26/02Result
10th Match (D/N), Commonwealth Bank Series at Sydney, Feb 26 2012
Australia won by 87 runs
Player of the Match
David Warner
David WarnerAustralia
26/02Result
10th Match (D/N), Commonwealth Bank Series at Sydney, Feb 26 2012
Australia won by 87 runs
Player of the Match
David Warner
David WarnerAustralia

Right then, that completes our live coverage of this game. Here is Dan Brettig's report of the day's play. We'll soon have plenty of analysis and opinion from Sid Monga in Sydney. I'll be back on Tuesday to bring you India's last league game, perhaps India's last game on this disastrous tour. Sri Lanka will start off as favourites, and will only need to deny the bonus point to confirm their spot in the finals. Until Tuesday, on behalf of the ESPNcricinfo team, this is Nitin Sundar signing off.

As always, India fans have some scraps of hope to hold onto. If India win with a bonus point on Tuesday, and if Australia beat Sri Lanka in the last league game (make those big IFs, with salad dressing on top), India can still sneak into the final. At the moment, they don't deserve to. A win without a bonus point in Hobart won't do for India. They will then end up on 14 points, and Sri Lanka already have 15.

Watson: "Very nice start as a captain, it all worked out very well. It helped that wickets fell at appropriate times. I kept trying to get the bowlers and their ends right. I felt good and had a lot of fun today. [On the David Hussey issue] In the end it looked like David Hussey was looking to protect himself. I have full faith in Taufel and Bowden.. [I like the captaincy], but will like to see Clarke back."

Warner is Man of the Match: "I needed some runs under the belt and put my head down today. A bit of a lazy shot towards the end, a brain explosion ... The key for me is that if I get my defence right, the big shots come off."

Dhoni: "Definitely not a good night. We got off to a decent start, after that we used the part-timers when Pathan got injured. We were a bit confused, but overall we were happy with the first half. But the second innings, we left too many overs for Nos. 7,8 and 9. We have not performed to potential in these ODIs, it was an ideal opportunity for the youngsters. I am sure they have learned a lot. We need to bat well. Unfortunately we lost all the tosses and kept batting in tougher conditions."

The wheels have come off this Indian team. MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher will be looking at the last couple of weeks and wondering how they managed to spiral to such ignominious lows after delivering that nerve-shredding tie against Sri Lanka. At that point, SL were without a win in the tournament. Since then, India have been as abject as Sri lanka have been good.

Australia are in the final, but they will know there's plenty of work to do before those games. Their batting in the last ten overs was disastrous today, and a better team would have made them pay for it.

39.3
W
Doherty to Kumar, OUT, all over at the SCG. Short ball outside off, PK has a big swipe at it and inside-edges onto the stumps. Australia have had lots of upheaval and three different captains during the tournament, but they are into the final.

P Kumar b Doherty 1 (8m 4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25

39.2
0
Doherty to Kumar, no run, tossed up outside off and spinning away, PK thinks of it and then lets it go.
39.1
0
Doherty to Kumar, no run, full ball to PK, defended back to the bowler.

END OF OVER:
39 | 9 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 165/9 (88 runs required from 11 overs, RR: 4.23, RRR: 8.00)

  • Umesh Yadav0 (3b)
  • Praveen Kumar1 (1b)
  • Brett Lee8-0-26-1
  • Xavier Doherty7-0-26-1
38.6
0
Lee to Yadav, no run, he does a Walsh now, and nonchalantly lets one go outside off.
38.5
0
Lee to Yadav, no run, Yadav has a monster swing at a length ball outside off. He made room and did a whirlpool on his toes, and it is a miracle that he's still on his feet. What a mild stroke.
38.5
1nb
Lee to Yadav, 1 no ball, no-ball for height as Lee loses control of the yorker and bowls it straight at Yadav's hip.
38.4
1
Lee to Kumar, 1 run, PK backs away and swings wildly at a short ball and it goes off the edge to third man.

The doors are closing on India. Australia will be through to the final once they win today. India will then need to beat Sri Lanka with the bonus point on Tuesday and hope that Australia put it past Sri Lanka in the last league game. At the moment India don't look capable of even denying bonus points, leave along getting them.

38.3
W
Lee to Pathan, OUT, Irfan is gone, India are going down and Australia are likely to get a bonus point too. Lee sends down a full toss, Irfan tries to heave over the leg side and gets a top edge that takes off. When it comes down, there's a Hussey under it. Not much chance of anyone from that family dropping catches.

IK Pathan c MEK Hussey b Lee 22 (25m 22b 1x4 2x6) SR: 100

38.3
1w
Lee to Pathan, 1 wide, slower ball, drops short and slips wide of off stump.
38.2
0
Lee to Pathan, no run, Lee responds with a near-perfect yorker just outside off stump. Irfan can't get it away.
38.1
6
Lee to Pathan, SIX, Irfan is summoning his inner Ganguly now. He's smoked Lee over long-on for a monster six. Good juicy length ball, Irfan leaned out and banged it through the line with a straight bat. That was thumped, Praveen was taking cover the moment Irfan made contact.

Praveen Kumar will come out to join Irfan. How well he bowled to set up this game for India at the start of play ...

END OF OVER:
38 | 9 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 156/8 (97 runs required from 12 overs, RR: 4.10, RRR: 8.08)

  • Irfan Pathan16 (19b)
  • Xavier Doherty7-0-26-1
  • Brett Lee7-0-17-0
37.6
W
Doherty to Ashwin, OUT, leading edge! Makes a belated entry to this game. Ashwin tries to tickle a ball sliding well down the leg side and gets a leading edge that loops up and drops into mid-on's hands.

R Ashwin c Watson b Doherty 26 (47m 37b 2x4 0x6) SR: 70.27

37.5
0
Doherty to Ashwin, no run, Ashwin advances again, Doherty goes full and wide of off stump, and Ashwin squeezes it straight to point.
37.4
4
Doherty to Ashwin, FOUR, some release in this Powerplay. Ashwin charges out and carts another full toss comfortably over the covers. It was four once he cleared the infield.
37.3
0
Doherty to Ashwin, no run, angled into the pads, no room to work with. Ashwin defends to the leg side.
37.2
1
Doherty to Pathan, 1 run, back of a length, Irfan hangs back and chops to the off side for one.
37.1
4
Doherty to Pathan, FOUR, Doherty is using the full toss as a wicket-taking option? He nearly gets one here, as Irfan skips out. The high full toss catches him unawares, but he still lofts it straight. Forrest at long-on moves to his right and lunges forward, but can't get there.

END OF OVER:
37 | 7 Runs | IND: 147/7 (106 runs required from 13 overs, RR: 3.97, RRR: 8.15)

  • Ravichandran Ashwin22 (33b)
  • Irfan Pathan11 (17b)
  • Brett Lee7-0-17-0
  • Xavier Doherty6-0-17-0
36.6
0
Lee to Ashwin, no run, low full toss on the pads as Ashwin backs away, and he can't get it away.
36.5
1
Lee to Pathan, 1 run, angled into Irfan's pads, he works it square for a single.
36.4
3
Lee to Ashwin, 3 runs, Ashwin takes on the bouncer. It is 135 kph and he is a touch late on the shot, but gets away with a top edge that clears the infield. Three runs taken as wide mid-on runs back to field.
36.3
1
Lee to Pathan, 1 run, slower ball at 108 kph, Irfan works it around to wide mid-on for one.
36.2
1
Lee to Ashwin, 1 run, full length ball wide of off stump with third man back. Ashwin dabs with an angled face to third man for one.
36.1
1
Lee to Pathan, 1 run, full and tailing into the pads, Irfan turns it straight to short fine leg and they get only a single.

Lee is back on for the PP overs. Round the stumps, with fine leg inside the circle.

Match Coverage

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India 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st7SR TendulkarV Sehwag
2nd28SR TendulkarG Gambhir
3rd44G GambhirV Kohli
4th4G GambhirSK Raina
5th6MS DhoniSK Raina
6th15MS DhoniRA Jadeja
7th22MS DhoniR Ashwin
8th30IK PathanR Ashwin
9th7IK PathanP Kumar
10th2P KumarUT Yadav