Flintoff leads England to historic triumph

Andrew Flintoff grabbed a hat-trick to lead England to a 26-run victory over West Indies on Friday and a first ever one-day international series triumph in the Caribbean.

Flintoff claimed his hat-trick when he removed Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul and Sulieman Benn off successive balls in the 27th over, before finishing with career-best figures of five wickets for 19 runs from five overs.

His spell swung the match decisively, as England bowled West Indies out for 146 in 28 overs in a match reduced to a 29-over-a-side clash after rain delayed the start of the fifth and final game at the Beausejour Stadium by four hours.

The result meant that England won the series 3-2.

"It has been a long hard tour and to come out at the end with something is pretty special," said England skipper Andrew Strauss, whose side lost the Test series.

"We would have liked to have won the Test series - we played some good cricket but kept coming out with nothing."

Strauss also paid tribute to Flintoff who has struggled with injury over the winter.

"Freddie has had a tough tour but he showed his quality today. That is why he is one of the best bowlers in the world because under pressure he can deliver," said the captain.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he was disappointed with the result especially after his side had thrown away the first match in Guyana when their coach John Dyson embarrassingly miscalculated the Duckworth-Lewis ruling.

"The Test series was very important to us. It means we have turned a bit of a corner but we still have a long way to go," said Gayle.

A late flourish from Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior helped England to reach 172 for five off their 29 overs.

Collingwood made 35 not out from 31 balls and Prior scored 25 not out from 25 balls to pull England out of a wobble with an unbroken stand of 60 from 49 balls for the sixth wicket.

England stumbled to 112 for five in the 21st over, following an 80-run stand between Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Bopara.

Pietersen hit the top score of a run-a-ball 48 and opener Bopara gathered 44 from 49 balls before they were two of four wickets that fell in the space of 33 balls.

Pietersen was out in controversial circumstances when Daren Sammy claimed a catch even though TV replays suggested the ball wasn't taken cleanly.

James Anderson then gave England a bright start, when Gayle edged his third ball to second slip and the West Indies captain was dismissed for a duck.

England continued to make the breakthroughs, and West Indies slumped to 69 for four in the 15th over with Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul all back in the pavilion.

But England were held up by a stand of 55 from 59 balls between Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.

Stuart Broad had Bravo caught at square cover in the 24th over for 33 off 46 balls which was the top score, and Anderson had Pollard caught inside the long-on boundary in the next over for 30 off 31 balls.

Ponting hails Aussie match-winner Hussey

Captain Ricky Ponting hailed the return to form of Mike Hussey as Australia gained a crushing 141-run win over South Africa in the first one-day international at Kingsmead Friday.

Hussey hit 83 not out as Australia piled up 286 for seven.

South Africa were bowled out for 145 in the opening encounter of a five-match series.

"It's been a difficult few months for him," Ponting said of Hussey, who scored only 132 runs at an average of 22 in a three-match Test series and was out for a duck in a Twenty20 international.

Ponting said Hussey's attitude had never wavered despite the worrying loss of form.

"You wouldn't know with him. He just continues to work hard, enjoy his cricket and enjoy the hard work. It was great to see him get those runs on the board again.

"When he went out to bat it was a really crucial moment in the game. For him to get 80-odd will hopefully give him confidence for the rest of the summer."

The left-handed Hussey's 79-ball innings enabled Australia to recover from two chaotic run-outs which cost the wickets of two of the team's top four batsmen.

South African captain Graeme Smith made an attacking 52 and put on 74 off 72 balls for the second wicket with Herschelle Gibbs (33).

But the South Africans lost their way against accurate bowling by medium-pacer James Hopes and off-spinner Nathan Hauritz.

Hopes took two for 24 and Hauritz four for 29 as South Africa were bowled out with 16.5 overs remaining.

"We just made an over-par score on that wicket," said Ponting. "It was going to be a competitive score but the guys bowled exceptionally well.

"Hauritz was terrific and Hopes was very, very good and Mitchell (Johnson) was good as well."

Johnson took two for 24, twice taking wickets in the first over of a spell.

"We just didn't play well enough," admitted Smith who was making his return to the team after having his hand broken by a Johnson delivery here in the second Test a month ago.

"Australia were better in all departments."

Australia's big win seemed a distant prospect when the tourists found themselves in trouble at 114 for four after Ponting won the toss and made first use of a good pitch.

David Hussey and Brad Haddin were run out in the space of nine balls, on both occasions after mix-ups which saw the dismissed player stranded at the wrong end of the pitch.

Wicketkeeper Haddin, who opened the batting, hit an aggressive 53 off 60 balls.

He and Ponting put on 77 off 81 balls for the second wicket. Then Haddin and David Hussey put on a quick 28 for the third wicket before first Hussey, then Haddin were run out.

But Mike Hussey showed his best form for the first time on the tour with an innings which included two sixes and six fours.

He put on 53 for the fifth wicket with Callum Ferguson (25) and 67 for the sixth wicket with Hopes, who made an impressive 38 off 35 overs. He and Hauritz (20 not out) finished the innings in style with an unbeaten 43 off 22 balls for the eighth wicket.

South Africa lost Hashim Amla in the fourth over of their innings but Smith and Gibbs threatened to take control before Gibbs sliced a back foot shot against Hopes to backward point.

AB de Villiers was unlucky to be given out leg before wicket and South Africa's innings disintegrated after Smith chipped back a return catch to Hauritz after making 52 off 56 balls.

Smith returns to face bone-breaker Johnson

South Africa captain Graeme Smith returns to action Friday on the ground, and against the same opponents, where he suffered a broken bone in his right hand the last time he played.

A day short of four weeks after being injured in the second Test against Australia, Smith will lead South Africa in the first one-day international at Kingsmead.

It is a clash of the two top-ranked teams in world one-day cricket. South Africa took top spot away from Australia when the two sides met in Australia in January.

South Africa won that series 4-1, with Johan Botha taking over the captaincy from Smith.

Smith said he was not worried about having to make his return against Mitchell Johnson, whose rising delivery off a lively pitch crushed the base of his right hand, above the little finger, in March.

It was the second time Johnson put Smith out of action. The left-arm fast bowler broke a bone in Smith's left hand during the third Test in Sydney early in January.

"As an opening batsman those are things that you learn to deal with throughout your career," said Smith.

"I have travelled pretty much all around the world and faced all the world's fastest quicks. Mentally it is just a case of preparing the right way."

Smith acknowledged that Johnson provided a tough challenge.

"Mitchell has been bowling really well. He is one of the best fast bowlers in the world at the moment and it will be a real challenge facing him," said the skipper.

"It is something I look forward to. We have had a really good battle over the last period of time. I have had a bit of success and he has had a bit of success, so we will see what happens."

South Africa will be without leading all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who is recovering from a groin injury. Kallis is expected to be fit for the second match in the five-game series at Centurion on Sunday.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, said his team were determined to bounce back after losing the third Test and two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa, after winning the first two Test matches in South Africa.

Kallis cleared for ODIs

South Africa will be boosted with the return of Jacques Kallis after the all-rounder was cleared of a groin strain. He is likely to play in the first ODI against Australia tomorrow.

Kallis captained the Proteas in the absence of injured skipper Graeme Smith in the Cape Town Test, but broke down with a groin injury while bowling on the last day of the third test.

"It was thought that he had a tear. But the scans showed he has no tear which is very good news, just some scar tissue," team spokesman Michael Owen-Smith said yesterday. "Jacques is a chance to play on Friday."

Meanwhile, captain Graeme Smith is also likely to return after a fractured finger kept him out of the third Test and the two T20s.

Mitchell Johnson, who caused Smith two separate injuries on both hands, is targetting the South African opener again. "I'm looking forward to the challenge again," Johnson said. "It's always good to get the opportunity to bowl with the new ball against an opening batsman like Smith. He's such a great player. He's a strong leader and his team look up to him. They will enjoy having him back in the squad and I'm looking forward to trying to get his wicket."

ICC World Twenty20 2009 Fixtures

ICC World Twenty20 2009 Fixtures

05-06-2009
Opening ceremony, Lord's (5pm)
England (B2) v Holland, Lord's (5.30pm)

06-06-2009
New Zealand (D1) v Scotland, The Oval (10am)
Australia (C1) v West Indies, The Oval (2pm)
India (A1) v Bangladesh (A2) , Trent Bridge (6pm)

07-06-2009
South Africa (D2) v Scotland, The Oval (1.30pm)
England (B2) v Pakistan (B1) , The Oval (5.30pm)

08-06-2009
Ireland v Bangladesh (A2) , Trent Bridge (1.30pm)
Australia (C1) v Sri Lanka (C2) , Trent Bridge (5.30pm)

09-06-2009
Pakistan (B1) v Holland, Lord's (1.30pm)
New Zealand (D1) v South Africa (D2) , Lord's (5.30pm)

10-06-2009
Sri Lanka (C2) v West Indies, Trent Bridge (1.30pm)
India (A1) v Ireland, Trent Bridge (5.30pm)

Group E
A1
B2
C1
D2

Group F
B1
A2
C2
D1


Super Eight:

11-06-2009
D1 v A2, Trent Bridge (1.30pm)
B2 v D2, Trent Bridge (5.30pm)

12-06-2009
B1 v C2, Lord's (1.30pm)
A1 v C1, Lord's (5.30pm)

13-06-2009
C1 v D2, The Oval (1.30pm)
D1 v B1, The Oval (5.30pm)

Sunday 14 June
A2 v C2, Lord's (1.30pm)
A1 v B2, Lord's (5.30pm)

Monday 15 June
B1 v A2, The Oval (1.30pm)
B2 v C1, The Oval (5.30pm)

Tuesday 16 June
D1 v C2, Trent Bridge (1.30pm)
D2 v A1, Trent Bridge (5.30pm)

Semi-finals:

Thursday 18 June
Winner of Group E v runner up of Group F, Trent Bridge (5.30pm)

Friday 19 June
Winner of Group F v runner up of Group E, The Oval (5.30pm)

Final
Sunday 21 June Lord's (3pm)

Strauss helps England win damp squib fourth ODI

Andrew Strauss gathered 79 from 61 balls to lead England to a nine-wicket victory under the Duckworth-Lewis Method over West Indies in the rain-affected fourth One-day International at Kensington Oval on Sunday.

Fortune and the D/L Method again smiled on England, following a two-hour long delay for rain which left the tourists with a victory target of 135 from 20 overs.

They got over the line with nine balls to spare, when Strauss guided Dwayne Bravo to third man for his ninth four.

The result means the series is now tied 2-2 and sets up a thrilling conclusion on Friday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia, if the West Indies players back down from their threat to strike in protest to outstanding issues with the West Indies Cricket Board.

The rain started during the interval between innings, after England sent West Indies in to bat and the home team made 239 for nine from 50 overs.

When play resumed, England were given a solid base of 108 off 87 balls from their captain Strauss and fellow opener Ravi Bopara.

Strauss reached his 50 from 41 balls, when he chipped Kieron Pollard into square leg for a single.

Once he and Bopara set things up with a volley of handsome strokes and nimble running between the wickets, the rest was academic, although they lost Bopara for 35 skying a catch to deep fine leg off Pollard, when 27 were needed from 33 balls.

Earlier, England had been upstaged when Bravo gathered 69 from 72 balls to give a late boost to the West Indies total.

England had recovered from another hammering from Chris Gayle and looked in control when West Indies slumped to 145 for six in the 35th over.

But the tourists were again put on the defensive, when Bravo boosted the West Indies total with an innings that included seven fours and two sixes.

Had Andrew Flintoff held a sharp return chance, when Bravo was on 32 in the 42nd over the script could have been slightly different.

England paid for Flintoff's miss in the late over, when Bravo smote James Anderson over mid-wicket for four to reach his 50 from 61 balls and then struck the next ball in the same direction for a six before Stuart Broad skied Stuart Broad to deep mid-wicket in the 48th over.

England's bowlers had again been savaged early, when Gayle raced to 46 from 39 balls in an opening stand of 72 before Broad made the breakthrough in the 13th over, having caught by ?keeper Matt Prior.

England then reduced West Indies slipped to 83 for three in 16th over, and then Dimitri Mascarenhas claimed Denesh Ramdin for 26, Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 27, and Kieron Pollard for a duck to leave the innings in tatters.

But England failed to get on top of Bravo, and the runs flowed towards the end for the West Indies innings, but fortunately for England, so too did the rain.

Mascarenhas was England's most successful bowler with three for 26 from 10 overs, and Stuart Broad took three for 62 from 10 overs.

Premature for India to confirm tri-series: CSA

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa have yet to decide if they will participate in a tri-series in Zimbabwe later this year, making India's announcement that the event would go ahead premature, Cricket South Africa said on Tuesday.

The Indian cricket board said on Monday that India would join South Africa and hosts Zimbabwe for a one-day series in July.

"It's way too premature for India to confirm that this series is going ahead," CSA chief executive Gerald Majola told reporters.

"Zimbabwe have spoken to CSA about it but our board still needs to decide whether to reinstate bilateral relations with Zimbabwe."

CSA suspended cricketing agreements with its neighbour in June last year because of political turmoil in Zimbabwe.

South Africa's players have not been consulted about a possible tour and South African Cricketers' Association chief executive Tony Irish said the time when it was scheduled to take place had been earmarked as a rest period for them.

Ton-up Strauss can't save England

Andrew Strauss hit his third one-day international hundred, but England still went down to a 21-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday.

The captain made 105 from 129 balls as England, chasing 265 for victory, were dismissed for 243 in 48.2 overs to allow West Indies to draw level at 1-1 in the five-match series.

The third and fourth matches will be contested at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Friday and Sunday, with the final game set for St. Lucia on April 6.

England had won the opener here on Friday when West Indies coach John Dyson embarrassingly miscalculated the Duckworth-Lewis method and handed his opponents a one-run win.

"We lost too many wickets too early and we were always behind the eight ball," admitted Strauss.

"We needed things to go our way in the last powerplay but with the medium pacers bowling, it wasn't easy to get the ball away. It was getting lower and slower, so we had to take risks to get runs.

"It would have been nice to have gone 2-0 in the series, but we have a good chance of winning in Barbados where the wicket might suit us better."

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle said his team had a point to prove.

"We were really down after what happened on Friday," said Gayle. "We wanted to give the crowd something to cheer about and I want to commend the guys for the way they played."

Man-of-the-match Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored his 10th one-day hundred of 112 not out from 134 balls to lead West Indies to 264 for eight from their 50 overs.

Strauss reached his hundred from 126 balls with a drive through cover for two off Kieron Pollard, but England lost wickets steadily.

Their best stands were 50 between Strauss and Owais Shah for the third wicket, and 59 between the England captain and Dmitri Mascarenhas for the sixth.

Mascarenhas made 29 and Shah made 22 and were the only other batsmen that passed 20. Dwayne Bravo and Pollard both collected two wickets for West Indies.

Earlier, England, particularly Paul Collingwood and Mascarenhas, bowling their modest medium-pace, restricted West Indies to 57 runs in the last 10 overs and collected four cheap wickets to scupper the home team's hunt for quick late runs.

The tourists had been under pressure from Chanderpaul and compatriot Ramnaresh Sarwan when they put on 133 from 177 balls for the third wicket, after West Indies elected to bat and lost Lendl Simmons for a duck and fellow opener Gayle, for 20, inside the first six overs.

Urged on by the largest crowd for an international match in Guyana, Chanderpaul and Sarwan hit 74 from 89 balls.

But James Anderson had Sarwan caught at deep mid-off in the 35th over, and Collingwood and Mascarenhas prevailed in the closing overs to limit the damage of the West Indies batsmen.

Anderson captured three for 37 from nine overs, Collingwood took three for 49 from 10 overs, and Dimitri Mascarenhas bagged two for 53 from 10 overs.

India beats NZ by 10 wickets to clinch series

Virender Sehwag sped to a century from 60 balls, the seventh fastest in limited-overs international history, as India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in a rain-reduced contest Wednesday to clinch the series with a match to spare.

Sehwag's hundred was the fastest by an Indian batsman in one day internationals, beating Mohammad Azharuddin's 62-ball effort against New Zealand at Baroda 21 years ago, and helped clinched India's first win in a limited-overs series in New Zealand.

Sehwag finished 125 not out from 74 ball and Gautam Gambhir was 63 not out as India reached 201 without loss in 23.3 overs, replying to New Zealand's 270 from 47 overs in a rain-affected match. India's unbroken opening partnership was the largest to win a match in one-day international history.

"I love it," Sehwag said. "I know how the pitches behave here. I played here also in 2003 and scored two hundreds that time.

"This time the pitches are so flat and good to bat on."

Sehwag blasted 14 fours and six sixes in an innings which, around three rain interruptions, occupied only 139 minutes. He rushed to a half century from 31 balls and helped India reached 100 in 54 minutes from 69 balls.

Sehwag passed his century in 87 minutes with 13 fours and four sixes, adding his second 50 from only 29 balls.

Two rain interruptions during New Zealand's innings left them facing only 47 overs and they seemed to have achieved a competitive total of 270 for five.

Brendon McCullum made 77 in an opening partnership of 102 with Jesse Ryder (46) then, after a middle order collapse which saw five wickets fall for 73 runs, Peter McGlashan and Grant Elliott added 95 from 61 balls in an unbeaten stand for the sixth wicket.

McGlashan made 56 not out, his maiden international half century, and Elliott 35 not out in a stand which gave New Zealand some hope of arresting India's domination of the series.

India began chasing 280 from 47 overs under Duckworth-Lewis calculations, then 262 off 43 overs and, finally, 220 off 36 as their chase was twice revised after rain interruptions. They were well ahead of New Zealand on Duckworth-Lewis comparisons when rain finally ended the match in the 24th over, shortly after 9 p.m.

"It was a good old fashioned hiding," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said. "We didn't really get ourselves in the game. We were a little bit short on the runs and then Sehwag and Gambhir played outstandingly to take the game away from us."

Vettori said New Zealand needed to win the fifth and final match of the series in Auckland on Saturday _ a match which is already sold out _ for "our own credibility and our own peace of mind."

Indian captain M.S.Dhoni was delighted that India had won so comprehensively in its first run chase of the series.

"It was amazing to see the way Sehwag and Gambhir batted," he said.

"They took calculated risks. They targeted a few bowlers to go after and I think that's the key. We wanted to play our natural cricket and that's what they were doing.

"They were rotating the strike, chipping the boundaries and in between Sehwag was at his best."

India won two of the first three matches heading into Wednesday's match and the other was washed out.

Australia clinched the Test series against South Africa

Australia clinched the Test series against South Africa when they won the second Test by 175 runs at Kingsmead here on Tuesday.

South Africa were bowled out for 370 in their second innings with 37.4 overs to spare on the final day.

The series win enabled Australia to bounce back after losing a home series against the same opponents earlier in the season.

The victory was virtually sealed when the tourists dismissed overnight batsmen Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers inside the first hour.

South Africa lost another two wickets before lunch. Although Mark Boucher and Morne Morkel resisted for 79 minutes after the break, the end came quickly after Boucher gave a return catch to part-time spinner Marcus North.

A win for Australia would clinch the three-match series after they won the first Test in Johannesburg by 162 runs.

Kallis and De Villiers made their third wicket stand worth 187 before Kallis was caught at second slip off Mitchell Johnson in the sixth over of the day for 93.

Kallis added just five runs after being dropped by Michael Clarke at point off Ben Hilfenhaus in the previous over.

Three overs later De Villiers was caught behind in Peter Siddle's first over of the day for 84.

With no chance of chasing down a target of 546, Duminy and Boucher resisted for an hour until Duminy was caught behind for 17, gloving a vicious lifter from Hilfenhaus.

Paul Harris was caught at deep midwicket off occasional left-arm spinner Simon Katich, who went on to take two more wickets and finish with figures of three for 45.

Australia took the new ball which was due when South Africa resumed at 244 for two at the start of the day.