different (since the World Cup). Sri Lanka has a really good squad but they are going through a phase where they are missing some of their players,” he said.

Mathews is upbeat

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, meanwhile, believed his side was capable of putting it past India.

“There's no word called revenge in sport, but if we can beat the Indians, it will be a great achievement for the whole team because there are thoughts about the World Cup final, and the recent history against them is not very good,” he said.

“But on our day we can beat any team.”

Mathews praised his troops’ qualities, of being able to dig their way out of trouble.

“We are a fighting team and we fight to the last moment,” he said. “All three games went down to the wire, and we had to fight really hard to win. So the team confidence is very high.”

India faces a tricky opponent in Sri Lanka

If this is what transition looks like, India will take it every day of the week. Three wins in three games, batsmen that have scored without hassle, bowlers that have provided a steady feed of wickets, and arguably the best team of fielders the country has ever put out — to think of a favourite for the Champions Trophy now is elementary.

For a young side that has been freshly put together, it’s not been a bad way to begin. India may have landed on these shores minus illustrious names and thus with somewhat reduced expectations but in two weeks, the worm has turned. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma put South Africa to the sword and inflicted similar pains on the West Indies; Ravindra Jadeja has bowled as if in Chennai; and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has quietly gone about stealing early wickets.

Not that there can be any comparison but in essence, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, and Zaheer Khan have not been greatly missed. Indeed only three of the 11 that played the 2011 World Cup final are here; yet M.S. Dhoni stands two games away from another major trophy.

His and India’s immediate hurdle, in the semifinals at the Cardiff Wales Stadium on Thursday, is a vastly familiar one in Sri Lanka. The teams have faced each other 40 times in the last five years; India has won the majority of those games, including seven out of 10 since the World Cup final. Yet, for all of India’s stern confidence, Sri Lanka — a team that revels in being in the knock-outs — presents a slightly tricky prospect. This is a rival on the upswing, one that fell at the hands of New Zealand before a surprisingly mighty recovery over England and a defeat of Australia. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have, to nobody’s surprise, been at the vanguard of both those triumphs.

Dhoni’s first concern will be to keep the two quiet, for they are unlikely to find India’s spin bowling as unpalatable as the previous three opponents. Jadeja and R. Ashwin, to whose needs conditions here have been more acquiescent than supposed, have more riding on their efforts than in other games.

The rest of Sri Lanka’s batting does not overly induce worry; Nuwan Kulasekara, a swing bowling all-rounder not unlike Bhuvneshwar, and Lahiru Thirimanne, a solid middle-order batsman, have made fifties but contributions from other parts have been patchy.

Of Sri Lanka’s biggest bowling weapon, Lasith Malinga, India will hold no fear. Through the IPL and the countries’ repeated engagements, he is now no demon to face but a routine, good bowler. Malinga averages more than 40 over India, as against 26.12 in his career, while Virat Kohli has notably shredded him at Hobart. This will all create a swell of assurance though there will be some limited caution, particularly given the bowler’s form in this competition, where he has claimed seven wickets already.

Both teams have played at Cardiff once and although a fresh strip is to be used on Thursday, it is not expected to behave vastly differently.

The giant factor, however, is the rain, which marred the 2002 Champions Trophy final and ensured India and Sri Lanka split the prize. The forecast for Thursday is torrid, with some rain predicted throughout the day.

In the event of a washout, India, by virtue of topping Group ‘B’, will advance to the final.

Sri Lanka — familiar tale of resurgence

And yet again, Sri Lanka finds itself near the finish line of another major tournament. The 2013 Champions Trophy may have begun inauspiciously for Angelo Mathews’ men, with a wafer-thin loss to New Zealand but it has been a familiar tale of resurgence thereafter.

Nuwan Kulasekara’s stunning little assault and Kumar Sangakkara’s ton saw England off, while Mahela Jayawardena — a man for the big occasion if there ever was one — turned the tide over Australia.

And so, for the seventh time in 10, Sri Lanka finds itself in the knockout stages of a global competition. Come tournament time, the side assumes a somewhat different, persistent form; not that it is a bad one-day unit otherwise, but when the big prizes glitter, nobody makes a grab for them as hard or as hungrily as Sri Lanka. There has been disappointment, of course, without a single of those seven ventures ending in a trophy. But the attempt has been relentlessly strong.

India, whom it will face in Cardiff on Thursday, in contrast, has reached the semifinals or better of four global events in the last 10 but has won two of them. To Indian cricket fans, recollections of the 1996 World Cup may forever be scarred by images from the semifinal — of bottles on the turf, of seating on fire, and of a bawling Vinod Kambli.

In the story of Sri Lankan cricket, though, 1996 is the chapter that spawns a golden Part 2, the triumph that separates a side on the fringes from a global force in the sport. “The ‘96 guys changed the face of Sri Lankan cricket completely,” Jayawardena said back in 2007. “They paved the way for us. Those guys went through a lot of hardships, and we’re reaping the rewards for that.”

If that year Sri Lanka found heroes in Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva — whose half-century in the semifinal was followed by a forceful century and three wickets in the final — there have been similar stories down the years.

Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, bowlers Sri Lanka leant on for years, starred at the 2003 World Cup. Four years later, Lasith Malinga stormed into prominence, not to forget Jayawardena’s master-class at Sabina Park, a delightfully crafted 115. Sri Lanka may have fallen at the last hurdle in Mumbai in 2011, but in Jayawardena’s hundred, as polished a knock as a World Cup final will ever see, there will be some little solace.

The generation of Muralitharan, Vaas and Jayasuriya has passed but there have emerged new pillars in players like Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Malinga. Cricket has previously united Sri Lanka when it went through enough turmoil.

“We have come through a very tough period,” Sangakkara said ahead of the 2011 final. “A lot of people have laid down lives for our country. In this new future, hopefully we can take home the World Cup, and that will be even more occasion for celebration.”

Success at the T20 World Cup last October would have been balm on the cricketing wounds of a year ago, but Marlon Samuels inspired the West Indies to a win. “It hurts a lot, this loss, hurts as a player, as a cricketer and as an individual,” Jayawardena admitted. “I really cannot say why we lost all these (four) finals and they were all different situations. We have to put this behind us and move on. Yes, it hurts.”

And again, from the pain of defeat, contract wrangles and captaincy musical-chairs, Sri Lanka has recovered to reach the business end, the only way it knows.

Super Over to decide a tie

A Super Over will be played to determine the winner if a semifinal or the final of the Champions Trophy ends in a tie.

Section 21.10.2 of the ICC playing conditions for the Champions Trophy states: “If a semifinal is tied, the teams shall compete in a Super Over to determine which team progresses to the final. If following a tie, weather conditions prevent the Super Over from being completed, or if the match is a no result, then the Group winners shall progress to the Final.” If, similarly, the final is tied and weather conditions prevent the Super Over from being completed, or if the match is a no result, the teams will be declared joint winners.

Meanwhile, the ICC has announced the match officials for the semifinals.

England vs South Africa, The Oval: Kumar Dharmasena and Rod Tucker (on-field umpires), Bruce Oxenford (third umpire), Steve Davis (fourth umpire), Javagal Srinath (referee).

India vs Sri Lanka, Cardiff Wales Stadium: Richard Kettleborough and Aleem Dar (on-field umpires), Nigel Llong (third umpire), Ian Gould (fourth umpire), Chris Broad (referee).

England in CT final, Proteas choke again

England eased into the Champions Trophy final after finishing off South Africa in a semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday that had all the tension of a practice session.

Tasked with 176 for victory, England could afford to take its time before a subdued, near-capacity crowd to bag the runs in 37.3 overs with seven wickets to spare.

Jonathan Trott and Joe Root combined for 105 from 126 balls to steer England to the brink of the victory. Trott, indispensable to England, hit the winning runs with his 11th boundary in 82 not out off 84 balls.

All the drama on Wednesday was enacted in the morning, when England won the toss, threw the bowlers at South Africa in ideal overcast and muggy conditions, and watched them tear apart the Proteas to be 80-8.

Only a South Africa-record, ninth-wicket stand of 95 between David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt spared them from utter humiliation. A battery without the fearsome but injured Dale Steyn couldn’t defend 175 in better batting conditions in the afternoon.

Fast bowler James Anderson started the rout in the day’s first over and took 2-14, while off-spinner James Tredwell tied up the middle-order in claiming 3-19 and an assist in a run out.

Pacemen Stuart Broad and Steven Finn were relatively expensive, but their first wickets were the biggest prizes - de Villiers and Hashim Amla respectively, and out for one run between them.

Both Proteas openers were gone within the first 10 deliveries.

Colin Ingram was undone by Anderson in the first over before he’d scored, then Amla made only 1 before he nicked Steven Finn off the toe of his bat and gave wicketkeeper Jos Buttler the first of his six catches.

Finn was brought in for Tim Bresnan and was seen off by Robin Peterson, who struck three successive boundaries off the fast bowler.

But Peterson, dropped on 25 off Broad, made 30 before he was trapped by Anderson, who set up his fall impressively.

De Villiers lasted nine balls without scoring before he edged behind off Broad, who almost had replacement batsman JP Duminy on the next ball. But Duminy had the lbw decision against him reversed on review. When he was still to get off the mark, Duminy backed up to Tredwell and was hit middle and leg, confirmed by TV replay. But England didn’t review.

The damage was minimal. Duminy was bowled for 3, third time unlucky, to Tredwell at 63-5 in the 17th over.

Du Plessis edged Tredwell behind for 26, Ryan McLaren was run out for 1 by a smart Trott, and when Chris Morris gave another caught-behind off Tredwell, who had 3-8 off 17 balls, the Proteas were eight down for 80.

Without pressure, Miller and Kleinveldt slogged sensibly for 16 overs. Kleinveldt’s best ODI score of 43 was ended by Broad, who also claimed last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe off the next ball to leave Miller stranded on 56 not out.

Super Over to decide a tie

A Super Over will be played to determine the winner if a semifinal or the final of the Champions Trophy ends in a tie.

Section 21.10.2 of the ICC playing conditions for the Champions Trophy states: “If a semifinal is tied, the teams shall compete in a Super Over to determine which team progresses to the final. If following a tie, weather conditions prevent the Super Over from being completed, or if the match is a no result, then the Group winners shall progress to the Final.” If, similarly, the final is tied and weather conditions prevent the Super Over from being completed, or if the match is a no result, the teams will be declared joint winners.

Meanwhile, the ICC has announced the match officials for the semifinals.

England vs South Africa, The Oval: Kumar Dharmasena and Rod Tucker (on-field umpires), Bruce Oxenford (third umpire), Steve Davis (fourth umpire), Javagal Srinath (referee).

India vs Sri Lanka, Cardiff Wales Stadium: Richard Kettleborough and Aleem Dar (on-field umpires), Nigel Llong (third umpire), Ian Gould (fourth umpire), Chris Broad (referee).

The blossoming of Bhuvneshwar

When Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his international debut over Pakistan last Christmas, there were sniggers on message boards on the internet, prompted by comparison between the opponent’s uncompromising culture of fast bowling and the gentle medium-pacer India had drafted in.

That winter night in Bangalore, Bhuvneshwar bent the ball this way and that and went home with figures of three for nine from four overs, better than any of Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan or Sohail Tanvir.

After tormenting Pakistan yet again on Saturday, a display that won him the Man of the Match,

Bhuvneshwar has reappeared, perhaps reluctantly, under the spotlight. Despite the handful of matches, it is clear that he has quickly — and quietly — turned into this side’s best new-ball bowler.

In all three games at the Champions Trophy, the Uttar Pradesh player has dismissed one opening batsman inside his third over, handing India an early advantage. Colin Ingram, Chris Gayle and Nasir Jamshed — all left-handers — drove at the ball angled away from the body, only to edge behind.

“I bowl with the new ball and it swings,” he said on Saturday. “If you take wickets with the new ball, it puts the opponent under pressure.”

The 23-year-old has been deployed as some sort of super-new-ball bowler by M.S. Dhoni, and has usually sent down seven or eight overs uninterrupted at the start of the innings.

“Since I swing the ball, the captain wishes that I bowl as many overs as possible with the new ball and take as many wickets,” he explained.

“Even in tournaments in India, the ball has swung long and hence I’ve bowled long spells. I’ve taken two or three early wickets.”

Bhuvneshwar’s action is unhurried, and his gaunt frame makes his delivery appear all limbs. But he is accurate and undeniably effective. His economy rate at the Champions Trophy is a meagre 4.34, second only to Ravindra Jadeja in the side. Over in the IPL, when Chris Gayle beat seven shades out of Pune Warriors India in Bangalore, Bhuvneshwar went for 23 runs from his full quota when four of his colleagues bled more than 15 an over.

“He understands his strength — which is swing — and his shortcomings — pace for sure. So he knows he needs to be that much more accurate,” says the UP coach and former India seamer Venkatesh Prasad.

“I never tinkered with his action or technique because everything — the release, alignment, wrist position — was pretty much perfect. The one thing I always told him was that when all these things come naturally to a bowler, he tends to relax.

“If you keep getting wickets easily, somewhere down the line you’ll think it’s enough to just run up and release the ball and the rest will happen on its own. So I told him to always put in effort, run in hard and bend his back.”

For the moment though, there appears no fear of any complacency creeping in. Bhuvneshwar readily admits he needs to improve on his skill with the old ball.

“Even I know that I’m a better bowler with the new ball than the old one. So I practise with the old ball as much as I can in the nets. I talk to seniors and batsmen facing me and work out what to do.”

By the time Bhuvneshwar made his international debut, he had already played close to five years of domestic cricket, taking near 150 first-class wickets.

Dhoni understands his value to the side only too well. “He is not someone who is very quick but he bowls in very good areas,” he said at Edgbaston. “He has played just a few ODIs but he will only improve.”