17th & 18th Matches Super 10's ENG V NED & NZ V SL

Netherlands 133 for 5 (Barresi 48) beat England 88 (van Beek 3-9, Bukhari 3-12) by 45 runs

There is a great deal of competition for the lowest point in the history of English cricket. They have been defeated by Ireland and Netherlands, bowled out by a chicken farmer in Zimbabwe and whitewashed by India, West Indies and Australia. They were even knocked out of the World Cup they hosted in 1999 before the theme song was released.

But defeat at the hands of Netherlands - the second time they have lost to them in two meetings following the result in the 2009 World T20 at Lord's - in Chittagong ranks among the worst of England's defeats. In a winter stuffed with setbacks and disappointment, England left the most ignominious moment until last. The term double-dutch has rarely seemed so appropriate.

It is a defeat that might also prove a fatal blow for Ashley Giles' hopes of gaining the England coaching job. While those at the ECB charged with appointing the next coach might have been expected to take a sympathetic view towards some modest results in light of the transitional phase in which the team find themselves, it may prove harder to overlook a defeat at the hands of Netherlands: a team that were beaten by Zimbabwe early in the tournament; a team that were bowled out for 39 by Sri Lanka a few days ago; a team that recently lost their ODI status.

Smart Stats Netherlands have become the only Associate team to beat a Test team twice in T20 internationals. Their first win against England was in the only other T20I these teams have played, at Lord's in the 2009 World T20. England's total in this match equalled their second lowest score in T20Is. West Indies had also bowled them out for 88 at The Oval in 2011. England's lowest score in T20Is is 80, by India in the 2012 World T20. This was Netherlands' fourth win when batting first in 14 games. They have a better record batting second - 11 wins in 15 matches. The 45-run defeat was England's sixth worst in terms of runs. Their worst was against India in the last World T20, when they lost by 90. The England batsmen scored only three boundaries, the fewest they have hit in a T20I.

Those same men charged with appointing the coach might also like to reflect on the wisdom of dispensing with Kevin Pietersen weeks before the tournament, too. 

Whether he is disruptive or not in the dressing room - and the evidence of those who shared it with him is mixed - there is no doubt that, without him, England are a weaker team on the pitch.

This was a wretched performance. While Netherlands hit three boundaries in the first over of the game, England managed only four in their entire innings. 

While Holland took 47 off their six Powerplay overs, England managed only 26 for the loss of three wickets off theirs; their second lowest in T20 history. Their final total - a pathetic effort of 88 - was the lowest ever recorded by Full Member nation against an Associate.

It summed up England's awful performance that defeat was sealed by a shambolic run-out. Had an unknowing spectator sauntered into the ground, they could have been forgiven for concluding that England was the Associate nation and Netherlands were the Test regulars.

But it is harsh to focus on England's shortcomings when Netherlands performance warrants praise. Certainly their bowling - intelligent, disciplined and calm - was highly impressive and their fielding calm and assured. 

They deserve huge plaudits for defending a target that looked some way below par, albeit on a pitch that rendered stroke-making difficult.

Timm van der Gugten bowled with pace and control in taking the key wicket of Eoin Morgan, falling to an old weakness and edging one pushed wide of his off stump, while Mudassar Bukhari's control and variations preyed on an England batting line-up chronically lacking in confidence on a sluggish surface. Logan van Beek also claimed three wickets in two overs by virtue simply of maintaining and decent line and length and preying on England's increasing panic.

However, the key difference was the composure of Netherlands compared to England. While the Dutch played to the conditions, England attempted to play as if on a quicker surface. With the ball not coming on to the bat as England might have liked, the batsmen were encouraged to hit the ball in the air and presented a succession of chances to Netherland's grateful, and sharp fielders. Only three men made double-figures and none made more than 18.

Earlier, it seemed as if England had clawed Netherlands back to a manageable total after a bright start. Stephan Myburgh and Wesley Barresi put on 50 for the second wicket in 43 balls, with Stephen Parry, playing in place of the much-derided Jade Dernbach, punished for 23 off his two overs.

The fielding lapses that have marred England's winter were prevalent once again. Michael Lumb, mistiming his leap, was unable to cling on to a pull stroke by Barresi on 8 off Parry's first delivery - a long-hop - and instead of catching it, tipped the ball for six. Tom Cooper, on 4, was badly dropped by Alex Hales, while Peter Borren might have been run-out had Buttler not dislodged the bails with his elbow before collecting the ball.

But, having made 84 from the first 11 overs, Netherlands scored only 49 from their final nine as Ravi Bopara, in particular, bowled with excellent control and variation. Only 27 came from the final five overs and it seemed they had squandered their fine platform.

It proved to be more than enough, though. England's run-chase never gained any momentum. Nobody took responsibility for their chase, no-one had the composure for the job at hand. Complacency is one potential excuse, but how a team that has been thrashed all winter can be find room for complacency is hard to say.

Either way, while the result may prove a hammer blow to Giles' chances of gaining the England job his counterpart, Anton Roux, must have given himself an excellent chance of gaining the Netherlands job on a full time basis. 

Sri Lanka 119 (Boult 3-20) beat New Zealand 60 (Williamson 42, Herath 5-3) 

Rangana Herath sprung from Sri Lanka's dugout, watched his team-mates collapse, then crafted a Twenty20 spell of astounding quality to slam New Zealand into a wall, claiming five wickets for three runs as Sri Lanka defended 119 and made the semi-finals. He arrived at the bowling crease in the third over, delivered a wicket maiden first up, and had three scalps before New Zealand scored a run off him. 

By the end of his three-over spell, New Zealand were 30 for 5 - effectively 6, as a dislocated finger prevented Corey Anderson from batting. Kane Williamson batted gamely, hitting 42 off 43 - the game's top score - but he could not overcome the carnage at the other end.

The dew Brendon McCullum had expected at the toss in this must-win game did not materialise, and though an attack led by Trent Boult justified his decision to chase, his batsmen were stunned to a stall in the Powerplay. They managed 60 for 9 in 15.3 overs, as Sachithra Senanayake and poor running contributed the remaining wickets.

One of those run-outs would provide Sri Lanka and Herath the opening they had been desperate for, with at least 30 runs too few on the board. Martin Guptill pushed a full Herath delivery gently towards mid -on, and though he set off for the single immediately, Williamson did not respond. Herath collected, turned and threw smartly to complete that first wicket, but it would be his next 11 balls that truly defined the match.

Brendon McCullum was kept scoreless for four balls before Herath tossed one up slow and wide, reading McCullum's advance, before he spun Ross Taylor in his web next over. Taylor survived a plumb lbw shout, but was out to a straighter one immediately. 

James Neesham played all around one that straightened, and when Luke Ronchi was trapped in front by another straightening ball next over, New Zealand had been knocked breathless.

Crucially, the top-order collapse had been dramatic enough to subdue New Zealand's typically-ebullient middle order. Nathan McCullum hit two runs from his first eight balls before clipping Senanayake straight to short midwicket, before Senanayake trapped Kyle Mills in front with one that replays suggested would head down leg.

The required rate had spiked higher than 12 when Herath returned for his final over, and the wicket that sealed the victory came in fitting fashion. Herath not only completed his five-wicket-haul when Trent Boult hit one to slip, the catch was also gobbled by Mahela Jayawardene, who despite what the teamsheet stated, was Sri Lanka's captain on the night. He had kept a short leg and slip to the spinners, after Brendon McCullum had been similarly aggressive with his fields in the first innings.

If Herath had been the exemplary spinner, New Zealand's attack had earlier shown how to bowl seam on such pitches. Boult found movement in the air and off the surface, pitching up to the left-hand batsmen as he shaped it away and back-of-a-length to the right-hand batsmen, cramping them. 

Dilshan had been struggling for timing throughout the tournament, and his tortured innings came to an end when he scooped one high into the keeper's gloves in the third over. Sangakkara was limp in his 11-ball knock, and the middle order would crumble around Jayawardene, who did not appear fluent himself.

New Zealand fielded superbly as Neesham, Mitchell McClenaghan and Nathan McCullum bowled impeccable lines through the middle overs. Nathan would taunt Jayawardene into the sweep that ended his innings, and left Sri Lanka at 85 for 6 at the end of the 15th over.

Sri Lanka batted deep, with Senanayake coming in at No. 9, and it was his strike to long-on that would cause Anderson's injury on the rope, as the fielder palmed a relatively straightforward catch over the boundary.

New Zealand were energetic at the change-of-innings, feeling, perhaps rightly, that they had a terrific chance, but it was to be Herath and Sri Lanka that earned their sixth straight semi-final in ICC events. 

15th & 16th Matches Super 10's AUS V IND & BAN V PAK

Pakistan 190 for 5 (Shehzad 111*, Razzak 2-20) beat Bangladesh 140 for 7 (Shakib 38, Gul 3-30, Ajmal 2-20) by 50 runs

Ahmed Shehzad pummeled Pakistan's first ever T20 century, propelling his side to a 50-run win over Bangladesh and setting up a virtual quarterfinal against West Indies on Tuesday. 

Shehzad punished some ordinary bowling from Bangladesh's seamers - he scored 87 off 39 balls against them - to ensure Pakistan didn't suffer any long-term effects from a mid-innings dip, when they lost three wickets for 28 runs in 29 balls.

With Shahid Afridi tonking 22 off 9 balls late in the innings, Pakistan set Bangladesh 191 to win. Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque made a decent start, but Bangladesh's innings disintegrated after both fell in the space of nine balls to leave them 36 for 2 in the sixth over.

In the next 34 balls, Bangladesh lost two more wickets to the spinners and didn't find the boundary even once. 

With 135 needed from 52, they weren't going to get anywhere near the target, even if Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain gave the Shere Bangla National Stadium a handful of opportunities to exercise their lungs. 

The contest had long ended, and Australia's players, waiting for their match against India, watched on resignedly as their semi-final hopes slowly evaporated.

This process may have begun soon after Shehzad started feasting on Bangladesh's quicker bowlers. His method against them was to set himself up early, moving around his crease just as the bowler entered his delivery stride before finding a stable base by the time of release. 

He got into a couple of outlandish positions - he missed a paddle off Al-Amin from way outside off stump, and took a single off a leading edge after walking halfway down the pitch to Mashrafe Mortaza - but prospered when he set himself up in a semi-open position with a small jump across the stumps. From there, he had room to swat the length ball over midwicket or take an extra stride forward and carve the ball over extra cover.

Both these shots made an early appearance as he took three fours and a six in Mashrafe's second over and motored to 29 off 13. Pakistan were 34 for no loss after three overs.

Spin came on for the first time, and Bangladesh immediately pulled things back. Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak, the two left-arm spinners, conceded just 20 runs off the next four overs, which also produced the wicket of Kamran Akmal via a top-edged sweep.

After one over of pace from Al-Amin - which went for 11, including a sweetly timed six over cover from Shehzad - spin returned from both ends. Pakistan lost two wickets in two overs.

Razzak had Mohammad Hafeez stumped, beating him for length with a quicker one and surprising him with big turn. Till then, both he and Shakib had skidded it through on an off-and-middle line, denying the right-handers room. In the next over, Umar Akmal was caught at point slashing Mahmudullah against the turn.

At the 12-over mark, Pakistan were 88 for 3, with Shehzad on 56 and Shoaib Malik on 9 off 11. The three spinners, between them, had bowled eight overs and picked up three for 40.

On came seam once more, in the form of Ziaur Rahman, bowling in the early 120s, just the sort of pace Shehzad liked: quick enough to come nicely on to the bat, but still giving him enough time to line the bowler up. The over went for 22, with Shehzad cutting two fours behind point and shoveling two sixes over midwicket. Then came the only bad over of spin, Malik striking Mahmudullah for successive fours off a full-toss and a wide half-volley, before Shakib gave away seven in the 15th, leaving Pakistan 130 for 3.

Mashrafe's third over produced 16, including five wides from a ball that slipped miles - in cricketing units - down the leg side and two fours from Shehzad. After he struck the second, Mushfiqur seemed to suggest to Mashrafe that he bowl more slower balls, with a gesture approximating an offbreak.

At the start of the 19th over, Mushfiqur had one more over from his main offspinner, Mahmudullah, and also had the option of using Nasir Hossain. Shakib, who had just completed his quota, had dismissed Malik in his final over to finish with figures of 1 for 21. The spinners, overall, had taken four wickets and conceded 65 runs in 66 balls.

Instead of Mahmudullah or a part-timer, Mushfiqur brought back Mashrafe, who had gone for 39 in three overs. Cue the biggest over of the Pakistan innings. Shehzad pulled his first ball for six and was caught in the deep off a no-ball before Afridi joined in the fun with two sixes in two balls over extra cover.

A boundary off the last ball from Shehzad took the total for the over to 24. It took Pakistan to 180 with one over left. The spinners had kept Bangladesh in the match, till this point. Now, even before they had begun their innings, they were more or less out of it. 


India 159 for 7 (Yuvraj 60) beat Australia 86 (Ashwin 4-11, Mishra 2-13) by 73 runs

We've been expecting you, Mr Singh. Many an India fan wanted Yuvraj Singh out because he had been plodding and prodding around this tournament even though he took most wickets and scored most runs for India between the two World Twenty20s. India, though, persisted with him, even giving him an extra chance at the expense of Shikhar Dhawan who made way for Ajinkya Rahane who simply had to be tried. 

Yuvraj struggled here again, reaching 13 off 21 before he exploded to end up with 60 off 42, showing just why MS Dhoni has shown so much faith in him. That innings provided a middling innings the acceleration it needed, after which R Ashwin's wily spin triggered an almighty collapse from Australia, who were already out of the tournament and weren't quite there in the chase.

Pakistan's win over Bangladesh earlier in the day had already knocked Australia out, but India still had a lot of interest in this match. 

All their previous wins had come winning the toss and bowling first, so they wanted to bat first and also wanted to play around with their combination a little. Rahane's inclusion and Mohit Sharma's were the decisions made before the toss, and even though Dhoni finally lost a toss - his first in 13 internationals - India got their wish when George Bailey inserted them in.

India's worst first 10 overs of the tournament followed as Rohit Sharma fell early, and Rahane and Virat Kohli failed to convert starts. Suresh Raina didn't look at home either, and at 66 for 4 in the 12th over, India were struggling for the first time in the tournament. 

Yuvraj had only just about start timing the ball, and in the next over Brad Hodge provided him a long hop to get away a bit. To bowl the 14th came on James Muirhead. Australia's spinners had suffocated India by then, conceding just 40 in seven overs.

This time, though, the legspinner missed his length two balls in a row. You couldn't got away with that against the vintage Yuvraj. You couldn't get away with that against this Yuvraj either. He sent them both sailing over midwicket for sixes. He had seen blood now. Some of his silken yet brutal shots came out in the end, most notable of which was his movement away from the stumps to get under a full ball outside leg and send it inside-out over long-off for six.

All of a sudden, the bowlers were the ones fumbling, not sure where to ball because missing the areas even by inches resulted in sixes. Seventy runs came in five overs starting with the 14th, and even though Yuvraj didn't finish off in style he had given India what looked a fighting total, especially given the form of India's attack.

The only problem with the total was you had to make allowance for the fact that India were up against a side that had nothing to lose. It showed in how Aaron Finch threw his arms at the first ball of the chase, and got four for it. However, Australia were too reckless and India too disciplined for this to become a blitz of any sort. The daredevilry of a side that was on its way out was all there, but the execution wasn't. After India had bowled a few tight overs at the top, keeping them down to 19 for 1 in four overs, it was all six or out.

Yes, there were five sixes, but there were five outs doing that as Ashwin spun his way to the best figures by an Indian spinners in Twenty20 internationals, and Australia crashed to their third-worst defeat. Now if the New Zealand-Sri Lanka match is not washed out in the other group, India will face South Africa in the semi-final. 

13th & 14th Matches Super 10's ENG V SA & NZ V NED

New Zealand 152-4 (19 overs) beat the Netherlands 151-4 (20 overs) by six wickets

Captain Brendon McCullum steered New Zealand to a routine six-wicket victory over the Netherlands that keeps their World Twenty20 semi-final hopes alive.

McCullum became the first man to reach 2,000 T20 international runs with 65 off 45 balls as the Kiwis chased down the 152 target with six balls in hand.

The Dutch, who managed a creditable 151-4, are out of the competition.

New Zealand face Sri Lanka on Monday in a shootout for a semi-final spot after South Africa knocked out England.

Test Match Special Analysis

Shaun Pollock Ex-South Africa captain & Test Match Special summariser

"It was a good performance by New Zealand. They were good in the field, especially finishing the innings well. They were tentative early on with the bat, but McCullum took the game away from the Dutch. They have a big encounter with Sri Lanka on Monday."

Put in to bat, the Netherlands made a stodgy start on a two-paced pitch, but gathered impetus in a 60 partnership between captain Peter Borren and Tom Cooper.

Borren mixed good fortune and aggressive strokeplay, while Cooper showed plenty of power in hitting two sixes and four fours.

But the innings stalled after the dismissal of Borren for 49 at the end of the 18th over. Jimmy Neesham delivered five successive dot balls to new batsman Ben Cooper, with the Dutch adding only 10 runs in the last two overs.

New Zealand lost the out-of-form Martin Guptill to an ugly swipe in the fourth over, but soon set about chalking off the required runs with minimal fuss.

McCullum led the way with his 12th Twenty20 international half-century, while Kane Williamson (29) and Ross Taylor also chipped in.

Taylor smashed a huge six into the top tier of the stands, only to get out for 18 to the following ball from Timm van der Gugten when Wesley Baressi ran from behind the stumps to claim an impressive catch.

McCullum fell in the 17th over to a slower ball from Van der Gugten, but the big-hitting Corey Anderson rounded off the win with an unbeaten 20 off 14 balls.

"Netherlands put up a really good fight," said McCullum. "The surface was different than what we saw earlier, but the way we bowled in the last two overs pulled their total back."

Netherlands captain Borren said his opposite number was the difference between the two sides.

"It was a reasonably comfortable chase for New Zealand - Brendon batted very, very well," Borren said.

"He got them through. If we could have got him at some stage, it would have been a very different story." 

S Africa 196-5 (20 overs) beat England 193-7 (20 overs) by three runs

England were knocked out of the World Twenty20 in the group stage as an AB De Villiers-inspired South Africa booked their place in the semi-finals.

De Villiers, standing in as captain for the banned Faf du Plessis, hit 69 off 28 balls as the Proteas scored 55 in the last three overs to reach 196-5.

Alex Hales (38) gave England a good start, but three quick wickets for Wayne Parnell turned the tide.

Spinner Imran Tahir then took 2-27 as England fell three runs short on 193-7.

England's final match against the Netherlands on Monday is now academic, while Sri Lanka and New Zealand will play off for the second qualifying spot from Group One.

Test Match Special Analysis

Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent

"England will rue the match against New Zealand, but I thought that was a spirited performance. Three wayward overs at the end, along with the brilliance of De Villiers, left a target that was always going to be a struggle."

Remarkably, at 144-5 after 16 overs, England were actually 13 runs ahead of where South Africa had been at the same point.

But the Proteas' innings was given a sudden catalyst by the brilliant De Villiers and a wayward Jade Dernbach, who conceded 26 runs off the 18th over of the innings.

A further 29 followed off the final 12 balls as South Africa posted the highest score of the tournament so far and set England a target they were always unlikely to reach.

That they came relatively close owed much to a spirited late 31 off 18 balls by Ravi Bopara and a six off the final ball of the day from Tim Bresnan when the match - and England's chances of reaching the last four - had already gone.

England lost to New Zealand on the Duckworth-Lewis method in their first match but rebounded to beat Sri Lanka as Hales hit a match-winning hundred.

But the defeat by South Africa rounds off a miserable winter that featured heavy series defeats in all three formats in Australia and an indifferent limited-overs tour of the West Indies.

Put in to bat under floodlights that twice failed in the first hour, causing short delays to proceedings, South Africa raced to 85-0 in their first 10 overs as a pumped-up Hasim Amla made his first T20 international fifty.

But England fought back gamely with 3-36 in the next five overs as Amla (56), Quinton de Kock (29) and JP Duminy (5) all perished, the latter to a comical run-out when his bat slipped out of his hand as he dashed for a second run.

De Villiers wrenched the game back in his team's favour with an extraordinary display. He reverse swept a 92mph delivery from Chris Jordan and somehow heaved a low full toss from Bresnan over midwicket for six on his way to fifty off 23 deliveries.

And there was more to come. Two sixes were bludgeoned off the unfortunate Dernbach, who was also hit for two fours by David Miller and sent down two wides and a no-ball in a disastrous 18th over as South Africa gave their score a crucial late boost.

England scored 62-1 in the six-over powerplay but lost momentum when Hales and Moeen Ali were dismissed in successive balls by Parnell, who had been drafted in for Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Eoin Morgan nicked Tahir to the keeper for 14 off 14 balls and Jos Buttler was caught reverse-sweeping for 34.

Bopara just about kept the game alive with three fours and a six, but when he holed out to the first ball of the final over the game was up. 

11th & 12th Matches Super 10's AUS V WI & BAN V IND

West Indies 179 for 4 (Gayle 53) beat Australia 178 for 8 (Maxwell 45, Narine 2-19) by 6 wickets

West Indian batting power ejected Australia from the previous World T20 in Sri Lanka and has all but done so again after Darren Sammy pulled off a remarkable heist in Mirpur. Chris Gayle gave West Indies a blazing start to their chase of 179 but they spluttered in the middle and Australia were firm favourites when George Bailey handed the ball to Mitchell Starc with 31 still needed from the final two overs.

Sammy had other ideas. A half-volley was smashed over long-on for six, a flick was finessed to the fine-leg boundary and another four was slashed behind point, and Starc's inability to land the ball in the right spots meant 19 runs had leaked from his over, leaving 12 required off the final six balls. Importantly, Sammy was on strike, though his partner Dwayne Bravo had contributed plenty to the chase with 27 off 12 deliveries.

Two yorkers from James Faulkner gave Bailey reason to breathe easier, but Sammy followed those with a six crunched over long-off from a full toss and another six down the ground to secure the six-wicket win with two balls to spare. Sammy threw his arms up in the air to celebrate and well he might have, for his 34 off 13 balls was the reason West Indies managed the highest successful chase in their T20 international history.

Australia were shattered by the loss, which left them winless from their first two games. Even victories in their remaining matches against India and Bangladesh may well be inadequate to progress to the semi-finals. It has been a harsh lesson for a side who entered the tournament as favourites with five wins from their past five games - notably, all in faster, more familiar conditions. Here their batsmen again struggled against spin.

Not that their total of 178 for 8 was unable to be defended; on the contrary, they must have felt confident at the change of innings, even more so after Shane Watson sent down a maiden for the first over of the chase to Dwayne Smith. After that, though, it was the Gayle show. His first ball was a pearler from Starc, angling in and straightening past the outside edge, but that was about the only time Gayle looked troubled.

Four fours followed later in that same over and the old Gayle magic was back. He clipped Doug Bollinger over square leg for six and continued to strike the ball cleanly in all directions, taking 40 from his first 14 deliveries. Smith edged behind off Starc for 17 but Gayle was the worry for Australia, and after his brisk start he settled down into a more run-a-ball mode, moving to his half-century from 31 balls.

At times he was walking singles, such was the ease with he appeared to be taking things, but on 53 he sent a catch to deep midwicket off James Muirhead and the fate of the match looked as if it may have changed on that one stroke. The runs began to dry up, Lendl Simmons was caught in the deep for 26 and Marlon Samuels used up 15 balls for his 12 before he was brilliantly taken by Brad Haddin diving to his right off Starc.

It was the last good thing Starc did for the match - Bravo clubbed him for six later in that over, and then it was the Sammy show. Those two final overs were fatal to Australia in this match, but their lack of big runs from their top three batsmen has also hurt them in both games.

As they had in the loss to Pakistan, Australia again relied on Maxwell to rebuild the innings after the top three struggled against quality spin. This time, David Warner and Aaron Finch at least made starts but they fell in consecutive overs while trying to force the pace - Finch was bowled for 16 attempting a slog sweep off Samuels and Samuel Badree's skidder took middle stump to end Warner's innings on 20.

Watson failed to get going for the second consecutive game, this time stumped for 2 from eight balls when Sunil Narine turned one past the bat. Denesh Ramdin was hardly crisp behind the stumps but such was Watson's apparent lack of awareness that his back foot was on the line that Ramdin was able to miss the bails on his first attempt at breaking them, then knock them off at the second try and still find Watson short.

When Bailey sent a catch to midwicket off Samuels for 12, Australia were in a spot of bother at 77 for 4, and it looked like spin could be their undoing in a tournament played in turning conditions. But Maxwell showed against Pakistan that such bowling does not worry him, and here he followed 16 off a Sammy over with a couple more sixes, slog swept off Samuels and crunched over extra cover off Badree.

There was no crazily fast half-century for Maxwell as there had been against Pakistan, but his 45 from 22 - he pulled a catch to deep midwicket off Badree - at least put Australia on the path to a competitive total. Brad Hodge, who entered the match as Twenty20's leading run scorer of all time, had enough experience to steer the innings up towards the 150 mark, his 35 ending only when he tried to reverse sweep Narine and was bowled.

The lower order added a few boundaries to get the total up to 178 for 8 but it was not enough. West Indies now have every chance of advancing to the semi-finals and maybe defending their title, won in Sri Lanka in 2012 after Gayle monstered Australia in the semi-final with 75 off 41 balls. Australia will almost certainly fly home next week wondering how on earth they can win this elusive trophy. 

Perhaps if Gayle retires before the next tournament they might have some chance. 

India 141 for 2 (Kohli 57*, Rohit 56) beat Bangladesh 138 for 7 (Anamul 44, Mishra 3-26) by 8 wickets

Indian fans have liked this movie so much they have watched it three times in a row. Now they won't mind it in the semi-finals either. Forget whatever is happening with their administration in India, the cricket team has put in another big performance to become the first entrants into the World T20 semi-finals. 

Once again MS Dhoni won the toss - the 15th consecutive time he's done it in completed matches - once again a nervous opposition self-combusted despite an early life to a top-order batsman, once again their spinners pulled things back, and once again the batsmen knocked off a sub-par total with ease.

Amit Mishra was the key man with the ball again, with three wickets, but R Ashwin once again bowled the dirty overs, and had two wickets to show for this time. 

Bangladesh tried to go hard at India, taking 13 off the first over, and Tamim Iqbal had been missed by Shikhar Dhawan, before Ashwin produced two wickets in his first two overs, for just three runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipped in with Shakib Al Hasan's scalp to make it 21 for 3 in the fifth over. All three had fallen to ordinary shots, leaving the passionate home crowd shell-shocked.

Anamul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim steadied the ship with a 46-run stand, but at 67 for 4 in 11 overs, the ship had hardly left the harbour. Anamul looked impressive for his 44 off 43, and Mahmudullah tried his best to provide the late impetus with an unbeaten 33 off 23, but Mishra's final over put paid to all hopes of a fight. The 20th over began at 131 for 5, but two Mishra deliveries later - a trademark stumping and a hole-out to long-off - Bangladesh had ceded control of the match again.

India are the only team apart from Nepal to have not conceded 140 in this tournament. And their record chasing such totals has been good: nine wins out of 10 before tonight. It wasn't about to go bad here.

A familiar story unfolded when India came out to chase. Dhawan looked ungainly and fell trying to force his way out of a rough patch, but Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli saw India through with a second successive century stand. Both went to their fifties. The only time they saw trouble was when Rohit put one in the air, but Sohag Gazi ruined Anamul's catch by running back and into Anamul at deep midwicket.

It was yet another satisfactory evening for India even as manure has hit the fan back home. MS Dhoni, the man whose name has been drawn into court proceedings, promoted himself to have his first hit in this tournament, and finished the chase off in Kohli's company. 

9th & 10th Matches Super 10's SA V NED & ENG V SL

South Africa 145 for 9 (Amla 43, Malik 5-19) beat Netherlands 139 (Myburgh 51, Tahir 4-21) by 6 runs

They did it at Lord's in the opening match of the World T20 five years ago. Then, Netherlands stunned England to announce the Associate threat in the shortest format. They did not look anywhere close to do doing it three days ago, when they were skittled out for the lowest total in T20 internationals, and Sri Lanka highlighted the gulf between cricket's haves and have-nots in the most brutal way. But Netherlands almost did it again today.

Netherlands were on course to cull another giant after they restricted South Africa to under 150 and got the asking rate down to less than five runs an over in the chase, but then imploded at the end. They did almost everything right: they took an early wicket, put the squeeze on South Africa with a selection of slower balls and got their own chase off to a flying start. South Africa had not lost to an Associate in their history and Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir held their nerve to ensure that did not change.

The Dutch crumbled from 80 for 1 to 139 all out - losing 9 for 59 - and handed South Africa the two points they needed to stay in contention for the semi-finals. With two defeats, Netherlands only have a slim chance of advancing but are taking their own victories from this tournament. In this match, the biggest one was Ahsan Malik's performance. The Rotterdam-born seamer recorded the best figures by an Associate bowler against a Full Member - 5 for 19.

Smart Stats Ahsan Malik's career-best 5 for 19 is the first instance of a bowler from an Associate team taking a five wicket-haul against a Test team in T20 internationals. Including Malik's, there have only been three instances of a bowler from an Associate team taking five-wicket hauls in T20Is. Malik's five-for is only the fourth in World T20s; Umar Gul, Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga are the other bowlers to take five-wicket hauls in the World T20. Click here for a list of bowlers with five-fors in T20Is. Imran Tahir's figures of 4 for 21 are his best in T20 internationals, beating the 3 for 26 he took against Sri Lanka in South Africa's first game of this tournament. Tahir has taken 15 T20I wickets at 9.40  and has an economy of 5.64 in 2013-14, and is the second-highest T20I wicket-taker this season. Malik leads the list with 18 wickets at 11.05. Stephan Myburgh's 51 was his third T20I fifty and also his third of this World T20. This was only the third fifty-plus score by a batsman from the Associate teams against the top T20I teams. Myburgh has scored 169 runs in this World T20 at an average of 33.80 and a strike rate of 185.71. Hashim Amla's 22-ball 43 is his fastest innings in T20 internationals and the fourth time he has been dismissed in the 40s. Amla is yet to score a fifty in 24 T20Is for South Africa.

Malik did not make the first incision - that honour went to Michael Swart, who had Quinton de Kock caught at square in the first over - but he made a telling one. 

After Hashim Amla had made a statement to those who questioned his ability to accelerate and took 22 off Swart's second over, Malik offered him some width and Amla was caught behind. 

The nick was faint, so much so that Amla, a walker, did not move at first, but it was there and it dented South Africa's positive start.

Amla had almost single-handedly taken South Africa to 43 in the fifth over, a sign that net run-rate was on their minds. Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers were in less of a hurry but were gifted low full-tosses by Logan van Beek and Pieter Seelaar to keep them going. 

They posted 39 for the third wicket before du Plessis tried to flick Tom Cooper over deep midwicket but found the fielder.

That was the first of South Africa's careless dismissals, which suggested they were taking their opposition too lightly. De Villiers picked out deep cover; Albie Morkel, who was promoted to No.5 to give him more time in the middle gave deep mid-wicket a catch; and JP Duminy was caught down the leg side.

Those four batsmen fell in the space of 45 deliveries in which South Africa did not manage a single boundary.

Van Beek, Malik, Mudassar Bukhari and Timm van der Gugetn took pace off the ball and the Dutch ground fielding gave South Africa as little as they could. 

Before South Africa knew it, Dale Steyn was batting and their innings was in danger of not lasting the full 20 overs.

David Miller barely had any opportunity to show off his finishing skills and was bowled as he played around a full delivery from Malik. Despite losing seven wickets for 51 South Africa were not bowled out and, according to Tahir, thought their total was enough at the break.

They would have revised that opinion by the end of the third over. 

Stephan Myburgh, from Pretoria, started as he did in the Dutch chase against Ireland, with aggression and intent. South Africa opened with Albie Morkel instead of JP Duminy for the first time in the tournament and Mybugh took a boundary off him. They had the relative rookie Beuran Hendricks on at the other end and Swart helped himself to a four off him too but it was when Lonwabo Tsotsobe was introduced that Netherlands tucked in.

Myburgh gorged himself with 18 runs off Tsotsobe's first, a slap over point, a clip to long leg, a swing over fine-leg and a swat over mid-off to get the Dutch run-rate up to 10 an over after three. Steyn pulled it back but Tsotsobe took more punishment. His second over cost 15 runs.

Netherlands almost completed the perfect powerplay until Swart, who had mostly been a spectator, tried to clear mid-off but a diving du Plessis gave Steyn his first wicket of the game. Still, the Dutch were 63 for 1 when the fielding restrictions were lifted and well on target.

They were cautious against Tahir at first but took on JP Duminy and it cost Myburgh. After taking 12 runs off the first four balls of Duminy's first over, no other risks had to be taken against him but Myburgh went down the track and inside-edged onto his stumps.

That wicket proved the game-changer and sparked the Dutch collapse. Wesley Barresi was out lbw sweeping Tahir, although replays showed the ball was missing leg-stump, and Peter Borren went the same way. His dismissal was correctly judged.

By the time the captain was dismissed, Netherlands were 96 for 4 and still had Tom Cooper in the middle. His brother Ben went attempting to evade a Steyn bouncer but it was when Tom was bowled trying to pull a quicker Tahir delivery that the chase folded. Although the Dutch needed less than a run a ball, their tail was in and the pressure was too much.

Pieter Seelaar was caught at long-on in the same over and van Beek run-out. Although Bukhari survived Steyn he gave it away off Tsotsobe and was caught at long -on which left van der Gugten and Malik, nursing a niggle, to score 12 runs off 14 balls.

Van der Gugten was dropped off the first of those, by Steyn at midwicket, but the mistake did not cost South Africa. The last pair scored five between them before van der Gugten was caught behind to leave Borren wondering what was worse: to be rolled as they were against Sri Lanka or to have come so close, only to fall so far. 

England 190 for 4 (Hales 116*, Morgan 57) beat Sri Lanka 189 for 4 (Jayawardene 89, Dilshan 55) by six wickets 

A breathtaking display from Alex Hales, who hammered England's first T20 hundred, inspired a beleaguered team to their highest-ever chase as they hunted down 190 to overcome Sri Lanka and keep alive a realistic chance of progressing in the tournament.

It was an astonishing turnaround after England's shambolic fielding display, which included four dropped catches and a missed run-out, allowed Sri Lanka to reach an imposing 189. England then found themselves 0 for 2 after the first over, before a calculated assault by Hales and Eoin Morgan, who added 152 for the third wicket.

Nuwan Kulasekara, who began with a double-wicket maiden, returned to remove Morgan and Jos Buttler in the 17th over to bring Sri Lanka back but he could not stop Hales' onslaught. Hales, dropped on 55 by Mahela Jayawardene at deep square leg as fielding woes afflicted both teams, closed out the match with three sixes in six balls

The brief role played by Ravi Bopara should not be overlooked, either, as he deflected two boundaries to third man in Lasith Malinga's final over to ensure England had some breathing space. Malinga went wicketless - and conceded nearly eight an over - while Ajantha Mendis was dispatched for 52, which included 25 in his final over to swing the chase firmly England's way. 

Before this match Hales jointly held the record for England's highest T20 innings - 99 shared with Luke Wright - and this time was not to be denied three figures as he cracked a fourth six, over cover, during his final dip to reach a hundred off 60 balls. "It was one of the best knocks I've ever seen," a delighted, relief, and slightly hoarse Stuart Broad said.

An overseas season of regular misery for England appeared to be having another chapter added to it when Michael Lumb missed his first-over heave at Kulasekara and Moeen Ali edged to second slip first ball, but Hales and Morgan kept their composure which is not something that has been said much of this team in recent months.

After nine overs England were well behind the required rate on 56 for 2, but Morgan then went after Angelo Mathews and Mendis, struggling with a wet ball and not holding any fear. 29 came in the next two overs to kick-start the chase. In the space of six overs, which brought 86 runs, an asking rate that had reached 12.18 came down to far less imposing 9.60.

Morgan's half-century came after a run of 10 T20I innings where he had a top score of 34 and he struck the ball crisply, especially a reverse sweep and a lofted drive over cover off Mendis. Hales' last 54 runs came from just 20 balls and such was the way England targeted Mendis, Mathews and Thisara Perera (off whose bowling Jayawardene spilled Hales) they could afford to take a more cautious approach off Malinga's final two overs.

England's memorable chase meant that a moment of controversy early in the match did not hold as much significance come the end. Facing his first ball, Jayawardene was squared up by Jade Dernbach and the outside edge flew towards Lumb at point who dived forward to claim the chance in a rare example of international-standard fielding. But Jayawardene, as is his right, stood his ground and that immediately threw open the prospect of what happened next.

After rocking and rolling the replays for a considerable time the third umpire, Steve Davis, decided there was enough doubt over whether the ball had carried. There was disbelief from England; Dernbach almost lost his cool although Broad, already a touch light in the pocket after the New Zealand match, just about managed to bite his lip.

What could (and, by all logical views, should) have been 4 for 2 then descended into chaos for England. All their practice with wet balls was certainly not a case of making perfect. Jayawardene was given three lives - a catch on 19, a run out on 42 and another catch on 80 - while the out-of-form Dilshan was shelled on 21 during a half-century that equalled his slowest in T20. To cap the innings, Thisara Perera was put down in the last over by Bopara at wide long-on who, surprisingly, was not given a bowl.

But while he had fortune, Jayawardene also played another calculated and deft T20 innings. His fifty came off 32 balls and his next 37 runs took 18 balls to leave him within sight of a second century before he missed a straight ball from Chris Jordan. At the midway mark few expected him to be on the losing side. 

8th Match Super 10's

West Indies 171 for 7 (Smith 72, Al-Amin 3-21) beat Bangladesh 98 (Badree 4-15, Santokie 3-17) by 73 runs

West Indies had batted poorly against India in a seven-wicket defeat on Sunday. Their batsmen didn't look entirely convincing against Bangladesh either, but they scored 171, thanks to Dwayne Smith's 43-ball 72 and some amateurish work in the field.

The target proved well beyond the reach of the hosts, who were bowled out for 98. Dew, which had been a big factor in Mushfiqur Rahim sending West Indies in at the toss, barely played a role as Samuel Badree, Sunil Narine and Krishmar Santokie - a left-arm seamer by definition but a quickish left-arm spinner in reality - had no difficulty in gripping the ball in achieving figures of 12-0-49-8 between them.

Badree and Santokie sent back three of Bangladesh's most dangerous batsmen within first four overs. Tamim Iqbal went first, driving Badree uppishly to a diving Dwayne Bravo at mid-off. Bravo would later throw an even harsher light on the gulf between the two fielding sides by hurling himself to his right at point to grab a low one-handed catch and dismiss Mushfiqur.

Before that, though, Santokie struck twice in two balls with his slower offcutters. First, he spun it past the groping outside edge of the right-handed Anamul Haque for Denesh Ramdin to effect a brilliant stumping, then spun his next ball through the gate of the left-handed Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh were 16 for 3 in 3.2 overs and the match, as a contest, was over.

Smart Stats Bangladesh's 73-run defeat was their second worst by margin of runs in T20Is. They had lost to Pakistan by 103 in a one-off T20I in Karachi in 2008. Dwayne Smith's 72 is his highest T20 international score, beating the 70 he scored against England at Trent Bridge in 2012. Chris Gayle's run-a-ball 48 was his slowest T20I innings in which he has scored 30 or more runs. It was slower than the one against India in the previous match, which was his slowest among innings of 30 or more deliveries. Lendl Simmons was stumped for a duck off a wide ball - the first one he faced - from Shakib Al Hasan. He is the third batsman in T20 internationals to be stumped for a 'diamond' duck. The other two were also from West Indies - Kieron Pollard and Narsingh Deonarine. Al-Amin Hossain's figures of 3 for 21 were the best in T20 internationals and the best by a Bangladesh fast bowler in World T20s. He has taken eight wickets at 14.12 in five T20Is and has an economy of 6.27. Samuel Badree's figures of 4 for 15 are his best in T20 internationals and also West Indies' best in the World T20.

Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur fought on for the next six overs, but the required rate was always running away from Bangladesh. Once the two were dismissed, Badree - who finished with four wickets - and the rest of West Indies' attack had no trouble running through the rest. In the end, the margin of victory reflected Bangladesh's inadequacies rather than anything spectacular from West Indies.

Having been sent in, West Indies, for most part, had struggled to put Bangladesh's bowlers away on a slow pitch.

 Smith, who had scratched his way to 11 off 29 balls against India, was in much better touch though, and provided West Indies impetus that they never lost despite their two best batsmen - Gayle and Marlon Samuels - facing 70 balls between them for 66.

Smith profited from some poor bowling, particularly from Sohag Gazi. Smith greeted the offspinner by sweeping him for two fours off his first two balls, both of which were directed towards leg stump, a dodgy idea with fine leg in the circle.

In the 10th over, Smith struck him for four successive fours. He manufactured the first - a reverse-sweep off a decent ball, but the next three came from ordinary deliveries that would have disappeared in any format of the game. 

The last of these, a flat-batted sweep, took Smith to 50. The landmark had come up in 34 balls.

Despite this, West Indies' run rate, at the end of the 10th over, was still under eight an over. At the other end, Gayle was playing a bizarre innings. It wasn't a surprise that he was slow off the blocks - he usually is before picking up the rate later. 

That simply didn't happen today. Part of this had to do with Gayle struggling to time the ball on a slow pitch, and part of it had to do with intent - unless the ball was in his hitting zone, he simply didn't go after it. He was slow between the wickets too, and appeared in some discomfort, suggesting he might not have been fully fit.

After Smith's dismissal in the 12th over, Mushfiqur brought on Shakib Al Hasan for the first time, and the left-arm spinner struck first ball getting Lendl Simmons stumped down the leg side as he went off on a strange wander out of the crease.

In came Samuels, who added 53 in 37 balls with Gayle even though neither batsman looked particularly threatening, as Bangladesh's fielding disintegrated despite two blinders from Tamim. Gayle went from 26 from 38 - at that point the second-slowest score of 25 or more in the history of international T20 - to 30 from 39 - the 14th slowest - courtesy Anamul's slippery fingers at long-on. In the next over, the 17th, Mushfiqur let successive deliveries from Shakib scoot between his legs for four byes. In the last two overs, Bangladesh also dropped three catches - Mahmudullah's two missed chances at long-off adding eight runs to Darren Sammy's score.

Al-Amin Hossain bowled a tight last over, picking up three wickets, but would have wished the spell had been part of a better team performance. 

6th & 7th Matches Super 10's World T20

South Africa 170 for 6 (Duminy 86*, Amla 41, Anderson 2-28, Southee 2-46) beat New Zealand 168 for 8 (Taylor 62, Williamson 51, Steyn 4-17) by 2 runs

No team had successfully chased 170-plus against South Africa and Dale Steyn single-handedly ensured it stayed that way. The pace spearhead led the defence of 29 off the last three overs and seven off the final one to keep South Africa in the hunt for a semi-final spot.

After Steyn conceded just five runs in his first two overs, the third and 14th of the innings, Faf du Plessis held him back for the final squeeze and it proved a master move. With 18 balls of New Zealand's innings left, Steyn stepped up and exorcised the ghosts of Dhaka 2011 by putting the choke on new Zealand.

Corey Anderson scored six runs off the first two balls but could have been out off the second - a top-edge that Quinton de Kock got his fingers to. Anderson tried to hit the third delivery over long-on but did not have enough power behind it and found the fielder. 

Steyn sniffed an opening and went back to his default ball for the next two. They were short, curled away and beat Ross Taylor as he fished outside the off stump. Taylor got bat on ball to end the over with a couple but New Zealand still needed 21 runs. 

Morne Morkel was having that kind of day. He could easily have conceded all 21, having gone for 36 in his first two overs, and he almost did. His lengths let him down as he bowled an over laced with full tosses that cost 14 runs. Ross Taylor had his way and New Zealand entered the final over needing only seven.

Steyn started with a full ball. Luke Ronchi tried to play a cross-batted shot through the off side but got an edge instead. De Kock dived to his right and held on. New Zealand still needed seven but Steyn had planted doubt in their minds. He followed up with two fireballs at 143 and 148 kph and beat Nathan McCullum with pace. McCullum caught up by the third and hit it over extra cover for four. New Zealand only need three.

Shortish and wide, like the next ball was, should have given it to them but McCullum hit it with the bottom of his bat. The shot was miscued and du Plessis took the catch to leave New Zealand needing three with just a ball remaining.

Taylor was on strike. The field on the leg side was mostly up, plugging the gap there with boundary-riders on the off-side. Steyn pitched it up, Taylor only managed a push back to him but ran anyway. Steyn ran faster. Taylor was run out.

It didn't have to be that tense for New Zealand. They had gotten off to a solid start in pursuit of their target and stayed mostly on track throughout their innings. Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson put on 57 for the first wicket and scored most of those runs in the powerplay overs.

Williamson anchored the first half of the innings after Guptill and Brendon McCullum were dismissed in the space of two overs, and with Ross Taylor at the other end, New Zealand threatened to take the game away. Taylor tore into Morne Morkel, smacking him for three sixes in succession - over long-on, a top-edge over the wicketkeeper's head and the last over square leg. Just before that, Williamson had brought up his maiden T20 fifty, off 31 balls. Incidentally, JP Duminy's half-century for South Africa had come up in the same number of deliveries.

Williamson became Steyn's first victim when he tried to hit him over deep midwicket but found a diving AB de Villiers, but it was only when Imran Tahir removed Colin Munro that South Africa started to claw their way back. They ended the New Zealand innings as emphatically as they ended their own, with fireworks in the final passages.

South Africa scored 70 runs off the final five overs of their innings after meandering their way to 100 off the first 15. Hashim Amla stood firm for them after Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers were dismissed in the powerplay. Amla and Duminy combined for a 55-run fourth wicket stand to set South Africa up but it was up to Duminy to blast them to a good score.

He showed glimpses of aggression before Amla was dismissed - notably the ramp shot off Corey Anderson that went over Luke Ronchi's head - but it was only after Amla was caught by Anderson after hitting the ball to the non-striker's end and watching it loop off Duminy's bat to offer Anderson a return catch - that Duminy opened up. He had the finishers with him but neither David Miller nor Albie Morkel forced the run rate up like Duminy did.

The full range was on display - a reverse-sweep of Williamson, a pull, a drive and a scoop off Tim Southee in the same over, a crunch through the covers, a sweep and a launch over long-on off Kyle Mills in the same over, and a drive that almost took the umpire Aleem Dar out. Duminy was the architect of South Africa's two biggest overs, the 17th and 19th, which went for 17 runs each, and the man who gave them a total Steyn could defend. 

Sri Lanka 40 for 1 beat Netherlands 39 (Mathews 3-16, Mendis 3-12) by 9 wickets

Perhaps no team in world cricket puts weaker sides away so emphatically as Sri Lanka. Since becoming full-fledged graduates from the easy-beats category in the mid-90s, they have spared no thought to their former peers, and on Monday they added two more world records to the small pile they have accumulated against easy-beats over the past 20 years. Netherlands' 39 all out is the lowest ever Twenty20 score. Sri Lanka chased the target in a record five overs.

Their domination of Netherlands was, strangely, almost as casual as it was unyielding. Nuwan Kulasekara's opening over was full of the kind of swing away from left-handers he generates almost every time he has early use of the white ball. Yet, this time, it would set in motion the most dramatic collapse the format has seen, as Stephan Myburgh outside-edged him to third man. 

Next over, Angelo Mathews delivered two unremarkable half-trackers back-to-back, and found himself on-a-hat-trick, as Michael Swart and Wesley Barresi fell attempting to attack. The floodlight malfunction that caused a nine-minute break in play seemed a greater obstacle to a Sri Lanka victory than their opponents did, with the bat. The number of runs did not exceed the number of wickets until the 20th ball of the innings.

Mathews would trap Peter Borren in front with an indipper in his next over - bringing about one of four ducks in Netherlands' innings - and that was all before Dinesh Chandimal sent his heavy cavalry in. Lasith Malinga struck the base of the middle stump twice, both times with the slower yorker. Ajantha Mendis had an expensive first over, but the Netherlands lower order played exactly like batsmen who have never faced his brand of mystery spin before. The googly accounted for two of his three wickets. Netherlands were all out in the 11th over.

Sri Lanka were given a harder time with the bat, as Kusal Perera was rapped painfully on the thumb by Timm van der Gugten before he fell for 14, but the chase was always going to be a formality. Tillakaratne Dilshan would have hoped to bat himself into form against a weaker attack but he only faced 11 balls. Sri Lanka will take the two points and the massive boost in net run rate, but even they may be disappointed at how quickly it all ended.