T-20 World Cup 2010

Holders Pakistan crept into the World Twenty20 semi-finals thanks to a victory over South Africa and England's later win over New Zealand in St Lucia.

Pakistan, after two Super Eight losses, knew they had to beat the Proteas to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

And Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi set up that win with some brutal batting as Pakistan hit 148-7 after a slow start.

South Africa stumbled to 137-7 in reply and that, combined with New Zealand's loss, saw Pakistan into the last four.

Their progress came courtesy of a better net run-rate than South Africa and New Zealand, who both bow out of the competition in the West Indies.

"I guess you run out of excuses, it was just not good enough again," said Smith, whose side have a poor record in major competitions.

"AB (de Villiers, who hit 53) was the only one who really played. That's been the story of our tournament - we have struggled to get it together in all three disciplines.

"You always say you've got to learn your lessons. You have to say, with the talent in South Africa, it's not good enough to perform at this level."

Pakistan captain Afridi was delighted with the way his side fought back after slumping to 18-3 in their innings.

"The boys performed really well," he said. "It was not a good start, but then Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and myself, those partnerships were good, and 140-150 is a good total on this track.

"I always believe a captain's performance is very important."

South Africa rarely looked capable of overcoming a Pakistan team that recovered impressively from a stuttering start after winning the toss and opting to bat in St Lucia.

Mishit hooks accounted for Salman Butt and Khalid Latif, the latter brought in at the expense of Mohammad Sami, as short deliveries from Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis were skewed to mid-wicket, while Mohammad Hafeez added just one before missing a straight one from Charl Langeveldt.

At end of the seventh over Pakistan were 23-3 and on course for a paltry total of 66, but Kamran Akmal and brother Umar combined to emphatically expose the Proteas' selection of spinner Roelof van der Merwe ahead of paceman Morne Morkel, their leading wicket-taker in the tournament before play began.

Gros Islet, St Lucia: India doesn't need a miracle on Tuesday. They just need to get their basics right. When two players go for a catch, one needs to call out loud and clear. When they go for the extra run, make sure there is a second run. And when they bowl, they need to keep it straight.

Mathematically still in the fray for the last four stage, India take on Sri Lanka in their last Super Eight game on the placid track of St Lucia after being bounced out by Australia and West Indies in the earlier two games at Barbados. The Lankans, meanwhile, have one win and will eye a second to boost their chances of making it to the semis. However, they have been a one-man show so far. They've only won the games in which Mahela Jayawardene has fired. On Sunday he came a cropper against Australia and Sri Lanka went down by 81 runs. Hopefully the Indian team management has made a note of that.

India will also take heart from the fact that they are playing at the Beausejour Cricket Ground where they recorded two handsome wins, especially the one against South Africa on the Sunday before last. On that Sunday, who would have imagined that title contenders India would be almost packing their bags by the next weekend.

But the Men in Blue have paid for their perennial problem of playing on bouncy wickets. Cramped for time and space, they have injudiciously played the pull shot, though not being physically and technically well equipped to challenge such hostile deliveries. As the frazzled Indian stars may have realised by now, merely throwing the bat around at short balls, without getting inside the line or under the ball, won't fetch them the runs.

For India, Harbhajan Singh has been the star performer so far. He has not been among the wickets but undoubtedly he's been the best Indian bowler with all opposition batsmen playing him with respect.

It's time he gets some able support from another full-time spinner and India should drop Ravindra Jadeja and bring in Piyush Chawla. Pacer Ashish Nehra has been among the wickets but has leaked precious runs in the middle, while Zaheer Khan has failed to impress. There is a strong case to bring in R Vinay Kumar in place of Zaheer for the game against the Lankans.

England 153 for 7 (Morgan 40) beat New Zealand 149 for 6 (Taylor 44) by three wickets

England's cricketers maintained their impressive momentum with their third win in three Super Eight fixtures, as New Zealand were outmuscled in their must-win Group E finale in St Lucia, and sent packing from the tournament by a three-wicket defeat that was more emphatic than the final margin suggested. Chasing 150 for victory after another disciplined bowling display led by Tim Bresnan, England were able to overcome a mid-innings wobble and a late clatter of wickets to coast to victory with five balls to spare, as Bresnan put the seal on a fine day's work with 23 not out from 11 balls.

Thanks to Pakistan's earlier victory over South Africa, England's progress was assured before the match began, but for New Zealand, the stakes were utterly black-and-white. A victory would have propelled them into the semi-finals, but anything less would allow the defending champions, Pakistan, to come from nowhere in the Group and leap into the final four. In the end, that is exactly what transpired, as England's superbly balanced outfit made light of the absence of Kevin Pietersen to turn in a thoroughly professional victory.

As has become the norm for this tournament, England's openers refused to stand on ceremony as they set off to better New Zealand's effort of 149 for 6. Craig Kieswetter belted a four and a six in the first over, bowled by Nathan McCullum, before drilling the third ball of Kyle Mills' spell into the covers to depart for 15, while Michael Lumb took a shine to the extra pace of Shane Bond, milking 19 runs from his first two overs, including a brace of leg-side steers, a checked drive for six, and a loose flick that burst through Gareth Hopkins' webbing as he dived in vain to his left.

New Delhi: A day after his younger brother wrecked a nervy Afghanistan side with the ball on a bouncy Kensington Oval pitch, Albie Morkel used the bat to establish his credentials at the T20 World Cup in Barabados. While Morne took South Africa to the Super Eights, Albie got their Group E campaign off to a magnificent start by smashing a 18-ball 40.

It was Albie's innings on Thursday that proved to be the difference between South Africa and New Zealand. The fighting Kiwis ran the daunting 170-run total close in their chase but fell short by 13 runs. Had it not been for Albie's sensational cameo, it could have been a different result altogether.

Albie hit as many as five sixes -- three of Tim Southee in the 19th over -- during his 18-ball stay.

On Wednesday, Morne claimed three wickets in his first over against debutants Afghanistan and returned 4-20 to power an emphatic 59-run triumph.

The Morkel brothers play a huge role in adding balance to the talented South African side. Though both are all-rounders, older brother Albie is South Africa's power-hitter, while Morne is the prototype pacer who hits the deck hard.

South Africa will be relying hugely on the Morkel brothers from now on, with both hitting form in their respective stronger fields.

Albie will be key in adding impetus to the innings in the Caribbean. South Africa lack big hitters, especially lower down the order and Albie will be their go-to man. Graeme Smith may also promote Albie up the order, given his blazing form, to give him the maximum number of overs to show his prowess.

Morne with Dale Steyn and Charl Langeveldt form a deadly pace trio, with all three unleashing some lethal pace on the responsive West Indian pitches.

South Africa are once again out to get rid of the chokers tag and they are banking on the Morkels to break the jinx that has haunted their team for so long.

Australia 168 for 5 (White 85*, Randiv 3-20) beat Sri Lanka 87 (Johnson 3-15, Nannes 2-19)

Australia stormed to a resounding 81-run win that all but assured their semi-finals spot as Sri Lanka were steamrolled by extreme pace and sustained pressure, folding for 87. Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson were the main destroyers of the Sri Lankan batting line-up, but the win was made possible by Cameron White's unstoppable 85 from 49 balls, which rescued his side from a perilous 67 for 5.

White was ably aided by Michael Hussey in an unbroken stand of 101 in less than ten overs, and when the Sri Lankan top order was bullied out by a formidable Australian pace attack in quick succession, the rest of the batsmen collapsed in a heap.

Australia had been in a similar situation against Bangladesh in the group stage, sinking to 65 for 6 before they were saved by a 74-run partnership between Hussey and Steven Smith. Today, they had White to thank, as he saw off the threatening Suraj Randiv, making the most of a missed chance on 23 to establish his dominance over the rest of the attack, as he passed 50 from 32 balls.

Shane Watson and David Warner have given Australia solid starts more often than not in this tournament, but today they were parted with the fifth ball of the innings, as Angelo Mathews snaked one in to rattle Watson's stumps via an inside edge. In an impressively-controlled opening spell, Mathews then deceived Brad Haddin, sent in ahead of Clarke with Australia one down, with a slower one that took the leading edge and looped up to give Sanath Jayasuriya an easy catch.

Australia were then under real pressure when Mahela Jayawardene held a blistering reflex take at slip when Warner nicked a flashing drive to Randiv's third ball of the match. In a dramatic over, Randiv then set Sri Lankan hearts racing when he beat David Hussey first ball with a flighted delivery that went the other way as the batsman drove on the walk, and Kumar Sangakkara whipped the bails off milliseconds later - not that it mattered, as the ball had also brushed the edge on its way through.

The hat-trick evaded him, but he topped off an outstanding spell when Clarke backed away to cut a turning ball and lost his off bail. Australia were 67 for 5 after 11 overs at that stage, and were in real danger of crumbling for an insubstantial total.

But Sri Lanka could not carry the intensity from their opening onslaught into the second half of the innings. After racing to his half-century, White led Australia's charge in the closing overs, lifting Welegedara down the ground with brutal hits from consecutive deliveries to move into the 70s.

With that, Hussey, who had nudged his way to 9 from 15 balls, took his cue, walking across his stumps to paddle a knee-high full toss from Lasith Malinga to fine leg. Hussey followed that up with a majestic lofted cover drive, before closing the over with an audacious sweep to a searing yorker. White took Australia past 150 with his fifth and sixth sixes in the penultimate over, and an incredible 91 runs came from the final seven overs.

Jayawardene has been Sri Lanka's linchpin at the top of the order in this tournament, and when he swivelled to pull Nannes handsomely over square leg it appeared that the stage had been set for another excellent knock. But Nannes dug the next one in even shorter, and the ball rose alarmingly to take the splice and balloon up to give Smith an easy catch at long leg.

It was pace and aggression that did for Sangakkara, too, as Shaun Tait sent down a brutish bumper that beat the attempted hook for pace, striking the glove on the way through to Haddin. The slide continued as Nannes fired one in at Jayasuriya's pads in his next over, beating an aimless swish to pin the batsman lbw to reduce Sri Lanka to 26 for 3 in the fifth over.

Watson was brought on in the last over of the Powerplay, and his medium-paced seamers proved to be a far more attractive prospect than the 90mph-plus barrage of Nannes and Tait. Dilshan responded with a caressed cover drive and a clean hit high over long on, and Mathews didn't miss out either, slamming Watson straight back over his head as 15 were taken from the over.

But they still had Johnson to contend with from the other end, and he made his intentions clear by banging his first two balls in before rolling his fingers over his third to induce an uppish cut from Dilshan. White at backward point went airborne to pull off a stunning catch inches from the turf, and when Mathews picked out Hussey on the cover boundary four balls later, Sri Lanka's short-lived counterpunch was nipped in the bud.

Sri Lanka were 67 for 5 after 10 overs - almost exactly the position in which Australia had found themselves in the first innings - but their middle order lacks White's power and Hussey's class, and from that point on the two sides went in opposite directions, Australia seizing back the game with a supremely confident fightback; Sri Lanka capitulating meekly in the face of sustained pressure. Such was the scale of the win, Australia are now virtually guaranteed a place in the semi-finals.

West Indies 169 for 6 (Gayle 98, Nehra 3-35) beat India 155 for 9 (Raina 32, Roach 2-38) by 14 runs

Chris Gayle finished agonisingly short of becoming the first man to make two international Twenty20 centuries, but by the time he was run-out, he had already swiped West Indies to a total that provided too tall for India's batsmen who yet again floundered against the short ball. The defeat leaves India facing an early exit for the third straight global tournament, and the same questions about batting technique which were raised followed the elimination from last year's World Twenty20 will be asked again.

After Gayle's slaphappy innings, in which almost all his runs came on the leg side, India's top-order weren't given anything to drive by West Indies' new-ball bowlers. They faced the barrage of bouncers promised before the match, and even the short deliveries of the gentle medium-pacers Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo discomfited them initially.

The home side's fielding was also a dramatic improvement to the error-strewn show against Sri Lanka, with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard being exceptional. India's batting slide started with an athletic forward-diving catch by Pollard at square leg to dismiss opener M Vijay, who again failed to replicate his IPL form on the more demanding tracks in the Caribbean. Gautam Gambhir was also having a tough time, and just after edging a bouncer from Kemar Roach in the fifth over between slip and the keeper, he failed to evade a scorching short ball to glove to Denesh Ramdin.

Two overs later, Rohit Sharma, the only batsman to enhance his reputation in the pasting by Australia, was controversially dismissed after the ball lobbed off his arm to the keeper. He stood his ground and asked Billy Bowden to call for the third umpire. After consultation with Simon Taufel, Bowden upheld his original decision, and India were down to 38 for 3, and the asking-rate was in double digits.

Gros Islet: Their title defence virtually over, a beleaguered Pakistan will be out to salvage some pride, while South Africa will hope to put their Twenty20 World Cup campaign back on track in the Group E Super Eights stage match at the Beausejour Stadium on Monday.

With none of their players featuring in the third edition of the Indian Premier League, defending champions Pakistan entered the tournament as the only side without any fatigue factor but they looked rusty and now risk an early return home after losing their first two Super Eight stage matches to England and New Zealand.

The 2009 champions looked a rudderless lot under Shahid Afridi's timid captaincy and the burden of leading seemed to have bogged down the all-rounder who looked far from his flamboyance self.

The Pakistani batting order, barring Salman Butt, has looked patchy with batsmen like Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq coming a cropper while the Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar -- also lacking consistency.

Their inability to chase down a meagre victory target of 134 runs in yesterday's cliff-hanger against New Zealand virtually put paid to their semifinal hopes and the batsmen would have to shoulder the blame for the team's pathetic display.

In contrast, their bowlers did a better job and restricting New Zealand to 133 was a commendable effort.

Unlike Pakistan, South Africa have everything to play for as a win might clear their semifinal passage.

Having beaten New Zealand by 13 runs in their first Super Eight match, South Africa showed a batting frailty against England yesterday that would keep them worried.

Chasing 169 for a win, only four batsmen reached double digit scores before they collapsed in 19 overs for just 129.

In the match against New Zealand, the entire top order had fired in unison but the same batsmen looked helpless against England's disciplined attack and it is something the Protea think-tank would have to sort out tomorrow.

One would expect the Protea bowlers to bend their back tomorrow and come to the aid of the team.

For South Africa, off-spinner Johan Botha has been virtually unplayable, taking wickets and hardly conceding boundaries but the Protea would need a big contribution from Dale Steyn and Charl Langeveldt up front to see them through against Pakistan.

Australia 141 for 7 (M Hussey 47*, Smith 27) beat Bangladesh (Shakib 28, Nannes 4-18) by 27 runs

Michael Hussey reprised his favourite role, of the rescue artist, to steer Australia to a competitive total before Dirk Nannes' pace and some world-class fielding confirmed there would be no repeat of last year's embarrassing first round World Twenty20 exit. Bangladesh's defeat also meant defending champions Pakistan, the team most likely to take the flight home in case Group A was decided on net run-rate, also progressed to the Super Eights.

Bangladesh were dreaming of another famous upset in a global tournament in the Caribbean after their armada of spinners thrived on a pitch with bounce and turn at the Kensington Oval to cut Australia to 65 for 6. The slow bowlers had been so effective that there had been no boundaries for more than ten overs after Michael Clarke got off the mark with a lovely hit over long-off in the fourth over, before Hussey and Steven Smith pounded 74 runs to push Australia to 141.

Playing with typical Australian resilience, Hussey and Smith more than doubled the total in the final seven overs. The boundary drought ended with Hussey swiping a short ball from Abdur Razzak to square leg in the 15th over. The real acceleration came two overs later, when Hussey surgically picked off 17 runs off Mashrafe Mortaza - there was an effortless flick for six, a tickle to fine leg for four and a dab to third man for four more.

South Africa 139 for 7 (Kallis 34, Hamid 3-21) beat Afghanistan 80 (M Morkel 4-20, Langeveldt 3-12) by 59 runs

Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn delivered Afghanistan a harsh lesson by demolishing them for 80 to end their World Twenty20 dream and hand South Africa a safe path to the Super Eights. There was no mercy from Morkel and Steyn, whose speed and bounce was simply of a standard that Afghanistan had never faced before, and Charl Langeveldt chipped in with three wickets to confirm the result.

The 59-run victory showed the newcomers that, for all their incredible progress over the past couple of years, there is a long way still to go. Afghanistan's spirits were high after their bowling effort, having restricted South Africa to a respectable 139 for 7, but the chase was quickly and comprehensively derailed.

Steyn (2 for 6) beat the bat with his outswing and had Noor Ali caught behind for a duck in the first over, before Morkel ran through the middle order to finish with 4 for 20. The batsmen struggled to react to the quality bowling and especially the short deliveries, and six of the ten dismissals were caught behind the wicket.

That they avoided recording the a feat in itself lowest ever Twenty20 Internation cricket after they were 14 for 6, but the change bowlers proved more to their liking. Mirwais Ashraf gave Afghanistan's fans a few happy moments when he clobbered a monstrous six off Albie Morkel, before Hamid Hassan made a quick 22 from 21 balls, as the lower order cleared the boundary a combined five times.

England 120 for 8 (Morgan 45) v Ireland 14 for 1 - match abandoned

England inched their way into the Super Eights after a tense washed-out contest at Providence, as the same Guyana weather that had contributed to their downfall against West Indies came to their aid in a fraught and low-scoring contest against the underdogs of Ireland.

After being limited to a mediocre 120 for 8 following a superb bowling display led by Trent Johnston, England had restricted Ireland to 14 for 1 after 3.3 overs of their reply, but persistent bad weather denied them the chance to complete their run-chase, and so England went through by virtue of a superior run-rate.

It was a cruel way for Ireland's campaign to come to an end, because on a slow and cracked surface, their battery of medium-pacers had forced England to scrap for each and every single. And, in an ironic twist, the only man who came close to mastering the requirements was none other than the former Irishman, Eoin Morgan, who stood firm with a determined 45 from 37 balls.

The scenario was much as it had been when the teams last met in an international fixture, on a sticky surface at breakfast back in August, and then as now, the veteran Trent Johnston led the line impeccably. With lateral movement from a tight and full length, he claimed 1 for 14 in his four-over spell, with just a solitary boundary in his 24 deliveries, as Michael Lumb pulled a fractional short ball through midwicket for four.

Whereas Lumb and Craig Kieswetter had started like the clappers against West Indies on Monday, this time they found the shackles hard to break. Boyd Rankin spoiled his figures with a brace of leg-stump long-hops that Lumb clipped round the corner for two welcome boundaries, but that same shot soon proved to be his downfall, as Boyd Rankin stooped at short backward square to cling onto a sharp chance from the first ball of Kevin O'Brien's spell.

New Zealand 36 for 1 beat Zimbabwe 84 (McCullum 3-16, Styris 3-5) by seven runs by D/L method

Zimbabwe came into the tournament as one of the form teams after shocking Pakistan and Australia in the warm-ups, but they subsided to one of the lowest Twenty20 totals against New Zealand to become the first team to bow out of the competition. After making a sprightly start, they collapsed spectacularly - losing eight wickets for sixteen runs - to ease New Zealand's path to the Super Eights.

With rain hampering play in Guyana for the second day in a row, Zimbabwe's entire campaign in the West Indies lasted only 48.2 overs. Though the end was not as farcical as the near-darkness climax to the 2007 World Cup final, they was plenty of confusion before the match ended: after play was initially halted 8.1 overs into the chase, the teams came back onto the field an hour and a half later, expecting to play a couple of overs and complete the game. The players stood around for a few minutes before officials decided no more play was possible, declaring New Zealand winners.

On the field, Nathan McCullum was the hero for New Zealand again. After his all-round heroics against Sri Lanka on Friday, he swept through the Zimbabwe middle-order to collect his second successive Man-of-the-Match award. The quick offspinners of Scott Styris also scooped up three wickets in an over to hasten the end of the innings.

Such a limp finish didn't seem likely after Zimbabwe's openers defied New Zealand on a Providence pitch offering plenty of turn. At 57 for 1 in the seventh over, things were looking good for Zimbabwe, but a sharp bit of fielding from Jacob Oram and Gareth Hopkins started the slide. Hamilton Masakadza, one of the biggest-hitters in the Zimbabwe line-up, swung the ball towards deep square leg, where Oram moved quickly to his left and fired in a slightly wayward throw; Hopkins collected yards in front of the stumps and under-armed it to catch a diving Masakadza short.

Sri Lanka 173 for 7 (Jayawardene 100) beat Zimbabwe 29 for 1 in five overs by 14 runs (D/L method)

Batting was expected to be difficult on a slow and low pitch in Providence but the touch artist Mahela Jayawardene sparkled with a delightful ton, only the fourth batsman to hit a Twenty20 hundred, to charge Sri Lanka to 173. A heavy downpour after one over into the chase left Zimbabwe needing 104 from 11 initially, but it rained again to terminate the match after five overs were completed. Sri Lanka won on the D\L method as Zimbabwe only reached 29 for 1 when the par score was 43.

The rains stayed away, however, until Jayawardene treated the sparse crowd to a charming knock. Only one other batsman in Sri Lanka's top six touched double digits; it said much about the pitch and the form of the other batsmen but most importantly it highlighted Jayawardene's mastery.

There wasn't a single shot in violence from Jayawardene. Not one looked ugly. Not for a moment did he look hurried. And yet, his strike-rate was over 150. It was such a graceful knock that it stood out amid the violence that this format usually brings in batsmen. Perhaps it's his economy of movement and the languid flow of his bat that catches the eye. The experts reckoned the pitch would make hitting on the up a difficult task, that the ball would stop on the batsmen, that timing would be difficult to find. And it appeared so when the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and the rest batted. Not when Jayawardene took strike.

There was a delicious six hit on the up over extra cover that was a perfect advertisement for Jayawardene's skill. He was walking down the track to the medium pace of Elton Chigumbura but kept his head still and balance perfect. Chigumbura shortened his length to try and upset the balance but Jayawardene wafted his wand through the line and the ball soared over the extra-cover boundary.

Jayawardene flowed right from the start today, collecting three boundaries in the first over from Chris Mpofu: A cut, a gorgeous on-the-up six over long off and a whiplash on-drive. He repeatedly drove the seamers through the off side and there was even a deft upper cut to a slow bouncer from Chigumbura, but he treated the spinners with more respect. He looked for opportunities to unfurl his cuts and sweeps against the slow men and rotated the strike with wristy nudges. In between, he slog-swept and pulled Price for boundaries, slog swept Graeme Cremer for a six, late cut and swatted Greg Lamb to the boundary.

West Indies 60 for 2 (Gayle 25) beat England 191 for 5 (Morgan 55, Wright 45*) - D/L method

West Indies booked their place in the Super Eights with a controversial rain-assisted victory over England at Providence, as Chris Gayle justified his decision to bowl first with a fiery but shortlived 25 from 12 balls - an innings that proved sufficient, under the provisions of Duckworth-Lewis, to carry West Indies to a revised target of 60 in six overs, after England had produced arguably their finest batting display in the format's history to post an imposing 191 for 5.

England's defeat should not prove costly in the long run, so long as they overcome Ireland in their second group match on Tuesday, but it was nevertheless an unfortunate way for a beautifully poised contest to unravel - and for England it was a case of history repeating itself, after West Indies eliminated them from the last World Twenty20 in a similar scenario at The Oval in June.

The result was more or less a foregone conclusion from the moment that the D/L calculators were brought into play. While the method is unrivalled as a means of resolving rain interruptions in 50-over cricket, it is not so well suited to the hustle and bustle of the 20-over format. It just so happened that the match did come down to the wire - Andre Fletcher eventually sealed it with a pulled four through midwicket with one ball to spare - but it had been a nervy denouement. In a full-length contest, West Indies' challenge might well have petered out as soon as Gayle pulled Michael Yardy to short midwicket in the fourth over.

Instead, Gayle's brief intercession proved sufficient to puncture England's spirits after a hugely impressive performance with the bat. Eoin Morgan top-scored with 55 from 35 balls, and was joined in an 95-run stand for the fifth wicket by Luke Wright, who made 45 from 27, to close the innings with the same positive intent shown by their rookie opening pairing of Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter, who showcased their boundary-clearing abilities with scores of 28 from 18 balls and 26 from 14 respectively.

Nevertheless, with rain in the air, Gayle knew exactly how to pace his reply, and turned on the afterburner. Ryan Sidebottom was dispatched for 15 in an opening over in which he beat the bat three times and found the edge once, only to ruin his good work with a leg-side wide and two half-volleys that were belted over the covers for four and six. And at the other end, Shivnarine Chanderpaul turned his stance inside-out to sweep Graeme Swann over point for another six, as England conceded 30 runs in 2.2 overs, and with it, the contest.

Collingwood was understandably frustrated after the match, but England had plenty reason to be proud of their performance. Their total of 11 sixes was a national record for the format, and though neither of the new boys, Kieswetter or Lumb, was able to build on their starts, their alliance was an undoubted success, as demonstrated by England's Powerplay total of 60 for 1, the highest six-over score of the tournament (until West Indies trumped it in their brief reply).

ndia 116 for 3 (Vijay 48) beat Afghanistan 115 for 8 (Noor 50, Nehra 3-19) by seven wickets

Afghanistan certainly weren't overawed, but struggled against short-pitched deliveries, losing five out of their eight wickets to bouncers. As promised India played as they would against a top team, setting up an easy chase and finishing it solidly - without flair and major hiccups. Noor Ali, compact against the quicks and happy to use his feet against spinners, was Afghanistan's best batsman by a fair distance, helping them recover from 29 for 3 with a near run-a-ball fifty. As a fielding unit, they looked like they belonged: tall left-armer Shapoor Zadran's pace impressed, as did the spin of Mohammabi Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari.

The Afghans have learnt most of their cricket in Pakistan, and Noor and Asghar Stanikzai, who scored 80 of the 115 runs, may well have been rescuing a Pakistan innings after a collapse. On the either end of their 68-run partnership, though, the Indian quicks used the bouncers well enough to secure two easy points.

Karim Sadiq, the other opener, showed early signs of nerves, playing and missing thrice before gloving Ashish Nehra down the leg side. Mohammad Shahzad, the bulky wicketkeeper-batsman, too tried big unwieldy shots and was caught down the leg side while the replays suggested that the ball might have gone off the helmet grille. The decision notwithstanding, it was clear the short ball was troubling them.

akistan 172 for 3 (Butt 73, Akmal 73) beat Bangladesh 151 for 7 (Ashraful 65, Sami 3-29) by 21 runs

Pakistan survived a Mohammad Ashraful scare to begin the defence of their world title at St Lucia with a 21-run win over Bangladesh. Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt had laid the foundations with a 142-run stand that should've put the game beyond Bangladesh. But Ashraful, with Shakib Al Hasan for company, took a real pop at an imposing 173-run target, before Mohammad Sami swung a slow-burning game decisively Pakistan's way.

Bangladesh had been poor for vast chunks of the game, first with the ball, and then in starting the chase. But Ashraful's forceful 91-run stand with Shakib brought them close enough to get Pakistan jittery with five overs to go. Sami, on his T20I debut, ensured it wasn't to be with a fine two-wicket over to effectively end the game.

Mohammad Aamer had throttled Bangladesh's start and Ashraful arrived with trouble brewing. Having typically tried all manner of unnecessary improvisation initially, Ashraful settled down to playing normal strokes. It's asked often why he doesn't play those more, and let this be another time. He quickly deposited Abdul Razzaq for a wonderful six over midwicket, but really cranked up the heat when he took on Pakistan's captain next.

The first ball of Shahid Afridi's spell, the 11th over, was driven exquisitely over extra cover but it was in his next over that he really shook Pakistan up. Again he lofted Afridi, but with such grace and timing that the ball fairly sailed over long-off. A couple of balls later, he went squarer and soon after brought up his fifty.

Shakib meanwhile was showing the world once again why he is such a special young man. He never panicked, which can't often be said of Ashraful, and went about choosing his spots almost at will. Saeed Ajmal was heaved for one and Mohammad Hafeez was slog-swept for two maximums and suddenly Bangladesh had recovered from 36 for 2 to 115 for two after 14.

As so often, however, it wasn't to be and the surprise was that it was Shakib who perished first. Afridi took a gamble in bringing back an uncertain Sami, but it paid off as Shakib fell and Mahmudullah followed a few balls later. Ashraful still went on, dishing out some serious stick to Afridi, before falling, inevitably, to an improvised paddle, signaling a brave end.

Pakistan's big bonus, alongside Sami's effort, was Butt's earlier contribution. He has appeared ill-suited to the format, unable to work gaps and not blessed with the power that gets poorer batsmen more runs. But he has a good ODI record and the intent was there from the start with a first-ball boundary. From thereon, at regular intervals he would dance down, move away, find gaps or go aerial and went about as quietly as you can in reaching fifty off 29 balls. There was no violence, just clear-headed intent and faith in his regular strokes.