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Out of nowhere, Sri Lanka have become the soul of the World Cup. India and Pakistan went a long time ago, and now with the hosts gone, Sri Lanka who play a band of cricket that fuses subcontinental artistry with contemporary ethos, have emerged the sentimental favourites for the neutrals. So much so that if they manage to beat New Zealand in Jamaica, they will be accorded the status of the home team in the final at Kensington Oval. And the man who helped them win their first World Cup believes that they have it in them to go all the way.Dav Whatmore, whose coaching experience in the subcontinent spans over a decade, says Sri Lanka have turned a corner because they have been able to strike a combination versatile enough to compete with the home team when they tour abroad.”They go to a country that has a bit of bounce and they have got the boys who can play the part,” Whatmore told Cricinfo. “You’ve got to have, as much as you can, a square peg and a square hole. Trying to fit in any other shape is always fraught with a bit of danger.”Sri Lanka have the most varied bowling attack in the current World Cup. Chaminda Vaas brings left-arm swing and experience. He can move the new ball both ways, and bowl a variety of cutters with the old one. Lasith Malinga brings skiddy, explosive pace delivered from an unnerving angle; Dilhara Fernando gets them to rear, with Sachin Tendulkar all at sea with one which cut in sharply off the pitch; Farveez Maharoof hits the pitch hard and gets the ball to deviate off the seam; and Muttiah Muralitharan has added to his considerable armoury a devious scheme to bowl doosras to right-handers from round the wicket.”To me, one of the biggest differences in Sri Lankan cricket has been finding the right balance,” Whatmore says. “They have multi-skilled boys who can fit into different roles without weakening any department.” It has helped that in Murali and Malinga they have two freaks, one a legend, the other fast acquiring a reputation for turning matches. “Good luck to them. These are players who come along once in a lifetime. The challenge is to keep them injury free.”

The other significant factor, according to Whatmore, is that Sri Lanka are blessed to find in Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, two senior players who combine well in leadership roles. “They are pretty intelligent boys who have a reasonable idea of how to go about things and keeping it stable.”They gel pretty well, together with a foreign coach, they have been able to keep their injuries down to a minimum. It’s an important area, and they are reaping the rewards for that.”They have also been fortunate that Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, two former captains, have come back from injury and banishment to provide support in fostering a healthy dressing-room atmosphere. “It’s all about creating a good team spirit and even though Sanath is not the leader any more, he has things to offer.”In the last 12 months Jayasuriya has blasted 1316 runs at an average of 50.61 and at a strike rate of 109.75.”For him to re-enter the group and appear to be so happy and calm and produce these performances is the result of the team spirit that has been created by the leaders,” Whatmore points out. “Sanath is a leader as well in certain areas. So is Murali.”Murali is one of the greatest competitors I have ever known. Whatever happens, he gets on that field and he just wants to win.”Even more than batting and bowling, their commitment is evident on the field. Despite being the oldest members of the side, Jayasuriya and Muralitharan abound with enthusiasm, diving, chasing and pouching up catches. The catch that Muralitharan took, running behind from mid-off, to dismiss Sourav Ganguly in Sri Lanka’s first-round encounter with India, looked much simpler than it was because Muralitharan was so quick to it.”Murali has never done anything slow,” Whatmore says, smiling. “He is always 100 miles an hour, even with his mouth, he has got all fast twitch fibres in his body. He will never change.”And even though training was never Sanath’s favourite pastime, he has also got a good acceleration. And above all, they are both good team men.”This will be Sri Lanka’s second appearance in the semi-finals since their first win and their former coach believes that they are best equipped since 1996 to win the cup.

Kagiso Rabada said it five times but it was difficult to believe the mood in the South African camp was “positive,” as they prepared for the final Test against England at SuperSport Park.Before the session had officially started, the players milled about in the middle, some tossing balls to each other, others shadow-boxing, but with little of the intensity that usually accompanies the start of a Test-match week. Whatever the outcome of this match, it is not going to change too much for a squad that has come out of their biggest season in recent memory, including two four-Test series in a row, with nothing to show for it.”It hasn’t been a great two months from us – coming from India and also here against the English,” Rabada said. “But we are bonding together as a team. I think that’s the best thing we can do right now. We are trying to get ourselves in a good space. We’re very positive at the moment. That’s the best thing to do.”The words escaped his lips but his eyes betrayed him. There was no spark. There was no smile. Rabada was resigned in the way Ashwell Prince, now a selector, feared young players would be when even their captain, AB de Villiers, has condemned the current situation as hopeless.”I feel that it is very disappointing,” Prince said in an interview with the Cape Times. “The messages coming out in the media about AB not enjoying the game, about whether he is going to play, and how long is he going to play. And obviously that comment that ‘all hope is gone’. If I was a young player in the team, I would be concerned about what the captain is saying. Does that mean he has no faith in me as a young player?”Although de Villiers recommitted himself to Test cricket in the immediate aftermath of the Wanderers defeat, there remain concerns about how much longer he will make himself available to South Africa. And he is not the only senior player in the spotlight.Dale Steyn will sit out his sixth Test in eight when he misses the Centurion match, and the fact that he broke down in the other two matches, at Mohali and Durban, merely adds to the doubts over his long-term future.Steyn himself responded to a speculative story about the end of his career by tweeting the publication where the piece appeared, saying he still had a long time left before his career was finished. Nevertheless, his absence, coupled with the injury that kept Vernon Philander out of the series, cost South Africa dearly. Rabada even identified it at as a possible difference between the two sides.”Maybe we can say we’ve got a young bowling attack, they’ve got a very experienced bowling attack. That’s the only difference,” he said. “I don’t think they are that much better than us. Maybe they are playing better cricket than we are.”The reality is that, even with their inexperience, South Africa’s bowling is the only thing that has kept them competitive. Their batting, barring the first innings in Cape Town, has floundered. The line-up has struggled for consistency in an XI battling for balance. In the last two months, they have been shot out for their two lowest totals since readmission – 79 in Nagpur and 83 at the Wanderers – and the number of soft dismissals has pointed to mental fragility. But Rabada insisted they have some fight left.”We are trying our best. It’s not like the batters are trying to get out. You are playing for your country; you have to do your best. I know for a fact every guy is trying to do their best. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way,” he said. “The fighting spirit is natural in the team. No-one is trying to lose their wickets. Everyone is fighting out there.”Prince believes one person needs to fight harder than the rest and that’s de Villiers. “People say we don’t have Graeme Smith anymore, Alviro Petersen, Jacques Kallis, so AB is not batting behind all those types of guys anymore. That means there is even more responsibility on his shoulders as a batsman,” Prince said. “We don’t have the names that people are throwing about, so especially in terms of where the team is at the moment – our backs against the wall – his performances are going to become even more important than they were in the past. The country needs him now more than ever.”That may be Prince’s way of asking de Villiers to stay a little longer, to lead a little more by example or just to try and lighten the mood. Whatever it was, it hasn’t worked yet.By the time Rabada’s media session was over and he had tried his best to convince everyone present that “we are very positive,” the squad had formed a huddle. On previous occasions when they stood in that ring, you could hear the war-cry, their clasping of hands and the shout of “Protea Fire.” Maybe that came later. But as the clouds gathered overhead and the squad stood with their arms around each other, they were an image of unhappiness. Over the next week, only they can change that.

Scorecard

The Sri Lankans’ Test preparations suffered another severe wobble when their top order collapsed for the second time in the tour match against Queensland. After folding to 5 for 45 in the first innings, the visitors were in more trouble at 4 for 55 as they tried to overhaul the 85-run deficit created by Andy Bichel’s muscular century.Ashley Noffke continued his fine match when he raced through the openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu before Michael Vandort and Thilan Samaraweera added to the tourists’ pain. They finished the day at 4 for 62, still 23 runs behind, and will rely on Mahela Jayawardene (22) and Chamara Silva (2) to ease the headaches of a side already missing Kumar Sangakkara with injury.Jayasuriya began the tour with a century on a flat surface in Adelaide, but he has struggled with the pitch’s pop at Allan Border Field and managed only three runs for the game. Noffke, who captured five victims on Friday, forced him to fend a lifting ball to Clinton Perren and he departed to similar dismissals on both occasions.The exit of Atapattu, who was lbw to Noffke for 7, was less of a concern as he has performed strongly in both games, but Michael Vandort missed an opportunity for a meaningful contribution when he went for 26 to an excellent legside take from Chris Hartley. At least the Sri Lankans have an idea of what they will face at the Gabba from Thursday after dueling with a high-quality attack.Shaun Tait’s elbow injury means Mitchell Johnson is a virtual certainty for the first Test even though he has struggled for wickets in this match. He took one on Friday and was again out-bowled by Noffke, who had 2 for 8 off six overs in his opening spell. Bichel chipped in late to dispose of Samaraweera and complete a satisfying day of personal achievement.Bichel smashed seven sixes, the most in a first-class innings for Queensland, and 11 fours as he led the Bulls from the early-morning trouble of 4 for 60 to relative comfort. Entering at No. 6 in a bowler-heavy line-up, Bichel started the day cautiously but expanded his repertoire as he got comfortable and reached three figures shortly before tea.”I was a bit lucky today, I got away with a few things, but it worked for me,” Bichel said. “I’m feeling quite comfortable with the bat in my hand and I hope that continues.”The rescue mission of 125 from 168 deliveries ended when he top edged a sweep off Malinga Bandara, who suffered the most bruises from Bichel. Taking advantage of a dropped chance at mid-off on 18 and a run-out escape, Bichel hit freely and rushed to 99 with two sixes in a Bandara over before flicking a single to midwicket for his century.A couple of mistakes in the field did not help the bowlers, who were unable to shut down a pesky lower order despite regular movement off the pitch. Farveez Maharoof was the most successful with 3 for 72 while Bandara picked up 2 for 89 and Jayasuriya claimed the final two wickets as Queensland were dismissed for 285. Maharoof was unlucky, forcing numerous plays and misses, and eventually gained a reward when he had Hartley caught behind for 8 after Noffke had fallen for 34.Bichel and Noffke, who lost a ball with a six over mid-on, combined for an 80-run stand before Johnson and Bichel added 94 in quick time to pass the Sri Lankans’ first-innings total of 210. Johnson may have struggled for impact with the ball over the opening two days but he contributed a lively half-century to complement the work of Bichel.Maharoof, who was pleased with his return, said there was a lot of work to do on the final day. “Whoever gets in just has to bat on,” he said. “You can’t do that much on this wicket, the only thing you can concentrate on is playing down the line and occupying the crease. The first day the pitch was a bit spongy, but it’s dried out a bit and it’s taking off from a length.”

Uttar Pradesh 292 for 7 (Srivastava 105, Shukla 80*, Sangwan 3-73, Narwal 3-66) v Delhi
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Tanmay Srivastava, who cut short his under-19 tour of South Africa toplay the Ranji final, chose the occasion to script his maidenfirst-class hundred and pushed Uttar Pradesh to 292 for 7 by close ofplay on the opening day at the Wankhede Stadium. Ravikant Shukla, dropped when on 13, made an unbeaten 80but Delhi clawed back into the game with late wickets to justify theirdecision to bowl first and, with the wicket promising to be at its best forbatting over the next two days, will reckon they have a slightedge.As the curator promised, the track was firm and offered some movementand good carry in the initial hour, andthere were a few plays and misses by the batsmen.Tanmay announced his refreshingly positive intent with a clippedfirst-ball boundary off his legs, followed by a steer to third man,before he settled down to play a fluent innings. He took a full strideforward at every opportunity and played as close to the body aspossible. Though beaten on a few occasions like the others, he didn’tpush his bat away from the body. Instead, he was quick to go on the attack, slashing to the cover boundary each time the bowlers gavewidth, and cutting when they dragged back the length. The techniquewas quite simple: he stood still at the crease, had a slightforward trigger movement but took care never to press that foot toomuch across his stumps.Rohit Srivastava, his fellow opener, and Suresh Raina failedto do that and were trapped in front. Rohit was a touch unlucky, as the ballappeared to be sliding down leg side but the technique did exposehim to the lbw threat. Mohammad Kaif was edgy throughout his shortstay before he cut the legspinner Chetanya Nanda’s first delivery toslip for Aakash Chopra to hold a sharp catch.Tanmay found an able ally in Shukla and the two led the recovery act witha 101-run partnership. Shulka was to get a slice of luck early in hisinnings. Nanda had placed his midwicket fielder slightly deeper thannormal and lured Shukla to play the slog-sweep but Narwal failed tohold on. Shukla settled down after that, showing good judgmentoutside off stump and grew in confidence as his innings progressed. Heplayed his cuts and pulls whenever offered the opportunity.As the partnership blossomed, Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi captain, might have worried over hisdecision at the toss but Tanmay’s wicket opened the door for Delhi tofight back. He had just pulled Nanda for six to bring up his century butfell a ball later, steering Sangwan to third slip. Piyush Chawlafollowed, slashing a wide one from Narwal to gully, Amir Khan fell toa diving catch by Chopra at first slip and Praveen Kumar pulledto deep midwicket.Delhi’s desperation had begun to pay off but their bowlers could havebeen more disciplined earlier in the day. Gambhir, who kept at leasttwo slips through most of the day, was seen on occasiongesticulating to the bowlers to hit the channel outside off stump.Sangwan found that line more often than the others but he toowas guilty of bowling a touch short.Amit Bhandari failed to find his outswinger with the new ball and struggledto hit the right line when he went round the stumps later, while Narwal offered the batsman width throughout the day. When the bowlershit the right areas, they had the batsmenin trouble. Delhi will feel confident of prising out the remainingthree wickets early on Thursday and then expect their strong top order todo the job with the bat.

Michael Hussey wants Australia to ignore Friday’s disturbing hit-and-miss performance and recall the strong batting memories from last week at the SCG for the first final. Hussey was one of the many failures as Australia fell from 0 for 107 to 208 all out against Sri Lanka in Melbourne, but he does not believe the display will affect the home team when it faces India in the most crucial one-day match of the season so far.As a spiteful summer draws to a close, Hussey has urged his team to shut out the various distractions, which have ranged from on- and off-field verbals to the shadow of the Indian Premier League, as they attempt to win the last Australian tri-series. “I’d prefer to bury everything and focus on final,” he said. “Both teams and the Australian and Indian public have had enough of the controversy.”Hussey encouraged his team-mates to take the emotion out of the encounter to achieve their peak performance. “It’s important we don’t let the distractions play any part on our minds,” he said. “If we play on emotions sometimes those distractions can have a detrimental part on your performance. If we take emotion out of it, I think we can play our best and go 1-0 up in the series.”A key ingredient to any Australian success is a well-rounded batting performance, which is something that has been missing for much of the series – they have played eight games and only twice passed 250. Despite the stuttering, Hussey expects the more batsman-friendly surface at the SCG to help the side forget the low of Friday night.”There have been difficult conditions in Melbourne during the year and all teams have struggled,” he said. “We don’t want to look too much into [the MCG performance]. We’re looking to our last performance in Sydney, when all the batsmen played particularly well.”Ricky Ponting broke free from his run drought with 124 in that game and all of the top six made useful contributions in the total of 7 for 317, which led to an 18-run victory. “We know we’re playing well,” Hussey said, “and we know we can put on a good performance.”

Chris Gayle and Clive Lloyd keep referring to the West Indies team under their charge in South Africa as young. Dr Donald Peters, the chief executive officer of the West Indies Cricket Board, notes that it is presently the second youngest in international cricket.They are all strictly correct. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins and Rawl Lewis are the only three of the 15 here over 30. Six are under 25.Yet it is a chronological illusion. The youthful average age is in direct contrast to the overall international experience.Chanderpaul, Daren Ganga, Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor and the injured, absent Ramnaresh Sarwan all first appeared for the West Indies as teenagers. Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin made their debuts at 20, Fidel Edwards and Devon Smith at 21.They are now relatively old hands at the game. Only Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Runako Morton and the newcomer, Brenton Parchment, have been less than three years in Test cricket. Bravo is a typical example of the experience gathered in the several short careers. Still only 24, he has already toured Australia, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe and played in one World Cup and two Champions Trophy tournaments. Like so many others, he was the outstanding individual in his first series, in England in 2004.Sarwan’s unbeaten 81 in his debut Test innings against a Pakistan side, which included Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq, prompted the watching Ted Dexter, the England captain of an earlier generation, to predict an eventual Test average of over 50.Samuels was another who made an immediate mark. Steve Waugh was so impressed with his class when he came in as a replacement in Australia seven years ago, aged 19, he presented him with his favourite red handkerchief.Yet, with the prominent exception of Chanderpaul, every young West Indian has regressed. Sarwan’s batting average has slipped from the mid-40s to 38.76. Only Chanderpaul (46.63), Gayle (38.28) and Bravo (34.24) of those in South Africa are above 30.The same holds true of the bowlers, of whom Collins’ 34.63 is the lowest.The task of the new coach, John Dyson, over the coming six months is clear. And so should the message to his players. Dyson himself has recognised it. “The team has tremendous potential and I don’t think they are achieving it,” he told the BBC last month. It is a self-evident truth.”They’re quite capable of moving up the ICC tables (where they now stand eighth out of nine) and, from my point of view, it’s important they have the ability to do that, so it’s an area I can work on.”It is a task that has proved beyond the long line of those who have preceded him. Each one has departed, either of their own frustrated accord or by the pink slip from the WICB, while most of the players have remained.Andy Roberts, himself one of the previous coaches and now selector, stated after the selection for this tour that the “stakeholders”, as he termed them, remained because genuine contenders have not emerged from the sub-standard first-class tournament in the Caribbean.In other words, the “stakeholders” have become complacent, knowing their places are virtually secure how ever much they underachieve.It is a state of affairs that has run its course.

The selectors must be guided over the coming three months, for the subsequent home series against Sri Lanka and Australia, by performances in the Tests and ODIs against South Africa and in the simultaneous Carib Beer Series in the Caribbean.Batsmen whose averages are stuck in the mid-20s and bowlers who have made little progress after several years of Test cricket must know that their places will go to those back home who verify their claims with runs and wickets at regional level.And the WICB can back up its recent stated intention to smother the team with love by providing them with as much technical support as other Test teams now enjoy as a matter of course through bowling and fielding coaches (especially fielding) and qualified physical trainers. Otherwise, it will be the same old, same old.

South Africa women’s team has made three enforced changes just a week before they host Pakistan in a much-anticipated five-match ODI series.Mignon du Preez, Angelique Taai and Kirsten Blair have been called in as replacements for the injured Shandre Fritz and Shafeeqa Pillay, while Alicia Smith hasn’t recovered from illness.With the World Cup qualifiers taking place in Pakistan in November this year, both teams will use the forthcoming series as part of their preparations.Cri-Zelda Brits steps into the captaincy role to cover Fritz, who sustained a neck injury while diving into a swimming pool last month. du Preez, from Northerns, provides extra depth. Brits, the 23-year-old right-handed batsman from North West, has plenty of experience at this level, having played in the World Cup in South Africa two years ago.Pakistan arrive in South Africa on Monday, and will be based at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre. On Wednesday they play a SA Invitational XI in a one-day tour match at the Laudium Cricket Oval, Pretoria and will play their first ODI match on Saturday.They are currently ranked 10th on the ICC world rankings, three places below South Africa (7) and, under captain Urooj Mumtaz (22), the team will be looking to play nothing less than inspirational cricket.

South African players are unlikely to participate in the Indian Premier League tillApril 25th, as they will be involved in the Standard Bank Pro20 matches in SouthAfrica. The franchises were informed of the development by the IPL governing councilin a meeting held in Mumbai, where a host of administrative issues surrounding the league were discussed.Ten South African players have been signed on by the eight IPL franchises, and a few of them, depending on how their domestic teams fare in the Pro20, might join their IPL teams after the tournament ends on 25th.However, a franchise representative was confident the players would beavailable for the full duration. “The decision is not final as yet. We are in the process of talking to the players, their teams and the board and we will work something out.”In among other things that were discussed in the meeting, each franchise has been allotted a liason officer from a South African agency, which was involved with the ICC World Twenty20 held in South Africa, who will travel with the teams and oversee the security preparations.The meeting saw a host of experts from the consulting firm IMG counselling the franchises on the issues ranging from security, accredition, ticketing, and movement of officials across grounds, and entertainment guidelines. “Not many of us [franchises] have prior experience in organising games and this meeting was very helpful in that regard,” a franchise representative said.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

The three-match one-day series followed a predictable script asSri Lanka wrapped up the second ODI and the series at the R PremadasaStadium in Colombo with a five-wicket win. The victory was fashioned by aruthless bowling performance, starting with Lasith Malinga’s incisiveopening burst, followed by Sanath Jayasuriya’s finishing touches,restricting Bangladesh to 137, a score few teams can realistically defend.Under overcast skies, the Bangladesh batting imploded for the second gamein succession. It was a good toss to win for Mahela Jayawardene as theseamers uitilised the damp pitch and overcast conditions to repeat theirdemolition of the top order. With their backs to the wall in terms of theseries, the start was hardly auspicious as the openers failed to lay thegroundwork, failing to adapt to the ball swinging in both directions andkicking off a good length.Malinga prised out both openers in quick succession, varying his length inboth dismissals. Shahriar Nafees’s patience ran out when he attempted acheeky glance down to third man off a good length delivery outside offstump, resulting in an edge which was taken comfortably by Jayawardene atsecond slip.Tamim Iqbal was subdued for 16 deliveries for his three and was dismissedwhile playing all around a Malinga yorker, beaten for pace. The strategyof promoting Mushfiqur Rahim up the order didn’t pay off as his stintlasted a mere four deliveries. A victim of another rude wake up call byMalinga, Rahim was caught off guard by one that kicked on him just shortof a good length and a big outside edge was snapped up acrobatically byKumar Sangakkara to his right.The second Powerplay produced just six runs, as the batsmen failed to getthe ball past the infield and the runs came at a crawl. The miserlyMaharoof gave no freebies in his opening spell – conceding just 11 runsoff eight overs – accounting for Tushar Imran.Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Ashraful dropped anchor and added 61 afterBangladesh had tottered to 26 for 4 in the 15th over. Aftab’s knock of 47was one completely out of character given his propensity to attack fromthe word ‘go’. When Ashraful departed for 29, Aftab and Shakib Al Hasanseemed to get another partnership going, pushing the singles withregularity once the spinners came on.However, indiscretion on Shakib’s part brought Sri Lanka back in businessas he was bowled by Malinga Bandara while attempting a slog sweep. Aftabsquandered an opportunity to get a fifty when he pulled straight tomidwicket, giving Jayasuriya his second scalp.

By then, Bangladesh hardly looked like crossing 150 and the nature of thedismissals that followed was just a sad reflection of an innings which hadlittle entertainment value. A run-out, followed by desperate loftsstraight down fielders’ throats ended the innings in the 47th over.Jayasuriya reached a personal milestone when he wrapped up the tail,reaching 300 ODI wickets.Chasing a modest 138, Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga were off in a rush,adding 43 for the first wicket and it was wayward fare from the Bangladeshseamers which contributed to the racy start. Syed Rasel and ShahadatHossain failed to land the ball on a good length roundabout the off stumpunlike their Sri Lankan counterparts and instead sprayed it wide and toofull.Fielders patrolling point and cover were given an early work-out asTharanga drove and cut with privilege and freedom. Shahadat wasn’t sparedin one over in which he conceded three consecutive boundaries offTharanga’s blade, all square of the wicket in the off side. However, hewas rewarded the minute he landed the ball on the right length – short onoff stump – forcing Tharanga on the backfoot and getting it to slantacross the left hander with a faint edge going through to Rahim.Jayasuriya meanwhile took on Rasel and lofted him for successiveboundaries, down to long-off and long-on respectively, and the targetseemed one mighty blow away. Rasel then had his moment, albeitcontroversially, when he beat Sangakkara’s bat with a full deliveryoutside off and the look on Sangakkara’s face suggested that he wasn’t toopleased.Bangladesh’s spirits rose again after a double strike sent back Jayasuriyaand Jayawardene. Bowling short and wide, left-arm spinner AbdurRazzak bowled to his field and got Jayasuriya to slash hard outside theoff stump straight to point. Agile catching at midwicket by Aftab sent back Jayawardene and for a change, the heat was on Sri Lanka.After a few quiet overs – Tillekaratne Dilshan was scoreless for 16 balls- Chamara Silva cut loose. He lashed two boundaries off medium pacerFarhad Reza, including a fierce slash over backward point and waltzed downthe track to Razzak. The sparse crowd in the high-capacity stadium turnedvocal as Sri Lanka strolled home with 113 balls to spare.

Scorecard

Nathan Adcock shone with bat and ball as he carried South Australia to a rare victory with five balls to spare against Western Australia. A 95-run stand for the second wicket between Daniel Harris and Mark Cosgrove put the Redbacks on top but a familiar middle-order slump left the game in the balance.After a late rally from the Warriors’ lower order boosted them to 7 for 200, Harris and Cosgrove carried South Australia to 1 for 101 in the 22nd over. But Marcus North removed Cosgrove, after his first FR Cup fifty of the season, and Adam Voges shifted Harris with a return catch, starting a slide which left the Redbacks on 7 for 169. Steve Magoffin’s ten-over spell cost just 19 runs and brought two wickets.Adcock was joined by Ryan Harris with 32 needed from 27 balls and with the side so low on confidence Western Australia were favourites. But Adcock swung the balance with a six off Ben Edmondson before 13 runs off the 49th over settled the result.South Australia had started in positive fashion with Jason Gillespie and Mark Cleary reducing the Warriors to 4 for 62 before Adcock’s chipped in with his offspin. However, from 6 for 98 David Bandy and Brad Hogg added 61 and Brett Dorey supplied a valuable 22 to give them something to defend.