ICC CWC 2015 Final AUS beat NZ

Australia have won the Cricket World Cup with a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand.

Michael Clarke led Australia to victory with a sensational attacking performance in the final one day international of his career, scoring 74 runs and 11 boundaries.

New Zealand batted first and were facing an uphill battle early, with captain Brendon McCullum bowled by Mitchell Starc for a duck.

Martin Guptill was bowled by Glenn Maxwell for 15, before Kane Williamson was caught by Mitchell Johnson to bring the score to 38-3 after 12 overs.

Grant Elliot and Ross Taylor finally added some stability with scores of 40 and 83 but were undone by the bowling of James Faulkner as both directed shots into the hands of Brad Haddin.

Corey Anderson then went for a duck as Faulkner finished with bowling figures of 3-36.

Luke Ronchi and Matt Henry took the total of ducks to four for the innings, as New Zealand failed to cope with the bowling of Johnson (3-30) and Starc (2-20).

Daniel Vettori (9) and Tim Southee (11) took the New Zealand score to 183 all out.

Australia also had a nightmare start to their innings, as Aaron Finch was caught and bowled by Trent Boult to bring the score to 2-1.

The Baggy Greens then asserted their dominance though, with David Warner eventually caught by Elliot on 45 runs.

The partnership of Clarke and Steve Smith led Australia to victory, with Clarke scoring 11 boundaries, including four fours in a row in the 30th over.

It would have been a fairytale for Clarke to have struck the winning ball, but he was bowled by Henry with nine runs remaining, scoring 74.

Shane Watson came into bat and hit the winning runs after 33 overs. 

MCC V Yorkshire Champions County Match Abu Dhabi

Day 3: Yorkshire 372 (Lyth 113, Rhodes 61, Riley 3-90) and 73 for 1 beat MCC 221 (Hildreth 89, Rhodes 2-10) and 220 (Compton 74, Rashid 4-72) by nine wickets

There were contrasting fortunes for two of England's party for the Test tour of West Indies next month as Yorkshire, the county champions, thumped MCC by nine wickets inside three days in Abu Dhabi. Alastair Cook made just 5, to add to his first innings 3, but Adil Rashid took four wickets on the third day.

Cook, in his last competitive innings before the first Test in Antigua, lasted only 30 balls and made just 5 in MCC's second innings before his attempt to dispatch a short ball from Jack Brooks went straight into the hands of Rashid at midwicket.

Rashid then took the ball to remove Daryll Mitchell for 9 and James Hildreth one short of a half-century, both lbw. Hildreth and Nick Compton, the only player to go past a half-century in the second innings, steadied MCC, who began the day 138 runs in arrears, with a stand of 45 for the third wicket. But Compton fell to Yorkshire youngster Will Rhodes for 74.

Hildreth's departure heralded a miserable lower-order collapse of 5 for 27, with Rashid taking the final two wickets to leave Yorkshire with a chase of just 70. First-innings centurion Adam Lyth saw off the target with an unbeaten 46, finishing the match with successive boundaries. 


Day 2: MCC 221 and 13 for 0 trail Yorkshire 372 (Lyth 113, Rhodes 61, Hodd 57, Riley 3-90) by 138 runs

The case for Adam Lyth to become Alastair Cook's next opening partner in Test cricket grew stronger as Yorkshire continued to dominate the Champions County match in Abu Dhabi. Lyth progressed from his overnight score of 53 to a 15th first-class hundred, with Cook watching on from slip, to help his side to a 151-run first-innings advantage over MCC.

Cook, who lasted just six balls on the first day, then had to weather a tricky five-over spell before the close, which included a strident lbw appeal from Jack Brooks. The England captain survived and will have the opportunity to build some form of his own on Tuesday.

Lyth is likely to face competition from Jonathan Trott for a role as opener on England's Test tour of the Caribbean but did his chances of an international debut no harm by becoming the first centurion of the new domestic season, picking up from his fine form in 2014. Lyth, who said his call up had led to a few tears being shed, has already started networking.

"I've chatted with Cookie over the past few days," Lyth told the Guardian. "He said: 'Play how you do for Yorkshire and you'll be fine. And if you need a chat you know where I am.' He seems a really nice guy and very humble. His Test record is up there with the very best and hopefully I'll be batting alongside him in the West Indies if I can impress him and the coaches."

Yorkshire had already made a solid start in reply to MCC's 221 and, although the first session was interrupted by a rain delay, nightwatchman Steve Patterson stuck with Lyth during a 91-run stand for the third wicket that further reduced the arrears. Patterson and Lyth both fell to Kent offspinner Adam Riley but Will Rhodes, on first-class debut, and Andy Hodd put on 104 as Yorkshire opened up a sizeable lead.

Rhodes and Hodd both posted fifties before falling to Chris Rushworth and Matt Dunn, respectively. Graham Onions continued to sit out with a groin strain, leaving Riley and Surrey's slow left-armer Zafar Ansari, to do the bulk of the work, as Yorkshire were eventually dismissed for 372. 


Day 1: Yorkshire 82 for 2 (Lyth 53*) trail MCC 221 (Hildreth 89, Mitchell 54, Rhodes 2-10, Sidebottom 2-27) by 139 runs

Alastair Cook lasted just six balls on his return to action, three months after his last innings on England's tour of Sri Lanka, but he was then able to enjoy a first-hand view of the man who could be his next Test opening partner, as Adam Lyth's unbeaten half-century set the cap on a successful day for Yorkshire in the Champion County match.

Yorkshire have provided six members of England's Test squad for the West Indies and three of them lined up against Cook, who took his place in the MCC XI alongside several recent international team-mates in Nick Compton, Michael Carberry and Graham Onions. Yorkshire were missing Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Liam Plunkett, all of whom will be in the Caribbean, but still put on a strong display in Abu Dhabi.

Ryan Sidebottom proved he still remains a force, even in his 38th year, by removing both the MCC openers inside three overs. Compton and Cook opened the batting for England 17 times in Tests but they were separated after one delivery, with MCC captain Compton caught behind off the first ball of the match.

Cook was then pinned lbw for 3 in Sidebottom's second over and trooped off in a fashion that became familiar in his final series as England's ODI captain, a position he was relieved of weeks before the World Cup. Cook's last first-class innings came against India in August but he is likely to get another outing here before heading to the West Indies for three Tests.

MCC recovered from 7 for 2, firstly through Carberry and James Hildreth, who added 74 for the third wicket; then Hildreth and Daryl Mitchell, whose stand of 79 seemed to have swung the balance somewhat. However, both fell in the evening session - that is, between lunch and tea, with this match being played under lights with a pink ball - and Zafar Ansari was the only other batsman to make double-figures as the innings folded quickly.

Sam Billings, Kent's prospective England wicketkeeper, joined Compton in making a duck as Jack Brooks, Adil Rashid and Will Rhodes matched Sidebottom in taking two wickets apiece.

In reply, Alex Lees, another Yorkshireman tipped for England though left out of the current squad, fell for 11 and Jack Leaning made just 14 but Lyth guided the 2014 champions to the close. Lyth struck six fours with Cook watching on in the field and the 27-year-old will hope to continue the good impression ahead of his first England tour.

MCC were further hampered by a groin problem that forced Onions out of the attack after 3.5 overs. Onions, who is entering a benefit season with Durham and has spent the winter recovering from back surgery, will be assessed on Monday. 

ICC CWC 2015 1st Semi Final

New Zealand have reached the Cricket World Cup final for the first time in their history after beating South Africa by four wickets on the Duckworth Lewis method in the first semi-final in Auckland.

South Africa handed the co-hosts a target of 298 to win after posting 281-5 in their innings, with New Zealand's target being adjusted by the D/L method as the result of a two-hour rain delay.

New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum got the Black Caps off to a flying start to their response, with the pair hitting several sixes to reach 71 without loss after just five overs.

McCullum's innings came to an end on 59 soon after when he lifted a Morne Morkel delivery to Dale Steyn, then Kane Williamson dragged a Morkel delivery onto his own stumps to curtail his short knock on six.

Things got worse for New Zealand when Guptill (39) called Ross Taylor through for the single, but he was run out when a foot short of reaching the crease.

New Zealand were reduced to 149-4 in the 22nd over when Taylor fell for 31, as he edged a JP Duminy delivery to Quinton de Kock.

Corey Anderson replaced Taylor at the crease and, along with Grant Elliott, he set about increasing the run rate with a number of quickfire boundaries.

The Proteas had the opportunity to run out Anderson, but De Villiers dropped the ball before dislodging the bails with his hands when the batsman was yards from home.

South Africa were made to pay for the error as Anderson and Elliott took New Zealand past the 250-run mark, with Anderson himself notching up his half-century before he was caught out by Faf du Plessis off the bowling of Morkel on 58.

Luke Ronchi's brief innings ended on eight when he holed out to Rilee Rossouw on the leg-side boundary, giving Steyn a wicket and leaving New Zealand on 269-6.

South Africa had the opportunity to dismiss Elliott in the penultimate over when he lofted the ball high into the sky, but Duminy and substitute Farhaan Behardien collided as they both looked to make the catch.

New Zealand needed 12 runs off the final over to win and, after Vettori clipped a four to the boundary, Elliott smashed a Steyn delivery into the stands for six to send the Black Caps into their first World Cup final.

ICC CWC 2015 4th Quarter Final

New Zealand have stormed into the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup with a comprehensive 143-run victory over West Indies in Wellington this morning.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Black Caps batsman Martin Guptill, who hit a record-breaking unbeaten score of 237 to help his side on their way to an impressive 393-6 from their innings.

West Indies needed to conjure up a big response if they were to overcome that hefty target, and despite putting up a good fight they still fell some way short having recorded 250-10 from 30 overs.

A shaky start to their spell at the crease saw Johnson Charles depart for just four runs, leaving his stumps exposed for Trent Boult to bowl him out which put New Zealand well in command of the tie.

Next to fall was Lendl Simmons (12), who also failed to rack up the runs required when he was caught out by Kiwi hero Guptill, before Marlon Samuels (27) was sent packing by Daniel Vettori.

That led to Denesh Ramdin coming in to partner Chris Gayle, although he lasted just three balls before Boult pinned him lbw with a straight ball to leave the Lions on 80-4 at this stage.

Gayle was a serious injury doubt heading into this last-eight fixture, but he showed no signs of ill health as he top scored for his side with 62 from 33 balls. He was bowled out by youngster Adam Milne which essentially ended any hopes Sri Lanka had of overcoming the hosts.

Darren Sammy (27), Jonathan Carter (32) and Andre Russell (20) failed to pile on the runs as victory drew closer and closer for New Zealand, with the wickets of Jerome Taylor (11) and Jason Holder (42) concluding the inevitable outcome as Guptill's double century proved far too much for the Sri Lankans to overcome.

New Zealand will now face South Africa in the final four of the competition.

ICC CWC 1/4 final 3

Australia have sealed a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup following a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in Adelaide.

Pakistan went into bat first, and Misbah-ul-Haq top-scored with 34 runs off 54 balls as Australia dominated from the field.

The hosts bowled their opponents all out for 213, with seamer Josh Hazlewood taking 4-35 and Mitchell Starc nabbing two wickets.

In reply, Pakistan struck early when Sohail Khan sent Aaron Finch packing for lbw after the batsman hit just two runs, with Australia on 15 inside two overs.

The hosts suffered another wobble six overs later when Wahab Riaz claimed the wicket of big-hitter David Warner, who guided the ball in the air to third-man, where Rahat Ali was placed to take the catch.

With Warner heading back to the pavilion having hit 24 off 23 balls, the responsibility fell onto the shoulders of captain Michael Clarke, but he managed just eight runs as Riaz claimed his second big wicket of the innings.

The momentum swung in Pakistan's direction, but it didn't last long as Steven Smith boosted Australia's attack by racking up the run-rate and getting boundaries on the board.

Smith put his side in control, but he was eventually taken out by Ehsan Adli after hitting 65 runs, including seven boundaries, off 69 balls.

Despite losing Smith, Shane Watson, who survived an early dropped catch by Rahat, and Glenn Maxwell were able to reach the target with unbeaten knocks of 64 and 44 respectively.

Australia will face India in the semi-finals.

ICC CWC 1/4 finals 1+2

South Africa have secured their first World Cup knockout victory by beating Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the quarter-finals in Sydney.

The Proteas dominated the game from the outset when JP Duminy snatched a hat-trick and Imran Tahir claimed four wickets as Sri Lanka struggled with the bat.

Kumar Sangakkara, who is ranked the second best one-day batsman in the world, top-scored with 45 runs off 96 balls as Sri Lanka tumbled all out for 133 inside 37.2 overs.

In reply, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock struck a 40-run partnership before the former was taken out by Lasith Malinga when the batsman's ball soared to third man and was caught by Nuwan Kulasekara.

Despite the blow, South Africa remained composed and fully in control of their innings as De Kock reached his half-ton off 39 balls, while Faf du Plessis contributed as Sri Lanka's bowlers struggled to cope.

De Kock sealed the win with a boundary as he finished the game unbeaten on 78, while Du Plessis ended the day unscathed on 21 off 31 balls.


India are on course to defend their World Cup title after sealing a 109-run victory over Bangladesh to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

The reigning champions went into bat first in Melbourne and impressed by scoring 302-6 in 50 overs.

Virat Kohli had a disappointing spell at the crease by hitting just three off eight balls before getting dismissed by Rubel Hossain, but it was Rohit Sharma who stole the show by top-scoring with 137 runs off 126 deliveries.

In reply, Bangladesh went well with Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes as they reached a combined 33 runs inside six overs, but disaster struck when both batsmen were sent to the pavilion in consecutive balls.

Iqbal (25) nicked to MS Dhoni off Umesh Yadav's delivery, and in the next ball, a communication mix-up between Kayes and Soumya Sarkar resulted in the former being left stranded in the field, which Ravindra Jadeja and Yadav took advantage of to run him out.

Sarkar's partnership with Mahmudullah looked steady until Mohammed Shami struck to send the latter packing on 21 off 31 balls courtesy of an impressive catch from Dhawan, who juggled the ball three times on the boundary, but calmly caught it.

With Bangladesh on 73-3 after 16 overs, a victory looked less likely and it wasn't long before Shami took his second wicket of the day by getting Sarkar (29) caught out by Dhoni, and Shakib Al-Hasan (10) shortly followed after Bangladesh hit the 100-run mark.

Five wickets down, and not one of the Bangladesh batsmen managed to score more than 30 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim came close, but he was taken out on 27 by Yadav.

India continued to dominate the field and eventually bowled their opponents all out for 193 with 30 balls remaining.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 28

WI bt UAE by 6 wickets

The West Indies closed in on a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup courtesy of a six-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates.

Jason Holder's men limited the minnows to a modest total of 176 in their innings, which could have even better for the Windies following a flurry of early wickets.

Dwayne Smith and Johnson Charles got the run chase to a brisk start as both players were able to find the boundary with regularity in the opening overs.

However, Smith was to fall for 15 when he was caught behind by Swapnil Patil off the bowling of Manjula Guruge.

Charles kept the scoreboard moving as he guided the West Indies past the 50-run mark, but Marlon Samuelswas the next victim of Guruge when he fell for just nine.

The arrival of Jonathan Carter at the crease helped to calm proceedings as he and Charles kept the UAE attack at bay, while increasing the run rate to power the West Indies past the 100-run mark.

Charles reached his half-century off just 34 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes, but he was out for 55 as he was caught by Krishna Chandran off the bowling of Amjad Javed.

Andre Russell followed Charles back to pavilion as he departed for only nine as Javed claimed his second wicket of the innings.

Carter and Denesh Ramdin held their nerve to guide the West Indies to their victory target with over 19 overs to spare, with Carter notching his 50 and Ramdin finishing unbeaten on 33.

The West Indies will reach the last eight of the competition as long as the clash between Pakistan and Ireland does not end in a tie or no result.

PAK bt IRE by 7 wickets

Pakistan have reached the Cricket World Cup quarter-finals at the expense of Ireland with a seven-wicket win in Adelaide.

Ireland batted first and were bowled out for 237 from their 50 overs before Pakistan reached 241-3 with around four overs remaining.

William Porterfield scored the bulk of the Irish's runs with an impressive knock of 107, but Gary Wilson (29) was the only other player who got beyond the 20-run mark for Ireland.

Disappointing scores from Paul Stirling (three), Ed Joyce (11) and Niall O'Brien (12) at the top of the order added to their side's woes with the bat.

Wahab Riaz ended with figures of 3-54 for Pakistan, who also had Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil, Rahat Ali and Haris Sohail among the wickets.

An unbeaten 101 from Sarfraz Ahmed anchored Pakistan's run-chase, with Ahmed Shehzad (63), Misbah-ul-Haq(39) and Umar Akmal (20 not out) also making significant contributions out in the middle.

Ireland struggled for wickets throughout, though Alex Cusack and Stuart Thompson dismissed Misbah-ul-Haq and Shehzad respectively.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 27

IND bt ZIM by 6 wickets

India have beaten Zimbabwe by six wickets in a close encounter to remain top of Pool B.

The game went to the wire, as India chased the 288 target set by Zimbabwe but were quickly running out of overs.

India's Suresh Raina put on a man-of-the-match performance, hitting his first World Cup century and fifth ODI ton during a solid partnership with captain MS Dhoni (85).

Zimbabwe looked in control early on in the match, as they had India at 92-4.

Hamilton Masakadza dropped an easy catch late on in the game, which could have swung the match in Zimbabwe's favour.

The win is India's sixth out of a possible six and leaves them on course to face Australia in the semi-finals if the two make it past their respective opponents in the quarters.

AUS bt SCO by 7 wickets

Australia made light work of their victory target of 131 runs during their Cricket World Cup encounter against Scotland this morning.

The co-hosting Aussies won the toss and elected to bowl in Hobart and it proved to be the correct decision as they restricted the Scots to 130 from 25.4 overs.

Mitchell Starc was the pick of the bowlers, having recorded figures of 4-14 from his 4.4 overs. The 25-year-old has now taken 16 wickets at the tournament, more than any other bowler.

In reply, Aaron Finch's inconsistent form continued when he was caught by Freddie Coleman for 20, but his fellow opener Michael Clarke made 47.

With Shane Watson out for 24, it was left to James Faulkner (16) and David Warner (21) to get Australia over the victory line.

They will now face either Pakistan or Ireland in the quarter-finals of the competition on Friday, while Scotland, who have lost all six of their group matches, head home.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 26

NZ bt BAN by 3 wickets

New Zealand have edged a close encounter with Bangladesh, winning the match by three wickets with only seven balls left.

Bangladesh originally set a target of 289 to win, which was achieved by the Black Caps in 49 overs.

Martin Guptill was the star player in New Zealand's innings, hitting a ton from as many balls.

Ross Taylor added his half-century to the total, while putting on a 128 partnership with Guptill.

Runs began to become scarce as the Black Caps slowly approached their target.

The final few overs provided a tense finish but a massive six and a boundary from Daniel Vettori saw a grandstand finish, as New Zealand clinch their sixth victory from as many games.

The win puts them top of Pool A with 12 points, four in front of Sri Lanka and seven ahead of Bangladesh, who make up the top four.

Despite the loss, Bangladesh still progress to the quarter-finals alongside New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia in the group.

ENG bt AFG by 9 wickets (D/L)

England have ended their disappointing World Cup tournament with a nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their final Pool A clash in Sydney.

Rain played a major role in the contest as Afghanistan wererestricted to 111-7 in 36.2 overs.

Once the rain cleared, England's innings were dropped to 25 overs with a target of 101 to win, and they started off strongly with openers Alex Hales and Ian Bell.

The pair managed to reach a half-century stand following two lucky escapes for Hales, who was dropped twice by Najibullah Zadran in the first and fifth overs.

The England duo reached a combined 83 runs in 13 overs before Hales (37) was caught behind after edging toHamid Hassan at outside off-stump.

Moores's side needed 18 more runs to win, which they managed to reach with Bell (52 not out) and James Taylor (8 not out), with seven overs remaining.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 25

South Africa have secured a 146-run victory over UAE to comfortably secure their path into the quarter-final stage of the Cricket World Cup.

AB de Villiers fell just short of a century with 99 as he starred for the Proteas, setting the minnows a target of 342 which they never truly looked like reaching.

Amjad Ali was first up as UAE began their response in Wellington, although he fell for 21 runs thanks to the bowling of JP Duminy.

Andri Berenger (5), Khurram Khan (12) and Shaiman Anwar (39) did not fair all that much better as they failed to reach the high batting figures, although Swapnil Patil did end on 57 not out following his time at the crease.

It was all in vain, though, as De Villiers, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander all captured two wickets to help South Africa to a straightforward win to see them progress from Pool B, bowling out their opponents for 195 in 47.3 overs to bounce back from Saturday's loss to Pakistan.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 24

Sri Lanka have beaten Scotland by 148 runs in their World Cup clash in Hobart.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara impressed for Sri Lanka with the bat by contributing with 104 and 124 runs respectively to help reach 363-9 after 50 overs.

Sangakkara managed to hit his fourth consecutive hundred in just four days, as Scotland faced an uphill struggle to claim their first win of the World Cup.

It was a poor start for the Scots as opener Kyle Coetzer was caught and bowled by Lasith Malinga for a duck, and Calum MacLeod followed 25 runs later when Nuwan Kulasekara dismissed him for 11.

Scotland were three wickets down when Matt Machan was taken out after hitting just 19 runs off 31 balls, but they fought back through Preston Mommsen and Freddie Coleman, who scored 60 and 70 runs respectively to keep the team in contention.

However, Sri Lanka's quality shone through as Sangakkara became the first person to claim 500 one-day international dismissals, and passed Adam Gilchrist's World Cup record of 54 dismissals.

Only five of Scotland's batting order reached double figures as they ended the match all out on 215 with seven overs remaining.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 23

Shikhar Dhawan's century helped India secure a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Ireland in their World Cup Pool B clash in Hamilton.

India have already reached the knockout rounds of the tournament, and despite succumbing to defeat, Ireland can still qualify for the quarter-finals if they beat Pakistan in their final group fixture.

Ireland were first up to bat and William Porterfield contributed with 67 runs off 93 balls, while Niall O'Brien top-scored with 75 off as many deliveries.

Ireland ended their stint at the crease 259 all out, and India began their reply with openers Rohit Sharma and Dhawan, who racked up runs in swift fashion.

The pair made history by beating their highest opening partnership record of 163, which was reached in Kenya in 1996, by scoring an unbeaten 172 in 23 overs.

The partnership came to an end shortly afterwards when Sharma was bowled out by Stuart Thompson after hitting 64 off 66 balls, but Dhawan continued to lead the attack.

The 29-year-old scored his eighth one-day hundred off 84 deliveries, but he was unable to push on further as Porterfield caught off the bowling of Thompson to send India two wickets down.

Despite losing their openers, India had done more than enough as Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane reached the total unbeaten on 44 and 33 runs respectively.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 22

BAN bt ENG by 15 runs

England have been eliminated from the Cricket World Cup in the group stages after losing to Bangladesh by 15 runs in Adelaide.

Bangladesh batted first and set England a total of 276 to win, with Mahmudullah scoring his country's first tournament century with 103 and Mushfiqur Rahim adding quick runs with a fine knock of 89.

England made a solid start to their response as Ian Bell and Moeen Ali put on 43 for the first wicket, before Ali was run out on 19.

Alex Hales made 27 but was dismissed when he edged a Masrafe Mortaza delivery through to Rahim behind the stumps. Bell brought up his 34th one-day 50 soon after, but his innings came to an end on 63 after he edgedRubel Hossain through to Rahim, who took another catch.

England lost captain Eoin Morgan for a duck just three balls later as he pulled a shot straight to Shakib Al Hasanon the rope. James Taylor (1) then became the next man to go, leaving England in trouble on 132-5.

Jos Buttler looked to take the game to the Bangladeshi bowlers as soon as he arrived at the crease with some attacking stroke play, but Joe Root (29) failed to see out the powerplay as he gave Mortaza his second wicket of the innings when he edged to Rahim.

Buttler and Chris Woakes took England past 200, but Taskin Ahmed made a crucial breakthrough for Bangladesh when he dismissed Buttler, who had made 65 off 72 balls.

Chris Jordan was then dismissed for a duck on his first ball to leave England on 238-8 with four overs left to play.

Tamin missed the opportunity to send Woakes packing when he dropped a catch to give the England man a reprieve on 39. However, Stuart Broad fell for nine in the next over when he was clean bowled by Hossain, as England needed 16 runs from 11 balls to win.

Hossain wrapped up a famous victory for Bangladesh when he bowled James Anderson out for a duck as England were all out for 260.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 21

NZ bt AFG by 6 wickets

New Zealand have defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in their Pool A clash in the World Cup thanks to an impressive spell of bowling by Daniel Vettori.

The minnows were held to a modest total of 186 in their innings as Vettori held them in check with a fine display as he took 4-18 in his 10 overs, which enabled his side to chase the total with relative ease.

The Kiwis started their run chase at a blistering pace as Brendon McCullum blasted several boundaries in the opening overs as they raced past the 50-run mark in the sixth over.

However, the skipper was to fall for 42 off just 19 deliveries as he was bowled Mohammad Nabi, in an innings which included six fours and one six as he put his side well on their way to victory.

Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson were allowed to play themselves in due to brisk start handed to the team by McCullum, and both players were able to pick up runs with relative ease without taking risks.

The duo reached their 50 partnership off 70 balls, but Williamson was to fall for 33 when he was caught bySamiullah Shenwari off the bowling of Shapoor Zadran.

Guptill remained composed at the crease as he notched a comfortable half-century as he and Ross Taylor kept edging the Kiwis closer to their victory target.

Confusion between the pair cost Guptill his wicket as was run out for 57 by Nawroz Manga to put a blemish on the innings, and there was a further mix-up to come as Grant Elliott was run out for 19.

Taylor and Corey Anderson eventually got New Zealand over the line as Anderson brought up the winning runs with a 83 balls to spare with a boundary as the Kiwis maintained their 100% record in the tournament.

AUS bt SL by 64 runs

Australia have sealed their place in the Cricket World Cup quarter-finals with a 64-run win over Pool A rivals Sri Lanka in Sydney.

The co-hosts posted an impressive score of 376-9 before bowling the Sri Lankans out for 312 with 23 balls remaining.

Glenn Maxwell's 102 off just 53 balls stole the show, while Steven Smith (72), captain Michael Clarke (68) and Shane Watson (67) also helped to boost the Aussies' score out in the middle.

However, Aaron Finch (24) and David Warner (nine) struggled at the top of the batting order before Australia recovered in impressive fashion.

Lasith Malinga and Thisara Perera took two wickets each for Sri Lanka, who also had Angelo Mathews,Seekkuge Prasanna and Tillakaratne Dilshan end with wickets to their names.

The Sri Lankans run-chase got off to a bad start as Lahiru Thirimanne was dismissed in the second over having made just a single, but Dilshan (62) and Kumar Sangakkara (104) got their side back on track with a dynamic partnership at the crease.

Despite their heroics with the bat, Mahela Jayawardene (19), Mathews (35) and Dinesh Chandimal (52) were the only other players to get beyond double figures for Sri Lanka before the lower order eventually crumbled.

James Faulkner finished with figures of 3-48 for the Aussies, while Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Watson also claimed wickets.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 20

Pakistan beat South Africa by 29 runs (D/L)

Pakistan's pace bowlers stunned South Africa to earn a thrilling 29-run World Cup win in Auckland.

Chasing 232 in Auckland, South Africa were well placed on 67-1, before Pakistan's left-arm trio got to work.

Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali and Mohammad Irfan dismissed the Proteas for 202, despite captain AB de Villiers' 77.

Pakistan had earlier scraped to 222, with South Africa's target adjusted after rain reduced the match to 47 overs per side.

The victory, a third in succession, means Pakistan will definitely reach the quarter-finals if they beat Ireland in their final Pool B game on 15 March.

Ex-New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney on BBC Test Match Special
"I didn't think it was possible for Pakistan to defend a total like that but they picked up wickets and from nine overs on they held sway. At no stage, other than AB de Villiers, did the South Africa batsmen look comfortable at all. Pakistan bowled with real purpose. Once again, South Africa didn't cope with the pressure."

Even if they lose in Adelaide, Misbah-ul-Haq's side will have a chance of progressing on net run-rate depending on other results involving the Irish and West Indies.

For South Africa, a first opportunity to reach the last eight was missed, but their qualification will be assured with a win against the UAE on Thursday.

They arrived at Eden Park on the back of consecutive scores in excess of 400 but, like their earlier defeat by India, wilted when faced with the pressure of a run-chase.

De Villiers attempted a single-handed pursuit as the rest of his team failed to deal with the pace and bounce of the Pakistan attack.

De Villiers sets records in defeat
The 31-year-old is now the leading run-scorer at the 2015 World Cup with 318 runs from five innings.
The South Africa captain reached 1,000 World Cup runs in 20 innings, equalling Sachin Tendulkar as the quickest to this mark.
De Villiers's fifth six of the match was his 32nd in World Cups, passing Ricky Ponting's 31 for the most in tournament history.

The Proteas had earlier been cruising during a stand of 67 between Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, but, when Du Plessis feathered Rahat behind, it began a collapse of four wickets for 10 runs.

Amla was brilliantly caught behind by Sarfraz Ahmed off Riaz, Rilee Rossouw hooked the same bowler to fine leg and David Miller was trapped in front by Rahat.

When Irfan returned to have JP Duminy caught hooking, De Villiers was left to play a virtually lone hand, pulling Riaz for two sixes in the same over.

He dished out similar treatment to Afridi and flayed the attack in the batting powerplay to make an unlikely victory appear possible.

But, he edged an attempted hook off Sohail Khan behind with 32 still required and, soon after, Riaz found the edge of last man Imran Tahir to give Sarfraz a record-equalling sixth catch.

The Proteas had succumbed to sort of pace and hostility that their own bowlers had earlier produced to restrict Pakistan to what seemed like a substandard total.

Steyn stands out as death bowler
In his World Cup career Dale Steyn has taken 15 wickets bowling between overs 40 and 50 while conceding 81 runs in 21.1 overs at an average of 5.40 and economy rate of 3.82.

Sarfraz, at the top of the order in place of Nasir Jamshed, took the fight to South Africa by heaving three leg-side sixes from one Duminy over.

However, when he was needlessly run out by Miller's good work in the outfield, South Africa chipped through the Pakistan batting.

Indeed, the Proteas may have restricted Pakistan further had De Villiers not had to bowl six overs of his medium pace to cover for the expensive Duminy, who was on his return from injury.

Still, when Pakistan lost their final five wickets for 10 runs after a second rain delay, that seemed academic.

Captain Misbah was the eighth man out, his defiant 56 a fourth half-century in five innings. His team appeared beaten, yet, in fact, they already had enough.

Ireland beat Zimbabwe by 5 runs

Ireland maintained their quest for the World Cup quarter-finals with a tense five-run win over Zimbabwe in Hobart.

Ed Joyce made 112, while Andy Balbirnie was run out three short of a maiden hundred as Ireland posted 331-8, their highest one-day international total.

Zimbabwe required the highest chase in World Cup history and Brendan Taylor hit four sixes in 121 from 91 balls.

Seven were needed from the final over but the last two wickets fell as the Zimbabweans bowed out of the event.

Ireland next face unbeaten India, who have already qualified, on Tuesday.

The Irish team's final match is the last of the group fixtures in the tournament, against Pakistan on 15 March, when West Indies face UAE, and is likely to determine which other three sides will advance to the quarter-finals from Pool B.

Alan Lewis, former Ireland captain on BBC Test Match Special
"It looks like in this group that you will need eight points to get through but who knows? But the way this group has gone, I don't know what to say."

After a quiet start in which only six fours were scored in the opening 20 overs, Joyce and Balbirnie shared an Irish third-wicket record of 138 in 18 overs.

Sussex left-hander Joyce, who played 17 ODI matches for England from 2006-7, averaging 27, might have departed first ball, but a TV review deemed his edge had fallen short of slip.

He was dropped on 34 and again having completed his third ODI ton, while Balbirnie's attractive innings came to an unfortunate end when his dive was short of the crease while attempting an ambitious second run in the final over.

Despite the formidable target, Taylor, who became only the fourth Zimbabwean to pass 5,000 ODI runs, used his feet in assured fashion, timing the ball exquisitely to compile his first century since 2011.

He had guided his team to within 109 of victory when he was smartly deceived by Alex Cusack's slower ball in the 38th over, spooning a catch to mid-wicket.

Left-hander Sean Williams, who had compiled 149 with Taylor, somehow kept his team in contention before, with 32 needed from 19 balls, he holed out to deep mid-wicket when on 96, John Mooney taking the catch above his head with his foot perilously close to the boundary boards.

Yet 17 runs from the penultimate over kept the match on a knife-edge before Cusack took the remaining two wickets to finish with 4-32, as Ireland held on for their third victory in four matches.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 19

IND bt WI by 4 wickets

India have secured their place in the quarter-finals of theCricket World Cup with a four-wicket victory over West Indies.

After West Indies were bowled out for 182, India initially struggled with their run chase before a nerve-settling knock of 45 from skipper MS Dhoni ensured that his team prevailed with 10.5 overs to spare.

Despite winning the toss, West Indies struggled to find their feet and when Chris Gayle was dismissed for 21, they found themselves on 35-3 after nine overs.

India kept on the attack with several of their bowlers chipping in with wickets, and when the West Indies had been reduced to 85-7 at the halfway stage, it appeared as though they were in danger of being bowled out for double figures.

However, a patient 26 from Darren Sammy was followed by a knock of 57 off 64 balls from Jason Holder, and that innings helped to take the West Indies to 182 all out.

Given the number of high scores at the tournament, chasing 183 should have proven routine for India, but they were soon on the defensive after Jerome Taylor removed both opening batsmen.

Virat Kohli contributed 33, but after he and Ajinkya Rahane got out, Dhoni was left with a rebuilding job when he made his way to the crease at 78-4.

He was briefly supported by Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, but it was the Indian captain who took centre stage with a patient innings to take his side to the brink of victory.

Ravichandran Ashwin played the support role at the other end, scoring 16 off 32 balls, but Dhoni sealed the triumph in style with a six and a four to maintain India's 100% record.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 18

PAK bt UAE by 129 runs

Pakistan have defeated the UAE by 129 runs to boost their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-final stage of the Cricket World Cup.

Half-centuries from Ahmed Shehzad (93), Haris Sohail (70) and Misbah-ul-Haq (65) helped the Green Shirts set their opponents a target of 340 to win in Napier, and the minnows could only respond with 210 runs from their 50 overs.

United Arab Emirates were reduced to 25-3 early on as their response got off to a bad start, Rahat Ali bowling out Amjad Ali for 14 runs before Andri Berenger (2) and Krishna Karate were both caught behind to end any lingering hopes of staging a strong reply.

Shaiman Anwar did manage to score a half-century of his own to become the tournament's top run-scorer, but his 62 fell some way short of the tally the Emirates state needed to claw back the deficit.

Anwar had shared an 83-run partnership with Khurram Khan until the latter flicked Sohaib Maqsood to square leg for 43 to see the contest come to an end.

Pakistan, who last won the World Cup back in 1992, have now picked up two wins in the space of four days to recover from heavy defeats against South Africa and Ireland.

AUS bt AFG by 275 runs

Co-hosts Australia recorded the biggest-ever one-day international score at a World Cup on their way to a 275-run victory over Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Led from the front by David Warner's 178 runs from 133 balls, which included 24 boundaries, Australia posted 417-6from their 50 overs, with Warner aided by 95 from Steven Smith and a rapid 88 off just 39 balls by Glenn Maxwell.

Afghanistan, who won the toss and chose to field first, didn't stand a chance of chasing the mammoth total down, but still put in a respectable batting display in what is their first World Cup showing.

The Aussies' first wicket didn't arrive until the seventh over when Mitchell Johnson got rid of Usman Ghani for 12.

Johnson took a game-high four wickets and also removed Afghanistan's highest-scorer Nawroz Mangal (33), with the minnows losing all 10 wickets for 142 in the 38th over.

After winning one, losing one and having one of their first three games abandoned, Australia now sit third in Pool A on five points behind New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan remain on two points with one win and three defeats to their name.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 17

SA beat IRE by 201 runs

South Africa have beaten Ireland by 201 runs in their Cricket World Cup clash at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.

Ireland were given a big target of 412 runs to chase down for victory following centuries from South African pair Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis.

The Proteas won the toss and chose to bat, with Amla and Du Plessis's 258-run partnership helping South Africa to become the first team to post 400 in two successive matches at the tournament.

Ireland lost Paul Stirling for nine early in their response when the opener edged Dale Steyn's delivery through toQuinton de Kock behind the stumps.

William Porterfield was then caught out on 12 off the bowling of Kyle Abbott, before Ireland were reduced to 21-3 when Steyn dismissed Ed Joyce for a duck.

Ireland lost their fourth wicket in just the eighth over as Niall O'Brien attempted to launch Abbott over point, but his thick edge could only find Amla at first slip. Abbott then claimed his third wicket of the innings when he trapped Gary Wilson lbw to leave Ireland in peril on 48-5.

Andrew Balbirnie offered some resistance alongside Kevin O'Brien, before the former was dismissed for 58 after lofting a catch to Rilee Rossouw.

AB de Villiers claimed a rare wicket when he bowled John Mooney out for eight, then Abbott struck again to dismiss Kevin O'Brien for 48.

Ireland battled their way to 200 thanks to a partnership between Max Sorensen and George Dockrell, but no sooner had they reached that landmark than a short ball from Morne Morkel clipped the handle of Sorensen's bat, giving De Kock a simple catch to end his knock on 22.

Morkel wrapped up the victory by bowling Dockrell on 25, leaving Ireland all out for 210.

ICC CWC 2015 Day 16

ENG lost to SL by 9 wickets

Sri Lanka have cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over England in their World Cup clash as they successfully chased down 310 thanks to centuries from Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara.

Thirimanne recorded his third one-day international century as he powered to an unbeaten knock of 139, while his efforts were matched by Sangakkara at the other end with an innings of 117 not out as the duo put on a partnership on 212 to secure the win.

England set a competitive total in Wellington as a century from Joe Root guided Eoin Morgan's men to 309-6, aided by some excellent lower-order striking from Jos Buttler.

The Three Lions almost got off to the perfect start as they attempted to defend their total, only for Root to drop Thirimanne at first slip off the bowling of Stuart Broad, although he was distracted by a late move from Buttler to try and snag the catch.

The missed opportunity was to cost England dearly as Thirimanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan managed to find the boundary with ease as James Anderson, Steven Finn and Broad were guilty of dropping short in their length.

Sri Lanka brought up their 50 in the ninth over, and Thirimanne began to find further gaps to put the pressure on the England bowlers as he reached his half-century off 58 balls.

Dilshan and Thirmanne then passed the 100-run mark, but Dilshan was to depart for 44 when he edged the ball back to Moeen Ali for 44 to give Morgan's side a chance to get back into the game.

However, the window was quickly shut by Sangakkara as he found his rhythm with ease as the run chase gathered pace with the veteran at the crease.

The 37-year-old blasted his way to his half-century off 45 balls as Sri Lanka passed the 200-run mark as they used the powerplay to great effect as Broad and Chris Woakes came in for punishment as they bowled back of a length.

Thirimanne registered his century off 117 deliveries as he began to take a backseat to Sangakkara who dismantled the England attack to shift his side over the 250-run mark in the 41st over, passing their 150-run partnership in the process.

The veteran notched his 100 off just 70 balls, in a superb innings, as he brought up his 23rd one-day international century.

Sri Lanka secured the victory with 16 deliveries to spare as Thirimanne launched a six off the bowling of Woakes to clinch the match by nine wickets to leave England's hopes of reaching the last eight of the competition in serious peril.

PAK beat ZIM by 20 runs

Zimbabwe fell just short in their run chase against Pakistan in the World Cup at the Gabba this morning, losing by 20 runs after being bowled out in the final over.

Pakistan posted a total of 235-7 off their 50 overs, setting Zimbabwe a target of 236 for victory in Brisbane.

It did not take long for Pakistan to break up the opening partnership as Chamu Chibhabha (9) was dismissed in the fifth over, after edging the ball to Haris Sohail at slip.

Sikandar Raza soon followed, while Mohammad Irfan claimed his third wicket of the day to end a 52-run partnership between Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor.

Taylor continued to battle hard for his runs, but was dismissed just after securing his half-century, while Sean Williams was out for 33, reducing Zimbabwe to 150-5.

Irfan and Wahab Riaz continued to cause problems for the batsmen, with the latter picking up two wickets in the 40th over to leave Zimbabwe on the ropes at 168-8.

However, Elton Chigumbura was joined by Tinashe Panyangara at the crease to get his side back into contention, leaving them needing just 28 off the final three overs.

Riaz bowled a maiden in the 48th over to leave Zimbabwe still needing 28 runs with just 12 balls remaining, while Chigumbura added just four in the penultimate over.

Still looking for 21 with four balls to go, Zimbabwe pushed for a quick single, resulting in Panyangara being run out.

Tendai Chatara tried to smash the ball on his first delivery, but he edged it behind to Misbah-ul-Haq, handing Pakistan their first win of the tournament.