ICC CWC 2015 Day 15

NZ beat AUS by 1 wicket

New Zealand have maintained their perfect start to this year's Cricket World Cup, after they beat Australia by one wicket in a nervy finish.

The Kiwis put on a dominant bowling display, with Trent Boult claiming 5-27, his best figures in one-day international cricket.

The Baggy Greens left a target of 151 for New Zealand, after 32 overs of play.

New Zealand continued their dominance with the bat, with captain Brendon McCullum hitting his half-century during his time at the crease.

The hosts looked on course to comfortably wrap up the match in the 20th over, having already hit 139-6.

However, Mitchell Starc produced a bowling masterclass in the final few overs, claiming three wickets in as many overs.

Starc had the chance to win the match with his hat-trick winning ball but Boult managed to keep the Australian from snatching the win.

Kane Williamson hit a game-winning six from the final delivery to spare the hosts' blushes and maintain the Kiwis' perfect start in the competition.

The victory is New Zealand's fourth in as many matches, leaving them top of Pool A with a maximum of eight points, whereas Australia stay in fourth.

IND beat UAE by 9 wickets

India have maintained their 100% record at the Cricket World Cup with a nine-wicket triumph over the UAE in Perth.

After bowling the minnows out for 102, Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 57 as India reached their target with 31.1 overs to spare.

Despite winning the toss, UAE soon found themselves in trouble after both openers fell inside the first five overs with the score on 15, before Krishna Chandran followed after hitting just four off 27 deliveries.

Khurram Khan made double figures before departing for 14, and that left the fate of the innings in the hands ofShaiman Anwar, who became the first UAE player to hit a century at the World Cup on Wednesday when scoring 106 off 83 balls against Ireland.

After witnessing his teammates fall around him to leave the score on 71-9, with Ravichandran Ashwin recording figures of 4-25, it was imperative that Anwar took control of the last stand, but after he struck 35 off 49 deliveries, he was dismissed as the UAE were bowled all out for 102.

Despite the result seemingly being a foregone conclusion, India were cautious at the start of their innings, but it didn't prevent Shikhar Dhawan losing his wicket for 14 in the seventh over.

The group leaders were always in total control through, with Sharma and Virat Kohli taking their side to within 15 runs of the win before the scheduled lunch break.

Upon their return, the two batsmen wasted little time in reaching their target, with Sharma registering his fifty and Kohli ending the run-chase on 33.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 14

South Africa have hammered the West Indies by 257 runs in Pool B of the World Cup in Sydney.

The Proteas have equalled the record margin of runs in the tournament, which was set by India back in 2007.

AB de Villiers dominated the fixture by reaching the fastest ever one-day international 150 from just 64 balls.

The batsman was unbeaten on 162 after 50 overs as South Africa posted a mammoth 408-5 in their innings.

Overall, it was an impressive display from the Proteas' batsmen as Hashim Amla (65), Faf du Plessis (62) andRilee Rossouw (61) reached half-centuries.

In reply, Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle opened the batting, with the latter fresh from his record-breaking 215against Zimbabwe, but he failed to maintain his form.

Kyle Abbott struck in the first over to bowl Gayle out for just three, and he continued his dominance on the field by sending Marlon Samuels back to the pavilion on a duck.

Wickets continued to tumble for the West Indies as they went seven down with just 63 runs posted after 17 overs, but Denesh Ramdin and Jason Holder tried to steady the innings.

The pair put on a decent partnership in the circumstances as they pushed West Indies to 108 runs before Ramdin was bowled out for 22 by Imran Tahir.

Holder attempted to push his team to a respectable score by reaching a half-century, but South Africa were too strong in the field and eventually bowled their opponents out for 151 with 17 overs remaining.

Only five West Indies players managed to reach double figures, while Tahir starred for the Proteas as he snatched five wickets.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 13

Afghanistan beat Scotland by 1 wicket

Afghanistan celebrated their first World Cup victory by recording a one-wicket triumph over Scotland with three balls to spare in a dramatic match in Dunedin.

It was a disappointing start for Scotland after they were put into bat, with Callum MacLeod (0), Hamish Gardiner (5) andKyle Coetzer (25) all falling inside the opening 12 overs to leave them reeling on 40-3.

Matt Machan (31) and Preston Mommsen (23) steadied the ship with a partnership of 53, but Scotland's batsmen continued to waste starts as Afghanistan picked up wickets at regular intervals.

Some lower-order runs would be crucial as both Majid Haq (31) and Alasdair Evans (28) frustrated the bowlers to lead their side to 210 all out in 50 overs.

Opener Javed Ahmadi got the Afghanistan chase off to the perfect start with a run-a-ball 51 before becoming the first of Richie Berrington's four victims as his team slipped to 85-3.

Berrington was supported impressively by Evans and Josh Davey as Scotland took control to reduce their Pool A rivals to 97-7 in the 24th over.

Samiullah Shenwari offered stubborn resistance to keep Afghanistan in the game, and he reached his half-century shortly after Davey removed Dawlat Zadran (9).

It looked like Shenwari's fine knock would lead his side over the line, but he picked out Davey off the bowling of Haq after hitting three sixes earlier in the same over to depart on 96 with Afghanistan 19 runs short of their target.

However, the final-wicket partnership of Hamid Hassan (15*) and Shapoor Zadran (12*) batted sensibly to leave Afghanistan needing just five runs from the final over.

There would be one more twist as Machan missed a run-out attempt with Zadran short of his ground, and a boundary off the next ball started the celebrations for Afghanistan.

Bangladesh lost to Sri Lanka by 92 runs

Sri Lanka have secured a 92-run victory over Bangladesh in their World Cup Pool A clash following a commanding display in Melbourne.

Sri Lanka posted an impressive 332-1 in their innings following dominant performances from Tillakaratne Dilshanand Kumar Sangakkara, both of whom grabbed centuries.

Dilshan top-scored with an unbeaten knock of 161 runs, which included 22 boundaries, while Sangakkara also came through 50 overs unscathed by hitting 105 off 76 balls.

In reply, Bangladesh got off to a poor start as Tamim Iqbal was bowled out for a duck by Lasith Malinga, whileSoumya Sarkar (25) and Mominul Haque (29) were also sent packing with the team on just 41 runs after six overs.

Bangladesh were five wickets down with 100 runs on the board, but Shakib Al Hasan looked the most composed at the crease until he was taken out by Dilshan after hitting 46 runs off 59 deliveries.

Mushfiqur Rahim tried to lead the attack, but Sri Lanka's bowlers remained in control as Suranga Lakmal claimed his second wicket of the innings by bowling the batsman out for 36.

With just two wickets remaining, Bangladesh needed to gain 105 runs in 33 balls, but Malinga was able to strike twice to bowl his opponents all out for 240.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 12

Ireland beat UAE by 2 wickets

Ireland have made it two wins from two at the Cricket World Cup with a two-wicket victory over Pool B rivals the UAE in Brisbane.

The UAE lost the toss and made 278-9 from their 50 overs before the Irish reached their target of 279-8 with four balls remaining.

Shaiman Anwar anchored the UAE's innings with an impressive 106 from 127 balls, while Amjad Ali (45), Amjad Javed (42) and Khurram Khan (36) also helped out with the bat.

However, only two other players got into double figures as Max Sorensen, Alex Cusack, Paul Stirling and Kevin O'Brien all ended with two wickets apiece.

Solid knocks at the top of the order from William Porterfield (37) and Ed Joyce (37) made sure that Ireland got their run chase off to a positive start, but it was Gary Wilson's 80 that boosted their hopes out in the middle.

With Andy Balbirnie (30) and O'Brien (50) also doing some damage at the crease, Ireland needed 10 runs off the final two overs with two wickets remaining.

John Mooney was cheaply dismissed for two to put the Irish in trouble, only for Cusack (five not out) and George Dockrell (seven not out) to steer their side to victory in a tense final over.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 11

World Cup, Pool B, Canberra:

West Indies 372-2 (50): Gayle 215, Samuels 133*

Zimbabwe 289 (44.3 overs): Williams 76, Taylor 3-38

West Indies won by 73 runs (D/L method)

Chris Gayle hit the first double century in World Cup history as West Indies beat Zimbabwe by 73 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

The left-hander smashed 215 off 147 balls, including 16 sixes and 10 fours, in West Indies' 372-2 in Canberra.

He added an ODI record 372 for the second wicket with Marlon Samuels, who made a relatively sedate 133 not out.

Chasing a rain-revised target of 363 off 48 overs, Zimbabwe mustered 289 as Gayle took two wickets and a catch.

Having lost their opening game to Ireland, West Indies' win took them level on points with India at the top of Pool B, going into their meeting with South Africa on Friday.

Although Zimbabwe's bowlers suffered heavily at the hands of Gayle, their batsmen deserve credit for a respectable run chase that featured Sean Williams's 76 and 52 for Craig Ervine.

Jerome Taylor claimed 3-38 and West Indies captain Jason Holder 3-48, but their figures were footnotes in a game that will be remembered for Gayle's savage hitting.

Fortunate to survive an lbw review off his first delivery after opening partner Dwayne Smith fell to the second ball of the innings, Gayle batted with uncharacteristic patience in bringing up a 105-ball century.

However, his next hundred spanned only 33 deliveries - and his fourth fifty a mere 12 - as he and Samuels flayed 152 off the final 10 overs.

"It was a fantastic day from a personal point of view," said Gayle.

"When I got past 100, I knew I wanted it to be a double hundred, so I'm glad I got the chance to deliver it."

Samuels's occasionally scratchy century went almost unnoticed as Gayle repeatedly cleared the boundary, swinging disdainfully over mid-wicket and driving powerfully straight.

He eventually fell off the last ball of the innings, having equalled the record of 16 sixes in an ODI innings shared by Rohit Sharma and AB de Villiers.

"Chris is an outstanding player," said West Indies captain Jason Holder. "It's great to have him back in form and hopefully he can carry it through the tournament."

Despite losing Regis Chakabva and Hamilton Masakadza inside the first five overs of their reply, Zimbabwe scored at almost seven runs an over.

The resourceful Williams was the chief architect of a chase that unravelled only after he top-edged a pull off Holder.

Part-time off-spinner Gayle bowled Ervine round his legs six overs later to reduce Zimbabwe to 226-6 and remove any doubt over the outcome of the contest.

He finished with 2-35 and capped a remarkable day with an exaggerated dive and roll after catching Elton Chigumbura at extra cover off Taylor.

Zimbabwe skipper Chigumbura said: "There is a lot of work to be done. We were unlucky with the Gayle lbw but he played a massive innings today and it made a big difference."

ICC CWC 2015 Day 10

England best Scotland by 119 runs

England have claimed their first victory in Pool A of the 2015Cricket World Cup courtesy of a 119-run win over Scotland.

Scotland won the toss and put England in to bat, but Moeen Ali (128) and Ian Bell (54) built a strong opening partnership.

Ali hit five sixes on his way to a century, while Bell played a neat supporting role with a composed half-century.

Eoin Morgan's 46 was the only other real contribution as England struggled after Ali got out, but they scrambled to a total of 303-8, their best of the tournament so far.

Josh Davey was the pick of the Scotland bowlers as he collected 4-68, including the wickets of Morgan and Joe Root.

In reply, Scotland lost Calum MacLeod (4), Freddie Coleman (7) and Matthew Machan (5) early on, but Kyle Coetzer's fluent 71 gave them hope of an unlikely win.

However, when he was caught by Chris Woakes off the bowling of Ali, England took further control, and they raced through the Scotland tail to wrap up the win.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 9

Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 4 wickets

Sri Lanka survived a scare in their World Cup clash against Afghanistan as they defeated the minnows by four wickets thanks to a brilliant century from Mahela Jayawardene.

Afghanistan set a competitive total for Angelo Mathews's side to chase as they posted 232 in their 50 overs as Asghar Stanikzai top scored with an innings of 54.

Mathews's side's reply got off to the worst possible start as Lahiru Thirimanne was dismissed with the first ball of the innings as he fell lbw to Dawlat Zadran.

Matters got worse when Tillakaratne Dilshan departed in the next over for a golden duck, while Kumar Sangakkara reached only seven before he was bowled by Hamid Hassan to leave his side in trouble at 18-3.

Jayawardene and Dimuth Karunaratne steadied the innings and guided the Lions past the 50-run mark, but more trouble lay ahead as Karunaratne became Hamid Hassan's second victim when he was caught for 23.

The experience of Jayawardene proved to be crucial as he reached his half-century off 67 balls to put the minnows on the back foot, and he managed to forge a strong partnership with Mathews to help his team pass 100 runs.

The duo began to chase down the target as they quickly surpassed 150, reaching their century partnership at the crease in just 144 balls as Afghanistan began to feel the pressure.

Skipper Mohammad Nabi gave his side hope when he ran out his opposite number for 44, but Jayawardene reached his century in the next over, the 19th of his one-day international career.

However, Hamid Hassan returned to dismiss the 37-year-old to give Afghanistan a great chance of recording a major upset in Dunedin.

Thisara Perera showed his nerve at the end of the innings to wrestle control of the match away from Nabi's men with a series of boundaries to secure the match for his side with a knock of 46 not out from 26 balls.

India beat South Africa by 130 runs

India have recorded an emphatic 130-run victory over South Africa at the MCG to secure their second win of the Cricket World Cup.

Having been set a target of 308 for victory, South Africa lost a wicket less than four overs into their innings when Quinton de Kock sliced a Mohit Sharma deliver to Virat Kohli.

Hashim Amla followed shortly after, but Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers appeared to be steadying the ship, until a mix up while running between the innings saw the captain run out, reducing the Proteas to 108-3.

Mohit struck again in the 29th over to remove Du Plessis as the batsman pulled the ball straight to Shikhar Dhawan, while JP Duminy added just six before following three overs later.

Any hopes of a South Africa comeback were dashed in the 34th over as David Miller was out cheaply, coming up short while diving to avoid a run out, and Vernon Philander was dismissed for a duck a couple of balls later.

Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel added just three runs between them , giving Ravi Ashwin his third wicket of the innings and bringing final batsman Imran Tahir to the crease, but he was trapped lbw as South Africa were dismissed for 177.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 8

Pakistan lost to West Indies by 150 runs

A devastating spell of opening bowling from Jerome Taylor has guided the West Indies to a 150-run victory overPakistan in their Pool B World Cup clash.

Misbah-ul-Haq's men were set a daunting target of 311 to secure their first win of the tournament as good knocks from Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Dinesh Ramdin and Andre Russell put the Windies in command.

Pakistan's reply got off to the worst possible start as Taylor claimed the wicket of Nasir Jamshed with the second ball of the innings, while Younis Khan failed to last the over as he edged behind to Ramdin for a duck.

Taylor then claimed the scalp of Haris Sohail when he was caught at cover by substitute fielder Jonathan Carter, and Pakistan were left reeling at 1-4 as Jason Holder notched the wicket of Ahmed Shehzad.

Russell got in on the act for Holder's men as Ul-Haq tried to cut the ball, but could only edge the ball to Chris Gayle at first slip to leave the score at 25-5.

Resistance finally came from Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal who steadied the ship with composed shots around the wicket, while also being solid in defence against the potent Windies' attack.

Maqsood brought up his half-century off 64 balls, but he departed after guiding his side past the 100-run mark, ending an 80-run partnership with Akmal.

The wicketkeeper and Shahid Afridi offered some hope for Pakistan as they continued to play attacking strokes, but were struggling to keep up with the spiralling run rate.

Akmal did reach his 50, although his stay at the crease didn't last much longer as he picked out Dwayne Smith in the deep for 59 to leave his side at 139-7.

His departure led to a late collapse as Russell and Sulieman Benn wrapped up the innings to leave Pakistan all out for 160 and on the receiving end of a crushing defeat.

Australia A-A Bangladesh

Australia's World Cup match with Bangladesh has been abandoned due to heavy rain caused by Cyclone Marcia.

Officials delayed the match earlier in the day but the match failed to get underway, with the covers never leaving the pitch at The Gabba.

As a result of the abandonment, both sides will receive a point, which fails to separate them in the standings of Pool A.

Both teams won their opening matches of the competition last weekend, with the Baggy Greens beating England at the MCG and Mushfiqur Rahim's side overcoming Afghanistan, leaving them both with three points.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 7

NZ beat England by 8 wickets

New Zealand needed just 12.2 overs to chase down 124 as the co-hosts condemned England to a humiliating eight-wicket defeat in a one-sided World Cup clash at the Westpac Stadium.

Tim Southee stole the show with 7-33 with the ball, before captain Brendon McCullum smashed 77 from just 25 balls to pile the misery on England.

Eoin Morgan's side were under pressure soon after electing to bat first as Tim Southee bowled Ian Bell (8) andMoeen Ali (20) to expose the middle order early in the innings.

Gary Ballance added 10 before falling to Trent Boult, but Morgan (17) joined the stubborn Joe Root (46) in the middle to help England to 104-3.

However, Morgan picked out Adam Milne in the field off the bowling of Daniel Vettori, and that wicket persuaded McCullum to bring back Southee, who continued his superb performance to finish with the best figures for a New Zealand bowler in one-day internationals.

James Taylor (0) was unable to keep out a fuller ball from the seamer, Jos Buttler (3) edged one behind to Luke Ronchi, and Chris Woakes (1) became the fourth batsman to watch Southee hit the stumps.

Stuart Broad (4) and Steven Finn (0) quickly followed their teammates off the field after falling to Southee, and Root's miscued pull to Vettori handed Milne the final wicket to bring a woeful innings to an end.

A reduced 10-minute break between innings was not enough to produce a reaction from England, and the opening bowling partnership of James Anderson and Broad looked shocked as McCullum immediately attacked.

Martin Guptill (22) was composed at the other end as his captain dominated with the bat to record his half-century in 21 balls - the quickest 50 to ever be scored at a World Cup.

McCullum looked on course to be at the crease for the finish as he struck seven fours and seven sixes before departing when he missed a full toss from Woakes in the eighth over.

New Zealand needed just 19 more runs following McCullum's dismissal, but a 45-minute interval delayed the inevitable before Guptill was bowled by Woakes shortly after the restart.

It was left to Kane Williamson (9*) and Ross Taylor (5*) to ease their side over the line for a third win in Pool A as England's worrying form continued in Wellington.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 6

Zimbabwe beat UAE by 4 wickets

Zimbabwe have claimed their first win of this year's World Cup by battling to a five-wicket triumph over Pool B rivals the UAE in Nelson.

Sean Williams starred with bat and ball for Zimbabwe as he followed three wickets by hitting an unbeaten half-century to lead his side to victory.

The UAE looked in trouble at 40-2 after being put into bat, but Krishna Chandran and Khurram Khan led the recovery before both falling short of a half-century.

Shaiman Anwar led the way for the UAE with 67 from 59 balls, and an unbroken partnership of 53 betweenAmjad Javed and Mohammad Naveed helped them post 285-7 from their 50 overs.

Sikandar Raza got the chase off to an impressive start with 46 from 44 balls at the top of the order before becoming the first of Mohammad Tauqir's two victims.

The UAE responded well to keep it tight in the middle of the innings, and Zimbabwe's reply was in trouble when Solomon Mire's dismissal saw them fall to 167-5 in the 33rd over.

Brendan Taylor had already scored 47 and Craig Irvine added 42 batting at seven, but it was 76 not out from Williams which made the difference as Zimbabwe reached their target with 12 balls remaining.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 5

Bangladesh have beaten Pool A rivals Afghanistan by 105 runs in Canberra at the Cricket World Cup.

The Bangladeshis made 267 all out from their 50 overs before they bowled debutants Afghanistan out for 162 with around seven overs remaining.

Mushfiqur Rahim (71) and Shakib Al Hasan (63) stood out with the bat for Bangladesh, while Anamul Haque (29) and Soumya Sarkar (28) also made significant scores.

Despite two wickets apiece for Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam and Mirwais Ashraf, the Afghans struggled to put consistent pressure on their opponents.

Afghanistan's time at the crease got off to a bad start as Javed Ahmadi (1) and Afsar Zazai (1) were both dismissed during the opening two overs.

There was little to cheer about after that for the debutants, with Mohammad Nabi (44), Samiullah Shenwari (42) and Nawroz Mangal (27) the only players who got beyond the 20-run mark.

Mashrafe Mortaza did most of the damage with the ball for Bangladesh thanks to figures of 3-20, while Al Hasan,Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain also got themselves among the wickets.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 4

NZ beat Scotland by 3 wickets

New Zealand's batting struggled as they limped to a three-wicket win over Scotland in the World Cup today.

Scotland batted first and lost four quick wickets as Trent Boult (2-21) claimed two early scalps, but Matt Machan (56) and Richie Berrington (50) both hit fifties as they helped their team to a total of 142.

New Zealand lost both Martin Guptill (17) and Brendon McCullum (15) early on in their run chase to opening bowler Iain Wardlaw (3-49).

Kane Williamson (38) and Grant Elliott (29) steadied the ship, before several Kiwi batsman were caught in the deep as they tried to hit big shots.

However, they held on to win as Daniel Vettori hit the winning runs.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 3

Ireland bt West Indies by 4 wickets


Ireland have pulled off a major World Cup shock, as they beat West Indies by four wickets in their Pool B match in Nelson.


West Indies batted first and struggled early on, as three wickets from George Dockrell (3-50) helped to restrict them to 87-5.


However, a massive partnership between Lendl Simmons (102) and Darren Sammy (89) came to their rescue and they accelerated in the final ten overs to post a daunting 304-7.

In reply, Ireland's Paul Stirling (92) and Ed Joyce (84) kept up a high run-rate during their partnership of 106, before Niall O'Brien (79*) hit a flurry of boundaries after Stirling got out.


Ireland lost momentum in the closing overs, as Jerome Taylor claimed three wickets (3-71) to set up a nervy finish.


However, O'Brien avoided a total collapse as he hit a couple of key boundaries, before John Mooney hit the winning runs.


This is the third time Ireland have successfully chased down 300 runs in a World Cup, and they next face UAE in Brisbane.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 2

South Africa bt Zimbabwe by 62 runs


South Africa have kicked their Cricket World Cup campaign off with a 62-run victory over Zimbabwe in Pool B this morning.


The Proteas, who are second favourites to win this showpiece tournament, put themselves into a commanding position at the break thanks to a record-breaking partnership from David Miller and Jean-Paul Duminy.


The duo blasted their side to 339-4 in Hamilton, leaving Zimbabwe with an almighty task to chase down a winning total of 340.

They produced a brave response to reach 277 from 48.2 overs, with Hamilton Masakadza hitting an aggressive 80, but it was not enough to stop their opponents getting off to a strong start.


Chamu Chibhabha (64) and Brendan Taylor (40) joined Masakadza in racking up the runs as Zimbabwe showed that they will provide tough opposition for the remainder of the competition.


Having found themselves on 214-3, Taylor's dismissal eventually ended their hopes before they were bowled out by their opponents some way of the mark.


South Africa will take on India in their next game, while Zimbabwe meet the United Arab Emirates.




India bt Pakistan by 76 runs


India have started their Cricket World Cup campaign with a convincing 76-run win over neighbours Pakistan in Adelaide this morning.


The defending champions set Pakistan a target of 301 for victory, but Younus Khan was out for just six in the fourth over after edging the ball behind to MS Dhoni.


Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail put on 68 for the second wicket, but the latter was caught out by Ravi Ashwin's spin, pulling a delivery straight to Suresh Raina.

India soon had their opponents on the ropes as Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood were removed with back-to-back deliveries from Umesh Yadav, while Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Umar Akmal for a duck in the following over, leaving Pakistan 196 short at the halfway point.


After a brief show of resilience from Pakistan, Shahid Afridi fell for 22 before Wahab Riaz became three third player to be out before getting off the mark.


Captain Misbah-ul-Haq restored some pride for Pakistan, completing his half-century, but the team still needed 117 off the final 12 overs.


Misbah continued to keep the runs coming, but was out in the 46th over, falling for 76 of 83 deliveries, while Mohit Sharma ended the Pakistan innings early as he claimed the final wicket shortly after.


India's next match is against South Africa on Saturday.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 1

New Zealand bt Sri Lanka by 98 runs


New Zealand began their World Cup campaign with a 98-run victory over Sri Lanka to move to the top of Pool A.


The Kiwis set a formidable target for Angelo Mathews's side as Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson all notched half-centuries, with Anderson top scoring with an innings of 75 from 46 deliveries to guide his side to 331-6.


Sri Lanka's reply got off to a good start as Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne built a solid foundation with their opening stand in the early overs of their replay as Trent Boult struggled to find his length.

The duo reached the 50-partnership in the 11th over, but Dilshan was soon to fall when he was caught and bowled by Daniel Vettori for 24. However, the arrival of Kumar Sangakkara only increased the Lions' run rate.


Thirimanne and Sangakkara found their rhythm while the opener notched his half-century off 45 balls, which included seven boundaries in a brisk knock at the crease.


He and the veteran guided Sri Lanka past the 100-run mark and reached their 50-partnership as they looked on course to give the Kiwis' a battle in the opener.


However, when Thirimanne was bowled by Boult for 64 it sparked a collapse as Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara soon followed to leave the Lions reeling on 129-4.


Dimuth Karunaratne and Jeevan Mendis struggled in their brief time at the crease as the game began to slip away from Mathew's side, despite the captain's best efforts with an innings of 46.


Mathews's departure to Tim Southee marked the beginning of the end as Lasith Malinga fell for a golden duck.


Suranga Lakmal and Rangana Herath offered some resistance, but Anderson ended the match as Herath was caught by Adam Milne to hand the Kiwis the victory.



England lost to Australia by 111 runs


England's World Cup campaign got off to a humbling start as they were thrashed by 111 runs at the hands of arch rivals Australia in Melbourne.


The co-hosts posted a mammoth 342-9 after being inserted at a packed MCG, with Aaron Finch making 135 after being dropped third ball by Chris Woakes.


England were reduced to 66-4 and then 92-6 in reply, and only 98 from James Taylor saved Eoin Morgan's side from total humiliation.

The Nottinghamshire batsman was controversially denied the chance for a century when James Anderson was given run out on the same delivery that Taylor was initially adjudged lbw before overturning on review.


Woakes shelled Finch at square leg midway through James Anderson's first over and the opener went on to punish England to the maximum as he and David Warner put on a well-paced 57 for the opening stand.


Two wickets in two balls for Stuart Broad pegged the Aussies back as Warner was bowled for 22 and Shane Watson edged behind to Jos Buttler first ball, and Steve Smith soon followed to leave his side 70-3.


The 146-run partnership between Finch and stand-in captain George Bailey was perhaps the match-winning contribution as Australia set the perfect base for their destructive lower order to capitalise on.


Finch went to three figures before being run out by Morgan for 135 off 128 balls. Bailey, who has been tipped to make way for Michael Clarke in Australia's next game, made 55 before becoming Steven Finn's first victim.


Glenn Maxwell [66 from 40 balls] led the late charge as the tournament favourites bludgeoned 105 in the final 10 overs, with Mitchell Marsh adding 23 and Brad Haddin 30 against largely short-pitch death bowling.


One bright spot that England could take into their innings was a hat-trick for Finn off the final three balls - the first Englishman to achieve such a feat in a World Cup - as he had Haddin Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson caught.


Some freebies from Josh Hazelwood allowed the chase to get off to a positive start, although Moeen Ali was soon back in the pavilion for 10 as he miscued a pull shot off Mitchell Starc straight to the fielder at mid-on.


The introduction of Johnson and Marsh into the attack increased what was already a demanding run rate and the latter had Gary Ballance, who was preferred to Ravi Bopara in the lineup, caught for 10 at short mid-wicket.


He soon had Ian Bell [36] and Joe Root [five] caught on the hook, and it was attempting this shot that captain Morgan bottom edged through to still-agile veteran Haddin behind the stumps for a fourth duck in seven games.


An even better catch from Smith diving to his left in the covers spelt the end of Buttler for 10, but Woakes stuck around with Taylor to make 37 in a 92-run partnership which prevented a demoralising collapse.


After looking unsure upon his arrival, Taylor benefitted from the pressure-free environment of the game being beyond England to cut loose and accelerate quickly past fifty and towards his first one-day-international ton.


Broad and Finn went cheaply to the Aussie quicks to leave number 11 Anderson nervously trying to keep him company at 195-9, and 11 fours and two maximums helped Taylor go deep into the 90s.


He was two from his hundred when hit on the pads by Hazelwood. Taylor successfully referred Aleem Dar's decision, only for the square-leg umpire to give Anderson run out while the ball appeared to be dead.


England will look to recover from this defeat when their face the other co-hosts New Zealand in Wellington on Friday.

ICC Cricket World Cup Warm Up Matches

6 Randwick Petersham beat Ireland by five wickets, Sydney
9 South Africa beat Sri Lanka by five wickets (D/L method), Christchurch (Hagley Oval)

9 New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Lincoln - no result

9 England beat West Indies by nine wickets, Sydney (SCG) (d/n)

9 Pakistan beat Bangladesh by three wickets, Sydney (Blacktown ISP) (d/n)
10 India beat Afghanistan by 153 runs, Adelaide (d/n) - 
10 Scotland beat Ireland by 179 runs, Sydney (Blacktown ISP) (d/n)
11 New Zealand beat South Africa by 134 runs, Christchurch (Hagley Oval)
11 Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets, Christchurch (Bert Sutcliffe Oval)
11 Australia beat UAE by 188 runs, Melbourne (MCG) (d/n) -
11 Pakistan beat England by four wickets, Sydney (SCG) (d/n)
12 West Indies beat Scotland by three runs, Sydney (SCG)
12 Ireland beat Bangladesh by four wickets, Sydney (Blacktown ISP)
13 Afghanistan beat UAE by 14 runs, Melbourne (Junction Oval)

Tri Series Final AUS V ENG

Australia's bowlers found form ahead of the World Cup as they ripped through the England batting order to win the triangular series final in Perth.

The hosts had been in trouble when they were restricted to 60-4 before Glenn Maxwell hit 95 as Australia set a target of 279 for victory.

However, England's reply crumbled early on as Josh Hazlewood removed Ian Bell and Mitchell Johnson found the outside edge of James Taylor.

Johnson (3-27), who sat out the group games, then took two wickets in two balls as Moeen Ali could only fend a steep ball to Aaron Finch and captain Eoin Morgan was bowled for a duck.

The tourists' response never looked like recovering as Joe Root and Jos Buttler soon returned to the pavilion and Chris Woakes was out caught and bowled by Maxwell without troubling the scorers.

Stuart Broad briefly showed some fight with a swashbuckling 24 before picking out substitute fielder Pat Cummins.

Top scorer Ravi Bopara was removed for 33 by man-of-the-match Maxwell (4-46) and Hazlewood (2-13) soon wrapped up a 112-run victory with the dismissal Steven Finn.

The only worry for Australia came when all-rounder James Faulkner left the field with what appeared to be a side strain.

England face Australia again when the World Cup gets underway in Sydney on February 14.