India and Sri Lanka clash in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in Dhaka on Sunday. Catch all the live updates here.
MS Dhoni and Co. go up against Lasith Malinga's boys in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in Dhaka. Catch all the live updates here (Scorecard | Commentary):
15:00 (IST): Even Google is not far behind in the building up to the final as they have come up with a doodle on their homepage. By clicking on this, the user can go to all stories related to the final of the ICC World Twenty20. (Google doodle inspired from World T20 final between India and Sri Lanka)
14:44 (IST): Sri Lanka have a dismal record in the final of ICC tournaments. They lost the 2009 & 2012 World T20 finals, the ICC World Cup finals in 2007 and 201 and now have a chance to redeem themselves against India in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in Dhaka on Sunday. (Read more)
PREVIEW
Sri Lanka face a daunting test of nerves from dominant India in Sunday's all-Asian World Twenty20 final in Dhaka that is rich with incentives for both teams.
If Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team win, they will become the first team to hold all three major limited-overs titles, having won the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy last year.
Sri Lanka will seek an end to an inexplicable losing streak in title matches, after being beaten twice in World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011 and the World Twenty20 finals in 2009 and 2012.
A fitting farewell to veterans Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in their last T20 international game and a million-dollar winning bonus offered by officials back home will further inspire the Sri Lankans.
Sri Lanka's English coach Paul Farbrace said past results counted for little in T20 games and pointed to his team's victory in the Asia Cup one-day tournament in Dhaka last month as a turning point.
"We've done really well in most competitions and got to finals," he said. "That's where teams want to be. We had a big win here in the Asia Cup a few weeks ago where we beat India pretty convincingly, and also beat Pakistan twice.
"T20 is about whoever turns up on that particular day. Form goes out of the window. It's about making sure we're ready and focused. What happened two years ago won't even be talked about."
Sri Lanka reached Sunday's final with a 27-run win over defending champions West Indies through the Duckworth-Lewis calculations in a rain-hit semi-final on Thursday.
The West Indies, chasing Sri Lanka's 160-6, were 80-4 in 13.5 overs when a heavy downpour forced the match to be abandoned at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka.
It was undecided if Sri Lanka's T20 captain Dinesh Chandimal will again opt out of the final, as he did on Thursday, to allow the winning combination to stay with pace bowler Lasith Malinga at the helm.
India have enjoyed an amazing run in the tournament, winning all four Super-10 league matches before beating South Africa by six wickets with five deliveries to spare in Friday's semi-final.
Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 72 off 44 balls as India chased down South Africa's challenging 172-4, making the prolific right-hander the tournament's leading scorer with 242 runs from five games.
India have also been served well by opener Rohit Sharma, whose 171 runs are far ahead of the 134 runs compiled by Sri Lanka's top-scorer Jayawardene.
India also has the bowling edge with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's 10 wickets and leg-spinner Amit Mishra's nine outshining Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Kulasekara (seven) and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath (five).
"There is a good feeling around the team, but we have to make a fresh start in the final," said Kohli. "Sri Lanka is never a team to take lightly."
Meanwhile, defending champions Australia will take on England in the women's final at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium a few hours before the men take the field on Sunday.
MALINGA HAS KOHLI'S NUMBER
Sri Lanka's stand-in captain Lasith Malinga says that Virat Kohli is a great batsman but they have the bowlers who can bowl that one good delivery, which can dismiss even the greatest. "We all know Virat is a great player. But even the greatest player needs only one ball to get out. I have a good feeling that someone from my side can bowl that one good ball tomorrow," Malinga said in a confident tone ahead of Sri Lanka's ICC World Twenty20 final against India.
When asked if the contest can be billed as one between Malinga and Kohli, he tried to play it down. "We have to plan for all 20 overs. They have six or seven good batsmen. We don't think only about getting one particular batsman out. We have to focus on bowling 20 good overs. Virat is a good player, but, if he gets a good ball, he too can get out."
Malinga did not pay much importance to their practice match victory prior to the start of the tournament. "Practice match is a practice match. But a tournament match is very different, both mentally and physically. The final is a big game and the tension is completely different. Whoever plays well on the day can win," the skipper answered.
The Lankan slinger also dismissed notions that it will be a match where he would eyeing to prove himself as his record against India is not great. "I never go into a match trying to prove myself. There are other bowlers in my team who can do the job for the team as well. As I said, anyone can produce a good ball and pick up a wicket. However good a batsman is, it can take only one ball to get him out." (Read full story)
DHONI HIGHLIGHTS THE VALUE OF SANGAKKARA AND JAYAWARDENE
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday paid glowing tributes to Sri Lankan legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who will be calling time on their T20 international careers at the end of the ICC World Twenty20 on Sunday.
Dhoni was asked if he could say a few words on the Lankan duo although his team will be aiming to spoil their farewell from the game's shortest format.
"If we talk about the two individual gentlemen, they have served Sri Lankan cricket for a long time, through all the formats. The thing about T20s is it's a new format. So everyone has the same experience, including people (youngsters) who have played from the start with them.
"Definitely, Lankans will miss their presence in the dressing room. Among themselves, the two I guess have played in excess of 650 ODIs and a lot of Tests. It's a fair amount of experience and they will certainly miss that. But then every good thing comes to an end. They will have to get somebody to fill in the space," Dhoni said.
He though made it amply clear that the Indians were fully focused on the job at hand. "Well, I don't have anything personal against them (Jayawardene and Sangakkara). They are representing their country and we are representing ours. May the team that plays better cricket on the day should be the winner. (Read full story)
THE BATTLES TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE FINAL
Two Asian powerhouses, highly familiar with each other's numerous positives and flaws, face-off in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 title in Mirpur (Dhaka) on Sunday. This contest, like most others, has a handful of mini-battles within them. Here's a list of the five top encounters of the cricketing kind. (Read full story)
THE KOHLI FACTOR
Scoring runs in every match is great, but how you pace your innings is the real yardstick of a classy batsman. Legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene and Brian Lara not only scored big runs but knew how to control the tempo of their innings. Virat Kohli is consistently showing glimpses of such 'greatness.'
In the T20 format, where you live by the day, the past don't matter. Especially, when you are in a World Cup final, the present is what counts. Also, no one understand this better than Kohli. His match-winning 72 not out against South Africa in Dhaka on Friday means nothing when India face Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC World Twenty20, 2014. Like everyone else, it will be a new day in Kohli's life.
"I was really cool today," said Kohli soon after he scored the winning runs on a sweaty Friday night. Often chastised for his volatile demeanour and foul mouth, Kohli is a more matured man now. His coolness reflects in his relatively more measured mannerisms and of course, the control over his tongue. But Kohli remains the signature of youth in the current team. He dives, he cheers and he gives it all to remain India's greatest g-force on the field.
With 242 runs in five matches, laced with three fifties, Kohli is the tournament's leading scorer. He has read wickets beautifully, focused on every delivery like a hawk, timed the ball with perfection and pierced the gaps like a surgeon. The pundits call him a master chaser but he is no less a crafty builder. For Kohli, the definition of building an innings is different. Like every wiz kid, Kohli has his own style-sheet. "I look at overs and runs, not balls and runs," Kohli explains, fearless in sharing his success mantra. (Read full story)
Story first published on: Sunday, 06 April 2014 14:27
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