The second Test is just getting underway. As expected, Australia replaced Ricky Ponting with Shaun Marsh, as the ex-captain flew home for the birth of his second child. marsh, the son of former opener Geoff, will bat at three, despite Usman Khawaja being in the side. For the hosts, Sri Lanka have been forced to replace the injured Herath who took eight wickets in the first Test, although not with Ajantha Mendis, who supposedly has back problems. An unexpected debut instead for the spinner Seekkugge Prasanna. Sri Lanka have woin the toss and will bat.
Sri Lanka - NT Paranavitana, TM Dilshan (c), KC Sangakkara,
DPMD Jayawardene,
TT Samaraweera,
HAPW Jayawardene (wk),
AD Mathews,
RAS Lakmal,
S Randiv,
UWMBCA Welegedara,
S Prasanna
Australia - SR Watson,
PJ Hughes,
SE Marsh,
MJ Clarke (c),
MEK Hussey,
UT Khawaja,
BJ Haddin (wk),
MG Johnson,
RJ Harris,
TA Copeland,
NM Lyon
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Football: Euro and World Cup Qualifiying
European Championship Qualifying - Tuesday saw a further 23 qualifiers take place after the 24 held on Friday and Saturday. 14 teams (9 group winners, and 5 runners-up)
are looking to join the hosts (Poland and Ukraine), and joining Germany, who qualified Friday, are Spain and Italy who ensured top spot in their respective groups.
Group A: Turkey drew 0-0 in Austria to move two points clear of Belgium with two to play in the battle for second place behind Germany. Both sides still have to play Germany once, although Turkey will have home advantage.
Group B: Tuesday's results left this a four way battle, with first placed Russia drawing 0-0 at home to second-placed Ireland. Slovakia missed the chance to join Russia on points when they crashed 0-4 at home to Armenia who overtake them in third spot on goal difference, with Ireland one point ahead in second. With the two top sides still having a game against easybeats Andorra to come, Russia's trip to Slovakia, and Armenia's trip to Ireland will likely be the crucial games.
Group C: Italy's 1-0 win at home to Slovenia clinched top spot, with Serbia favoured for second after struggling past the Faroe Islands 3-1, although Estonia and Slovenia are still in the running.
Group D:France remain top, but only by one point, after being held 0-0 away to Romania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina overcame Belarus 1-0. Both of those sides should end Romania's chances with expected wins on October 7th, meaning the table decider will be played between the two in Paris on October 11th.
Group E: Holland all but guaranteed top spot with a 2-0 win at Finland, meaning Sweden have only a mathematical chance of topping them following their 5-0 win over San Marino. Hungary's 2-0 win at Moldova keeps them level with Sweden, but they are a game, and a lot of goal difference, behind. If Hungary can take the three points at home to Finland, Sweden will need to beat either Finland away or the Dutch at home.
Group F: Croatia moved top with a 3-1 win at home to Israel, while Greece was held 1-1 at Latvia to drop a point behind, although they now cannot finish worse than second. Greece host Croatia in their next match.
Group G: England, like the Dutch, moved close to clinching their group when they won 1-0 at home to Wales in an uninspiring performance. A draw in Montenegro in their last match will be enough for top spot, although Montenegro would still need to win at Switzerland if they beat England to wrest it from them. Switzerland's 3-1 win over Bulgaria renews their hopes of pinching second place, with their other match away to Wales.
Group H: Denmark's 2-0 home defeat of Norway, looks the pair on 13 points with Portugal who weren't in action. Although Portugal will be favoured on pedigree, they could easily finish third. They host Iceland, then travel to Denmark, with the Danes other match away to Cyprus. Norway only have one match left, but should take three points at home to Cyprus.
Group I: Defending champions Spain booked their place in the finals and maintained their perfect record in qualifying with a 6-0 win over Liechtenstein. Scotland moved to within two points of the Czech Republic with two to play, after defeating Lithuania 1-0. Scotland travel to Liechtenstein and Spain, so one point for the Czechs from matches at home to Spain and away to Lithuania may be enough to get them second.
Asian World Cup Qualifying - an impressive 3-1 win away to Saudi Arabia left Australia well placed in Group D after earlier beating Thailand. South Korea, Japan and Iran are all on four points after a win and a draw in their respective groups, as the first round of qualifying gets underway for the major Asian sides ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
Group A: Turkey drew 0-0 in Austria to move two points clear of Belgium with two to play in the battle for second place behind Germany. Both sides still have to play Germany once, although Turkey will have home advantage.
Group B: Tuesday's results left this a four way battle, with first placed Russia drawing 0-0 at home to second-placed Ireland. Slovakia missed the chance to join Russia on points when they crashed 0-4 at home to Armenia who overtake them in third spot on goal difference, with Ireland one point ahead in second. With the two top sides still having a game against easybeats Andorra to come, Russia's trip to Slovakia, and Armenia's trip to Ireland will likely be the crucial games.
Group C: Italy's 1-0 win at home to Slovenia clinched top spot, with Serbia favoured for second after struggling past the Faroe Islands 3-1, although Estonia and Slovenia are still in the running.
Group D:France remain top, but only by one point, after being held 0-0 away to Romania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina overcame Belarus 1-0. Both of those sides should end Romania's chances with expected wins on October 7th, meaning the table decider will be played between the two in Paris on October 11th.
Group E: Holland all but guaranteed top spot with a 2-0 win at Finland, meaning Sweden have only a mathematical chance of topping them following their 5-0 win over San Marino. Hungary's 2-0 win at Moldova keeps them level with Sweden, but they are a game, and a lot of goal difference, behind. If Hungary can take the three points at home to Finland, Sweden will need to beat either Finland away or the Dutch at home.
Group F: Croatia moved top with a 3-1 win at home to Israel, while Greece was held 1-1 at Latvia to drop a point behind, although they now cannot finish worse than second. Greece host Croatia in their next match.
Group G: England, like the Dutch, moved close to clinching their group when they won 1-0 at home to Wales in an uninspiring performance. A draw in Montenegro in their last match will be enough for top spot, although Montenegro would still need to win at Switzerland if they beat England to wrest it from them. Switzerland's 3-1 win over Bulgaria renews their hopes of pinching second place, with their other match away to Wales.
Group H: Denmark's 2-0 home defeat of Norway, looks the pair on 13 points with Portugal who weren't in action. Although Portugal will be favoured on pedigree, they could easily finish third. They host Iceland, then travel to Denmark, with the Danes other match away to Cyprus. Norway only have one match left, but should take three points at home to Cyprus.
Group I: Defending champions Spain booked their place in the finals and maintained their perfect record in qualifying with a 6-0 win over Liechtenstein. Scotland moved to within two points of the Czech Republic with two to play, after defeating Lithuania 1-0. Scotland travel to Liechtenstein and Spain, so one point for the Czechs from matches at home to Spain and away to Lithuania may be enough to get them second.
Asian World Cup Qualifying - an impressive 3-1 win away to Saudi Arabia left Australia well placed in Group D after earlier beating Thailand. South Korea, Japan and Iran are all on four points after a win and a draw in their respective groups, as the first round of qualifying gets underway for the major Asian sides ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Rearview Mirror
If you slept through the weekend, here's what you missed:
Euro Championships - See here for the earlier post on Friday's fixtures. On Saturday, the Czech Republic gained a vital away draw, after Scotland conceded a controversial late penalty and Michal Kadlec converted for the Czechs. Tuesday will see most teams back in action as qualifying gets near to completion.
AFL - the last round of Aussie rules saw some interesting results, although there will be some doubt on how seriously they can be viewed given the lack of pressure on some teams. At the top of the table, Collingwood had only their second loss of the season, again to Geelong, but this time by a massive 96 points. Collingwood started the game with a bang that suggested they weren't taking their foot off the pedal, but Geelong dominated proceedings thereafter in a massive confidence boost ahead of the finals. Collingwood will nervously reassure themselves that the game didn't mean much, and their main concern will be some injuries coming out of the game. In the other games of note, Saint Kilda ensured home ground advantage over the Swans after beating Carlton, while Port Adelaide avoided the wooden spoon, after a hard fought win against Melbourne in the first ever AFL game at Adelaide Oval. Gold Coast's poor percentage ended up handing them the wooden spoon in their debut season. The final table can be seen here.
The finals start on Friday night with Geelong taking on Hawthorn, with Saturday featuring Collingwood versus West Coast and St Kilda hosting the Swans. Carlton meet Essendon on Sunday in front of what is likely to be an elimination final record crowd.
Cricket - Australia clinched the first Test over Sri Lanka - see report here. The second Test starts Thursday in Pallekele. In England, the first ODI was rained out with India in a strong position, and the series moves to Southampton on Tuesday for the second match.
US Open - the US Open has followed the recent pattern with the four top men moving comfortably through the tournament on their expected path to semi-final meetings, while the women's side has had no shortage of early departures from top seeds. Forgotten local teen prodigy Donald Young has been the surprise packet on the men's side, accounting for two experienced seeds in Wawrinka and Chela, although he now faces fourth-seed Andy Murray in the round of 16. In the women's, only the top two of the top eight seeds remain in, with Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva through in to the quarters where they will face Andrea Petkovic (9th seed) and Sam Stosur (10) respectively. Serena Williams, seeded 28th as she fights back from injury, looks the player to beat, with 4th seed Victoria Azarenka unlucky enough to have to face her in the third round.
Rugby - the World Cup gets underway on Friday when hosts New Zealand take on Tonga. The pick of the early matches will be on Sunday when South Africa look to put a difficult Tri Nations tournament behind them when they meet Wales.
Euro Championships - See here for the earlier post on Friday's fixtures. On Saturday, the Czech Republic gained a vital away draw, after Scotland conceded a controversial late penalty and Michal Kadlec converted for the Czechs. Tuesday will see most teams back in action as qualifying gets near to completion.
AFL - the last round of Aussie rules saw some interesting results, although there will be some doubt on how seriously they can be viewed given the lack of pressure on some teams. At the top of the table, Collingwood had only their second loss of the season, again to Geelong, but this time by a massive 96 points. Collingwood started the game with a bang that suggested they weren't taking their foot off the pedal, but Geelong dominated proceedings thereafter in a massive confidence boost ahead of the finals. Collingwood will nervously reassure themselves that the game didn't mean much, and their main concern will be some injuries coming out of the game. In the other games of note, Saint Kilda ensured home ground advantage over the Swans after beating Carlton, while Port Adelaide avoided the wooden spoon, after a hard fought win against Melbourne in the first ever AFL game at Adelaide Oval. Gold Coast's poor percentage ended up handing them the wooden spoon in their debut season. The final table can be seen here.
The finals start on Friday night with Geelong taking on Hawthorn, with Saturday featuring Collingwood versus West Coast and St Kilda hosting the Swans. Carlton meet Essendon on Sunday in front of what is likely to be an elimination final record crowd.
Cricket - Australia clinched the first Test over Sri Lanka - see report here. The second Test starts Thursday in Pallekele. In England, the first ODI was rained out with India in a strong position, and the series moves to Southampton on Tuesday for the second match.
US Open - the US Open has followed the recent pattern with the four top men moving comfortably through the tournament on their expected path to semi-final meetings, while the women's side has had no shortage of early departures from top seeds. Forgotten local teen prodigy Donald Young has been the surprise packet on the men's side, accounting for two experienced seeds in Wawrinka and Chela, although he now faces fourth-seed Andy Murray in the round of 16. In the women's, only the top two of the top eight seeds remain in, with Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva through in to the quarters where they will face Andrea Petkovic (9th seed) and Sam Stosur (10) respectively. Serena Williams, seeded 28th as she fights back from injury, looks the player to beat, with 4th seed Victoria Azarenka unlucky enough to have to face her in the third round.
Rugby - the World Cup gets underway on Friday when hosts New Zealand take on Tonga. The pick of the early matches will be on Sunday when South Africa look to put a difficult Tri Nations tournament behind them when they meet Wales.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Cricket: Australia wrap up First Test win
Sri Lanka resumed their fourth innings chase of 379 in Galle at 5/120, and Michael Clarke's concerns were probably more about the weather than Sri Lanka's chase. However, an early rain disruption didn't last too long and the Australian captain's eyes were soon being distracted more by the scoreboard than the clouds. The 52 run partnership that Angelo Matthews and Mahela Jayawardene took into day four quickly became the highest of the match, and then the first century stand of the match, and still the Aussies looked unlikely to break through. When Sri Lanka made it to lunch at 5/187, Michael Clarke may not have been so hungry as he pondered some of the second digs that had thwarted Australia in recent years.
In the afternoon session, Australia took the new ball, but it didn't stop Jayawardene reaching his century, a superb effort in the context of the game, or Sri Lanka reaching 200. Finally, at 5/210 Australian nerves were calmed when Ryan Harris, clearly the pick of the Australian bowlers in the second innings, had one cut back in on Jayawardene, and his inside edge aided the ball on to the stumps. Following his dismissal, the end came fairly quickly. Harris finished with five, Mitchell Johnson picked up a second, Shane Watson denied Matthews a deserved century and new boy Nathan Lyon claimed the last wicket for his first of the innings. Ultimately, Sri Lanka finished 125 runs behind, a margin comfortable enough to keep the Australian selectors from making any changes to the bowling line-up (Ricky Ponting will miss the second Test to fly home for the birth of his second child.)
However, it probably won't go unnoticed that Copeland wasn't able to take another wicket after his second ball dismissal of Dilshan, or that Lyon didn't remove another top six batsman after his first ball dismissal of Sangakkara. Shane Watson may not have had a great match with his bat, but his bowling made a significant impact on the result. He finished with match figures of 5/30 from 19 overs - perhaps underbowled - and none of his dismissals were tail-enders. Shaun Marsh will likely come in for Ponting, and David Warner has been sent to Sri Lanka to provide additional coverage.
For Sri Lanka, they will take some heart from the fightback on the last day, but more will be needed from the likes of Dilshan and Sangakkara if they are to push Australia in this series. They only had one partnership reach 50 in the match, and they will need a batting performance more in line with the consistency shown by their bowlers in the next two Tests.
In the afternoon session, Australia took the new ball, but it didn't stop Jayawardene reaching his century, a superb effort in the context of the game, or Sri Lanka reaching 200. Finally, at 5/210 Australian nerves were calmed when Ryan Harris, clearly the pick of the Australian bowlers in the second innings, had one cut back in on Jayawardene, and his inside edge aided the ball on to the stumps. Following his dismissal, the end came fairly quickly. Harris finished with five, Mitchell Johnson picked up a second, Shane Watson denied Matthews a deserved century and new boy Nathan Lyon claimed the last wicket for his first of the innings. Ultimately, Sri Lanka finished 125 runs behind, a margin comfortable enough to keep the Australian selectors from making any changes to the bowling line-up (Ricky Ponting will miss the second Test to fly home for the birth of his second child.)
However, it probably won't go unnoticed that Copeland wasn't able to take another wicket after his second ball dismissal of Dilshan, or that Lyon didn't remove another top six batsman after his first ball dismissal of Sangakkara. Shane Watson may not have had a great match with his bat, but his bowling made a significant impact on the result. He finished with match figures of 5/30 from 19 overs - perhaps underbowled - and none of his dismissals were tail-enders. Shaun Marsh will likely come in for Ponting, and David Warner has been sent to Sri Lanka to provide additional coverage.
For Sri Lanka, they will take some heart from the fightback on the last day, but more will be needed from the likes of Dilshan and Sangakkara if they are to push Australia in this series. They only had one partnership reach 50 in the match, and they will need a batting performance more in line with the consistency shown by their bowlers in the next two Tests.
Friday, September 2, 2011
European Championship Qualifying Update
Friday saw 23 qualifiers take place as the qualifying groups move to their conclusion. With 14 teams (9 group winners, and 5 runners-up) looking to join the hosts (Poland and Ukraine), there were many crucial matches played, and the first side, Germany, assuring their comforatable passage through.
Group A: Germany's 6-2 caning of Austria clinched top spot, while 10-man Turkey moved second with a very late winner over Kazakhstan as Belgium could only draw and dropped to third.
Group B: Russia's 1-0 win over Macedonia took them top, two points ahead of Ireland and Slovakia who drew 0-0 in Dublin. The Irish, who missed two great chances late in the game, are away to Russia on Tuesday.
Group C: Italy struggled to a 1-0 win away to the Faroe Islands, but have all but clinched top spot as Slovenia lost ground with a 2-1 loss at home to Estonia. Serbia may now be best placed for second after winning 1-0 away to Northern Ireland.
Group D: France's 2-1 win away to Albania has them three points clear of Bosnia-Herzegovina who defeated Belarus and moved past them into second. Romania remain in the hunt after predictably winning in Luxembourg.
Group E: Holland hammered San Marino 11-0 to be six points clear of Sweden and Hungary, after Hungary defeated the Swedes 2-1 in Budapest.
Group F: Greece scored a vital 1-0 win in Israel to top the group by one point over Croatia who won in Malta. Georgia's 1-0 loss at home to Latvia takes them out of the running, with Israel still just in the hunt four points adrift of Greece.
Group G: England took a big step towards winning their group, with a three goal first half away to Bulgaria. Although they didn't add to their tally in the second half, news from Wales that the home side had triumphed 2-1 over Montenegro more than made up for any further entertainment for the travelling fans. England now have a three point lead, and a big lead in goal difference, with two to play.
Group H: Portugal won 4-0 at Cyprus, and stay level on points with Norway, 1-0 winners at home to Iceland. Denmark are now three points behind with a game in hand after having the night off.
Group I: the only game was Lithiania's disappointing 0-0 home draw with Liecthenstein, so Spain and the Czech Republic remain on course for first and second in this group. Scotland host the Czech's on Saturday in a must win game for the Scots if they are to have any chance of challenging for a place in the finals.
See all the tables here and Friday's results and next weeks fixtures here.
Group A: Germany's 6-2 caning of Austria clinched top spot, while 10-man Turkey moved second with a very late winner over Kazakhstan as Belgium could only draw and dropped to third.
Group B: Russia's 1-0 win over Macedonia took them top, two points ahead of Ireland and Slovakia who drew 0-0 in Dublin. The Irish, who missed two great chances late in the game, are away to Russia on Tuesday.
Group C: Italy struggled to a 1-0 win away to the Faroe Islands, but have all but clinched top spot as Slovenia lost ground with a 2-1 loss at home to Estonia. Serbia may now be best placed for second after winning 1-0 away to Northern Ireland.
Group D: France's 2-1 win away to Albania has them three points clear of Bosnia-Herzegovina who defeated Belarus and moved past them into second. Romania remain in the hunt after predictably winning in Luxembourg.
Group E: Holland hammered San Marino 11-0 to be six points clear of Sweden and Hungary, after Hungary defeated the Swedes 2-1 in Budapest.
Group F: Greece scored a vital 1-0 win in Israel to top the group by one point over Croatia who won in Malta. Georgia's 1-0 loss at home to Latvia takes them out of the running, with Israel still just in the hunt four points adrift of Greece.
Group G: England took a big step towards winning their group, with a three goal first half away to Bulgaria. Although they didn't add to their tally in the second half, news from Wales that the home side had triumphed 2-1 over Montenegro more than made up for any further entertainment for the travelling fans. England now have a three point lead, and a big lead in goal difference, with two to play.
Group H: Portugal won 4-0 at Cyprus, and stay level on points with Norway, 1-0 winners at home to Iceland. Denmark are now three points behind with a game in hand after having the night off.
Group I: the only game was Lithiania's disappointing 0-0 home draw with Liecthenstein, so Spain and the Czech Republic remain on course for first and second in this group. Scotland host the Czech's on Saturday in a must win game for the Scots if they are to have any chance of challenging for a place in the finals.
See all the tables here and Friday's results and next weeks fixtures here.
Cricket: Australia on brink of victory
Australia's tail managed to put together some handy runs early in proceedings on day 3 as they extended their score from 6/115 to finish on 210, although once again there was no innings of substance. Nor was there a partnership that has overtaken the highest partnership of the game so far - a mere 56 for Australia's second innings third wicket between Hughes and Clarke. However, the 32 for the last wicket between the debutants Copeland and Lyon were important runs, if only because it gave Ryan Harris a bit more breathing space after his own hour long 23. Harris came out and repeated Welegedara's first ball dismissal of Shane Watson by trapping Paranavitana in front to open proceedings. He knocked over Dilshan shortly afyerwards on his way to 3/24, and before too long Sri lanka were reeling at 5/68. A fine partnership in the circumstances between Angelo Matthews (34*) and Mahela Jayawardene (57*) kept the hosts chances alive, but at 5/120, the target of 379 seems very unlikely. If nothing else though, they only need another five runs to break the partnership record for the match.
The weather was patchy on day 3, but conditions look good on day 4, with the Australians soon to take the field in search of the final five wickets. Scoreboard here.
The weather was patchy on day 3, but conditions look good on day 4, with the Australians soon to take the field in search of the final five wickets. Scoreboard here.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Cricket: Wickets tumble as Sri Lankans crumble, fight back
It didn't take long for Astralia's new boys long to make themselves at home in the Test arena. Trent Copeland opened the bowling with Ryan harris and saw his first ball sent to the fence by Dilshan, but responded to have him caught by Ponting at short cover off the next ball. Nathan Lyon topped him, removing Sangakkara with his first ball in Test cricket as he induced the number three to edge to Michael Clarke at slip. And while Copeland didn't add to his tally, Lyon routed the tail to finish with 5/34 as Sri Lanka collapsed to finish with just 110. Although Lyon's stunning debut figures will get plenty of press, it was a brilliant reverse-wing spell from Shane Watson (3/11) as he reduced the home side from 3/87 to 6/88 in two overs. Once again, batsmen struggled to make a substantial score on a tricky pitch and both Sri Lankan batsmen who reached 20 failed to make 30, increasing the virtue of Hussey's opening day 95.
In reply, Australia's second innings started disastrously with Shane Watson falling first ball. Ponting also fell cheaply, again to the pull shot as he lost his wicket and his bat to a delivery from Lakmal. Michael Clarke played an aggressive innings, reaching his 50 off just 54 balls with support from Hughes and Hussey, and at 3/110 and a lead of 278, the game seemed Australia's. However, Clarke fell for 60, Hussey went next ball, shortly followed by Haddin and Australia limped to the close at 6/115 with Herath taking all three wickets. A handy lead of 283 to be sure on this pitch, but given Australia's inability to close out matches in the fourth innings in recent years, they will be hoping that Khawaja, like the new bowlers, can repay some of the selector's faith in adding some further runs with the tail on day 3.
Scorecard here.
In reply, Australia's second innings started disastrously with Shane Watson falling first ball. Ponting also fell cheaply, again to the pull shot as he lost his wicket and his bat to a delivery from Lakmal. Michael Clarke played an aggressive innings, reaching his 50 off just 54 balls with support from Hughes and Hussey, and at 3/110 and a lead of 278, the game seemed Australia's. However, Clarke fell for 60, Hussey went next ball, shortly followed by Haddin and Australia limped to the close at 6/115 with Herath taking all three wickets. A handy lead of 283 to be sure on this pitch, but given Australia's inability to close out matches in the fourth innings in recent years, they will be hoping that Khawaja, like the new bowlers, can repay some of the selector's faith in adding some further runs with the tail on day 3.
Scorecard here.
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