28
GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday March 25, 2014
Steyn and Duminy steer S. Africa to thrilling win (REUTERS) - Dale Steyn and JP Duminy led South Africa to a thrilling two-run win over Group One rivals New Zealand yesterday that kept them in the hunt for a semi-final spot at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. South Africa, who lost their opening match to Sri Lanka, struggled early on and needed a blistering unbeaten 86 off 43 balls by Duminy to reach 170 for six. New Zealand seemed to be cruising in their reply thanks to Kane Williamson’s 35-ball 51 and Ross Taylor’s 62. They needed 31 off 24 deliveries with seven wickets in hand but a brilliant two-over
spell from Steyn (4-17) turned the match on its head. The fiery paceman dismissed the dangerous Corey Anderson for seven in the 18th over and then picked up two for four in the last over with the Kiwis, who beat England in their first match, requiring seven for victory. Taylor, needing three off the last ball, was run-out. “I was thinking all the time, Dale is my trump card and I need to bring him back in the game because he was bowling beautifully,” South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who missed the Sri Lanka match with injury, said at the
presentation. “But with the way they were hitting the ball ... it was a fantastic effort from Dale. “We were in huge trouble at the start. JP took his time and then hit it sweetly at the end. Fantastic effort and one of the best innings I have seen him play.” Leg-spinner Imran Tahir also played a key role, taking two for 27, but paceman Morne Morkel had a day to forget as he went for 50 in three overs. “Credit to South Africa for the way they hung in there ... We probably should have won it pretty easily,” New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said. JP Duminy takes a few balls to get his eye in but is soon attacking the New Zealand bowlers with some unorthodox strokeplay in his unbeaten 86.
“But you can’t probably take it to the last over against such a quality bowler like Dale Steyn. “Little bit of luck today and we would have got across the line but credit to South Africa for their performance.” Earlier, Hashim Amla (41) and Duminy fought back with a 55-run stand after South Africa had slumped to 42 for three. The fourth-wicket partnership was broken in bizarre fashion when Amla thumped a ball from Anderson and it hit Duminy’s bat at the non-striker’s end before spooning up for the bowler to complete an easy catch. Duminy was full of improvised strokes, bludgeoning 10 fours and three sixes as his side added 70 runs in the last five overs.
Hapless Netherlands shot out for 39 by Sri Lanka … Netherlands fold for record low total
(REUTERS) - Sri Lanka skittled qualifiers Netherlands for 39, a record low total in Twenty20 Internationals, to romp to a nine-wicket win and close in on a semi-final place at the World Twenty20 yesterday. Paceman Angelo Mathews blew the Dutch top order away with a three-wicket burst while spinner Ajantha Mendis mowed down the lower order as Netherlands folded in 10.3 overs. Sri Lanka lost Kusal Perera (14) but chased down the target in five overs to top Group One with four points after their second successive victory in the tournament. It was also the biggest victory in Twenty20 Internationals in terms of balls to spare. “We let a few people down here tonight,” losing captain Peter Borren said at the presentation ceremony, terming it “just shocking batting” by his team. “We are representing more than just us here. We’re representing the associates and we’ve to regroup pretty quickly.”
Ajantha Mendis finishes with figures of 3 for 12. Put in to bat at Chitt a g o n g ’s Z a h u r A h m e d Chowdhury Stadium, the Dutch, who stunned Ireland in their previous match to qualify for the Super 10 stage, offered little resistance to a Sri Lankan side eyeing their maiden World Twenty20 title. Nuwan Kulasekara dismissed Stephan Myburg with his third delivery before the sorry Dutch could open their
account and Mathews came up with a three-wicket burst to reduce the minnows to nine for four in four overs. The Dutch gloom was reflected in a partial floodlight malfunction in the second over that held up play for a short while. Lasith Malinga’s double strikes further pegged back the Dutch before Mendis (312) wrecked the lower order to complete the rout. For Netherlands, only Tom Cooper (16) reached double figures while five of his team mates were out for ducks. Kenya’s 56 all out in 18.4 overs against Afghanistan in Sharjah last year was the previous lowest score in Twenty20 Internationals. “This is not something we saw coming ... I bet the guys there (in dressing room) are pretty embarrassed, as I am now,” said Borren, admitting this kind of performance would not do any good to the aspirations of cricket’s second-tier nations.
Serena, Sharapova again on Miami collision course By Steve Keating MIAMI, Florida (Reuters) - Sixtime Miami champion Serena Williams and five-time runner-up Maria Sharapova remained on another Sony Open collision course after each recorded fourth-round wins yesterday. While Williams and Sharapova clashed in last year’s final there will be no championship rematch on Saturday at Crandon Park with the American and Russian on the same side of the draw and closing in on a semi-final showdown. After getting her title defence off to a slow start world number one Williams, who lives an hour’s drive from the
Crandon Park Tennis Center and considers the event her home tournament, stepped it up a gear against Coco Vandeweghe sweeping past the young American qualifier 6-3, 6-1 in 79 minutes. Fourth seed Sharapova got a much-needed wake-up call after sleep-walking her way through the opening set of her match before dispatching Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. German fifth seed Angelique Kerber also needed three sets to get by Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Williams, a minority owner of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins, once again stepped onto the
court dressed in her team’s turquoise and orange colours and kicked off the match by claiming the only break of the opening set for the early lead. In the second set, Williams simply blitzed Vandeweghe, overpowering the 22-year-old who managed to hold her serve just once against the 17-time grand slam winner. Sharapova, playing the first match of the day on a drowsy and overcast centre court, appeared to have trouble getting up for her fourthround contest, as did many of the ticket holders with only a few hundred spectators sprinkled across the quiet stadium as play began.