Seamers set up comfortable win for Pakistan

It turned out to be a good toss to lose for Pakistan, as their seamers, led by Umar Gul, set up a comfortable six-wicket win by keeping Sri Lanka to a paltry 135. The ball nipped around, skidded, turned and bounced alarmingly and tested the technique and patience of the batsmen, with the cloudy conditions giving the bowlers an overwhelming advantage. Three rain interruptions in the first innings did little to help Sri Lanka's cause. They struggled to build momentum and sizeable partnerships, and following a lengthy rain interruption, the overs were culled to 42, leaving very few overs in the end to accelerate.

Pakistan too were tested by a probing opening spell by Sri Lanka's seamers, but they could afford to take their time and grind it out. Subcontinent pitches aren't known to produce too many low-scoring games, and based on the evidence so far in the three games on tour, watching the bowlers have a say has been compelling.

The batsmen may have had their wallets nicked when they walked out to bat - they couldn't even buy a run. In the first ten overs, Pakistan didn't concede a run off the bat for 26 consecutive legal deliveries. In that period, the only source of runs was 13 wides. The first boundary off the bat - there were only six in all - came in the 12th over. Any semblance of a recovery was halted when Mohammad Sami nipped out two wickets in successive overs, leaving Sri Lanka five down at the 15th over.

Rain forced interruptions in the 18th over and again after the 24th. What followed after the second interruption were two of the most productive partnerships. Lahiru Thirimanne added 25 with Thisara Perera, and doubled that with Nuwan Kulasekara. It was still a battle for survival, and the frequent interruptions didn't help Sri Lanka's bid to find momentum to accelerate. Following the third rain interval, which stretched to an hour and a quarter, Sri Lanka had only five overs to bat out. 

Sri Lanka managed only six fours in their innings, hitting the first only in the 12th over. Pakistan hit their first four as early as the third ball, when Mohammad Hafeez punched Lasith Malinga past the covers. Malinga soon had Azhar Ali caught off a loose drive, and he continued to create half chances by shaping the ball away from the right-handers. Kulasekara posed questions by getting the ball to cut back in - his stock delivery - and one of those breached Younis Khan's defences, leaving Pakistan at 27 for 2.

The pressure created by that dismissal led to three consecutive maidens. Misbah-ul-Haq halted a run-drought that lasted 25 deliveries with a slash past point for four. While Hafeez gave Pakistan the edge with positive shots, including a lofted off-drive for six, what prevented Pakistan from imploding was Misbah's calm presence.

Pakistan were a batsman short, so it was imperative one senior player pitched a tent through the duration of the innings, which Misbah had all but achieved. It was a pressure-free scenario for Umar Akmal to play his strokes, as Pakistan coasted home to extend their recent domination over Sri Lanka, with their ninth win in 11 games.

IPL Mumbai Indians face Delhi Daredevils heat

Mumbai Indians travel to Delhi with a chance to join the home side at the top of the table at the halfway stage in the tournament. Currently, just two points separate the top seven teams and Delhi Daredevils would hope to consolidate their lead.

The two teams met in Mumbai ten days ago in a match that promised a lot. However, a Sachin Tendulkar and Lasith Malinga-less Mumbai Indians' team was blown away by Daredevils' pace attack to be dismissed for 92. Since then, Mumbai Indians have posted 163 and 171 in two matches against Kings XI Punjab, but their bowling has been taken for runs as well.

When he played alongside Malinga this season, Munaf Patel picked up ten wickets at an economy-rate of 6.34. In the last three games since Malinga's injury, Munaf has bowled 11 wicketless overs at an economy-rate of 8.81. The figures for Mumbai Indians' captain Harbhajan Singh reflect the same story. Harbhajan, who has just one wicket this season, had an economy-rate of 6.73 with Malinga in the attack. He has gone for nine an over in the absence of Malinga. However, Malinga has rejoined the team now and is likely to be available for selection.

Since their easy win in Mumbai, Daredevils' batting has been led by Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen, who have scored 151 and 162 runs in the last three games. With Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor waiting for their chance to fire, Daredevils' batting would hold the edge. In the last two games against Pune Warriors, Daredevils' bowlers have struggled to take wickets and stop the run flow. Against, a strong Mumbai Indians' batting, the Morne Morkel-led attack would hope to repeat their Mumbai performance.

Pakistan lost in Dubai, Misbah, a poor player and captain

Pakistan lost, simple answer Misbah, what a poor player as well captain

England produced world-class death bowling coupled with moments of brilliance in the field to grab a five-run victory in the deciding Twenty20 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and seal the series 2-1. With Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal together, needing 35 off the last overs, Pakistan were in control but Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach showed nerves of steel to finish the tour on a high.

The series win, a notable result for Broad who is still in his infancy as a captain, will give the England squad a significant surge of confidence ahead of their title defence at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Their remaining T20s before that match are all at home, so success in conditions similar - if not identical - to Sri Lanka will have provided a wealth of knowledge for the more youthful players.

Broad bowled the 16th and 19th overs which cost runs apiece and that included a misfield by Jonny Bairstow at long-on in the penultimate over which gave away a boundary. Broad removed Akmal, who skied a catch to long-off after missing the first balls of the 19th over, and Bairstow redeemed himself in the last with a powerful throw to Craig Kieswetter which found Shahid Afridi short of his crease.

Dernbach, who bowled the 17th over for six runs, was left with 13 to play with for the last and was in control except when a slower ball looped out short to be called wide. That left Pakistan needing eight off deliveries but Hammad Azam and Misbah could only muster singles before a trademark slower ball from Dernbach castled Misbah and set of wild celebrations from the bowler.

What Eoin Morgan would give for a quantity of Pietersen's end-of-tour form. His last innings of the trip was a tortured affair, as plenty of of the 16 before this had also been. They chipped short of long-off against Afridi on 6 & ought to have been stumped on 8 as Akmal added another error to a long list. But this didn't show pricey although Morgan was left cursing a team-mate than himself. Pietersen drove firmly to cover, where Misbah fumbled, & didn't adhere to the adage of "don't run on a misfield", leaving Morgan stuffed when they changed his mind again.

Bairstow could not repeat his showing from days ago as they misjudged the length against Saeed Ajmal, who claimed four for 23, & England's other young middle-order batsman, Buttler, had another hard innings. They scored runs off the nine combined deliveries they faced from Ajmal & Afridi & was then given lbw against Ajmal playing a sweep that left him on his knees in the crease. This tour has not launched Buttler's international career as it appeared it could do but they can still make the World Twenty20.

Crucially, however, Umar Gul had a poor day. Trying to react to Pietersen's movement in the crease, they conceded wides down the leg side &, in his final over, sprayed another wide outside off stump with Pietersen proceeding to hit the seventh ball to the midwicket boundary. That is all it takes to alter a tight Twenty20.