Match State: Match start scheduled for 2pm local time (8am GMT)
Good afternoon, and welcome to CricInfo's live coverage of the TVS
Cup final at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, India and South
Africa facing off for the title today after play was abandoned
yesterday due to rain.
And what rain it was! Sheets of water cascaded from the skies, and
a ground with lesser drainage could not have hosted a one-day
international the very next day.
But the Bangabandhu Stadium is well-equipped for such storms, and
the ground, under bright, sunny skies, is perfectly dry, ready for
some high-quality cricket.
And it is likely to get it. The final may have seemed one-sided at
the beginning of this tournament, but South Africa have
progressively gotten better and even beat India in the last league
game on Friday.
India admittedly did play that match with a depleted side, and they
will field all their stars in the squad today for the title clash.
South Africa's new captain Graeme Smith has learned on the job
quite well, and with his batsmen getting into some form, the final
will be a well-fought affair.
The pitch is as usual a belter, with some help for spin later, so
when Sourav Ganguly's luck with the toss persisted, he opted to
bat first.
Teams:
India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Parthiv
Patel (wk), Ajit Agarkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir,
Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Mark Boucher (wk), Herschelle
Gibbs, Paul Adams, Neil McKenzie, Boeta Dippenaar, Makhaya Ntini,
Jacques Rudolph, Andrew Hall, Shaun Pollock, Allan Dawson
0.1 Pollock to Sehwag, no run, short of a length, some low bounce off
the first ball, and Sehwag plays the ball back towards the bowler
0.1 Pollock to Sehwag, no run, short of a length, some low bounce off
the first ball, and Sehwag plays the ball back towards the bowler
0.2 Pollock to Sehwag, one run, a single glided down to third man
0.3 Pollock to Gambhir, FOUR, short of a length and outside the off,
and Gambhir shuffles back and cuts the ball away wristily behind
square for four, the first of the innings. Great start for
Gambhir!
0.4 Pollock to Gambhir, no run
0.5 Pollock to Gambhir, no run
0.6 Pollock to Gambhir, no run
End of over 1 (5 runs) India 5/0 (RR: 5.00)
SM Pollock 1-0-5-0
V Sehwag 1* (2b) G Gambhir 4* (4b 1x4)
1.1 Ntini to Sehwag, no run
1.2 Ntini to Sehwag, FOUR, half volley outside the off stump, and this
is meat and drink to Sehwag, the batsman stepping forward and
driving the ball beautifully through the covers on the up for four
1.3 Ntini to Sehwag, no run, Ntini won't pitch the next one up, this
one just short of a length, climbing on Sehwag, who gets on his
toes and plays it down
1.4 Ntini to Sehwag, no run, punched to extra cover
1.5 Ntini to Sehwag, two runs, pitched up again on middle and leg, and
Sehwag pushes this one back down the ground, a strong bottom hand
coming into play, and Sehwag gets two to long on
1.6 Ntini to Sehwag, no run
End of over 2 (6 runs) India 11/0 (RR: 5.50)
M Ntini 1-0-6-0
G Gambhir 4* (4b 1x4) V Sehwag 7* (8b 1x4)
2.1 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, pitched up on off stump, and Gambhir
strides forward and defends into the off
2.2 Pollock to Gambhir, one run, this is on middle and leg, and Gambhir
is tucked up but manages to get the ball away into the legside for
a quick single
2.3 Pollock to Sehwag, no run, short of a length, but only just, and
Sehwag pushes this one to extra cover
2.4 Pollock to Sehwag, one run, flicked away wide of mid on, and Sehwag
sets off early and gets the pinched singkle
2.5 Pollock to Gambhir, one run, nurdled away to third man for one
2.6 Pollock to Sehwag, no run, slower ball, and Sehwag tries to pull
this one away and mistimes, the ball ricocheting onto his pads and
dribbling away into the legside
End of over 3 (3 runs) India 14/0 (RR: 4.67)
SM Pollock 2-0-8-0 - Pavilion End
G Gambhir 6* (7b 1x4) V Sehwag 8* (11b 1x4)
3.1 Ntini to Gambhir, no run, angled across Gambhir, who shoulders arms
and lets it go past
3.2 Ntini to Gambhir, no run
3.3 Ntini to Gambhir, legbye: one run, on the pads, and alhough Ntini
appeals, the ball dribbles away to the legside for a legbye, and
the umpire does not uphold the appeal
3.4 Ntini to Sehwag, no run, loud shouts of "Catch it" as Ntini drops
it short and Sehwag tries to lazily pull it away, the ball taking
the glove and dropping ju-uu-uust short of the keeper and slip
3.5 Ntini to Sehwag, no run, defensively played back to Ntini
3.6 Ntini to Sehwag, no run
End of over 4 (1 run, maiden) India 15/0 (RR: 3.75)
M Ntini 2-1-6-0 - Paltan End
G Gambhir 6* (10b 1x4) V Sehwag 8* (14b 1x4)
4.1 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, Gambhir dances down the track,
aggressive intent here, but Pollock is a canny bowler and places
the line much too close to Gambhir to hit, so he can only push it
to mid off
4.2 Pollock to Gambhir, no run
4.3 Pollock to Gambhir, no run
4.4 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, short of a length, and Gambhir cuts
this away well but straight to the backward point fielder
4.5 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, pushed into the offside
4.6 Pollock to Gambhir, one run, this one squares Gambhir up nicely,
the batsman shaping to leg and the late away movement taking the
edge and running through where second slip would have been to
third man for one
End of over 5 (1 run) India 16/0 (RR: 3.20)
SM Pollock 3-0-9-0 - Pavilion End
G Gambhir 7* (16b 1x4) V Sehwag 8* (14b 1x4)
5.1 Ntini to Gambhir, no run
5.2 Ntini to Gambhir, no run
5.3 Ntini to Gambhir, one run, neatly tucked behind square for a single
5.4 Ntini to Sehwag, no run
5.5 Ntini to Sehwag, no run, short ball, and Sehwag backs away to leg
and tries to slash the ball over the slip cordon and misses
completely, the ball beating the bat with sheer bounce
5.6 Ntini to Sehwag, no run
End of over 6 (1 run) India 17/0 (RR: 2.83)
M Ntini 3-1-7-0 - Paltan End
G Gambhir 8* (19b 1x4) V Sehwag 8* (17b 1x4)
6.1 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, Gambhir dabs this one towards point and
wants a single but the fielder is in too quickly and prevents it
6.2 Pollock to Gambhir, wide: no run, down the legside, and South
Africa concede their first extra
6.2 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, on the off and Gambhir gets behind the
line of that one, playing it back down the wicket
6.3 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, pitched up, and Gambhir unleashes the
flowing cover drive but the ball rockets straight to the mid off
fielder
6.4 Pollock to Gambhir, one run, steered away to third man for a single
6.5 Pollock to Sehwag, OUT: pitched up, a slightly slower ball, and
Sehwag tries to heave this over the long on fence and mis-hits,
the ball spooning in the air for Dawson at the edge of the circle
at mid on to take a simple catch
India 19/1, Partnership of 19
V Sehwag c Dawson b Pollock 8 (18b 1x4 0x6)
G Gambhir 9* (23b 1x4) SM Pollock 3.5-0-11-1 (1w)
6.6 Pollock to Ganguly, no run, short of a length, and Ganguly plays
this into the offside for one
End of over 7 (2 runs) India 19/1 (RR: 2.71)
SM Pollock 4-0-11-1 (1w) - Pavilion End
G Gambhir 9* (23b 1x4) SC Ganguly 0* (1b)
7.1 Ntini to Gambhir, one run, turned into the legside, and a quick
single pinched
7.2 Ntini to Ganguly, no run, pushed back to Ntini
7.3 Ntini to Ganguly, one run, dabbed into the offside, short of the
point fielder, and Ganguly pinches that single rather nicely
7.4 Ntini to Gambhir, (noball) no run
7.4 Ntini to Gambhir, no run, short of a length, seaming away from
Gambhir even as it rises rather sharply and goes through to the
keeper
7.5 Ntini to Gambhir, no run
7.6 Ntini to Gambhir, no run, pushed back to Ntini
End of over 8 (3 runs) India 22/1 (RR: 2.75)
M Ntini 4-1-10-0 (1nb) - Paltan End
SC Ganguly 1* (3b) G Gambhir 10* (28b 1x4)
8.1 Pollock to Ganguly, no run, driven to the point fielder
8.2 Pollock to Ganguly, no run, looping slower ball that Ganguly clips
away to mid on
8.3 Pollock to Ganguly, no run
8.4 Pollock to Ganguly, no run, stroked to mid off, and Gambhir wants a
single but is sent back by Ganguly
8.5 Pollock to Ganguly, one run, flicked away to fine leg for one
8.6 Pollock to Gambhir, no run
End of over 9 (1 run) India 23/1 (RR: 2.56)
SM Pollock 5-0-12-1 (1w) - Pavilion End
SC Ganguly 2* (8b) G Gambhir 10* (29b 1x4)
9.1 Ntini to Ganguly, no run
9.2 Ntini to Ganguly, no run, played away to the cover fieldsman
9.3 Ntini to Ganguly, no run
9.4 Ntini to Ganguly, FOUR, short ball, and Ganguly backs away and uses
the pace of the ball to flash hard, over the head of the point
fieldsman, to the fence, just behind square for four
9.5 Ntini to Ganguly, no run
9.6 Ntini to Ganguly, (noball) bye: FOUR, short ball, rising over
Ganguly's head and continuing to take off, shooting over the head
of even Boucher and to the third man ropes for four
9.6 Ntini to Ganguly, no run
End of over 10 (9 runs) India 32/1 (RR: 3.20)
M Ntini 5-1-19-0 (2nb) - Paltan End
G Gambhir 10* (29b 1x4) SC Ganguly 6* (15b 1x4)
10.1 Pollock to Gambhir, no run, fuller ball, outside the off and angled
towards the slps, and Gambhir comes a step down the wicket, gets
on one knee, and tries to thrash it to the fence and misses
completely
10.2 Pollock to Gambhir, one run, turned wide of mid on for a quick
single
10.3 Pollock to Ganguly, no run
10.4 Pollock to Ganguly, two runs, turned nicely off the hips for a
couple, Smith giving chase and pulling it back as the batsmen get
two
10.5 Pollock to Ganguly, no run, pushed to cover
10.6 Pollock to Ganguly, no run, played into the offside
End of over 11 (3 runs) India 35/1 (RR: 3.18)
SM Pollock 6-0-15-1 (1w) - Pavilion End
G Gambhir 11* (31b 1x4) SC Ganguly 8* (19b 1x4)
The clouds are now rapidly gathering around the stadium, the lights
being turned on in mid-afternoon!
11.1 Ntini to Gambhir, no run
11.2 Ntini to Gambhir, OUT: outside the off, angled across the batsman,
and Gambhir flashes at that one hard, the ball simply flies off
the outside the edge, and McKenzie at second slip has to move fast
to catch it to his left
India 35/2, Partnership of 16
G Gambhir c McKenzie b Ntini 11 (33b 1x4 0x6)
SC Ganguly 8* (19b 1x4) M Ntini 5.2-1-19-1 (2nb)
11.3 Ntini to Kaif, no run, short of a length, and Kaif steers this one
to point
11.4 Ntini to Kaif, no run
11.5 Ntini to Kaif, no run, turned into the legidde, and both the bowler
and silly point race across to field
11.6 Ntini to Kaif, no run
End of over 12 (maiden) India 35/2 (RR: 2.92)
M Ntini 6-2-19-1 (2nb) - Paltan End
SC Ganguly 8* (19b 1x4) M Kaif 0* (4b)
Allan Dawson comes into the attack now
The bails are now being blown off by the strong wind, so a slight
delay in the play, even as the covers are readied on the boundary
And now the umpire's hat gambols around the outfield! Never heard
of wind stopping play, but there's a first time for everything
The advantage with the wind, of course, is that it will blow the
ominous-looking rainclouds right away from the stadium.
Match State: Drinks
12.1 Dawson to Ganguly, one run, pushed into the covers for a singlre
12.2 Dawson to Kaif, one run, steered to third man for one
12.3 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
12.4 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
12.5 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
12.6 Dawson to Ganguly, no run, dabbed down into the offside
End of over 13 (2 runs) India 37/2 (RR: 2.85)
AC Dawson 1-0-2-0 - Pavilion End
M Kaif 1* (5b) SC Ganguly 9* (24b 1x4)
13.1 Ntini to Kaif, no run, steered to point
13.2 Ntini to Kaif, FOUR, full and on the legs, and Kaif easily clips
this one to the midwicket fence, crisply hit with great wristwork
13.3 Ntini to Kaif, OUT: short ball, and Kaif tries to pull this one
away to midwicket and gets a top edge that lands safely n Rudolph
India 41/3, Partnership of 6
M Kaif c Rudolph b Ntini 5 (8b 1x4 0x6)
SC Ganguly 9* (24b 1x4) M Ntini 6.3-2-23-2 (2nb)
Rudolph's hands at mid on taking a simple catch to dismiss Kaif
13.4 Ntini to Yuvraj Singh, no run, loud appeal for leg before from
Ntini, but this one is clearly pitching outside leg stump
13.5 Ntini to Yuvraj Singh, no run, left alone outside the off, the ball
passing over the stumps
13.6 Ntini to Yuvraj Singh, no run
End of over 14 (4 runs) India 41/3 (RR: 2.93)
M Ntini 7-2-23-2 (2nb) - Paltan End
SC Ganguly 9* (24b 1x4) Yuvraj Singh 0* (3b)
14.1 Dawson to Ganguly, no run, punched to cover
14.2 Dawson to Ganguly, no run, rising off a good length, the ball takes
off and Ganguly drops his hands in time
14.3 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
14.4 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
14.5 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
14.6 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
End of over 15 (maiden) India 41/3 (RR: 2.73)
AC Dawson 2-1-2-0 - Pavilion End
Yuvraj Singh 0* (3b) SC Ganguly 9* (30b 1x4)
15.1 Ntini to Yuvraj Singh, no run, straight and fast, and Yuvraj is a
tad late on the stroke, the ball defeating the blade
15.2 Ntini to Yuvraj Singh, no run
15.3 Ntini to Yuvraj Singh, one run, worked wide of mid on for a single
15.4 Ntini to Ganguly, two runs, worked off the hips, and two more to
square leg
15.5 Ntini to Ganguly, no run
15.6 Ntini to Ganguly, no run, outside the off, Ntini gets yet another
ball to rise off a good length, and Ganguly plays and misses
End of over 16 (3 runs) India 44/3 (RR: 2.75)
M Ntini 8-2-26-2 (2nb) - Paltan End
Yuvraj Singh 1* (6b) SC Ganguly 11* (33b 1x4)
16.1 Dawson to Yuvraj Singh, no run, pushed to the cover fielder, and
despite the field restrictions being lifted, there are still men
in the circle attacking the batsman
16.2 Dawson to Yuvraj Singh, no run, defended back down the track to
Dawson
16.3 Dawson to Yuvraj Singh, one run, pushed away wide of mid on for one
16.4 Dawson to Ganguly, no run
16.5 Dawson to Ganguly, no run, flicked away, and Dawson fields nciely
off his own bowling. South Africa really squeezing the Indians
here
16.6 Dawson to Ganguly, no run, rising ball, and Ganguly plays it down
by taking one hand off the bat
End of over 17 (1 run) India 45/3 (RR: 2.65)
AC Dawson 3-1-3-0 - Pavilion End
Yuvraj Singh 2* (9b) SC Ganguly 11* (36b 1x4)
17.1 Ntini to Yuvraj Singh, legbye: one run, and even as Yuvraj tries to
work this to leg, the rain starts to come down, the covers are
being dragged on, and the players take evasive action
Match State: Delay - Rain
Still raining in Dhaka, the covers are still as firmly on, and the
cricket is just as decisively stopped, if at least for the moment.
The rains have stopped now, and the covers are off the pitch, and
there will be another inspection of the pitch and outfield by the
umpires soon.
Conditions apparently have not improved enough for play to be
resumed today, and the umpires have seen it fit to abandon this
match just 17.1 overs in.
South Africa and India hence are joint winners of this TVS Cup,
India's second such result in their last three multi-nation
tournaments. They were also joint winners with Sri Lanka of the
ICC Champions Trophy.
Allan Dawson, for his 11 wickets in this series at 13.63 apiece,
has been named Man of the Series.
An unfortunate way for this tournament to end, perhaps, but stay
with CricInfo for live coverage of the Australia-West Indies Test
as well as plenty of other live cricket.