Dilshan named player of World Twenty20

Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan was on Sunday named as the player of the tournament at the World Twenty20 despite being dismissed for nought in the eight-wicket final defeat to Pakistan.
Opening the innings throughout the tournament, Dilshan scored a total of 317 runs at a strike-rate of 144.74 and an average above 52.
He scored three half-centuries in the tournament and his unbeaten 96 in the semi-final against the West Indies was the highest individual total of the tournament.
That innings almost single-handedly dragged Sri Lanka to a score that it was then able to defend and it caused his captain Kumar Sangakkara to hail Dilshan as "a pioneer stroke-maker in Twenty20".
Dilshan also hit more boundaries than any other player, his 46 fours and three sixes well clear of the next biggest tally of hits both to and over the ropes, 28 fours and four sixes by South Africa's Jacques Kallis.
And his batting was talked about not only for its excellence but also for its innovation, with his ability to flip fast and medium-paced bowlers past his nose and over the wicketkeeper's head to the boundary one of the enduring memories of the action for all that saw it.
Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee and himself a two-time World Cup winner at Lord's, said: "Tillakaratne has been a tower of strength for Sri Lanka throughout this tournament. He has impressed us all with his improvisation, courage out in the middle and wonderful range of shots.
"I'm not sure how he manages to play that scoop shot - if I had tried that when I played I think I would have ended up with a mouth full of ball - but it was wonderful entertainment and his contribution really gave the tournament a boost."

Younus Khan retires from T20 after world final win

Pakistan captain Younus Khan announced his retirement from T20 internationals after leading his side to victory in the 2009 Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka at Lord's here on Sunday.
"This is my last Twenty20 game (for Pakistan), so I am retiring from T20 internationals," Younus said after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
"I am now 34, I am old for this kind of cricket. The good thing is we have a couple of good youngsters like Shahzaib (Hasan) and Ahmad Shahzad."
However, gifted batsman Younus - who has appeared in 60 Tests and 186 one-day internationals - is set to continue his international career in the longer formats of the game.

Fired-up Pakistan lift World Twenty20 title

Pakistan won their first major title in 17 years when they stunned Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the World Twenty20 final at a sell-out Lord's here on Sunday.
Seamer Abdul Razzaq claimed three wickets as Pakistan bowled and fielded aggressively to restrict Sri Lanka to 138-6, then coasted home easily with eight deliveries to spare.
Shahid Afridi hit an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls, his second consecutive half-century, and former captain Shoaib Malik made 24 not out during a match-winning partnership of 76 for the undefeated third wicket.
Pakistan, runners-up to India in the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago, ended Sri Lanka's unbeaten run in the tournament with style.
Pakistan last won an official multi-nation tournament in 1992 when Imran Khan's team lifted the World Cup by beating England in the final at the Melbourne cricket ground in Australia.
Sunday's win by Younus Khan's team gave Pakistanis back home reason to cheer as the cricket-mad nation has been deprived of international tours due to security concerns in the volatile nation.
The International Cricket Council has already ruled out holding World Cup matches in Pakistan in 2011 following the militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore on March 3.
Pakistani openers Kamran Akmal and Shahzaib Hasan ensured there were no early scares as they put on 48 for the first wicket in seven overs.
Sanath Jayasuriya broke through with his first delivery in the next over when he beat Akmal in the air with his left-arm spin and had him stumped for 37 off 28 balls.
Jayasuriya then took a catch to get rid of Shahzaib off Muttiah Muralitharan for 19, but Afridi and Malik took Pakistan home amid loud celebrations from their fans in the stands.
Sri Lanka were dealt quick blows after captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to take first strike on a slow wicket.
The Lankans slumped to 2-2 in the first nine balls and that became 34-4 before Sangakkara himself led the rescue act with a defiant unbeaten 64 from 52 balls.
Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews put on 68 for the unbroken seventh wicket as Sri Lanka plundered 59 runs in the final five overs.
Mathews returned unbeaten on 35 off 24 balls.
Pakistan got off to a sensational start when teenage fast bowler Mohammad Aamir sent back the in-form Tillekaratne Dilshan with the fifth ball of the match.
Dilshan, the tournament's leading scorer with 317 runs, miscued a pull shot off the speedy left-armer and was caught at backward square-leg by Shahzaib Hasan for zero.
Four balls later, Shahzaib grabbed his second catch at mid-off as Jehan Mubarak skied a leading edge off Razzaq, who shared the new ball with Aamir.
Jayasuriya counter-attacked with a six and four in Razzaq's second over, but the bowler hit back two balls later as the left-handed veteran edged a ball on to his stumps after making 17.
Razzaq, who replaced the injured Yasir Arafat after ending his links with the rebel Indian Cricket League, struck again in his third over when Misbah-ul Haq dived to his right at slip to remove Mahela Jayawardene for one.

Edwards to miss first two India ODIs

West Indies have named a 13-man squad without Fidel Edwards for the first two one-day internationals against India this coming Friday and Sunday at Sabina Park in Kingston.
The fast bowler withdrew from last Monday's Super Eight win over England in the Twenty20 World Cup seconds before the toss, after injuring himself in the warm-up.
It was later confirmed that the problem was an irritation of a nerve root in his lower back.
Edwards did not play on Friday in the semi-final at The Oval against Sri Lanka which West Indies lost by 57 runs to exit the competition.
West Indies officials have given no clear indication about how long Edwards is expected to be out of the game with the injury.
The selectors have rewarded Darren Bravo, the younger brother of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, with his maiden call for West Indies, after a season of consistent scoring for his native Trinidad & Tobago in domestic competition.
The left-hander is the only new member of the squad, and his batting style has drawn more than a passing comparison to that of his fellow Trinidadian and West Indies batting legend Brian Lara.
The younger Bravo scored 605 runs at an average of 43.21 in nine matches of the West Indies domestic first-class competition this year.
The selectors have kept faith with the majority of players that formed the squad for either the previous ODI series against England in May, or the Twenty20 World Cup.
But they have overlooked batsman Lendl Simmons, as well as all-rounders Kieron Pollard, and Darren Sammy.

Squad:

Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice captain), Lionel Baker, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard Jr, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Runako Morton, Ravi Rampaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor

India aims to put Twenty20 failure behind them

India have arrived in the Caribbean promising to put the bad memory of their failure in the Twenty20 World Cup behind them.
The Indians face West Indies in four One-day Internationals on their brief trip to the Caribbean fresh from their exit from the Twenty20 World Cup at the Super Eight stage.
"When it comes to playing for your country, you don't really need motivation to go out and perform," said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on arrival.
"West Indies are playing good cricket at the moment. They (had) a very good Twenty20 World Cup, but in the 50 overs, you have time to settle down. After playing so much Twenty20 games, 50 overs seem like a Test match."
The Indian players have had a surfeit of Twenty20 matches, after going straight into the Twenty20 World Cup, following the second staging of the Indian Premier League in South Africa, and this has led to the visitors missing four key players through injury.
Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar opted to take time off to fully recover from a finger injury he sustained during the IPL.
Shoulder injuries have sidelined talismanic opener Virender Sehwag and left-arm strike bowler Zaheer Khan, and middle-order batsman Suresh Raina has a hairline fracture in one of his thumbs.
"You're always going to miss them because they are great players, but it's a great opportunity for a tour of this nature for young players to show what they're made of," said India coach Gary Kirsten.
"We're looking to those young players for the future as well. This is a great opportunity for these guys to stake their claim."
Kirsten also noted that India have been in great form in ODIs over the last year, losing only three matches of 18, and his side will be looking forward to extending that form.
The first two ODIs take place at Sabina Park on Friday and Sunday, followed by two more the following Friday and Sunday at St. Lucia's Beausejour Cricket Ground.
Squad:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wkt), Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, Murali Vijay, Subramaniam Badrinath, Rudra Pratap Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik.

West Indies captain Gayle ready to sting India

West Indian captain Chris Gayle is not losing heart after the semi-final loss in the World Twenty20 and has vowed to bounce back in the upcoming one-day series against India.
The West Indies exited from the tournament on Friday after a stinging 57-run defeat by Sri Lanka at the Oval, but Gayle said he was proud that his team had reached the semi-finals.
"Of course we are disappointed because we too wanted to be in the final, but that does not take anything away from the way the team has played through this tournament.
"I am proud of the boys, they put everything into it. We backed ourselves and came this far. It is a great learning experience for the younger players in the team.
"If they learn the lessons quickly we should be able to capitalise in home conditions when the World Twenty20 is held in the Caribbean next year."
Gayle hoped West Indian fans were happy at the team's performance in the tournament after it was routed 2-0 in the preceding bilateral Test series against England.
"Fans are very hard to please," said Gayle. "They only want victory everytime. I just want to say tough luck to the fans. But I hope they will keep supporting us and stop cursing.
"I say to my fans that we will fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee, we'll be back. What can I do about it? Ask Muhammad Ali!"
The West Indies were outplayed on Friday after Tillakaratne Dilshan's unbeaten 96 in Sri Lanka's 158-5 was followed by an astonishing first over from rising fast bowler Angelo Mathews.
Mathews claimed three wickets in five balls as the Windies slipped to 1-3 and were shot out for 101 despite Gayle carrying his bat for an unbeaten 63.
"The three wickets in the first over set us back and we could not overcome that as we kept losing wickets regularly," said Gayle.
"You need partnerships in any form of the game, but this is especially true of Twenty20 cricket.
"All credit to Dilshan for the way he batted. I thought we had a good start to keep them down in the first six overs and Dilshan was their only batsman among the runs.
"He just did not give us a chance and helped set a decent total for Sri Lanka."
Gayle said he looked forward to the four one-day matches against India in the Caribbean starting later this month.
"We will get back home for a few days and start another series soon," the West Indian captain said.
"India may not have made the semi-finals here and we did, but we start from scratch and have to do all the hard work again.
"India is always a good one-day team, so it is bound to be a tough series."
Asked whether he will put his money on Sri Lanka or Pakistan in Sunday's final, Gayle quipped: "I am broke, maan!"
"But we can't ask for a better final. We have two quality teams and so it should be a quality final."

Sangakkara hails 'pioneer' Dilshan

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara hailed Tillekaratne Dilshan as a "pioneer" on Friday after the opener hit an unbeaten 96 to lead his side past West Indies and into the World Twenty20 final.
Sri Lanka cruised to a comfortable 57-run win at the Oval and will now take on Pakistan in the final at Lord's on Sunday.
"I have run out of superlatives for Dilshan. He is a pioneer stroke-maker in Twenty20," said Sangakkara.
"The best thing is that he understands his role and has become very responsible and mature. He has finally understood how good he is."
Dilshan's knock was the centrepiece of Sri Lanka's 158 for five with his 57-ball innings, which featured two sixes and 12 fours, the equal third-best in Twenty20 international history.
Fellow opener Sanath Jayasuriya (24) and Angelo Mathews (12 not out) were the only other Sri Lankan batsmen to reach double figures.
Mathews then took three wickets in the first over of the West Indies reply and the Caribbean side never recovered as they finished on 101 all out with captain Chris Gayle carrying his bat for 63 not out.
"It's Mathews's first major international tour and you can't ask for much more than three wickets in the first over," added Sangakkara.
"To get three top order batsmen out is a great start. We have a great bowling attack, they are all thinking cricketers.
"Now we will take this confidence into the final against Pakistan. We'll concentrate on getting our basics right, we'll be responsible and execute our game plan."
Dilshan said he was learning all the time in the international arena.
"I got the start I wanted. I've been in good form in the last six months in the IPL and in international cricket," said the opener, who was named man of the match.
Gayle said the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow after his bowlers had limited the flamboyant Sri Lankans to 158-5.
"I'm very disappointed. I thought batting was our strength," said Gayle.
"Dilshan took the game away from us. But we have struggled to get a start and get runs on the board.
"We'll come back as a better unit and learn things from this."

It's our turn now, says Pakistan's Younus

Pakistan captain Younus Khan wants his team to win the World Twenty20 title to bring joy to the millions in his volatile country starved of big-time cricket.
"We are one match away and we will do our best to win," said Younus after his team knocked out favourites South Africa in Thursday's semi-final at Trent Bridge here.
"We want to make people back home happy. Winning the title will mean a lot to them and that will inspire us in the final. One more game and the World Cup will be ours."
Pakistan has become the pariah of world cricket after being shunned by foreign teams due to security concerns which forced the Champions Trophy and World Cup matches to be shifted out of the country.
Pakistan, runners-up to India in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago, will play either Sri Lanka or the West Indies in the final at Lord's on Sunday.
Younus said it did not matter who Pakistan play in the final, but admitted he will keenly watch the second semi-final at the Oval on Friday.
"We will keep track of both Sri Lanka and the West Indies. They are tough sides but we are not worried who we play.
"We will just go out and put our best effort, like we did against South Africa."
Pakistan rode on a brilliant all-round performance by Shahid Afridi to pip South Africa by seven runs and end the Proteas' five-match winning streak in the tournament.
Afridi smashed 51 from 34 balls and then grabbed 2-16 with his leg-spin as Pakistan successfully defended 149-4 to restrict the favoured Proteas to 142-5 before a sell-out crowd at Trent Bridge.
"Afridi is the sort of player who wins games on his own," said Younus. "He has done it here and I know he wants to repeat this in the final as well."
Younus said the five-run defeat by India in the 2007 final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg still hurt, and he hoped the team will not make the same mistake again.
"We felt terrible after losing that one. You come so close and then it all goes away. Hopefully, we will do better this time."
Pakistan bounced back twice over the last two weeks to keep their hopes alive.
Younus' men lost their opening preliminary match against England, but then thrashed the Netherlands to advance to the Super Eights.
There was another defeat in the second round against Sri Lanka, but Pakistan came back strongly to defeat New Zealand in a key game before overpowering Ireland to make the semi-finals.
"We are slow starters, but we have shown through this tournament that we can match any other side on our day and will take a lot to beat us," said Younus.
Against South Africa, Afridi plundered eight boundaries, including four in succession off Johan Botha, after Pakistan elected to bat on a wicket that slowed down as the evening progressed.
Veteran Jacques Kallis made a brave attempt to take the South Africans home, striking seven fours and a six in 64 from 54 balls, but the other batsmen faltered against the spot-on attack.
It did not matter at the end that Pakistan, who were 120-3 after 15 overs, failed to build on the early advantage and managed just 29 runs in the final five overs.

Afridi lifts Pakistan into World T20 final

Shahid Afridi shone with bat and ball as Pakistan dumped South Africa by seven runs to storm into the World Twenty20 final here on Thursday.
The maverick batsman smashed 51 from 34 balls and then grabbed 2-16 with his leg-spin as Pakistan successfully defended 149-4 to restrict the favoured Proteas to 142-5 before a sell-out crowd at Trent Bridge.
Pakistan, runners-up to India in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago, await the winners of Friday's semi-final between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Sunday's final at Lord's.
Afridi plundered eight boundaries, including four in succession off Johan Botha, after Pakistan elected to bat on a wicket that slowed down as the evening progressed.
Veteran Jacques Kallis made a brave attempt to take the South Africans home, striking seven fours and a six in 64 from 54 balls, but the other batsmen faltered against the spot-on attack.
South Africa made a steady start in reply as openers Kallis and Graeme Smith reached 40 by the sixth over.
Smith failed to make use of an early chance when he was dropped by Umar Gul as he skied a return catch to Mohammad Aamir after making 10.
Afridi, coming on to bowl in the seventh over, struck twice in four deliveries when he bowled Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers to make South Africa 50-3 in 8.3 overs.
Afridi and fellow-spinner Saeed Ajmal, made runs hard to come by, and when the dangerous Gul came on to bowl in the 14th over, South Africa needed a further 77 from 42 balls.
Kallis and JP Duminy raised South Africa's hopes by adding 61 from 53 balls for the fourth wicket, but Ajmal broke the threatening stand by having Kallis caught in the deep in the 18th over.
Duminy remained unbeaten on 44 from 39 balls but the task of needing 23 runs in the last over bowled by Aamir proved too much for him and Mark Boucher.
It did not matter at the end that Pakistan, who were 120-3 after 15 overs, failed to build on the early advantage and managed just 29 runs in the final five overs.
Pakistan had made a frenetic start, racing to 28 off the first 15 deliveries but at the cost of two wickets.
After Kamran Akmal had taken eight runs in Dale Steyn's first over, Shahzaib Hasan fell in the second over for zero when he miscued a big hit off left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell.
Akmal struck a six in Steyn's second over, but fell off the next delivery as he top-edged a pull to Morkel at mid-on. Akmal made 23 from 12 balls with four boundaries and a six.
Afridi, promoted to number three, swung Kallis for two fours in one over as Pakistan reached 47-2 by the time the field restrictions ended after the sixth.
Afridi brought up his half-century off 33 deliveries after slamming off-spinner Botha for four consecutive boundaries in the 11th over that realised 18 runs.
A desperate Smith turned to slow bowler Duminy in the 13th over and struck gold first ball as Afridi holed out to mid-wicket.

Spin doctor Ramdin ready for Sri Lanka test

West Indies wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin believes it is imperative they dominate Sri Lanka's unusual spin attack if they are to win Friday's World Twenty20 semi-final at the Oval.
Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis have posed numerous problems for batsmen during Sri Lanka's unbeaten run to the last four while round arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga has also been in the wickets.
"It's very rare you get two world-class spinners like this in the same side," said Ramdin.
"We want to get on top of them early so their captain has to take them off and bring them on later, so our plan is to get on top of them as they come on to bowl."
Ramdin added the key to playing Mendis, who flicks the ball off his fingers, was to treat him as a seamer.
"He's a mystery spinner, but as a batsman you just go out there and try and play each ball on merit," said West Indies' vice-captain.
"He's not spinning the ball as much as everyone expected so what we're trying to do is play him as medium pacer, hit him down the ground for ones and twos and wait for the bad ball.
"Their bowling line-up is quite tricky with Murali, Mendis and Malinga but we have to try and back ourselves."
Whoever comes out on top at the Oval will face the winners of Thursday's Trent Bridge clash between Pakistan and South Africa in Sunday's Lord's final.

Zaheer, Tendulkar rested for West Indies tour

India's cricket selectors on Wednesday rested key players Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan for the limited-overs tour of West Indies starting later this month.
Tendulkar, the world's most prolific Test and one-day batsman, is recovering from a finger injury that he aggravated during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa last month.
Bowling spearhead Zaheer was rested as he was suffering from a shoulder injury, the selectors said in a media release.
Left-handed batsman Suresh Raina was also not considered for selection after he sustained a hairline fracture on his thumb.
"Raina been advised two weeks' rest," the release said.
Left-arm quick Ashish Nehra returned to the squad after four years on the sidelines, thanks to his impressive show in the IPL where he picked up 19 wickets for the Delhi Daredevils.
All-rounder Abhishek Nayar earned his maiden call-up to the Indian squad while opener Murali Vijay also made a comeback in the absence of the injured Virender Sehwag.
Sehwag missed the World Twenty20 in England with a shoulder injury.
India, who won the inaugural T20 Worlds in South Africa two years ago, lost both their Super Eight matches to the West Indies and hosts England to be knocked out before the semi-finals.
The Indians have been on the road since February, sparking fears of player burnout and a growing list of injured players.

India's squad:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Yuvraj Singh (vice-capt), Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Vijay, Subramaniam Badrinath, Abhishek Nayar, Dinesh Karthik, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Ashish Nehra.

Coach: Gary Kirsten (RSA)

India' schedule in West Indies:

June 26: First one-dayer, Jamaica

June 28: Second one-dayer, Jamaica

July 3: Third one-dayer, St. Lucia

July 5: Fourth one-dayer, St. Lucia

Sri Lankan novelty lights up T20

After Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene had reversed-swept him off the back of the bat during their World Twenty20 Super Eights win over New Zealand at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, Jacob Oram smiled.
The all-rounder's expression, a mixture of bewilderment and admiration, neatly summed up the reaction of many people watching the match and was just the latest example of Sri Lanka's enduring penchant for cricket unorthodoxy.
Jaywardene's team-mate Tillekaratne Dilshan has wowed crowds at the tournament with the 'Dillscoop', an extraordinary shot where he goes down on one knee as if to sweep only to lever the ball past the wicket-keeper's head.
But there is nothing new about Sri Lanka changing the way cricket is played. It is now more than a decade since opener Sanath Jayasuriya revolutionised the approach to batting at the start of the one-day innings by lofting the ball over the infield and even carving the ball for sixes square of the wicket on the offside.
Jayasuriya's dynamism helped Sri Lanka win the 1996 World Cup and was an example of how the island's players were allowed to remain true to their natural style.
The most obvious example is in the array of unorthodox bowlers who've taken the field for Sri Lanka be they prodigious off-break star Muttiah Muralitharan, mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis and round-arm pace bowler Lasith Malinga.
But thought, as well as talent, plays a part.
Jayawardene, best known as a classically elegant batsman, was not the first man to reverse sweep a bowler off the back of the bat.
Australia's Andrew Symonds has been seen playing the shot but, according to Jayawardene, it was one of the all-rounder's compatriots, the former Test opener John Dyson, now the coach of the West Indies, who ought to be credited with the creation of the stroke.
"This is something I've worked with (Sri Lanka coach) Trevor Bayliss on.
"He was saying that Dyson used to do that in Australia. He used to tap it with the other side because he couldn't sweep.
"A lot of teams bring third man up these days and I thought I'll give it a go. Hopefully it will keep working.
But there is another Sri Lankan who, in his own quiet way, has also helped the side into a World Twenty20 semi-finals against the West Indies at the Oval on Friday.
Pace bowler Isuru Udana, who took two for 17 on Tusday, has outbowled the quicker and more highly regarded Nuwan Kulasekara at this tournament by deceiving several batsmen with the slow pace of his deliveries.
Some observers have asked why he needs such a lengthy run given the speed the ball arrives at the other end but, intentional or not, the effect has been to cause confusion.
Oram was one such example, clean bowled by Udana after getting through his shot so early his bottom hand had come off the bat as the ball crashed into his stumps on Tuesday. He for one might be glad of a break from facing Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka bank on spinners for T20 success

Sri Lanka expect the spinners to pick up another rich haul when they take on the West Indies in the World Twenty20 semi-final at the Oval on Friday.
The Sri Lankans have bulldozed their way through the tournament with five straight wins, mainly on the back of spin twins Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan who lead a balanced bowling attack.
Mendis, who puzzles batsmen by turning the ball both ways with one visible action, has so far picked up 11 wickets in the tournament, just one behind Pakistani seamer Umar Gul's tally of 12.
Muralitharan has five wickets, while fast bowler Lasith Malinga has picked up 10 with a mix of toe-crushing yorkers and slower deliveries.
Former captain Mahela Jayawardene, who handed the reigns to Kumar Sangakkara before the tournament, said he was confident the bowlers will deliver at the crunch time.
"Look, Murali can turn the ball on any surface," Jayawardene said of the star off-spinner, who is the world's highest wicket-taker in both Tests and one-day cricket.
"And if Ajantha sticks to his plans, we have a fairly good chance of going all the way."
Mendis grabbed 3-9 in three overs as Sri Lanka routed New Zealand by 48 runs in their last Super Eights match at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
The Black Caps failed miserably to chase down a target of 159 in a must-win game and were shot out for 110 in 17 overs.
Jayawardene said the team was taking it one match at a time and would not be carried away just because they had reached the semi-finals.
"We set goals for ourselves when we came to the tournament. At the start was going through the first round, then the Super Eights.
"Now we have two goals left, win the semis and the final. But we have to stay calm and focussed on the job at hand."
Jaywardene said the secret of Sri Lanka's success in the tournament was trying to stay one step ahead of the others, like bringing on the slow bowlers in the first six overs when the field was inside the circle.
"As a team we realise we have to peak at a certain time in the tournament," he said. "Teams analyse you these days so what we are trying to do is stay one step ahead of the others.
"Sometimes it works, other times it does not work, but as long as the attitude is there and the confidence is there to do that, it will help in the long run.
"The good things is we have so many bowling options that we can use them at any time depending on the situation and what we want to achieve.
"We have asked the guys to be prepared at any given time."
Sangakkara was excited about having a bowler like Mendis in the side.
"Ajantha was brilliant. He is very difficult to read and he has an attacking mindset. It's a great ability to have," said Sangakkara.
"He has a great leg break, but he varies his deliveries depending on whether or not he is bowling to a left or right-hander."
Sri Lanka, runners-up at the 50-overs-a-side World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007, failed to make the semi-finals in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa later that year.

Bangladesh lifts ban on ICL rebels

The Bangladesh Cricket Board Tuesday lifted its ban on players who had defected to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), allowing them to rejoin domestic cricket.
"The board has withdrawn the ban against all 14 cricketers who joined the Indian Cricket League," board spokesman Rabeed Imam said.
"They are now free to play all forms of domestic cricket. They can also be considered for the national team provided they are fit and excel in the local leagues," he said.
The board said the ban was lifted after the players, including former captain Habibul Bashar and ace bowler Mohammad Rafique, resigned from the ICL and submitted their termination papers.
The board had offered the ICL players an amnesty last month, asking them to return to the official fold by June 15.
In September, the rebels were slapped with a 10-year ban for joining the ICL, which is not recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The ICL's recruitment of the players, reportedly for contracts worth 200,000 dollars each, dealt a huge blow to cricket in Bangladesh, with the national side forced to recruit from academy and under-19 teams.
Last week, an under-strength Bangladesh crashed out of World Twenty20 in the first round after losing to India and non-Test nation Ireland.

West Indies beat England, reach Twenty20 semis

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul steered the West Indies into the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 at England's expense as they beat the hosts by five wickets on the Duckworth/Lewis method here Monday.
West Indies, set a revised target of 80 in nine overs after rain delayed the start of the second innings, finished on 82 for five at the Oval with four balls to spare to triumph in a Super Eights match where the winners knew they were going through to the last four.
Sarwan was 19 not out and Chanderpaul 17 not out, their unbroken stand worth 37 after West Indies had been wobbling at 45 for five in the sixth over.
But the experienced duo got the target down to 16 off two overs.
And that became four off seven balls when left-hander Chanderpaul clipped Stuart Broad off his pads for a boundary.
They were left needing three off the last over from Ryan Sidebottom and Sarwan's second ball four saw them home.
Earlier, West Indies captain Chris Gayle square cut James Anderson for four but later in the first over opening partner Andre Fletcher fell for his third straight duck when he skied the bowler to wicket-keeper James Foster.
That left the West Indies six for one but in the next over, from left-arm quick Sidebottom, Gayle drove and square cut two superb boundaries.
However, with his fifth ball, Sidebottom bowled the left-hander for 15 and the West Indies were 16 for two.
And the very next ball that became 16 for three when Lendl Simmons was out for a golden duck after a cut off Stuart Broad flew straight to Sidebottom at third man.
But Kieron Pollard rallied West Indies by driving off-spinner Graeme Swann for six.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid was then launched for six first ball over extra-cover by Dwayne Bravo but hit back fourth ball to bowl Pollard.
West Indies were 43 for four at the end of five overs but two balls later Foster, who'd stumped India star Yuvraj Singh during England's nailbiting three-run win which saw the defending champions go out at Lord's on Sunday, whipped off the bails to get rid of Bravo.
Sarwan though counter-attacked with a cover-driven four off Anderson and next ball whipped him down to the fine leg boundary.
England made 161 for six in their full 20 overs.
Ravi Bopara top-scored with 55 but no other batsman made more than Kevin Pietersen's 31.
Pietersen, who made 46 against India, pulled his first ball, from Pollard, for four and next ball flicked him behind square for another boundary.
Opener Bopara too showed plenty of class in on-driving Darren Sammy, a late replacement for the injured Fidel Edwards (back) and fellow quick Jerome Taylor for high quality boundaries.
But a stand worth 56 was ended when Pietersen was caught by Andre Fletcher at deep square leg off medium-pacer Simmons for 31.
Bopara, having made a fine fifty, could not press on and was lbw to occasional off-spinner Gayle.

Pakistan end Ireland's T20 adventure

Pakistan ended Ireland's slim hopes of qualifying for the World Twenty20 semi-finals with a 39-run victory at the Oval here on Monday.
Pakistan made 159 for five and then held Ireland - the only non-Test side to have qualified for the second round Super Eights - to 120 for nine, with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal taking four wickets for 19 runs.
Victory all but assured Pakistan of a place in the last four with Tuesday's match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka set to decide which two teams qualify out of Group F.
Opener Kamran Akmal's 57 was the cornerstone of Pakistan's total in an innings where Ireland off-spinner Kyle McCallan again proved his worth with two wickets for 26 runs.
Meanwhile, pace bowler Boyd Rankin's four overs cost just 11 runs.
Akmal faced 51 balls with a six and five fours.
Ireland lost opener Niall O'Brien early in their chase when the wicket-keeper was caught and bowled off a miscued hook by 17-year-old paceman Mohammad Amir.
Paul Stirling, himself only 18, came in for his first match of the tournament with Ireland 13 for one but got off the mark first ball with a superb cover-driven four off left-armer Aamir.
But the teenager, on 16, became the latest batsman to be bowled playing across the line against leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, who struck with his sixth ball and Ireland were 42 for two off seven overs.
Ireland captain William Porterfield batted steadily for 40 off 36 balls but when he was caught by opposing skipper Younus Khan off the bowling of Ajmal, Ireland were 87 for three in the 14th over.
With six overs left Ireland needed 72 more runs to win.
John Mooney, trying to keep Ireland up with the rate, also fell to Ajmal after he was caught in the deep by Abdul Razzaq.
Then Umar Gul, who took a Twenty20 international record five wickets against New Zealand, got in on the act by bowling Trent Johnston for a duck.
At 99 for five in the 17th over the game was up for Ireland, who later saw four tailend wickets tumble for three runs in six balls.
Both Akmal and fellow opener Shahzaib Hasan struck a six off Johnston, whose four overs went for an expensive 45.
The 19-year-old Shahzaib holed out off seamer Alex Cusack, who took four wickets in Ireland's narrow nine-run loss to Sri Lanka at Lord's on Sunday.
The hard-hitting Afridi showed glimpses of his talent while making 24 before striking McCallan's third ball straight to Mooney at long-on.
And 78 for two became 102 for three in the 13th over when Younus was bowled after an ugly slog sweep against New Zealand born left-arm spinner Regan West.
Akmal, looking to press on, was dismissed by a Johnston yorker as he went down the pitch.

I feel sorry for Dhoni, says Smith

South Africa captain Graeme Smith offered his support to under-fire India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday after the defending champions crashed out of the World Twenty20.
India's three-run defeat to England at Lord's on Sunday sparked an avalanche of criticism aimed at Dhoni with his tactical thinking coming under fire from the country's demanding fans.
"Mahendra is a very composed person but a few tactical decisions of theirs have come under scrutiny and that's always difficult to deal with as a leader," said Smith whose team face India in their final Super Eights match at Trent Bridge here on Tuesday.
"If you've captained for long enough, you've been through those phases of your career. As a leader, when things aren't going to plan, they will turn on you. How you handle yourself and handle those situations is a sign of the type of character you are and where you're going in your career.
"I certainly had a few moments like that but hopefully we won't be facing that in this competition. Maybe it's someone else's turn."
Smith added: "We all know India, on paper, are a supremely talented team with lots of options so it was a surprise to see them not perform to that standard in Super Eights."
South Africa have already sealed their place in the semi-finals are almost certain to play their last-four match here on Thursday as Group E winners.
"(Tuesday's match) is not important to the competition but we still want to go out and play well," said Smith.
"In terms of the levels which you are playing and in terms of your combinations it is important for our semi-final.
"It is about challenging ourselves to play at the levels we have been. The challenge for us is to maintain our level of play; it's a very difficult competition if you don't do that.
"It's important, no matter what the result, that we play at the level we are comfortable with.
"Twenty20 is all about adapting to situations, committing to your skills and being well-prepared tactically."

Indian media slams team for T20 failure

Millions of cricket-crazy fans in India woke up Monday to disbelief and dismay after the defending champions were knocked out of the World Twenty20 by England.
The defeat at Lord's -- by just three runs -- meant India, who won the inaugural 2007 edition in South Africa, have no chance of progressing further in the tournament.
'OUT' read a huge headline in the Indian Express, which described the team's performance as undignified and said the close margin of defeat did not reflect how poorly the Indians played.
The paper put the blame on India's batsmen who struggled to cope with an aggressive pace bowling attack.
"There will be time for post-mortems but first impressions are that they should have seen it coming. The West Indies quicks had them hopping around on Friday night and they got more of the same on Sunday," it said.
"England's quick bowlers got the short ball talking and India's batting bullies found themselves uncomfortably shuffling backwards."
The Times of India said India had lacked energy and performed poorly in the field.
"India fielded like novices to complicate their chances," it said.
"Even Sachin Tendulkar's presence in the Indian dressing room and a packed house, mostly made of Indians, didn't seem to inspire (captain Mahendra Singh) Dhoni and his boys."
Dhoni, often hailed as an inspiring skipper, was the target of much of the criticism from appalled TV channels.
"Dhoni is to be blamed for the defeat. There was no reason for him to promote Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the match-winning Yuvraj Singh," said NDTV's match report, focusing on the captain's batting order decisions.
A scathing report in The Pioneer said "tired" India deserved their fate given their preparations for the tournament.
"Though Dhoni denied it on all occasions, his boys were wholesomely tired," it said.
"(They were) not merely jetlagged coming from South Africa to India to England but cripplingly fatigued from the game itself."
Nilesh Mathur, a software engineer, told AFP he had stayed awake late into the night to watch the game.
"I thought England, who lost even to the Dutch earlier on in the tournament, won't stand a chance against our champion side," he said. "But I was proved wrong."

T20 a bowlers' game, says Sangakkara

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said Twenty20 cricket was now a bowlers' game after his side were given a major scare by Ireland.
The only non-Test team left in the World Twenty20, Ireland held Sangakkara's side to 144 for nine at Lord's on Sunday before tight bowling from the likes of Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga restricted the minnows to 135 for seven.
Victory by nine runs preserved Sri Lanka's unbeaten record at the tournament but it needed a 78 from former skipper Mahela Jayawardene, in an innings where only three batsmen made double figures, to give their bowlers a target they could defend.
"I think Twenty20 is fast becoming a bowlers' game rather than a batsmen's game," said Sangakkara after seeing Jayawardene lead a Sri Lanka revival after they'd slumped to 14 for two.
"Bowlers have an opportunity to take wickets with almost every ball they bowl and I think the most successful bowlers in England in the Twenty20 format have been the spinners."
Sri Lanka, who face New Zealand in their final Super Eights match in Nottingham on Tuesday, are now on the brink of qualifying for the semi-finals and wicket-keeper Sangakkara was clear about the reasons for their success.
"The fact remains that if you have two or three guys in your side who are bowling well and who are putting pressure on the opposition by cutting the runs down, the batsmen are going to attack someone else, that's a given," he said.
"You've got to accept that and understand who is going for runs and whether you have enough depth in your bowling to absorb that pressure and really come back hard and take wickets and again cut the runs down."
Paceman Nuwan Kulasekara was expensive against Ireland, with one wicket for 47 runs from four overs, but unorthodox quick Malinga took two for 19 and spinner Mendis two for 22.
"A few of our bowlers did go for runs but the rest of the guys took wickets at crucial times," said Sangakkara.
Jayawardene, who according to his captain "batted beautifully" was glad with the bulk of his 53-ball innings, which featured a six and nine fours, although unhappy he did not bat through to the end of the 20 overs.
"We were in a bit of a situation where we needed some runs as well as to bat through," Jayawardene said.
"I probably had a little bit of luck to start with and then I got into the groove but I was disappointed, I should have finished the innings."
He added: "The ideal scenario would be everything to go our way but that's not going to happen every game. So on that day, whoever gets the responsibility to bat through the innings has to do that and the others bat around him."
Malinga has proved hard to handle for many of the world's best batsmen, let alone Ireland's, but Jayawardene said his unusual style belied the effort the seamer out into his game.
"He's got a natural advantage with his slingy action but I think the hallmark of Lasith Malinga as with nearly all our Sri Lankan cricketers is that he works hard in the nets," Jayawardene said.
"There's no secret to his accuracy, it's just a lot of hard work."
Meanwhile, Sangakkara insisted this result would not dent Sri Lanka's self-belief.
"You always expect a fight in Twenty20 cricket. If you are defending 144, the other side are always going to get close, the key is not to let them get close enough."

Fatigue no excuse for India exit, says Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni refused to blame a packed playing schedule for the defending champions World Twenty20 exit at the hands of England.
Defeat by three runs at Lord's on Sunday meant India, who won the inaugural 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa, no longer had any chance of reaching the semi-finals ahead of their final Super Eights match against South Africa at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
Leading Indian players such as wicket-keeper/batsman Dhoni have been on a virtual non-stop carousel of cricket for the past two years, their international commitments and the Indian Premier League leaving them with little time for a break.
But Dhoni said: "If a cricketer says he didn't perform well because he was tired, it's a bad excuse. The more cricket you play the better it is. We can't say we didn't do well because we are playing too much cricket, we just didn't play well."
As for the IPL, which this year was staged in South Africa because of security concerns, Dhoni said: "It is a demanding event but it is not an excuse. If you can see I looked tired, I should be the one responsible for it."
India held England to 153 for seven but could only manage 150 for five as they struggled against short-pitched bowling from England's pace attack at a packed Lord's.
Big-hitting Yuvraj Singh, who famously smashed six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad at the 2007 tournament, only appeared at the fall of the fourth wicket despite the sluggish progress made by the top order.
"I am very disappointed," said Dhoni. "We were not up to the mark. Hopefully, this will be a good learning lesson.
"It's not the first time in Twenty20 that the bouncer was used. When you are out of the sub-continent bouncers will be bowled and they bowled them well."
Asked about Yuvraj's place in the batting order, Dhoni replied: "Maybe next time I will send in Yuvraj.
"If I knew Yuvraj would do it for the team, I would have promoted him. What we hoped is that Ravindra Jadeja would stabilise for a few overs. I didn't want Yuvraj to bat under pressure as early as the third or fourth over."
India's build up to this tournament was overshadowed by reports of a bust-up between Dhoni and star opening batsman Virender Sehwag, who in the end didn't play at the World Twenty20 because of a shoulder injury.
"We know what really happened," said Dhoni as he again tried to defuse talk of a major row. "In the dressing room the atmosphere was great.
"Sehwag, when he starts off, the bowler is under pressure. We missed him but that was because of an injury."
He added: "We are more upset than the fans but we understand their emotion."
However, Dhoni stressed he did not feel as low now as when India made an early exit from the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.
"Cricket never tests your character when you are doing well but as a player and a team when you are not doing well.
"We were never up to the mark but we will improve, most of the guys are youngsters and they will play for another eight years or so. This loss is disappointing but it doesn't come close to the 2007 World Cup."

England knock champions India out of ICC World Twenty20

England knocked defending champions India out of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 with a three-run victory in their second-round match at Lord's on Sunday.
India needed 19 off the last over to stay in the tournament but, despite a one-handed six by Yusuf Pathan over long-off, the task was too much and they finished on 150 for five.
The England victory silenced the large contingent of noisy Indian fans packed into Lord's and India failed to make the semi-finals after also losing their first Super Eight match against West Indies on Friday.
Off-spinner Graeme Swann captured the crucial wicket of Yuvraj Singh for 17, including two sixes, stumped neatly by James Foster.
Left-arm swing bowler Ryan Sidebottom, returning to the side in place of leg-spinner Adil Rashid, bowled the final over and was given the man-of-the-match award after capturing two for 31 from his four overs.
England lost Luke Wright for one in the second over after losing the toss and being asked to bat.
Ravi Bopara and Kevin Pietersen added 71 for the second wicket with Bopara hooking the first six of the match off Ishant Sharma.
Pietersen whipped Sharma through mid-wicket for four and moved down the pitch to left-arm paceman RP Singh as if he were playing a spinner to off-drive a four.
The introduction of Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin seemed to turn the match India's way. Jadeja bowled Bopara for 37 and dismissed Pietersen lbw for 46, trying to sweep a full delivery.
But five wides from Harbhajan Singh in the final over allowed to England to creep to 153 for seven, a defendable total on a pitch offering variable bounce.

India keep England down to 153-7 in must-win game

Steady bowling by India restricted hosts England to 153-7 in a key Super Eights match of the World Twenty20 at Lord's here on Sunday.
Kevin Pietersen top-scored with 46 off 27 balls, with three fours and a six, after sharing a second-wicket stand of 71 with opener Ravi Bopara (37).
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh picked up three wickets, but England's lower order retrieved the situation by adding 53 runs in the last five overs.
England's total was boosted by 16 extras, that included 14 wides.
India, the defending champions, need a win to stay in the tournament after losing their opening Super Eights match against the West Indies at Lord's on Friday.
England, who also lost their first match to South Africa, will remain in contention even if they lose, provided they beat the West Indies and hope the Proteas defeat India in the last match.
South Africa will then advance to the semi-finals with three wins, with England, India and the West Indies tied with one win each and left to battle net run-rates.
Pietersen and Bopara took charge after Luke Wright had fallen in the second over, top-edging a pull off Rudra Pratap Singh.
The duo brought up their 50 partnership off 35 balls before left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja broke the stand in his first over by bowling Bopara.
Jadeja, playing his first match in the tournament in place of Irfan Pathan, then claimed the dangerous Pietersen leg-before as the batsman attempted to sweep.
Harbhajan lured Owais Shah (12) to hole out to Jadeja on the mid-wicket fence before removing James Foster and Graeme Swann off successive deliveries.
"It's a good wicket to bat on and it's a total we can chase," said Harbhajan.
"The wicket is a little slower than the one we played on against the West Indies here, but in the evening the ball should come onto the bat."
Harbhajan said he was delighted to bowl the 'death' overs for India.
"You have to vary your pace, line and length in Twenty20 otherwise you will go for a lot of runs."

Fans abuse Bangladesh captain for T20 exit

Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammad Ashraful was harangued by protesting fans when he returned home after his team crashed out of the World Twenty20 tournament in the first round.
About a dozen furious supporters rallied at Dhaka airport, carrying placards and chanting "resign, resign" at Ashraful, who apologised for Bangladesh's failure.
Ashraful flew back from England late Saturday after his side lost to India and lowly Ireland in their two first-round matches.
"We really played badly against Ireland. On behalf of my team, I am sorry to the nation," he told reporters.
"I can understand that the fans are very much disappointed and angry after our defeat to Ireland. Even my family is upset with our performance. I apologise for the poor show."
Bangladesh needed a victory against Ireland in their second match at Nottingham on June 8 but they lost by six wickets.
The 24-year-old batsman said he would not quit as captain despite making only 11 and 14 runs in the two matches.
"The board has given me this job and it's up to them whether they will let me continue or not," Ashraful said. "But I want to continue as captain as I am enjoying the role and trying my best."
The team's Australian coach, Jamie Siddons, criticised Bangladeshi players for refusing to listen to his guidance and for "ridiculous" batting in the tournament.

Smith says South Africa can win T20 title

South Africa captain Graeme Smith said his side were well-placed to triumph at the World Twenty20 after extending their unbeaten record at the tournament with a 20-run win over the West Indies.
That victory, coupled with a seven-wicket defeat of hosts England earlier in the week, meant South Africa had won their opening two Super Eights matches.
The Proteas, who are within touching distance of the semi-finals, complete their second round programme against defending champions India at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
"I really believe we can win it," said Smith after South Africa's win over the West Indies at The Oval.
"But there is a long way to go, a lot of cricket to be played and a lot of good teams in this competition.
"It's been a successful week but a tough one. We get an extra day now before we play India and I'm comfortable with where we are, you can't argue with the performances or the results we have turned out in this competition so far.
"As a team we try to challenge ourselves. There are always things to improve but if we play our best and with our intensity, if we perform to our potential, then we will be difficult to beat."
South Africa made 183 for seven, Herschelle Gibbs top-scoring with 55, before holding the West Indies to 163 for nine in an innings where teenage left-arm quick Wayne Parnell took four wickets for 13 runs.
"You really need to be on top of your game against the West Indies, especially here at the Oval where the conditions suit them," explained Smith.
Parnell, 19, who took three wickets against England, said: "It's still a batsman's game but if you bowl well you can pick up wickets.
"I enjoy bowling at the death. I have developed my yorker in the last 10 months and I am adding other things to my game."
India went down to a seven-wicket loss to the West Indies at Lord's on Friday.
Before they play South Africa they face England on Sunday at Lord's and Smith said of his team's clash with the title-holders: "There is a lot of cricket in the group before that.
"India had not been really tested in the competition until Friday. I think they will have taken a lot of lessons from that.
"It was their first real competitive game so it going to be interesting to see how they go before Tuesday."

Waqar and Wasim are inspiration, says record-breaking Gul

Record-breaking Pakistan seamer Umar Gul dedicated his five-wicket Twenty20 haul to legendary spearheads Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram on Saturday.
Gul became the first bowler to claim five wickets in a T20 international as Pakistan roared back into contention in the world championships with a six-wicket win over New Zealand.
His figues of 5-6 in three overs helped skittle the Black Caps for a paltry 99 in 18.3 overs at the Oval in a crucial Super Eights match as Pakistan, the runners-up in 2007, stayed on course for the semi-finals.
"I have really developed my yorker by watching videos of Waqar and Wasim. They have really helped me," said Gul.
"In Twenty20, you have to be able to bowl the yorker, bouncer and the slower ball. Now I want to be the highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
"My captain just told me to go and get wickets and that's what I did."
New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, playing his first match of the tournament after suffering a shoulder injury, admitted his team had flopped.
"To score 99 wasn't good enough," said Vettori.
"Pakistan got the ball in all the right areas and attacked. We just didn't get any momentum going and that's important for all aspects of the game.
"It's a lottery trying to defend such a total."
Pakistan skipper Younus Khan was full of praise for Gul.
"His bowling was the turning point for us and it was a good toss to lose," said Younus.

Five-wicket Gul wrecks Kiwis

Umar Gul became the first bowler to claim five wickets in Twenty20 internationals as Pakistan shot New Zealand out for 99 in a must-win game at the world championships on Saturday.
Seamer Gul finished with amazing figures of five wickets for six runs in three overs to build on Abdur Razzaq's memorable return to official cricket after two years.
Scott Styris' 22 was New Zealand's top score on the easy-paced Oval wicket as eight batsmen failed to reach double figures.
Pakistan, who lost their first Super Eights match to Sri Lanka on Friday, need a win to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
New Zealand thrashed Ireland by 83 runs at Trent Bridge on Thursday and will virtually book a place in the last four if they beat Pakistan.
Razzaq, who last played for Pakistan in May 2007, grabbed a wicket off his fourth delivery and another one in his third over to reduce New Zealand to 37-3.
The 29-year-old was called up as a replacement for the injured Yasir Arafat after breaking links with the rebel Indian Cricket League.
Asked to open the bowling by captain Younus Khan, Razzaq had the dangerous Brendon McCullum caught at point before trapping Martin Guptill leg-before.
Gul, brought on as the sixth bowler, struck immediately as Shahid Afridi sprinted back from mid-on to catch Scott Styris (22) near the boundary.
The steady seamer claimed four of the last five wickets to leave Pakistan chasing a modest target of 5.5 runs an over.
Pakistan omitted opener Salman Butt to play 19-year-old rookie Shahzaib Hasan and brought in Razzaq in place of Sohail Tanvir.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori made his first appearance in the tournament following a shoulder injury, but batsman Ross Taylor again missed out with a hamstring strain.

South Africa crush pathetic England in Twenty20

South Africa unleashed their awesome bowling power to inflict a morale-sapping defeat on England by seven wickets in the World Twenty20 Super Eights on Thursday.
Left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell grabbed three wickets as England were shot out for 111 after Paul Collingwood elected to take first strike in good batting conditions at Trent Bridge.
The Proteas strolled their way towards surpassing the modest target, winning the game in the 19th over in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,000 to earn their first points in the second round.
England claimed South African captain Graeme Smith in the fourth over, caught behind off Stuart Broad, before Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs dug in to put on 74 for the second wicket.
Gibbs made run-a-ball 30 before he was bowled by off-spinner Graeme Smith, leaving Kallis to complete the formalities with 57 not out.
Owais Shah was the lone Englishman to withstand the Proteas' onslaught with 38 off 33 balls after four of the top seven batsmen managed only four runs between them.
All the six bowlers used by Smith were among the wickets, with Kallis and Roelof van der Merwe supporting Parnell with two scalps each.
England crashed to 25-3 by the sixth over in an inspired display by the South Africans in the field.
Openers Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright were dismissed by the second over and Kevin Pietersen, who made 19 of the first 25 runs, was caught superbly at mid-on by van der Merwe off Albie Morkel.
The over ended without Morkel conceding a run, the first maiden over of the tournament, but Shah made amends by taking 14 runs in three balls from the 12th over bowled by spinner van der Merwe.
Morkel was not called upon to bowl a second over as the other bowlers took care of the England batsmen.
Collingwood put on 53 for the fourth wicket with Shah before he was bowled by Kallis for 19 to make it 78-4 in the 13th over.
Van der Merwe finished his spell with two wickets in his final over as James Foster fell to a low catch by Morkel before Dmitri Mascarenhas was bowled four balls later.
"We're very happy with that. We fielded well and took our chances," said Johan Botha, who is another spinner having an impact on the tournament.
"Spinners always know where the ball's going to go so standard fields are set. With a seamer, the ball can go anywhere."
South Africa next play the West Indies at the Oval in London on Saturday, while England take on defending champions India at Lord's on Sunday.
Two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals.

Dhoni relaxed about Gayle storm

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted there would be little he could do if rival skipper Chris Gayle was at his best during their opening World Twenty20 Super Eights clash against the West Indies.
Gayle hammered Australia for a blistering 88 in West Indies' seven-wicket win over Ricky Ponting's men and the left-handed opener has a well deserved reputation for an ability to make rapid scores against even the best attacks.
Having missed the 'dead' game against Sri Lanka with a knee injury, Gayle is expected to return for Friday's clash with defending champions India at Lord's.
"A player like Chris Gayle, you can't plan too much because you can't have players outside the field," Dhoni told reporters at Lord's on Thursday.
"He's a big six-hitter, he will take risks and he can get out. But, in this format, if he has good day you can be on the losing side," Dhoni admitted.
"But we have one or two players like that."
However, India will be without Virender Sehwag after the dynamic opening batsman was ruled out of the tournament with a right shoulder injury that sidelined him from the group stage.
"Sehwag is a very talented player, he can put pressure on when the ball is moving around," Dhoni said before stressing how well the talented Rohit Sharma had performed after stepping up into an opening slot alongside Gautam Gambhir.
"Rohit Sharma is filling his shoes. He's a part-time opener but he's doing really well. He was the best option and he grabbed the opportunity he got."
There is a belief that if a top side gets Gayle out cheaply then the game is all but won.
But Dhoni said the West Indies were much more than a one-man team.
"They've got quite a few big blokes who can hit sixes and push bowlers on to the backfoot.
"Dwayne Bravo is good, then there's Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. They've alo got bowlers who bowl at 140kph plus and use the slower ball and bouncer effectively."
India were given official clearance Thursday by the ICC to replace Sehwag with Dinesh Karthik and Dhoni said: "Dinesh Karthik has opened in Test matches and done well lower down the order in the IPL.
"He can do well in two slots and he can also replace me as a wicket-keeper."
India, initially suspicious of this format, won the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago after beating arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final.
"We got loads of confidence from having won the last World Twenty20 but we can't rely on that," said Dhoni.

New boy Redmond boosts Kiwis

Late entrant Aaron Redmond smashed 63 off 30 balls as New Zealand hammered hapless Ireland for 198-5 in the World Twenty20 Super Eights game at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Redmond, drafted into the injury-hit Black Caps squad on Wednesday night to replace the sick Jesse Ryder, made an immediate impact with a hurricane knock that contained 10 boundaries.
The 29-year-old contributed 40 in a first-wicket stand of 51 with stand-in captain Brendon McCullum after scoring 30 runs in the first two overs of the innings.
Scott Styris continued Ireland's leather hunt with 42 off 23 balls, adding 61 for the third wicket with Martin Guptill, who remained unbeaten on 45 with four sixes.
"I had been playing in the Bolton League. There were a lot of 50-over matches which were rain-affected, so it was good practice for this shortened version of the game," said Redmond.
"We have plenty of good players. I just go out there and bat. It was important to get a good start and put runs on the board. But we all miss Jesse. He's a good man."
Ireland spinner Kyle McCallan admitted that the minnows suffered a sluggish start.
"It was disappointing for us. We got off to a bad start from the very first ball," he said.
"It's not often we come up against batsmen of the calibre we have been facing here, but we didn't adapt as well as we could."
McCallan, who took 2-33 in his four overs, said he was enjoying the impact slow bowlers were having in the tournament.
"We make the batsmen put the pace on the ball, we can change it up and keep them guessing," he said.
"You have to accept that you are going to go across the ropes but it's how you deal with it that's important."
The Black Caps were once again without captain Daniel Vettori, who has yet to play in the tournament due to a shoulder injury, while frontline batsman Ross Taylor missed out due to a hamstring strain.
Ireland, a non-Test playing nation coached by former West Indian opener Phil Simmons, quaified for the Super Eights after a shock win over Bangladesh in the first round.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the other two teams in the group from which two will advance to the semi-finals.

Scoreboard
New Zealand
B. McCullum c West b McCallan 10
A. Redmond lbw b Cusack 63
M. Guptill not out 45
S. Styris c K. O'Brien b McCallan 42
J. Oram c Botha b Cusack 15
P. McGlashan b Johnson 5
J. Franklin not out 7

Extras b3, lb4, w4 11
Total for 5 wkts, 20 overs 198

Fall of wkts 1-51, 2-91, 3-152, 4-168, 5-176
Bowling
Connell 1-0-14-0,
Johnson 4-0-43-1,
K. O'Brien 4-0-31-0,
McCallan 4-0-33-2,
Cusack 4-0-43-2 (w3),
West 3-0-27-0 (w1)

Jayasuriya's future in his hands says captain

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara wants star batsman Sanath Jayasuriya to carry on playing for just as long as he can after the veteran opener proved age was no barrier to success at the World Twenty20.
Aged 39 and the oldest player in the tournament, left-hander Jayasuriya ended a brief run of indifferent form with a sparkling 81 in Sri Lanka's 15-run win over the West Indies at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Both sides were already through to the second phase Super Eights but the bonus for Sri Lanka was to see Jayasuriya, whose innings featured his trademark cuts for six over point, look back to his best in a stay of just 47 balls.
Jayasuriya called time on his Test career in 2007 but his latest knock was proof that the man whose aggressive batting revolutionised the one-day game during Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup triumph, remains a potent forced in limited overs cricket.
"As a side, we have never had questions over what he can do," Sangakkara told reporters at Lord's on Thursday. "We were just waiting till he made his way into the tournament.
"It's great for his confidence and the team's confidence. He got the runs that we needed and the manner in which he got them," the wicket-keeper/batsman added.
"We need him to play the way he has played for years now.
"He's a match winner and as long as he's fit and willing to play for us, we are happy to have him. He'll be 40 soon. The decision is finally his.
"We are happy to have him in the side. He's won us lot matches and I am sure he will win a lot of games as well for us in the future.
"It doesn't matter how old you are," Sangakkara stressed. "In my view, if you are fit, scoring runs taking wickets and doing the hard work at training, that's what we require."
Sri Lanka, unbeaten at the tournament so far after wins over Australia and the West Indies, begin their second phase Super Eights programme against Pakistan at Lord's on Friday.
Meanwhile, Sangakkara tried to play down suggestions that Sri Lanka's early results made them one of the favourites.
"We've got lot of confidence form the last two games. But it's going to be a new game tomorrow (Friday). T-20 is very unpredictable."
"We can't look far ahead. First we have to qualify for semis and the first thing is we've got to win tomorrow. We are not looking too far ahead."
Spin has been a key factor both of Sri Lanka's wins and not just from off-break star Muttiah Muralitharan.
Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis has proved arguably even harder to handle than Murali and Sangakkara said: "Spin has been our strength for years. Hopefully they can keep performing and add new variations to their armoury."

Mathews' super save legal, says MCC

Angelo Mathews's spectacular six-saving move against the West Indies in a World Twenty20 match has been deemed legal by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardian of cricket's laws, who said it was "good for cricket".
Mathews was on the wide long-on boundary Trent Bridge on Wednesday when Ramnaresh Sarwan lofted a Ajantha Mendis delivery towards him.
He caught the ball inside the ropes before, realising his momentum would take him over the boundary, he flung the ball in the air.
Mathews's foot then went over the boundary and, seeing the ball was about to land over the rope and so go for a six, jumped up and hit it into play.
After watching several replays, third umpire Ian Gould informed on-field officials Billy Bowden and Simon Taufel that three runs only had been scored.
"The MCC Laws sub-committee had recently discussed fielding such as this and felt that such brilliant and quick-thinking acts should not be outlawed," said MCC assistant secretary John Stephenson said Thursday.
"MCC is happy with the Law as it is written and occurrences such as the one yesterday, while extremely rare, are good for the game of cricket as a whole. It is also pleasing that two of the committee's members were involved in making the correct decision on the field of play."
Mathews's move was deemed to have prevented a six as Law 19.3 states that a boundary will be scored when "the ball touches the boundary, or is grounded beyond the boundary or a fielder, with some part of his person in contact with the ball, touches the boundary or has some part of his person grounded beyond the boundary."
Sri Lanka beat the West Indies by 15 runs although both sides had already qualified for the second phase Super Eights after each defeating Australia.
Both teams begin their Super Eights programme at Lord's on Friday. Sri Lanka face Pakistan and West Indies take on defending champions India.

England face make or break Pakistan clash

England captain Paul Collingwood faces a test of his leadership credentials ahead of their ICC World Twenty20 clash with Pakistan at the Oval after their shock loss to the Netherlands.
Friday's stunning four-wicket defeat by the minnows in the tournament opener at Lord's means England cannot afford another reverse on Sunday if they are to progress to the second round Super Eight phase.
England, surprisingly, left out off-spinner Graeme Swann and all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas from their team that played the Dutch while star batsman Kevin Pietersen was ruled out with an Achilles tendon injury.
South Africa born shotmaker Pietersen, who remains doubtful for Sunday's match, is capable of clearing the ropes - something England lacked against the Dutch, with the visitors' scoring four sixes to the hosts' none.
But equally concerning for England was the way in which they were unable to defend a score of 162 for five, with the Dutch getting home off the last ball thanks in part to a series of fielding errors by England quick Stuart Broad.
"We're still in the tournament, we have 24 hours to get our heads around it and we have to play a hell of a lot better on Sunday.
"Pakistan are obviously a very good side," Collingwood told reporters at Lord's. "They got to the final of the last Twenty20 World Cup, they're very skilful and we're going to have to be at our very, very best to beat that side but we can do it."
England have often given the impression in recent years that their focus is solely on the upcoming Test series against Australia, which starts in July.
But Collingwood denied England were obsessed with the Ashes to the exclusion of all else.
"Absolutely not. We are an England team at the moment in a Twenty20 World Cup and that means a hell of a lot to all the players in there (the dressing room) and that's why they are all devastated.
"We are solely thinking about Twenty20 cricket, we are not thinking about the Ashes at the moment."
Pakistan will be playing their first match of the tournament proper on Sunday. They come into the game on the back of two heavy warm-up losses to South Africa (59 runs) and arch-rivals India (nine wickets).
But if any team in world cricket can find their form when needed with little in the way of prior warning then it is Pakistan.
"What happened in those two matches will not matter once the real thing starts," Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam told AFP.
"We may be slow starters but there is a lot of talent in the team that gives me confidence we will do well.
"We tried a lot of new things and new combinations in the two matches to get the mix right for the tournament, so the results there don't matter."
And Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, like Alam speaking before Friday's stunning upset, said a tough warm-up programme could work in the side's favour.
"It's always good to play against in-form teams before a tournament because that allows you to get aware of your weaknesses."

Gayle storm blows away Australia

Leading from the front, the West Indies captain Chris Gayle did what he is best known for – taking away the match on his own – in the ICC World Twenty20 match against Australia at the Oval here on Saturday. The West Indies overhauled the target of 169 runs with seven wickets in hand in just 15.5 overs.
Gayle smashed 88 off 50 balls against Australia and along with Andre Fletcher shared the third highest partnership in the T20 internationals. The West Indies skipper hit six sixes and as many fours in his knock which dismantled the Australian bowlers both mentally and physically.
Before the tournament, the West Indies had been ridiculed for their captain's comments about the primacy of Twenty20 so there was a sense of anticipation over how they would fare in their preferred format but the West Indies skipper matched his words with his actions.
Earlier, Australia had to work hard for the runs as they posted 169 runs thanks largely to a good knock by David Warner. The West Indies bowlers gave the team a great start by pushing Australia on the backfoot from the word go. The pitch was a flat but Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards relished the challenge.
Taylor claimed two wickets in his opening over and if there had not conceded wides, Australia would have been 0 for 2. While the other batsmen were copping fiery treatment from the bowlers, Warner experienced the fielders' generosity. He played with a mix of aggression and caution. Along with Brad Haddin, he handled the repair work with a 66-run stand.
Warner scored 63 runs off 53 balls to keep Australia in the game. The Hussey brothers – David and Mike – also played their role scoring 27 and 28 runs respectively. But the Australian bowlers’ inability to stop Gayle will leave the team with the challenge of having to beat Sri Lanka in their next game in the group of death.

Yuvraj Singh, Ojha do the star turn for India

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha grabbed 4-21 as defending champions India overpowered Bangladesh by 25 runs in the World Twenty20 here on Saturday.
Gautam Gambhir hit 50 and Yuvraj Singh cracked a blistering 41 off 18 balls as India scored 180-5 after electing to bat in blustery conditions at the overflowing Trent Bridge.
Ojha then returned the best figures in the competition so far as Bangladesh faded after a rousing start to finish with 155-8 at the end of their 20 overs in the group A match.
Left-handed Gambhir, who began by cutting the second ball of the match from Mashrafe Mortaza for a boundary, held steady at one end for 17 overs before falling to off-spinner Naeem Islam.
But it was the other left-hander Yuvraj who set the innings alight with three boundaries and four sixes in a knock that included 19 runs in the 17th over bowled by Naeem.
Yuvraj's blitz helped India plunder 59 runs in the last four overs to set Bangladesh a tough victory target of just over nine runs an over.
The Tigers made a rollicking start in reply, scoring 74 runs by the eighth over for the loss of two wickets.
Opener Junaid Siddique led the early charge with 41 off 22 balls that included two fours and three sixes.
Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, playing his first competitive match in a month due to a shoulder injury, was smashed for 20 runs in his first two overs.
The Hyderabad-based Ojha turned the game around with two wickets in his first over, the ninth of the innings, including that of Siddique who was caught in the deep by Harbhajan Singh.
Ojha, who had removed Shakib Al Hasan with his first ball, later had Mohammad Mahmudullah caught by Yuvraj and bowled Mashrafe Mortaza to effectively end Bangladesh's challenge.
Naeem, who took two wickets in India's innings, made 28 off 17 balls in the final overs to narrow the margin of defeat.
Naeem's bowling effort was, however, overshadowed by left-arm spinner Shakib, whose four overs cost just 24 runs for one wicket.
India's rising star Rohit Sharma put on 59 for the first wicket with Gambhir by the eighth over when he was bowled by Shakib for 36 after surviving a stumping chance off the previous delivery.
Sharma, who opened the innings in place of the injured Virender Sehwag, smashed three boundaries and two sixes during his 23-ball innings.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) helped Gambhir add 53 for the second wicket, but when he was bowled by Naeem in the 15th over, India only had 112 runs on the board.
Yuvraj took charge at that stage, pulling the spinners and seamers alike hard and high, to help India make a winning start in the 12-nation tournament.
Bangladesh play Ireland next at Trent Bridge on Monday, while India take on Ireland on Wednesday at the same venue.