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South Africa won the first of two Twenty20 Internationals against West Indies by 13 runs in Antigua on Wednesday.Ryan McLaren became only the fourth bowler to take five wickets in a T20 international as the hosts were bowled out for 123 chasing a modest total of 137.The Proteas had Jacques Kallis to thank for reaching 136 for seven in their 20 overs, the veteran hitting 53 off 45 balls as only two other players made it into double figures.Kallis added 73 with captain Graeme Smith for the second wicket following the loss of Loots Bosman, who walked after edging down the leg side despite it being called a wide by the umpire.Smith was stumped off the bowling of Nikita Miller for 37 but after Kallis holed out at deep mid-wicket in the 16th over with score on 111, wickets tumbled as the innings lost all momentum.Jean-Paul Duminy and Botha went for ducks, Kemar Roach claiming both scalps, as the West Indies dragged themselves back into the match, but victory proved beyond them as the batting never got going.As ever, Chris Gayle’s wicket was key as the opener hit McLaren straight to Smith at long-on, this after Andre Fletcher had edged the same bowler to ‘keeper AB de Villiers for a duck.Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals with Ramnaresh Sarwan chipping Roelof van der Merwe to Alviro Petersen for 13, although Keiron Pollard and Darren Sammy added 36 for the sixth wicket.However, their last realistic chance of victory disappeared with the loss of Pollard, who was bowled by McLaren between bat and pad, which left the hosts 88 for six.JP Botha also impressed with the ball, taking two for 19, but it was left to McLaren to wrap up the tail with the wicket of Sulieman Benn, caught at long off with one ball remaining.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

England finally ended their wait for a global one-day trophy with a seven-wicket win over Australia in the final of the ICC World Twenty20.Craig Kieswetter (63) and Kevin Pietersen(47) shared a second-wicket stand of 111 as England chased down a target of 148 with three overs to spare at the Kensington Oval.Captain Paul Collingwood hit the winning runs as, after 35 years of drawing a blank, his country earned some silverware at an International Cricket Council event.The triumph had been set up by England’s bowlers, who restricted Australia to 147-6 after Collingwood had sent them into bat on a typically pacy wicket in Barbados.Ryan Sidebottom struck twice with the new ball to set the tone and it was only David Hussey’s patient 59 that averted total embarrassment for Australia.Kieswetter and Pietersen’s relentless aggression turned a potentially tricky run chase into a formality and, despite both falling with the winning line in sight, Collingwood (12no) and Eoin Morgan (15no) ensured the English celebrations were soon under way.

Thrill of the chase
Michael Lumb (2) was an early casualty of the run chase, picking out mid-on in the second over, bowled by Shaun Tait (1-28)After a five-minute delay due to a sightscreen malfunction, Kieswetter and Pietersen took a positive approach to move England to 41-1 after the six powerplay overs.They remained well in control of the required rate throughout their second-wicket stand as Australia captain Michael Clarke rotated his bowlers to little effect, Shane Watson (0-42) coming in for particular punishment.England still required 30 when Pietersen, having looked imperious in reaching 47 off 31 balls, holed out in the deep off Steven Smith’s leg-spin (1-21).Man-of-the-match Kieswetter, whose 63 came from 49 deliveries, followed in bizarre fashion in the next over, backing away before leaving a straight ball from Mitchell Johnson (1-27) that demolished his stumps.That left 27 needed from 35 deliveries with both Collingwood and Morgan new to the crease.There was no need for panic and cool heads prevailed as the fourth-wicket duo eased England across the line with 18 balls to spare.David Hussey’s half-century had earlier allowed Australia to recover from 8-3 after being asked to bat.England, making their first appearance in a one-day final since the 2004 Champions Trophy, claimed a wicket in each of the first three overs.Watson (2), surprised by extra bounce from Sidebottom’s third ball, flashed an edge through to wicketkeeper Kieswetter, who fumbled the chance for Graeme Swann to grab at first slip.His opening partner David Warner (2) did not fare any better, run out by Lumb’s direct hit from backward point after Clarke called for a single that was never on.Brad Haddin survived two run out chances during his brief stay at the crease, which ended when Kieswetter held on at full stretch down the leg-side in Sidebottom’s (2-26) second over. Haddin’s reaction to the raised finger of umpire Billy Doctrove was one of disbelief and replays indicated the ball had come off his body rather than bat.Australia had been forced to retreat into rebuilding mode, Clarke and David Hussey adding 37 off 43 balls for the fourth wicket as the first-change bowlers, Stuart Broad (0-27) and Swann (1-17), kept the pressure on.Clarke, having never looked entirely comfortable during a run-a-ball 27, was brilliantly caught by a diving Collingwood at midwicket in Swann’s second over, the 10th of the innings.

Brazen Husseys
David Hussey, now joined by Cameron White, continued to meander along to leave Australia at 59-4 with eight overs remaining.But the batsmen finally came to life in the 13th over, bowled by Michael Yardy (0-34), which disappeared for 21 runs, including the first two sixes of the match.White slammed 30 off 19 balls before being holing out off Luke Wright (1-5), but the Hussey brothers combined for 46 from 22 deliveries to at least ensure Australia had something to bowl at.David Hussey, given a life on 25 when Broad misjudged a steepling catch, was run out in the final over, while his elder brother Michael – fresh from his incredible match-winning knock in the semi-final – finished unbeaten on 17 off 10.

Sun 16th May 16:30 Final
England
VS
Australia

Mike Hussey hit three sixes in the final over as Australia clinched a place in the ICC World Twenty20 final with a thrilling three-wicket win over Pakistan. Chasing Pakistan’s daunting total of 191 for 6, Australia were never up with the rate and looked down and out with 70 required from the last five overs with five wickets down.Despite some fine hitting from Hussey and Cameron White (43), Pakistan were still favourites heading into the final over with 18 required.But Hussey blasted three maximums and a four off Saeed Ajmal to take his team to victory with a ball to spare. Hussey finished unbeaten on 60 from just 24 deliveries.Australia will face England in Sunday’s final.After brothers Kamran and Umar Akmal each hit 50s to help put Pakistan into what looked an unbeatable position, Mohammad Aamer (3 for 35) had opener David Warner smearing a catch to Umar at point for a first-ball duck to the second delivery of the innings.Then after Shane Watson had smashed Abdul Razzaq’s first ball for six over deep midwicket in an over which cost 15, the opener picked out long-on for a straightforward catch off Aamer.Aussie hopes rose a little while Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke were sharing a third-wicket stand, and more significantly when White was together for the fifth and sixth with Husseys David and then Michael.But Haddin and Clarke were both to go stumped, in successive overs, Kamran quick with his glovework as slow left-armer Abdur Rehman and then Shahid Afridi each got enough turn to beat the outside edge.

Four sixes
Then after White had hoisted a succession of four sixes from seven balls off the spinners, Rehman tricked David Hussey into chipping back a return catch.With White hitting an Aamer full toss straight into the hands of long-off, and then Steven Smith becoming Kamran’s third stumping victim, it seemed even Mr Cricket surely could not save Australia.Yet in the end, he proved he had the situation under control throughout.Earlier, after Pakistan had lost the toss, first Kamran (50) – in an opening stand of 82 with Salman Butt – and then his younger brother gave Australia’s attack a caning.They hit six sixes and eight fours between them, Umar (56no) the quickest to his half-century in only 29 balls as he launched a late onslaught which brought 20 runs off the bat from one Johnson over, and 73 in all from the last five.The innings began with a maiden from Dirk Nannes, and only three came off Shaun Tait in the next.But after that, Pakistan wasted no more time.The openers had minor slices of luck, chipping just over the in-field on several occasions and Kamran marginally clearing long-off for a six as Steven Smith’s first over cost 15.Another 18 was bludgeoned off Watson in the ninth over.

Memorable
But two fine catches in the deep by Warner – the first a memorable, diving effort by his boots at deep cover to intercept a searing Kamran drive at Johnson – accounted for both openers in the space of two overs.Afridi was just winding up when he looped a catch off Hussey’s off-spin, wicketkeeper Haddin holding on despite colliding with Watson.Umar was then joined first by Khalid Latif and then Razzaq for some merciless late hitting which rattled Australia into conceding extra runs in wides, byes and overthrows.The final total of 191 was the second-highest in the tournament and always looked to be enough – but Hussey was to prove otherwise.

England have cruised into the final of the ICC World Twenty 20 after scoring a seven-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in St Lucia on Thursday.What had been billed as a potential tight tussle at Gros Islet’s Beausejour Stadium never came to pass as Paul Collingwood’s side at first restricted their opponents to 128 for six and then reached their target with four overs to spare.After winning the toss, Sri Lanka were always struggling after the loss of early wickets to give England’s batsmen breathing space on a sluggish-looking surface.They will now play either Pakistan or Australia in Sunday’s final – the latter two sides meeting in their semi-final at the same venue on Friday.Only Angelo Mathews (58) made any headway for Sri Lanka and even he struggled to reach, let alone clear, the ropes with just three fours and one six in a 40-ball fifty.He kept alive Sri Lanka’s faint hopes of reaching a second successive final in the competition in the closing stages of their innings, with Tim Bresnan leaking 17 runs in his final over to concede 41 in all.

On top
Bresnan’s first delivery of the match was dispatched for four by Mahela Jayawardenebut from there on in England were on top, with Collingwood on hand at second slip to gather a Sanath Jayasuriya edge from Ryan Sidebottom’s first ball.Tillakaratne Dilshan mis-hit Bresnan to be well caught by Luke Wright at deep square-leg before Stuart Broad took the big wicket of Jayawardene, also with his first ball.Aiming to hit the top of off-stump, Broad found a little extra bounce to have Jayawardene edge behind.Sri Lanka teetered on 47 for four in the 10th over after Kumar Sangakkara chipped Graeme Swann’s delivery to Kevin Pietersen at long-off.They recovered over the next five overs but Mathews and fellow big-hitter Chamara Kapugedera were forced to play conservatively.Mathews might have been run out on 18 had Michael Lumb come up with a better throw to beat the batsman as he ran a tight two played into the off-side deep.With the spin overs gone, Broad and Sidebottom sent down slow bouncers and adopted clever lines that left both Mathews and Kapugedera struggling to adjust their timing.Kapugedera fell to a back-foot drive at Broad which did not beat mid-off, but Mathews carried on almost until the end before eventually being run out.

Relish
England openers Craig Kieswetter and Lumb then set about their task with relish and racked up an opening stand of 68 in under nine overs.Kieswetter, in particular, found the boundary much easier to reach; that is, until Lasith Malinga finally struck with a swinging yorker.Lumb, meanwhile, had luck on his side and should have been run out on 11 but with the England opener stranded, Ajantha Mendis dropped the ball.Then, with Lumb on 23, substitute fielder Nuwan Kulasekara could not hold on to a tough chance at long-off.He made 10 more before losing his middle-stump to Thissara Perera, thus allowing Pietersen – back in the Caribbean after his dash home for the birth of his first child – the chance to both top score and hit the winning runs with a six and a four off Malinga. :’(

Thu 13th May 16:30 Semi Final
England
VS
Sri Lanka (OUT)

Fri 14th May 16:30 Semi Final
Australia
VS
Pakistan (OUT)

West Indies saw their ICC World Twenty20 hopes end with a whimper as they suffered a six-wicket loss at the hands of Australia in St Lucia.The tournament hosts needed to win the final Super Eights fixture handsomely if they were to pip Sri Lanka, who had beaten India earlier in the day, to second spot in Group F.But, having won the toss and chosen to bat first, their slim chances of a semi-final berth disappeared when they were bowled out for 105.Such a meagre target proved no problem for Australia, who will continue their quest to claim the one major trophy that has avoided them so far with a last-four showdown against defending champions Pakistan on Friday.David Warner gave them a rapid start to their reply with a breezy 25, the left-hander hitting four fours and a six as he dominated the scoring early on.

Brilliant Bravo
The West Indies did pick up both Warner and his opening partner Shane Watson with the score on 31, while Australia skipper Michael Clarke was run out by a brilliant piece of fielding from Dwayne Bravo for 16.But Brad Haddin enjoyed the chance to get some batting practice, making 42 before perishing with the finishing line in sight to Chris Gayle.
Cameron White came out to the middle to be greeted by a bouncer from the West Indies captain, giving away four wides to finish off a one-sided encounter that had almost been decided just two balls in.Fresh off a superb knock of 98, Gayle immediately hit Dirk Nannes for four – only to then see the next delivery deflect off his pads and onto his stumps.Shivnarine Chanderpaul (24) tried to fill the boots of his departed captain but in less than 10 overs the home team went from 39 for one to 85 for nine.Australia’s pacemen may have dominated in their recent wins over India and Sri Lanka in Barbados but the slower track at the Beausejour Cricket Ground suited Steven Smithperfectly, the leg spinner taking three for 20.Ramnaresh Sarwan did his best to keep the innings alive with 26 before becoming one of two wickets in one over for David Hussey’s part-time off-spin.

Sri Lanka clinched a place in the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals with a thrilling five-wicket victory over India in St Lucia.Chamara Kapugedera’s sensational six off the last ball made sure inaugural winners India were knocked out of the competition.Chasing 164 for victory and requiring three off the last ball, Kapugedera (37 not out off 16 balls) dispatched Ashish Nehra over extra cover to clinch victory.A place in the last four was then secured for Kumar Sangakkara’s men when West Indies- their rivals for second spot in Group F – lost to Australia.

Intent
Sri Lanka, who will next face England on Thursday, had been put to the sword early on by India, starting with recalled opener Dinesh Karthik smashing the first ball of the match to the boundaryKarthik, in the side in place of Murali Vijay, lasted just 11 further deliveries though before he presented a simple return catch to Lasith Malinga (2-25).Suresh Raina then joined Gautam Gambhir in the middle and the pair added 66 runs off 41 balls to set the perfect platform for a late onslaught.Gambhir fell nine short of his half-century when he became Malinga’s second victim, however Raina passed 50 off 37 deliveries to continue his success in St Lucia having struck a century at the same venue against South Africa.The left-hander eventually perished for 63 – caught in the deep off Thilan Thushara – and the India innings wilted to a disappointing 163 for five thereafter.The total meant that Sri Lanka needed just 144 from their 20 overs to eliminate Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men.

Recovery
Their reply got off to a disastrous start though as openers Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya departed to leave them six for two.Top tournament run-scorer Jayawardene (four) nicked an Ashish Nehra delivery to Yusuf Pathan at first slip and Jayasuriya (0) gave Vinay Kumar his first wicket in international cricket eight balls later.But Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) and Sangakkara (46) launched a spirited recovery effort, with the former striking four boundaries from his first 11 balls.He was eventually caught by Yuvraj Singh off Pathan’s bowling with the score on 49-3, but Angelo Mathews helped keep the score ticking over.Although Sangakkara departed, Kapugedera stepped in as he and Mathews (46 off 37) managed to score 60 from the final five overs against a dispirited India team that knew they would be flying home.