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.

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.

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)

Vettori strikes as New Zealand beat India

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori led from the front as the Black Caps beat defending champions India by nine runs in their ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match at Lord's here on Monday.
India were well on course to make the 171 they needed for victory during a fourth-wicket stand of 69 between Suresh Raina (45) and Ravindra Jadeja which featured some superb clean hitting to match the top-order fireworks of opener Rohit Sharma (36).
Left-arm spinner Vettori, who finished with excellent figures of three for 24 in three overs, had big-hitting rival captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stumped for just six and after Raina holed out to medium-pacer Jacob Oram the innings fell away despite a run-a-ball 41 from Jadeja.
But India may take some heart from getting so close to the Black Caps' total without star batsmen Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.
Vettori, who held a fine caught and bowled chance off a hard-hit drive from Yusuf Pathan, used eight bowlers in all with all-rounder Oram taking one for 18 from his three overs.
New Zealand had made 170 for seven after losing the toss.
Ross Taylor, dropped by wicket-keeper Dhoni on 22, went onto make 41 off 33 balls, including two sixes off successive Pragyan Ojha deliveries, before he was dismissed by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
New Zealand's innings was given late impetus by James Franklin who made an unbeaten 27 off just 10 balls and struck left-arm quick RP Singh for two sixes and a four in three deliveries in the last over.
The Black Caps managed a highly competitive total even though fast bowler Ishant Sharma took a wicket in each of his four overs on his way to figures of four for 25.