Sri Lanka Wary Of Afridi Threat

sri Lanka have pinpointed the all-round talents of Shahid Afridi as the main threat to their hopes of securing World Twenty20 glory at Lord's on Sunday.

The 29-year-old all-rounder has already underlined his value to Pakistan during this tournament, claiming the man-of-the-match award for a brilliant display to help shock favourites South Africa and secure a seven-run semi-final triumph.

Afridi hammered 51 off 34 balls and then claimed two for 16 in his four overs, removing South African dangermen Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, to serve notice of his potential danger to Sri Lanka's hopes of lifting the trophy.

His performance has made Sri Lanka wary enough to concentrate their planning for the final around Afridi's talents, although they are more than aware of the threat posed by other members of Pakistan's line-up.

"We've faced some of the players we're going to play against and Afridi is a player who can take the game away from you in a few overs," conceded Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.

"We can't get caught up in one player, although we'll probably discuss a few plans for him about how we can try and get him out early or if he stays for a while how to minimise the damage.

"We will be thinking about Afridi, but we will also be thinking about all the other Pakistan players and most of all we need to focus on what we will be doing on Sunday and making sure we have a lot of self-belief walking out."

Sri Lanka successfully limited Afridi's influence during their Super Eights encounter at Lord's earlier in the tournament when he dismissed both their openers but fell for a duck to Muttiah Muralitharan as Pakistan lost by 15 runs.

Since then, though, Pakistan have regrouped and completed victories over New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa to reach their second successive World Twenty20 final with both seamer Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal enjoying successful tournaments with 12 victims apiece.

They are in a group of four players leading the list of top wicket-takers alongside Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis and strike bowler Lasith Malinga to set up an intriguing separate battle during Sunday's final.

"We have played them many times before, but in T20 every single game is taken in isolation," said Sangakkara. "The game can change very quickly and different players come into their own so we have to prepare ourselves to meet any challenge that comes our way and maybe walk away with the trophy."

Should they do so it will represent a remarkable triumph just three months after their team bus was attacked by terrorists in Lahore as they made their way to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second Test against Pakistan.

Several players suffered minor injuries, including Sangakkara, while the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels was also recently concluded to cause more unrest in Sri Lanka, which would make any final success all the more emotional.

"Hopefully there will not be much emotion," said Sangakkara. "I think we have to control that part if we want to be mentally strong enough to do what we need to do tomorrow.

"I think the guys have moved on very well from where we were just after Lahore. We are going to make sure that whatever emotions come our way we're going to control them and use them as a positive to try and win a game."

Sri Lanka are again expected to name an unchanged side, which will again exclude top-rated one-day bowler Nuwan Kulasekara, as they chase their first global trophy since winning the 1996 World Cup with Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan in their line-up.

"I've been in a final and a semi-final before. Now there is a chance to win a final," added Sangakkara. "We have guys in the team who have already tasted that victory and they have always told us that there's no feeling like that."

Teams:

Pakistan (from): Younus Khan (captain), Shahzaib Hasan, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamir, Ahmed Shahzad, Iftikhar Anjum, Salman Butt, Sohail Tanvir.

Sri Lanka (from): KC Sangakkara (captain, wkt), TM Dilshan, ST Jayasuriya, DPMD Jayawardene, LPC Silva, J Mubarak, AD Mathews, BAW Mendis, M Muralitharan, SL Malinga, I Udana, KMDN Kulasekara, MF Maharoof.

akistan v Sri Lanka, ICC World Twenty20 final, Lord's

akistan v Sri Lanka, ICC World Twenty20 final, Lord's

Top-order batting gives Sri Lanka an edge

Cricinfo looks at the important numbers ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 final

S Rajesh

June 20, 2009

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The path to the final has been quite a contrast for the two teams, with Sri Lanka winning six in a row and Pakistan losing two along the way, but none of that will matter when the two teams clash for the title in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 final at Lord's on Sunday. Cricinfo looks at the important numbers ahead of that final.

The overall numbers

Sri Lanka have been consistency personified in the tournament so far, winning all six games, and are only another victory away from equalling South Africa's record of seven wins in a row. Standing in their way, though, is a resurgent Pakistan outfit, who have shrugged off two defeats early in the tournament, and were particularly impressive in their semi-final win against South Africa.

The form book still favours Sri Lanka, but not by much. They have been the better team with the bat so far, with a higher average and run rate, while there's little to choose between the bowling efforts of the two teams. Sri Lanka have taken 50 wickets so far - the highest by any team in the tournament - while Pakistan are second-best with 46, but there's hardly any difference between the bowling averages and the economy rates of the two teams.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the tournament so far

Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in R rate
Pakistan	25.02	7.51	17.15	6.80	7.87	0.71
Sri Lanka	27.48	8.08	16.26	7.09	11.22	0.99

The first six overs

Thanks largely to Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka are clearly the better batting team at the start of the innings, scoring plenty of runs, and doing so without losing too many wickets. Dilshan has scored 317 runs so far - thehighest in the tournament - of which 156 have come in the first six overs. He has only been dismissed once during this period, which gives him a fantastic average of 156, at a strike rate of 9.73 runs per over during the Powerplay overs. In comparison, Sanath Jayasuriya has a strike rate of 6.70 in the first six. Dilshan has hammered 25 fours in the 90 balls he has faced in the Powerplays, and how Pakistan control him early in the innings could have a huge bearing on Sunday's result.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have been sluggish at the start, averaging only 7.38 runs per over in the first six, which is less than the rate at which they have conceded runs during this period. As the table below indicates, Sri Lanka have generally taken the initiative at the start, while Pakistan have relied on fightbacks in the later overs to make up for lost ground in the early part of the innings.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the first six overs

Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in r rate
Pakistan	24.18	7.38	34.87	7.75	-10.69	-0.37
Sri Lanka	63.20	8.77	23.72	7.25	39.48	1.52

The middle eight overs (7-14)

This is where Pakistan have generally begun their fightback. The batting has been solid, while the bowlers have taken 18 wickets, the highest by any team during the middle overs. Sri Lanka's bowlers have been effective too, with 15 wickets at an excellent economy rate, but their batsmen have tended to lose the momentum of the early overs, averaging less than seven runs per over.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the middle eight overs

Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in r rate
Pakistan	38.44	7.33	16.33	6.12	22.11	1.21
Sri Lanka	27.75	6.93	19.26	6.02	8.49	0.91

The last six overs

Pakistan have been outstanding with the ball during this period, taking 20 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of less than seven runs per over. Sri Lanka have taken more wickets during this period - 24 - but they've also gone at more than eight-and-a-half per over. Both teams have had exceptional bowlers to handle the final overs: Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Lasith Malinga have all taken eight wickets at sub-ten averages and excellent economy rates (5.25 for Ajmal, 5.55 for Gul, and 7.44 for Malinga).

Sri Lanka have been the better team, though, averaging almost one run more per over (8.94 to 7.96).

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the last six overs

Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in r rate
Pakistan	17.07	7.96	10.80	6.75	6.27	1.21
Sri Lanka	17.38	8.94	10.95	8.57	6.43	0.37

Partnership stats

The table below again illustrates how important the opening partnership has been for Sri Lanka: they've scored 300 runs at an average of 50 and a rate of 8.57 per over, which is far superior to Pakistan's effort at the top of the order. Pakistan's best efforts have been for the second and fourth wickets, while Sri Lanka have slipped up slightly during these periods. Overall, though, Sri Lanka have had far more meaningful partnerships than Pakistan - seven half-century and one century stand for the Lankans, compared to just three fifty partnerships for Pakistan.

Wicket-wise partnerships for Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Wicket	Pak - ave stand	Run rate	100s/ 50s	SL - ave stand	Run rate	100s/ 50s
First	22.16	7.18	0/ 0	50.00	8.57	1/ 2
Second	31.66	8.44	0/ 0	21.50	7.16	0/ 1
Third	18.33	6.60	0/ 1	32.00	7.43	0/ 2
Fourth	39.16	7.87	0/ 2	27.83	8.35	0/ 2
Fifth	24.00	7.02	0/ 0	20.00	8.45	0/ 0
Sixth	22.00	7.54	0/ 0	28.00	9.33	0/ 0

Run-scoring patterns

Contrary to what one might expect, Pakistan have played out fewer dot balls, taken more singles, twos and threes, and hit fewer boundaries. Sri Lanka have struck 107 fours to 69 for Pakistan, though Pakistan are slightly ahead in the sixes tally (17 to 14). Dilshan alone has smashed 46 fours, the highest in the tournament - Jacques Kallis, in second place, has 28.

How Pakistan and Sri Lanka have scored their runs

Team	Dot balls	Percentage	1s, 2s, 3s	Percentage	4s & 6s	Percentage
Pakistan	241	35.49	351	51.69	86	12.66
Sri Lanka	272	38.09	321	44.96	121	16.95

Sri Lanka have also bowled more dot balls at their opponents, though Pakistan have been more stingy in terms of conceding boundaries.

How Pakistan and Sri Lanka have conceded their runs

Team	Dot balls	Percentage	1s, 2s, 3s	Percentage	4s & 6s	Percentage
Pakistan	294	42.24	326	46.84	76	10.92
Sri Lanka	305	44.33	291	42.30	91	13.23

The extras factor

Pakistan have bowled eight no-balls to just three by Sri Lanka, with Gul and Sohail Tanvir each contributing three. Sri Lanka have been guilty of conceding more wides, though - 28, to 24 by Pakistan. Malinga leads the tally with 12, while Isuru Udana and Gul have bowled seven each.

Bat first or field first?

Both teams have shown a clear preference for batting first and then putting the pressure on the opposition with their incisive bowling attacks. Five out of Sri Lanka's six wins have come when batting first (the only exception was against Australia, when they chased down 160), while Pakistan have won every time they have batted first. Of the three occasions when they have batted second, they have lost twice, with the only win coming against New Zealand. Given that it'll be a high-pressure game on Sunday, it's almost certain the team winning the toss will choose to bat first.

Head-to-head

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have played each other four times in Twenty20 internationals, and each team has won twice. This includes a meeting in a final, of a four-nation tournament in Canada, which Sri Lanka won by five wickets.

PCB's quest for stability not easy

Five former Test cricketers, four of them captains, are trying their best to protect the PCB from the clutches of politicians.

By Soumitra Bose and Shreyas Sharma

Cricket and politics have always gone hand-in-hand in Pakistan, but this time, if Wasim Akram is to be believed, the winds of change are blowing.

The PCB was left without a chairman after Naseem Ashraf resigned following the fall of the Pervez Musharraf government. After the sports ministry took over the affairs of the cricket Board, matters seemed to be getting out of control until Pakistan's Big Five decided to act in Lahore on Sunday. A team comprising Akram, Waqar Younis, Rameeez Raja, Saeed Anwar and Mushtaq Ahmed met law minister Farooq Naek to take stock of PCB affairs.

"The meeting went off well and we are sure, PCB will get back its autonomy," Akram told Mobile ESPN on Monday. The legendary quickie added the minister assured that the current scenario was a "temporary phase" and President Asif Zardari "will name a chairman in the next 10-20 days".

Akram said the appointment of the new chairman will be key to Pakistan's future. "Not only will it bring back autonomy but will indicate who leads the national side. There is a lot of question mark on Shoaib Malik's captaincy and there is a lot of pressure on the fellow," Akram said.

The Big Five has requested the law minister to review the PCB consitiution. "We have suggested the constitution should allow for a cricket committee that will comprise five players with each more than 50 Tests' experience. This committee will have the final say on all decisions pertaining to the game and free from diktats by the chairman or CEO," Akram said.

Even as cricket attempts to turn a new leaf in Pakistan, the formation of the cricket committee will surely ruffle a few feathers, especially those who have been enjoying power for so long. The PCB's current general manager (cricket operations), Zakir Khan, will be the first to face the boot if the 50-Test rule applies. Khan has just played two Test matches and according to Akram, "not ideal" to run cricket.

Politics has always played an active role in cricket administration in the sub-continent. India is relatively better of than Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Zardari, already under pressure to establish himself as the President of his trouble-torn nation in world politics, may not have much time for cricket. The formation of the Cricket Committee may be the answer, but given Pakistan's history of anarchy and mistrust among senior players and administrators, the search for stability will be a dream come true.

'It's my turn now to stand up' - Ponting

It has been ten years since Ricky Ponting first landed in India to play a Test. Three visits, eight Tests and an average of 12.28. Ponting failed in 1998 against Anil Kumble and Venkatapathy Raju but the ambush by Harbhajan Singh in 2001 is what really haunts him.

"That first dismissal in the first Test was where it all started for me," Ponting said in Hyderabad. Tellingly, it was Harbhajan's first delivery to Ponting in Test cricket. The ball looped, gripped, and turned in viciously. Ponting, on 0, lunged to defend but the ball lobbed off the bat and pad to short leg.

It was the beginning of the end for him. "I was always trying to find a different way to play, fearing that one delivery I guess," he said. In the second Test, he fell playing off the back foot in the first innings and attempting to sweep in the second. In the final Test he returned to those signature fatal lunges. Ponting's humiliation was total; Harbhajan had taken him out five times in five innings in the series.

It was time for introspection. "The reason for my poor performance was that I didn't trust myself; I didn't trust my technique," Ponting said. "I ended up getting stumped, caught at bat-pad sweeping. I tried almost everything and nothing worked. Every time I tried something, I got out pretty soon after. They are the lessons to be learnt I guess from coming here." In 2004 his failure in the only game he played can be discounted as it came on a devilish spin track in Mumbai.

Having burnt his fingers trying various options, Ponting said he was going to stick to one game plan this time. "I have spoken to a lot of guys this week about working out a style of playing you think is going to work for you ... and when you have worked it out, making sure you stick to it. Even if you do get out a couple of times early, you know that if you stick to those things that have worked for you in the past, some will go your way and you will end up scoring some runs. I have to be strong and stick to what I know is going to work."

The Hyderabad tour game, in specific Ponting's practice routine in the nets, offered some clues to his thought process. He was seen getting outside the line of the turning ball by taking an off-stump guard against the offspinners as a possible preparation for Harbhajan. His record against Harbhajan is awful: eight dismissals from nine games at 9.50. The worst bit about that stat is it includes games in Australia. Harbhajan knows he owns Ponting. When asked about the secret of his stranglehold, Harbhajan recently said, "He hasn't batted for long enough against me, so I don't know."Ponting searches for his own repartee. "Sri Lanka is probably the hardest spinning condition to play in. I have got a record there, as good as anybody, and against a set of bowlers a whole lot more skilled than Harbhajan might be."

He maintains his travails against Harbhajan were not "much of a mental thing". The problem, according to him, is the first 10-15 minutes against spin. "That's the challenging period. When you look at it, whenever I have got out to spin, it has been very early on. He has obviously had a very good run against me. He did that in the 2001 series and even back in Australia in the last series, he got me out three times in the Test series."

What gives him confidence that he can succeed this time? Ponting is drawing self-belief from his improved technique after his duels with Muttiah Muralitharan and sessions with India's former coach Greg Chappell. "It's about getting through that initial period. I feel like I have got the technique now to get through that," he said. "My record everywhere else is great. I have enjoyed having Greg Chappell around. He's obviously a great player in his own right and a very good coach.

"I discussed a few different things with him, as most of our batters probably have. They are the little things that you need here. Sometimes, it's just the real fine-tuning sort of thing that you might need with your technique to do well. One of our strengths is that a lot of our batsmen, in particular, talk amongst themselves about little things they might do, techniques they might use in different conditions. I am in good shape."

Ponting is desperate to remove the Indian spin asterisk from his career record. "It means a lot to me to do well here. I haven't done well here in the past. So I guess it's my turn now, my time now to stand up and make sure I am scoring some runs. I have had pretty much six weeks without any batting at all, trying to get over this wrist injury and it has come along pretty well. I just have to keep working hard and push myself and everything will then look after itself." Ponting's greatest test of character begins this Thursday and will run through this month. It is the battle of the series.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

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Bangladesh include three uncapped players

Bangladesh have included three uncapped youngsters in their squad for three ODIs against New Zealand. Theexodus of players to the unofficial ICL has prompted the selectors to call up three players from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Academy - Imrul Kayes, Naeem Islam, and Mahbubul Alam.

Kayes, a 21-year-old left-hand opener, scored 299 runs at 37.37 during the Academy's recent tour of Sri Lanka. Naeem, a middle-order batsman and part-time offspinner, captained the team, which won the one-dayers 2-1. Alam, a medium-pacer, was the leading wicket-taker on the tour, with 16 wickets in six games at 21.12 apiece.

"Kayes and Naeem are talented young batsmen while Robin [Alam] has proved his worth as a medium-fast bowler," chief selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP. "We hope we can win at least one match in the series."

Mohammad Ashrafal leads the 14-man squad, which includes six batsmen, two allrounders, a wicketkeeper, and five bowlers. Mushfiqur Rahim returns to the team with Dhiman Ghosh, the kepper on the tour of Australia, having joined the ICL. Raqibul Hasan, who fractured his right thumb in Australia last month, has not been selected. Left-arm medium-pacer Syed Rasel, who has been plagued by injuries in the past year, has been included.

The series starts on October 9 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Junaid Siddique, Kayes, Mehrab Hossain jnr and Rasel have been named in the BCB XI squad to face the New Zealanders in a warm-up game on Tuesday.

Bangladesh's pool of talent was severely depleted when 14 players joined the ICL's latest franchise, the Dhaka Warriors. They include recent internationals Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali, Shahriar Nafees, Farhad Reza, Ghosh, Mosharraf Hossain and Nazimuddin.

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